STRONGER-PART 1 | KNOW GOD IS FOR YOU

STRONGER PART 1 GOD IS FOR YOU

Has anyone had a smooth sailing life without a struggle? Has anyone lived a problem-free life where it has been a bed of roses, no conflict in relationships, always been in the pink of health and the sea of life is calm and placid? You might be chuckling at this and saying to yourself I’d like to meet that person! Me too!!  

Or like many others, maybe right now, you are facing a storm, you feel like you are drowning in and over your head with whatever situation that is encumbering you. You feel that dark tunnel does not seem to end and you have no strength to go on or no will for you have lost hope of it ever-changing. I have been there my friend and I’d like to urge you to hang on. Go through this series and I pray that you will find HOPE and Strength again.

 For me personally, 2017 was a very tumultuous year. There was relational strife and I just could not get my head around it. It felt weird. It was energy-sapping. It was paralyzing in many ways. I am not one to look for a devil under every chair or chaos that I encounter. However, I began to have a sneaky feeling there is more to this than meets the eye. I knew I had a choice to either give in or fight. Have the clouds blown away you might ask? Yes and no. We face different and new challenges every now and then. The point is not to get you to a place of being trouble-free but to be stronger than the struggles we face.

We need to know how to deal with the struggles and trials that we face, and in a biblical way. In the next few blogs, I will be sharing what I shared with a group of ladies at church. They found it very useful and so I thought, “why not blog it?” Here goes.

Firstly, you do not have to have it all together for God to use you. That is a lie from the pit of hell to stop you from being effective. God uses our weakness and turns them into opportunities to be a blessing and for His glory. He takes our failures and makes them a springboard for success. He takes our brokenness to bring wholeness and healing to many. He takes our trails and makes them trophies of His grace in our lives. He has done that for me over and over in my many years of knowing HIM.

What Satan planned for your destruction, to wreck your life, to derail you from God’s purpose and destiny for your life; God can take and make it a lasting testimony and evidence of His goodness that will never leave us but pursue us all the days of our life.

So how do we learn to be overcomers? How do we face these battles of life?

Fight, I did and with the best weaponry on the planet – the Word of God and trusting in His goodness.

I came across a book early this year by Havillah Cunnington titled “Stronger than the Struggle”. I strongly recommend you read it. Much of what I am blogging here is from that book. The blogs in this series are reflections and a summary of what I got from this fantastic book that I recommend you to buy.

 Do you know that God has a purpose for your life i.e not to drift from one day to the next, rather each day building upon the next toward something?

The enemy knows that you are a powerful weapon in the hands of a mighty God and He will try every trick in the book to trip you up.

 Remember that God and the Devil are NOT equally opposite powers. The devil is a created being. He is not as powerful as God. He is defeated. So remember you fight from a place of victory and not for victory.

In the next few blogs, we will examine some of the schemes the devil uses to try an defeat us and I will share with you how to gain some skill sets, to how to recognize where the attack is coming from and defuse these bombs he throws at you.

We are all called to fight the good fight of faith. This is not a few specialists. It is not just for the pastor to lay his hand on you and “ command” all your problems to disappear. No! Every Christian can and must learn how to fight because we do have an enemy that is waging a war against our souls and is trying to keep us from our destiny. And we are all equipped to fight. We are all more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. Therefore, we need to be alert for He prowls like a roaring lion looking for who he can destroy.

In this battle, one of the first things we need to come to terms with, without a doubt is that God is for us. God is 100% for you. His plans for you are always good. We need to trust that. Trust will be reflected in how well we YIELD to His sovereignty in our lives without doubting, getting anxious, getting back in the driver’s seat of our life. In this age of hyper-independence, we don’t like to yield to anyone or anything. Yielding or surrender requires complete trust, to give up the need to want to control everything and everyone. We have to trust that his intentions toward us are always good. God can manage your diary, timeline, relationships, finance, and a job far better than you.

Satan has always wanted us to doubt the goodness of God. This is an old trick. It is oldest in fact.  We need to remind ourselves of what God says to us in Jer 29:11. ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Satan will take what God has said and make you doubt it or twist it as he did with Eve. Satan knows what heaven is like and what it is like to have a relationship with God. Remember he is a fallen angel. He once lived in the presence of God until pride got the better of him. He wanted the glory that belonged to God alone. This caused his downfall, and being cast out of God’s presence forever. Now he does not want you to enjoy that either.

