You need to look at me when I am talking to you!

Now one of our team members is Johan, true to his nature, Johan would drag a project for all it is worth. You want something done get Johan to do it, but you want something fast Johan is probably not your man.

Here I was seating at a desk giving him a project with strict instructions, my laptop hooked on two monitors an Ipad and my cellphone going all at once. “Johan, two weeks, …” I insisted …”But Reuben…”  I carried on working while handing him his paper stipulating the project clearly …”two weeks Johan, two weeks!”

Well he sheepishly walked away and turned back by the door and said “Reuben you looked stressed, …” Well you know me, I continued right on the laptop and said …”two weeks!” He then turned and pointed a finger at me with this motherly rebuking voice and said , “Reuben, look at me while I am talking to you! …serious dude you need vitamins!” Haaaaahaaaa that cured me, and guess what Johan really looked stressed ! We laughed ! Yep all in a days work!

Are you stressed like, well Johan or me, dude you really need vitamins but most importantly you need to laugh!

Is there a dead pig in your stream?

A story is told of an African village where it's inhabitants rely on a river for water. For many years the river provided water for drinking, irrigation etc. All off a sudden people started dying more frequently, especially the elderly and the young ones.

The village appointed a research team that did all sorts of tests to dertmine what could be killing the villagers. The water from the river was found to be a source of this sudden high death rate. But how come? It still looked pure, and tasted sweet, but what could be in the water?

The researchers tested the water only to find poison. This poison was the cause of death for the children and the elderly. So a hunt began to find out what really poisoned they water. To do this the researchers followed the river up stream taking and testing all plants and what could contaminate the water. There was no such a thing, all plants and things did not have poison. The only poison was found in a plant way up the mountain way up the hill. It is said that pigs loved this plant, but deadly if undigested.

But how could the plant far way from the river loved by pigs affect the water? Well, one suggest they go to the stream at the foot of the mountain to just have a look, who knows?

To their amazement there lay a pig dead at the bottom of the stream.

Is there perhaps a dead poisonous pig at them bottom of our stream. Deep in your spirit are you plagued by deep seated , anger, sadness, rejection, rage or any of these? But before you can drink from the river of life have you thought perhaps of cleansing the stream? Could it be the one hampering your blessings, healing etc?

Prayer:

Father I pray that my friends and I find time this week to look deep down in our hearts for a pig in the stream. I pray that you help us open up our hearts and trust you will for the cleansing of our streams. All the anger, strike, idle talk, rage, unfogivenss and all the deep seated hurts be removed and healed in Jesus name.

Amen.

See Colossians 3:1-17

All Who Are Thirsty lyrics

All who are thirsty
All who are weak
Come to the fountain
Dip your heart in the stream of life
Let the pain and the sorrow
Be washed away
In the waves of his mercy
As deep cries out to deep (we sing)

Come Lord Jesus come
[repeat 3 times]

Holy Spirit come
[repeat 3 times]

As deep cries out to deep
[repeat 2 times]

How about this for imagination?

You are gonna love this, I tell you, sit up straight this you must see...

Let us pick it up from Num 13 and paraphrase as we go...lovely I tell you..."

And The Lord spoke to Moses, saying "Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, ..." Now these guys were sent out to check out Canaan literally if they had digital cams they proberbly would have taken some pics we can google. Is that it?

So God instead of focusing on the other more pressing issues of the day he chose to let these guys go get a mental pic of the place. Wow... Why couldn't God just give them the picture? no no , no slide shows, you must make up a mental picture of your own... Let us read on for evidence of this.. From verse 17 as we paraphrase " so Moses sent them to spy (get an imagine we can use) out the land of Canaan, ...." 18 "and see what the land is like; ..." aha

Moses; so you want a returned imagine of the view... So before Israel can much in they hand to choose between the week or strong, few or many, rich or poor etc.

...before you tackle your problems, say a life threatening disease, a family braking apart, kids that don't listen, bills that pile up... You have to give God a mental picture of what the situation looks like...

Report back 1 - dude, we went and spied the land, it flows with mind and honey alright ....Nevertheless (Hear comes the BUT) 28 The the people who dwell in the land are strong, the cities are fortified and very large. 33. Those guys are giants, and we, haaa Moses, we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." Proberly one of those guys was thinking "Moses;..dude...this is not like cracking water out of the rock or parting the Red see, this is some serious staff dude, the image we bring is that of a grasshoppers in own sight and surely that image is transferred to their sight, man... "
Ok to report 2

Report 2
"Hash, Let's go get them ..." v30 then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said "let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it."

Well gues who won that argument....

Do you want to be quoted by God like these guys who won the argument or the one who brought back he victory image of your situation? See how God quotes them in judgement...

Ooh; before we go to the judgement, the guys who brought the victory image and Moses were torn by this, for real man, they actually fell on their faces and tore their clothes. Read it for yourself in Num 14:6 they couldn't believe this, same guys saw same thing and came back with a terrible report. They even tried to convince them to reconsider ver 7' and gues what? the mob rioted against good council. Are you reading this saying no man Reups, you just do not know my situation, how about it? Stop the riot act and believe God! But how can you believe God if you have formed the wrong image of the outcome of your situation? "No man Reuben this will kill me, " well, be it you believe God or not as things stand this is how you going to end... So you might as well take Moses' council, for as sure as I am saying this' dude I am NOT going to tear my clothes to convince you...or risk a riot, yo....See the verdict,

In Num 14:11 - their bad imagination (image) of the situation is judged as unbelief:
V12 - this leads to Gods wrath on them, unbelief leads to loosing the very inheritance you have in Christ ...

Num14: 26 is titled "The death of the rebels" scary staff happened in between verse 26 and 37 hey, people died chief, I tell you people died; of a plague. Some horrible staff this. but before you despair read out what happened with those guys who actually used their imagination to see beyond their own eyes and saw through the eyes of faith...are you ready?

Here goes

Num 14:38 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land" Are you still asking why ....? Well praise God for Eps 3:20 20New International Version (©1984)Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,...

Within us? Yep! You are able to ask, think and imagine and God is able to grant far more than that....so ask, imagine, think away, God is ready and able dude!

Why faith is such a strange concept?

Don’t get me wrong now, but think about it.

You want to call you little dog, Spotty. You want to feed him. So you call out “Spotty here, spotty…come… Spotty come here…Spotty here..”
Then I walk into the room and say “Hash, you making lots of noise, Spotty is not here…” you give me a quick sharp look and say “Dude I know, but I want him here! That is why I call…”

“So Spotty is not here, but you are calling those things that be not as if they were…?“ Yep you want Spotty here…
You go on calling…”Spotty…”
BUT
What was all that argument about me being a faith talker? Why is it acceptable to call Spotty who is not here to come here BUT not acceptable for you to call your prosperity which is not here to come…? Why does it sound so strange for you to call health in the apparent sick state? “My body is strong, I am healed, … my every heart beats sends healing waves to my body…” You don’t have to shout it out like you do Spotty…But at least say it...
Lo and behold, “excuse my King James version English “Spotty come in wagging his tail and you say to me …”You were saying?...”
………………………………………..
Call those things that be not as if they were – FAITH – Not that strange after all...
Hebrew 11:1