TŠEA TAOLO YA BOPHELO BYA GAGO Part 5

MODUMEDI LE BOETAPELE

Batho ba bantšhi, ešita le ba ba ipitšago badumedi; ba phela maphelo a mabedi. Molomo o bolela se, gomme maoto a lebile kwaa! Ba bolela byalo ka Modimo mme ba sepela byalo ka Satane. Ba rata dipolelo tša Modimo, mosepelo ona ba ikgethetše wa Satane. Molomo le mosepelo ga di kibe ka mošito o tee.

Go tloga mathomong, Satane o be a šomela Modimo e le morongwamogolo, a ikokobetša ka fase ga bogoši bya Modimo. Feela ka morago a tsenwa ke moya wa go itaola. A duma go buša byalo ka Modimo. Modimo o ile a mo raka legodimong gomme a lahlelwa lefaseng. 

Molatomogolo wa Satane e bile go intšha ka fase ga bogoši bya Modimo. Kgopolong ya gagwe o be a re kgane bogoši ke maemo, motho a ka bo lwela a ithopela byona. Ke ka moo a tsošitšego ntwa legodimong a gopola gore o tla fenya makgotla a Modimo gomme a thopa bogoši bya Modimo. Satane a nyatša Modimo a fetoga mmakaepea, sebakaborena.

Batho ba bangwe ba phela ka wona mokgwa wo. Ga ba dumele go bušwa, ba rata go itaola. Ba nyatša bolaodi le boetapele byo bo beilwego. Ba nyatša babuši mola ba nyaka go hlomphiwa ge go buša bona.  

Le badumedi ba bangwe ba phela ka ona mokgwa woo. Ka melomo ba re Jesu ke Kgoši; ka maoto ba re ‘ke ya mo ke ratago, ke dira se ke se ratago ka nako yaka.’ Gohle mo o ba humanago, ke bona ba di gogago pele go menola mmušo. Ka gae, ba gana boetapele bya Modimo ka hlatlamano ya byona. 

A re tšeeng ka tselana ya maoto gannyane re hlalose taba ye. Re tla boela temeng ka nako ye e sa fedišego pelo. Mmušo wa Modimo o bušwa (sepedišwa) ka delegated authority. Bogoši ka moka ke bya Modimo, gomme Yena o tšea bogoši (authority) bya gagwe a bo bea godimo ga batho ka go rata ga gagwe. Mohlala; hlatlamano ya boetapele ka gae še; Yo a tlilego pele o eta pele ba ba tlilego ka morago ga gagwe. Ka boripana, monna o tlile pele, gomme o buša batho ka moka ba ba tlago ka morago ga gagwe ka lapeng. Mosadi o latetše monna gomme o wela ka fase ga boetapele bya monna. Bana ba tlile ka morago ga mosadi, e lego mmabo. Se se ba bea ka fase ga boetapele bya mmabo mola mmabo le bana ka moka ba eta pele ke monna. Ngwana o mogolo wa mošimane o eta bana bagabo pele; byalo byalo. O ka no se rate ka moo Modimo a rulagantšego boetapele ka gona; feela ge Modimo a rulaganya boetapele, o be a sa leke go kgotsofatša batho. Lentšu la Modimo le re o dirile tše ka moka a sa eletšwe ke motho. “Ke mang yo a ka botšago Morena se a swanetšego go se dira? Ke mang yo a ka mo rutago goba a mo eletša? Kgane Modimo o rerišana le mang gore a ithute  a kwešiše ka mo dilo di swanetšego go dirwa, le gore a be le tsebo le kwešišo” (Jesaya 40:13,14)

Mafelo a mangwe moo le badumedi ba palelwago ke go amogela boetapele, ke mešomong, dikolong, setšhabeng, dikerekeng, le gohle mo Modimo a hlomilego boetapele. Mogwera; go gana boetapele ke go gana mmušo wa Modimo. Go gana mmušo wa Modimo ke go amogela mmušo wa Satane. Ge a se no gana mmušo wa Modimo, Modimo o ile a mo kgoromeletša kwa ntle. Yo a ganago boetapele bya Modimo, a ka se be wa mmušo wa Modimo.

Lentšu la Modimo le laya batho ka moka le re; ‘Motho mang le mang a se gane go bušwa ke ba ba filwego maatla a go buša, ka gobane ga go mmušo wo o sa tšwego go Modimo; mebušo ye e lego gona e hlomilwe ke Modimo. Ka gona, yo a lwago le mmušo o lwa le se se laetšwego ke Modimo gomme yo a lwago le sona o ikobela kotlo.” (Baroma 13:2)

Mebušo le bolaodi ka moka di beilwe ke Modimo. Le mmuši goba molaodi yo mobe wa kgatelelo, wa go nyatša Modimo, o beilwe ke Modimo. Ga go maatleng a rena gore re mo ahlole. Re tla mo ahlola byang mola a se a bewa ke rena setulong sa boetapele? Yo a mmeileng ke yena a tla mo ahlola. Sa rena a e be go hlompha se se beilwego ke Modimo. 

Yo mongwe a ka re; baetapele ba beilwe ke rena. Kgane ga se rena re ba boutetšeng? Ere ke go botše; go bouta batho feela moetapele o kgethwa ke Modimo. Ekwa; “Gobane go godišwa ga go tšwe bohlabela goba bodikela goba thoko ya borwa; Moahlodi ke Modimo; o kokobetša yono, yola a mo godiša.” (Dipesalome 75:6,7) 

Modumedi yo a ganago go bušwa o nyatšiša mmušo wa Modimo ka batho. O kgahla Satane ka go ba manganga le go itaola. Ba byalo, Lentšu la Modimo le re; “ba tla bonala nke ke badumedi, etšwe maatla a bodumedi ba a gana.” (2 Timothea 3:5) 

Mešomong, badumedi ba swanetše go amogela boetapele - ešita le ge moetapele e se modumedi. Modumedi a se ke a dumela go šomišwa ke Satane - maganagobušwa. Dikolong, barutiši ke baetapele ba ba beilwego ke Modimo go hlahla le go godiša bana. Wena o reng ke modumedi, dira gore mošomo wa moetapele yoo o be bonolo. Mo setšhabeng; modumedi o swanetše go amogela le go ipea ka fase ga boetapele byo bo beilwego. Ke ra le mo ditseleng; bahlapetši ba mmila le maphodisa ke baetapele ba ba beilwego, rena re swanetše go ikokobeletša bona. 

