Fattened For Slaughter

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When Isaac was born (Genesis 21), he did not know that he appeared in the middle of his father’s journey. Abraham who had left his home land to a place to be shown by God, had gone through a rough process. He was old, his wife had been barren, he had gotten a child with their maidservant and He had God brooding over him.

Have you ever seen a child being raised by wealthy grandparents? That is how it felt for Isaac. He was a child of the promise. He was an explosion of joy not a just a bundle. I see Abraham showering his son with everything sweet and beautiful. I see Isaac growing into one happy chubby boy. Let’s say a little obese. Every birthday, Abraham would throw such a huge bash and they would feast to their fill.

Abraham must have done his best to teach Isaac about God their father. I see him giving Isaac stories that seemed fictions.  How he had lied about his mother in Egypt. How he thought God was never going to come through. How Ishmael was supposed to replace him and how he had a great promise following his life. I just wonder how Isaac took all this.

Then one day, kaboom! God appears and demands Isaac for sacrifice. Abraham knows nothing but perfected obedience. But that does not deal with the matters at hand. Now how do I break this news to my dear aging wife Sarah? How do I bring Isaac, a now stronger man than I to lie on the altar?

Isaac was so used to his dad’s escapades it seems. This 3 days trips to the mountain to sacrifice to God without a sacrifice on sight was unusual. “Is dad getting too tired to remember we need a ram?” He must have wondered.

When it dawned on Isaac that he was the one to be sacrificed, he must have wondered. You mean my dad has been fattening me for slaughter? You mean I am just but a delicacy? But then again, what can I do but be for my dad his delight, and to His God, now our God, a fulfillment of His desire?

And at times life feels like that. We experience so much goodness and favour just for God to come back and demand the same. Did you just get a pay rise and now struggling to give more? Have you just gotten married and now unable to serve in ministry? Have just had a baby and you now have no time to pray? Has your business received a new contract you have no time to engage with God? Has God showered you with so much blessing, you are too chubby to fit through the doors of the church?

Indeed the test of perfected obedience is more challenging when you are walking in abundance than in lack.

Here a poem to summarize this thought

Fattened for Slaughter

Picked from the wild

Into a pen placed

Daily fodder provided

Fresh water availed.

Well sheltered

All needs met.

Home have I found

My shape now round

Check out how so proud

I bounce and sound.

Freed yet bound

Here now am ground

Picked from the flock

Now the owner's choice

Keenly He eyed me

For this great day

Guests already settled

Dressed ready to feast.

Facing the knife

The culmination of this life

My now fatty meaty heart

Is making dinner delicacy

Fulfilling the very reason

He gathered me in His pen.

And it’s a matter of laughter

How I was fattened for slaughter

But what other reason greater

Than be slayed for the master

Thoughts by Josef Munuhe

Why You Should Not Pray For Food!

We have this religious act that just gets into my nerves... mumbling some words before we take food in the name of prayer and grace. I find it very fake. If prayer is a two way communication, have you ever paused a little to get authorization from God to eat or not eat the food you have prayed for? Or you just assume since you have asked him to bless the food he has done it? Oh, and what is that part of sanctifying it? I thought that was dealt with earlier? The worst is when we ask our children to pray for food as a way of impressing the guests on the table. Don't give me that look, you know we have done that and we felt so proud.

But let me brain wash you on why you should not be praying for your meal....

It is so naive for you to pray for food for our body and ignore the junk our souls are indulging in daily. How many times have you prayed for the stuff your mind feeds on? Have you even considered that the stuff you feed on your mind needs to be sanctified? Stuff we get from the media, the philosophies of men, stuff we are taught in school and stuff from the world around us? How many times did your mind capture a dirty song just because you had to use a matatu to church? How many times did you get influenced by someone opinions from a  newspaper column that is contrary to the will of God? How many times have you responded in fear when you watch a news items instead of standing in the faith based on what God is saying? How many times have you been influenced by a soap opera or a novel or a person's experience to accept something that God say's He detests?

Whether we like it or not, we are living in the information age where our souls are offered all kind of delicacies to indulge in. Sadly, you will find people who call themselves Christians who only feed on the word of God on a Sunday from the pulpit and yet they can never fail to pray before a meal.

