Category: Devotional

  • DAY 3 | WEDNESDAY | Clarify Purpose

    An area of focus is about where God is inviting us to participate as a body with Him as He builds His church now. Just as a builder would focus on certain areas of a structure in completing it, so too does God call us to areas of focus in His work of building the church in certain seasons.

     At one point in Jesus’ mission, for example, he called his disciples to specifically focus on evangelism in Luke 10:1-2. That was a specific area of focus for a specific time in Jesus preparation of his people.

    We believe that God has called us, in this season of our journey as a church to a specific focus. 

    We believe that focus is – building a people who belong. Belonging to God’s Kingdom and His church means we are fully known, fully loved, and never alone. It’s an identity, a mission, and a family.

    AND

    Where we belong, we are able to build and live out a life which leaves a legacy.

    It was in their belonging as God’s people that the Israelites, working under Nehemiah’s vision, rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem together, leaving a legacy for others. And their legacy protected the “belonging” of future generations.

    My personal legacy is lived out through the kingdom community I belong to.

    “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

                                                                                                             Helen Keller

    Consider the significance of belonging to a church community and how important it is in your personal life and the legacy you will leave for others. Consider how Jesus described the father’s embrace of the prodigal son in belonging (Luke.15: 11 – 28), even when he had been so rebellious and sinful. Are we allowing ourselves to belong within our church community and are we building safe spaces for prodigal sons and daughters to “come home” because our focus is building a people who belong.

    My Prayer Response:

    Share with God your gratitude for belonging to Him as His child in His Kingdom.

    Confess to your Heavenly Father the things that make you feel unworthy of belonging to Him.

    Ask God to help you to accept your belonging and live from His love and not for His approval.

    Ask God to help you in building a people who belong with your church community and commit yourself to Him in this journey.

    My daily practice:

    As someone who belongs to Gods kingdom and is part of our church, think about an individual in our congregation you appreciate.

    Pray for them and then send them a message sharing your appreciation for them and encouraging them with a scripture verse or kind words.

    Recognize that you are part of something precious.

    Remember that your legacy is lived out through this kingdom community you are part of.

  • DAY 2 | TUESDAY | Identify your distractions

    When we start intentionally taking steps in the Spirit, the enemy takes note. With every level there’s another devil.

    And as we explore this truth, we see an example of it in the Book of Nehemiah, where this man, inspired with a vision from God, chose to lead God’s people to take steps to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

    Nehemiah experienced opposition from three men attempting to stop his steps as he rebuilt the walls. The names of those opposing him were Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem, and each one of them had a different tactic.

    1. Sanballat mocked Nehemiah’s attempts at rebuilding and tried to distract him.
      • Don’t let the enemy’s mockery of the size of your step stop you from walking.
    2. Tobiah attempted to sabotage Nehemiah’s progress.  
      • Protect your progress by taking a step even when you haven’t perfected things.
    3. Geshem falsely accused Nehemiah and intimidated him.
      • Don’t let the enemy’s accusations convince you that you can’t get back up because God’s grace has run out.

    In Nehemiah 6:3 (NIV) Nehemiah responds to those trying to distract him from his walk in a war of words by saying, “Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”

    The work God was doing would only stop if Nehemiah stopped walking. Nehemiah’s response to the enemy was, “You won’t stop me from taking my next step in God’s purpose!” and because of that, the walls were completed, Gods people could belong in the safety of the city and a legacy was left for generations.

    My prayer response:

    • The enemy may mock the size of your step stop you from walking.
    • The enemy may attempt to sabotage your progress by making you feel you’re not perfect.
    • The enemy might try and intimidate you with false accusations.

    Invite Jesus to come into those areas of your life in which you are struggling to walk in the Spirit or feeling the enemy’s opposition against you.

    Pray back to God, a declaration of faith based on the following scriptures:

    • Isaiah 54:17 (NLT)
      “no weapon turned against you will succeed.”
    • Romans 8:31 (NLT)
    • “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”
    • Romans 8:37 (NLT)
    • “despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”

    My daily practice

    Be mindful today of the moments, spaces and places in which you feel most distracted or discouraged from walking in the spirit. In those moments allow yourself to pause and remember the verses you declared in your prayer for the day:

    • “no weapon turned against me will succeed.”
    • “If God is for me, who can ever be against me?”
    • “despite all these things, overwhelming victory is mine through Christ, who loves me.”

    Then make a conscious decision to keep instep with the Spirit instead of allowing the distractions to derail you.

  • Vision – Week 4

    Vision – Week 4

    On hearing of the ruined walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah turned to God in prayer, mourning and fasting. Our initial response to God should be to come to Him first.

    In the book of Nehemiah, we witness a powerful example of responding to God’s invitation. Nehemiah, upon hearing of the ruined walls of Jerusalem, was deeply burdened. Instead of immediately seeking solutions, he turned to God in prayer, mourning and fasting. This act exemplifies a vital principle: our initial response to God should be to come to Him, just as a child seeks comfort in a parent’s arms.

