living My Word in your world makes the difference

100 pages of inspiration, values and real life

JEWS FOR CHRIST

CEO Hamilton Ratshefolatestifies of Godʼs grace

ONLY BY GRACE

Issue 4 - 2005

It’s all about

Our editorʼs testimonyVICTORY OVER BULIMIA

Have you ever thought of where you would be if it were not for God’s

Grace simply means that we do not receive what we deserve. For we all are sinners and do not deserve a second, third, or umpteenth chance. So if God were not gracious, where

would we be?

God, in His grace, always receives us back, like the father of the prodigal son. For this grace we should thank Him daily. God showed His astonishing love and grace in sending us His only son, Jesus, to take upon Him all our mistakes and sins, to die and then to over-

come death, thereby giving us another chance to eternal life.

Remember that when we are weak, God’s grace is sufficient for us. In our weakness He is strong, and by His strengh we overcome.

Because of His grace, we can look forward to the reality of the holy New Jerusalem. There where the foundations are adorned with all kinds of precious stones:

The first foundation stone was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius (carnelian), the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth and the

twelfth amethyst.

Upon these foundation stones MY World is built.

Our fourth issue - our fourth foundation is

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nightstand for a few days until I am done with MY World.

I start reading on page 1, not skipping a page and end on page 100, satisfied. I take the magazine with me to work, and read in my car while waiting for

the children. Any moment I get, I quickly read a few pages. Lastly, it gets passed on to people around me.

I love this magazine and everything in it. I have a thirst to glorify God and it breaks my heart to see the world out there doing just the opposite. I can see that you have pure motives with this magazine. It deeply touched me. South Africa have been waiting for this one for many years. Praise God!!!

Love, Almien Mahne

Isn’t it lovely to read a magazine containing things that glorify God? People who would never be pointed out as being worthy of fame would appear in its pages because they love Jesus. People you would never know about are being picked because of something they did for someone else in the name of Jesus. I could burst with excitement over this magazine. No adverts driving you crazy and no discussions about worldly celebrities, trying to act as if they have a relationship with Jesus.

I love reading. During the past 2 years I devoured more than 120 books. It is inspiring and uplifting because I only read Christian works. Sometimes I read more than one book at a time. But …. the moment MY World magazine appears in my mailbox, all my books stay parked on my

Thank you to all our readers for writing toMY World. Your letters are precious!

Thank you also to everybody who continuously phones us to inspire us to greater heights. We love

your phone calls.

Please e-mail your letters to letters@myworld.za.com or post them to

Private Bag 2003, Krugersdorp, 1740.

Letters to

Thanks be to the Lord Almighty for making this magazine a success. I’m really learning a lot about Christianity and my faith is getting stronger by the day.

Stay blessed!Angeline Mofokeng

Firstly may I compliment you on a wonderful magazine. I got a copy of your first issue for 2005 from my sister and I was hooked. I then took it to work and it went on its rounds with our staff. Everyone came to me to ask where we could possibly get another issue.

We love this magazine and would not want to miss out on another issue.

Tania

I phoned you one day from Johannesburg to tell you how I enjoyed your first book. Then I came to Jeffrey’s Bay and thought I was going to miss the 3rd issue. What a surprise when my daughter came in with this beautiful issue – I almost hugged her. After reading the inside of the front page about the new covenant I was so blessed that I could not wait for time to read the rest. We praise our God for this new magazine from His Father’s heart and I am telling all my friends about it. One day I hope to have time to write my testimony for MY World. I will soon be 75 years old but

my heart is only 15 years old – this is from the mouth of my doctor, confirmed by prophecy.I am excited about the new magazine. Pray for me that only His will be done in my life and that He will keep me in good health.

Yours in the love of JesusJessie Delport

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REAL LIFEFood, the fear factor

Victory over anorexia and bulimia

True success comes from God Businessman Hamilton Ratshefola testifies

Jews for Christ

Talk to meGauteng province ... God’s place

FRUIT, FRUIT, FRUITThe joy of knowing and serving God

God’s light in Clarens

WORK & PLAYGetting out of debt

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Mirror, mirrorSmiling voices

IT WAS GOODThe King and I

Moss, moss, mossOne of nature’s wonder plants

The honey-beeOne of the hardest workers

SPIRIT LIFEThe gift of discernment

PrayerIf two or 200 million pray

Deliver me from evil

Amazing grace

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Then go to the Master in the trade of restoration, the Holy Spirit. With patience and with a passion for your soul, will He start restoring you. He will do what David said in Psalm 23:3 and 5, "...He restores my soul" and "...You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows." As with antique furniture, you will be “anointed” with His oil.

Our word for Emerald is “Restore unto Me”.

So as we say, “Restore unto me, God”, He restores us individually to our initial purpose and destiny. Then as His church, His body and ultimately as His bride, we are collectively restored to become a spotless and blemish free bride.

God’s Heart is for us to be restored unto Him.

He is calling us, His world:

"Be restored unto Me."

PS: This month I am privileged to introduce our team to you. Now you can put their faces to their names. They did not want me to say this, but since I’m the mother of MY World, I may: “Take a look at the team inside Emerald. Don’t you think they’re a beautiful, gracious group of people called by God into His service?”

Our Office Assistant - Who helps us carry the loadPh

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‘If it were not for the love of God, I would not have survived a motor accident.

As I lay in the wreck, all I said was “Morena Modimonthuse” (May God help me). God helped me that day and

that is why I love God every day.’

- Jacob -

LIFE

WE ARE HUMAN, but we don’t wage war with human plans and methods. We use God’s mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the devil’s strongholds. With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from know-ing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebel-lious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3 - 5)

The death of Karen Carpenter of the singing Carpenter siblings from anorexia in 1983, shocked the world into realising the seriousness of eating disorders. Around this same time, other famous people were opening up about their battles with eating disorders: the late Diana, princess of Wales, actress and activist Jane Fonda, and comedienne Joan Rivers were all suffering from bulimia. All three these women subsequently made it their mission to help other sufferers of eating disorders.

Research done by the Ohio State University Medical Centre in the USA, estimates that 0.5 per cent to 3.7 per cent of females at some point suffer from anorexia and 1.1 per cent to 4.2 per cent from bulimia. The same research shows that between 3 and 5 per cent of all adolescent females have a diagnosable eating disorder. Although anorexia is much more common among females, males are also affected; however, they are less likely to seek treatment, which complicates the disor-der.

An eating disorder is often a sub- or unconscious strategy of coping with difficult circumstances and emotional pain. The pattern becomes a negative spiral – the very coping mechanism used to deal with emotional pain incurs feelings of isolation, shame, guilt and emotional pain. Anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder are the most common forms.

ANOREXIA

Sufferers of anorexia (anorexia nervosa) intentionally starve themselves, causing extreme weight loss. They become obsessed with food and weight and may refuse to eat in front of others. In addition, they may use measures such as obsessive exercise, self-induced vomit-ing, diet pills, laxatives or diuretics to attempt to control their weight.

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It is common for sufferers to have a low self-esteem and a general fear of losing control. They often come from families with a history of health or weight problems, or families that are overly rigid, critical or protective. Anorexia is estimated to occur in one out of every 100 females between the ages of 16 and 18 years old. Five to 10 per cent of teenagers diagnosed with anorexia are males. Initially occurring mostly in upper- and middle-class families, anorexia is now found in all socio-economic groups.

BULIMIA

Bulimia (bulimia nervosa) is characterized by a cycle of overeating (bingeing) followed by attempts to compensate – and avoid weight gain – by means of self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives or medications, enemas, fasting or excessive exercise. The regular bingeing episodes distinguish bulimia from anorexia. They occur at least twice a week for three months, but may occur as often as several times a day. Sufferers often maintain a normal body weight. They may manage to hide their problem for years, seeking help only when their behaviour is already very deeply ingrained.

Sufferers are often concerned with body weight and intensely afraid of gaining weight. They also tend to come from families with a history of eating disorders and other health problems. Most are female adolescents, living in westernised, industrial countries and from a high socio-economic group. Very few males suffer from this disorder.

