Giving, measure of Love

“…for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life…” John 3:16 AMP [italics & emphasis mine]

I love what the late Dr. Ed. L. Cole said in one of his teachings, “…you can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving…” When we love, truly love, we give willingly and unconditionally. We know how much one loves by how much one gives. We know how much God loves us by how much HE GAVE for us, His one and only son. Jesus said we can measure his love for us by what he has given us, “…greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends…” John 15:13 KJV italics and emphasis mine.

The question to you and me is, as we profess to love God, how much do we give to him or do we only take and take and take from him? I am talking in terms of our time, our energy, our resources (including money) etc How much of our strictly budgeted time and money goes to God and his Kingdom? Do not be fooled brethren, “…where your treasure is, there your heart will be also…” Matt 6:21 NIV italics mine.

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copyright ©2008 Light to my path † † † by TJM Kyara

Are u a witness?

“…but you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth…” Acts 1:8 AMP [italics & emphasis mine]

A witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about a crime or dramatic event through their senses (e.g. seeing, hearing, smelling, touching) and can help certify important considerations to the crime or event (www.wikipedia.org). To be a valid witness, you must have either experienced or seen ‘with your own eyes’ what you want to be a witness about. If a confession is made to you, you could be a witness to confession but not to the act.

Jesus said that when the power of the Holy Spirit comes upon us, we will be ‘His Witness’; this means that we will experience at first hand the power of God as a result of what Jesus did THEN and only then do we become witnesses. Therefore, when we give ‘testimony’, when we talk of ‘salvation’ experience, we are giving a witness account of the events. The next time you testify in fellowship (or talk to unbeliever about God), make sure you are a witness of the account you give.

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copyright ©2008 Light to my path † † † by TJM Kyara

God ordained lack!

“…Beware that you do not forget the Lord…Lest when you have eaten and are full, …Then your [minds and] hearts be lifted up and you forget the Lord your God… who led you through the great and terrible wilderness...where there was no water, but who brought you forth water…who fed you in the wilderness with manna, that He might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end…” Deut 8:11, 14-16 AMP [italics & emphasis mine]

The distance from Cairo (Egypt) to Jerusalem (Israel) is about 264 miles http://www.wiki.answers.com/, by car today takes about 10-15 hours. An average man could walk 264 miles in 25-30 days; therefore a group of adults, children and live stock could walk same distance in 40-90 days max. Yet, GOD LED (they were not lost or wondering), God Led Israel in the wilderness for 40 YEARS amazing! He says in the scripture above that He led them where there was no food or water, then He gave them food and water-why? TO HUMBLE THEM…Deut 29:6 says, “…that you may know that I am the Lord your God…”

It seems that God denied them natural provision so that He could be their only provision. Jesus did the same thing, He sent out His disciples and asked them to take nothing at first; when they came back he asked them if they suffered lack and they said no, then he asked them to take their stuff [Luke 22:35-36]. I am therefore persuaded that there are times when God lead us into places and situations where only Him could be our sole provider firstly to humble us and that we may know that He is God. If and when you suffer lack-whilst in total obedience to God-humble yourself and look up to heaven whence your help will come from.

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copyright ©2008 Light to my path † † † by TJM Kyara

Let God!

“…Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly…” 2 Kings 20:2-3 NIV [italics & emphasis mine]

Doing our things our way is as natural as scratching our body when it itches; God almighty has made us this way for His own glory—for a time and place. May be its just me, but time and again I fail to Let God when I ought to. When my car brakes down—I call my mechanic; I need money—I call my bank; I am hungry—I call Chinese takeaway or Pizza hut; I get sick—I call my doctor; marriage problem—I call my counsellor…where do I stop and call God first?

There are times when God allows life to put us in a situation where ONLY God can take us out of it. King Hezekiah was told by the Prophet of God that he was going to die of the illness he had. Lucky for him, he knew better than to call his Royal Doctors; he turned to God and PLEADED with Him, reminding him “the good old times” and God answered him. Sometimes, the only way God can get our attention is when He allows impossible circumstances in our life—will you turn to Him before this happens? “…Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you…” Psalms 32:9 NIV

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copyright ©2008 Light to my path † † † by TJM Kyara

My father’s Demons

“…When the men of that place asked him [Isaac] about his wife, he said, "She is my sister," because he was afraid to say, "She is my wife." He thought, "The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful…” Genesis 26:7 NIV [italics & emphasis mine]

In Tanzania, the Chagga tribe (my descent) is stereo typed as people who love money above everything; the Pare tribe (my other descent) is stereo typed as stingy…there is an ounce of truth in this matter. In the scripture above, Isaac lied in the very same manner his father Abraham did [Gen 12:11-13; 20:1] “she is my sister”. In Matthew 12:43-45 Jesus talks of the demons that were cast out a man and when they found no other place to dwell, they said we will go back to ‘our house’ The term “house” didn’t just mean a person’s body, it also meant the family. Remember Joshua said “…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” [Joshua 24:15, KJV italics and emphasis mine] Joshua meant his family.

Demons and evil spirits are territorial, when they indwell a given family (KOO) they would normally move on from Great-grandparentsGrandparentsParentsChildren even unto Grandchildren. If you are honest, you will see the same spirits (demons) that tormented your family are out to get you. Family Diseases and illnesses, Generational Poverty, Generational Fear, Generational Sexual promiscuity e.t.c. Only the blood of Jesus can stop that curse and break that chain of pain and you can begin generation of fear of God, blessing and prosperity. Our God is called the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for a reason…

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copyright ©2008 Light to my path † † † by TJM Kyara