little known path

Author Archives: littleknownpathway

• Negativity = Death

  Posted at 8:27 pm by littleknownpathway, on October 18, 2016

  If you watch the news, read the newspaper and are worried about the future of your children, town, country or world, well then I don’t know how you survive. Really I don’t. We live in dire times, the whole world over. Even just looking at reality will make you negative. Negativity is nearly impossible to beat. 

  Our family spent some time with people at an event over the weekend, the men my husband chatted to were surrounded by an atmosphere of negativity. My husband came away from there negative and depressed, and it took him a good long while of choosing positivity to overcome it.

  So by saying this am I advocating ignoring reality, sticking our heads in the sand and living in blissful ignorance? Not by any means. But I am saying this, negativity makes it worse.

  The reality is what it is, some things you can change, some things you can’t. Assess, and then change what you can. 

  Limit how informed you are. It is good to know a little something about what is going on around you, but read it and then move on. Don’t look at 10 news sites on the same bit of news and then ponder it for the rest of the day. There isn’t much you can do about it, so you are wasting precious mind space that you could be using constructively instead. 

  Surround yourself with positive, energetic people. Every conversation you have that is negative pulls your spirit down a little. 

  See life and all its challenges as an opportunity to grow and make a difference.

  Read a book about a missionary, or someone who survived World War ll, and instantly realize that your life really is quite wonderful, and that human beings are really quite phenomenal, and that you have by no means reached your limit yet – there is still chocolate available on the shelves! Better still, volunteer to help someone a little less privileged, you will soon feel better about your own circumstances.

  Choose life. We have to actively choose life. Negativity and death is thrown at you all day long, you have to counter it. If you don’t, it will kill you slowly. Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

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• Unhooked from the World

  Posted at 7:41 pm by littleknownpathway, on October 17, 2016

  God has been pointing out to me lately how often I automatically I do, think, say things, without thinking. How often I allow the systems of this world to dictate to me how to plan and live my life. I have begun to nurture a deep desire to become unhooked from this world.

  That is an easy statement to make, but a lot harder to execute. Though we are not of this world, we are still in it. We use its currency, speak its languages, work in its beaurocracies, wear its fashions. Our children are raised to become “vital” parts of the system. A few years ago, maybe three, God said something interesting to me, He told me that my children’s future looks very different from what mine looked like, and that they would have a very different life and should therefore be raised differently.

  That is both very exciting and very scary in equal measures, or distinctly either one, depending on how positive or negative your outlook on life is.

  The problem I now face is this: we approach life from where we stand, with the experience we have. That is our vantage point. We react from what we know. We raise our children the way we were raised, and if that was a negative experience, then we raise them pertinently differently from the way we were raised. Either way, we prepare our children for what we know they will face. So, if God says that I don’t know what they will face and that I must raise them for something I don’t have experience for, then that leaves me perplexed.

  Thankfully I do know this, God loves my children more than I love my children. God knows the beginning from the end. Psalm 139 says, before a word is on my tongue, You know it completely O Lord. God has good plans for my children, Jer 29:11, I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. 

  How then will I prepare my children for a future than I don’t know about? By walking in the Spirit. Only He knows, and only He can tell me the right thing to do. Galatians 5:24-25 And those who are Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

  I must crucify my flesh, and walk in the Spirit.

  If I don’t silence the world, I won’t hear the Holy Spirit’s gentle voice speaking to me. It is usually contrary to the world. If I am so trapped by the system, my paradigm’s will not allow me to hear and obey His voice. My flesh doesn’t want to trust, it wants to see it to believe it. 

  John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

  My enemy wants to steal from me, kill me and destroy me. He is the ruler of this world (John 12:31), but Jesus wants to give me life in abundance. 1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.-  I don’t want to be under the sway of the wicked one any longer. I want to walk away from strife and anxiety and choose life and peace, joy and love. I love what I found in John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 

  Even if it is hard, and I have to go against the stream, I choose life in the Spirit and the peace that comes with that, over going with the flow of the world system coupled with anxiety and strife.

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• What is Your Focal Point?