BINGE EATING DISORDER

Sufferers of binge eating disorder periodi-cally embark on episodes of eating vast amounts of food, to the point of becom-ing uncomfortably full and even feeling pain. The bingeing is similar to that which characterizes bulimia; but binge eating disorder differs from bulimia in that sufferers do not attempt to compensate for bingeing. Sufferers are therefore often overweight.

Bingeing is often used as a way to hide from emotions, to fill a void felt inside, or to cope with daily stress and problems. It can be used to subconsciously maintain an overweight appearance in order to keep people away.

Binge eating disorder is found in about 2 to 5 per cent of the general population, and occurs in about 30 per cent of people participating in medically supervised weight control programmes. Men comprise one - fourth to one-third of all patients.

WHEN MEDICAL SCIENCE MEETS SPIRITUAL TRUTH

Stephan Marais, a medical doctor currently specializing in psychiatry at the University of Bloemfontein and a committed Chris-tian, says, “Separation from the mother figure plays a major role and can be an underlying cause that presents in eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa patients are in some cases unable to separate psychologi-cally from their mothers, or experience

repressed sexual urges. One should always look for underlying depression because there can be a suicide risk, especially among teenagers.

“Treatment is usually started with medica-tion. Anti-depressants are often prescribed, especially for anorexia nervosa sufferers. Anti-psychotic medication is also given in some cases for the disturbed, almost delusional self image. Serotonin treatment may help to increase body weight. Psycho-logical cognitive behavioural therapy may be applied to change the person’s attitudes and habits. We also use family therapy to address relational problems. “We as Christians, however, can look at things such as our identity in Christ, and to see if there are underlying demonic activities such as a lying spirit.”

“EATING DISORDERS ARE NOT ABOUT FOOD…”

Gabriel Tanner (not his real name) is a pastoral counselor who started caring for a few young people caught up in addictive behaviour, about two years ago. He listened to, cared for and prayed with them. As results were achieved, they spread the word and brought their friends. At this moment this spontaneous prayer group is functioning under the covering of a local church. Gabriel has learnt a lot from experience and from what these youngsters shared with him.

“Refusing to eat or purging becomes a coping mechanism that the sufferer prefers to apply, rather than to be confronted with the pain or memory,” he says. “As counselor one should not stare oneself blind at the addiction - it is merely the coping mechanism, and shows that the sufferer experiences pain. Should the coping mechanism be dealt with and fall away, it would just be replaced by a new coping mechanism,

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... to fill a void felt inside ...

Sufferers are often concerned with body weight

and intensely afraid of gaining weight

Binge eating disorder is found in about 2 to 5 per cent

of the general population

unless the original pain is dealt with.

“Eating disorders are not about food, just as drug addiction is not about drugs. If we as counselors focus on the food, we miss the real issue. We can help them just not to put their fingers down their throats or just not to use drugs, but this is simply human effort and does not solve the problem. We have to find the real source of pain and expose it to God’s truth. Do not nag the sufferer to eat. This will simply lead to a power battle.”

OWN EFFORT VS HEALING BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

Controlled behaviour as a result of the sufferer’s own attempts, requires a perma-nent effort. An individual can gain new coping strategies conquering the obsession with food and body image. This kind of controlled behaviour is often understood to be spirituality. It is not the same as self-control that is listed in Galatians 5:22-23 as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Genuine spirituality is what Christ has and accomplishes in me; an outflow of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of truth for a good reason. He will guide the sufferer to see perceptions such as being unacceptable, being fat or having no value, for the lies that they are.

A MOTHER’S PAIN

MY World spoke to Crystal Strydom from Pretoria about her daughter Annemi’s three-year battle with anorexia. “The atmosphere in our home was always tense,” Crystal recalls. “My husband was very harsh and militaristic. He didn’t know how to handle the twists and turns in the children’s paths. I recently asked my daughter what her memories and perceptions were. Interestingly, she recalls being told by my husband one day, when she was in standard eight (grade ten), that she was ‘getting heavy’. Also she was very unhappy about the fact that they were not allowed to sleep away from home or to do things that cost money – in other words, no extramural activities. She felt lonely, an outsider. During that time, in the nineties, the magazines were full of articles on beauty and health and photos of beautiful bodies in beautiful swimwear. She loved these books.

“All of a sudden she started asking us not cook her meat in oil or butter her bread. She became very thin, received compliments from her friends, and ate less and less. She seemed to be on a slimming diet that never ended. After a while I noticed

that she didn’t have energy any more. And she was very short tempered. I became scared. When she started shaking and became pale and listless, it became an issue. ‘She must just eat, and then it will get better’, we thought. And then a vicious cycle began. She thought she looked good and that nothing was wrong with her. She told us to stop nagging. Her father kept saying, ‘Just eat your food.’ It went on like this for months.

“There was a rule in our home that you had to eat everything that was on your plate. Meal times were always stressful. One night, when she was refusing to eat her supper, her father took her by the back of her neck and forced the food into her mouth. When everyone else had finished, she was still sitting with the food in her mouth. Her father said, ’Swal-low!’ and he began hitting her.

“From then on it was a nightmare. It was as if she had decided that she was going to win this power contest. It was rebellion at its best. When I think back, I realise we could have handled it so much better. But we were uninformed.

“During her matric year, she became too weak to attend school. We had her admit-ted to a clinic. Eventually, with the system of reward and punishment, they had taken everything away from her. She only had her pajamas and her toothbrush with her. Her hair had started falling out and her fingernails had stopped growing. She looked like a little cancer patient. At night one could hear her stomach rumbling from a different room.

“Her condition deteriorated and eventu-ally she lost consciousness. The clinic staff phoned me. When I drove to the clinic I thought I had already lost her.

“At the clinic I was shown that Annemi’s brain waves were representing straight

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“The atmosphere in our home was always tense”

She seemed to be on a slimming diet that never ended.

“From then on it was a nightmare. It wasas if she had decided that she was goingto win this power contest. It was rebellionat its best. When I think back, I realise wecould have handled it so much better. Butwe were uninformed.

“During her matric year, she became tooweak to attend school. We had her admit-ted to a clinic. Eventually, with thesystem of reward and punishment, theyhad taken everything away from her. Sheonly had her pajamas and her toothbrushwith her. Her hair had started falling outand her fingernails had stopped growing.She looked like a little cancer patient. Atnight one could hear her stomachrumbling from a different room.

“Her condition deteriorated and eventu-ally she lost consciousness. The clinicstaff phoned me. When I drove to theclinic I thought I had already lost her.

“At the clinic I was shown that Annemi’sbrain waves were representing straight

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“From then on it was a nightmare. It was as if she had decided that she was going to win this power contest. It was rebellion at its best. When I think back, I realise we could have handled it so much better. But we were uninformed.

“During her matric year, she became too weak to attend school. We had her admit-ted to a clinic. Eventually, with the system of reward and punishment, they had taken everything away from her. She only had her pyjamas and her toothbrush with her. Her hair had started falling out and her fingernails had stopped growing. She looked like a little cancer patient. At night one could hear her stomach rumbling from a different room.

“Her condition deteriorated and eventu-ally she lost consciousness. The clinic staff phoned me. When I drove to the clinic I thought I had already lost her.

“At the clinic I was shown that Annemi’s brain waves were representing straight lines. They were supposed to respond to light or to noise, but they did not. The

staff said that they would have to give her shock treatment in the hope that her brain would function again. I asked them about the effects of this treatment, and they could not tell for certain. ‘No!’ I said. ‘This is my child and you expect me to sign for this?’

“I just went home. As I was driving, I prayed. ‘What is going to happen to her?’ I asked God. ‘I raised her for seventeen years. It was not easy. If You are going to allow her to die, You will have to talk to me and explain to me what is happening!’ The Lord was not saying anything to me. I now realise that He probably wanted to talk to me, but I was completely at the end of my tether.

“I arrived home and sat on the edge of my bed and I took my Bible. I said, ‘Lord, talk to me! You are my Father and the people do not have answers.’ I opened my Bible at the book of Isaiah. There, written on the bottom edge of the page, it said, ‘The Lord says, “I determine the waves of the sea…” The entire afternoon had been filled with discussions with the doctors about my daughter’s brain waves. I felt like the prodigal son, stamping my feet and saying that I’ve had it with pigs. I said to God, ‘If it is You who order the waves of the sea, then You can order the brain waves of my child! Tell me, is this child going to live or die?’ It dawned on me that God really is the one who would determine whether this child would live or die.

