May the Body of Christ not faint, but may we make a COME BACK, may we stand tall in faith. May we train up our children to serve the Lord and not clutter our lives  with distractions that will take us from spending time in God’s Word and waiting on Him. The Body of Christ has tried to appease the world to salvation by becoming like it. We cannot afford to compromise in order to become “acceptable” to the world, and end up becoming irrelevant and superficial. May we be a witness of you to salvation to the lost and dying.

Father, may we walk circumspectly before you. May we hide your Word in our hearts that we will not sin against you. May we take responsibility for our actions in our secret lives, where we think no one is watching, yet YOU are there! May we throw off depraved indifference to the opposition to Your Righteous ways that results in heart ache, confusion and bitterness. Lord, we repent for sinning (missing the mark) against You and ignoring Your ways. Forgive the Body of Christ for our neglect of Your Word, may we return to our FIRST LOVE of You. May we be stable in Your Word, with self discipline. May we require You as our necessity, for you will recompense us.

In all times of secret prayer or FAMILY PRAYER, pray always for your PASTOR. “Pray for his body, that he may be kept strong and spared many years. Pray for his soul, that he may be kept humble and holy, a burning and shining light. Pray for his ministry, that it may be abundantly blessed, that he may be anointed to preach good tidings. Let there be no secret prayer without naming him before your God, no family prayer without carrying your pastor in your hearts to God”: EM Bounds on prayer (pg 210).  Without prayer, the church will lose its effectiveness and power.

IN ALL THINGS - Give thanks - this is God’s will for YOU! What will you give thanks for?

Jehovah Gmolah means the Lord of Recompenses. Everything we do produces an outcome in our lives, some are menial -what to wear, some are life altering - who to marry, where we live or what job we take. Obedience to God’s Word brings protection and blessing, disobedience brings consequences. JEHOVAH GMOLAH means the Lord of Recompenses. Recompense means to repay, to reward or to compensate. Jehovah Gmolah is first mentioned in Jeremiah 51:56, here God promised Babylon that He will recompense them for what they had sown in Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 51:56:

“Because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, every one of their bows is broken: for the LORD God of Recompenses shall surely requite.”

Think of the choices Moses had. His Egyptian “mother” was grooming him in nobility and education to be the next ruler of the Egyptian Empire. When he learnt of his Hebrew origin, he was forced to choose who he would become, which would dramatically affect the outcome of his life. His choice is noted in Hebrews 11:23-26, he chose the recompense of reward from God, rather than the fleeting enjoyment of a sinful life. His reward was being able to write the Pentateuch (first 5 books of the Bible), and being present at the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ, wow!! Hebrews 10:35 says, “Do not, therefore, fling away your fearless confidence, for it carries a great and glorious compensation of reward”.

Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him out!” Other scriptures about God’s recompense are, Job 15:31, Jeremiah 32:18, Psalm 11:31, 12:14, and Hebrews 2:2-3. If we seek revenge for ourselves, we are held accountable for OUR ACTIONS by God. Let JEHOVAH GMOLAH be your recompense. Seek Him diligently - choose His reward for your life. Each of us WILL reap what we sow.

Prayer is such a vital part of lives.

We, as Christians imitating Christ, have the privilege of praying.

“Lord, we honor You. Thank You for Your Word, thank You that Your WORD is exalted above your Name (Psalm 138:20 Amp). Thank you for teaching us how to pray.”

Last week I heard of a man who devotedly wrote material for a Bible School. He passionately taught from the Word of God, expounding the Scriptures to those who hungered for truth. Through disappointment and a desire to pursue a comfortable life, he departed from the precious teachings of God’s Word and denies the need to pray consistently. He claims he was taught wrong to “pray so much”. When my Dad told me the story, I could not believe that this man would say such things and settle for the mediocrity of a docile life.

Please, dear Readers, keep focussed on God and His Word. The Bible says  in 2 Timothy 4:1-5 that we must live before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing. The time is coming when people will not endure sound doctrine, they will turn away from the truth in order to have their itching ears tickled, they will only listen to teachers that say what they want to hear, but it is false and doesn’t require repentance to God or a change of heart.

May we not be deceived - read the Bible and compare what you hear and feel with the Word of God! Make that the principle by which to live.

This man has come to believe that he doesn’t need to pray ... what is the use. God’s Word instructs us to “Pray without ceasing....”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 (Amplified Bible):
Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always); Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly}; Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]. Do not quench (suppress or subdue) the [Holy] Spirit; Do not spurn the gifts and utterances of the prophets [do not depreciate prophetic revelations nor despise inspired instruction or exhortation or warning]. [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast. Abstain from evil [shrink from it and keep aloof from it] in whatever form or whatever kind it may be.

Mark has set hourly timers on his phone to remind him to pray and seek God’s direction. Be aware of God, call on Him and trust Him.

There has been flooding around our neighborhood recently, and I went to see what could be done for those affected. I saw a lady who had tears streaming down her face. I went over and asked her where she lived. She pointed to the apartment building that was submerged in murky water to 2/3 of the living room window on the ground level. I asked her if her family was safe, they were. She was waiting for her sister to come and get her. I embraced her and let her know that someone cared about her pain and loss.

No matter what we go through in life, we must remember that God is with us. Even in hopeless times, God remains our HOPE.

REMEMBER: when you are in a desperate situation,

and you need help A.S.A.P.: Always Say A Prayer.

*Even when you feel helpless - Always Say A Prayer.

*When you are blessed and can’t express your joy - Always Say A Prayer.

*When your loved ones need salvation (spiritual or physical) - Always Say A Prayer.

*When you need wisdom on your job - Always Say A Prayer.

Don’t live as a victim, live as a Victor, because of what Jesus Christ has done for you.

I heard a testimony this week of a woman who was at a Bible Conference. During the lunch break, the Lord impressed on her to fast and pray. She obediently went to her car and prayed fervently. At another part of the city, a gang of men pulled up in a Mercedes next to a young man walking along the road. They slit his throat and drove away. The young man stumbled over to a woman who was sitting in a car nearby. The man could not speak, so the woman, being a Christian, asked him to blink his eyes twice if he was a Christian. He blinked his eyes once. She told him that she would pray and if he prayed with her give His life to Jesus, he should blink twice. He did, then died shortly afterwards. The young man was the son of the praying woman. Her son received Jesus before he died!! Even though he had made wrong decisions, he was reconciled to God before he died due to his mother taking time to fast and pray!