christian or church-goer?

Beauty vs Character

2012-01-24T18:40:00.000-08:00

God designed a woman to attract a man. Her beauty guarantees that she is noticed, wanted & valued by the man. A man is first attracted by a woman's beauty & body; this is a natural reaction to which we men can do nothing about. This is not to mean that men are promiscuous, NO. It is a man who approaches a woman and being attracted to a her enhances the act of man & woman being joint as one. There's nothing immoral in being attracted to a woman as a man. From the beautiful hairs of her head to the tender soles of her feet, a woman is adorable and that's why our great grandman, Adam, beheld the beauty of the woman and said it was bone of bone & flesh of flesh. Now, it is saddening that we men have come to judge every woman by her outward looks. Yes, I know you have many views here but for now, you can keep them to yourself. From reality, we men leap into the perfect world of fantasy and hope to retrieve an ideal woman. More often than not, we come out from the adult "Disney" land when it's too late, with a beauty we longer call so, a decay in the bones as the Bible puts it by our side. It's from this effect that some women not confident enough in themselves (for whatever reason) tend to artificialise their beauty. Don't get me wrong, we appreciate and recognise efforts in a woman to make oneself presentable but we still believe it goes hand in hand with modesty. Some extreme extents reached by some women to beautify themselves rather portray desperation, immaturity and ignorance above all. This extreme measure, a noble woman will not take. This now even brings us to what a noble woman is!
There's nowhere to get the best description of a noble woman than Proverbs 31. The scriptures therein speak not of any beauty but it's evident that the inward beauty possessed by this virtuous woman is reflected outwards. The character of this woman is stunning and is what stands of her when her outward beauty has faded, when make-up can no longer make any difference. Now, this is a woman whose outer beauty will last to her man. It's the virtues possessed by the woman that will determine whether she will stand the ultimate litmus test of time regardless of how attractive, sexy or beautiful she might be considered. Again, a woman's outer beauty will ALWAYS fade with time... coz the Bible says beauty is vanity; it won't last, but character will outlive it. Yes, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. But then, in what context? ...then if love were blind, then marriage would be an eye-opener.
So, much as we are naturally attracted to a woman's outer beauty as men, we ought to go beyond that outward appearance of a woman if we want to consider her more than just a mere woman. This is a natural challenge which every man that wishes to join union with a woman ought to face. It is every man's own battle, whether taken serious or otherwise.

When it's all been said and done, the outward beauty then will mean nothing but the character in this your woman will matter, to determine the type of life you will live to the end of your days.

Spiritual GIFTS and FRUITS of the Spirit

2012-01-10T13:34:00.000-08:00

There’susually a mix up when it comes to gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of theSpirit. Everyone has got a spiritual gift given by the Holy Spirit, whether youknow it or not. This is evident in the book of I Corinthians 12 from verse 4.Galatians 5:22 lists the fruit of the Spirit which every believer OUGHT toexhibit, and they are a couple of them. The fruit of the Spirit develop in youwhen you become a new creation in Christ and they become complete by theworking of the Holy Spirit in you. This is seen when your character changes(for the good) as you mature in your spiritual walk. Now, do not confuseknowing the scriptures with spiritual maturity. You can know the scriptures yetremain not mature spiritually. In addition to knowing the scriptures, you needto exhibit the fruit of the Spirit for your maturity to be complete. In otherwords, the fruit of the Spirit should be something grafted into your characterand not just something you can put on and off. Unlike the fruit of the Spirit,the gifts of the Spirit are not the same in the Christian believer. Each one isgiven a different kind of gift one from another as shown in the scripturequoted above. What most Christians fail to come to terms with is that ALL giftsof the Spirit are EQUALLY important. But we all know the tragic approach takenby the average Christian that everyone who works miracles (especially healingand prophesy) is a man of God, anointed for that matter! In other words wejudge people, preachers, pastors, ministers, prophets etc based on the giftsthey posses and not by the fruit they bring forth while we well know the wordsof the Lord Jesus Himself that we shall know them by their fruits. It’s in thislight that I see it fitting to elaborate a few facts about spiritual gifts:

Spiritualgifts are given to everyone. No one works for them lest you find a reason to boast
Aspiritual gift can be given to a novice, yes, a baby in the Lord
Aspiritual gift can operate in a person with a questionable character
Aspiritual gift does not tell you anything about one’s spiritual maturity
Aspiritual gift does not define one’s character, but the fruit of the Spirit doand that’s what defines pipo

Let not a spiritualgift in a person mislead you, let not a miracle or prophesy blind you. Judge a personby the fruit they portray & by the character they posses. Let it not amazeyou when you see a person with a questionable character perform miracles. Don’tallow pipo with questionable character to lay hands on you. Don’t merely trusta person without evaluating their character. And last but not least, don’t beenvious of other pipo’s spiritual gifts but rather find your spiritual gift andoperate in them. For godliness with contentment is great gain. Selah

Easter vs the cross ...