“The next day I asked a colleague, ‘Alf, find me a man of God. The Lord must tell me what is killing my child. I now realise that God said, “I have the final say in this,” and I am going to believe Him.’ I

fetched my daughter at the clinic. I picked her up Iike a bag of potatoes. She was hanging limply and she was ice cold. She seemed to be asleep, but you couldn’t hear any breathing. Her heart was beating at twenty-five beats per minute. You would think that it wouldn’t beat again and then you would hear a faint throb.

“The youth pastor arrived. He just asked me her name, opened the car door, took her hand and said, ‘Annemi, Jesus is alive. Annemi, Jesus loves you. Annemi, Jesus died for you. His death brought your life.’ He seemed only concerned with God on the throne, and not aware that my child was almost dead. He only spoke about the greatness of God and the work of the Holy Spirit and he stroked that little hand for an hour and a half. She started to yawn, like someone coming out of anesthetics.

“She sat up, yawned more and started burping. He lifted her out of the car and walked to the building. He asked her: ‘Do you understand that it is a war between life and death?’ She said: ‘Yes.’

“Then it became clear that there was demonic possession. Voices were starting to reply defiantly. The first spirit the man addressed with authority was lust. Then he rebuked something that bore the fruit of

I said, ‘Lord, talk to me!’

‘Annemi, Jesus is alive. Annemi, Jesus loves you.

Annemi, Jesus died for you.’

During her matric year, she became too weak to attend

school. We had her admitted to a clinic.

‘Jesus is the Lamb of God. He died for this child.

She chose Him. Be gone!’

At the clinic I was shown that Annemi’s brain waves

were representing straight lines. They were supposed

to respond to light or to noise, but they did not.

rebellion. That thing was not happy to go and made a noise. Another one was very cheeky, pulled her neck stiffly and sounded exactly the way she used to when she was being cheeky, but it had a man’s voice. The young minister just commanded him, ‘In the Name of Jesus, leave!’ Another thing was related to trauma and caused hopeless-ness, numbness and powerlessness. The man addressed it and said something like, ‘You came in before she could resist you and you are trespassing. Be away in the Name of Jesus!’ That one left without a struggle, and I was aware of the gentle and kind person she actually was.

“Then she became very uncomfortable. There was something that seemed to want to kill her. I believe it was the worst one of the lot that had remained until last. It wanted to strangle her. And then the man asked her, ‘Can you hear me?’ and she said, ‘Yes.’ And he asked her, ‘Do you want to live?’ Very faintly she said, ‘Yes’. Then the man said to this thing, ‘Jesus is the Lamb of God. He died for this child. She chose Him. Be gone! It was like a manifes-tation of something leaving her.

“She looked up and said, ‘Hi, Mom, are you also here?’ I said, ‘Yes’ and she made space for me next to her. She used to be such a

darling child. And she said, ‘Hi, Uncle Alf, are you also here?’ You could see she had been set free, sitting there not looking tired at all, just peaceful. Very satisfied she asked, ‘What are we doing now?’ ‘Now we are going home,’ I said. ‘Good,’ she said. On the way back she asked if she could have a tomato cocktail. She ended up drinking two. That night she ate carrots mashed with onions and potatoes.”

Annemi is now thirty yeas old, is married and has two sons.

R E F E R E N C E S :

Buckroyd. Eating Your Heart Out. Optima.

Palmer. Anorexia Nervosa –

A Guide For Sufferers And Their Families. Penguin.

Treasure and Schmidt. Getting Better Bite By Bite –

A Survival Kit For Sufferers

Of Bulimia Nervosa And Binge Eating Disorders. Psychology Press.

www.atdpweb.soe.berkeley.edu

www.medicalcenter.osu.edu

www.angelfire.com

www.athealth.com

www.empoweredparents.com

www.healthyplace.com

www.something-fishy.edu

On the way back she asked if she could have

a tomato cocktail. She ended up drinking two.

‘Do you want to live?’ Very faintly she said, ‘Yes’.

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WE ARE FEATURING this article on eating disorders because it is truly a great problem within our society. We all know it exists but often we prefer not to talk about it. We want to wish it away, but if it is not dealt with correctly, it could continue to haunt us.

God’s Word says that we will overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony. I hope that this testimony will bring revelation on this topic and that it will bring hope and healing to many.

This is my testimony:

I was a normal child and teenager. I was an achiever and a leader. At high school I attended extramural classes for highly gifted children; I became head girl, exchange student, rag princess… the list continues. I remember that I, like most young girls, never wanted to be fat. But it was never an obsession and I never contemplated bulimia.

“AS INDIVIDUALS WE ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGHTO RESIST THE POWERS AND DEVICES OF SATAN,

BUT JESUS IS AND IF HE IS KING AND LORD OF YOUR LIFE,BULIMIA HAS TO DIE.”

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Our editor, Lindie Gouws, testifies.

It is said that most students (especially girls) pick up weight during their first two years at university, especially when they live in a student residence. Some of my friends did and some did not, but we were quite content. In my second year I suddenly became ill. Whatever I ate would come up and the doctor diagnosed it as a hiatus hernia. My first thought was, “This is an easy way to lose weight”, so I continued by bringing up my food.

Yes, I lost weight, but all of a sudden I was caught up in something that I had no control over. Because I could bring up my food, I thought that I was in control. At times when I was not happy, I would immediately start eating, because food became my friend. Or so I thought. Yet the moment it was in my body, it became my worst enemy and I had to get it out! It controlled me!

I recall it as being a downward spiral. It was terrible. It was a living hell. It was as if something was tormenting and driving me. I knew that what I was doing was not right and that my body was not made to function in such a way; yet I continued. I detested having to go out for supper or to functions where I would have to eat. Even during the day, wherever I went, I was faced with food! I actually became afraid of food because I knew that the moment I ate it, it would be presented in my mind as my worst enemy! At one stage I tried to stop by taking appetite suppressants so that I did not have to eat.

At the end of my first year I went home for a weekend. One evening I was stand-ing on our veranda when I fainted and then woke up in the emergency ward of the Robinson Private Hospital in Randfon-tein. I woke up hearing the nurse say, “We are going to lose her; her blood pressure is 90 over 0.” I was diagnosed with hypo-glycaemia (a form of diabetes).

I was very thin, anaemic (I had stopped menstruating), and continu-ously lethargic. My skin was not in a good condition. My hair had no body and was very dull, my nails were brittle and my eyes, the windows to my soul, reflected lifelessness. Nobody knew I was bulimic. Today I realize that there was nothing attrac-tive about myself in that condition.

I went back to university and it silently continued for another year. I sometimes felt that I was losing my mind, but I could not share it with anybody. It was the loneliest time of my life.

I had grown up as a Christian. God had saved me from life threatening situations at a very young age, so I was aware of His life changing power. At the end of my second year, during a weekend at home one Friday evening after having supper and once more excusing myself, some-thing within me just snapped. It was driving me crazy and I could not continue. I called my mother and I told her about my problem. She took me in her arms and I knew she would continue to pray for me. That night the Lord had stepped in.

I only ever spoke about it to my mom, and very seldom. The subsequent four years were a journey that I took on my own, yet I was not alone. The Holy Spirit minis-tered to me and counselled me directly. I learnt to overcome ‘one meal at a time’. I did not live in the future but I found victory step by step. I discovered the truth about bulimia and I base this personal revelation on Scripture, James 4:7, 'Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee.'

BE FILLED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

I firstly realised that I had not been filled by the Holy Spirit. He did not control my mind and my body, so I could not resist a temptation in an area where I possibly had a weakness. One evening I attended a church service and re-dedicated my life to Jesus. I asked the Holy Spirit to fill me! Since the Holy Spirit had control now, I started having the mind of Christ concerning who I was in Him and He started revealing the truth to me.