Boetapele ka moka bo beilwe ke Modimo. Gohle mo o bonago boetapele o tsebe gore o bona peakanyo (arrangement) ya Modimo. Ka gae le gona, boetapele bo beilwe ke Modimo. Manyami ke gore, le ge go le byalo; go sa na le batho ba ba lwago le boetapele. Yo a lwago le boetapele o lwa le Modimo. Batho ba bantšhi ba phela boima mo maphelong a bona; ba sepela ba aparetšwe ke bomadimabe. Ge ba ya mešomong ba tlogela madimabe ka gae. Ge ba fihla mošomong ba humana a mangwe a ba letile. O ka re madimabe a ba šetše morago gohle mo ba yago. Ge o ka nyakišiša gabotse, o ka makala e le gore bontšhi bya matshwenyego ao a bona a thomile ka go nyatša boetapele. Naa o nyaka gore Modimo a go hlogonolofatše? Hlompha boetapele.

Ge o nyatša moetapele, gabotsebotse ga o nyatše moetapele; o nyatša boetapele. Ga o nyatše motho; o nyatša boetapele bya Modimo. Go nyatša boetapele go hlolela motho madimabe (curse).

Wena ngwanešo, byale ka ge byale o phološitšwe, o se sa sepela ka mokgwa wa lefase wa lenyatšo. Amogela boetapele bya Modimo (divine authority) o amogele gape le boetapele byo bo beilwego ke Modimo (deligated authority)

“Lena basadi, le ikokobetše go banna ba lena, go etša ge le ikokobetša go Morena. Gobane monna ke hlogo ya mosadi, go no swana le Kriste ge e le hlogo ya kereke” (Baefeso 5:22,23)

“Lena bana, le hlomphe batswadi ba lena ka ge le le ba ba dumelago go Morena, gomme seo e le se se lokilego. ‘Hlompha tatago le mmago’ ke molao wa mathomo wo o nago le kholofetšo ye e o tlaleletšago ka gore: ‘gore o tle o atlege, o phele nako ye telele mo lefaseng.’ Lena botatagobana, le se galefiše bana ba lena. Sa lena e be go ba godiša ka kgalemo le thuto ya Morena. Lena makgoba, (bašumi) le hlomphe ka botlalo beng ba lena ba mo lefaseng, gomme seo le se dire ka botshepegi, byalo ka ge nke le direla Kriste. Seo le se se direle gore ba le bone mme ba le rete, eupša ka dipelo tšohle tša lena le dire se se nyakwago ke Modimo, ka ge le le makgoba (bašumi) a Kriste. Le ba šomele ka dipelo tše ditšhweu mo nkego le šomela Morena, e sego batho.” (Baefeso 6:1-7)

“Lena basadi, ikokobetšeng go banna ba lena, gobane se ke sona se se swanetšego badumedi ba Morena. Lena banna, ratang basadi ba lena gomme le se ba gakalele. Lena bana, le hlompheng batswadi ba lena mo go tšohle, gobane seo ke sona se se kgahlago Modimo. Lena botatagobana, le se tshwenye bana ba lena, gore ba se nolege moko. Lena makgoba, (bašumi) le theeletše beng ka lena ba mo lefaseng dilong ka moka, le sa direle gore ba le bone mme ba le rete, eupša le ba theeletše ka botshepegi ka ge le boifa Morena.” Bakolose 3:18-22)

“Le lena, basadi, le ikokobetše go banna ba lena, gore ge go na le ba ba sa dumelego lentšu la Modimo ba tle ba sokollwe ke maitshware a lena ntle le polelo, ge ba tla be ba bona mesepelo ya lena ye e hlwekilego, le ka mo le ba hlomphago ka gona. Le lena, banna, le phedišane le basadi ba lena ka kwešišo ya gore mosadi ke sebjana se se swanetšego go hlekesetšwa. Ka gona, le ba sware ka tlhompho, ka gore le bona ba tlilo fiwa mpho ya bophelo gotee le lena. Seo le se direle gore dithapelo tša lena di se tlo paledišwa ke selo.” (Petrose 3:1-2; 7)

TŠEA TAOLO YA BOPHELO BYA GAGO Part 4

TŠEA TAOLO YA MESEPELO YA GAGO

Motho ke sebopiwa sa go phela le batho ba bangwe. (Man is a social being) Motho o a nagana; morago a abelana le batho ba a phelago le bona menagano ya gagwe ka molomo. O šomiša polelo go dira byalo. 

Gape; motho o kgona go sepela. O šimiša maoto go dira byalo. Leoto ke setho sa go laola mosepelo. (Feet are tools of mobility) Le kgona go iša motho mo a nyakago. Motho o thoma ka go nagana, morago a tšea kgato. Naa o gopolo polelo yela ya kgale ye e bego e re; “pelo nkise, maoto mpepe?” 

Lentšu la Modimo le re ruta gore Modimo o na le kgahlego ka mokgwa wo re sepelago ka gona, le mo re emago gona, le mo re dulago gona. “Yo šego ke monna eo a sa sepelego a lailwe ke bakgopo, a se gate tsela ya badiradibe, a se dule tulong tša bakweri.” (Pesalome 1:1) Hlaloso ya Seisimane e e ala ka tsela ye; “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat if the scornful.” 

Eka Modimo o re; “O sepela le mang? O eme le mang? O dutše le mang? Mo go Modimo go bohlokwa gore o sepela le mang, o ema le mang gape o dutše le mang. “Le se ke la forwa. Go thwe: Go gwerana le ba babe go senya mekgwa ye mebotse” (1 Bakorinthe 15:33) O ka se tsentšhe leoto ka gare ga leraga gomme leraga leo la se go kgomarele.

Taba ye ke yela re bego re e hlalosa maloba ge re be re re, ka morago ga phološo, motho o hloka badumedi ba bangwe gore a gole le bona. Kgetha batho ba o phelago le bona, o tlo phela.

Ge motho a se no phološwa; o lota mesepelo ya gagwe. Morena Jesu o ruta taba ye ka mokgwa wo; “Ge letsogo goba leoto la gago le go diriša dibe, le ripe o le lahle. Go kaone go ya legodimong o se ne letsogo goba leoto, go na le gore o be le matsogo goba maoto ka mabedi, eupša o lahlelwe ka mollong wo o sa timego.” (Mateo 18:8) Jesu o re segole sa go phela se phala setopo sa maoto goba matsogo a mabedi. 

Mesepelo ka moka ye e go išago dibeng e swanetše go kgaolwa byalo ka leoto goba letsogo. Segwera se se go išago dibeng le sona se swanetše go kgaolwa se lahlelwe mollong wo o sa timego. Segwera se se ngwe e dio ba segwera sa dibe. Bagwera ba gona ba hlakanetše dibe; ba hlakantšhitšwe ke dibe. O kile wa bona segwera se tiišwa ka dibe? Jesu o re KGALA SELO SEO O LAHLELE MOLLONG!

Go na le batho ba bangwe ba ra dibe ba re ke lehlogonolo. Motho wa gona o humana dilo ka go dira dibe pele; morago a buša a re Modimo o mo hlogonolofaditše. Ge ba ikemela bare; you cannot argue with results. Ba re; results justify the means. Ge e le wena ngwanešo, se gwerane le ba mohuta wo. Lentšu la Modimo le re; se sepele le bona, se eme le bona, e bile le go dula o se dule le bona.

