Pastor's Blog

Growing Big People

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:- Gen 12:2

In other words God promised our Father Abraham that He would make him an exceedingly big nation and make his name exceedingly big. Big people make big nations, big people have big names. We thank God that we shall see the same done in our day and life.

Ever since God impressed upon our hearts that we should be growing big people We have been pondering on things like what do Big people look like? How do they think? How do they behave? What are their outstanding character traits? Why are they different and so on. We can begin by saying that Big people are people of Power. They have the resurrection power available to them from the inside because the Holy Spirit is within them generating the dynamic power they need, not just power to survive, but to change everything that comes across their paths. In a historic village a touring couple came across an old man, they went up to him with eagerness and asked him' Sir were any great men born here in this village'? The old man looked up at them and truthfully replied No great men Sir, only babies were born here. Too often we think heroes are born heroes but they aren't. We are not born to greatness but we come to moments of greatness. We are not born to opportunity but we come to moments of opportunity. Out of the ordinariness of our daily lives God calls us forth -to be faithful to him; to have a higher sense of purpose; to reach a vision beyond the limited moments of day-to-day existence. What we do and how we face our every day life will determine how big or how small we will be.

Bold

Big people are Bold. If it be David the puny little boy that ended up on the throne or if it be Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, one of the things they had in common was they were all bold. In face of adversity or even death they could look at it and say "Our God whom we serve is able.. .:" No wonder the early Christians cried out in Acts 4:29 and said "Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word".

There are some wonderful lessons in these true stories. Though we may be ordinary men and women, we know that God has always used ordinary men and women for his purposes. God can use you too -if you let him. God uses ordinary people for extraordinary purposes. Secondly, we all give others the Boldness to keep on going. We are all witnesses. We are all examples. Others are either discouraged or encouraged by us. Others are either enfranchised or disenfranchised by our actions.Others are either encouraged or discouraged by what we say and do. Others are either affirmed or discounted by us. Have you ever stopped to think how, what you do influences others? Have you ever considered how your boldness could give others their own boldness? When we live and preach boldness, others will find the boldness to face their own crisis in life.

Immovable

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, by steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord," - I Corinthians 15:58 The bible is full of incidents that speak of the immovable faith. of people in the Living God. If it be Abraham, Moses or David each one of them were tested at various times, but they were not moved from what they believed. Big people are people whose faith is unshakeable and immovable. Smith Wigglesworth was known to keep saying" I am not moved by what I hear, see or even feel. I am moved only by what I believe". No wonder he was a spiritual giant. When your faith is immovable there are fewer ups and downs. An interesting remark by a big person was, "I am never down. I am either up or getting up. The bible says that by faith we should move mountains; don't let the mountains move us. Be immovable in your faith in Christ Jesus.

Growing

You may be aware that life is never static. The one thing you can count on is that things will not remain the same. In nature, all creatures, plant, animal and human, are either growing or dying. Economies are either expanding or shrinking. Churches are either growing or dying. Families are either growing closer or drifting apart.

Philosophies are either reaching for new and greater ideas or they are disappearing into the forgotten. The same is true of nations, once glorious Greece and mighty Rome and so many others have been nation's that were revered in the world. Where are they today? These societies came to an end because the people in them decided they had reached the pinnacle of perfection and they didn't have to do anything any more but sit back and enjoy it, and maybe defend it against invaders once in a while. The attitude was "We've never had it so good, so why would we want to change anything?" What we know today is that the invaders won. Not because they were better armed or better trained, but because they were alive with dreams and hopes and passion. Therefore we are instructed by the Lord to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever Amen. - 2 Pet 3:18. Big people keep on growing. Big gets bigger and the small get smaller. Keep on Growing.

I press toward the mark for the prize of the higher calling of God in Christ Jesus. - Phil 3:14 Big people persist. At the ripe age of 67, Thomas Alva Edison the famous inventor of the electric light bulb watched as fire destroyed much of his work and equipment. Most people would have at his age given up and said well it's time to retire. However the attitude that Mr. Edison took is what makes people "Big" "All our mistakes are burned up," Edison said. "Now we can start a new."

There is a time to retire, but Edison knew his time hadn't come. He knew the mark to which he was pressing onward; he had yet to reach it. The fire that consumed his work couldn't destroy the fire that burned within him. He continued to press on with his work. Edison's persistence finally paid off. You know the rest of the story, its history. People tend to associate persistence with feelings. If they feel the right way, then they can persist. But true persistence doesn't work that way. Pressing on and persisting is not an emotion; it's a character quality that enables us to reach our goals. If you want to be an achiever you must be able to persist.