DECEPTION

The devil is the father of lies and he enters in like an angel of light. (John 8:44: “...for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native langau-age, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”) He knows us pretty well too and therefore he will zoom in on our weak-nesses, before we even recognize them as such. Without our knowing that it is him, he presents himself as a solution when we least expect it. I accepted that solution and was deceived into overeating. The moment he had me hooked, I was trapped. This deception had led to an obsession - I thought that I could not live without that 'solution'. This was of course a lie.

And if the deception and obsession are not dealt with in the spiritual dimension by taking authority over it and rebuking it in the Name of Jesus, they will simply manifest in another area of one’s life.

SIN

God's word says that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” So if you are bulimic,

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you are destroying the temple where the Holy Spirit wants to dwell. This is what the devil wants, because he does not want you to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. He knows that when you submit to God, he has to flee. So by deceiving you, he controls your mind and creates an obses-sion in you that is self-destructive.

God clearly states in His Word that we are not allowed to ruin our bodies, His temple. By doing so, we are sinning against Him and the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”)

IT IS SUICIDE

I remember one day asking God to show me what bulimia really was. I was prompted to say the word in Afrikaans (bulimie), and pronounce it in English: "Bully me." That is what you are actually doing: inflicting pain upon yourself; and without your realising it, you are killing yourself. That is Satan's ultimate goal.

Satan comes to kill, rob and destroy. Kill: He deceives you; you believe him and you start killing yourself. Many people die from bulimia. Rob: He robs you of your joy and freedom in Christ. Bulimia is bondage.

Destroy: He destroys a living temple of God and in the process he attempts to rob those around you who dearly love you.

Your issues and problems are not worth destroying yourself for through bulimia. God can solve every issue if we only allow ourselves to be filled by Him. Spiritual warfare is required.“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and

against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Just to take you back to my university years: During my first year I had a very strange experience. We as first years were not allowed to lock our bedroom doors at night. It was part of our initiation. It was a Saturday evening and my roommate had gone home to Prieska due to an emer-gency in their family. I had just finished studying and had switched off my light and retired to bed when my bedroom door opened and a woman entered my room. She was dressed in white, her face was powdered white and she carried a skull with a candle inside. She did not say a word and just stared at me. After a while, she turned around and walked out. I froze like Lot’s wife! I thought I had seen a ghost. I gained my composure, went to my best friend’s room and told her about it. The next morning I went to our house-father and he confirmed that it was actually a girl in our residence. This was her yearly “ritual”. Sometimes she would even walk around in the residence, dressed completely in black, and sprinkle water in strategic places.

I approached her the next day and told her that if I had not had Jesus in my life I would have dropped out. It was strange, but in retrospect, I now understand it.

I am not saying that what happened to me that day was a curse. But what I do know is that I was confronted with a spiritual dimension that I knew nothing about. I was ignorant. And although I believed in Jesus I had not yet invited the Holy Spirit into my life.

I realised that as much as we are living in a natural dimension, we also live in a spiritual dimension. By not acknowledging that, we would be ignorant.

This testimony is of nothing less than a miracle that Jesus performed in my life. Whilst on vacation one year at a health spa, I befriended a lady psychologist who works with bulimic patients. When I told her my story she could not believe that I had not taken any medication. She told me that bulimic patients had to take medica-tion to restore the swallowing function. I did not have to. After a general medical checkup years later, the doctor said that it was a miracle that my body recuperated so well and that I was so healthy. I am restored to complete health in all areas.

I have come to realize that it is important to have balance in life.

Jesus healed me. I thank God daily that He set me free. It is awesome!

I advise those suffering from bulimia, to speak to somebody mature in Christ, some-one whom you can trust. Break the silence.

You might have a different "bully me" situation, but if you recognise it for what it really is and submit to God, it will flee...God's Word says it!

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TRUE SUCCESSCOMES FROM

AND SHOULD BE USED TO GLORIFY HIM.

USING YOUR GIFTS, following noble goals

and having faith are key ingredients in the

success recipe of Hamilton Ratshefola (38),

founder and CEO of Cornastone Consulting

Group (Pty) Ltd. Cornastone is a Black

owned company that specialises in

information technology solutions. Based in

Bryanston, Gauteng, Cornastone came into

being in October 2000 and expanded to

both Namibia and Mozambique in 2001. In

2001 they were appointed HP “VAR (value-

added reseller) of the year” and in 2002

they were voted the ICT top achiever

company of the year.

Hamilton discovered his gift for selling at an

early age. “I started selling when I was

twelve years old”, he recalls. “Dad didn’t

help at home and Mom was battling alone,

so I said, ‘Why should I be dependent?’ So I

decided to open up my own business with

ten bucks that I had. I started with a box of

apples, some oranges and some bananas;

and within a very short space of time I had a

big fruit store. I supplemented my family

income.” In 1986 Hamilton joined the

University of North-West and in 1989 he

obtained his B Com degree. He then started

working as a software engineer for IBM; and

it was here that his gift was re-discovered.

“In my third year of working for them, my

boss said, ‘You know, you can be a very good

salesman. You’re good at convincing

people.’ So I went into sales. I broke all

IBM’s records of salesman performance.”

Using his gift for selling and combining

it with sourcing, Hamilton then founded

Cornastone. Hamilton traces the impor-

NOT EVEN THE LOSS OF HIS BELOVED WIFE OR HIS OWN KIDNEY FAILURE

COULD SUBDUE HAMILTON’S PASSION TO USE HIS GIFTS IN MAKING A

DIFFERENCE IN THE BUSINESS WORLD AND FOR GOD. HIS FAITH IN THE

LORD WHO GAVE HIM SUCCESS, REMAINS STEADFAST – AND GOD

CONTINUES TO ACT ON HIS FAITH.

p h o t o g r a p h y : l i e z l d u p r e e z w o r d s : e n a d u p l e s s i s

21

tance of sourcing in business, back to Hosea 4:6 that says, “My people perish for a lack of knowledge.” He calls this Scrip-ture the foundation of business. “The mere fact that you don’t have knowledge, can mean that you will buy an item from a distributor for a premium, and be happy about it. If you had known the source, you could have bought the item for a far better price. How much more disposable income would you not have had? The principle of that Scripture is universal; it applies to everything in life – and in business it is paramount.”

The importance of pursuing noble goals in business, Hamilton derives from Isaiah 61:1-2 and Matthew 25:35-37. “Isaiah 61:1-2 says, ‘The Spirit of the sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour and the day or vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn...’ Isaiah in fact says that your duty is to preach the Gospel. If you don’t preach the Gospel yourself, your business can enable you to contribute money towards the work of Evangelists.

“In Matthew 25:35-36 Jesus says, ‘For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me some-thing to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.’ So if you don’t meet the spiritual goals, you should meet the social goals. If these are your goals, God has a reason to be in business with you, and a

reason to make you successful. As Chris-tians, we need to constantly re-look our goals.”

The third requirement for success, according to Hamilton, is faith. He believes that faith is built by facing challenges. “When faced with challenges, we should meet them and trust in God for the strength to overcome them. Challenges help in preparing us for the work God gives us. A good example from the Bible is David. He killed a lion and a bear; and by the time Goliath came, most people didn’t know about his track record in the smaller things.

“Small challenges are brought on your path to raise your faith. When you complete a small assignment successfully, you get a little faith. Then you receive a bigger assignment; and when you are successful, you get some more faith. Suddenly you can dream. The life of a Christian is a set of challenges – it’s never easy. It becomes easy, though, once your faith is there – because you just dream it and it happens.”

In 2002 Hamilton experienced a major challenge when he suffered from kidney failure due to hypertension (high blood pressure). Both kidneys had stopped functioning. He had to receive dialysis three times a week, and he was only allowed to drink 500 ml of liquid per day. Hamilton kept trusting in God for his healing. “I know the Lord is my healer – I have to believe Him. And by God’s grace I now have residual function in my kidneys. This means that I am no longer limited in the amount of liquid I consume, and I am not that dependent on dialysis any more.