  Posted at 8:26 am by littleknownpathway, on October 13, 2016

  God has been making me so conscious of how we allow the world to dictate to us. It is hard not to be shaped by the thinking of this world, because we are in the world. But, we are not of this world. We need to be consciously choosing His Kingdom above the world’s ways.

  I am a little wary of turning this into a prayer, because that will allow God to strip me of this world, ouch. But at this point, I do at least want to work on becoming aware of where I am ruled by the world’s ways.

  I have been particularly aware of my priorities in teaching my children. At the beginning of this year, I set out to improve academically on last year. I put a lot of effort into the content, making sure they all did everything in the curriculum or more, and drilling them on it. I could not physically get to all four my children, it was a complete impossibility to cover all the academics. I became so overcome by anxiety that I got really sick. I wasn’t sleeping, I was continuously sending adrenaline out in my body, my adrenal glands became fatigued, I wasn’t producing enough cortisol, my hair was falling out and I developed a leaky gut, which meant I had various food intolerances as a result. My body was completely falling apart, and slowly dying actually. I really struggled with depression, particularly on weekends when life suddenly stopped. Something had to change. I did get medical help to reverse what I had done to my body, from a Christian doctor God pointed me to. But I had to change my focus.

  God reminded me of Jesus walking on the water and Peter joining Him. He pointed out that in order for me not to sink and drown in the circumstances of life, I needed to keep my eyes on Jesus. Not on the water, which is the circumstances of this world. Neither on the people I have left behind. And also not on other boats, because that is comparison. God is working with each of us individually, because He created us uniquely and is doing a unique work in each of us, and through each of us.

  I need to first focus on Jesus, look only to Him. He is the author and perfecter of our faith Hebrews 12:2. I can also not do anything without Him, John 15:5 for without Me, you can do nothing. When my eyes are fixed on Jesus, then He will lead me to do what only He knows I should do. How can I possibly know what my children’s future holds? But He does, and not only does He know, but only He knows how to get them there.

  The enemy will forever be working hard to change our focus from what is important (Jesus), to what is urgent (the world). In God’s Kingdom, nothing is ever urgent. He makes everything beautiful in its time.

  Ecclesiastes 3:9-11

  The God-Given Task

  What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

  God will never rush us. Ever. It’s the enemy who rushes us. 

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• God equips those He calls

  Posted at 8:14 am by littleknownpathway, on October 12, 2016

  I was thinking about a family about to emigrate, and was so glad it wasn’t me having to sell up, pack up and leave. But then I was reminded that if I were the one leaving, I suppose I would be excited. Conversely, I am glad that I don’t wish to move but can’t, or have to move and am heart broken about it.

  I know that the family who is emigrating, has considered all things with God, and is moving under His will, and so I know He has equipped them to deal with all the physical and emotional aspects involved. As far as my life is concerned, I am so content, and challenged by what God has called us as a family to, here in Swaziland, that I would feel I was abandoning my calling if I were to leave now. God has equipped me to stay, but He has equipped them to go.

  That is why, when we are walking with God, we can never presume to know what other people should be doing or feeling. God isn’t going to share with me what my neighbour should be doing. He will be speaking to them daily preparing their hearts for what He is calling them to. My heart being prepared for what I am called to, I can’t judge their calling by what is in my heart. God works in us corporately, and individually. We are one body, but many parts of the body. The body moves together, but the eyes see and the fingers touch.

  But in order to have my heart prepared by God for His calling on my life, I need to spend time with Him daily. Otherwise I just may find myself in a position where I have to move suddenly and am not in the least mentally, or emotionally prepared for it. He is as considerate of us as we will let Him be. Sometimes I call my children several times before it is time to leave, if they ignore me, they will be upset when we suddenly go, and probably end up leaving half their belongings behind. But the child that has obeyed my call, will begin to separate themselves emotionally, pack away the toys and make sure they gather their belongings before saying goodbye – the benefit of the 5 minute warning.

  It is worth walking closely with God so that He can prepare us. And when He has decided that it is better for us not to know, we can trust Him in it. Like when the plaster has to be yanked off and the emotional distress of preparing for it would be worse than the actually act of the yank.

  Always take heart that when He calls you to something, it is because He knows you are ready for it. It is a vote of confidence in you, and remember that He is always with you until the end of days.