2010-04-13T02:50:00.000-07:00

The face that Moses had begged to see - was forbidden to see - is now slapped bloody. The thorns that God had sent to curse earth's rebellion now twisted around His own brow,in the skull............ "On your back with you", the soldier raises the huge hammer to hit the big nail into the Hands that had performed miracles the world has ever witnessed. But the soldier's heart must continue pumping as he readies his wrist. Someone must sustain the soldier's life minute by minute,for no man has life on his own, it's the One he is nailing that sustains his breathe. & brings life to his lungs every second. But the victim wills that the soldier lives on - He grants the soldier continued existence. Off the soilder goes and hits the Lord of All .
As the soldier swings,the SON recalls how He and the Father first designed the medical nerves of the human forearm - the sensations it would be capable of. The design proves flawless - the nerves perfom exquisitely. "Up you go", they lift the cross and God is on display almost without any cloth on Him and can scarcely breathe. But these pains are just a mere warm-up to His and other growing dread. He begins to feel a foreign sensation. An unearthly foul odor begins to waft, not around His nose but at around His heart. He FEELS dirty. Human wickedness begins to craw upon His spotless being - the living excrement from our souls. He must face His father like this. The roar of the Father shakens the unseen world and darkens the visible sky.
" Son of Man, why have you behaved so? You have cheated, lusted, stolen, gossiped, envied, cursed, fornicated, blasphemed, belittled My Name,? Does the list ever end? Raping virgins, causing hatred, buying politics, practising exhortation, filming pornography, worshiping demons!?"
Of course the Son is innocent. He is the word blameless itself. But the divine have an agreement, and the unthinkable must now take place, who can understand it? Jesus will be pesonally treated as if He is responsible for EVERY SIN EVER COMMITED.
The Father watches as His heart's treasure , the mirror-image of Himself, sinks drowing into raw-liquid sin. Jehovah's stored rage against humankind from every century and generation explodes in a single direction. "Father !Father! Why have You forsaken me?" But heaven stops its ears. The Son stares up at the One who cannot, who will not reach down or reply.
The Trinity had planned it - the Son endured it, the Spirit enabled Him and the Father rejected the Son whom he loved. Jesus the God-man of Nazareth, perished. The Father accepted His sacrifce fo sin and was satisfied. The great rescue of mankind was accomplished. Easter is almost over just before the feasting devil and his demons insult God & claim victory. The God son has just risen!!! The greatest change science can never explain has now taken place. Will the devil and his demons ever like Easter? This is where our ground is. The Lamb of God is RISEN and it's not Easter day that we celebrate, we don't mind when but the resurrection sums it all. He is sitted at the right hand of the Father, again spotless, and has given sacrifice once and for all, for you and me and never will be at the cross again. Death has lost its victory ...
That's a glimpse of what happened on the cross, on a day we ignorantly call Easter. Reflect on His death & celebrate His resurrection!

- aaron.

The Christian walk ...

2009-05-26T05:20:00.000-07:00

Real Christian life is challenging though interesting. From history, we all know that those that have met the real Jesus Christ have not lived a life of regrets. In this passing world, there are a lot people calling themselves Christians, though some of them don’t understand what they imply. Many have fallen into this trap of religion, confusing Christianity for religion. God said that the ONLY way to Him is Christ Jesus and NOTHING else. A set of good rules, good morals, charity and the like can not lead you to God (John 14:6).What I am trying to say is that we are saved by grace through faith and nothing additional, no-one works for salvation it is a free gift from God. In fact the two basic heresies that emanate from the synagogue of Satan (Revelation 2:9) in the name of Christianity were apparent before the end of the second century. These heresies are, first; a false doctrine of Christ which confuses the personal deity of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, and second; mixing law and grace.

