Stumbling is part of the journey

By Andile Nkosi

Some wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will come at an appointed time | DANIEL 11:35

We are human. In our daily walks as we go about Christianing and Faithing along we are bound to slip, trip and fall. Some of us through ignorance. Others through deceiption. And others through a momentary weakness when the flesh takes over. The good news is that God knew about these blind spots, warned us, reassured us and even established a redemption plan for you and I. As long as there is still a breath in us, it's not too late. You and I can choose to repent today and henceforth serve the Lord fully, being restored to our former glory and equiped for future battles.   

Godly peer-pressure

"Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers..." | Psalms 1:1 At a glance this scripture may appear to be advocating for Christians to keep to themselves and to judge and alienate others (non-believers). On the contrary, the scripture calls for awareness towards our engagements, relationships and fraternities. Lets' zoom in on the verbs in the scripture (i.e. walk, stand and sit): 1 Do not WALK in step - When in company of non-believers, we are expected to lead them to walk in step with us and not vice-verse. We have the truth. Let it be known and let it guide. You are doing good when if you are around people are not comfortable to say certain things and portray certain behaviors. 2 Do not STAND - When we stand we become part of the clique. We must be doers (of good) and not idle. We should be peculiar and be the light. 3 Do not SIT - We should not relax and enjoy the company of non-believers. We should always remember we are visitors whose principal task is to deliver the good news. Time is limited, let's use it drive the kingdom agenda. So often sin and ungodly lifestyles are portrayed as glamorous. We should not be attracted to these and we must do our level best to distance ourselves from such and to portray godliness not only with what we say but most importantly by what we do. #GospelPeriod

Testify and testify again

Psalm 9:11: 

"...and declare among the people what He has done"

Testimony is a vital organ in the body of Christ. It glorifies the Father; allows for spiritual gifts to manifest; and pumps hope to the members to the body of Christ.

Testimony also takes care of the _Passionately making him known_ challenge as it's easier to win a soul by telling one how Jesus saved you rather than witnessing about a foreign figure that lived about 2000 years ago.

I pray we shift the dial and intensify our testimonials. Let's strive to testify to an individual or group at least once a week. Let's remember testimonies do not grow old. We can tell the same testimony to different people and the Father will be glorified on every occasion (See Paul's testimonies in Acts 22 and 26 ). In fact, we will get better at telling our story. #PositiveLifestyle

Let's repent from our sinful behavior

Micah 2:1 | What sorrow awaits those of you who lie awake at night, thinking up evil plans. 

Contrary to what most of us Christians believe the Lord is a lord of justice. Though slow to anger, he eventually does anger and punishes the wicked.

Psalms 11:5-6 | The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion. On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot.

 I pray we shift the dial, repent from our sinful behavior, and act to the likeness of our savior Jesus in order to avoid God's harsh hand of justice. Otherwise, Micah's prophecy is guaranteed to manifest of us:

 Micah 2:3-4 |  ...You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity. In that day people will ridicule you, they will taunt you with a mournful song. #PositiveLifestyle

Enduring the storm

An attacker advances against you, Nineveh. Guard the fortress, watch the road, brace yourselves, marshal all your strength! | Nahum 2:1

Our Lord is a faithful and loving one. Just like a good weather channel, even when storms are going to hit He alerts us in advance so we have ample time to repent; stock up; bukle up; army up; cover up and fortify our cities. 

As we endure through the storm let us take comfort in that (1) we will not be given more than we can bear (2) as harsh as it might appear, the storm purifies (3) in Christ we have chosen the winning side and guaranteed, joy will come in the morning. #PositiveLifestyle