Moju Project

Have you ever had a God-sized dream dropped in your lap? Have you had a vision that is so much bigger than yourself that only God could make it happen?

I am both challenged and inspired by the words of Heidi Baker in her book Compelled By Love. In it she states that she has no backup plan. If God doesn’t show up than people will literally not survive. Her ministry would fall apart if it weren’t for God’s hand of blessing and provision over it. She states that she lives her life completely dependent upon and desperate for Jesus. And as a result; she has seen hundreds of lives saved, miraculous healings occur and blessings beyond her wildest dreams poured out over her life and ministry.

Has it been an easy road for Heidi? Far from it…every step of her journey has had obstacles that she has had to overcome. And let me add- she has overcome the obstacles not in her own strength but allowing Christ’s strength to bring her through.

Oddly enough this is encouraging to me in this season.

I think that when we say “yes” to God; when we say “here I am Lord, send me”- we can get the sense that it is going to be easy…after all if God has purposed it to happen, than all we need to do is walk it out, right?

Speaking from personal experience, I often times find that after we say yes- every obstacle is thrown at us to discourage us; to make us feel like we should give up on our dreams…Have you ever felt that way? If so, let me share with you some encouragement! We aren’t called to walk out this faith journey alone but to bring life and encouragement to one another…

If you find yourself in the heat of battle, where every day new things are being thrown at you, stop and remember this:

“The battle is already won!” The greatest part is, we have the victory! God equips us with everything that we need to not only extinguish the fiery darts that are coming at us but we also have the word of God as our weapon. When Jesus was tempted by the devil, what did He use- the Word of God! I find that so often we retreat and just try to hide under the shield of faith that we forget to use the most powerful weapon we have been given- His truth!

The next time you feel the attack- open your bible, turn on the worship music, take captive every thought that does not align itself with His word. Stand on His promises and know that your foundation is built upon the Rock!

Another thing I have come to realize while in the midst of the battle is this: God is either allowing or causing the situation to happen. Nothing happens without His knowledge of it. So why not ask Him “Lord, what are you trying to show or teach me right now?” Our greatest opportunity for growth is often when we are being challenged. Look for the lesson in your situation. Remember that God is for you and that He upholds you with His righteous right hand. He will not let you fall. You are more than a conqueror in Him.

Since saying “yes” to God. “Yes, Lord I will be Your voice, Your hands, Your feet” it has been hard. . I know that the devil knows our name and his mission is to get us off course and cause us to quit…but I more importantly know that God cares about the orphans around the world more than we do. I know that He has plans to prosper them and to give them a future and a hope.

I am eternally grateful that God chooses to work through broken vessels like you and me.

God says that He works all things together for our good- and I believe that.

There is a song that I have listened to on repeat- Rita Springer- Worth It. If you haven’t heard it, I encourage your to listen to it and let it bring encouragement to your Spirit.

Worth It All by Rita Springer

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessings if we don’t give up.”- Galatians 6:9

Whatever your dream is- keep moving forward. No matter what comes up against you remember the everlasting promises of our God. He is forever faithful!

Today’s blog post is written by our friend Pastor Mike from Friends of Jesus Ministries in Kenya. In 1990 Pastor Mike gave his life to the Lord after hearing a preacher at a gospel crusade share Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

His heart is to reach out to the orphans and vulnerable children in the village God has called him to: Mukuyu village in Kenya.

Here is the message he wanted to share with us!

ACTS 1:8
” But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witness to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and in Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

As we stood along the bank of the river of which we had gone to baptize the the new convert, I kept asking the direction of the flow of the river. Some said it is from this side while others argued the other direction.

We had just traveled to the remote areas of the village for our missions. The land was flat for it was near to the shore of Lake Victoria which is the largest Lake in Africa. There were no roads to the village, no clean water, no electricity, and it forced us to walk long distance. The climate was hot and the sun shining direct on us, the soil was clay and some areas were muddy and bushy.

The people in the village were so welcoming and ready to listen to the gospel, no matter how poor they looked. Some children had no clothes and were bare footed which we also noticed to some of the women who were around listening the word of God. I saw some going to fetch water in the river carrying the bucket on their heads, other girls fetching firewood from the bush, and some boys taking their cattle to drink water on the same river. We were to wait for the cattle to finish drinking the water so that we could also use this water for the baptism of the new converts.

