Deceit

25 May 2012    

   

Proverbs 11:1 False balances are hateful to Jehovah; but a just weight is His delight.

Business integrity is something that is very scarce, and something that is becoming more and more endangered. In order to ensure that the person doing the work is paid a separate organisation is used to collect the payment for the work done. Once the work is done you now speak to collection agency that now needs to be paid. The ability to speak to the person who originally did the work has been taken away, just seems to be cold and impersonal.

So having had your pre-med and waiting to have major surgery, the orthopaedic supplier arrives with crutches, ice machine etc. thinking that this is part of post-operative treatment, you think whoa this is well organised. Until you get the account and you are charged private rates, and you are forced to pay far more than the medical aid reimburses you for. One waiting for surgery cannot get alternative quotes, so you are a captured buyer with no recourse. The supplier failed to communicate the costs and simply submitted to the medical aid on your behalf. So even in hospital the vultures wait to be paid, so we all need to be more aware not to place our trust in people bringing you your crutches.

Be encouraged to thank those who are honest in business, they are a delight to God.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: When you cheat people you cheat God.

 

Question to consider: Are you honest in your business?

Glorified

24 May 2012     

  

Romans 8:30 But whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, those He also justified. And whom He justified, these He also glorified.

For those who call Jesus Christ Lord, God the Father predestined that through His grace and the atoning power of the Cross, that those who call Jesus Lord shall be justified. Those who are justified shall be glorified. Many debates have split the church on the questions raised in this verse and others like it. But no matter how man may debate, at the end of the day, in all that God does there is a mystery.

Thank God for the mystery, that lifts us from the misery of un-forgiven sin and the separation from God. God knew us, He knew us in the secret places of our mother’s womb, and He has written our names in the palm of His Hand. He loves us despite our sin, and in the mystery of this love, He welcomes us, repentant of our sin. When you accept the call of Jesus Christ to follow Him, you are responding to His love, and in responding you are completely justified.

Be encouraged to accept that you are justified and that you are being glorified.

 

David

Point to ponder: God predestined your salvation.

 

Question to consider: Without the mystery, how could we live by faith?

Called and chosen

23 May 2012        

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

In your walk in faith, which person had the greatest influence on your walk? This question is interesting when you give real thought to it. In my case I was 23 years old and I met with my minister, questioning whether I may enter the ministry. His answer was that I was not suitable material for the Denomination; I left him angry and hurt. The result of this was that I stopped attending church regularly and sought God in my own way, studying the Bible and reading both good and terrible spiritual material.

Because of this, I lived my life for Christ, not ordained by the hands of men, but by the living Spirit of the Risen Christ. Later in life I reconciled to the denomination and was subsequently ordained. My walk with Christ was influenced not only by Godly people, but the ungodly as well, setting examples of what I never wanted to be. One of these is never to block a person to follow Christ, in any way they choose, it is Christ that calls, and it is Christ that ordains, not the church, neither men.

Each of you has been called and chosen, and Jesus has a special purpose for you, seek His Kingdom in your heart, and with all your heart, and His purpose will be revealed to you. Who God calls, He empowers and provides, always.

Be encouraged today to thank God for the people he has placed on your path of life.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: God has called you to His purpose and for His glory.

 

Question to consider: What is God’s purpose and command for you to obey?

Testing faith

22 May 2012        

1Peter 1:7-9 So that the trial of your faith (being much more precious than that of gold that perishes, but being proven through fire) might be found to praise and honour and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, you love; in whom not yet seeing, but believing in Him you exult with unspeakable joy, and having been glorified, obtaining the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

What you believe determines the faith that is required to reinforce that belief. So as a Christian we believe that when we die, that there is life after death, and so because we believe this we have faith that this will occur. Yet this part of our belief is really the end part of faith and not the beginning of faith. God has promised many things not just life after death, but a life in the here and now, filled with all of God’s promises, the question is do you believe this?

So in our normal day, what are the faith exercises we need to do to build our faith? The first is that we pray to a God who we believe in, in faith! In faith we speak the words of His promise into our lives and so we appropriate through this His will for our lives and not our own. So as a result we trust God, and the more we trust the deeper our faith becomes.

Yet it is often difficult to do when your spouse drinks pain killers while drinking alcohol, it is difficult to do when our children are rebelling, but in this process we do not lose faith, but rather understand that in times of trial our faith grows. It is these daily trials and persecutions that we come closer to God in our need, because of faith.

Be encouraged today to have faith and let your faith in God stand firm.

David

Point to ponder: It is not only the evil one that tries to destroy our faith it is sometimes those closest to us.

Question to consider: Is your faith tested?

Visit our webpage at:  www.linga-longa.co.za

Assurance

21 May 2012       

Psalms 24:1-2 A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein; for he has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.

