As the year comes to a close, you need to do an honest stocktake and determine whether you have progressed as the days moved on or you remained behind and just got one year older.
One of the most valuable virtues in life is never to lie to yourself; you can deceive us, but you cannot deceive God and yourself. If you fell, rise up, clean up and move on.
Accept your mistakes and shortcomings and do the correct thing. God is always prepared to start afresh with you. My motive when I write the devotion column is not to do a mere academic exercise or a theological essay, but to give you the true life found in the Word of God.
Lives have to change and improve and we have countless testimonies to that. When God speaks to you, remember Psalm 95:7-8 which reads in part, “Today if ye will hear his voice; Harden not your heart.”
When you read the Word of God, allow it to speak to you, don’t apportion it to others. Whenever I prepare a message for preaching, I first allow it to minister to me then I will minister to the congregation of God without hypocrisy.
James compares practicing the Word of God with looking at yourself in the mirror. James 1:23-24 reads, “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straight away forgetteth what manner of man he was.”
We use the mirror to check if we are well dressed and smart and if there isn’t any unwanted stuff on us. We remove the dirt and make sure our clothes are matching and that we are smart and then go out. In the same vein, the Word of God reveals our wrongs and errors and gives us the perfect picture.
It is your duty to use the perfect picture in the Bible or ignore it just as you have the right to ignore margarine on your moustache or threads of blankets on your weave after checking yourself in the mirror. Use the Bible to dress up your life.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
We need to understand that Christianity is not a means to life, but life itself. The one that prospers is the one that does the Word of God. Cramming all the Bible verses and practising none is waste of time.
You are better off knowing just one verse, then follow it, than having all versions and forms of the Bible such as hard copy, soft copy, on mobile phone or ipad, commentaries, notes, DVDs and CDs and doing none of what you are taught.
There are people that have been in the church for ages, but have no Word of God manifesting in their lives. They know all the protocol and rituals, but the Word isn’t in them. They can advise you on what to do, but they are just dry.
With all that they know their lives leave a lot to be desired. Then there are people that get saved and like little children just follow the Word and in no time they bloom and flourish.
As the year closes, I want to encourage you so you don’t end the year defeated and dejected. Some had high hopes at the beginning of the year which faded away. I urge you to regain the momentum.
The laws of faith do not allow you to change zeal and determination because of a minor setback. Ministering across the country in many churches and denominations, 2011 was a year of extreme persecution for many in the body of Christ.
It was a year with calculated opposition from the devil. The Anti-Christ continues to be on the prowl and satanic activity continues to be very rife globally. The world as a whole faced challenges politically, socially and economically. Some nations almost collapsed.
The church had unprecedented problems, but we are encouraged by Matthew 16:18 which reads, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
At personal level many lost their loved ones and jobs and some were divorced. Let me leave you with this motto that we use at our church: “I am going somewhere.” Whatever you are facing, know for certain that it has come so that it passes.
You are where you are on your way to where you are going. It is not over yet until it is over. You are going somewhere. I speak special blessings to you all and a special mention to all those that are making the preaching of the Gospel of Christ possible whether materially, financially or spiritually. I don’t forget all the intercessors that make our work possible. God bless you all, enjoy the holiday.
All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Feedback: [email protected] Follow Pastor Makarimayi on www.twitter/PEMAKARIMAYI and Facebook