Before, I feared the snakes in that area for the place we were to use for baptism was “bushy”. We were to exchange our clothes and use the proper clothes for baptizing. The right place was to go to the bush as a private place for putting on the other clothes. I was to take a step of faith, hoping for good; not for worse, as I remembered Mark 16: 15 – 18. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned .’ And these signs will follow those who believe: i my name they will cast out demons, they speak with the new tongues, they will take up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them, they lay hands on the sick and they will recover”

I got encourage from these verses.

In the end we had a good number of new converts who accepted Jesus Christ in their lives. We never feared baptizing the new converts in the river for we remembered what happened to the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8: 35 – 38 “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road they came to some water. And the eunuch said, ” See here is water, what hinders me from being baptized.Then Philip said, ” If you believe with all your heart you may. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God.”

We had to baptize the new converts no matter how the place looked like, what was important was to receive Jesus and be baptized. This was a great joy to us as we saw brothers and sisters giving their lives to Jesus. It was a remarkable moment in my life and ministry for the people were hungry for the word of God and the all heartedly received it. AMEN.

There are many challenges in rural missions but I like them for I remember in Philippians 2: 6 – 8 Jesus humbled Himself regardless of His position as being equal to God and died a shameful death because of us. Think about that!!

As we went for our missions, we had to walk long distances without water and food, but we thank God for the positive result we achieved.

My fellow Christians, pray for our missions here in Africa for reaching unreached. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 6: 19 – 21. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moths nor rust destroys and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.”

As a matter of fact, where have you invested your treasure? Have you ever thought of investing in the kingdom f God where your heart will be? Think about your life!

~Pastor Mike

Please take time to pray for Pastor Mike and Friends of Jesus Ministries today. Pray that God would meet their every need and that many would come to know the Lord as their Savior through the working of the Holy Spirit through Pastor Mike and his team. If you would like to visit his site, click here.

Reflecting Upon Joshua 11 and 12

When God had told Joshua that he would lead the Israelites to victory and began conquering different regions, one of the kings heard what was happening and he sent urgent messages to the kings throughout the surrounding cities. The kings responded by mobilizing their warriors and uniting to fight Israel.

Joshua 11:4 tell us “…Their combined armies, along with a vast array of horses and chariots, covered the landscape like the sand on the seashore.”

Imagine being Joshua and being greeted by that many men! What incredible faith and trust he must have had to trust that God would deliver. Well, the Lord gave Joshua and his men VICTORY over their enemies…thirty one kings and their cities were destroyed!

When I think about that story I am reminded of the power and faithfulness of our Father! NOTHING IS TOO BIG FOR HIM! In fact, He says BRING IT ON! I know that no matter what comes up against us, MY GOD is so much bigger than that and nothing can stand in the way of His calling on my/our life. We all have a plan and purpose, and I know that as long as my eyes are focused on Him, nothing can ultimately stand in the way. Anytime the enemy tries to throw something at us, we have to recognize that it is only an opportunity for God to show His glory…and the bigger the obstacle…the more opportunity He has to be glorified!

The bigger the cross, the bigger the victory! We always have to remember that although we are in this world, we are not OF this world! We were bought at a price, and the Lord, our Father loves us and will always always provide and take care of us!

MIX HIS WORD WITH FAITH NOT WORRY

IF ALL AUTHORITY IS GIVEN TO JESUS THAN NO AUTHORITY IS GIVEN TO SATAN!

Scriptures

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord…

Philipians 4:6-9 Be anxious for nothing…

Psalm 37:4-7 Take delight in the Lord…Trust Him and He will help you. He will make your INNOCENCE radiate! The JUSTICE of your cause will shine! Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.

Our Father’s love knows no bounds.

It is not based on circumstance or deeds.

His love transcends through language, time, and space.

Our Father’s love is never ending and everlasting…

His love is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

You can’t buy His love, for it is a free gift.

You can’t make Him love you any more or less.

He loves us in spite of ourselves.

His Love can reach you on the highest mountain top

Or in the lowest valley.

His heart beats inside of us

Answering all those who call upon His name.

Our Father is Love!

To know the love of our Father

Is to know true love.

His love whispers to us in the setting of the sun

And speaks without making a sound.

His love is immeasurable, constant, uncontainable, forever.

It is perfect, fulfilling, and all that we need.

The eagle is a symbol used many times in Scripture, in fact, it is mentioned 38 times throughout the Bible. I believe we can learn some important lessons from this majestic creature of God!

When a baby eagle gets to a certain age, the mother eagles flies into the nest and begins to thrash around causing a great commotion. Eventually one of the babies will fall out of the nest and begin heading for the ground. Never having used its wings before, he’s not really sure what to do, but does a lot of flapping while heading straight down! Just before the baby hits the ground, the mother eagle flies underneath in order to catch the baby on her powerful wings and fly it back to the nest. This continues day after day until the babies learn how to fly.

We can get very comfortable in our “nest”. Perhaps that could be our way of doing things, our way of thinking, our opinions, our way of life. Then when God comes and “stirs up our nest” we get upset. We don’t always identify this as a growing experience. Sometimes if we are really honest, we don’t want to grow. We get very complacent and satisfied with where we are and any interruptions are viewed as a negative. But God wants us to FLY- to become all that He intends us to become. He never stirs up our nest without good reason!

Midway through an eagle’s life (about 60 years old) they go through a renewal process. They find a secret place high in the mountains and begin to claw at their face and tear out the feathers that have been damaged over the years. As a result, the eagles bleeds badly. But this is necessary for the eagle in order to renew its strength. If it did not do this it would not be able to live to its normal 120 years of age.

Psalm 103:5 says “who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.”

A time of renewal is necessary for every child of God. A time when we get rid of what is weighing us down, holding us back, aging us spiritually. A time to give up the sinful habits, to give in to the Holy Spirit in whatever way He is convicting us. We need to do this even to the point of renewal with pain. Some things we hold on to so tightly that to let go, actually causes us pain. But in order to have the long, powerful, useful spiritual life that God plans for us, we need to do that. It will renew our spiritual youthfulness.

When the eagle is free to soar in God’s creation, they are pure and holy. Don’t allow the freedom we are to experience in Him, be compromised by spending too much time in worldly thinking, activities, and mindsets.

Eagles do not fly like other birds, they don’t flap their wings but rather SOAR. Flapping their wings would use incredible amounts of their own strength and endurance and they would require so much more food as fuel if they didn’t soar. Instead they sit on a high ledge and wait for the right wind currents to come. When the time is right, they take off and SOAR upward. Effortlessly, because they have waited for the right time. There is a special “up going” wind, that they ride as it circles higher and higher toward the sky.

What a lesson for us to learn! How often do we waste strength by jumping out too soon and “flapping our wings”, instead of waiting for God’s timing. Waiting is not a popular concept in these days of instant everything. But when we wait on the Lord- wait for His timing- wait for His answers- wait for His direction, the we can SOAR to new heights and fly to new places!

Isaiah 40:31

Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength, they will SOAR on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.

Do you ever look at your life and wonder “how did I get here?” And after you ask that question, do you ever wish you would be somewhere else by now; or your life would be different?

I think so many of us ask that question and wish our lives were different but in our hearts feel like “this is the way it is…”

So much of our American life is tied to our man-made responsibilities- long hours of work that eat up most of the day (or our life even), the mortgage, the bills, the car payments, keeping food on the table, etc.

The world puts so many demands on us, but we need to remember that we may be in the world but we are not of the world. We belong to God.

In light of that- I want to do what I was designed to do. I want to fulfill the purposes and plans that God has set out for me before the beginning of time.

When I stop and take a good hard look at the world around me, I think it is safe to say in many regards, things are a mess…

25,000 children around the world are dying every day from preventable causes…

1 Billion people live without access to clean water…

Children are being sold into the sex-trade where they are made into child prostitutes…

Churches seem to be more caught up in being relevant and competing with the world than trusting in the Holy Spirit to lead men to salvation- all the while our brothers and sisters are suffering beyond our comprehension.

I feel like we are missing it…

I read my Bible and try to envision what the early Church looked like, their priorities, their focus, their vision and dreams. What fueled them? How did they live?

They lived like they had discovered the meaning of life! They lived like their lives didn’t matter because it was all about sacrificial love for our brothers and sisters. They put each other’s needs ahead of their own and as a result, no one went without.

They sold all that they had and relied on God to be their Provider. They took God at His Word and lived it.

They boldly proclaimed the Gospel of Christ and as a results witnessed the power of God.

When I read how they lived and I am challenged by it. I want it. I want to be a part of that.

We read the accounts of the disciples in the New Testament and are in awe of what they saw and how God used them.

I believe God wants to do those things and more today! I believe God is stirring people up in their Spirits to stop living by the world standards and start living as children in His Kingdom.

I want to reiterate- God says that we are in the world but we are not of the world. We are supposed to be different! People are supposed to look at our lives and say “I want that!” “ I want that PEACE. I want that FREEDOM. I want to feel like MY life has a PURPOSE.”

The Kingdom of Heaven is supposed to be like a pearl, the greatest treasure….

We should WANT to give up everything that we have and all that we are in light of coming into a relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Do you look at your life and feel like you are missing it? You are not alone.

In John 15:4-5 it reads “Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing”

This is powerful. When I prayed about how do I start living in God’s Kingdom and not as a prisoner of the world, this is the verse that the Lord impressed upon me.

We need to press in to the Father. We need to abide in Him. God does not want us to just start doing- he wants us to be an extension of Himself that He can use.

We don’t need to strive. We need to let God work through us.

He promises that if we abide in Him than we will produce much fruit!

2 Chronicles 16:9 The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those hearts who are fully committed to Him.

I want the eyes of the Lord to be upon me.

I am pressing in. I am drawing closer to Him. I want to live and abide in Him. I want to be set apart from this world so that nothing will hinder me from living out what God created me to do.

That is my prayer.

As you read this today, I pray that you would feel a stirring in your Spirit that would cause you to draw closer to Him and that you would ask Him the plans and purposes that He created you for!

It is never too late.

In Luke 10:25- Jesus shares the well-known story of the Good Samaritan.

In it a man has been beaten, robbed and left for dead on the side of the road. A priest walks by and decides to pass him on the other side of the road. So too, a Levite sees him and decides to walk on the other side of the road. Then along comes a Samaritan, and seeing the man’s needs and condition, picks him up, places him on his donkey and takes him to the nearest inn. At the inn he instructs the innkeeper to please take care of the man while he is away. He gives him money and tells him that he will also reimburse him for any extra expense that may come up in treating the man.

Jesus, sharing this parable then asks “which of these three men do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The answer seems clear: “He who had mercy on Him.” To which Jesus replied “Go and do likewise.”

This story is a powerful depiction of how we as Christ’s followers are to live out our lives. We are to reach out in love to our neighbor. Even more than that we are to see our neighbors (our brothers and sisters) as higher than ourselves. We are called to be servant lovers!

But from a perspective of grace- I would like to look at this story a little differently. A pastor from Singapore shared this message and I welcome your feedback and what the Lord has revealed to you.

What IF Jesus was trying to teach us about ourselves and HIS love for us?

What IF the man on the side of the road was actually representative of US?

We, before Christ, were dying in our sins, suffering on the side of the road. Than Jesus came along- HALLELUJAH!- and He picked us up. He placed us on His donkey and made sure that we were safe. And then before leaving, He sent a Comforter, the Holy Spirit to look after and teach us!

Jesus had MERCY on US! Jesus was showing the Father’s unending GRACE!

He loves us so much that He would never leave us! He cares for us more than we could ever imagine and no matter how beaten up this world has left us, Jesus is there to pick us up and show us His love and mercy.

In Matthew 8, a man with leprosy came and knelt before Jesus and said “if you are willing, you can make me clean.” And Jesus looking at this shunned, social outcast; this man who in the eyes of the world was unclean and said in all tenderness “I am willing- be clean!” Instantly the leprosy was gone!

I think that Jesus was not only showing us a true miracle- God’s healing power over every sickness- but He was showing us ourselves. We were like the man with leprosy, but Jesus came and died on the cross for us so that we wouldn’t have to live in our sins. He touched each one of us and made us clean. He covered us with His precious and blameless blood so that we could experience a direct relationship with our Heavenly Father.

This is powerful stuff! This is the power of His SAVING GRACE.

Father- who am I that You are mindful of me?

My prayer over every person that reads this would be that you would undeniably be able to see the love that Jesus has for you. That you would recognize the grace that He so freely gives. That your response to this love would be “Abba Father- I love you TOO.”

God first loved us. His Word is a love letter to each of us! Let His amazing love change us and let our response be to love Him with everything in us.

How many times have we prayed prayers like “ God please give me more patience. God please help me to love this person. God please give me more grace today…”

I don’t know about you but I can think of plenty of instances where I have prayed these kinds of prayers.

It is good for us to recognize our need for God in our lives, but why are we striving? Why do we feel like we need an extra measure of a particular “fruit of the Spirit”?

Today I want to delve a little deeper and think about the root of our needs and prayers.

If we think about God’s desire for our lives; isn’t it this- that we may come to live a life where we fully yield to His Spirit? A life where we literally die to our flesh and are fully reborn and live in Christ?

God desires deep intimacy with each of us and it is His heart that we would be madly in love with Him. He has done everything for us! He gave His Son’s life for us so that we might be able to have a relationship with Him! What an amazing and selfless gift.

So getting back to our question, why are we striving, I think it comes down to this:

We need more of Jesus! It is not that we need more patience, more grace, more kindness because these are all the fruit from the same Spirit- the Spirit of Christ. We strive to love more, to have more compassion and patience- but God’s word tells us that Christ is in us. His Spirit is at work. Not only am I in Christ, but Christ is in me.

If I live through my flesh, I find that what is mine in Christ (the fruit of His Spirit) is being withheld from me and I am left striving.

When we live through our Spirit it means that we are trusting the Holy Spirit to do in us what we know we can’t do. Each time we are faced with a situation we look to Him to do in us what is required. It is not a case of “trying” but “trusting”.

Exodus 14:13 “Stand still and see the salvation of God which He will work for you”.

Christ is love! Christ is humility! Christ is self-control and power. Christ in us is the answer to every human need!

Next time you find yourself needing an extra dose of love or joy or any other feeling of personal deficiency- don’t ask God to give you a hand out to get you through. Stop striving. Ask God to let His Holy Spirit have His way! Yield to Him and trust.

God does not call us to live a life of striving. He calls us to an abundant life where we get to live through Christ in us!

How is it possible that we as Christians have so little power, when the same power and Spirit that raised Christ from the grave lives in us?

Romans 8:11- The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

Let’s think about this for a minute; if God raised Christ from the dead, and God has given us His Holy Spirit, and we are heirs to the throne with Jesus, then shouldn’t we be living with the same power that raised Christ from the dead? YES!

The early disciples didn’t have trouble casting out demons or healing the lame, then why do we? If that power is really in us, then something must be blocking it from coming out. Is it sin? Most definitely sin is part of the problem, but not the root.

Dying to Myself

I believe the 2010 church is not living in the full power that God has for us, because we have not surrendered everything to our Holy God. We’re not focused on His desires, on falling more deeply in love with Jesus, on seeking His will in every area of our lives.

We are committed to following Jesus, but we stop when it costs us everything.

The church of 2010 doesn’t seem like the early church. We do not share all that we have so that no one is hungry. We are taught (even in church) to save for ourselves and our future – and that seems wise and logical. But is that what Jesus wants for us? Does Jesus want His beloved to save for themselves or give it all away?

When Jesus sent out his disciples in Matthew 10, He told them not to bring any gold or silver. Why? Why not bring some change for the road trip? Maybe Jesus was trying to show them that they could fully depend on Him for everything, and He would not let them down.

No extra clothes, no money, no savings accounts, debit or credit cards… nothing. And I think the disciples did OK.

I think we need to re-look at how we’re living, who we’re really following, read these scriptures like we’re going to take them literally.

It starts with a fully surrendered heart. A heart that says “not my will, but Yours be done”.

What is Keeping Me From Living in the Fullness of Everything God has for Me?

Ask God to search your heart today and reveal to you anything that may be keeping you from everything that He has for your life. It may be a relationship, unforgiveness, a seed of jealousy, a habit. It doesn’t even necessarily have to be a bad thing.

God reveals things to us because He wants the very best for us!

What He asks us to sacrifice is nothing in comparison to what we will gain- living in His Spirit!