“Once I had received my residual function back, I said, ‘Lord, I’ll be fine.’ I still

ʻIsaiah in fact saysthat your duty is topreach the Gospel.ʼ

ʻLord, Iʼll be fine.ʼ

believe that today. My doctor keeps asking me why I don’t want to have a transplant done. God’s Word says we are healed by His stripes and I don’t doubt it. My attitude towards disease is that it is a temporary shortcoming; you apply your faith to overcome it and your mind must not be preoccupied with it.”

Not even two years after his own kidney failure, Hamilton’s wife fell ill. She underwent testing, but the doctors could not detect exactly what was wrong. In June 2004 Hamilton drove her to hospital. “The next day she slipped into a coma and never came back. But the great thing is that we enjoyed life together, travelled the world together – and we have two lovely kids. She was an absolutely wonderful person. She lived her life helping other people. And now I’m happy that she is with the Lord. The only reason that we are here is to please God and do His will, so that we may live longer on the other side. So what is the point of crying for someone who is much happier than you are? On the physical level I cry, but on the spiritual level I’m content – I’m happy for her.”

It is clear that Hamilton will not allow any challenge – not even grief or ill health – to get the better of him. He is simply growing more passionate about serving the Lord and using the opportunities He provides. He feels strongly that the South African nation should make much better use of its opportunities. “We need to identify things that we can do differently. We need to continue to look at ourselves in relation to the rest of the world. Your challenge is not your own country, but to try to repair the rest of the world. You are not in this part of the world, having the resources you have, for yourself only.

“When I took my business to Mozambique and Namibia two years ago, those people tremendously appreciated the new skills and opportunities we brought them. We are a nation that doesn’t accept other people. We like our precious country and we don’t want to share it with other people. When I look at other people, I see great opportunities. I see souls to be won; business to be made. The room for you to make money and improve people’s situation at the same time, is phenomenal.”

ʻYou are not in this part of the world, having the resources you have,

for yourself only.ʼ23

CHRISTJEWS FOR

CHRISTJEWS FOR

BELONGING TO THE LINEAGE of King David all the way back in the Old Testament, Jarrod Davidoff is passionately leading thousands of people to Jesus Christ, the Messiah. His motivation? “People who are convinced that Jesus is the Messiah, will want to tell others.” Having been raised in the Jewish faith, Jarrod learned a lot about God as a child, but he never experienced Him as a personal God.

Jarrod experienced intense emotional pain during his childhood. When he was only eight years old, his father suffered a stroke that left him unable to talk or walk. He died when Jarrod was sixteen. Adding

to his hardship, Jarrod had to endure rejection from his peers, being bullied and embarrassed constantly. “I became a very withdrawn, introverted kid. I tried to avoid contact with people as I was hurting inside.” The only Jew in his section in the army, he became the victim of anti-Semitism – to the extent of being threat-ened with death.

Jarrod’s voyage towards conversion started with faithful children of God not only sharing their own revelation about who Jesus is, but also living lives that attracted Jarrod to Christianity. In the army it was a Christian who helped him to be transferred to another section after his appeal to the Jewish chaplaincy was unsuccessful. It was

during this time that another Christian sat down with him, shared about Jesus and asked him if he would not consider receiving Jesus into his life. But Jarrod wasn’t ready to make that kind of commitment. God’s Spirit, however, was slowly drawing him closer. The peace and love he saw in his friends’ lives were compelling. Sub-consciously he was looking for more evidence.

It was after he had finished his service in the army that two Christians – also from a Jewish upbringing – explained to him that Jesus was the Son of God and that He had fulfilled the Messianic prophecies. These friends invited him to their cell group meetings. One night at one of these meetings God led the pastor to mention

24

p h o t o g r a p h y : l i e z l d u p r e e zw o r d s : r e t h a f i c k

These are the testimonies of Jewish born Jarrod Davidoff and Phillip Shapiorowho have become followers of Christ.

These are the testimonies of Jewish born Jarrod Davidoff and Phillip Shapiorowho have become followers of Christ.

– through the gift of knowledge – every-thing that Jarrod went through in the past. That night God showed Jarrod that He knew him personally: “Three days before that night I had looked at myself in the mirror and told God, ‘I’m such a sinner and I don’t deserve your Son Jesus to come into my life.’ In my heart I heard the Lord say, ‘Jarrod, it’s while you are a sinner that you have to ask Jesus to come into your life.’ At the cell group meeting I became convinced that Jesus was the Son of God. God showed me that He knew everything about me. Intellectually I was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. Spiritually I was bankrupt, because without Jesus one is bankrupt, even if you are the guru of ten religions.

“What attracted me to Jesus was the fact that He was prepared to love me, in spite of me. Knowing all my sins, He still loves me. That night at the cell group meeting I received the Lord into my life. I prayed, ‘Jesus, I believe in my heart that You are the Son of God and that You took away my sins. I believe that You are the Messiah.’ The weight of the world was lifted from my shoulders.”

For a Jewish person, to receive the Lord means to be willing to give up everything. Except for Jarrod’s mother and sister his family excommunicated him, telling him that he is an embarrassment to them. “They took me to rabbis who tried to convert me back to Judaism. At that time I started telling people about Jesus and

what He did. I started sharing with dozens of Jewish people that Jesus is the Messiah. He more than proves it in Scrip-ture. Anyone who is willing to see the truth, will be able to see that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah we’ve been waiting for.”

Jarrod’s life was radically transformed after his conversion. God took a shy, intro-verted kid filled with hurt and anger and changed him into a powerful witness for Him. Being called as an evangelist wasn’t Jarrod’s idea of how he was going to spend his life after committing his life to God.

He thought God would use him in the business world to raise money for people in ministry. The realization that God wanted him to be in ministry, took him by surprise. “It’s always nice to know that it wasn’t my idea. It was God’s idea. When you are saved, He gives you the whole package. He reveals your purpose to you. His purpose for us is to represent Him. To win souls for Him is the most important thing you can do for Him.”

Jarrod is a living testimony of the promise that God will enable those He calls. “When the Lord calls you it doesn’t matter what your background is – whatever He has called you to do, He’ll help you do. For me, the natural thing to do was to witness to people on a personal basis. I witnessed to my family and friends. Later I developed more boldness. We started with outreaches in Joubert Park where thousands of people were saved.”

Jarrod launched the Save The World Foun-dation in 1992. Since 1996, 302 162 people were saved at eighty-nine campaigns led

by this foundation. Three hundred and sixty-eight school crusades were held since 2002. The Lord saved a shy, quiet, bullied Jewish kid, and uses him to preach the Gospel to thousands of people.

Jarrod honours the Lord for his Jewish heritage. But his message is clear: being Jewish does not give you special rights. Without Jesus we are all lost. All men have sinned. Jesus is the only way.ʻJarrod, itʼs while you are a sinner

that you have to ask Jesus to come into your life.ʼ

Knowing all my sins, He still loves me.

His purpose for us is to represent Him. To win souls for Him is the most

important thing you can do for Him.

Without Jesus we are all lost. All men have sinned. Jesus is the only way.

26

www.savetheworldfoundation.comIf you would like Jarrod to conduct a campaign in your area, send an e-mail to: invitation@savetheworldfoundation.com or phone (011) 787-7765

CHRISTJEWS FORJesus loves me.ʻ ʻ

PHILLIP SHAPIORO WAS RAISED in a religious Jewish home. He was not even allowed to mention the name of Jesus. During his thirteenth year, around the time of his bar mitzvah – the religious initiation ceremony for Jewish boys – Phillip started to ask questions about faith and faith related issues.

The Jewish rabbis replied along the lines of “Just accept what we tell you” and “Don’t ask too many questions”. Phillip recalls how as a young boy he would go to a rabbi after school seeking for answers. This resulted in the rabbi phoning his parents telling them their son asks too many questions and that he must accept that he is Jewish and leave it there.

The Bible occupied a significant place in Phillip’s journey towards salvation. Various followers of Jesus – schoolteach-ers, his gym instructor and friends – prayed for his salvation, answered his questions and sowed seeds of righteous-ness. But the day when his gym instructor gave him a Bible, brought a turning point. Phillip was 16½ at the time, and he remembers receiving the Bible on a Friday. Once he had opened it, he couldn’t put it down. He read the New Testament and encountered Jesus – a real Person who cared for people.

When he read First Peter he came to a clear realisation that he needed to accept Jesus. The very day he decided to give his life to God, his typing teacher, who kept a Bible on her table and shared about Jesus directly, even though teaching at a Jewish school where you are not allowed to share

27

His dilemma was that he could not tell his parents about his

decision for fear of their reaction.

your faith, gave him a tract explaining the way to salvation. That day Phillip ran from school all the way to the gym (a 30 minute walk) to ask his gym instructor to pray with him. There and then Phillip received Jesus into his heart.

His conversion launched a very difficult period in his life, lasting fourteen months. His dilemma was that he could not tell his parents about his decision for fear of their reaction. He would go to church in secret. He would hide his Bible and other spiritual literature beneath his mattress. In retrospect Phillip describes this time as a year marked by rapid growth in his faith. A solid spiritual foundation was laid, which helped him to persevere later on. He diligently studied all the Scrip-tures relating to Jesus’ being the Messiah, which helped him to combat Jews’ arguments. He spent much time with mature Christian friends who took him under their wings and discipled him. Finally he received the answers he had so earnestly searched for.

In his matric year his father discovered Christian books in Phillip’s room. He threatened to phone the boss of the person who gave him the books. Phillip begged his father to forget all about it. After this incident Phillip decided not to mention any of his Christian friends’ names in the house any more.

In February of 1993, when Phillip was 17½, he decided to attend a course at church that would teach him to share the Gospel. He then realised that the time had come to tell his parents about his conversion. Three months of real hardship followed. As expected, his parents did not comply with his decision. They withheld from him normal teenage privileges such as pocket money and lifts to extramural activities. They even threatened to lock him out of the house if he went to cell group meetings. But Phillip, by the grace of God, stood strong. Conditions became so difficult that in 1995 he decided to

leave home and went to stay with a friend. He describes this as an upsetting time. The relationship between him and his parents deteriorated even more. To Phillip, Jesus’ words about being willing to leave your father and mother for His sake, became a reality.

In 1999 Phillip married Maria, whom he had met at a church concert. They were blessed with twin sons, Matthew and Nicholas, on the 7th of May 2002. Being able to serve Jesus with his own family, adds tremendously to his joy. Phillip testifies that strength comes from fellowship. He still meets regularly with his close friends who had guided him to get to know Jesus.

When Phillip’s parents saw the stability in his life and that his conversion wasn’t just a phase in his life, favour started to return. Today they thoroughly enjoy the role of grandparents. This includes listening to their grandchildren sing, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so...”

But Phillip, by the grace of God, stood strong.

When Phillipʼs parents saw the stability in his life and that his conversion wasnʼt just a phase

in his life, favour started to return.

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29

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God answered my

prayers during a

difficult time and

provided me with all

I needed to handle it.

We read in the Bible

that God created

everything, He is the

Great Creator.

I am humbled to

worship Him.

- Stock Controller -

p h o t o g r a p h y : l i e z l d u p r e e zw o r d s : l i n d i e g o u w s

make all My goodness pass before you, and I will call out My name, ʻthe Lordʼ, to you. I will show kindness to anyone I choose, and I will show mercy to anyone I choose. But you may not look directly at My face, for no one may see Me and live.ʼ The Lord continued, ʻStand here on this rock beside me. As My glorious presence passes by, I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed. Then I will remove My hand, and you will see Me from behind. But My face will not be seen.ʼ” Without my noticing (“being hidden in the cleft of the rock so that I could not see”) I had turned off; next to me was Kloofendal Hill (“a rock”); the sun (“Godʼs glory”) had passed me by and was now ahead of me.

When we allow ourselves to be in tune with God, He can communicate with us in awesome ways through simple things, even amidst the hustle and bustle of Gauteng.

On the Friday evening at 19:00 as I was driving home from gym on Hendrik Potgieter Road, I saw two vehicles with Gauteng number plates, traveling without lights. Another vehicle had only one head light working. Three irresponsible drivers in Gauteng on a Friday night at peak time! This came as a word of warning to some of our drivers. We must become more alert. We are taking lives into our hands each time we slip in behind a steering wheel.

I stopped at Town Square shopping centre. It is not a very large centre and parking is limited. As is usually the case on a Friday night, the place was packed. I had to run into the chemist and truly, the only parking spot available was a bay reserved for the disabled. “Nobody would want to park here within the next 5 minutes,” I thought. When I came out of the chemist, I immediately saw that a car with a wheelchair on its roof had been parked next to me. You would be able to imagine how I felt. I cringed! I climbed into my car and as I reversed, the driver of that car beckoned to me to open my window. I thought, “Now I am going to get what I deserve – a tongue lashing.” As I opened the

I HAD TO RUN INTO THE CHEMISTAND TRULY, THE ONLY PARKING SPOT AVAILABLE

WAS A BAY RESERVED FOR THE DISABLED.

WOMEN WORSHIPPINGAT THE BEAUTY FOR

ASHES CONFERENCE, HONEYDEW

SOPHIE SKHOSANA 59 YEARS OLD.

A CHILD OF GOD.

PRETORIA

WHEN WE ALLOW OURSELVES TO BE IN TUNE WITH GOD,

HE CAN COMMUNICATE WITH US IN AWESOME WAYS THROUGH SIMPLE THINGS,

EVEN AMIDST THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE OF GAUTENG.

32

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window I immediately started apologizing, but the man stopped me. He smiled at me and gave me a beautiful compliment. I was overwhelmed and when I drove out, my eyes filled with tears.

This man portrayed the Spiritual fruit of peace in Galatians 5:22. (“But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace…”). He could have scolded me and if he had been a bitter person, which in worldly terms he most probably should have been, he could have resented me for what I had done. Yet, I could clearly see the love of God in his eyes and I was again prompted to say, “Thank you, God.” He had spoken to me again. Godʼs people are in Gauteng.

On the Saturday, our photographer Liezl and I drove around the province. One of our first stops was at the Union Buildings in Tshwane (Pretoria). There were many tourists and locals. I noticed a man sitting on a bench, holding Christian literature. I introduced myself to him

and asked him what he was reading. He told me that he was a child of God and that he was selling these books as a means of earning income. Once again, when I had least expected it, I saw God's people in the province.

We drove through Pretoria and on a building in a street filled with taxis, we noticed a large sign bearing the words "Jesus Christ is the Lord”. God's people are proclaiming His name in such a busy city!

The following day was Sunday and we attended the Beauty For Ashes interdenominational conference hosted by the Assemblies Of God in Honeydew. It was truly a blessing to once more, as in Cape Town (featured in our Chalcedony issue) see women from all races worshipping our living God together. From all over South Africa they had come to God's province.

That afternoon I stopped at the Caltex flyover garage in Midrand. Out of the blue, I started chatting to a lady who had just returned home from vacation in Durban. Our conversation led to flying and she said

, jbeen, he

to say,yy “Thank God. He had spoken to me aga

Saturda tographer Liezl and I drove around the prova). The y tourists locals. I noticed sitting o

MINERSʼ HATSAT GOLD REEF CITY

VENDORS ON THESTREETS OF JOʼBURG

GAUTENG REGISTRATION NUMBER

A MAN SELLINGCHRISTIAN BOOKS

AS A FORM OFINCOME AT THE

UNION BUILDING,PRETORIA

that each time she flies, she prays. I asked her, 'Who do you pray to?” "Jesus”, she answered. I immediately went to fetch her a copy of MY World in the boot of my car. When I gave it to her, she exclaimed, “Oh, I know this! I saw you on television and heard you on radio. I will spread the word of MY World and pray for you.” It was wonderful to meet a sister in Christ at the least expected place.

Throughout my four days’ journey in Gauteng, I kept recalling the Scripture in Acts 18:9, “One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.’” This applies to us as well. We totally underestimate the number of brothers and sisters in Christ in our cities. God has His

each time she flies, she prays. I asked her,rrs”, she answered. I im

in the boot of my car.rr Whis! I saw you on televi

of MY World and prahrist at the least expec

t my four days’ jourActs 18:9, “One nighd; keep on speakingis going to attacks city.yy ’” This applieof brothers and sis

people in the city. It was like that in the times of Paul, and it is still the same. We must not be afraid to go out with our “feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15).

About two weeks prior to my Gauteng journey, I met with Pastor Nevil Norden of Lewende Woord Ministries in Brummeria, Pretoria and Koos van der Merwe of Mosaiek Church in Fairland, Johannes-burg. They gave us some words of encouragement.

Koos van der Merwe:“Let every person who wishes to make a difference in this world, begin by having a look at his/her own life and ask God for the mercy to walk in unselfish and humble love. Changed hearts will bring about changed lives, and changed lives will bring about a changed world.”

Nevil Norden:“For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace. And for South Africa’s sake I will not rest until her imputed righteousness and vindication go forth as brightness, and her salvation radiates as does a burning torch…and we all run with that torch for His glory and for the exten-sion of His Kingdom.”

Koos van der Merwe Nevil Norden

PEAK TRAFFIC - SYNONYMOUS WITH JOʼBURG PEAK TRAFFIC - SYNONYMOUS WITH JOʼBURG

NELSON MANDELA BRIDGE, JOʼBURG

WE TOTALLY UNDERESTIMATE THE NUMBER

OF BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST

IN OUR CITIES.

GOD HAS HIS PEOPLE IN THE CITY.

35

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taht ees ot nepo stnaw doG hcihw os ,uoy wohs ot raeh nac uoy taht ot retsinim miH tahw hguorht uoy tcepxE .ees uoyyreve elpoep siH

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Our Journalist - Writing as unto God

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‘The tender touch of God’s hand restores my soul. He teaches me to rest in Him.

Without Him I can do nothing.’

- Retha -

FRUITfruit fruit

WHEN THE SUN BREAKS through the clouds after a late afternoon thunderstorm in the Eastern Free State, the landscape is changed into a celebration of light and colour. Everything becomes alive and magnificently beautiful. The simple beauty of nature not only inspires local artists, but also attracts thousands of tourists to Clarens, a small town situated in the foothills of the Maluti mountains. Visitors to this picturesque village testify of finding restoration for their souls. There are even testimonies of supernatu-ral healing. In the words of a guesthouse owner, “God’s presence is hovering over this town.”

Christians in Clarens testify of the sweet spirit of love and unity dwelling amongst the Body of Christ. The Combined Churches in Action (CCIA) was founded in

2002, from a group of people from differ-ent denominations celebrating Christmas and Easter together for many years. This small group of believers felt that some-thing more needed to be done to bring Jesus to their community. Their desire was to serve the community as one body and not as fragmented denominations. They invited anyone who would be inter-ested to take part. Today the CCIA is a registered non-profit organisation with its own constitution, showing God’s love to the community through coordinating various projects.

People Of Hope is one such project. Peter and Loretta Dickerson started this project around 18 months ago, and together with their team of volunteer workers, they currently serve fifty families affected by the HI-virus. Three families are added

weekly. No need is overlooked. They wash the sick, pray with them, clean their houses, supply food, read the Word, counsel, and give hope through words of wisdom and encouragement. Above all they share the Gospel. People Of Hope testifies of God doing wonders in their midst. Aids sufferers commit their lives to Jesus as a result of being reached out to and cared for.

The orphan outreach project has been in existence for the past 12 months. “Our desire is to make the promise in Psalm 68, ‘God places the lonely in families’, a reality for the children,” says Martie du Plessis who initiated the project together with Annelise Swanepoel. Annelise is also involved in the administration of the CCIA. Seventy orphans receive daily care, food and clothes. They are helped to grow to

p h o t o g r a p h y : l i e z l d u p r e e z

w o r d s : r e t h a f i c k

G O D ʼ S L I G H T I N

Cosmos, our miracle flower of Easter.

A house surrounded by poplar trees.

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m ’sneralC

.p ohs oiruc a e

disnI

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maturity and to re-ignite their dreams and hope for the future. Every child is known by name and the Gospel is shared regularly. Every child has been given a Bible. The objective is to give the children back to the community as mature persons who will have a positive influence and bring hope.

A striking example of total transformation by the love of Christ, is found in Johannes Nhlapo, one of the volunteers involved in the orphan’s ministry. When asked about the reason for his involvement, he answers simply, “Because I love to be with children”. It is hard to imagine that this man had spent five years in prison. God changed him from being short-tempered and hard-hearted to someone who passion-ately serves the community. He humbly offers his love and time for the needs of young people, orphans and people affected by HIV/AIDS.

Johannes was born a leader. He was elected deputy mayor of Clarens in 1996. It was his involvement in politics that led to his arrest in 1997. He was sentenced ten years. In December of his first year in prison a friend invited him to church. He accepted Jesus and was saved. As a leader of the church he witnessed many conver-sions as well as supernatural healings. In 2001 his sentence was suspended because of good behaviour. Johannes returned to Clarens and joined the Dihlabeng Christian Church, which became his spiritual home.

well as the oneness in Spirit he witnessed between different races and churches. Father Rasmeni opened an advice office and together with the Committee of Social Concerns of the CCIA he works hard to inform people about their rights. He gives advice regarding old age pensions, labour concerns, child welfare and even family conflicts. On being asked about reconciliation in Clarens, Father Rasmeni says, “The new South Africa was here donkey’s years back.”

This small community abounds with evidence of God’s love. Clarens’s spiritual landscape is forever changing by the light of God’s presence through His children being the hands and feet of Jesus. And somehow God’s Spirit is prompting that this is only the beginning. That God is preparing His church in Clarens for some-thing much, much bigger…

This is where he became the leader of Youth In Hope, an interdenominational youth group meeting weekly. God is still using him in the life of prisoners. He regularly writes them letters of encouragement, sharing the hope Jesus gives.

To Johannes, knowing Jesus means to know real life. He enjoys life. His desire is to serve God even more than he is doing now. He wants to see more people accepting Christ. “God changed my mind and life in prison and I want to help other people to also be changed.”

Jacob Rasmeni, an Anglican priest, moved to Clarens on his retirement in September 2002. He was tremen-dously touched by the love he experi-enced from Clarens’s inhabitants as

God ʼs presence is hovering

over this town.

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Our Journalist - A man of many words

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‘It is so amazing how God can use a seemingly insignificant situation

to enrich your life and educate you, as He has done in my life.’

- Veli -

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1 PRAY2 Kings 4:1-7 tells the story of a widow of a prophet who was left with a huge debt problem. This story gives valuable insight about handling money. The most important is that God is concerned about your debt problem. Remember that God’s role is that of provider. Our role is that of being a good steward. The first step is to ask for God’s help in getting debt free.

WRITTEN BUDGETThis is the next most important step and without which your dream of being debt-free may remain just a dream. For a budget to be effective, remember that every Rand you earn needs to be spent. Wow, that got your attention, didn’t it? What I mean is that you must assign every Rand to a predetermined category. If an item is not in the budget, you cannot have it (unless and until you adjust your budget). Impulsive spending is a real threat to getting debt free!

This is really simple. You cannot spend more than you earn and have financial security. When an unexpected and unbudgeted essential expense arises, you must decide before you buy, what other category is going to decrease in order to meet this emergency. If you had a category called emergency fund, then you would use this category.

LIST OF ASSETSThis is a complete list of everything you own that has significant value. Use this list to determine if there is anything that you could sell to help get you out of debt. How about selling those golf clubs

you never use, the boat gathering dust, or that jewellery that you never wear?

LIST OF LIABILITIESYou need to list everything you owe. You must show the amount owed and the inter-est rate charged.

DEBT REPAYMENT SCHEDULEWith the list created in (4) above, you will need to decide which debt to pay off first. This does not mean that you ignore other debts; it means that one debt will receive more than its scheduled payment. Paying the debt with the highest interest rate off first, makes most sense economically.

Emotionally it makes sense to first settle any small debts that can be paid off quickly. If your debts are large and involve several creditors, you should approach them all to show them your plan. Creditors are usually more understanding if they can see you are attempting to repay. The worst thing to do is to ignore the problem hoping that it will go away. It does not. It grows bigger and uglier. Another thing to remem-ber is to start conservatively (promise lower payments over a longer time). This is because once you agree on a repayment plan, you should stick to the plan no matter what. It is crucial not to renege on this agreement, so make it as achievable as possible.