Even this article is trying to feed you soul, and that is why everyday we need to be careful as we interact with stuff we allow to reach our soul. And just like Daniel in the bible was offered the King's delicacies and chose to do veges, we must be selective on what our soul feeds on. There is this lie that tell people they need to be open minded and flow with whatever you are feed on. But I warn you, an open mind can easily fall of your head. You need to guard your heart, your mind and your soul. Feed yourself with something edifying!

And so the next time you are praying for your meals, first remember to pray for the meals your soul is feeding on.

Lessons on Faith From London 2012 Olympics

London 2012 Olympics brought together countries from all over the globe. Many athletes competing could not speak one language. But that did not limit their participation.  As I was just reflecting on this thought, I realized how easy it is for the church to come to the unity of faith. You see, in any sport, the participants do not necessarily have to learn the same language, all they need to know is learn the language of the game. If it's handball, you have to know what makes it different from netball or volleyball. If it's triple jump, you need to know the drill and so with each game.

Once you understand the language of the game, whether in a global tongue like English, or in a local dialect like Kalenjin, you are good to go. And as you enter in the field to play, though speaking different tongues, all players are in essence speaking one language, the language of the game.

The Kingdom of God is bigger than our local realities, it is massive beyond the global sense. Beyond the galaxy, the seen and the unseen. And sometimes one can wonder if the maturity of the church according to Eph 4:13, will come when the church comes to the unity of faith, then will the end really come?

But following the above thinking, let us assume the journey of faith is indeed a game at the Olympics, the reality of maturity is like playing at the Olympics and the people of faith are the players. How then can we make the maturity of all saints a possible reality?

To qualify for the Olympics (maturity of faith), one has to practice, learn the language of the game and be good at it, having achieved the set standard. The language of the game in this context is the Knowledge of the Son. This means that you have to have a level of the Knowledge of the son that is substantial enough to make you qualify for maturity.

Did you realize as nations competed at the Olympic they did not send the whole country there? Everybody could not achieve the standard required to play at the Olympics! What does that mean? It means REPRESENTATION. Could it be as much as the quantum that qualifies one for maturity is unknown, the reality of representation could the secret? That as long as some people are able to achieve the set standard required, they can stand on behalf of the rest and their representation can be considered as an achievement for all? 

Back to the basic thought of this note. 

If each player, in their local reality, learnt the language of the game, and acquired the standard required to play at the Olympics, then the unity of faith we seek could become a reality. And so, the task is for me and you to strive to achieve the standard that will qualify us to play at the Olympics. To strive for the knowledge of the son that will bring us to MATURITY.

What Faith Is This?

Today I was in town for some errands. I passed through Malindi Dishes and found they have closed for the month of Ramadhan. For a whole month, this popular food joint will be closed for prayers. Mind you these guys will be paying rent, pay their workers and the utilities for the month though no sales will be made since the joint will be closed.

You may sit there and despise such an act. You may even say it is a religious act but let me ask you, what faith is this?

I struggle leaving my business for a day or two to attend a Congress Seminar. I miss trainings and necessary meetings because of work. I have always believed that God will understand. After all He is the one who has placed me here. What a blindness!

If the righteous will be justified by faith, what more can I say? Is the faith of this muslim guy not going to justify him? He know his god will provide and sustain his business and his livelihood even on closing shop for a whole month. In this economic crisis, he considers money that would be made RUBBISH to pursue some prayers. What faith is this?

I am so challenged as a believer.... coz God is demanding much greater faith from me... Faith beyond this demonstrated by a muslim.

Why Is It This Hard?

You know the story of the young rich man who came to Jesus seeking to know how to get into the Kingdom? This guy was doing everything we consider godly yet he had not secured a place in the Kingdom of God. And when he asked Jesus what he needs to do to get in he was told to go sell everything, give it out to the poor and come follow Jesus. He went home very sad.

Why is it this hard to follow Jesus? to get into the kingdom of God? SELF.

Human beings have this force within us that seeks to preserve ourselves. We seek comfort, security and freedom. That is why we would want to be sure we are safe for tomorrow, we would love to take care of ourselves and we would want to do what we feel like and be good with it. Most a time these things are tied around SELF.

On the other hand, God is looking for people who can trust Him and have faith in Him to provide comfort, security and freedom. But His way of providing this requires death to self. Death to self means we lose our own ability to provide for ourselves comfort, security and freedom and give that ability to a being we have not seen but whom we connect through faith. TOUGH.

Look at Paul, he says he considers everything rubbish having known Christ. He was a learned man, a great achiever and a track history of greatness. Yet he says that is all rubbish because he has known Christ. I would wish to occupy that position but you have to agree with me it is not easy. 