Excellent

"A leader strives for excellence in all things. They want to do the best job possible - and they inspire others to do the same".

Look at our Heavenly Father, after He created the world and the things in it the said it was good. A job excellently done. Look at Jesus, He got an excellent name, being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. (Heb 1:4). Look at the prophet Daniel, he had an excellent spirit, therefore, he was preferred. (Dan 6:3) Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Big people will strive to excel in all things. In Rom 16: 19 God exhorts us to be excellent in that which is good and to be innocent of evil. If you look at most successful organizations you will find out that, one of their core values are excellence in all things.

Open To Correction

If a good person punished me, that would be kind. If he corrected me, that would be like perfumed oil on my head. I shouldn't refuse it. But I pray against those who do evil. - Psalm 141:5 NCV.

Big people know that they are not infallible. They make mistakes as do all humans, but their attitude with which they accept their wrong is graceful. When King David was corrected by the prophet Nathan, he repented, changed from his sin and was forgiven. On the other hand, you see just the opposite in King Saul, when the prophet Samuel reproved him, all he was interested in was saving his face before the people. Big people are not concerned as to what man thinks. However, it is their concern, as to what God thinks. No wonder David was called a man after God's own heart.

Purposeful

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. - Rom 8:28. Big people find out what is God's purpose for their life, they understand that God has a reason for bringing them into existence and that they are not mere pilgrims in a land. Our Heavenly Father is a God of purpose, if we be His children, we must also be people of purpose, reflecting our Father's characteristics. In Isa 55:11 He says that even His words have a purpose and therefore what He purpose shall happen. and therefore happen.

The magnificent temple that was built by Solomon for the Lord did not happen ovet night. It started with Solomon purposing in his heart to build it. And, behold, I propose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father; saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name. - 1 Ki 5:5. Big people are people of Purpose. They know that they are saved to serve, and they know whether and how they ate to serve.- Jesus had a purpose, He knew why He had come, He knew where He was going and He knew how to go about it as well. Paul was another man of purpose. He had an appreciation for where he had been, where he was, and where he was going. In other words, he knew what he had accomplished, what he presently doing, and what he still needed to do in the future.

Led by the Spirit

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. - Rom 8:14. The bible clearly points out the difference in the children and the grown up sons. The difference is the way that they are led, not in how many years old they are in Christ. The way in which we allow ourselves to be led will make the difference if we grow Big or not. In Acts 1 :8, we read Christ's instructions to His disciples: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth".

This promise from Christ was dramatically fulfilled within a few days of His statement. This occurred on the Day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2. After the physical manifestations that are described in the first verses of Acts 2, we find the Holy Spirit descending on a large group of people. Their lives were changed dramatically. They were led by God's Holy Spirit from that time forward.

The book of Acts is replete with the stories of these people's lives and the impact they had on the society of that day. The change was so evident that they were accused of having "turned the world upside down" (Acts 17:6). Such was the dramatic, dynamic power of the Holy Spirit. Big people are led by the Spirit and they will change their world.

Led by the Spirit- Encourage

But encourage each other every day while it is "today." Help each other so none of you will become hardened because sin has tricked you. -Heb 3:13 NCV. A group of frogs were traveling through the woods and two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other frogs gathered around the pit. When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all of their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died.

The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?" The frog tried to explain to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.

This story teaches us two lessons: There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day. .A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill them. Be careful of what you say. Not everyone is deaf. Speak life to those who cross your path. The power of words. it is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the strength to continue in difficult times. Individuals that take the time and effort to encourage and build others who are in need are truly Big. Your encouragement and kind deeds can get others out of the pits. It is true that God uses ordinary men and women for extraordinary purposes. The person that God could use is you. Be a big people and God will use you.

In short, big people are people who maybe just ordinary men and women but they are:

• B old
• I mmovable
• G rowing
• P ersistent
• E xcellent
• O pen To Correction
• P urposeful
• L ed By The Spirit
• E ncourage

From Darkness into Light

This passage describes the episode of a man born blind, who was healed by Jesus. When Jesus came across this man, He spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and He covered his eyes and asked him to wash himself in the pool of Siloam. The man went and washed and came back seeing.