Well someone out there might be saying that he’s ok (well done) whereas the above mentioned is concerned, but the devil is not that silly as you might suppose, he will bring something which will even be tough for you to notice. The thing is this, in every part of a human’s heart, there is an emptiness for God and the truth is that that voidness is filled when one accepts Jesus Christ or either falsely filled by the devil(yes, it might sound crude but truth remains truth) i.e. atheism, Satanism, religion etc. Blessed is he who finds Jesus Christ. One writer said that no religion at all is better than religion coz if one is not involved in any religion, there remains that hunger and search for the true God, but in the case of religion, one is convinced of having found the true way of life when they are actually perishing. So the devil will first trap you with religion but if you are really saved he brings in something else. Nonetheless, God loves us all no matter our state (1John 4:9) and reaches out to us wherever we are. When you become saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, that is when the real battle begins. The devil knows that he has lost you from his kingdom and will do anything possible to distract you from God. But thank God that He is forever more powerful than the devil and He protects us but we must be careful so as to live according to the Word of God. The devil will try to keep you away from praying and reading the Word of God, almost all Christians know this but we understand little of the true reality of it. In such as case we start living a life of compromise due to the fact that we tend to "be" far from God. We end up being disobedient, unproductive etc.One thing we ought to know is that the act of placing one’s trust in Jesus Christ and also receiving His salvation does not guarantee consistent obedience to the Holy Spirit. Steadfast obedience is a result of a day-by-day submission to the will of God and for us to know His will, we need to read His Word and talk with Him (pray). We end up preaching other peoples’ messages and our Christianity starts depending on others Christians’ words, NO, Christianity is a personal life experience with God, I mean working out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Tim LaHaye in his book entitled “Revelation” says “One of the reasons for so much sterility and stagnation in the Church of Jesus Christ today is that in spite of all the translations and vernacular writings available, God’s people are not ”digesting the word of God “. If they read, they have a tendency to read more about what men have said concerning the Word of God than to read the Word of God itself”.Yah, I agree and that is the reason why we just want to read the most common scriptures instead of asking God to lead us in absolute truth.

I would love to encourage someone there to examine what people say using the Word and not just accept all what is said from the pulpit or wherever. Read the Word of God yourself if you rarely or don’t read at all. God won’t deny you if you really want to be closer to Him (Psalms 51:17).

Keep smiling and may the light of the glory of Jesus Christ shine on you always.

With love,

Cares,

Aaron Z.

household changes due to current financial crisis ...

2009-02-12T05:00:00.001-08:00

Life has become too hard due to the current crisis. Therefore, there has been some reshuffles in household management. Unavoidably, all domestic rules and regulations have been revised as below and, under no circumstances is any violation allowed. Take note of the following changes:

1. The Kitchen and all pantries are declared Restricted Zones. Entry and/or passage shall require express permission from the breadwinner upon submission of written request.(mind your English, broken grammar will be considered a negative attribute, not necessarily a violation)

2. Breakfast is banned with immediate effect. This matter is not open for discussion.(it's not my fault, you had your days of plenty)

3. Food items such as rice, chicken, butter, jam, eggs, bread and milk are Restricted. Anyone intending to eat any of such food, must write to Me in triplicate, with three days notice, giving convincing nutritional reasons backed by a qualified dietitian.(luxury days are over, you'll only eat what is necessary)

4. Watering with hose pipes is banned. Furthermore, only food-giving plants shall be watered. No lawns or flowers shall receive water. For internal decoration, only plastic and dry-flower arrangements shall be permitted.(we're not giving up on beauty but we'll economize it with all means possible)

5. Bathing in the morning has been deemed luxurious and is therefore banned with immediate effect. Bathing is now limited to 2.7 litres of water per day per person, unless there are medical reasons.(those seeking to bathe more than 2.7 litres of water shall submit a certified medical report from a qualified doctor and that will be effective and valid for only one bathe)

6. Security lights are being removed with immediate effect. All dependents shall abide by an all-night guard-duty rotter which shall be available shortly.(it's time to use your eyes, I know vitamin A foods have gone crazy expensive, so don't bring that topic up)

7. No dependent shall entertain friends indoors, far less attempt to offer food, drinks or even music. An effort of this nature will be considered treason. Those who want their guests to listen to music shall sing for them.(sorry music has been luxurious ever since, even before this world financial crisis)