Back to the rich young man, why do you think he went home sad? He was not ready to lose his comfort, his security and his freedom. And although he did all the religious acts thoroughly and consistently, he did not come to a place of accessing the Kingdom of God because he sought to preserve self. When we look at Zacchaeus, he let go of everything and accessed the Kingdom.  This rich young man didn't have the correct sight of Christ. I mean, it was possible even after selling and giving away everything, to actually have it all restored and given more. But self blinded him.

I am convinced that the way to access Christ and His kingdom is to surrender everything to Him and to be safe in His words and His demands. And once we occupy this position we are able to achieve comfort, security and freedom. Having no trace of self in us.

Hadithi Za Abunwasi

Now there is this debate that the world is ending on 21^st May 2011. And as I follow tweets, status updates and peeps conversations one thing is evidence; how casual people have become with God. There is no much fear of God in our generation. The word of God has just become hadithi za abunwasi.

The end will surely come; we just don’t know the timings. And that is not even the important thing. The important thing is what is Jesus coming for? That is what we should be focusing on becoming for him. In Acts 3:21 the bible says that Jesus must remain in heaven until the restoration of all things spoken by the holy prophets. This means, believers should focus on accomplishing the spoken word and thus becoming the bride Christ is coming for.

Just imagine on the wedding day, the bride gets prepared thoroughly. In details. And when Jesus says that he is building his church; that is what he is looking at doing, thoroughly preparing his bride (the church) for himself.

And so our focus should be to mature up in Christ, to attain his full measure and to fulfill the spoken word by actualizing it. The enemy’s strategy is to create little fires here and there that catch the attention of every believer and thus losing focus on what we ought to be doing. The enemy also seeks to make the finish (not the end), look like a myth or something impossible. And in so doing, people will forever wander in the wilderness and the powerful word of God will just be hadithi za abunwasi to those who are perishing.

That I May Understand

I was going through the story of Easter in the bible just to conect with the reason for the season and I must say I was refreshed. When Christ died, in John 21 we find that Peter who was one of the key disciples had actually returned to fishing. I mean, that was so soon. He should have waited for a week or something. But I love the realness of Peter, he is rational and practical. But the problem with this is, following God needs faith, and faith always beats rationalism and practicality of things. So he had to be transformed to walk in faith more than sight. And the best thing is Jesus didn't give up on him. The bible actually titles this passage; and Jesus reinstates Peter.

The best thing about God is that He calls to use us the way we are. But as we walk with him he transforms us into men and women of faith. So we can never give up on ourselves. We have to believe that God is able to use us the way we are, and better still he is able to transform us into what he has in mind. And in our walk with him, who we are will most times conflict with who God wants us to become.

The guys on the way to Emmaus walked with the risen Jesus without realising who he was. I learnt it is very easy to walk with Christ and miss him. I mean, he was just another guy on the road until he broke bread. And I know many times I have walked with Christ and missed his reality. And as I was reflecting about Easter my prayer has been that God may open my eyes.

When Jesus appeared to the disciples before ascension, he made a statement that transformed me. He said, haven't you understood the scriptures? I was to die and arise again. He then gave them understanding of scriptures as they wait for the Holy Spirit for power. Have you ever struggled with faith? When the word does not make sense? When you can't understand the reality of God? I have been there. And this part of scripture really encouraged me. That indeed it is God himself who increases our faith. It is God himself who gives us understanding of scripture. And so I have been praying that indeed God may open my eyes, increase my faith, give me understanding of scripture and empower me by his spirit.

I just want to know Christ and the glory of his resurrection.

Most Likely Religion Will Take You To Hell

When Jesus came to earth, he threatened the political class and the religious zealots. Herod actually killed all the boys below the age of two years targeting to kills Jesus while he was a baby. And the religious zealots managed to have him killed as an adult.

Why would the political class get threatened by the birth of a little boy? It’s because the Kingdom of God is concerned with how the affair of nations are run, since the systems in a country and the world at large affect the people of God. And with this I don’t mean Christians, I mean the people. And Jesus is concerned whether people are getting abundant life and justice in everyday life.

The religious zealots were also threatened by Jesus because he brought a higher order that required a change of heart posture and a shift in the prevailing mentality. Though the religious people sought God, they had become so engrossed in doing things for the wrong reasons and had missed the essence of faith in their generation. They catch a woman committing adultery and they are so fast to stone him and they wanted Jesus to be part of that. By the way who was the guy and where was he?? This picture among others shared in the gospel demonstrates what religion is capable of.

