Life Matters

If your thoughts are all negative so too will your confession be; and consequently your whole life. Perhaps you're like that. You're avoiding hope to protect yourself against being hurt. This type of behaviour sets up a negative lifestyle. Everything becomes negative because your thoughts are negative. God’s word does not promote negativism. The longer you serve God, and study his word, the more you will realise the tremendous power in being positive - in thought and word. Your actions are a direct result of your thoughts. A negative mind will result in a negative life, and a negative life is an unhappy life. But if you renew your mind according to God's Word, you will, as Romans 12:2 promises, prove (in your experiences) “the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” It is a vital necessity that we line up our thoughts with God's thoughts. But this is a process that will take time and effort.

Proverbs 10:26 says, “The prospect (hope) of the righteous is joy.” In other words, when you connect to your future (in God) you connect to happiness! However, we often neglect this truth. Have your hopes and dreams ever kept you awake at night? Do you ever wonder how all the pieces are going to come together to unleash all you are wishing for? Trusting God with your future is as simple as understanding that your future is God's History. Psalm 139:16 says that every moment of every day was recorded in His book before a single day had passed.This means that when you place your hope in God you actually connect to your future. In Genesis 17, God appeared to Abram and made a covenant with him, guaranteeing he would become a mighty nation. He changed his name to Abraham, because he would be known as the father of many nations - even though Sarah was old and had not been able to have children. Can you imagine living with a promise like that? Everyday when Abraham looked to the heavens he was reminded that his desce

We all need to laugh more – we need to have a “happy heart.” Throughout the Bible we are encouraged to “rejoice,” to “be joyful,” and to “be glad;” and you will find over 50 direct references to happiness. Being happy has great benefits. Not only does it strengthen you, it can completely change your attitude and outlook on life. Someone once said, “What everyone wants from life is continuous and genuine happiness.”

Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know, recognize, and understand therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, Who keeps covenant and steadfast love and mercy with those who love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations…”Acts 10:38 “How God anointed and consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the [Holy] Spirit and with strength and ability and power; how He went about doing good and, in particular, curing all who were harassed and oppressed by [the power of] the devil, for God was with Him.”

Last week Pastor Chris spoke on who God says He is and we saw the attributes of God. Following on from that, today I want to look at who God says we are, as revealed in His Word. “Who Am I?” Is a great question that we should ask ourselves?  Even Jesus had to discover who he was. Virgin birth. In Luke 2 we read about his birth, how he was presented in the Temple. By v 39 he is 12 years old. Parents and family leave, Jesus stays behind and his parents come looking for him. V46-47 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. Church is a good place to listen and ask questions and find out who you are.

There are aspects of God that remain hidden from our eyes because we are finite beings. God is infinite and we cannot possibly understand everything about Him. However, God does reveal Himself in His own time and in His own way. And strangely enough, God does not reveal Himself to everyone. Probably, the number of people He does not reveal Himself to is far greater than to those He does.So why does God like to remain hidden? Why doesn't He do everything right out in the open for all to see? Someone may say, “I do not believe God is hidden. I believe He does reveal Himself to everyone.” Therefore, the first thing to do is prove from the Scriptures that we are all dealing with a hidden God, and then to show that this God does not reveal Himself to everyone.

In order to understand what God reveals about Himself we must allow God to speak for Himself and be who He said He is! Let’s stop misrepresenting Him by voicing our own opinions and politically correct views. I am always amazed at how many false statements people make about God - or about what God ‘does’ or ‘thinks’. I can understand non-Christians having an unscriptural concept of the nature and character of the God, as they are ignorant of the Truth. However, there is no excuse for people who call themselves believers to be deluded about Him, or to misquote Him. Sadly many Christians are guilty of this very thing, and they make statements on His behalf that are totally opposite to what God as told us in His Word (in the Bible).

Pastor Chris Lodewyk was part of the team that brought about the end of apartied and the forming of the peace process in South Africa and now speaks to government ministers worldwide.

Pastor Chris Lodewyk was part of the team that brought about the end of apartied and the forming of the peace process in South Africa and now speaks to government ministers worldwide.

In Mark 12:29-31 Jesus said that the most important commandment is this… “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” And the second is equally important: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” No other commandment is greater than these. Note, the first and second commandments are a package deal. They are inseparable. Jesus calls them first and second but we can’t experience one without the other. For years believers have tried to justify a separation. 1 John 4:20 says, “If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?” Our horizontal relationships are an indicator of our vertical relationship. Our vertical relationship with God affects our horizontal relationships with each other. The only way for us to fulfil the greatest command is to get very serious about not only our relationship with God, but also our relationships with

How can you build a life of purpose? You can seek the answer to this question in many places - in self-help books, mentoring programmes, professional advice or even new-age philosophies. But have you ever considered how Jesus would answer this question for you? As the world's most significant person, He can do what no one else can. He can give you peace, purpose and power to change. Imagine for a moment that you're building a house. You hire a building contractor, but he never consults the blueprints drawn up by your architect (the designer). He casually builds without any detailed plan! An unwise move - I’m sure you will agree.  Every good contractor needs to know exactly where to lay the foundation, erect the walls, and place the doors and windows. Only then will the home look the way it was intended. Only then will it comply to the planning consent given by the local authority.