Ešita le mošomo wo o sa kgonego go o dira ka ntle le gore o dire dibe, le wona o swanetše go kgaolwa byalo ka setho sa go go šitiša go dira thato ya Modimo. Go na le mešomo e mengwe ya go thekgwa ka dibe. Ge o dumela go dira dibe, o tla šoma - "consider yourself employed." Ge o dumela go dira dibe, gona o tla hlatlošwa (promotion) Ge o gana; gona go padile - o tla ikutlwa. 

Mešomong e mengwe go na le Satane, o apere sutu ya methalo e mesesane; o dutše ka ofising. Ge o mmona o ka re ke motho. O rototše mahlo, o bolela English ke a go botša; accent ke ya moše-wa-mawatle. Mantšu a molomo wa gagwe a boreledi. Motho wa batho; Nooga! Tšhaba! Le go boya o se sa boya. Hlware e tatile kgare godimo ga setulo. TŠHAAABA! Le morago o se sa lebelela. 

Go kaone gore o fetwe ke menate yohle ya dibe go na le gore o lahlegelwe ke bophelo bya gago ka ‘baka la yona. Tšohle tše re sa kgonego go ba le tšona ka ntle le go dira sebe pele, di swanetše go lahlwa. Jesu o re; “Ge letsogo goba leoto la gago le go diriša dibe, le ripe o le lahle. Go kaone go ya legodimong o se ne letsogo goba leoto, go na le gore o be le matsogo goba maoto ka mabedi, eupša o lahlelwe ka mollong wo o sa timego.”

CHINCHA STEPE MZALWANE

TŠEA TAOLO YA BOPHELO BYA GAGO Part 3

HLOKOMELA LELEME LA GAGO

“Ge motho a re ke yena morapedi, eupsa a sa itshware gabotse lelemeng la gagwe, gona o a iphora, bodumedi bya gagwe ga bo thuše selo” (Jakobo 1:26) Taba e Botse

Maloba re be re itaola, re bolela sengwe le sengwe se re se naganago. Re be re šomiša leleme byalo ka sebetša - re itwela ka lona. Re be re latela polelo ya gore ‘melomo ke dithunya, e a thuntšhana.’ Re be re sena hlokomelo, re sa šetše se se tšwago melomong ya rena. Re be re bolela re ngangile ditšhika re re, re kweša yo re bolelago le yena bohloko; kgane re a “iphora”

Badumedi ba bangwe ba sa le ka ona mokgwa woo. Ke bao Lentšu la Modimo le rego “ba na le ponagalo ya bodumedi, feela ba latola maatla a byona.” Ga ba kwe Modimo, ba gana go laolwa ke Lentšu la Gagwe. Ba ka go šaetšiša, wa nagana gore se ba se dirago ke sona se se swanetšego. 

Ke ka lebaka leo re gatelelago gore ge motho a phološitšwe o hloka motswadi yo a tlogo mo lela, a mo fepa ka lebese la lentšu. Hlokomela gore “go gwerana le ba babe go senya mekgwa e mebotse” (1 Bakorinthe 15:33) Batho ba gona “ba tla bonala nke ke badumedi; etšwe maatla a bodumedi ba a gana” (2 Timothea 3:5) 

Bao ke ba ba lahleditšwego ke maleme a bona a go itaola. Ba forilwe ke maleme a bona. Lentšu la Modimo le re; “Ge motho a re ke yena morapedi, eupsa a sa itshware gabotse lelemeng la gagwe, gona o a iphora, bodumedi bya gagwe ga bo thuše selo” “Ge e le wena ngwanešo; se tlwaelane le ba byalo. O se ke wa ya le mesepelo ya bona wa tšea dikeletšo tša bona. 

Motho ge a se no phološwa, o thoma go laola megopolo ya gagwe; a latela ka go laola leleme la gagwe. O thoma go ela hloko se a se naganago, a ela gape hloko se a se bolelago. Se ga se dirwe ke Modimo; se dirwa ke modumedi ka boyena. Modimo Yena o re fa Lentšu la Gagwe, gomme rena ra re go le kwa, ra le dumela; ke moka ra dira se le se bolelago. Lehono lentšu la Modimo le re; se iphore, hlokomela se se tšwago molomong wa gago. Dumela mantšu a, gomme o a dire: Modimo o bolela le bophelo bya gago ka ona lehono.

Modumedi o swanetše go tšea boikarabelo ka se se tšwago molomong wa gagwe. Dipolelo tša molomo wa gago di hlalosa se o lego sona. Se lebale gore byale o phološitšwe; ga o sa le yola wa maloba. O tsene bophelong byo bo swa bya go laolwa ke se Lentšu la Modimo le se bolelago. O fetogile, ga o sa laolwa ke maikutlo - o kgetha mantšu ge o bolela. O hlokola pele o bolela.

Taba ye e bohlokwa kudu e bile e hloka gore motho a e ele hloko. Motho a ka no rata bodumedi a ba a bo šala morago; feela a senyetšwa ke leleme. O ka di kgona ka moka tša bodumedi feela wa no senyetšwa ke leleme. Motho e ka no ba modumedi, a ba le ponagalo ka moka ya bodumedi, le mosepelo wa gagwe ya ba wa modumedi, le seaparo ke a go botša; feela ka ‘baka la leleme, Beibele e re a ba wa go “iphora.” 

Se lebale gore; ‘Lehu le bophelo di laolwa ke go bolela ga motho; yo a bolelago kudu o tla ikobela”   (Diema 18:21) “Leleme ….ke sethonyana se senyenyane, feela le ikgantšha ka tše dikgolo …le swana le mollo. Ke legohle la bokgopo le le dutšego mo mmeleng wa rena mme le phatlalatša bobe mothong ka moka. Le tšhuma bophelo bya rena ka mollo wa hele. …ga go motho yo a kgonago go le tlwaetša. Ke lešaedi le le padilego, le tletše mpholo wa go bolaya” (Jakobo 3:5-8) Taba e Botse. 

TŠEA TAOLO YA MONAGANO WA GAGO Part 2

ITOTE MO GO TŠE O DI NAGANAGO

A re kataneleng phološo ya rena ka go tšea taolo go se re se naganago. Go katana go ra go šoma ka thata - go lwa ka maatla gore o fenye. Re swanetše go šoma ka maatla gore re tšeye taolo ya se re se gopolago mo menaganong ya rena ka gore bophelo bya motho bo laolwa go tšwa monaganong wa gagwe. Re se ke ra fenywa ke megopolo ya rena, re upše re fenye megopolo ye re e naganago. 

Re se ke ra lebala gore monagano wa motho o šoma bošego le mosegare. Le mola mong wa ona a robetše ona ga o eme - ga o robale. Ke ka lebaka leo re se ra swanela go nyefiša mo ntweng ye ya go thopa mogopolo le go o laola. Ge o ka itebala, wa ya le menate, o tla humana monagano wa gago o šetše o tshetše mellwane o ratha sekgwa o lebile kwa! 