Jesus did not come to establish any religion, but rather a lifestyle that points people to his father (God). His miracles were not to enrich himself but to make the lives of other people better. His judgments were not to humiliate and embarrass people, but to expose the mentalities that hindered the people from accessing the Kingdom of God. It’s Jesus who was telling the religious people that thieves, prostitutes and tax collectors are entering the Kingdom before them. This demonstrates that the kingdom of God is beyond a religious structure.

The other day I was just thinking about faith and the question was what is the best faith? I believe the best faith is the one that brings you closest to God, makes you a better person, a more sensible person, a more loving person, a more humanitarian person, a more responsible person, a more ethical person. A person who lives in harmony with nature and that has the best desires for others.

Why do I say the best desires for others? Let us consider what Jesus demonstrated at the cross. When he was carrying the suffering of the whole world and two thieves were there receiving justice, he forgot all that and received the thief who requested for a place in his kingdom. Even at that moment, of the climax for his coming to earth, he still desired the best for a person whose life had produced nothing much but shame and disappointment.   

And that is my point. Religion will most likely take you to hell. Have you read Mathew 25 where Jesus says go away you evil doers, I didn’t know yo? The people who actually get chased away in this context are the religious loot. Because they start narrating how they did great wonders in the name of Jesus, and yet he tells them off.

I believe religion is manmade; it is not from God. It produces a people who are self centered, fearful and detached from the realities of life, who would rather scare people about hell than demonstrate the love of heaven. Who sneer at prostitutes and call homosexuals names instead of spreading the good news of the gospel.

 And as we talk about the good news, you should ask yourself if your faith produce good news to those in the dark; and not just news about a future event but good news about their life on earth. And when you go back to Mathew 25, those who join at the banquet are those that had good news to strangers, to the homeless, to the naked and such.

My point is, faith is done, lived and felt. And as we seek to find God, we should know that he has a greater agenda than ourselves that connects to all humanity. And so we are called to partner with him to reach out to those oppressed by different systems in the world and to point them to God. And if God is love, then to say we know God is to say we know how to love. And if Love conquers all, then our work is to spread love.

Cowards

Does it scare you that cowards will not inherit the kingdom of God?

This means if you do everything else right; either being driven by fear and after all accomplishment still remain a coward, then you do not have a place in the Kingdom of God.

What is it that you are afraid of? Is it the fear to succeed? Is it the fear to fail? Is it the fear of making mistakes? Is it the fear to try out your idea? Is it the fear to love? Is it the fear to let go? 

Unless you learn to face your fears, you should know your fate by now. We have not been given the spirit of fear or timid, but the spirit of boldness and good courage.

Be strong and of good courage. Start doing that which you are afraid. There is nothing that beats fear than faith. Exercise your faith by taking the first step.

Where is the power of the cross?

Every time I listen to the song My Jesus by Todd Agnew I always get challenged. Here is part of the lyrics

Which Jesus do you follow? Which Jesus do you serve? If Ephesians says to imitate Christ, then why do you look so much like the world?

If you are on social media or generally in the internet, you will see so many jokes about Jesus and God. I hear nowadays Jesus is black. Others will talk about “What Would Jesus Do?” even when in situations that Jesus would not be in the first place. And as much as some of these initiatives are great, sometimes they just demonstrate the mere lack of the fear of God in our generation.

And back to the Jesus I follow, I have been thinking closely about it. And as I was walking to work yesterday I met an old lady who was looking for the primary school in our estate. And I remember telling her to find the school just behind the mosque. Then I remembered when we were doing geography in primary school and we would recognize a Christian community through a church; which was a building marked with a cross.

Do you know how difficult it is to recognize a church nowadays? From some funny names we call church to the dingy buildings in the name of a place of worship, to the lack of the cross and the funny characters that we call shepherds. And as much as we say church is the heart and not the building, what we see leaves a lot to be desired; both from the building and from the people who are the church. Where is the power of the cross?