So what is the source of our struggles? We need to be clear what we are battling, and who is our enemy. As the saying goes, is it the world, the flesh or the devil? If you battle against the wrong enemy, you will never win!  “You must understand your enemy for you cannot defeat what you do not understand”~ T.D Jakes.

For now, reflect on the goodness of God and what that really means? As I pause to ask myself, ask yourself do you truly believe that God is eternally GOOD and always for you. That He will work it all out for your good. HE will take you through this struggle and you will come out stronger and victorious. (To be continued. Part 2 The Source of the struggle)

Can't Do Without You | Reflections on John 15 | Part 2

This is the concluding part of the 2part Blog Post. For PART 1 please click here

PART 2

Verse 12-13  ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 

Why is there this switch as it were, a shift in focus from our relationship with Jesus to our relationship with one another? He knew if He asked us to just love Him that would be easy. He asked us to love each other! He knew that was another story!!  The test of our love for Him is in our obedience to this command; to love each other.

Remember this is a few hours before his arrest. He knew what was ahead and that they were going to need each other in the new chapter in their faith. They could not be in competition with each other nor in constant comparison.

 He wanted them to know the importance of being connected to Him first. It is from that prime connection that they get their identity and not from each other or in relation to each other. Nor do they get it from what they do or don’t do.

 You can almost sense the urgency in Jesus’ voice as HE is trying to get this truth across to a very distracted lot of disciples.

Jesus knew that this would not produce the fruit He was looking for in their lives. 

Also I looked at the other Gospels. Here is what I found in Luke 22: 24-27

²⁴ A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. ²⁵ Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. ²⁶ But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. ²⁷ For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.”

Did this prompt the Master to wash the feet of His disciples as an object lesson so that they would never forget? He could see what had the potential to destroy the early church – pushing for power, position, and prominence. He had to get them to understand that that would get them nowhere. It would not produce the fruit He was looking for. 

To paraphrase chapters 13 to 16. “ Hey, guys stop all this fighting amongst your selves. Stop secretly thinking about how you can get forward and leave the others behind. It does not work that way. Jealousy and competition and grabbing won’t get you anywhere. You need it each other.

Trust me, it is going to get crazier than you think. The politicians and religious rules are going to come after you. Some of you will pay with your life. You need to watch each other’s backs. You will not be able to do the stuff I want you to do if you do not stay close to each other and me. It’s just like the grapevine and the branches. They are connected. If it is not, it will die and not bear any fruit.

I want you guys to succeed. I am giving you the Holy Spirit for that reason. I will be praying for you. Your unity is so important. More than you can ever imagine. Trust me, this will only work if you get it together.

 I love you deeply. Just like my dad loves me. I love each of you. See I do not treat you like servants. We are friends. All of us.Together. Do you get it? Together! Its not going to work any other way.  Not one of you is more important than the other. Get rid of that thinking. It will destroy you. When you do this, people will realize that you have been with me and this is something powerful.

So stop fighting like kids about who I love more or who will get the most important jobs todo. It just does not work like that. Get rid of that Roman thought. Think like me. I didn’t have any issues washing your feet because I am secure in who I am and my dad’s love for me. I know who I am. I do not get my identity from the stuff I do. Neither do you. Do you know who you are? You are my friends. You don’t  need to prove anything. Therefore, get rid of those hang-ups. You have a  whole world to tell all that I have taught you. In addition, none of you can do it on your own. So can you cut all this out and learn to work together? You have to learn to really love each other”

~ Jesus.

Intrinsically linked to our fruitfulness is our loving one another. Jesus deliberately intertwines the vine and branches. He knows of our tendencies towards self-glory and independence that He worked it in a way where we can’t do without each other.

Verse15 -17  ^“ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

Jesus is dealing with Core issues here. He knows that we cannot do the above until we have understood this vital truth. That is, who we are – branches connected to the vine. We are to be ones connected to Jesus Himself, getting our identity from Him not in a slavish way. He calls us friends. He establishes my worth. But as if this is not enough. He establishes WHOSE we are. 

 He establishes my belonging and my connection. When this is settled, we are able to love one another to the point of death, to the point to preferring others, thinking of them more highly than ourselves, to the point where it does not matter who gets the credit or the attention. ( Phil 2:2-4).

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴ For as in one body we have many members,^[e] and the members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Romans 12:3-5.

You see this as a recurring them even through the epistles. Paul is constantly asking the believers to live in love and unity.

