Do you have something in your life that you think is impossible?

What made Peter take a step outside the boat to walk on the water?

Was it intense prayer over a longer period? Prayer where he requested others to join him to get prayer answer? Was it prayer in tongues? Did he get up early in the morning to pray for an hour? Did he take every opportunity during the day to pray? Did he join a prayer group? Did he pray in expectation to hear God’s will?

Did he fast for many days?

Did he meditate on the scripture all through the day and for many days?

Did he seek Christian mentors to encourage him? Mentors to speak faith into him? Mentors to help him deal with his lack of belief? Mentors to help him believe that it is actually possible to walk on the water?

What made Peter take a step outside the boat to walk on the water?

None of the above actions! No prayer, no fasting, no meditating, no mentor help. None of these!

So what then made Peter take a step outside the boat? The answer can be given by one word: Trust! He decided to trust in Jesus when Jesus told him to come. Did Peter really believe that he could walk on the water? I do not think so. But he did not pay any attention to the physical obstacles. He was a fisherman and knew very well that it is completely impossible to walk on the water. So there is no way he actually believed it was possible. But he made a decision despite his lack of belief and despite the physical obstacles. Despite his knowledge from many years being a fisherman.

He just looked at Jesus and took His word seriously. Jesus told him to come. Peter acted on Jesus’ word. Peter did not have to believe that it was possible because Jesus had the sufficient belief that was enough for Peter.

But Peter could have remained in the boat and no one would have blamed him. He could have said that he needed to pray and fast and meditate and get some help from a Christian mentor to believe that it was possible. But then he would have missed the complete blessing that his walking on the water was.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is the Lord. (Jeremiah 17:7). Read my previous article to find out more what this scripture means: http://www.kipchumba.blogspot.no/2014/02/your-life-will-be-as-prize.html

Peter trusted in Jesus when Jesus told him to come. Because he trusted in Jesus, he was blessed to walk on the water. He was blessed to be remembered and talked about for 2000 years. He was blessed to do something that is completely impossible for people.

Do you have something in your life that you think is impossible? Something that you feel that you have to spend much time to pray about? Maybe even fast about? That you need to mediate about or even get help from a Christian mentor about so that you can believe that the impossible can be possible?

It is nothing at all wrong with prayer, fasting, meditating on the Word or getting help from a Christian mentor. But sometimes we tend to do this to get something that God has already given us. If I put a delicious meal on the table in front of you and invite you to eat, it would be a bit strange if you kept asking me to get something to eat. I would tell you that the food is served, but you kept asking me for food.

Sometimes, a blessing is placed right in front of us. God gave it to us even before we realized that we needed it. All we need to do is to start eating. If I served you a delicious meal, the only thing that would remove your hunger would be that you actually took the fork and knife and started eating. It would not help out your hunger to keep asking me for food when the food is already served right in front of you.

When God has already given us a blessing, we will not get the blessing by keeping on praying to get it. We need to take it and eat.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is the Lord. The blessing has already been given by God. God does not tell us to pray to get it. He tells us to trust in Him to get it. So when God tells us to trust in Him to get it, why do we rather enter into prayer, fasting, meditating and seeking help from Christian mentors? Shouldn’t we just do as Peter did? Shouldn’t we just act on God’s word and trust in Him, just like Peter trusted in Jesus?

Is this one of the signs?

The common response and "solution" that most Christians give to other Christians who face challenges is to contact a psychologist. A far more rare response is to encourage the person to remind himself/herself about who he/she is in Christ, to read scriptures and listen to sermons that all the condemnation and punishment were put on Jesus Christ on the cross that we could get the righteousness of God.

Is this one of the signs of what the Bible tells about the last days, that love shall become cold? A psychologist can't set free. Only God can.

A church .....

... that desires to reach out to people. Is it a church that is attractive to new people or is it a church that reminds those who are not so used to go to church why they do not go to church? What kind of church do you belong to? Only when you have ended up in a situation where you have done something wrong, only then you will know what kind of church you belong to. 