  Posted in Deeper thoughts | 1 Comment

• Answered Prayers

  Posted at 6:47 pm by littleknownpathway, on October 11, 2016

  But not in the way I had hoped. 

  You know the types of prayers we have learned not to pray, like asking God for patience. Well it turns out there are many prayers like that. Of course, I’m not suggesting that we stop praying for patience et al, they are actually the best prayers to pray. Requests like these stretch us, grow us, give us perseverance and character. Romans 5:3,4 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.

  It’s just that I am the type of human being that likes things to be tidy, listed, with boxes to tick. I also don’t like to be stretched, it’s messy, and I usually end up having to learn things the hard way. I enjoy placing an order, and then having it delivered as predicted, like the picture said. Unfortunately though, it seems I learn much better when I’ve learned it the hard way. 

  I am so grateful that God knows me better than I know myself, and He loves me, and He knows what I need. And His ways are higher than my ways, Isaiah 55:8,9“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

  It was just a prayer for my children to have more drive to practice their instruments (cello and violin). They have suddenly decided a week in advance, to participate in a talent show. They are so unprepared that they need external help from their music teacher, which inconveniences me, because I have to drive them there and pay for the extra lesson. But they are so determined and driven. Wasn’t that exactly what I had prayed for? 

  As much as I love order and predictability, I will never stop asking God for patience, character, perseverance. I want substance more than I want order. God knows how far He can stretch me before I will break, and He promised not to stretch me beyond breaking point, so I am safe in His care. 

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• Let go and let God

  Posted at 12:17 pm by littleknownpathway, on October 10, 2016

  I would like to implore you to please just let it go. Whatever it is, forgive yourself. Let yourself be. Enjoy what Christ did for you. Get all that you can get out of your freedom in Christ, for your sake as well as for His.
  Christ has already paid the price. It was a huge price to pay, but it is done. What an insult to Him, when we do not to live in the fullness of Christ. Not forgiving yourself doesn’t make the burden lighter for God. All it means, is that He would have done it for nothing, because it’s already done.

  Allow yourself to be loved by God, because you already are! He loves you completely and entirely. 

  The more we dislike ourselves, don’t forgive ourselves, berate ourselves, criticize ourselves, the more of a waste His death for us becomes. Why waste Jesus’ blood? It is a lie the enemy would love you to believe. That you are not good enough, that your life means nothing, that you have to work harder, that you cannot make it, that you are falling short and that you are condemned. Don’t let him lie to you, and most especially, don’t add insult to injury, by sidling along the enemy and condemning yourself.

  The best gift you can give to Christ, is to accept His gift and live in it. Live in the fullness of Christ, forgive yourself, love who He made you to be, enjoy your gifts, allow yourself to sit down and enjoy the moment. Just live for once, without all the burdens pulling you down. Feel it lift off of you. Relax every muscle in your body. When you allow yourself the freedom to just be.

  Our enemy would love to keep you in this place where his world keeps us bogged down and stressing about things we can’t change, instead of living changed lives to the full, bringing glory to Christ. The greatest testimony, and by far the most attractive to the world out there, is the freedom we are able to live in. We don’t have to be anxious for anything Phil 4:6.

  Why be like Atlas, with the world on our shoulders, when Christ has already defeated it all, and is freely sharing His victory with us? Let’s live that victory to the fullest by living like we’ve already won, because we have!

  The best part of living free, is that when we allow ourselves to be free of the bondage of sin and death, we are naturally inclined to let others off the hook as well, we stop judging and start loving. This sets us apart from all other religions. Jesus Christ, the only way, who gives us undeserved love and grace, by which we can extend undeserved love and grace, blows people away! When they expect judgement, but receive love instead. 

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• Pregnancy continued…..

  Posted at 2:02 pm by littleknownpathway, on October 9, 2016

  Yesterday God shared a picture with me about pregnancy. It is generally understood in Christian circles, that a vision, dream or word about pregnancy doesn’t always mean a physical pregnancy, it usually symbolizes a spiritual pregnancy. In other words, it represents a ministry. 