When this happens, we will bear lasting fruit (verse16). We can have many kinds of fruit in our lives. Jesus is looking for one particular kind – the lasting kind.

I realize that nothing about the kingdom is temporary. Everything has a bearing in eternity; whether it is being a mum, wife, businessperson, employee, etc. etc. If I am a kingdom person, then everything I do is in the kingdom. It is all from my place of being in the vine, in Jesus. I do not straddle two disconnected worlds. My life in its entirety is in Jesus. It is in “For in him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:28

 What I get from this passage is that it all about my relationship with Jesus and the other branches – my fellow Christ followers. It’s not about keeping a set of rules and regulations. 

As I said earlier the Pharisees were very good at it. It was cold and calculated to the last dill and cumin.  Love was something they did not understand. They understood religious rituals and not a relationship, which was always in the heart of God; that we would desire Him deeply.  Hence, they misunderstood Jesus. They never understood his compassion that caused him to smash Sabbath rules to heal the cripple.

Religion can snuff out and replace relationship so subtly that we can fail to recognize this shift in our hearts. We need the Holy Spirit, to help keep us in check, and connected.

As I crossed the 50 mark, I have become more and more aware that I want the second half of my life to count even more. I want to make an impact, leave a legacy, and change the culture around me to reflect more of more of His Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven.

All this is possible with lasting effect when I function from a place of knowing Jesus intimately and as in verse17 Jesus once again emphasizes “love each other”.

As I end my reflections I am more convinced than ever that being connected to the vine is not about “spiritual disciplines” ( and there is a place for that) but rather my relationship with Jesus and each other.

As Paul eloquently puts it If I have not love, I am nothing!!! (1Cor 13:2).  I do not want to be just hot air and a lot of noise with no substance. I want to love and serve and have fruit that will last.

Dealing with the Doing | Reflections on John 15 | Part 1

Would you consider the last words of a dying man important? You might say it depends on who and for whom. Absolutely right!! The last words of my father mean a lot to me but not of a stranger.

Connection gives weight and meaning to words. Those words can affect the rest of our lives for example, if it’s the last will and testament bequeathing everything to long-lost relative or son.

The chapter divisions in the Bible are not always helpful as I find in this case. As I was reading John 15 I realized there are RED letter words preceding John 15. Therefore, this is a continuation of a talk Jesus is having with His disciples.

Where did it begin? I trace it back to John 13, which is another pivotal chapter: the great chapter on servanthood and it ends in chapter 17 with what we call Jesus’ great “High priestly prayer”.  Soon after that he goes to the garden of Gethsemane and is then arrested. So the last words of Jesus to his disciples start in chapter 13 and end with chapter 17. These must be very, very important things that he is talking about. These are Jesus' last instructions His disciples before He goes to the cross.

To summarize:

Chapter 13 is a very important chapter because it’s about the Passover meal Jesus shares with his disciples before his crucifixion; commonly referred to as the “Last Supper”. He talks to them about serving each other, Judas’s betrayal, Peter’s denial. This is heavy stuff.

 He goes on in Chapter 14 to comfort them with the future hope of being with him forever. Once again he is telling them is  HE the only way to the Father. He is now being more clear about who He is. He is giving them the promise of the Holy Spirit.

We then come to Chapter 15 where he transitions from talking about the intense union between the Father and himself to the intense union between Jesus and us and then with each other.

Therefore when we are in close union with Jesus, we are in close union with the Father ( because the Father is in Jesus, and Jesus in the Father ( John 14:10). 

 Chapter 16 He explains more about the working of the Holy Spirit and what they can expect to happen after his death, resurrection, and ascension.

Chapter 17 is the great high priestly pray once again praying for his disciples and all of us who were yet to come to faith. He is praying for our protection and the unity (John 17: 20- 23)

CHAPTER 15

Jesus tells us who the actors are in this story. The Father is the Gardner, The Vine is Jesus, We are the branches. He is now getting more specific about how we ought to relate to himself, one another; and how this threesome are supposed to work together.

As I was reading this, I was struck by a few verses that made me stop to think. Here are some of my reflections.

verse 1. “I am the true vine”. This opening statement is a bullseye shot. It means there are many vines that I could be a part of and they are not the true vine. However, the only true vine is Jesus.  A good question for all of us to ask is  "am I in the true vine? Do I belong to Jesus? Have I made Him the center of my life, my Lord, my Saviour?"