Is it a church that lives out Jesus' grace in practical behaviour and that cares for and raises up the one who has done something wrong? A church that includes the wrongdoer like the father included the homecoming son? This son had wished his father to be dead and requested his father to give him his part. The son got it and he sold it. He went away and wasted the money. One day, he found himself in a situation where he did not have anything to eat but to eat with the pigs. He thought about his father and that he would be much better off being a slave in his father's house. He felt sure that he could never be his son again. To make a longer story short, his father welcomed him with open arms and made a party to celebrate his homecoming. He was truly included as son. Is your church a church which treats regretting wrongdoers in a way that the father in the above story treated his homecoming son? 

Or is it a church that preaches Jesus' grace but in practical terms shuts down the one who has done something wrong? Is it a church that does not receive the wrongdoer like the above father, but rather according to the attitude of this father's other son? This other son got very angry when his father treated the homecoming son the way he did. If it were the other son who had been seeing his brother first (before his father did), the homecoming son would have been chased before even entering the house. Is your church a church with brothers and sisters in Christ who uphold an attitude similar to the angry son above? Is it a church with leaders who only open their arms to the successful but who turn away from those who are not successful and those who do not fit in?

You may think that you belong to the first category church. I really hope that you do. But do not get too much of a shock if one day you should end up being a regretting wrongdoer and you face your church's “true” behaviour. You might be told that you are not welcome to church, maybe for an limited period of time. You might be abandoned by those you thought were your friends so that it will be quite impossible to come back to the church.

If that ever happens to you, remember that it is not God who has set you aside. Instead, those who have set you aside are human beings. They might be church leaders, but still human beings. In God's eyes, they are not any better than you. They may not have done the same mistake as you, but none of them are free of mistakes. Not one single human being can stand righteous in his own strength. Both church leaders as well as you and I totally depend on Jesus' love and grace.

If that ever happens to you, remember that Jesus Christ was completely free of sins and still He gave up His life on the cross. Not for His own sins, because He never had any sins  -  but for your sins and for my sins.

If that ever happens to you, remember that neither Christian brothers and sisters nor even church leaders can remove the fact that Jesus died and rose for your sins and for my sins. So if you feel that people in your Christian surroundings behave and have an attitude like the other son above, you are better off considering that church as part of your history and those people as part of your past friends.

Remember, it is not the church leaders, the church organisation or the church people that have saved you. It is only Jesus' sacrificed blood that makes God look at you as if you were totally free of sins and mistakes. Of course, neither you nor me are free of sins and mistakes in our own strength. But thanks to Jesus Christ, God will never ever blame us or judge us for our sins and mistakes. Jesus took upon Himself the blame and the penalty for each and every one of our sins and mistakes. Including the one that is the reason why you are now not allowed to attend the church. Including the one that is the reason why many of your Christian friends have turned their back against you and do not communicate with you anymore.

Your life will be as a prize

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is the Lord. What do these words in Jeremiah 17:7 mean?

A key words here is "trust". The Hebrew word for trust, batach, means to feel secure or confident and to rely on. Trusting God implies loyalty to Him and His Word. It means to be confident that He has good plans for you and that He is for you despite how many people might be against you. It means that He is with you to protect you and lift you when you are under attack (from the devil). It means to trust Him that His strength and power will overrule your anxiety and insecurity because of people who might have hurt you. It means that you can rely on God for mending relations with other people. It means to be confident that God who created Heaven and earth and every living creature, who created you, that He can and will heal your heart and give you peace for the future.

Jeremiah 39:18 says that God will surely deliver you and you shall not fall. Instead, your life will be as a prize to you when you have put your trust in Him. Receiving a prize represents happiness. Psalm 146:5 says that he who has God for his help and puts his hope in Him is happy.

Psalm 125:1 says that those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion which cannot be moved, but abides forever. What does it mean to be like Mount Zion? Let us take a look at what Mount Zion is and represents.

The word Zion essentially means "fortification". Zion was originally the name of the ancient Jebusite fortress in the city of Jerusalem. Zion later came to stand not only for the fortress but also for the city in which the fortress stood. The spiritual meaning of Zion is continued in the New Testament, where it is given the Christian meaning of God's spiritual Kingdom. Peter refers to Christ as the Cornerstone of Zion: "See, I lay a stone on Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame" (1. Peter 2:6).  -  Ref: http://www.gotquestions.org/Zion.html

Trusting in God brings us to God's dwelling place. God's dwelling place cannot be moved and it abides forever. Who can push you over when you trust in God? Who can succeed destroying your marriage when both of you put your trust in God?