    Nehemiah’s prayer in Nehemiah 1:3-11 reveals his heart. He recognized God’s invitation to partner in restoring the community. This invitation mirrors God’s continuous call to us, as seen in Isaiah’s “Here am I. Send me!” and Jesus’s invitation in Matthew 11:28-29, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

    “We are invited to make a pilgrimage into the heart and life of God.” 
    Dallas Willard

    Trevor Hudson’s story of the unopened invitation serves as a poignant reminder of the opportunities we may miss when we are too busy to hear God’s call.

    Our response to God’s invitation is not about our strength or worthiness, but about our willingness to come as we are. Like Adam and Eve, we may feel shame and guilt, but through Jesus, we are reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 

    We are adopted as children of God, and Romans 8:14-15 reminds us that we can cry, “Abba, Father.”

    “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time, we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” – Tim Keller

    When we respond to God’s invitation, we offer ourselves to Him. God works with what we give Him, not with what we can achieve in our own strength. As Philippians 2:13 states, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

    The enemy wants us to hide, like Adam and Eve, or to become busy with religious activities without genuine love for God, like the church in Ephesus. But Jesus calls us to remain in His love (John 15:9), bearing fruit through our connection to Him (John 15:4).

    For reflection:

    • Where in your daily life do you sense God extending an invitation to you?
    • How do you typically respond to God’s invitations? Are you quick to answer, or do you find yourself hesitant?
    • Are there “unopened invitations” from God buried under the busyness of your life? If so, how can you uncover them?
    • Do you struggle with feelings of unworthiness that keep you from coming to God? How can you embrace your identity as a child of God?
    • What practical steps can you take to offer yourself to God in your weakness, trusting that He will work through you?

    Closing Prayer:

    Heavenly Father, we thank you for your constant invitation to come to you. We acknowledge the times we have been too busy or too burdened to hear your call. Forgive us for the unopened invitations we have ignored. Help us to recognize your voice in our daily lives and to respond with “Here I am.” Lord, we bring our weaknesses and burdens before you, trusting that your grace is sufficient. Work in us, through us, and for us, that we may bear fruit and fulfill your purposes. We thank you for the sacrifice of Jesus, who reconciled us to you, and for the gift of your Spirit, who allows us to call you “Abba, Father.” In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

    Watch the sermon on YouTube

  • DAY 1 | MONDAY | Take a step

    DAY 1 | MONDAY | Take a step

    Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it

    Matt 11:29 Msg

    To work with God in our lives, we need to walk with him, and to walk with him, we need to be taking one step at a time.

    • If you keep taking next steps, you don’t get spiritually stuck.
    • If you keep taking steps, you grow through life instead of just going through life. Bishop and theologian Gregory of Nyssa said, “Sin happens whenever we refuse to keep growing.” 

    That means:

    • If you keep taking next steps sin cannot ensnare you and you are protecting your spiritual progress. 

    In Philippians 3:16 (NLT) Paul the Apostle writes, 

    “But we must hold on to the progress we have already made”.

    Our spiritual walk with God is measured by our progress, not by our perfection, so we need to protect our progress by continually taking the next step, not by perfecting a once-off move.

    Paul the Apostle writes to the church in Galatia from the NT book of

    Galatians 5:25 (NIV)

    “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

    If I was to keep in step with the Spirit today, what step could I take?

    This is Gods invitation to us personally in our vision, the question:

    “What step can I take?”

    Whether it’s: 

    • as you’re about to react to something your spouse said, 
    • or while facing a familiar temptation, 
    • or deciding whether to participate in an activity with friends, 
    • or processing someone’s criticism, 
    • or choosing whether to give the car guard the ten rand note in your pocket after shopping.

    Every day you and I can take one step somewhere in our lives that aligns with God’s Spirit.  What I am called to do within God’s purposes in this season of my life is to intentionally keep taking next steps in becoming everything my Lord has for me.

    Those daily steps may seem insignificant, silly or small, but 

    God can do a lot with one small step that others don’t see so don’t stop walking.

    My prayer response:

    • Share with God your desire to keep in step with the Spirit.
    • Confess the areas of your life in which you feel you have been walking in the flesh rather than His Spirit.
    • Ask God to help you recognize where in your life you could take a next step today.
    • Commit yourself and your day to Gods care as you walk into the new day.

    My daily practice:

    • Intentionally move through the day seeking the place and space in which you could take a practical next step in alignment with the Spirit. 
    • At the end of today, make a note describing the step you chose to take. Use the below guide to complete your reflection and pray it back to God in commitment.

    Reflection on my step today.

    • The step I took today was:
    • Taking that step required me intentionally:
    • My desire in taking that step in the Spirit is to: