Enlarge Your Tent

During the last week of November there was one scripture that was running through my mind...it kept coming into my thoughts especially in the mornings...not the whole verse but the first part of it...

I would remember the Chichewa version of it...perhaps because the words used in the Chichewa Bible are not used regularly now... I don't think they are words that would come up in a regular conversation...the funny thing is, in my head, I'd hear the voice of my closest friend saying the words "thanipitsa hema lako..."...the reason...well...that's a story for another day

The verse is Isaiah 54:2 and it says "Enlarge the place of your tent, and the curtains of your habitation be stretched out; spare not; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes" (AMP)... The first part, enlarge your tent, is what I kept remembering...

Let me put it in context... for the past 3 months God has been saying some pretty amazing things that have got me excited about the future, there is this level of expectancy that I have...yet at the moment, it is not very clear when or how He is going to do it...and that has been the focus of my prayer..."how will you bring these things to pass, what am I to do in preparation.."...and in answer to the latter... that scripture came up... enlarge your tent...how? well... read on...

I was recently talking to a friend and telling him that I feel like I am sort of hanging... I know some great things will happen in the near future...but I don't have a clear picture of how. He told me that actually a few other people are in a similar position..they are not very sure about what the future holds, they may not have the expectancy I have...but they are seeking God on the next steps...and that is what prompted me to write this post...(tell you the truth, I have been thinking of writing it for the past 3 weeks, but I just did not get round to it...

I get the sense that, Isaiah 54:2 is a scripture that many of us need to meditate on and use in prayer as we think about the new year and what the future holds...especially for those who feel they are at, or coming from, a place of barrenness, or where you feel you have not been as fruitful as you would want... some things have not gone to plan...or you simply feel you are on the start line...to use an illustration, it's like a dish that is being cooked and is almost ready to be served...( I honestly don't know why I have this picture in mind, maybe we are too close to Christmas...)...or you are an arrow that is about to be released from the bow...

God says to "enlarge your tent, stretch out...do not spare, strengthen your stakes..."

How do you do that? As you pray, consider the areas you are passionate about and your dreams..and start doing something about them...if you are already doing something...perhaps God has been speaking to you about going a particular direction... start walking towards that direction... even if you feel ill equipped at the moment... start taking small steps and watch for God's blessing... my last post was around this same theme... being faithful in small things...in that way you begin to enlarge your tent...

The verse goes on to say "do not spare.."... I was intrigued by this... do not spare?, it got me excited but at the same time a bit apprehensive...and I think it is dealing with that last bit... do not be apprehensive, trust God's word to you and for you... do not limit yourself in terms of what you are capable of... it is like Jesus' invitation to Peter, to come out on to the water and walk towards Him...take that step...do not be afraid, don't limit yourself.. trust God..

And then He says... strengthen your stakes... now, the picture we have is of a tent being stretched out...for it to hold up, you need to put stakes on the ground to support it so that it does not blow off or collapse... and so whereas you are to stretch out...there is a practicality here... strengthen your stakes... write down the vision or the dream God has placed on your heart...and plan accordingly...work on those plans, don't just go out and think everything will sort itself out...or you'll figure it out as you go along... the phrase we usually use is "spirit led"... whereas there is a place for that, there is also a place for being clear about what it is you are going to be doing...spend some time to think about how you are going to pursue that passion..write it down, that written plan is your stake, it is what will keep you on track but also help you ensure that this tent you have enlarged does not fall on you...or fly off and leave you exposed... whereas you are not to spare, there is also a place for thinking through it... trust God's word and His promise concerning that dream, do not limit Him, do not be apprehensive...dream big...but also take time to listen to Him for instruction on how you are to pursue it...as put in Habakkuk 2:2.. write the vision down and make it plain...

So...as you think about 2015 " Enlarge the place of thy tent, And the curtains of thy tabernacles they stretch out, Restrain not -- lengthen thy cords, And thy pins make strong.  For right and left thou breakest forth, And thy seed doth nations possess." (Isaiah 54:2,3 from Young's Literal Translation)

Godspeed...

Fidelis in Parvo

Fidelis in parvo...

I am actually quite surprised that I have not written on this topic because, what I am about to share forms the core of my approach to life... I cannot say when I learnt it...but it is something that informs how I do things now...

I first read the phrase "fidelis in parvo.." about 10 years ago...it was the title of a devotion by Dr. David Jeremiah..and it has stuck since then. What does it mean you ask...well it's latin for "faithfulness in small things"...I am sure most have either heard or read it somewhere. In essence it refers to Jesus' teaching that he who proves faithful in the small tasks or responsibilities, more will be given.