I have noticed we have become so casual with God, me included.  God, I know sometimes I act like we are just buddies; I mean you are the most understanding. Your mercies are new everyday and when you forgive, you truly forget. You know am human and human is to error, you know I am busy and trying to be modern, so excuse my few jokes on twitter and on email. It’s not that I am ashamed about you when I don’t share the good news with my friends online, am just avoiding spamming them. And when I attend bedside baptism, you know technology allows us much more than we can imagine. I know you understand. And when I don’t tell people about you it’s because when they watch news on Sunday evening, they get to see what your people have been up to and I don’t want to be associated with them. I know you say I should not conform to the standards of this world, and I am not, I am just trying to survive, to fit in and to be people friendly. I mean, we have to give people their space. Just keep understanding. The story can go on and on..

And as I keep on thinking about the kind of Christian I have been, I desire that God may give me a meaty heart; the heart that will walk in the fear of God, shunning evil and hiding his word deep inside so that I may not sin against him. To be transformed by the renewal of my mind. Not to fear persecution when I defend the truth. And demonstrate the power of the cross in my life in every aspect and not to be a religious freak but a real human being.

I pray that I will be willing to pay the cost for following Jesus and to carry the cross daily. Not to fulfill religious obligations, but to be a man of higher standards and a quality lifestyle powered by the Holy Spirit. And when the world looks at me, may they see the power of the Cross!

And when I listen to Todd Agnew I will be confident to declare that I follow Jesus the son of God, and not only will I say, but I will be demonstrating it with my life, and for sure I will not be ashamed that I don't look like the world.

Making it Special

When I was three weeks old, my mother run back into the house from the communal water tank in the slum after some women told her she could kill me by laying me on my back as I sleep. She could not have imagined having killed her child out of ignorance. But I wouldn’t have blamed her, I was her first child and she was only twenty with no one to help as such.

When I was four months, I had a severe attack of meningitis and am told the doctor said I didn’t have much chance to live and if I did, I would have a damaged brain. Now that am alive, I just need to verify the part for a damaged brain.

When I was seven months, I got measles two months before the vaccination. The ward at Kenyatta was crowded, with mothers spending their nights on the floor as they watch on their babies. The two kids next to our bed on either side died. My life was spared.

I was a sickly kid, who cried all the time and at times especially when my younger brother was born; I was only one and half years old, I would be taken to my aunts just so that my parents can have a break.

When I was six as we were playing in the grassland in the Ngong forest, a black mamba almost bit me, luckily someone spotted it as it approached me and hit its head. When I was ten during the December holiday, another snake almost did the same luckily my dad was with me to kill it.

When I was a teenager, I run away from home severally and attempted suicide more than once. I passed that too. And many other times when I was so sick and I got healed, and times when God has watched over my life and preserved it without my knowledge.

So, today as I celebrate my birthday, I look behind and see the faithfulness of God. And as I look to the future I believe it will be great and glorious. And for my birthday, I want nothing more than a grateful heart. That is how I want to make it special.

Thank you God for this far that you have brought me, I can face tomorrow, because I am with you.

The Glass Roof

There is a glass roof in my house

I can see the furthest I wanna go

The sky aint even the limit

But I can’t even leave the ground

The furthest I have gone is just up the ceiling

I wanna fly way above

Break this glass roof

And peperuka up in the sky

And release my full potential

Are Broken or You are just Broke

I have noticed many people get very close to God when they are broke. They will consistently seek his face in prayer and in gathering and such stuff and you will think they are very broken christian. But once these guys get a breakthrough, first they forget it was from God and next they develop some air. That is bad manner.

But as Paul says, he has learnt to be content in much and in lack, because he knew what His God was. And I think that is the standard we need to have. To know who we are in God, and therefore, whether in lack or in plenty, It will not affect who we are in God or who he is in us.

You may be broken, but maybe you are just broke.

I was a Stranger

In the rural area it is very easy to entertain strangers. You can easily step into a homestead and ask for a mug of water, and you will be given. However, in the urban centers, we hardly even talk to our next door neighbor leave alone a stranger. But I can’t blame the urban folk, they have reasons to be careful.

I was considering Matthew 25:43 which says; I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, as a basis for judgment when Christ will be back and I was challenged. When Jesus talks about a stranger, we more often than not think of a stranded someone in the estate who cannot find house number Y17, or an old man in town who is looking for Chester house and when we offer help, in our mind we always know we have let in a stranger. And as much as that is true I also discovered something else.

When we talk of a stranger, it is someone who does not share your value system. A stranger is someone who you would seek to disassociate because of their beliefs, their behaviors and their habits. And we have enough strangers in the world. But as believers what are we doing about them? Do we extend our love to such folk? Or we just look at them from a far and pity them? Or maybe just pray? But how will they know if we don’t talk to them? How will they know if we don’t reach out to them in love.