As we are coming to the beginning of June and in less than a month now we will have the winter solstice, the sun will be at its furthest point from the earth and then it starts to move towards spring. Of course this is the opposite in the northern hemisphere. So as we come deeper into winter so the mornings in particular are getting colder and our clothes are getting thicker.

Yet in all of this there is a certainty within nature, a trust that the cold will come, the cold will go, and the world and all that is in it is under the control of God. Now if God is in control of all these, then we should ask that He be in control over us. Yet to do this we need to bring all that we are under His control, so that all that we do, say and act upon is accordance of His love for us and our responding love to Him. So if you are going through a tough time today, let God take control.

Be encouraged to trust God in all that you are.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: God is in control.

 

Question to consider: Is God in control of your life?

Visit our webpage at:  www.linga-longa.co.za

Be Still

18 May 2012   

    

Psalm 46:10  Be still, and know that I am God! I will be praised among the nations, I will be praised in the earth.

What are the sounds that fill our minds and how do those sounds change the way we respond? When we just think about how many sounds that we hear, some are loud, some intermittent, some are nice and others are awful. Both our neighbours here have donkeys, and one does not mind the donkeys, but when they start to bray, the sound carries. These donkeys do not have a set pattern so one could hear them at any time.

 Part of the challenge in life is to identify sounds and to respond to them, yet sometimes the sound of silence is still a pleasure. It gives the mind time, time to process, time to think and time to listen to that voice in our minds. Being still or being quiet is part of the way that allows us to hear ourselves think and in thinking allowing God through His Holy Spirit to direct our thinking.

Be encouraged today to be selective of the sounds we expose ourselves too and the way we respond to them.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: Be still.

 

Question to consider: Do you spend time just letting your soul be still?

Word of Promise

17 May 2012  

     

Psalm 119:49 Remember the Word to Your servant, on which You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction; for Your Word has given me life.

There are 150 Psalms and each of these has place in bringing us to understand the relationship that God desires for us, with Him, with others and most importantly in understanding ourselves. As we read these we should understand that promise and word are interchangeable, for it is in the Word that the promises of God are fulfilled to all mankind. For in the beginning was the Word (promise) of God.

So if all the Psalms are read and we come to use them in helping us to understand the promises contained in them, it should be logical to them appropriate those promises God’s Word into our lives. In this way Jesus truly becomes our Emmanuel (God with us) and in so doing we conclude that we are part of the fulfilled promise of God, in our now and in our eternity. God is unchanging so we who are sinners are made whole by breathing in the Word so that the Word becomes part of us. The Psalms helps us on this journey of understanding.

Be encouraged today to make the Psalms part of your journey.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: God speaks to us in His Word.

 

Question to consider: Could you read a portion of the Psalms each day?

Please if you need to send this to some one please do. If you want any help or advice I will be happy to try and help. dhutt@mweb.co.za

Talents

15 May 2012       


Matthew 25:15  And to one indeed he gave five talents, and to another, two, and to another, one, to each according to his ability. And he went abroad at once.


What is a talent? This word may mean a weight of money, it also may mean a special gift such a person with a gift of music or something that lifts that person out of the ordinary and that others recognise the gift that they have. In the text we seem to think that the talent is a gift of money, yet the allocation of the talent includes the ability of the person in regard to the talent.


In the context of the chapter Jesus is speaking about the coming Kingdom and His expectations He has for those who call themselves His servants. In this chapter each person knows the other, there are no strangers. We then need to understand that we have all received gifts (talents) of the Holy Spirit, have we used them, even if we only have one gift. Do we bury them with our doubts or fears, or do we use them to grow the Kingdom?


Be encouraged today to be not afraid to use the talents Jesus has given you to bring glory to the Father.


David


Point to ponder: Jesus has given you talents.


Question to consider: do you know your talent and do you use to the glory of the Father?


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Who shall ascend?

14 May 2012                                               


Psalms 24:3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?


In our lives we may be able to wash our hands clean and keep our clothes and person clean and smelling OK, but how do we clean the inside, the memories of what our hands has done? Sometimes as we hold a babies finger clenched around ours we may wonder what those little hands may get up to. One thing we do know from the bible is that unless you do have clean hands and a clean heart you will neither ascend nor stand in His Holy place.


So how do we get clean hands and a pure heart? We cannot do this on our own, this has to a God intervention through the power of the Holy Spirit and comes and takes our old selves and makes us into a new creation. This process is available for all who are trapped in the past, trapped in sin, trapped in self pity, trapped by the world. All they need to do is to come to the foot of the cross and meet the living Lord Jesus Christ. It is at this meeting that He and He alone will wash your hearts and give you a clean heart, baptism by water washes the outside of our bodies, baptism by the Holy Spirit washes our inside with God’s forgiveness and grace.