This passage describes the episode of a man born blind, who was healed by Jesus. When Jesus came across this man, He spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and He covered his eyes and asked him to wash himself in the pool of Siloam. The man went and washed and came back seeing.We have to remember, that this man had never experienced the joy of seeing the light or any of God's creation. His nights never ended and his world was always full of Darkness. He was always dependent on someone to be led to any destination and he had no clue as to what his surroundings were. Seldom did he realize where he was being led. For he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth - John 12:35. Then came the day when he met Jesus. It was a day when Jesus made his darkness into Light. As we know, the Word of God spoke light into existence in a world of darkness and confusion.

Jesus being full of compassion and love for this blind man, desired to show the works of his Father by giving this blind man sight. As those living in darkness cannot understand the things of the light - John 1:5. The putting on of clay upon the eyes of the blind man by Jesus, was in itself a Creative act. This was exactly how God created the first man. God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul - Genesis 2: 7. From nothing He made something. When Jesus put clay on the blind man's eyes, things that were never there, which caused him to be blind, were created. But in order that he be able to see with what Jesus had created in him, he had to wash away the clay that weighed down his eyelids. Therefore He instructed the blind man to wash in the pool. The instant he obeyed Jesus by washing the clay off, the eyelids were free to open and his eyes could now see. Though he was given new eyes, the moment Jesus touched him, he did not begin to see, but his obedience in washing was what actually made him realize and enjoy what Jesus had done for him.

This episode has a parallel in the spiritual realm and even today unfortunately may of us are like this blind man, living in a world of spiritual darkness and confusion. The Word of God says in II Corinthians 4:4 that if the gospel be hid, it is hid from those whose eyes have been blinded by the God of this world, who is none other than Satan, the deceiver. Jesus said that He is the way, the truth and the life and the only way to the Father - John 14:6. If you want to find your way, you should be able to see, your eyes need to be opened, lest you stumble and you fall John 11:10). Jesus is willing to heal your eyes, both physical and spirit.

Jesus is longing to show us the light in order that we might live no more in darkness, but live in His light. When we come to Jesus and ask Him to touch our lives and to change it from darkness to light, He immediately touches our eyes, so that Our spiritual eyes could be formed and that we may be able to see the truth. But unfortunately many of us are just happy to go away having received this touch from Jesus, failing to obey His instructions i.e., to wash in the pool of Siloam. Siloam the Word says means 'sent'. And we are 'sent' to His Word, which is symbolized by water to wash (Eph 5:26). And indeed the clay would be removed from our eyes and we would be able to see the truth and enjoy what Christ has done for us. As you may have noticed in the episode, this man was among the few, who had the privilege of knowing Jesus not only as healer but also as his Saviour. And this happened because of his obedience. It may be today, that you only know Jesus as your healer. But if you wash yourself by reading and obeying the Word of God, you will have the privilege as the blind man did, to worship Jesus as Saviour and Son of the Living God John 9:35). Reading the Word of God is very important.

It also happened that the people in that region began to notice that this man who was born blind could now see. They wanted to know who caused it to happen? How it had happened? When it had happened? etc... And when he explained that it was Jesus, and what Jesus did, and obedience to the words of Jesus that caused him to see, the people desired to see Jesus, that they themselves could also be transformed. He made sure that he told them 'all' that happened and did not stop by saying that it was Jesus. He also mentions the importance of washing his eyes.

Beloved brothers and sisters, when we come to Jesus and are touched by Him and when we obey Him by washing ourselves in His Word, the change would be obvious and people will come and flock around us to lead them to the one who changed our life, to the one who caused our blind eyes to see. If you have never known Jesus, and you are desiring to know about Him, to cause your eyes to see Him, Wont you just ask Him and say, Lord Jesus open my eyes I want to see you, I want to know You, I want You to be not only my healer but my Saviour as well, I want to be able to worship You as the Son of the Living God. He will help You, for Jesus said in john 12:46 - "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness".

In order to enjoy what Christ has done for you, you need to obey HIS WORD.

Speeding Up Your Metabolism

Metabolism is to be blamed when people put on weight or have trouble losing weight, but you can learn how to speed up your metabolism. Increasing your metabolism can help you burn calories, convert fat into muscle and give you more energy. The key to increasing your metabolism is understanding what it really is.

Three factors determine your metabolic rate, which is the amount of calories your body uses every day. The basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the rate your body uses energy for vital body processes. The rate you burn energy during physical activity and the rate you use energy during digestion of food are the two other factors involved in your total metabolic rate. To improve your metabolic efficiency you only need to alter what you eat and what you do a little bit, to experience a difference in how you look and feel.