Proverbs 16:20 says that he who wisely pays attention to God's Word will find good.

So, if you find yourself in a difficult situation, you can rely on God that He will make sure that you will be happy if you make your decision according to God's Word and not according to the deceiving words of the devil. And remember, the devil often speaks through other people. One of his favourite deceits is to speak through other Christians. So, wisely pay attention also when other Christians advice you. Make sure that you relate their advices to what God says.  If for example other Christians tell you that sickness and diseases are God's way of teaching you to obey, you should definitely seek and find out what God really says. If for example other Christians favour you as a single human being and not you and your spouse as a married couple, you should definitely seek and find out what God really says. If for example other Christians say that you have to do your own best to the uttermost and if it is not enough God will help you with the rest, you should definitely seek and find out what God really says.

God will surely deliver you and your life will be as a prize. Because you are with God in His dwelling place.

The key word is trust. Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness (ref Matthew 6:33). Trust Him first, then He will give you the gift that makes you capable also to trust others. Because when you trust God, you cannot be moved and you will remain forever.

Dead people cannot perform!

God did not send Jesus Christ to take upon Himself all people's sins on the cross and rise again to make bad people good.

He died and rose again to give life to dead people. He said: "I am the way, the truth and the life". He added that no one can come to The Father except through Him.

How is it then possible that we think we can please God by trying to do and be good? It is not possible for a dead person to improve any performance or any behaviour! In our own power we are dead. None of us is even close to enter God's Kingdom.

Therein is God's love: Through Jesus He has given us Life. And by God's grace because of what Jesus did on the cross, our way to God's Kingdom is accessible. Not because we deserve it but because Jesus has opened the way for us.

Our choice is to make a decision. We need to say yes and receive this gift. Just as among people, we cannot benefit from a gift from a friend unless we receive and open it. If this gift was an all-inclusive ticket to Australia, we could not blame our friend that he did not give us a chance to go to Australia if we refused to receive his gift that he had pay for so that we could go for free.

So stop trying to do good in your own power. It does not impress God. Instead, receive His gift of life.

Dead people cannot perform. People who are alive can! Jesus is the only way, the only truth and the only life.

Falling short of grace?

Can Christians fall short of grace? If yes, how can Christians fall short of grace? These questions triggered me. Maybe they trigger you as well.... Continue reading!

Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled. (Hebrews 12:14-15)

In other words, seek earnestly to acquire peace, rest and mutual upbuilding with everyone. Seek earnestly to acquire purification and sanctification of heart and life. Without that, no one will actually be able to see God. Seek this carefully so that no root of bitterness will start growing in you and cause you problems. Because the root of bitterness leads many people to be defiled and contaminated.

Galatians 5:4 says that Jesus Christ has become of no effect for you if you try to please God by living up to the ten commandments in your own power. Then you have fallen from God's favour.

The pharisees had such a focus, believing that they could live up to the ten commandments and all the other laws and rules in their own strength. But when you read the gospels you will see something interesting; the pharisees could not receive healing from Jesus. Ordinary people could, though.

The pharisees were quite annoyed that Jesus spent so much time among ordinary people. They considered themselves to be of a higher standard than ordinary people. But they had not understood that God did not give Moses the ten commandments because God was expecting or believing that they could live up to His standard. God gave the commandments to make people realize that living up to God's standard is impossible for any human being. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus increased the standard even more. But not even then, the pharisees got it.

The root to all problems is when you fall from the grace and favour of God and when you think that you in your own power can reach God's standard. Because falling short from the favour of God leads to a root of bitterness. When Hebrews 12:14-15 tells us to seek to acquire peace and holiness, we shall do so in God's strength, using His favour. Your performance is a result of what you believe, and holiness is the fruit of grace.

Whenever you turn it upside down and depend on your own performance and power, what does very often happen? You find yourself in the opposite situation than you were determined to reach. If you are determined to stop being angry at other drivers in the traffic, it won't last long until you find yourself in the exact same situation as you were determined to avoid. If you have a weakness or any kind of problem and you try your best to change it or get out of it, it means that you think that you have the sufficient power in yourself. And every time you fail, you will be surprised or even shocked. And you will be disappointed and people around you may be disappointed. And your attempts might just have brought you into even more and deeper trouble.

The disciple Peter cursed and swore three times that he did not know Jesus Christ. How could he do so after having spent the previous three years together with Jesus? How could he do so after having seen lots of miracles and even having been part of many of them himself? Just a few hours earlier, Jesus had told His disciples that one of them would betray Him that night. Peter was quick in assuring Jesus that he would never ever do so and that he would never ever leave Jesus. Peter said that he would rather die than betray Jesus. He was self confidence about himself. After being part of Jesus' life during the previous three years, perhaps he felt that he had the sufficient power in himself. He was believing wrong and therefore a couple of hours later, he was performing wrong. Only Christ confidence can lead to right performance.

How many times have you told yourself and others that you will never ever repeat your mistakes? How many New Year's Eves have you made a list of things you would change about your behaviour in the coming year? And how many times have you one day realized that you failed? Never say what you think you can do in your own power. Rather express to yourself and others that you will never repeat your mistakes by God's grace. Because everything depends on God's grace, not on your own strength. Right believing leads to right living and right performance.

When something happens that brings you into problems or unwanted situations, find our what you were believing before this happened. Even if you were already a grace based Christian, you might have kept some self confidence believing that you did not need 100% of God's grace. Maybe you had found out that you needed only 20%, or only 50% or maybe only 90%. As long as some part of you relies on your own power, it tells that you do not believe right. And when you do not believe right, you will also not perform right.

Why did God send Jesus when He saw that people were disobidient? Because He loves us. Because He loves you. He does not love you because of your performance. But He loves you because He has created you, and He desires for you to be favoured and live by His grace. We can only be favoured when we realize that non of our own strengths lead to good performance.

So, let us not fall short of God's grace by fooling ourselves to believe that we can do our best to reach 10% or 40% and then let God's grace take care of the rest. No, let us keep the whole grace so that we do not give water and soil to a root of bitterness. Let us keep the whole grace so that Jesus Christ is of effect for us. Because that is what we pray and wish for, that He shall be of effect for us, when days and nights are tough after our own efforts have led us into unwanted problems. Let us do so and be steadfast in His love and grace when wolves dressed like people, and even dressed like other Christians, come and try to destroy us by making us believe that we have sufficient power in ourselves.

And let us not say "by God's grace" just as a figure of speech, but let us seek first His kingdom and live by His word every day.

Because of my enemies

You might think that my messages are messages from God via me to you. But the truth is that they primarily are messages from God to me. And if they represent relevant and uplifting teaching for me, I reckon they would also represent relevant and uplifting teaching for you.

Tonight, I laid my eyes on Psalm 5:8-12.

Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way straight before my face.

Lead me, means to show and to teach.

Show and teach me, Lord, about Your righteousness. Show me that my enemies shall not succeed because I do not depend on my own righteousness, but I depend on Your righteousness. And because it is all about Your righteoussness, You will make Your way straight right in front of me. So that I can see it. Not because I am good enough, but because You are good enough.

For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is destruction; their throat is an open tomb; they flatter with their tongue.

"Their throat is an open tomb". This has a reference to Romans 3:13 where is says: "Their throat is an open tomb or grave. With their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips." An asp is a small and most venomous serpent, the bite of which is fatal unless the bitten part be immediately cut way.

"They flatter with their tongue". Flatter means to divide and separate.

So the enemies have a throat like an open grave. They have destruction in their midst. They have deadly poison and they come to divide and separate and destroy. Therefore, we depend on His righteousness and not our own.

Pronounce them guilty, O God! Let them fall by their own counsels; Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled against You.

God, declare my enemies guilty. Let them fall by their own plans. Throw them out in their numerous sins because they have rebelled against You.

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You.

Let everyone who puts their trust and confide in You to shout of joy without end. Because You protect and cover them. Let everyone who has love for Your name to be joyful in You.

For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favour You will surround him as with a shield.

For You, God, will salute and bless the righteous. Not those who believe they manage with their own righteousness, but those who have received God's righteousness. With delight and pleasure You will surround him with protection as with a big shield.


My enemies have deadly power to destroy me and my family. But when I let God teach me about His righteousness, with great delight and pleasure He surrounds me and protects me as if I were covered by a big shield.