Many of us sometimes feel as if we’re living in a combat zone. It’s as if a battle is raging on all sides and we can’t seem to get focused. In combat, a critical factor for every soldier is whether he/she can outlast the battle in order to secure the victory. Therefore, surviving (coming through the struggle) means one of two things: (a) either you have gained the victory, or (b) you have escaped to fight again. But keep in mind, in spiritual warfare there may be spiritual captives!  Many believers do not come through and end up defeated, bitter, backslidden and blaming God for what’s happened. 2 Timothy 2:3,4 says, "You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  For no one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please Him who enlisted him as a soldier (his commanding officer)."  Enduring hardship as a good soldier is ‘militaristic commitment’, and this is essential in all spiritual warfare.  God is looking for good soldiers,  and the Greek word

John Watson of Vinesong talks about this vital subject bringing healing to those who have been hurt by life and knocked out of the race.

God seeks young people today. He seeks young people with great hearts who can make room for Him in their lives. To spread the Good News it is necessary to be youthful within (to have youthful energy). Also, to be capable of letting oneself be called into question about your faith. Jesus has a fondness for young people, as the conversation with the rich young man clearly shows (Matthew 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-22). He totally respects your freedom but never tires of proposing loftier goals for your life. Like Jesus, Cornerstone looks at young people with immense affection. You must understand that the church wants to be close to you - in moments of joy, in tests and trials, and in loss or failure. We’re family!Dear young people, let yourselves be involved in the “new life” that flows from the encounter you’ve had with Christ and you will be able to become apostles of His peace in your families, among your friends, within your schools or colleges, and in the various spheres in which you are active.

Whenever you allow faith to rise above human reasoning, and then simply place your trust in God, He will work the miraculous in those seemingly impossible situations. "For with God nothing is impossible" (Luke 1:37). How reassuring it is for us to know that when we trust in God, His plan for our lives unfolds perfectly - each moment of every day. And the impossible becomes possible! Proverbs 3:5 encourages you to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.”   Note, trust is a heart matter not a head matter! And the degree to which you trust in God reveals the level of faith you have in His ability to positively affect your situation. Unfortunately most people have never actually trusted in God with ‘all their heart’. Most are simply leaning on their own understanding - trusting in their own ability to work things out!

Isaiah 60:1-2God is saying in the midst of calamity and darkness there is a generation who are arising.•    Arise means to get to a higher level of living  -so that God can release his glory in and through you.•    Glory  means all of God’s best (Exodus 33) •    All of God’s best is in you•    All of God’s best will be seen on you•    All of God’s best can be released through you.•    God is committed to [put in] and [pour out] all of Himself to a generation who ARISE.

Job 9:4-10 READ•    God is sovereign. He controls all things•    Sets up kings – takes them down•    Sets up boundaries – Tells the Ocean where to stop•    Set the planets spinning – controls the universe.Hebrews 1:3Hold all things together by the Word of His Power •    Alpha and Omega –beginning and end –Holds the past and future in His hand.•    When you give your life to God –you give Him control of it.•    God is in control of every atom inside and outside your body.

Turn to Luke 8 and let’s read the first 3 verses… “Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with Him, along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples.”Notice, these women were helping to support Jesus out of their own means. One translation says, “Who ministered to and provided for Him out of their own property and personal belongings.” What’s quite obvious is that these women were women of substance, and they did three things with their resources; (1) they supported, (2) they ministered to [served], and (3) they provided for. Isn’t this exactly what we should all be doing?  Back to those 3 verses in Luke… The question that arises is, Why? Why d

This is probably one of the most encouraging passages of scripture in the whole Bible. It vividly expresses the deep and profound love, which the Lord has for all His people. Notice the wonderful statement… "I have called you by your name; you are Mine!" Another translation says, "I have claimed you; you are Mine!" God can legally claim us as His own because He was prepared to send Jesus to pay ‘the price’ in order to secure our redemption. Notice also how God emphasises that we are precious in His sight – ‘greatly honoured’ and ‘loved’. Furthermore, through the prophet Amos, the Lord declared that all the gentiles who are called by His name will be part of the restoration of the Tabernacle of David. "In that day I will restore David's fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be.” (Amos 9:10-11). This prophecy was forecasting the universal body of Christ becoming united in serving God. And according to ancient Hebrew custom, to be called by the name of anyone

We have authority in the earth I want us to gain a fresh revelation of our authority in the earth. I don’t want us to have just a passing thought I want us to have a revelation of authority. So what has God the Father put in place for us to use on His behalf as we travel in this earth? We have to remember God has limited Himself to what we allow or disallow in the earth, according to His will, His word, and His purposes. If we don’t pray in faith and speak in faith nothing will change in the earth or in our lives nor the lives of those we love. God the Father has given us authority in the earth to affect this earth towards His Word, His will and His desire. No we don’t have the power to change a person’s will; however we do have authority over every work of the evil one. Lets face it Adam was the first human God gave authority too; that desire is still God’s desire. God wants man to be in authority in the earth making sure His will is being fulfilled in the earth.