I have applied this rule or principle to several areas of my life...first it informs how I handle the responsibilities that I am given regardless of how small they may be...and the purpose is not just so that I get promoted but to actually get equipped for whatever promotion may come... a simple example can be a look at how people progress with their education. You start with phonetics, this grows to sentence formulation, then composition and comprehension...and by the time you graduate from college, you have written your own piece of research...but you will continue to use this knowledge and skill even in your work as you write reports, letters etc. The same can be said of mathematics and all the other things we learn in primary school, which we build on in secondary school and again in university...

Yeah...you never thought of that now did you? That your primary school teacher was preparing you or equipping you so that today you are able to read this blog...and for me..today I am able to write this and I can point to that foundation that was set even in nursery school...or kindergarten...(not that my English teachers would be proud of my grammar and sentence construction on this blog....haha..but in the first blog I put a disclaimer...so I'm safe)

A lot of life is like that, it is cumulative...we build on past experiences...and the principle of being faithful in small things tells us that we are to do our best even in what seems to be insignificant to us, you never know when the capacity you are building will be useful... I can give my own example.. I was made a prefect in primary school...but I did not take this seriously... I absconded from my duties, preferring instead to go play football with my friends... in fact I was the biggest culprit when it came to being late to school... although I should point out that I never missed my library duties...those ones I enjoyed...maybe because there was no alternative to go play football during that time..haha..all the same, I enjoyed reading, so library duty was always good fun...

Later on in life... I was given the responsibility of leading different groups..and although I have had some success, I believe there is something that I should have learned in primary school which I did not..it was an opportunity that I missed...but by God's grace there are things that I am learning now... I have learnt the importance of being on time for appointments, meetings, work etc... the importance of carrying out your responsibilities even when they are not fun... I had the opportunity to learn this all those years ago...but I did not take it...and here's the funny thing... in high school... all my friends were prefects except me..

But...today, my thoughts on that phrase were more to do with doing the best with what you have in your hand. My housemate sent me a link to a TED talk today on "The leaders who ruined Africa and the generation that will fix it". I was very challenged by the talk, especially considering that the speaker, Fred Swaniker, is still in his 30s....in addition, he mentioned a girl who dropped out of school at 13, started a business selling rabbits which became successful that she was able to use the money to pay her way through school and by the age of 18 had built a school which benefited over 400 children..

When you hear such stories, you think.. what am I doing with my life? or I can't wait till I make so much money that I can impact my community and generation. For those who are passionate about impacting their communities, generation, or nation... there is a tendency to put this passion on hold until such a time as you feel you now have all that you need.

But, you don't have to...start where you are. Release that passion in one form or another...look at ways of how you can start small. Do you want to build schools or hospitals? Look around you, how can you help make the existing ones better...for those of us from Africa...go to a village, see if you can help out there, in whatever small way...and it does not always take money, you can volunteer your services and say teach at a school near you...that way you are living out your passion, and I am sure as you do so, God will reward you with the resources that you need to build those schools.

This past election period (I am from Malawi)... I discovered how far K50,000 (about $125) can go in a village setting... that money can help build a bridge and connect villages... K100,000 ($250) can get iron sheets that are enough to cover a small health center. From this I learnt something...every small amount matters if you direct it to the area of your passion...

In this generation where people want to do the "big" thing...maybe it is time to start looking at what small contribution can I make...be faithful in it, and see how God will enlarge you..

As they say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step...

P.S. if you want to have a look at the TED Talk, you can find it on this link Fred Swaniker Oct 21

A Good Man

Where to start...? The beginning I guess...what prompted this post? Well today is my birthday and I decided to write something that is both a message to you the reader and to myself..

"A good man leaves and inheritance to his children's children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous." Proverbs 13:22...

The above verse has been on my mind for a good part of this year, and I often find myself thinking about it. A couple of months ago, this verse popped into my head late at night as I was thinking about my heritage and what legacy I would leave to my children. It hit me that God thinks multi-generational, for example, in the Old Testament He refers to Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob...that is three generations. The promise He gave to David was to cover not just him but also those of his line as there would always be a king in Israel from David's line.

Does God expect the same from us? Does He want us to think of the generations that will come after us? I am sure not many of us have considered the thought, at most people will think about what they will leave for their children but never go beyond that. But the verse in Proverbs that I have quoted above implies that God expects us to think further than just our children, we are to do more, we are to do something that will endure even to our children's children and perhaps beyond.