Monagano wa motho ga o fetwe ke selo - ke maratahelele. O swana le mpyanyana motho a ile le yona nageng. Ge o ka ya le mpyanyana nageng o tla bona ka moo šedi ya yona e tanywago ke sengwe le sengwe se se iphetelago. Ge e bona mogaditswane e a o kitimiša. E tla re e sa kitimiša mogaditswane ya bona nonyana, le yona ya e kitimiša. Morago ke serurubele. Le monagano wa motho o byalo; o dula o kitimiša dikakanyo. Ga o kgone go dula fela. O dula o theogetše o eya kwa le kwa. O nagana tše di botse le tše mpe - o hlakahlakantšha fela; ke hlakantswiki, ke ledubedube ke a go botša.

Gape, monagano o swana le mollo. Ge o go šomiša gabotse, o na le mohola kudu. Feela ge o go šomiša gampe, o ka dira tshenyo e kgolo kudu. O botse ge o šoma o le ka fase ga taolo ya mong wa wona. Ga botsebotse monagano o swanetše go ba sedirišwa; ga o a swanela go itiriša. 

Byale ge: Motho o swanetše go tšea taolo ya monagano wa gagwe; a se ke a o tlogela o itšhomiša. Go šoma, o kwa re re ga o šome? O šoma kudu. Re gana bošaedi byo. Ge o šoma o le noši, o sena mohlokomedi, ke lešaedi la mafelelo.

Naa motho a ka tšea taolo ya monagano wa gagwe byang? Motho a ka tšea taolo ya monagano wa gagwe ka go laola tše di tsenago ka gare ga monagano wa gagwe. Tše a di kwago, tše a di bonago, tše a di dupago, tše a di latswago le tše a di kgomago di na le khuetšo e kgolo mo menaganong ya gagwe. Ge o ka dumelela tše dibotse di tsena ka monaganong wa gago, o tla nagana tše di botse; ge o ka dumelela tše di mpe di tsena ka monaganong wa gago, le gona o tla nagana tše mpe. Monagano wa motho ga o a swanela go itaolo ka gore ge o itaola, o laola le mong wa wona.

Taba e botse ke gore Lentšu la Modimo ga se la homola ge monagano o dutše o re iša kwa le kwa. Ekwa gore Mangwalo a Makgethwa reng; “Sa bohlokwa go feta tšohle ke go itota mo go tše o di naganago, gobane ke tšona di laolago bophelo bya gago” (Diema 4:23) Taba e Botse. Lentšu la Modimo le re maphelo a rena a laolwa ke tše re di naganago. Ge o ka laola tše di tsenago ka gare ga gago, le tše o di naganago di tla laolwa ke wena. 

Ge motho a dumelela keletšo ya Modimo go hlahla monagano wa gagwe, kgopolo ya gagwe e a mpshafala. Moapostola Poulo ge a hlalwa ke Moya Mokgethwa o laya badumedi o re; “Le se swantšhe mekgwa ya lena le ya batho ba mo lefaseng, le upše le dumelele Modimo gore a le fetoše ka go le mpshafatša dikgopolong” (Baroma 12:1-2) Taba e Botse. Go a hlokega gore tsela ye motho a naganago ka yona e laolwe ke Lentšu la Modimo. Lentšu la Modimo ke sethakga; le diriša motho tše di botse fela. 

Go na le hlaloso enngwe ya Seisimane ba re ke The Message. Yona e hlagiša taba ye ka mokgwa wo; “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from inside out” (Romans 12:1-2)

TŠEA TAOLO YA BOPHELO BYA GAGO Part 1

KATANELA PHOLOŠO YA GAGO

“Barategi, ka ge le be le ntheeletša ka mehla mola ke sa na le lena, gonabyale ge ke le kgole le lena, le swanetše go ntheeletša le go feta. Dulang le katanela phološo ya lena ka tlhompho le poifo” (Bafilipi2:12)

Byale re phološitšwe. Go tloga mo re ya kale? A go fedile? Re ka no tšwela pele ra phela ka mokgwa wo re bego re phela ka ona? Maloba re be re ikgapa re ikgoroša, re le ga mmarobalaoitsoše. Byale re direng?

Eng; ke nnete. Satane o be a re utswitše, a re diriša dilo tša go se tsebalege. Ke yena a re rutilego go dira dibe, a re ruta le go nyatša Modimo, le go nyatša babuši bao Modimo a ba beilego; ka lapeng, setšhabeng, ka kerekeng, dikolong, le mešomong.  

Sa go nyamiša ke gore re be re nagana gore re a ipuša, re na le ditokelo. Kgane ke gona ge re be re šomišwa ke Satane. 

Byale; re ka se kgone go tšwela pele ka mokgwa wo re bego re phela ka ona pele re phološwa. Se lebale gore re be re thupilwe. Satane o be a re dirile makgoba. Bophelo byo re bego re bo phela e be e le bya makgoba feela re sa tsebe. Re be re le makgoba a sebe.

Byale Jesu o re lokolotše. Ga re sa le makgoba a Satane. Jesu o re fa molao o moswa wa go phela. Ge a re lokolla o rile mo go rena; “Etlang go nna bohle ba le lapilego gape le imelwago, gomme ke tla le khutšiša. Phelang ka dithuto tša ka, gomme le ithute ka nna, ka gobane ke yo botho, ke wa pelo ya boikokobetšo, gomme ke tla le khutšiša.” (Mateo 11:28,29)

Kwa se Moya wa Modimo o se bolelago ka moapostola Poulo mo lengwaong la rena le re butšego ka lona. O re; “Dulang le katanela phološo ya lena ka tlhompho le poifo” Go katana ke go šoma ka maatla. Ka mantšu a mangwe; re swanetše go dula re šomela phološo ya rena ka maatla. Yo mongwe a ka re; re šomela phološo ya rena ka maatla byang ka gore Lentšu la Modimo le re; “Go phološwa ga lena ke mpho ya Modimo. …ga se maiteko a lena” (Baefeso 2:8,9) 

Ke nnete; re phološitšwe ka mogau. Re dumetše fela se Modimo a re holofetšago sona gomme Yena a re phološo mahala ka go re gaugela. Feela le ge go le byale, re filwe phološo ka mogau; re swanetse go e hlokomela. Re swanetše go dula re e katanela ka tlhompho le poifo ka gobane yo a bego a re thupile o sa re nyaka. Baisiraele ge ba etšwa Egepeta; kgoši ya Egepeta e ile ya rapa masole a ba kitimiša, a nyaka go ba bušetša mešomong ya bona ya bokgoba. Le go rena go byalo. Satane o a re kitimiša, o nyaka go re bušetša mešomong yela ya bokgoba.