Be encouraged to desire to ascend the hill and stand in His holy place and He will wash you with the Blood of the Lamb.


David


Point to ponder: Only God can give you clean hands and a pure heart.


Question to consider: Have you been washed by the blood of the Lamb?


Our webpage: www.christhealing.co.za

Equality

11 May 2012                                               


Psalms 94:14-15 For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.

Growing old is  process that starts from birth, there is always someone older than you and someone younger than you. In the same way when we look at others we see that we all have our own kind of burdens to bear. We are all different and there is no real equality in anything, we would like to be all equal but we are only able to be equal, when all things are equal. Equality is a perception based on one’s own understanding of reality.


We may be equal in a court of law, but we cannot all afford justice because some people have more money than others. We may all be able to run but we are not all Olympic runners. In order to ensure equality there must be a higher authority, an authority that ensures that we will all be treated equally. This does not exist in the world of men, it is only God that has that supreme power and the ability to use that power for the good of all. It is God that levels the playing field and brings us to understand that when we worship Him, we become equal to others in that moment of worship. It is our relationship with God the Father that brings the equality amongst His children.


Be encouraged today to seek not equality with others, but to simply know that God is the great and only equaliser.


David


Point to ponder: It is God that makes us equal.


Question to consider: Do you strive to be equal to others?


Our webpage: www.christhealing.co.za

Worship God

10 May 2012                                               


Hebrews 12:28-13:1 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. Let brotherly love continue.


Power lies not with men but with God, and the power of the Church is not found in the structures  or those found in the Church but rests completely in God. The purpose of the Church is not to do anything but to worship God the Father in the Name of Jesus Christ the Son and in the power of the Holy Spirit. All agendas and councils within the Church which does not have this purpose is not part of the Will of God for His Church.


So often today we are distracted from the main purpose of life and that is to worship God. We worship God not just on a Sunday, but we worship God every day by glorifying God, as witnesses to His saving grace in our lives. It is out of this in thanksgiving and praise that we become a people of God, the children of God.


When we recognise that all power is God’s and that we are only the conduit of His love to proclaim the Gospel, then the signs, wonders and grace will abound in that power. As we understand this so we come under the covering of God, not the covering of a church structure or men.


Be encouraged today to recognise that we are called by Jesus Christ to worship God the Father.


David


Point to ponder: Worship is all we need to do.


Question to consider: Do you understand how to worship God?


Our webpage: www.christhealing.co.za

Miracle Power

9 May 2012                                                 


Acts 3:6-7 But Peter said, "I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.


One of the major turning points in the ministry was when I laid hands on a person and asked God to heal her in the name of Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit, and she was instantly healed. There was no long prayer, neither was there any complicated process I simply said: ‘in the name of Jesus Christ be healed’ and she was. This changed me, because unworthy as I am, sinner that I am, God used me to bring healing to another because of the power of the name of Jesus Christ. I am a believer, are you?


A question that needs to be asked is;  have you ever seen or been part of a healing miracle? How many priests, ministers and pastors preach the Word, yet have never experienced the power of the Word that they preach? The Word of God is filled with the power of God, and this power must be made manifest through the faith of those who preach it and teach it, and in so doing bring glory to God. Do you believe  and do you have faith?


Be encouraged today to love another enough to bring the healing power of God into their life.


David


Point to ponder: God heals today.


Question to consider: Have you ever witnessed a miracle?


Our webpage: www.christhealing.co.za

Covered

8 May 2012                                                 


Romans 4:7-8 "Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not reckon his sin."


When you know cold weather is coming it is wise to check which plants in the garden will be hurt by the cold, and it is then important to protect those plants by covering them from the cold. At present we are busy covering the Mango tree so that it will not be hurt, so that next year we will be able to enjoy it’s fruit. All the pot plants have also been brought out from under our thatch and moved into a safe place away from the frost.


Now when we know difficult times are coming, and in this world it may come from more than one place and more than one at a time, where then is your covering to protect you? We often do not realise that we need to be covered, in the Garden of Eden God covered Adam and Eve, we need the covering of God to see us through. In our homes and in our families, do we ask God for His covering over us, a covering of the Blood of Jesus so that no harm will befall us. When have this covering when the season to bear fruit comes, we bear good fruit abundantly.


Be encouraged today to come under the covering of the Blood of Jesus Christ.


David


Point to ponder: God covers you with the blood of the Lamb.


Question to consider: Are you fully covered?


Our webpage: www.christhealing.co.za

Bad effort good result

7 May 2012                                                 


2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.


It is not always easy to sit and listen to a sermon, when the congregation is familiar with the text of the sermon, and it seems that the person presenting the sermon somewhere along the line seemed to have missed the point. The result of this is on the way home from church the debate is about how the point was missed, and that knowing the text that this should have been said as well etc. etc. The final outcome is that there was possibly more thinking taking place on a poorly presented sermon, and more discussion, than what might have been with a sermon that was well constructed with no room for debate. God uses His word and His word will never come back void!