Question is, what sort of inheritance will you leave? Please note that this is not just about money, the Amplified translation of that verse says "A good man leaves an inheritance (of moral stability and goodness) to his children's children..." I think moral stability and goodness are actually more enduring than whatever amount of money you can leave behind... and here I will give an example of my Gogo Dennis Liwewe (my great uncle)..who passed away 6 months ago...

His death caused me to consider a few things... He was not extravagantly wealthy in terms of material possessions, but he was very wealthy in terms of family, friends, influence and the amount of respect he got from society. He placed a lot of importance on family and how we live with those around us...much in the same way as my own grandfather did... I did not get to know him well...but the few hours I spent in his presence revealed to me what a great man he was... I had heard of him, he commanded a lot of respect within the family and he had a lot of authority... All the people who spoke of him, spoke with admiration and respect...and as a family we drew a lot of pride just by being associated with him.

Even in his death, he was still giving us lessons...the things that happened following his death actually confirmed much of what he had taught...and to me, it was a great lesson on how living out your passion and serving others will bring honour. What especially struck me was a letter that one of my cousins wrote for a newspaper column. In it, she mentioned the lessons she had learned from him and her pledge to live by the instruction he gave...it was so powerful because in general terms she said what most of the extended family would have said in tribute to him. He valued family, education, and service...and last month I heard the very same things being said of him by those who he mentored as young men.

He served his adoptive country, Zambia, so well that they gave him a state funeral...how many people can claim the same...he was not a politician mind you, he was not the richest man in Zambia... he was just a man passionate about football and serving his country...

So he left a good inheritance, not just for his children, but also for his children's children...and I am sure that those of us who were impacted by his life, will continue to teach others the lessons he gave us...that is the legacy of a great man... a man who is honoured both by his family and by his nation...

Now we don't all have to aim for a state funeral in our honour...rather we are to look for ways in which we can serve our family and the community around us...we all have passions, how do we live them out in a way that will benefit society? What are the things we want our children and grandchildren to remember us for? What sort of legacy are we going to leave...what sort of inheritance will you leave? Think about it and start taking steps toward that goal today...

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children.....

Professor Ex

Some say experience is the best teacher and I tend to disagree for several reasons...firstly sometimes experience can be a very harsh teacher with consequences that are difficult to recover from...but also because, as a Christian, I believe the best teacher is the Holy Spirit who dwells in me...in fact Paul says we are filled with all knowledge (Romans 15:14), and John says the anointing teaches us all things (1 John 2:20,27)...and Jesus said the Holy Spirit would come to teach us all things (John 14:26)...

With that said, there are indeed that we learn from experience, hence the title of this post, "Professor Ex"...a bit silly, I know...but one has to try to be creative right...

We need to be careful what we learn from experience and how we apply those lessons to our daily lives...this is particularly true for the negative or bad experiences we will have in life... As you read this post, I am sure you can think of several bad experiences you have had, and you have drawn some sort of lesson from it that you have probably generalised in your application...now this is not necessarily bad, there are just a few things I would like to draw to your attention and ask you to consider..

I recently had an experience where I was defrauded as a result of doing what I felt, at the time, was a good service to another human... I thought I was helping, and for those who know me, I can be very quick to help those I see to be in need...well this time it did not work out so well...

After the event, I began to think and ask myself whether I was too generous or naive in how I dealt with people...was I too trusting and too quick to offer help without considering how sincere the people I was interacting with are..? Lots of questions...at the end of which I was beginning to conclude that perhaps I should stop helping strangers...or if I am to help I should find ways of protecting myself from any damages or negative impacts of the help I offered...as some of you may know...we all have an innate instinct for self preservation... and this is what was driving this thought process..

As I continued to think over it...a counter argument sprang up... "will you stop doing good just because of this one experience, will you ignore some in need of genuine help just because someone abused your desire to help?"...and... what does the Bible say about doing good and helping those in need?

All this made me realise just how far we go to make generalisations that inform our outlook on life based on one experience...especially the negative ones...and what impact this has on how we relate with others and how we live out our lives...

I believe we are to learn from every experience, rather from the majority of our experiences...and in that way experience can be a good teacher...but we ought to be careful how we determine the final lesson and to do this we should consider what it is motivating that conclusion we are arriving at.

Satan will use our negative experiences to build fear in us such that we will make generalisations that if we implement could result in us missing out on God's plans and purposes for us. In the example I have given, the fear of being defrauded again could result in me not being a blessing to someone and bring glory to God. At the same time, I was going to use this one experience negate all the other times when I have helped someone who went on to praise and glorify God, being convinced of His goodness and care, and in some cases God has used this person to help me later in life...

It is important for us to carefully think about the consequences of whatever lesson we are drawing out our life experiences. We need to consider what is motivating the conclusions we arrive it. Are we being motivated by fear or is by faith? Are we looking to God's word and His promises...are we continuing in the hope He has called us to? The answers to these questions should help you and me to draw the right lessons from our experiences...

So learn from your experiences, but be careful what you are learning...

Everything Rises and Falls on Leadership

Everything rises and falls on leadership...that is according to John C. Maxwell bestselling author and speaker on leadership...and I agree fully with his statement...

After church yesterday, I went for lunch at the Pastor's house where he was basically welcoming new people to the church and used it as an opportunity to know more about us...during my time there, I discovered that his wife had been to Malawi in the early 90s and as we talked, she asked about the economic/development status of Malawi... she remembered it as being one of the poorest countries at the time and asked if there had been significant change since then...

The obvious answer was..no, we are still in the top 15 poorest countries in the world, we are perhaps worse off than we were in the early 1990s (I cannot support that empirically, but it's a view I hold)...and the question she then asked was... why? What are the causes of this lack of progress?

My answer... LEADERSHIP

I know we can go into arguments about economic development..under/unexploited sectors...educated and empowered citizenry etc...but it all boils down to leadership.

Malawi has got a lot of potential in its people and resources, but these remain unexploited because of decisions that are made by our leaders. As we were approaching the 50 years of independence celebrations (were they really celebrations), rather 50 years of independence anniversary...it struck me that a good part of the things we can point to as marks of our development can all be traced back to the first 30 years of independence, the Kamuzu period. In fact even our laws... a good number of the sectoral legislation and regulations date back to the Kamuzu period...which means in essence, Kamuzu is still governing the country..

We have had 20 years of democracy..and what do we really have to show for those 20 years? Increased corruption, nepotism in appointments to key positions, and this one...a growing dependency on hand outs...

There used to be a time when I would go visit my grandparents in the village and they would not expect to receive anything from "aku tauni"... in fact they would give you things to take back with you...now, I go to the village and I am expected to carry everything I need with me including food..and on top of that have something to give to my relatives...people have forgotten what a blessing it is to give others...to share... there is now no self sufficiency...And most of this can be traced back to the period after 1994... there was a period where we made some considerable progress...but that was short lived...

Government is now subsidising consumption rather than encouraging production...the most recent example is the proposed subsidy on cement and iron sheets...why not subsidise production so that a larger part of the population, the more productive part actually benefits from it... it would reduce the costs of construction which have a spill over effect on other areas of the economy...

Additionally, do you know that in Malawi we no longer have large or middle scale farmers? Except maybe for Crown who have only started recently...the rest of our farmers are small scale farmers... The reason why we are still just focusing on small scale farmers? Well... it gives someone political mileage... our leaders are focusing on themselves and the next term.. rather than looking at what will benefit Malawi in the long run...

I mean...let's have a look at our 4 past presidents...what can we say is their legacy? What are the positive things we can point to?... The one that stands out amongst the 4 is Kamuzu Banda...and for about 5 years... Bingu also did some good work...and by that I am not talking about the 5 star hotel...which is yet to be fully opened... Our leaders have generally underperformed..and that is the reason why we have not made much progress in the last 20 years...

So this is my conclusion... we improve on the type of leaders we have in Government and our country will make considerable progress....

Credit Where Its Due

And we're baaacckkkk.... hehe... consistency is hard to come by right...

Some thoughts from last night...and this goes to my mum...I call her Pretty Woman...others the Queen Mother...great woman she is...

I have grown up in what people have termed a "single parent" home... I have been raised by my mum...and me and my sisters agree that she has done a great job raising us up, especially taking into account what it has cost her and also looking at what she has achieved in life...

Growing up, there are many things that I took for granted. There are lessons mum was teaching me that I did not appreciate at the time, in fact at times it felt like punishment. But I am now seeing the fruits and in hindsight I acknowledge the role that my mum played... some of the lessons may have come because of the prevailing circumstances.. but I still cherish them and applaud my mum for having the wisdom to use those circumstances as an opportunity to teach me so many valuable lessons on life...