Verse 5“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing”

No branch can have life without being connected to the main branch. All the branches draw their sap, sustenance from the main branch. It gets its nourishment, strength, fruit-bearing ability, it’s very DNA from the main vine.

 A branch on an orange tree does not look like a branch from a coconut tree. They have a distinct identity and characteristics unique to their species. Therefore it looks like, behaves and produces fruit like the rest of the vine.

 Here the Vine is Jesus. Therefore, if I am well connected to Him; I should behave, look like and produce fruit that is Jesus like!

Therefore staying in connection is crucial. Fruitfulness is linked to my relationship with Jesus.  It is not about how well I administer or create programs; it is not connected to my slick Sunday service. None of those trappings of modern day Christianity have anything to do with my connection to Jesus.

It’s so simple to the point that we actually ignore it or miss it altogether. It’s about me “being” and not “doing”.

In this picture, the only one working is the Father. He is doing all the vine dressing, the cutting and pruning. The branch has one job: stay connected. It sounds too simple we would argue. For a Martha like me, I find this very hard. My hands need to be doing something all the time. Sitting down in silence is not second nature to me.

This verse tells me that I bear fruit from abiding. I bear fruit as my relationship with Jesus grows. The more I draw from the main branch, the more fruit I bear. This means my relationship with Jesus is really important. In a world where fruit/success is measured by performance, this is so hard to understand. I also get my Identity from being connected. Why is this important?

I stop to think: Can my relationship with Jesus become a religious duty? Obedience alone that is dry and faithless won’t produce healthy fruit. 

Jesus says that “Apart from me you can do nothing”. That seems like a strong statement. Some might even say an exaggeration. Well since these are Jesus word I would be wise to pay close attention. What is this nothing! I think he goes on to explain himself further down this passage. We can’t do anything that Jesus is looking for ,i.e which is of eternal consequence or significance if we are not firmly connected to HIM.

Verse 9 ⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love”

Here Jesus tells us about the Father’s love for him and His own love for us. Jesus says obedience in an indication of love. What kind of obedience and to what?

The Pharisees were obedient. Was that an indication of love? Jesus spells out what this obedience is about in verse 12 and 13. ( for PART 2 click here)

You are Stronger |Story behind the song

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by what's happening around you. Have you felt like you don't have what it takes to fight and overcome all the odds? Have you ever felt like you have reached the end of your thether? I think we have all been there in some measure. 

I began to think about this and study this; and realised a few things. Here are my thoughts.

This can happen when we focus  on the wrong thing, magnifying it and thus empowering it to dominate our lives. 

There is a better way. If what gets empowered is what I choose to focus on, then I can do something about it. I have to change what I think about, what I am saying to myself in those zillion conversations I have with myself in my head. I have to change the way I think about myself. I have to change my understanding of where the solution lies. 

The Bible simply calls this the "renewing of the mind". 

This is one is the first things I need to change. To know without a shadow of a doubt that God is for me and only wants my good no matter what I am going through or feeling. The devil is not an equal power with Jesus never has been. He too is a created being. He is not all knowing. His power is limited. He is defeated. Therefore I fight from a place of victory.

So I remind myself that greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world. I have a certain Hope anchored in history and the future. One day all this will wear out like an old garment and I will meet my maker face to face.
All troubles will cease and I will be with Him forever!!

So I penned this song as a daily reminder to myself. When Satan tempts me to give in, I look up to the One who is Stronger than my struggle, heaven's Mighty Champion in whom my battle has been won.

Listen to the song and be blessed.

http://www.reverbnation.com/open_graph/song/29421280

YOU ARE STRONGER (CAPO 5) G You are stronger D So much stronger C D Than the trials that we face G You are might D Oh so mighty C D G We have victory in Your name G You are stronger D Than powers of darkness Em D You are stronger than the grace G You rose, You conquered Am Death and Satan C D G And Have been given the highest name C So we praise you G Might Jesus Em We praise D Victorious Son Em We praise our G Glorious Champion C In You D The battle has been won! You are stronger So much stronger Than any scheming known to man our perfect Will Shall be established In this certain Hope we stand BRIDGE Em On that day G When we are changed D On that day will sorrows fade G Em On that day when struggles cease D We shall see you face to face C D G And we will be with You forever ©Navaz D’Cruz Feb 2018

Jostling with Jesus ?

The Humdrum of life keeps us busy, preoccupied and distracted with the day-to-day goings-on. We scarcely have time to look up at the beautiful sunrise or pause to listen to the waking birds. We miss the breathtaking sunsets perhaps because fluorescent lights unnaturally prolong our day.

We get used to skimming through, touching the surface of most things as there are so many boxes to check off in a day. Life can be reduced to a list of boxes that need a tick mark. Everything is reduced to a task. 

We often fail to recognize the danger that belies us when we rush through everything without stopping to savor the moment, to go deeper in a discussion, to pause in our prayer, to take time to cultivate a friendship etc.

We could be in danger of dulling our souls and desensitizing our spirits to recognizing grace moments in our lives. We almost wish that life could be run on autopilot and hope for a cushy cruising and safe landing.

The sad thing I find is that when I allow myself to live like this, I can miss the occasion, miss the connection, or miss to hear the hearts unspoken words and be dulled to what is happening around me.

I could well brush past a divine moment and not realize it or because I am in such a tearing hurry to tick the boxes, I reduce the relationship to a lifeless religious routine.

I am reminded of one brave lady, who in the middle of all the crowds and chaos decided to push through to actually touch the Master and not brush past Him. The crowds were pressing in either wanting a glimpse of the local hero, wanting a miracle or just wanting a selfie moment with Jesus. Alternatively, maybe they were preoccupied with the scene at a  surface level or just looking for fleeting moments of pleasure.

The crowds were satisfied with a glimpse of the Saviour.The lady, however, was absorbed with a transformational touch that needed for her to persevere deeper, to push past people’s opinions, cultural chains, embarrassment, fear, and doubt. She had to go beyond a jostle with Jesus and tap into what only Jesus could give her. She perceived Him as a Life-giver- a Life transformer.

When I reflect on this, I think to myself how often I have been satisfied with just a glimpse instead of pushing through to actually touch Him, to actually relate and commune with him. I could be in His presence and not take that bold step of faith and push to plug into His power that could change my life!

Maybe sometimes we do not realize how desperate we are in need of that touch. All the people present that day could have tapped into that power if they were intentional about it their contact with Jesus. If only they knew!!

One lady dared to venture beyond and she walked into her miracle! The others settled for jostling while she was transformed.

It makes me think – how do I approach my quiet time: that time I spend with Jesus. Do I brush past his presence or do I stop to be with Him? Have I become so over-familiar that I have forgotten who He is and what he can do for me? There could be moments when His presence is so close, so tangible but I miss it because I am so distracted. I fail to recognize when He walks into the room.

I want to touch the hem of His garment and be changed forever! 

Navaz DCruz

What Memories Will You Leave Behind ?

WHAT MEMORIES WILL YOU LEAVE BEHIND?

Life is full of memories – momentous and miserable. Memories are a part of our history. They can shape us or scar us. They can paralyze us or propel us forward. We build on them, we imprint on them.

Here is a question – do we want to erect mausoleums or build a movement that is always gathering momentum. Not static; not stuck in “‘em glory days”, but moving where God’s hand guides us.

For this old wineskins will not do. It has been shaped and aged by things that no longer have use or relevance.New ways of doing things for a new season need new methods.I need to have my ear to the ground – what is the Spirit saying? Where is the wind blowing? Do I recognize the season I am in?

I cannot harp on old memories and build monuments in my heart and mind around it. Worse still would be if it affects my actions.

I have heard that the ‘next generation ideas come from the next generation’. There is a lot of truth in that. Yet, I do not have to be left behind. If I can adapt, stay tuned to what God is doing I can be a part of the movement and not the old memories.

We all have the choice. That is what I am pondering today. I want to leave a legacy where I have left memories that live on, as they are the cogs on which the wheels of momentum turn.

Navaz DCruz

Inertia

INERTIA

Caught in the sinking sand of inertia

Threatening to drown my dreams
Feeling paralysed
Feet stuck in mud
Eyes dulled to the vision
That is deep inside of me

Heavy feet
Stop the soar
Into higher skies
Preventing passion to roar
Like a blazing fire inside
A heart full of unspoken words
That have seeds of life
That could kill this inertia
That's choking on the inside

Then I lift my gaze
Toward the heavens
And see the ones gone before
A great cloud of cheerers
Egging me to run a little more
As I look at eternity past
I see what is to come
So I  break free from all that hinders
To run to the last

I tell myself
Dream a little longer
Keep up the good fight of faith
There is so much to be done
There is history to be made
A legacy to create
For  generations to come
So I break away from those fetters
And  to myself I say
Inertia shall not have its way.

Navaz D’Cruz 
June 2017