Naa re katanela phološo ya rena byang? Ka go tšea taolo ya maphelo a rena. Ga re sa laolwa ke Satane; re ka fase ga molao wa Moya wa Modimo. Molao wa Moya "o ntokolotše molaong wa sebe le lehu" (Baroma 8:2) Mo go Modimo re filwe maatla a go itaola ka fase ga thato (will) ya Modimo. Maloba Satane o be a re laola ka remote control ya sebe. Jesu Yena ge a re phološa A re tloša ka fase ga sebe a re bea ka fase ga thato (will) ya Modimo.

Lentšu la Modimo le re Satane o a emaema, o nyaka yoo a ka go mo kwametša. Tlhaloso ya Taba e Botse e re; “o a phaphaila” O ya kwa le kwa a galefile. Se lebale gore Satane ke noga. Noga ge e eja legotlo ga e sohle; e a kwametša. Re bona mo Lentšung la Modimo gore le Satane ga a sohle; o a kwametša. Ke ka lebaka leo o kwago Lentšu la Modimo le re; “le phafoge, le ntšhe mahlo dinameng” (1Petro 4:8) Tlhaloso ya KJV e re “be sober”

Ke lona lebakabaka le mophološwa a swanetšego go katanela phološo ya gagwe. Modimo o go file yona mahala, feela ke wena o swanetšego go e hlokomela. Ge o filwe mpho, ga e hlokomelwe ke yoo a go filego yona; e hlokomelwa ke wena. Modimo O re file mpho ya phološo gomme ke rena se swanetšego go e hlokomela. Naa o ka reng ge o ka bona motho yo o mo filego mpho ya seaparo ka letšatši la gagwe la matswalo, a tsena, a re mo go wena; “mogwera ke tlišitše seaparo sela wa go mpha ka letšatši la matswalo a ka. Ke bona se tšhilafetše; byale ke be ke re o se hlatswe ka pelanyana, ke nyaka go se apara?” Re tla tšwela pele ka moso.

LEARNING HOW TO TAKE THE WINGS AND FLY Part 8

I'LL TAKE UP THE WINGS AND FLY

“As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings. So the Lord alone led him, And there was no foreign god with him.” Deuteronomy 32:11

We have come to the end of our flight lessons. I think you can see clearly now that our flight lesson is the journey of our Christian life. We cannot make it on our own. The Lord alone will lead us. As man was created by God and only God knows His future; so is a Christian. As Christians we were saved by God. He is the only one who knows our future. There is no one else. All others may speculate, but God knows our future as much as He knows our past and present “And there will be no foreign god with us” 

When we seek direction we will turn to no other god. When we need to learn how to run this race we will look to no other speculator. We will fix our eyes upon Jesus who is the Author and the finisher of our faith. Our lives start with Jesus, find purpose in Jesus and will end up in Him.

In today’s lesson we will focus on the confession of the Word of God. Words spoken across human lips release a spiritual force. Man was created in God’s image. God created the universe by His word. “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” Hebrews 11:3. Words are not visible but they make things that are visible. Since man is created in the image of God, man too creates his “world” with words. The problem is that man has not developed this faculty to its fullest capacity and thus the reality of this truth is not realised as it should. Throughout ages man has been trying to create his world with muscles. He has been working hard to make things happen. Shall we stop working and just speak words? No; we speak and work thereafter. We don’t work and speak. This is not how spiritual things work. The right way is we speak and then work. This is how spiritual laws operates. It will help you to understand that spiritual laws precede human effort. When we work this upside down – when we work this in reverse; failure is unavoidable.

Here is one important point to note; what should we speak? Do we know what to speak? We speak words that work for us; words that work on our behalf. You see, when we don’t know words that work for us, we use words that work against us. There are words that work for you and there are words that work against you. God only used words that worked for Him and He had everything He said. He wants us to follow the same pattern.

All of us have been created by God. He created words too. What are we saying? We are saying God created man and God created words too. Since this is an indisputable truth, it would only make sense to believe that He who created man and words should have a plan for man and words to function together. All words bring results; others good, others bad. When you don’t know the difference between these categories, you pick any word that comes to your mind and you speak. You wonder why you end up with results that do not match your desires.

As we said; God created man and also created words. He has selected words that work for us and packed them in a book for our convenience. This book is called the Bible. When we speak what God says in His book about us or circumstances that affects us or our loved ones, a spiritual force is released on our behalf. This is called confession.

Confession is repeating what God said about you. When you say this believing in your heart that what you say is able to bring results; a creative force gushes out of your mouth. Confession is declaration. You declare that what God said about you will indeed come to pass.

When you fill like God has left you, people are threatening you and you are fearful and under stress; you turn to the Bible and read where God says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you… The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” Hebrews 13:6. You go a step further and personalise what we’ve just read and say; 

My God will never leave me nor forsake me. 

I can boldly say the Lord is my helper; 

I will not fear anything or anyone. 

What can man do to me?

What have you just done? You have just confessed what God said about you. You have affirmed what God said about you. You have declared that God will never leave you nor forsake you. You have proclaimed that the Lord is your helper. You have made known to all (including the devil) that you will not fear anything. You’ve just boldly confessed that no man can do you anything. Praise the Lord.

When you said this, an amount of confidence oozed from the centre of your being. What was that? The words that you pronounced across your lips released power to create a state of assurance in your life. This power makes you trust God even more. Yes, you feel you are ready to meet whatever circumstance that comes your way. How did it happen? One, there is power in the Word of God; two, your tongue releases it.

Keep on speaking the word of God relevant to your circumstance and you will keep on releasing the power that God has packed in every word He has spoken. The key to release this power is your tongue. When you speak; when you confess what God says about you, God brings it to pass. 

The earth we live in was created by God. He gave it to man and man through disobedience turned it over to Satan. But Jesus came; He faced Satan, conquered him, took away from Him what he stole from Adam and gave it back to us. Jesus knocked daily light out of the devil and gave us the right to that victory. Those who believe in Jesus can say things according to the Word of God and see what they say come to pass. They can confess with their mouths and a creative force will be released on their behalf.  

When we confess the Word; or we might as well say when we confess what the Word of God promises; we release faith to believe that what we confessed is ours in the Name of Jesus. We release faith to be patient to wait for the manifestation. It does not matter how long it takes; we know it is ours. This faith causes our minds to fall in line with what the Word of God says and when this happens, time and space are no longer hinderances. Heart peace bridges the river of space, joy rushes across the waiting period to grab the promise and make it ours today. Oh the joy of receiving it before it is manifested! 

This is faith spoken into reality through confession of the Word of God

1. When you read the Word of God you deposit the Word into your heart
2. When you study the Word of God you release understanding and wisdom to act upon the Word
3. When you meditate on the Word of God you assimilate it into your thinking and transform your life by the renewing of your mind
4. When you pray according to the Word of God you express your dependency on God
5. When you confess the Word you release a creative force to manifest the promise
6. When all these happen, YOU FLY.