  God spoke to me about pregnancy cravings yesterday, and that they exist because the body has a lack of something, and thus craves it specifically so that the mother will be sure to get what her body needs for the developing foetus. This also happens when we are spiritually pregnant, in other words, when we are about to start a ministry or calling, we crave what we need spiritually in order to bring about the ministry successfully.

  This morning as I woke up, God asked me an interesting question, “how do you fall pregnant?” We fall pregnant because we have been intimate. In order to fall spiritually pregnant, we need to spend intimate time with God. 

  But then God pointed out that that wasn’t enough, some couples spend years trying to fall pregnant unsuccessfully. We need to ensure that our hearts are conducive to fertility. It is not enough to receive impartation, vision, calling from God, if we are not ready to have it grow.  Quite often God is trying very hard to speak to us, but we can’t hear Him because of offense or unforgiveness, or simply because we ignored the Holy Spirit’s prompting the last time.

  If God gives you seed, if He calls you to do something, will you do it? Are you ready to receive? Is your heart soft, are there thorns and weeds in your heart? God cannot give you an impartation of His Spirit if you are smoking, drinking or doing drugs – spiritually speaking. Are you willing to sacrifice what would be harmful to your calling? Are you willing to do the tough stuff? 

  If you feel as though everyone around you seems to be walking in their ministry except you, then maybe it’s time to check your fertility levels. Or, maybe God has already given you a vision, but you just don’t seem to be getting it off the ground, maybe you have fibroids growing alongside, or your nutrition isn’t great, or you aren’t getting enough oxygen. Maybe you aren’t resting enough.

  Let us become exceedingly fruitful! Let us overcome the rot of this world with Godly fruitfulness. Let us birth love, joy, order, righteousness in abundance. Let us root out the weeds to make space for healthy fruit bearing plants, with deep roots, planted in fertile soil. Let us overcome evil with good.

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• Pregnancy

  Posted at 8:37 pm by littleknownpathway, on October 8, 2016

  Driving on a gravel road today reminded me of my pregnancy cravings.

  There is a comment floating around on Facebook that says: if your children were named after your pregnancy cravings, what would their names be? Well, my children’s names would be ice, and, wait for it, dirt road dust! Yip, strange but true. There’s a theory that while pregnant, you crave what your body needs, or is lacking. Apparently a craving for sand or dust is  because of a lack of iron or minerals.

  God spoke to me after this thought. A woman has such strong cravings only when pregnant, why? Her body is busy developing a whole little person, and her body will ensure that everything is done in order to have this happen. Her body’s only objective is to have this baby grow to term, and then be born in good health. It will do whatever it takes to get there, and is single-minded and focused on this goal.

  If we take care of our spiritual body with as much care as we do our physical bodies, then it would be extremely beneficial if we knew what our spiritual bodies needed, wouldn’t it? It would be great if our spiritual bodies had cravings for what they need at any given moment. Well it would appear that the best way to have your body crave what it truly needs, is to get pregnant! 

  We should be spiritually pregnant much more often, with a ministry, a theology, an idea or a concept. A seed that God has planted in our hearts, that He is nurturing and developing in order to birth it through you. When we are pregnant, we grow and change, and stretch, we progress in life to another level. We change and grow up and mature even more after our babies are born. We make space, and the dynamic changes and our lives are enriched.

  When we are spiritually pregnant, our spirit man does everything it needs to develop this baby in order to birth it healthily. We will become single-minded in our focus and have cravings such as spending time with God, devouring His Word, learning more about Him wherever and however we can. We will grow and stretch spiritually, we will make space in our lives for the new ministry, and our lives will be forever enriched by it. 

  Our best way to grow spiritually is to continually fall pregnant spiritually. To continually be producing fruit. But, I want to add here, that a pregnant woman tires easily, and rests often, her body produces the baby, often while she is resting and sleeping. We need to be available to bear fruit, but not be doing it in our own strength, but from a place of rest, allowing God to do it through us. The pregnant woman isn’t shaping the baby herself, she rests and nourishes herself well, but her body is simply the vessel the baby needs in which to develop. The foetus already has everything it needs to grow and develop, mom just provides the ideal home in which it can develop. 

  What are you pregnant with spiritually?

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• The Daily Hike up the Mountain

  Posted at 3:21 pm by littleknownpathway, on October 6, 2016

  In a conversation with my dear sister over a cappuccino today, God shared a picture with me. We were chatting about daily, tough decisions.

  Every decision we make, a thousand times a day, takes us into a certain direction. One mere degree off course can take us very far off our goal over time. Some decisions are easy to make, and we make them without giving it a second thought. Sometimes we don’t even realize we are making a decision at all. Most times, actually.

  Some decisions are very hard, and so we take them more seriously, we put more deliberation into them, and hopefully involve God in them too.

  But it’s the little decisions that often take us much further off course, because we make them so mindlessly. 

  The picture God showed me, was of the mountain that our life here on earth represents. Every day we hike up the mountain a little more. We have to climb the whole mountain in our lifetime. Every godly decision we make, takes us further up. Idle ones just keep us on the spot. Ungodly decisions take us further down, and wrong ones take us sideways.

  Sometimes, the godly response is hard. Your spouse said something insensitive, it cut deep. You simply cannot face it right now, so you just cry to yourself and make a decision never to share that kind of thing with him again. This decision is much easier than to deal with, than to face it, talk it through, become vulnerable and then forgive him. But the easier-to-deal-with-for-now decision, takes us a step or two down the hill, and now, tomorrow’s climb is twice as steep. Sometimes we make a very long string of bad decisions and go very far down the hill. Eventually the mountain is impossible to climb, by now, you are facing divorce. But the next mountain is steeper, rockier, filled with cliffs and gorges. 

  As it turns out, those daily tough-to-face decisions, are easier in the long run, than to take the easy way out. 

  A few weeks ago, we were confessing our iniquities in the group we were in. One precious lady confessed that she struggled with forgiveness. I very quickly dismissed forgiveness as something I don’t struggle with at all. But oh how wrong I was. God proceeded in the following few days to reveal to me just how often I made a decision to shut off a piece of my heart instead of forgiving. How much damage that had caused in my relationships. 

  Forgiveness is just one of many decisions we make daily. 

  It is worth spending time with God to find out what our decision making pattern looks like. We can save ourselves so much heartache by rather facing the tough uphill rock right now, than to turn back for a few steps. You can handle the current uphill, but you probably can’t handle the accumulation of a few of them.

  We must cross the mountain. But it’s so much easier to navigate with our Guide, the Holy Spirit, and to listen to His prompts when He cautions us to climb up this rock. He cheers us on, especially on the steep bits.

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• Eternal Value

  Posted at 5:42 am by littleknownpathway, on October 6, 2016

  God told me once that everything I do has eternal value. Everything we say or do counts. – That was a game changer.

  I believe we will live our lives very differently when we become eternally minded. There is much more to living life here on earth, than just making it to heaven at the end of it. If everything I do counts, good or bad, then that affects what reward I get. What we do here on earth, is the currency for reward in heaven. What about the bad things I say and do? Does that erode at the good deeds, or nullify them? 

  Matthew 12:36&37 “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgement. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

  We don’t know how exactly how judgement day will work. But suffice it to say, I am glad that I have been made mindful of all my deeds, even the idle, neutral ones. 

  The other question I often ask is: God has created me with a specific purpose, am I living out that purpose? I have the choice to answer His call or not. If I don’t respond, He will raise someone else. His purpose on earth will not remain undone, His word will not return void, it will accomplish that for which it was sent Is 55:11. But will I be a part of what God does here on earth, or will I just aimlessly live my life doing my own little thing?

  Putting aside the possibility of reward in heaven, it is so much more fulfilling being part of something greater than yourself. Accomplishing more than is humanly possible, because His power flows through you. Witnessing first hand what God can do. Partnering with the Almighty God is exciting! I don’t want to miss that.

  Every good thing I say or do brings life, which in turn, brings renewed life again. Every bad thing I say or do brings death. I would much rather be a catalyst of life and joy, causing a ripple effect of lives changed, renewed, invigorated. And if I have a chance to bring life, I don’t want to waste that by saying something idle or neutral. I will never have that chance again.

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