8. No one is allowed to talk to officials from Zesco, Lusaka Water and Sewage, City Council, the Insurance company or Court Bailiffs; doing so shall carry an instantaneous penalty of ejection from the household.(i know you've never liked these pipo, now it's your chance to make your dreams come true)

9. Anybody who breaks a glass, furniture or any other property in the house, shall immediately have to seek temporal employment somewhere to earn money to replace such broken item(s).(we haven't lost our belief in grace but this is no time for mercy, this crisis was not brought by us but by the West as you profess, therefore, don't blame me)

10. All visitors intending to spend a night/weekend or more shall apply in triplicate and give two months notice, with an endorsement from their town Mayor, Village Headman or Church Priest, giving convincing reasons why they can’t stay home. Failure to do this shall result in their being turned away upon arrival.(note that the maximum number of days a visitor is entitled to is limited to 3 days. Taking a bathe on the day of arrival or departure is totally out of question - the visitor shall only use his/her 2.7 litres of water to bathe only on their second day which is considered a full day)

THESE RULES ARE BINDING AND NOT SUBJECT TO ANY DISCUSSION WHATSOEVER.
NB. there are no exceptions, neither favours. mother, father, grannies, children and everyone else shall be treated alike.

**Thank for your corporation. Together we will be able to come out of this economic crisis.

Is there really time for everything?

2008-12-03T04:50:00.000-08:00

When the idea is not right,God says, "NO", coz in as much as it might help you, it may as well at the same time not be "optimal" for someone else. The same way when the time is not right, God says "SLOW". Just imagine what a catastrophe it would be if God answered every prayer you offer be it from a pure heart ! God would become your servant rather than your master. BUT remember again, there is only one MASTER and LORD. Suddenly God would be working for you instead, BUT remember, we are the labourers in the field.

When you are not right, God says "GROW". The selfish to grow in His UNSELFISHNESS, the cautious to grow in COURAGE, the timid to grow in CONFIDENCE, the dominating to grow in SENSITIVITY, the rebellious to grow in SUBMISSION, the critical to grow in TOLERANCE, the negative to grow in POSITIVITY, the pleasure-seeking to grow in COMPASSION .......

And finally what we all wait for, when the FULLNESS of time has FULLY come, indeed ripe, God says "GO". This is when miracles happen ! The addicted find RELEASE, the "chemically-impossible" has to take place so that nature does not understand thereby giving cancer no option but to loose free(yes, it's true nature itself eagerly awaits for you the sons of God to revealed - Rom 8:19). This has no exception, be it a situation of whatever sort, spiritual, supernatural or whatever you may call it, it has to obey coz God knows no LIMIT(Psalms 119:96), of course I mean Jeremiah 32:27.

Watch the time and redeem it and remember this always ; God's delays are not God's denials ! God's timing is perfect, the best ever. All we need is patience in prayer. Stay blessed and bless others.

- in His service-

=======================================
If science and faith are incompatible, then I choose faith.

Ten points to consider before you choose him/her

2008-08-13T12:13:00.000-07:00

The way we choose or decide to love is what actually leads us into loving the right or wrong person. You will most likely end up with the wrong choice of spouse if you make the following errors:

Error # 1: You expect him/her to change after you are married.

This is a classic dating mistake. Never marry without fully accepting your spouse. The cardinal rule is that if you cannot fully accept, and be happy with the person the way they are right now, then do not get married.

Error #2: you focus more on chemistry than on character.

Chemistry ignites the fire of passion, but good character keeps it burning .4 character traits to look out for: humility, kindness, responsibility and kindness. They should be accepting of you, treat other people well, be dependable and enjoy life in general.

Error # 3: the person does not understand what a mate needs most

Men and women have unique emotional needs, and more often than not, it is the man who just does not “get it”. The unique need of a woman is to be loved-to feel that she is the most important person in her husband’s life. The husband needs to give her consistent, quality attention.

Error #4: you do not share a common life, goals and priorities

There are three basic ways we connect with another person: chemistry and compatibility, connection by sharing common interests and through sharing a common life goal. To avoid ending up with the wrong person, make sure you share a deeper level of connection that sharing life goals provides. Figure out what you are living for when you are still single and the find someone who has come to the same conclusion as you. A good partner is a goal mate.

Error #5: you get sexually involved too quickly

Sexual involvement before the commitment of marriage can be a big problem because it often precludes a fully honest exploration of important issues. Sexual involvement tends to cloud one’s mind hence one cannot make sound judgment. Of all the studies done on divorce, sexual incompatibility is never cited as a big reason why people divorce. It is not necessary to take a “test drive” in order to find out if a couple is sexually compatible.