In the same way when we do things and we do not always do them well, these may have better results than what we may have expected. It is better to get people to think for in this way they start to get involved, and when they get involved they become co-workers in the Kingdom. We should always allow room for debate, because when we speak about things we think about what we say and so become part of the debate.


Be encouraged today to get the best out of what we hear.


David


Point to ponder: God will use anything to get us to know Him, even a poor sermon.


Question to consider: Do you hear the man or do you hear God?


Our webpage: www.christhealing.co.za

Authority

4 May 2012                                                


Matthew 8:9 For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."


The One who is in absolute authority in the kingdom of God is God, this authority is the beginning and the end of all, as God is the author of all. This authority is vested in Jesus Christ and in terms of this we fall under His authority. So just as the Roman Centurion was a man under authority so we too are under authority that of Jesus Christ. When Jesus tells us to go, we go, when He tells us to come; we come and when He commands us to do this, we do it. We recognise the authority by being obedient to it.


As one thinks along these lines, the concept of authority must make one realise that we often do not respond as we should to that authority, often accepting our own or others as more important than that of God. As we respond to the authority that Jesus Christ has over us, so we grow in our relationship with Him and so we find that our faith is tested. We need to submit to His authority before we can have authority over ourselves and others.


Be encouraged today to accept and respond to the authority that Jesus Christ has over you.


David


Point to ponder: God has absolute authority.


Question to consider: Are you submissive to the authority of God over you?


Our webpage: www.christhealing.co.za

SA Association of Evangelists Conference

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ

On 19 to 21 June 2012 the South African Association of Evangelists is having their annual conference here at Linga Longa.

This a very important event and one that I urge you to attend.

This conference will bring to you information and ideas of how to reach the souls of the lost, for those people who today have still not heard the gospel, and the need for all to become more aware that to win souls for Christ is the goal of the great commission.

The most important aspect of this conference is how to assist and empower those within the Congregations to bring the gospel to others, first in the home, then in the work place and then in the community.

Invitations are also extended to those with a desire for mission to spend short periods of time in the mission fields in India, Tibet, Brazil, Chile and Mozambique, this exposure changes lives and brings home the great desire for people to hear the Gospel around the world.

Yet our greatest challenge still remains which is to bring the gospel to those closest to us, our neighbours, our friends, our colleagues.

Please seriously consider attending this conference or sending interested persons to attend, this will open the door to life changing experiences.

Yours in Christ

 

Rev David Hutt.

Power of Proclamation

3 May 2012                

                                 

Colossians 1:28-29 Him we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ. For this I toil, striving with all the energy which he mightily inspires within me.

When we proclaim Christ, we preach Christ, and although there is teaching there is also a warning that those that are taught need to comprehend and turn back to Christ. In doing this we make the word of God fully known, this includes the mystery that Christ alone is our hope of glory. When the Holy Spirit truly dwells in us and we are filled with the hope of Christ’s glory in us, we are also filled with all the energy or power of Christ that inspires us mightily.

Now as a Christian we are often so drawn into ourselves that we loose sight that Christ dwells within us through the Holy Spirit in power, and all the energy of that power is there to inspire us to greater things. We are no longer satisfied with the normal and the mundane, we seek to display the power of Christ in order to bring others to know Him and to love Him just as we do. We proclaim in power, we teach with the authority of that power, bringing the wisdom of the word of God to all so that we may present every person mature in Christ. To do this you need to believe and live that belief.

Be encouraged today to proclaim Christ in power.

 

David

Point to ponder: To know Christ is to filled by Christ.

Question to consider: Are you filled with the energy of Christ?

Our webpage: www.christhealing.co.za

Good Words

2 May 2012        

                                         

Genesis 48:9 Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me here." And he said, "Bring them to me, I pray you, that I may bless them."

The word eulogy is made up of two parts, ‘eu’ means good, and ‘logy’ means word, so a eulogy is good words spoken of to others. It is in speaking good words that results in a good response to those words, so we need to be more conscious of the words we use, so that are words are good.

When we use negative words it brings about a negativity which wounds and bruises people rather than heals them, usually this negativity is routed in our desire to protect ourselves from others by keeping people away from us by using hurtful words. This is learnt behaviour that we find in families and communities where verbal abuse is the order of the day.

 In order to move from the negative to the positive we need to learn how to bless others through the words that we use, and the display of affirmative body language. When we hug our enemies they soon become our friends, when we bless our enemies with our words, they soon find the place to reconcile.

Be encouraged today to use words that are good.

David

Point to ponder: Be blessed by blessing others.

Question to consider: Have you ever been blessed?

Our webpage: www.christhealing.co.za