So, now I advise you to be sincere, turn in shame and sorrow from your sins this minute, and believe in Christ and be saved. Jesus said: “…It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:31-32)
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Let’s pray:
Dear God: I come to You knowing that I have sinned against You and that my sins separates me from You. I am sorry for my sins. I believe Jesus died on the cross for me so that my sins can be forgiven. I believe Jesus rose from the dead and is alive. God, please forgive me. Jesus Christ, may you come into my life and be my Lord and Saviour. For I will obey, follow, and honour You
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I thank you as my name will be written in the book of life. Amen
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The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ has also reached us today. So, you may wonder how I *Job Mothiba came to believe in God. Well, God uses various ways to let people come before Him and be saved. Some people did really believed in God first time through near death experiences, after surviving car accident or when they were in their sick bed and a friend preached the gospel to them just like that. “In the same way I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10)
I remember at the young age of about 8 years, I used to go to (NG Kerk) Die Nederduitse Gerereformeerde Kerk in my village at Ga-Mothiba (Mmahlaka) where *Uncle Juks ushered us there every Sunday. Then, it happened that one day when coming back from school I got knocked by a car, fortunately I survived that accident. Sometimes, the very least of all that God could do, is that He gives to man first and foremost the care and protection that man enjoys without acknowledging Him. So, “If the LORD had not helped me, I would have laid down in the silence of death.” (Psalm 97:17)
The Bible says “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. Not only does it say over and over that the gospel is spread by preaching but, common sense tells us that loving deeds, as important as they are as an accompaniment of preaching, cannot by themselves bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Furthermore, He sets out various people, events, and things so that man may see His existence and His deeds within them. For example, there are some people who believed in God because someone in their family was sick, and they came together in trying to get a solution for the problem so, they start believing in God, and their belief in God has come about because of the situation. Apparently illness befalls but, it is in fact a condition bestowed on them so that they come before God, by means of that situation, they turn to God. So, this was no different with my family. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassion never fails.” (Lamentations 3: 22)
Again, there are some families like this, where all are believers, young and old but, on the other hand there are some where belief is individual. So, at some point, the family life got tough whereby they are being exposed to unexplained suffering or loss, i.e. they experience car accidents every year which causes some of them to die prematurely as a result, they find no peace. Then, a chance or opportunity came along where someone passed on the gospel to them and they start believing in Jesus Christ for peace. “By this I know that you favour me, because my enemy does not triumph over me.” (Psalm 41:11)
In some cases it happen under very normal circumstances with family being at peace through the grace granted by God. As the Bible says, “The LORD will bless His people with peace” (Psalm 29:11, NKJV)
So, most people come to believe in God for many other reasons but, no matter what reason brings you to believe in Him, it is all actually arranged and guided by God, without a doubt. For “…He desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3- 4)
It has been a process and long journey for me to come to accept Jesus as my Lord and Saviour because one need to understand the gravity of his or her decision. As some people come to Christ at some point then, easily go back to the world because of their inability to stand firm to their belief in the Lord. Hence, my first book publication was about encouraging people to stand firm to the end, and to hold on to the confession of their hope in Jesus Christ without wavering.
I took the decision with full understanding in 2003 at Mayfair. Yes, I have passed through many difficult situations in life before and after being a born-again Christian whereby most I created them myself due to peer pressure, immaturity and being conformed to the standards of this world. “So, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also…For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” (Romans 1:16)
Thus, in my growing up I sniffed glue, benzene, drank alcohol excessively and sleep around. One of the things I remember very well is, missing the final examination at the tertiary level because I got drunk the day before writing. I slept that night and, I even forgot about the preparations. It slipped my mind completely. When I woke up the following day, realising that I could have missed the time for exam, it was too late, the time has already lapsed. Then, I had to devise a means to get a medical certificate to be accorded another time to sit for examination. This has caused a delay for me to get the final results.
My parents never knew the truth about what exactly happened, until they received the results through the post office with this remarks: failed-(absent from examination.) It’s when they realised something is wrong and that’s when they demanded explanation.