Error# 6: you do not have a deeper emotional connection with this person

To evaluate whether you have a deep emotional connection or not, ask, “Do I respect and admire this person?” .This does not mean “am I impressed by this person?” An expensive car impresses us; we do not, however, respect someone because he/she owns an expensive car. You should be impressed by qualities of creativity, loyalty and determination. Also, ask, “Do I trust this person?” This also means, “Is he/she emotionally stable? Do I feel I can rely on them?”

Error# 7: you choose someone with whom you do not feel emotionally safe

Ask yourself the following questions: “do I feel calm, peaceful and relaxed with this person? Can I fully be myself, and express myself with this person?” If you are afraid to express your feelings and opinions openly, there is a problem with the relationship. Another aspect of feeling safe is that you do not feel the other person is trying to control you. Controlling behavior is a sign of an abusive person. Be on the lookout for someone who is always trying to change you. There is a big difference between controlling and making suggestions. A suggestion is made for your benefit; a control statement is made for their benefit.

Error #8: you do not put everything on the table

Anything that bothers you about the relationship must be brought up for discussion. Bringing up the uncomfortable stuff is the only way to evaluate how well the two of you communicate, negotiate and work together. Over the course of a lifetime, difficulties will of course arise. You need to know now, before making a commitment whether you can resolve your differences and find compromises that work for both of you. Never be afraid to let the other person know what bothers you.

Error # 9: you use the relationship to escape from personal problems and unhappiness

If you are unhappy and single, you will probably be unhappy and married, too. Marriage does not fix personal, psychological and emotional problems. If anything, marriage will soon aggravate them. If you are not happy with yourself and your life, take responsibility to fix it now while you are single. You will feel better and your future spouse will thank you.

Error # 10: you pick a person who is on the rebound

To be “on the rebound” means a person is emotionally dependent on someone or something else while trying to develop another relationship. A person who has not detached fully from their ex is on the rebound. People can be on the rebound with things such as drugs, alcohol; porn etc. be careful that you and your partner are free of any other emotional attachments. The person caught in the triangle cannot be fully available to you emotionally.

adapted.

church-goer or Christian?

2008-08-12T02:18:00.000-07:00

Was thinking of what to say first and well, what about a start with the heading itself? Church-goer or Christian? If you find yourself in church every Saturday or Sunday, then it's a question to answer. There must be a difference between the two. Many people that find themselves in church every Saturday or Sunday may argue and say that this is no tough/hard question and would evidently classify themselves Christian. There is no need to rush to classify oneself because the truth remains. Growing up in church does not make one a Christian but qualifies oneself on a 100% scale as a church-goer. In fact the majority of church-goers are those of us that have grown up in church. We are used to church services, we know what to pray(not HOW to pray) and we know exactly how to respond to whatever sermon so as to remain "Christian".
We know difference the Truth makes but we never embrace it. We have comfort zones where our self reigns and no-one else treads. The whitegarment we wear is black inside, yes, we know it's black inside and thereby contrarily choose to wash the vessel outside instead of the inside. We have eyes like eagles whenever faultfinding so as to satisfy our gossip thirsty mouths but choose to remain blind whenever we see or hear the Truth. We know that the Bible is the inspired Word but choose to consider it a book with nice stories. Our hearts accommodate only certain types of sermons, yes, we are not overzealous of anything, we know how subscribe the real Christian. We love church functions for we get to talk there ...
Then there is this Christian who wears out after having stayed in the church for a long time. No, he was not brought up in the church, the only problem is that he has stayed stagnat for a long time. He steadily begins to create comfort zones and join the earlier mentioned group until he is a full-time matured church-goer. But one thing about church-goers is that we know that the world is wrong and that we ought not to live according to its standards. Wdon't want to give ourselves fully to Christ, we are holding on to some few things of the world. We accept this man called Jesus as our Saviour but not as our Lord. We want to have it our own way and we have really taken advantage of this thing called grace. We always say, "There is always tomorrow". We know the darkest secrets of our hearts, our souls every day cry in agony for redemption but we suppress it. We know we are lukewarm, something our saviour doesn't want but for some reason we continue. We are scared of what man will say about us and therefore we have this image behind which we hide every Sunday. Yes, we have traded the alter for a stage where we worship things of man .....