Jesus demonstrated the kind of open heart we should, yet we must guard not to be swallowed since bad company corrupts good morals. But we cannot keep safe by keeping away. We need to develop a capacity to interact with the strangers and influence them positively. When I look at Jesus, he was able to converse with a Samaritan woman who was a manizer, and she was never the same again. He would interact with a tax collector and influence them for the kingdom. That is the capacity I am talking about.

There are people who are lost and in going through different issues in life. We have prostitutes, thieves, homosexuals, witches, drunks and even murders, and I have met some who would love to come and join the kingdom, but they don’t know where to start. They are strangers looking to be let in, but what do we do? We judge them, we throw them out, even those who have been converted, we see them from their past, not for what they could become. And they keep feeling as strangers. And within no time, they just find they cannot fit in.

What manner of love is this, that even when we were sinners, Jesus loved us and died for us? That is the kind of love we need to have. To love the sinners and open our homes (lives) for them. And though we would wish they converted and left their ways, it may take more time than we think. So, let’s just plant the right seeds and God, who makes rain fall to both the righteous and the sinners, will water the seeds and in due time, our efforts will not be in vain.

Which stranger are you not letting in? Let us not be the lot who will be saying on judgment day, ⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’   ⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’  ⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Mat 25: 44-46  NIV

Astonishing Faith

When Jesus was on the earth he must have disturbed so many people. I imagine the day he turned water into wine, the Cana of Galilee Brewery Limited must have had a board meeting to discuss the chaos, I mean even their stocks on that day did so badly. Or imagine the undertaker who after burying Lazarus, heard that he had be raised, and not just him, but even the daughter of Jairus and the boy who belonged to the widow in Nain. Or the town doctor who was losing business every day since Jesus would randomly healing the sick. I mean, people were disturbed. Or should I say astonished?

But then one day it’s Jesus who was astonished. In Mathew 8: 5 -13 we see the story of the centurion.  ⁵ When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ⁶ “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”  ⁷ Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”  ⁸ The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”  ¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.NIV

When I was thinking about this passage three things stood out for me. First Jesus asks the centurion whether he should accompany him to go and heal the guy, but he declines the offer and asks Jesus to just SPEAK. We have not seen Jesus do a remote controlled miracle. He was ever present in the place of performing a miracle. But this guy demands something beyond what had been done before; a remote controlled miracle. Where did he get such an idea that Jesus could just speak and it would be done?

Second, it is recorded that Jesus himself was astonished. I mean, he had not seen anyone entering into such dimensions of faith. This guy beat the woman with the issue of blood who just touched the hem of the garment for healing, he beats Peter who abandoned everything to follow Jesus, he beats the guys who had to make way through the roof to have their friend come to Jesus, he had faith in a new level.

Thirdly, I am thinking of the power of a man under command. The question is who has the authority? Many a times we forget that Jesus is the man in charge. We rely on people we know to do as favors instead of just asking Jesus to speak a word, we bribe to have doors opened instead of asking Jesus to speak a word, we compromise to have a life partner instead of asking Jesus to speak to our situation. Do you know how stupid we look? Like the disciples waking Jesus just because there was a storm. He just spoke to it and it calmed down. The point is, Jesus is the King of Kings, HE SPEAKS AND IT’S DONE. Do you believe him?

I am challenging myself to develop the astonishing faith, to create new demands from the word of God. I mean, all I need is a word from Jesus and chaos will turn into order, darkness turns into light, sickness becomes health and nothing becomes something. I want to have the capacity to believe in what Jesus can do and to enter into new levels of faith. I want to have the astonishing faith!

The Faith that I Need

I have been meditating on faith for sometimes and I am all the more strengthened to keep pursuing the hope of stability and satisfaction. Sometimes life throws stuff in your life and at times it very easy to lose faith especially when you are overwhelmed by the feeling of inadequacy and the uncertainty of the future.

Let’s consider this verse Roman 4:18-24

¹⁸ Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”^{[d] 19} Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. ²⁰ Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ²¹ being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. ²² This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” ²³ The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, ²⁴ but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵ He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

What can we learn from this passage?