LEARNING HOW TO OPEN YOUR WINGS AND FLY Part 6

EAGLETS COMMUNICATE AS THEY FLY

“As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings. So the Lord alone led him, And there was no foreign god with him.” Deuteronomy 32:11

Do you still want to fly? Or are you exhausted with the flight lessons? We cannot even think of finishing without speaking about prayer. Prayer is communication. How will we master the art of flying if we cannot communicate? The eagles up there; as a form of communication, the young ones have a modest cry that is characteristically understood by their mother. They cry when they feel a little insecure; they also cry when they enjoy themselves up there. Every time a distinctive sound is made, their mother will give attention; either to rescue or to give moral support. 

This is what happens with prayer. We pray to call God’s attention about our insecurity, our needs, and uncertainties. When we are not sure of what decisions to make we pray; we call on Him. We make that peculiar noise - that little cry; and God comes to our attention. When things go well and we enjoy the flight lessons, we also pray. Remember, your life and my life are flight courses. We will learn to fly for as long as we are alive. There is no stage in life where we will not need our Tutor any longer. Judah made this terrible mistake of turning away from God and His prophets. The consequence of such reckless self-confidence caused him to crush into the backyard of Babylonia. Israel learned nothing from his brother’s foolish self reliance. He found themselves in Assyrian captivity.

We cannot follow the example of Judah and Israel. It is too dangerous to walk in such rebellious footsteps. We will not grow weary of these flight lessons. 

As we said, prayer is communication with God. Through prayer we communicate with Him for various reasons. We  may praise Him, worship Him, make our petitions known to Him, seek direction from Him, dedicate things or even ourselves to Him in prayer. We can also fellowship with God through prayer.

I assume that we agree that the preliminary modules in our flight course are; reading and studying the Word of God. We ponder as we study and meditate as we do so. We cannot emphasise enough how important it is to read and study the Word of God prayerfully. As we read or study; we pray. This is how one can incorporate prayer in his reading or studying of the Word.

First; pray before you start reading or study the Word. Ask God to give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. Ask that the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened to the truth in the Word. Ephesians 1: 17-18. We cannot understand the Word of God unless He helps us. Wise people of this world say it sounds fooling and contradictory. I understand because this always happen when we try to understand the Word with our minds. Human mind cannot make sense of the Word of God. The Word of God is spiritual while the human mind is intellectual. The two are operating on different networks. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” 1Corinthians 2:14.  

Many people try to understand the Word with their minds and they end up concluding that the Bible contradicts itself. No wonder the Bible teaches that the Word is spiritually discerned.

Pray as you read. Every time you come across a verse that speaks to you; pause and ask for understanding. Thank God for what He says in that verse. Ask Him to let the word impress His will upon your heart. Ask Him to teach you how to apply it in your day to day life. Praise Him for it. Take time to meditate on it and just enjoy the wealth of knowledge God is revealing to you. You will begin to love the Scripture and appreciate God even more. Just feast in there before you continue. I know, you know what I am talking about. You’ve done this in the past maybe without realising it. It is a festival in the presence of God.

Pray after reading or studying. Thank God for what you have learned from His word. Ask Him for wisdom in application. Ask Him for guidance in your day’s activities and in decision making. Ask Him for wisdom to discern between what is good and what is evil. Ask Him for patience to wait for the answer. Ask Him for faith to hold on to the promises of God in the Word.

If you do this, your reading and studying of the Word of God will anchor you on a solid foundation. You won’t waiver with doubt and unbelief in time of storms and challenges of life. You will know what God says in His word about your circumstance and you will pray according to the Word. Many times we say we are praying and yet we are not praying the Word. How many times have we complained that God does not answer prayers only to realise that we have been praying our mental confusion and not the Word? Prayer is not complaining to God. Prayer is our expression of faith in what He promised us in His Word.

LEARNING HOW TO OPEN YOUR WINGS AND FLY Part 5

Meditation opens our minds to understanding

“As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings.” Deuteronomy 32:11

We have so far learned how to read and study the Word of God. I suppose you have already started to practice what you’ve been learning these past days. Friend; our aim is to stir you into the sky. 

I am aware that sometimes we come so rough that you resolved to delete the next message we sent you before you read it. Beloved; rough as we might sometimes sound; know that we are doing it with the right spirit. We are doing it with love. We are hoping to stir your nest and persuade you to fly. Our desire is to squeeze out the gifts that are embedded in you. The purpose of these messages is to encourage you to FLY. Yes, yes, yes! You can fly? You will not be alone up there when you make your first attempt. Never forget what He said. “I will never leave you nor forsake you” Hebrews 13:3

Let us, for one moment, take a side-walk and come back quickly. I can only imaging that you realise that we are encouraging you to fly into the right spiritual atmosphere. Many people are already flying, but most of them are flying in questionable atmospheres. It is true; these lessons, once applied, will unlock the treasures of this world in your favour. However, this is not the atmosphere we are leading you into. We hope to lead you into an atmosphere of a sound and meaningful relationship with God where you will seek God first. How I wish we won't end up with what this world offers instead of what God promises to supply. I will be terribly disappointed if our effort will only provide an earthly consignment instead of a spiritual shipment. Paul says to Timothy; “…people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. From such withdraw yourself” (1 Timothy 6:5)

Knowledge is important. God says in His word, lack of it destroys people. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6. He goes on to say in Isaiah; “Therefore my people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge” Isaiah 5:13. Lack of knowledge holds people captive. Ignorance limits people’s ability to develop and change the world around them. That’s why Jesus in John 8:32 said; “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” It is knowledge of the truth that sets people free.

However; a lot of knowledge without application is as splendorous as a lightning which flashes across the sky, followed by a deafening thunder rumbling with a frightening sound that fills the whole atmosphere just to disappear in seconds. Thousands of voltage has gone to waste - just like that. The sight is spectacular but with no effect. May we not engage ourselves in the acquisition of the knowledge of God’s Word just to look spectacular and sound thunderous without any substantial outcome. God help us! James in his epistle says we will be deceiving ourselves.

In today’s teaching we are going to look at the next step that follows after reading and studying the Word. We have fed on the Word and now we must stew cud. We must meditate on the Word we’ve just studied. The word “meditate” means thinking carefully about something. It is the practice of reflection or contemplation. After reading and studying the Word, we need to take time to think carefully about what we’ve been reading or studying. We need to take time to reflect back or contemplate what we’ve just read. We do this by reflecting in our minds and talking to ourselves about what we’ve been studying. We not only think about; we recite to ourselves in our own words what we’ve just read. This helps us increase our understanding of the subject matter and widens our retention capacity. Meditation is talking to one’s selves.

We find a cluster of very good examples of David’s application of this word in the book of Psalms. One of such examples is this; “I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. Your statutes I will not forget” Psalms 119:15-16. The impression we get from this Scripture reading is that the more I meditate on God’s Word, the more I remember what it says.