From a young age, my mum gave me responsibilities... from as young as 7 or 8 I learnt to wash my clothes... starting with the small things and later graduating...when I was 10 I learnt how to cook nsima (for those who are not from Malawi, this is our staple food) and I mastered how to cook vegetables to an extent that for the next couple of years, I was asked to be the one to cook vegetables...during the same period.. when I was 9-11.. I learnt how to take care of my living space... I remember we would have a general cleaning session every Saturday... we would clean up the pantry, our rooms, the living room, the kitchen...whichever room was picked for that weekend...later on, when I was 12... I remember living just the 2 of us... me and my mum... she would prepare lunch before she left for work...and would prepare supper as well.. my job was to make sure the kitchen was clean before going to bed... so I would clean the plates, the pots and wipe all surfaces... we did not have house help...which, at the time, felt like punishment...

When I first moved out of my mum's house last year, I was struck by how the lessons had stuck with me. I was cooking and I found myself washing whatever I was using, utensils, plates, boards etc...such that by the time I had finished cooking, the only things that remained to be washed were the pots I was using and the plates we would use to eat from... it hit me... this is Ms. Liwewe at work haha... the thought came again this week as I was preparing some food for myself...

Today, I look back and I appreciate all the lessons that I learnt... today I can cook for myself, I wash my own clothes...and no... I did not use a washing machine..and I can look after my living space...

So this is to say thank you to the greatest woman I know... MY MOTHER... thank you for all the valuable life lessons you gave...

Beginning From the End

Last night I was watching a sermon that was recommended to me...it is by a Ghanaian preacher Dr. Mensa Otabil... This year, he has asked members of his church to formulate a 20 year Personal Development Plan which they will be implementing until 2034...for me, this came at the right time  as I am this year thinking of developing a life plan...it will span longer than the 20 years, but the sermon and the framework they are using will be a very useful input...

Anyway... as I was watching him... he came to a scripture that I quoted quite recently in a sermon I preached at church... the scripture is from Isaiah 46:9,10... and it says [Earnestly] remember the former things, [which I did] of old; for I am God, and there is no one else; I am God, and there is none like Me,  Declaring the end  and  the result from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure  and  purpose. (from the Amplified version)

It caught my attention how God, in His design of things, always starts at the end...what is the end product, the end He desires to see...and then works backwards from there and starts doing things, putting things in place that will get Him that desired end... we see it in the creation story...how He had an end in mind...and in the 7 days that He worked...He did things in such a manner that the order of creation created an environment for man... His ultimate creation. You see... before He made man, He made first the heavens and the earth and filled the earth with plants and animals...but before he created plants and animals...he first had to separate water from land...and also had to separate day and night. I'm sure you get the picture...

It is the same when organisations are developing their strategic plans...they first start by thinking...what is it we want to see...as an organisation after say..10 years...they look first at the desired end, the product of all their operations after 10 years...after agreeing on this, they then spend time looking at ways in which they can attain or achieve that vision they have...

As I reflected on this, I look at my own planning...how do I plan my life... I am aware that many of us make resolutions at the beginning of the year...but I find that most times... people will just focus on what they want to do...and not what they want to become... people will start with actions they want to take before looking at what exactly they see themselves becoming. 

The right way for us to make plans is to first have an objective in mind...what is the goal...and then from there you work backwards and look at ways in which you can achieve that goal or objective... in doing so, you are able to break the objective down into practical steps that you can take... it is those knowing those steps that is important because you can easily monitor your progress and make adjustments if necessary...at the same time you are able to draw confidence from the victories along the way...and if at the end of the year you have not met your objective...you have at the very least started on the journey...and the journey or the process in and of itself means there has been some change and progress in your life...

With that said... it is sad that many people just go through life without having a plan and a purpose... Dr Myles Munroe says the greatest tragedy in life is a life without purpose... a lot of people have a hit or miss mentality for going through life... if ever they have a plan... it is perhaps a one year plan based on a resolution they made at the beginning of the year... as such many do not really have a measure for success... the funny thing is that whereas many don't have plans as individuals, they are involved in developing plans for the organisations they work for...maybe it is time to follow the principles that these organisations use...

I would encourage all reading this post to search for the sermon I referred to at the beginning... it is readily available on youtube... and go to this website http://www.centralgospel.com/ and get the framework for developing a 20 year plan..

Grace and peace

Good gifts

James 1:17 AMP

Every good gift and every perfect (free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse].

I was meditating on the above scripture this evening...every good and perfect gift...the word good...meaning that which in its character or constitution is beneficial in its effect...

There are many things that God gives us and we acknowledge them as gifts from Him...it is good to always remember that the gift, is good i.e. beneficial and useful...as well as perfect...it good to remember this when circumstances change....and that which we acknowledged as being God's gift to us seemingly appears burdensome...perhaps due to circumstances...this can be said of the job you have, friends...your spouse or girl/boyfriend...whatever it is...always remember...if it is God's gift..it is good and perfect... He does not give a stone when you ask for bread or a snake when you ask for fish...every gift from Him is good and perfect...and there is no turning or variation in Him...what He gives remains good and perfect for you...take heart

Rocking Chair

Interesting title right...?

It's linked to this quote that I heard, rather read, whilst I was still in high school. More of that in a bit... I have realised that I did not post anything up for the whole of 2013...and interesting thing is my next post, this post...well there is a sort of connection to my last post...but I won't dwell on all of that.

Here goes...first post of 2014, first since December 2013...

Quote..."Worrying is like a rocking chair, sure it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere." I have forgotten who actually said these words, kinda rhymes too...rocking chair...nowhere..get it?

Anyway, I was reminded of the quote this past weekend as I was preparing the lesson for my Sunday School kids. The scripture reference was Matthew 6:24-34, where we get the famous, seek ye first the kingdom of God, which is also our memory verse for the month. And to go off point a bit, the rendering of the verse in the Good News Bible is actually quite interesting, have a look at it and think on it.

During the lesson, I thought of asking the children, who's ages range from 3 to 12 but my concentration was on the 9 to 12 age group, what causes them to worry or what they worry about. I got some very interesting answers.

For those who are aware of the portion of scripture, Jesus was teaching on worry and telling His disciples that they need not worry about anything in life. It actually forms part of the Sermon on the Mount. His focus on the most basic needs of every human, food and clothes.

I asked the children if they ever worried about food and the answer was no, that is something for their parents to worry about. When asked about clothes, they gave the same answer, they had no reason to worry about clothes, they take it for granted that their parents will provide these things for them. It was that position of confidence and reliance on the ability of their parents to supply for such needs that really caught my attention.

I thought to myself, is this not how God wants me to view life? To have confidence in His ability to supply for all of my needs. To rely on Him to meet every need I have in life. He is my Father right? He has called me His son, adopted me into His house through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In that portion of scripture, Jesus makes mention of the flowers of the field and the birds of the air. God has made the clothed the flowers so beautifully that nothing man can put on can match it. He gives bread to the birds of the air that are not involved in any farming activity, the do not sow seed, they do not gather and put into barns, yet all year round they are supplied for. What more so you and me as human beings?

In fact, Jesus goes on to say, and this is the point of the quote above, who among you can add a day to his life by worrying? Or, for those who admire basketball players, who among you can add to his height by worrying? Basically, what benefit will worry bring to your life? What can you point to as a good, positive product for worrying? Of course we know of the negative effects such as stress which as doctors would say can be the cause for various diseases.

For the child of God, there is really no benefit in worrying. God wants you to rely and depend on Him fully. That is why Peter says cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7), Paul says do not be anxious for anything, but at all times and in all things, make your request known to God who will give you a peace that transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:6,7). And again in Ephesians 3:20 Paul assures us that God will supply for ALL our needs according to His riches in glory.

What an encouragement. God is looking out for us His children. As a loving Father He will provide for all of our needs. But that portion gives us something to do.

"Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what He requires of you, and He will provide you with ALL these other things." (Matthew 6:33 GNB)

What is it that He requires of you? What is the Kingdom of God? These are the things that you should be focusing on and He will cover you.

Today, I heard a very encouraging testimony. A dear friend is pursuing her studies but she did not have enough funds to cover all of her fees. She saved up some money over the years to cover her expenses, but this has come up short in some areas. Anyway, this year, she has decided to grow in the grace of giving and is learning on how she should manage her finances God's way. She has given away some of her money and possessions and as she was learning on finances, she became more and more confident that her Father had her covered. To make the story short, God has shown Himself to be reliable and trustworthy. He is proving His word to her and He has spoken to someone who will help with her school fees. What a wonderful God we serve...

So... do not worry, about anything, it is a most unproductive exercise... instead cast all your cares on a Father who loves you dearly and will meet all of your needs... He is more than able to do it...and He has already offered to do it, if you will give it to Him and trust Him.

Have a blessed and prosperous year....a worry free year

Grace and peace