- 'Without weakening faith', 'not wavering through unbelief',  sometimes we feel like giving up and tired of waiting on our promises in God but Abraham didn’t. We have to understand the struggle is every day, with some days being tougher than others, but the encouraging thing is when we walk boldly we don't weaken our faith. We must have courage and endurance to keep moving forward pursuing our dreams and our promises in God without losing hope. We must be energized everyday not to detour and not to settle. We must have a migration mentality to move from one level of strength to another. And when we meet obstacles, we should all the more keep walking in faith, and when we get into great success, we still need not to settle, and like Abraham we should live in tents, as symbol of willingness to keep moving forward. This meaning we need to exercise the faith by basing our actions on the faith, keeping on hoping even when the natural circumstance is dictating otherwise. This brings strength and gives glory to God.

- being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised...This is now the contentious issue in our world. We have lost faith in God. We wonder whether God can really do it? We have stopped believing in miracles or in the word of God to be true. To deal with this issue, I have learnt to seek God's promises over my life. Having a prophetic word in my life has brought so much order. When God speaks to you as an individual that is the word that we need to hold on. Do you have a word from God? Is there any promise of God that you are holding on? Once we have this, we then should be persuaded that God has power to do what he has promised. Hold on the promises of God over your life.

Faith rests in three things; knowing the Nature of God, His power and His word. His nature as love, as a father and meaning good for us, His power to do as he promised to do, to defy the natural order and his sovereignty, and lastly the Word of God, which is true and must come to pass. Those three things are the things that our faith should rest in.

Finally, we can never please God without faith. This then means we have to discover the kind of faith that Abraham had so that we don't walk in ignorance.

Beat the System, not Yourself

We are socialized to think that life is a linear affair. There is a set way we raise our kids and expect them to do certain things so that they can become something better. This is true especially when it comes to education. Here in Kenya you are expected to go through the 8-4-4 system in hope to get a good job after graduation.

From my experience, the system loses so many people in between who are left figuring what to do with themselves. There are no proper provisions for those who are cut off from the system. And as usual, they ‘hassle’ their way into life. Some make it while others find themselves stuck in the mess.

Though this is a sad situation, there is still hope for those who find themselves cut off from the system. And the way to survive is by learning how to beat the system at its own game; by developing something that cannot be ignored and by creating one own niche. But since most people believe so much in the system, once they get cut off they imagine that is the end for them and live like losers the rest of their lives.

I have observed people who are cut from the system at class eight and by learning how to do things with their hands, they earn a livelihood. I have also observed great minds that go to high school and come out as hooligans. Yet I have observed form four leavers who do not manage to go on and they learn a trade that becomes Business Empire. Yet again, some great minds join campus and lose focus and direction, to go back to the village and live the same life the class 8 drop out has been living.

Then we have those who graduate and get good jobs and then they just get lost in the system. Attending a burial of such a person, you don’t hear anything significant that came out of their lives.

My point is in one way or another, the system may not accommodate everyone. But when we are cut off the system, we shouldn’t beat ourselves. We need to learn how to maximize the minimum resources we have to reap the maximum benefits. At the end of the day, it’s not the strongest or the wisest that survives, it’s those who learnt to keep adapting to the changing circumstances of life that finish strong and better.

It so easy to live life miserably, beating ourselves because we didn’t make it to campus or because we didn’t get our dream job or something of such sort. It is also so easy to deceive ourselves that since we are in the system we are safe, but nothing is sure these days, you could lose your job, your business can go bankrupt, your husband can die, anything can happen. But that should not worry you as much as the inability to adapt to the unexpected.

The system may cut you off, don’t beat yourself. Beat the system. At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter how glorious the beginning was if you don’t get to the finish. And when it becomes hard to continue, never hesitate to turn to God for renewed conviction, courage, and strength. “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ” – Philippians1:6 NIV

Am Afraid, Am Afraid Not!

Am afraid am not afraid

Am afraid am afraid

Let’s just say am afraid

Am afraid am not afraid to die

Unless I lose my life, I can never gain it.

Am afraid am not afraid to be laughed at

Laughter is medicine to their bones

Am afraid am not afraid to be myself

Jesus only crime was love; him being himself

Am afraid am not afraid to be poor

Naked I came, Naked shall I return

Am afraid am not afraid things may fall apart

On the solid rock I stand

But am afraid

Am afraid am afraid to be rich

What if I gained the whole world and lost my soul?

Am afraid am afraid of labels

I live on the border and everywhere in between

What if I don’t fit in?

Am afraid am afraid of life

The much give, the much required

What if I lose it for keeping it?

Am afraid, Am afraid not

Let’s just say am afraid