A good picture of meditation is what we go through every night before we go to sleep. It is the same with me and I want to believe that almost every one of us go through the same process before we disappear into the unknown world of sleep. I would take about ten to fifteen minutes at most; the time depends on how tired I am. I would take a considerable amount of time thinking about the activities of the day. I would reflect back certain issues in my life and turn them around and around. Again David says in Psalms 63:6 “When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.” The Spirit through David gives us a better perspective. Instate of spending time on fantasies, lets remember the Lord and meditate on what His Word says. This works better when we have just read something from the Bible before we sleep. Our minds would be having a chunk of what we have just been reading and will have something to meditate upon. 

Most answers to prayers come while we meditate upon the word of God. You will remember that David spent a lot of time alone out there under the canopy of the night sky tending his father’s sheep. He had a lot of time to reflect back who God is and what He has done for Him. Give yourself time and go through the book of Psalms; you will realise what a wealth of information there is in there regarding this subject. Listen to this verse; “I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search.” Psalms 77:6. Our spirits makes a diligent search. This happens when we are quiet and our minds are engaged in the rolling over and over of a piece of Scripture. It is in this state that our spirits link with the Spirit of God who searches the deep things of the heart. When the Holy Spirit searches your heart, He must find the word of God therein. When this happens He blends the Word of God which is already in your heart with the circumstances you are in. Out of that, He formulates an answer to your question or request. Remember that the answer to our prayers and the direction we may be seeking from the Lord will only come from the Word of God. The more we engage in this practice, the better position we will be in to receive the answer or even direction from the Lord.

Remember who God’s word says He is and what He has done and meditate in it. Bring back the glorious splendour of His majesty and His wondrous works and just lie there and soak it up in deep meditate. Listen to this masterpiece; “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands. I spread out my hands to You; My soul longs for You like a thirsty land.” Psalm 143:5-6. As we look into what the Scripture says about meditation, our confidence grows to the level where we are encouraged to depend upon the Word of God. We will learn to read and meditate - study and meditate. We will awake in the night and watch and meditate on His Word. How wonderful this is!

Paul in Philippians 4:8 wrote; “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. Where do we get all this things from? In the word of God; of course. When we study the Word we find these kind of things in there. When we see these qualities in other people, let’s think about them. 

Our success as Christians or in life in general depends on our careful consideration of the Word of God – to think about it and to practice it without which, every move we take, every decision we make is based on speculations and assumptions. When we make the reading, the studying of the Word, and the meditation thereof our way of life; success comes with less toil. “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Joshua 1:8

Over and over in the Word God reminds us of the importance of this process. “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.  Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” 1Timothy 4:15-16. 

He that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. 

I WILL READ THE WORD 

I WILL STUDY THE WORD 

I WILL MEDITATE UPON THE WORD AND 

I WILL FLY

LEARNING HOW TO OPEN YOUR WINGS AND FLY Part 4

DO THIS AND YOU WILL END UP IN THE SKY

“As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings.” Deuteronomy 32:11

Every Christian must learn to fly. As the young eaglets take lessons from their mother, we too must take lessons from our Heavenly Father. Apart from the flight manual He has given us, He promised; “…I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” Joshua 1:5. Our success depends solely on our cooperation with Him throughout.

In our previous message we learned about the habit of reading the Word. We said the Word of God is food. “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4) We’ve seen how reading the Word of God is equated to feeding. When this is done, our set of rules in our minds responsible for letting the Word pass through into our spirits are changed and begin to recognise the Word. The Word is now allowed to land in our spirits and bring light into our spirits for “The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” Psalms 119:130

As promised, let us look into the study of the Word of God. Reading and studying are not the same. As we said reading is like eating, studying will be like digesting. 

When we study we seek to understand. We pay attention to details. Things like; the historical background, the speaker, the audience, and the reason the text or chapter was written. 

What was the historical setting? i.e. when the book was written, what was happening and how what was happening influenced what was written. How do we understand what we read on the background of what was happening? For example; Luke wrote about the birth of Jesus in the Gospel of Jesus according to Luke. He writes in chapter two that Jesus was born in Bethlehem although his parents were from the city of Nazareth in Galilee. The key to unlock this puzzle is found in the historical background. Why did they travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem in Judea? The answer is in the historical setting of the time. Read chapter 2 of Luke and you will find the answer. Micah 5:2 will also add more historical light to the story of Bethlehem.

The second thing we must observe is the characters in the chapter we are reading. Who is speaking and to whom is he speaking. We tend to grasp information easier when we know who said what and to whom that was said. Words without identity sometimes carry little impact. All of a sudden the story makes sense as soon as the people involved in the discussion or dialog are identified. We all know this from our personal experience.

The third thing we need to observe is the language used in the chapter or portion we are reading. Grammar usage and the meaning of certain words used in the passage are very important. If you come across the word you don’t understand or are not sure of; check the meaning in the dictionary. Remember you are doing what you are doing because you want to learn how to fly. How do you fly when you don’t understand? Understanding is the key to successful learning. 

Fourth; we must seek to interpret what we are reading. Studying is seeking in-depth understanding of what you are reading. As you attempt to interpret what you are studying; make sure your interpretation harmonises with the rest of the Scripture. The Bible emphasises that for  any accusation or argument to be considered valid there must be two or three witnesses. Therefore; at list two or three verses will be necessary to validate your interpretation. It is also imperative that we allow the Bible to interpret itself. We may from time to time borrow some external information here there and there to illustrate our point but the foundation of our interpretation should be built on precept upon precept, line upon line. “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.”  Isaiah 28:10

Sixth and lastly; we must seek to apply what we have just learned. It is a futile exercise when we allow our learning to lead us to knowledge that is never interpreted into action. Theory on its own never gets anything done. Of course, knowledge is good but it needs wisdom to release it into practical application. You are not wise until you are able to put what you know into practice. Haven’t you heard this statement before? ‘You must practice what you preach.’ A lot of people cannot put to practice what they know. For knowledge to be beneficial, it must find a way to manifest itself in action. Knowledge without action is simply head knowledge and the Word of God in your head will give you headache. It does not help to know the Bible from cover to cover and yet fail to practice the minutest information we derive from it. The Bible is an action book–a manual. We must always seek to put into action what we learned.

READ, STUDY AND APPLY - THIS IS A SURE WAY TO LEARN TO FLY

LEARNING HOW TO OPEN YOUR WINGS AND FLY

Part 3

Are you ready to fly? How high are you willing?

“As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings.” Deuteronomy 32:11

In the past two teachings we learned how important it is for one to learn to fly and be responsible for one’s life. I think it is the right opportune time for us to move to the next level – the how part of it. We are attempting, not only to teach you how to ride a bicycle, but also to show you how to do so. Remember; you can only learn to ride a bicycle by riding a bicycle. There are two important things we are going to deal with in the two subsequent teachings and I wish to have your undivided attention. This is the foundation upon which a successful Christian life is going to be built, without which many have already made a shipwreck. 