The best way to jump-start your metabolism is to exercise. Exercise will reduce body fat and increase lean muscle mass. By increasing lean muscle mass, metabolism will increase and aid in the weight-loss process. Muscle tissue uses more calories than fat tissue because it has a higher metabolic rate. Aerobic exercise, like walking, swimming or cycling, has the added bonus of speeding up your metabolism for 4 to 8 hours after you stop exercising. Additional calories will be burned off long after you stop exercising. Weight lifting, resistance or strength training, does not speed up your metabolism, but it does burn fat and increase your lean muscle mass which increases your resting metabolic rate. A combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training is best for optimal fat burning and metabolism boosting.

Exercise in the morning and you will reap the benefits of a faster metabolism throughout the day, or exercise in short 10 or I5 minutes bursts every couple of hours to keep your metabolism pumping. Exercise any time you can fit it into your day and you will burn that fat away. By exercising just a little more than usual you can speed up your metabolism and use up stored fat in the process.

Eat Breakfast!

Breakfast is essential. Your body has been deprived of food throughout the night; therefore your metabolism has slowed. If the cells do not receive sufficient nutrients they will begin to function less efficiently on smaller amounts, and they will actually store more fat to use during these times of nutritional deprivation. Eat five to six small meals a day to keep your body's fuel supply consistent and keep your metabolism revved up. Avoid eating late at night because your metabolism naturally slows down in the afternoon and evening. So eat a hearty breakfast. Consistency is important because your body metabolism adapts to your current weight. If you have been dieting or skipping meals, your body's metabolism slows down to compensate for the lack of nutrients. When lean people overeat, their metabolism speeds up and when obese people diet their metabolism slows down. The key is a balance of exercise and diet.

Five or Six Meals A Day

Eating five to six small meals every three to four hours is a good way to keep your metabolism working throughout the day. Start your day with a good healthy breakfast to initiate the burning process. Breakfast should include a source of protein and a source of carbohydrate. Continue your day with meals comprised of protein and carbohydrates and some fat every three to four hours totaling five meals.

Eat fewer high-fat foods and lessen your total calorie intake. Choosing healthy foods, such as lean protein and vegetables, can actually increase your metabolism as well. Increase dietary fiber and limit sugary foods, alcohol, and caffeine and don't smoke. The best foods to increase your metabolism and help you lose weight are fish, dark green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, blueberries and other fruits, whole grains, and at least 8 glasses of water a day.

When your cells need energy they will break down carbohydrates first, then fat and finally protein. Your body converts carbohydrates into a form of sugar called glucose, which is easily used as fuel by your body. Any excess carbohydrates you eat will be turned into fat for storage. Of course, any fat you eat will be stored as fat as well. Your body converts the fat you eat into body fat very efficiently. If you exercise and eat wisely, however, you will burn those fat stores and increase your metabolism.

You can jump-start a sluggish metabolism through exercise and diet, which will have lasting health benefits for you. Not only will you lose weight and gain muscle mass, but you'll have more energy to burn and you'll feel great.

Biblical Health Food

The word Yoghurt is not mentioned by name in the Bible. Studies have proved that a diet that includes lots of yoghurt has helped maintain health, active life styles and often live very long. Yoghurt is highly regarded all around the world as a super source of bone building calcium. It lowers bad cholesterol levels, prevents dangerous intestinal infections, improves bowel function and blocks ulcers. It may prevent colds & allergic reactions, fight cancer and strengthens the body's immune system. It has many outstanding healing qualities.

They had sour or curdled milk (or curds) mixed with honey, flavoured with dates, raisins, grapes or other fruits or nuts. - II Sam 17:28, 29.

The word curd mentioned in the verse is now what we call yoghurt.

Large quantities of yogurt helped prevent heart disease and caused the natural deterioration of the body to slow down.

Yoghurt helps maintain a normal balance between the good and bad bacteria that are constantly present in our bodies. Just a little dab of yoghurt may be enough to lower most of the general gastrointestinal disturbance that are caused by a poor diet or infections. It is also a natural antibiotic and is known to head off diseases as dysentery and influenza.

Cancer sores and vaginites also respond positively to treatment with yoghurt. Half a cup of ordinary yoghurt can stop severe diarrohea. It helps prevent heart disease. A diet of 3 cups of yoghurt daily helps lower the LDL blood cholesterol by as much as 10% within a week.

Yoghurt is also a powerful anti-cancer food. Having a cup if yogurt in the afternoon is better than having it at bedtime.