The Bible says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see.
For by it the people of old received God's commendation.
By faith we understand that the worlds were set in order at God's command, so that the visible has its origin in the invisible." (Hebrews 11:1-3).
An example of faith is when you flick a switch to "ON" for an electric bulb to give you light.
If you live in a home that is connected to mains electricity, you do not see the electricity but you have faith that it exists.
When you turn the knob of the switch to "ON" you expect the light bulb to give out light.
In a similar manner when a child is tossed high up in the air by its parent, it is by faith that instead of being terrified, he shouts out in joy.
If the child has no faith of being loved by the parent, he would cry out in terror at the thought crashing to the ground after being tossed up into the air.
The child has faith in the parent that no harm would come to it. He knows that the parent would get a strong grip on him a few moments before hitting the ground.
Our heavenly Father is our faithful parent who would not break his promise of protecting us when we are facing trials in our lives.
I am a living testimony to this fact. I have gone through many trials and temptations from childhood as documented in my writings.
He says "No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13).
When we are faced by trials it is only by faith that we know that we would come out of them unharmed.
"My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything." (James 1:2-4).
To a Christian trials are for testing one's faith in God.
The Bible, which is the Word of God, says :-
"God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a human being, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it happen?" (Numbers 23:19).
Our human tendency is to make us to depend more on the physical rather than on the spiritual part of us.
"Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." Galatians 5:16
Pastors Neil and Joanne Anderson, writers of the "Daily in Christ" devotional, say.
"If you are hoping for a magic formula or list of foolproof steps for walking in the Spirit, you will be disappointed.
The moment you reduce the Spirit-filled walk to a formula or an intellectual experience, you won't be Spirit-filled anymore."
Take the step of faith and live by the Spirit of God.
In Jesus Christ's name.
Amen!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Pawns of Political Bigotry
A few days ago, there was a news item informing us that the results of a by-election that was recently held in one province in Zambia has been nullified by a Court judge.
This was because of the violence perpetrated by the rival political parties during the campaign period.
The violence, which was unprecedented in the country, save for that seen during the " Cha Cha Cha" era before Independence, saw a number of people seriously injured.
What attracted my attention was the observation the learned Judge made about the violence.
He noted that despite the violence, none of the aspiring candidates who were in the opposing political camps had any scars on their faces as result of the violence!
He directed that one young man who lost an eye during one fracas should be compensated.
I just wondered who was going to foot the bill for that? The State, I presumed? If this is the case, why should the tax payer pay for political bigotry ?
Furthermore, one may also ask, why should innocent people find themselves maimed as a result of other people who are aspiring for political office?
The unfortunate fact is that some individuals find themselves being used by others to achieve their political ambitions.
Whereas there maybe different reasons why this scenario is evident in our country, it is clear that politicians are fond of taking advantage of the weak in our society.
It is common practice during elections for politicians seeking favour from the electorate to use various methods to win their support.
With this state of affairs, the atmosphere becomes conducive for tempers to rise up.
There are cases where a group of people who have been members of one political party for many years, would suddenly change their minds and crossover to the rival party!
Are these people really genuine supporters or just political drifters?
These people are used as pawns by political bigots.
One man, whose writings I follow, Rick Warren is the Author of the book called "Purpose Driven Life". He says :-
"If you are not living on purpose , you'll be driven by pressure, pleasure, popularity, power,
prestige, possessions, your past, or pain."
Without a purpose in life one would find himself being manipulated by others.
In Africa, by elections or no by elections, we always get the best out of a bad deal from our politicians.
I pray that this scenario will never show its ugly head in Zambia in future.
This was because of the violence perpetrated by the rival political parties during the campaign period.
The violence, which was unprecedented in the country, save for that seen during the " Cha Cha Cha" era before Independence, saw a number of people seriously injured.
What attracted my attention was the observation the learned Judge made about the violence.
He noted that despite the violence, none of the aspiring candidates who were in the opposing political camps had any scars on their faces as result of the violence!
He directed that one young man who lost an eye during one fracas should be compensated.
I just wondered who was going to foot the bill for that? The State, I presumed? If this is the case, why should the tax payer pay for political bigotry ?
Furthermore, one may also ask, why should innocent people find themselves maimed as a result of other people who are aspiring for political office?
The unfortunate fact is that some individuals find themselves being used by others to achieve their political ambitions.
Whereas there maybe different reasons why this scenario is evident in our country, it is clear that politicians are fond of taking advantage of the weak in our society.
It is common practice during elections for politicians seeking favour from the electorate to use various methods to win their support.
With this state of affairs, the atmosphere becomes conducive for tempers to rise up.
There are cases where a group of people who have been members of one political party for many years, would suddenly change their minds and crossover to the rival party!
Are these people really genuine supporters or just political drifters?
These people are used as pawns by political bigots.
One man, whose writings I follow, Rick Warren is the Author of the book called "Purpose Driven Life". He says :-
"If you are not living on purpose , you'll be driven by pressure, pleasure, popularity, power,
prestige, possessions, your past, or pain."
Without a purpose in life one would find himself being manipulated by others.
In Africa, by elections or no by elections, we always get the best out of a bad deal from our politicians.
I pray that this scenario will never show its ugly head in Zambia in future.
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