To learn to fly you must give the word of God first priority in your life. You’ve most probably heard or read once or twice about this in the past. We are not attempting to come up with something that was never said before because there is no such thing as a new revelation. All revelations are based on what was revealed before. What God says today always develops on what He said in the past. It is an amplification of what was said before. Many people got astray in their quest for new revelation. New revelation is the mother of all deception.

To learn to fly you must anchor your life in the Word of God. There are quite a number of other things one can suggest but we will deliberate on the following today.

Read the word of God daily 

Reading is like feeding. God calls His word bread – He calls it food. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4. Reading the word of God is like eating. We are spirits; we have souls and we live in bodies. My body needs food to grow, keep healthy and remain alive. My mind which is part of my soul needs information and problem-solving tasks to keep shaped up. My spirit as well needs its food to grow, keep healthy and keep attached to God. The food of the spirit is the Word of God. Let me reiterate; the Word of God is our spiritual food.

I think I must explain some things here. When I say ‘read the word of God’ I mean just that – READ; not study -read. When we read, we let information into our minds. The mind is the entrance point through which all external information gets through. Every time we expose ourselves to external information either by one of our sensory systems (see, hear, smell, taste, and touch) we open the gate of our mind and feed on that information. This information will remain in our minds; but if we choose to believe the information, it will pass from the mind into our spirit. Our mind is like a RAM in your computer and our spirit like a hard drive. Like with computers, information that is in your RAM will remain there for as long as your computer is on. If you don't save it you may lose it. But, once you save it, it drops into your spiritual hard drive. This is the same with your mind. What is in your mind is temporary until it is saved on your spiritual hard drive. 

The problem in many cases is when what comes into our mind is not allowed down into our spirit. How does this happen? This is how it happens. Every time you hear the Word of God or any information, it goes through a sifting process. This sift is like an antivirus in your computer. Every time this antivirus has sufficient reason to doubts the validity and safety of the information, it closes the bottom gate that allows the information into your spirit. It treats it as spam. But if the information is perceived to be non-threatening, it is allowed to pass through, down into your spirit. For the purpose of understanding we will call this sift an antivirus. Whenever new information comes into your mind, the antivirus is automatically triggered; to scan and allow or disallow entrance. 

How does this antivirus function? First, we must understand that this antivirus does not operate on its own set of rule. It operates on rules you provided it with. These rules form from the kind of information you allow into your mind. The environment we live in, the people we live or interact with, the stuff we read, the language we listen to; all of these help arrange some set of rules which will tomorrow be used to censor any new information that tries to come into your hard drive i.e. your spirit. If the information satisfies the set of rules, it is allowed to pass through; if not, it is denied entrance.

What has this got to do with the reading of the word of God? It’s got everything to do with it. You see when you read the word of God, especially when you do it daily; you are providing your mind with material needed to change your set of rules. The more your mind is bombarded with the word of God, the Bible says it is the more you “receive … the … word, which is able to save your souls.” James 1:21 The Spirit through James says the word of God is able to save your soul. The word of God is able to change your mind. Paul writes in Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Do not be conformed to this world means, do not allow the world around you to shape up your thinking. Do not allow what’s going on around you to determine the set of rules through which future information (the Word of God included) will be censored. But be transformed by the renewing of your mind. In other words, change your set of rules by changing your mind. Change your mind by changing the kind of data you allow into your mind.

When you feed on the word of God, your thinking pattern will change, and when this happens; your set of rules will change too. Your set of rules are now formed and shaped around what the Word of God says. This, the Bible calls the renewing of your mind. How did you do that? Well, the same way you created your first rules – by listening. In the past you listened a lot to what the world around you was saying and you developed set of rules that conformed to the world. But now you changed your source of information. In the past the world was your source but now the Word of God has become your source. You cannot put your hand in a tin of paint without some of it sticking to your hand. You see? You have been sticking your hand in a tin of the world’s information and the world’s way of doing things has stuck to your hand. Now when you stick your hand into a tick with the Word of God; guess what will stick to your hand – true; the Word.

You cannot read the world’s stuff without part of it sticking to your mind; and as it sticks, it reshapes your mind. In a way, it affects your set of rule. I better read the Word of God and have it stick to my mind until it renews my mind. A renewed mind is an asset. It is familiar with the word of God. This familiarity helps make the mental antivirus permit the word of God to pass through into the spirit. Once this is achieved; the believer becomes “a good man (who) out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things” Matthew 12:35

We pick up a serious problem when the antivirus functions as the antigospel. There are people who’s minds are loaded with an antigospel software. How do we know this? We’ve been like that before. When you operate this kind of antivirus application you become negative to the Word of God. You become defensive, argumentative, arrogant, hateful, and rebellious. You despise anything that has to do with the gospel. You stand opposed to the Word. For example: Suppose you read this message and verses of Scripture are quoted. You feel so angry you would rather pass them without reading them. You would rather have man tell you what to do and not God. You would rather listen to man than listen to God. When you are fitted the untigospel software you remain opposed to everything that has anything to do with the Word of God.

This is the problem when one operates with antigospel set of rules. But how did it happen? You fed your mind with what the world trashed on you and in the meantime your values changed. You can reverse this process my friend. Yes, you can. By just reading the word of God as regular as time allows you.

This is how you learn to open your wings and fly. I encourage you to keep to it; read the Word of God as regular as possible. Without effort, your mind will be renewed as you daily receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your soul. The way you think will be transformed as the Word of God daily renews your mind; getting rid of old values and replacing them with new values, new set of rules that are progospel and not antigospel.

You say; Pastor Maselo, how do I do that? I will give you my suggestion. It is not a set of rule; it is just what I say it is, a suggestion. I’ll do you two. 

First: Read the Bible as a letter. 

We don’t read paragraph one and jump to the third and then to the seventh when we read a letter. Read your Bible like you are reading a letter. That is, read from paragraph one to the next; so on and on. Read from page one through to the last page. Start in Genesis and end in Revelation. Everything works when you’ve got a goal. Set yourself a goal to finish the Bible within a specific period – six months, one year, or two. I prefer one year. Start over again when you finish reading through the whole Bible.

Second Suggestion: Have a daily reading programme

Read two chapters from Genesis through to Job, two Psalms, two chapters from the prophets starting with Isaiah and two from the New Testament. If you keep to this programme you will finish your Bible in one year. When you finish start all over again. Do this for as long as you are a Christian.

We are not talking about studying here. We will talk about it in our next teaching. Just read through. Your goal is just to eat i.e. to feed. It is no time to worry about the ingredients my friend; just eat. Like a baby, just eat and rest and when you wake up just continue eating. 

In our next teaching we will talk about STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD. 

Are you ready to fly? How high are you willing to fly?