Of course, there are many other things I did which they don’t know even to this day such as *adult stuff, stealing and cheating but, God knows it all. He knows all things in you including your thoughts and He is very real. “And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” (Matthew 10:31)
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“You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it Lord.” (Psalm 139:2-4)
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I know we are not all Christians and some are new converts so, there are different levels into it. But, you will fully understand as you grow closer to Christ. So, you may not be used to the language, when I say God spoke to me, people may laugh not knowing and understanding that God is Spirit and He can speak by His spirit, not as you and I speak but, differently.
It takes faith and trust in God to allow Him to have us speak in a heavenly spirit language that our mind does not understand or know what is being spoken. Hence, some are given gifts to interpret the language. As most of us live our lives according to what we see, feel, taste, smell and hear but, God wants us to live beyond our five senses and, live by faith.
It is not enough to just look, feel or read the Bible and know the Word without practising it. For the devil doesn’t care if you go to church or read your Bible. He only cares if you actually apply it to your life. So, never allow what you are looking at right now to determine what you believe. Always allow your spiritual eyes to take you beneath the surface.
You have got to demonstrate your faith and receive from God now. Break the laws of time and receive your blessings right now. For faith is no respecter of time, and time does not determine faith. If you believe now you can receive by faith your salvation, Holy Spirit, deliverance, healing, job, marriage, breakthrough etc. In the name of Jesus receive…!
“Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him”( Luke 11:11-13)
If you have exercised faith to receive the gift of eternal life, then you have experienced the greatest miracle. And, if you have believed and received the gift of the Holy Spirit by yielding your tongue to speak in unknown tongues, then you have experienced the second greatest miracle.
As Apostle Paul wrote, “…the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you” (Romans 8:11). He convicted you of your sin and your need for Christ (John 16:8-11). The Bible explains that without the Holy Spirit’s help, people think Christianity is foolish (1 Corinthians 1:18).
Those around you may think it’s crazy you’ve made such a commitment to Christ. But, you don’t see it that way at all because the Holy Spirit has revealed the wonder of a life in Christ to you. “Think how much the Father loves us. He loves us so much that he lets us be called his children, as we truly are. But since the people of this world did not know who Christ is, they don’t know who we are.” (1 John 3:1)
So, never let the devil tell you that you do not have faith, for if you have been born again and received your spirit language, then you have exercised your faith for the two greatest miracles in Christianity. Believing God to meet your need for personal divine healing or a miracle is secondary to this two greatest miracles.
Holy Spirit was sent by Christ to enable you to live the Christian life. For the Christian life is possible only with the power of the Holy Spirit. “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:7)
And, you may be thinking, I need the Holy Spirit in my life. But, if you are a Christian, He is already there. The Holy Spirit resides in you but, the problem is that you may not be yielding your life to His direction. He may be a resident – without being president. “You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” (Romans 8:9).
Perhaps life is just hard that it seems like you are never going to get this “Christian thing” right. Let me share this with you my dear, God is real. He is not a wooden cross. He is not a painted idol. He is Spirit. He is far above every ruler, authority, power, dominion, and every name that can be named, not only in the present age but, also in the one to come. His unconditional love for you and all mankind is revealed through His Son Jesus Christ. And, God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church. He communicates via the pages of the Bible, through prayers, through circumstances, visions, dreams, prophets and through contact with believers.
If you sincerely seek God, you will find Him and all His Glory. You do not have to start out being an expert, just patiently get to know Him one day at a time. Be confident in knowing that nothing escapes God’s attention. You are never out of His sight or His care. Before the thought occurred in your mind, God knew it. He has known all things before the foundation of the earth. There is nothing new. So, do not turn or continue turning your back on God, see beyond the deception. “Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” (Proverbs 3:7-8)
So, the Gospel is an announcement not an argument. You share it, not shove it. The beauty of the Gospel is while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Nothing will ever separate us from His love. If love does not require some sort of sacrifice on your part, you probably are not loving the person at all. However, a love based on conduct would keep you wondering, “Have I done enough?” Instead, God cares for you simply because you are You. Never compare your love story with those in the movies, because they are written by scriptwriters, yours is written by God. The author and the finisher of our faith. Because of the cross you do not have to try to justify what you have done in the past.
To Christ all your sins have been thrown into a sea of forget. The moment you asked for forgiveness, you are forgiven. Nothing feels better than knowing that your sins are forgiven. And, that God loves you. He will never leave you nor forsake you, and he will always take care of you. He is faithful when you are not. He is constant when you are not. He is everything when you are nothing. Yet, He says that you are His. “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Sometimes sharing and living in accordance with the gospel always comes with the risk of looking or sounding crazy. I guess that is just a risk you have to take anyway. Keep on testifying about what you witnessed happening in your walk with God. Let the people keep on talking, judging and laughing as you walk in purpose, preparing the way of the LORD, and making straight in the desert a highway for God. For someday you will just have to sit back and let God shut their mouths.
God always leaves a witness to testify about his goodness, so many people that sit in judgement as you toil towards your goals casting their insignificant judgement about your journey typically will become the ones that say, “I remember him or her when…” Perhaps there is some stuff you are going through and cannot talk about now but, when God brings you out of it, talk about it openly and will help so many people while others be silenced. Just as Jesus said to this man “Go to your house, to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how he had mercy on you. So the man departed, and related publicly everywhere in the Ten Towns all that Jesus had done for him; and all were astonished.” (Mark 5:19-20)
However, you cannot force someone to comprehend a message they are not ready to receive. But still, do not underestimate the power of planting a seed. Simple words can mean the world to someone when they are spoken with love. Hence, everyone you meet is a work in progress. Unless you know all the work God is doing in their life, be careful that you are not incorrectly judging their progress. As they say if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.
There are many gospels being preached today but, there are few that the Holy Spirit can bear witness with. If the enemy cannot stop you from believing in God, he will try to make you disappointed with God. Do not believe the lie, you did not miss or denied your destiny.
You might be delayed but, you are not denied what God has for you. As long as you have got breath, you have got a purpose. It may not have happened in the past but, God is still on the throne. It will happen in your future. Keep running after what belongs to you. You are never too broken for God. He heals. He restores. And He gets all the glory. He will see you through all the dirtiness, brokenness, and lies. And He will wipe off the dust and calls you His child. You are His. “For [He] you created [your] my inmost being; [He] you knit [you] me together in [your] my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13)
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“Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so.” (Hebrews 13: 9)
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You may fool everyone else but, you will not fool God. You either have the Word and it abides in you, or you do not. The Bible is not open to private interpretation. It does not matter what you may think it means. It means what it means. God has said what He has said. You are in line with His Word or not. People make doctrine to pretend to understand what they do not understand. That is *dogma. Traditions of men. How can there be many doctrines yet One God and One Way to Him? Do not speak doctrine, speak the Word. Do not speak any Method but, the Cross and Christ crucified. Preach God’s Commandments, Holiness and One Body with One Head. Not doctrines of men. “Though be it in vain do they worship me… teaching for doctrine the Commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:9)
Preach the Gospel of Truth to anyone who will receive it. We cannot call evil good and good evil. For the Lord said, if you Love Him, Keep the Commandments. “Let the word of the Lord remains in you. And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:25)
Moreover, your life speaks volumes every day. It is really what you do that tells others who you are, not what you say. There is a lot of us who are professing that we know the Lord, but in works we deny Him (Titus 1:16). Saying you believe the word of God is one thing but, putting what you believe into action, that’s living the word. It is done with both your lips and with your life.
So, beware that everything that is told is not true and everything that shines is not gold: because you see, even sugar looks like salt, but when you taste it, then you know that is not the real thing. Some people will come into your life with Christian talk, but they don’t have a Christian walk to go along with all that. Hence an ounce of example is worth more than a gallon of advice. “Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them” (Matthew 7:20)
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