Reflections on Obstacles

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As I was looking at some of the situations I have encountered over recent weeks, sometimes even looking back at things I have went through over the years… I have just learnt something about obstacles that the Lord is teaching me.

Often in lives we face obstacles in many forms… One example I like to give is this, quite often on the same day or week, which I have an important church activity to attend to, I will suddenly find myself drowned with a lot of work that will cause to me be stuck at home and thus preventing me to attend it… This doesn’t happen just once or twice but it happens so many times that I have lost count of the number of events I missed just because I got stuck at home… I realised this is a trick the devil uses a lot on me… Knowing that my weakness is my work and until I have finished my work, I rarely have any peace in my mind and heart  and often I will make a lot of excuses not to go anywhere else because of it… Because you didn’t go, you miss out on the blessing God has intended for you.

Don’t you think it is too much of a coincidence if it happens almost half the time?  Every time, you have something important you want to attend to, related to church, something happens; you suddenly get into a quarrel with someone, something crops up at work, it clashes with an office event, out of the blue you fall sick…. Either for some reason you missed it, (and regret that you did, and wished you were there) or you eventually attended the meeting but with some struggles in your heart.

I remembered once I didn’t feel so good, and I was really tempted to skip church but I still pressed my way and made it to church no matter what, and I thank God that I did, because I was hungry for God, He blessed and honour me for preserving to seek Him. Sometimes, if you just give in to the excuse, you have just fallen for the trick of the enemy and you just missed out on something great that God has in stored for you.

Obstacles can come from two different sources carrying two different types of purposes. The first type of obstacles are God ordained, when God allowed these obstacles to come your way, it is either to train you for something greater or to protect from something is probably going to harm you in some ways or maybe God is just saying no because he has something else better for you. Once I was looking forward to attend a Christian concert, but many things prevented me from being able to buy the tickets and there was also a clash of events, I had classes to attend prior to that. Eventually I didn’t manage to attend it because I realised later (somewhere in the midst of it), that mom was having her birthday dinner that same evening, and God wanted me to be there instead. That’s no wonder why I was having a hard time planning and trying to get my ticket for the concert. On one hand, I didn’t know if I was able to make it after class, on the other hand I had a hard time getting my tickets online…

The other type of obstacles comes from the Devil. (Like what I have shared in my above example in the beginning) If this happens, there can only be one purpose, it is to destroy, distract and derail you away from the plans of God.

While God has a plan for you, remember that the devil also has a plan for you… John 10:10 says, “The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I (Jesus) have come that you may have life, and life more abundantly.”  Whenever God has a plan for you, the devil is also working behind the scene to attempt to bring you down, so that you are not able to fulfil God’s plan.

We need to learn to discern which ones are God ordain and which ones are from the devil (which normal comes as a form of spiritual attack). How do we discern? Sometimes you just know, you can sense it, otherwise, simply go to God in prayer and ask Him to reveal it to you through the Holy Spirit.  If it comes from the Holy Spirit, you will feel peace in the end, and it is normally for a good purpose, otherwise, you would probably be able to guess that it is coming from the other side.   

The devil has a lot of tactics he uses to prevent you from doing God’s work or drawing close to Him. Sometimes, he uses your own weakness against you; sometimes, he uses the people around you. Otherwise, he will cause a situation to arise that will either; destroy, distract, defeat, discourage, delay or detour you. The Bible however  encourages us that in some situation, God has the ability to turn what the devil intend to be harmful, to be good for his purpose in the case of Joseph (Gen 50:20)

And Romans 8:28 says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose”.

We can be encouraged therefore, that nothing happens to us that is unknown to God, sometimes even if is from the devil, God also has a purpose for allowing it, which we may never understand as in the case of Job.  (Job 1:6-12).

We can however be encouraged that, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God for justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one, Christ Jesus who died, more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written; “For your sake we face death all day long, we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything things in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8: 31-39)

Be encouraged, God is always on our side no matter what happens in our lives. It is up to us, however, to choose which side we want to be on.

God bless you!

Serving with you in His Kingdom with love;

Princess Michelle –

Beloved Daughter of the Most High King

Reflections on Gifts (Spiritual/Natural)

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The Bible has taught us that our spiritual gifts such as prophecy, teaching, encouragement and leading are all gifts of grace. (Read Eph 12:6) If these gifts were given to us as an act of grace it is therefore a privilege and not an entitlement. God gave us these gifts as a result of his goodness and has nothing to do with us. So we must not be boastful if we have them, or complain and grumble against if we do not have them.

Gifts comes in different form, there are two types of gifts - spiritual and natural. Spiritual gifts are given to us when we were born again into His kingdom, it is only given to those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, example of such gifts are prophecy, speaking in tongues and teaching (the word of God). There is also another type of gift such as natural gifts that is put in a person at birth. Such gifts are given to every one at large even to non Christians. These gifts could be gifts of creativity such as writing poem/songs, playing the piano, singing and dancing -what is also commonly know as natural talents.

But whatever these gifts may be, one thing I do believe is that God never gave us these gifts and intended for us to use them for our own selfish desires/purposes.  I believe these gifts are for us to use in His Kingdom to give Him glory and it is also to the benefit of the body of Christ at large. While the bible says that God's gifts and his call are irrevocable (Romans 11:29), I do believe that our gifts must be used actively, otherwise they might become dormant and as a result we might lose our effectiveness in them. If the Lord has given us any gifts, we should take care that we use them humbly and in the right manner.

Gifts such as prophecy and teaching, if not used in the correct manner, it can cause a leader to go astray allowing him to start his own false doctrine such as The Prosperity Gospel or Hyper-grace message, drawing crowds of people after themselves. Instead of preaching Biblical truth, they twist the scriptures to please "the people who will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

People who have the gift of teaching and prophecy should teach and prophesy in the fear of the Lord, they should be drawing men to God and not to themselves. We should encourage our sisters and brothers to use their spiritual gifts to edify the body of Christ and not hide them under the rug and collect cob webs. Practicing the gifts of the Holy Spirit is best exercised in a weekly small group meeting, when the members are encourage to give a word of encouragement or a word of knowledge for ministry.

Sometimes "situational gift" can happen, if a demonized person turns up in a meeting, but the "deliverer" is not available, does that mean that a deliverance ministry cannot take place because of that? Of course not! God will put the anointing to cast out a demon on another person temporarily for the sake of His glory, so that ministry can take place. This particular person may or may not be "anointed" in this form of ministry, but if this person continues to involve himself/herself in this ministry, in time to come she/he might just develop the anointing eventually to cast out a demon.  Spiritual gifts operates in the same fashion as natural talent, the more we use it, the better and sharper we become in these gifts.

Everyone has been given a gift from God, some are left undiscovered and unexplored until we venture out and try it because I personally don't believe that there is such thing as an un-gifted child of God.  We therefore, must always be willing and opened to try new things, you never know what you are good at until you try it. 

What natural/spiritual gift has God given you today? How are you using it to glorify God? Go try new things and perhaps you might in the process, discover a hidden talent you never know you possess!

God bless you!

Serving with you in His Kingdom with love;
Princess Michelle -
Beloved Daughter of the Most High King