EXTRA INCOMEThis step could help you get out of debt. Find creative ways of earning extra income. It is important not to earn extra income at the expense of your relationship with the Lord, your spouse or family . Before you earn extra income, determine

what debt will be paid with the extra income. This will give purpose, meaning and enthusiasm to the extra work.Ivan and Robin asked us to pray that God would give them a creative idea to earn extra income and yet not involve too much time, as they were so busy already. The next week Robin could hardly wait to share what had happened. A marketing company had approached her to use her home to film a commercial and were willing to pay her handsomely.

NO NEW DEBTThere is little sense in following all the above steps if you do not stop incurring debt. Pay with cash or cheque only. You may ask, “What about credit cards, as carrying cash is so dangerous?” I believe that credit cards are acceptable if and only if you are paying them down to nil every month. Credit cards seem to numb us from the amount we are actually spending. Try locking your credit card away for a month and only use cash. You will become so much more aware of how much things cost and will be less inclined to buy on impulse.

If you have a problem with spending on your credit card, I can recommend two forms of treatment. The first I call “kryo-therapy”. It is less extreme but very effec-tive. If you feel you cannot live without the safety net of a credit card then this therapy is for you. Place your credit card in a cup of water and put it into the freezer. Now your credit card is available for genuine emergencies with sufficient delay to get you past the impulse stage. If “kryo-therapy” does not work, then the answer is plastic surgery. Any good pair of scissors will do…

steps to get out of debt10 steps to get out of debt10

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CONTENTMENT Most of our debt problems come from some sort of discontentment. Why do we buy a new car or appliance? Often we do that because we saw it on TV or at a friend’s house or in a magazine. Did you know that:

•The more TV you watch, the more you spend? •The more you look at catalogues, the more you spend?•The more often you go out to shops, the more you spend?

If you truly want to spend less, a good way would be to watch less TV, read fewer catalogues and shop less frequently. Makes you think, doesn’t it?

The apostle Paul in his letter to the Philip-pians (4:11-13) said a wonderful thing. He said, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I am…I have learned the secret of having abundance and suffering need.”

It was a secret he had learned. If you learn this secret, you can easily be debt free. Note that Paul is not saying we must have nothing. He experienced both abundance and need.

LIFESTYLE CHANGESFor this step to be effective, the lifestyle change must be radical. If you really want to get out of debt fast, lower your standard of living. This is the acid test. I have counselled many people about getting out of their financial mess. At first, they appear very keen and sometime desperate to do so, but as soon as I suggest selling their expensive car and buying a second hand one for cash, their enthusiasm wanes. If I suggest moving out of their large house in an expensive suburb and buying a modest home in a less expensive suburb, they begin to twitch uncomfortably. I sometimes suggest no longer buying their groceries at the ever so nice upmarket food store and rather shopping at the average hyper store.

There is nothing wrong with expensive cars, beautiful homes and greener vegetables, unless you cannot afford them.

DO NOT GIVE UP!Remember that you did not get into this position overnight and you will not get out of it overnight. It will require determina-tion, courage and persistence. It is said that they can take everything you own, but the only way to lose hope is to surrender it. Remember that failure is not permanent. Failures are actually stepping-stones towards success, and not the opposite of success as some would think. Think back to when you learned to ride a bike. Did you manage it without falling off? Not likely. We

all understand that falling is part of learning how to ride. Why do we forget this when it comes to our own financial falls?

If the road to becoming debt-free seems hard, remember that God will equip you to take the steps. Philippi-ans 4:13 says, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” God extended His grace to the widow in 2 Kings 4:1-7, and helped her out of her debt. This same God is offering His grace to you.

Remember t ha t God ʼs r o l e i s t ha t

o f p rov i de r. Ou r r o l e i s t ha t o f be ing a good s t ewar d .

The f i r s t s t ep i s t o a sk f o r God ʼs he lp i n ge t t i ng deb t f r ee .

Remember t ha t God ʼs r o l e i s t ha t

o f p rov i de r. Ou r r o l e i s t ha t o f be ing a good s t ewar d .

The f i r s t s t ep i s t o a sk f o r God ʼs he lp i n ge t t i ng deb t f r ee .

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Smiling Voicesp h o t o g r a p h y : l i e z l d u p r e e z w o r d s : v e l i l e p h a t o , r e t h a f i c k

Imagine sitting behind a desk with a headset on your head, listening to one complaint after the other. Would that be the ideal way of spending your working hours? Attending to customersʼ enquiries and being faced with their dissatisfaction on a daily basis,

can become very challenging. Do we realise that thereʼs a face behind the smiling voice? These are real people, trained to provide information and give support as best as they can; people with a passion for their job and a love for people.

CathyBelinda

MY World met Belinda (32) and Cathy (39), both of whom have

been working for Telkom Directory Services (TDS) in Johannes-

burg for five years. They are part of a call centre team of 22

people receiving the calls on TDS’s customer care number. A

call centre can become a very stressful environment. There is

the pressure to use their time effectively, balancing time used

for receiving calls and time used for investigating customers’

queries and giving feedback. Then, obviously, there is the

stress of being confronted with irate customers. “You need to

take a break after dealing with an angry customer,” says

Belinda. “I move away from the phone and don’t take the next

call. You learn to not take it personally and not to interrupt.

You then reply without any trace of a bad attitude in your

voice. If a conversation becomes too abusive, we are allowed

to put the phone down.” The challenge of the job excites

Belinda. She likes to work with people and experiences each

customer as a new challenge. “It brings you down when you try

to make them happy and then sometimes they’re not!”

Call centres sometimes find themselves in the middle of life’s

drama. There are the occasional wandering calls that reach

the operators: a person threatening to commit suicide, another

one desiring to share the news of having been tested positive

for HIV. To these people call centre operators become like a

lifeline. Confronted with matters of this nature, operators are

moved to being compassionate, offering an ear that is willing

to listen… even sometimes to small children who are looking for

someone who would take the time to listen to their songs!

To Cathy her workplace is the place where she comes alive.

There she can act out who she is, approaching each day

depending on God to help her be a testimony for Him in her

work environment. The TDS support group, meeting every

Tuesday lunch hour for prayer, strengthens her and gives her

the boldness she always prayed for. She has a burning desire to

be involved in full time children’s ministry, but until the time is

right she will continue to be of service to customers.

These operators’ only objective is to try their best to make

their customers happy and to give as much support as possible.

They are serving us, so let’s appreciate them and help them to

keep the smile in their voice!

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on the wall

mirrormirror

- who’s the fairest of them all?

Cal l centres sometimes f ind themselvesin the middle of l i feʼs drama.

Our Personal Assistant -

The voice that welcomes you

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‘Since asking the Lord to restore my life, an amazing peace and joy (even amidst storms) has come over me.

You can also find this abundant peace by just asking God for it.’

- Lu-Ann -

GOODit was

THE WORD HONEY APPEARS in the Bible 57 times. God describes the promised land as a “land flowing with milk and honey”. Samson based his riddle, “Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet,” on the honeycomb that he had found inside the carcass of the lion he had killed. John the Baptist lived off locusts and wild honey. Honey was the principal sweet-ener until the 19th century; and since ancient times it has been used for its amazing healing properties. Honey can be used with great success to treat ulcers, burns and wounds. It furthermore has powerful antioxidant, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal proper-ties; and it aids the performance of athletes.

Perhaps even more fascinating than the properties of honey, is its humble manufacturer – the honey-bee. Honey-bees are social insects, which means that they function in colonies. A colony of bees lives together in a hive consisting of honeycomb. The honey-

comb is made out of beeswax, which the bees secrete from the underside of their abdomen, and mould into thin-walled, back-to-back, six-sided cells. Honey or pollen is stored in some of the cells, while eggs are laid in others.

A colony usually consists of a queen bee, 30 000 to 60 000 worker bees and 500 to 1 000 drones. The queen bee is the only fertilised female in the colony, and the only one capable of laying eggs – a thousand or more per day. Her diet consists of royal jelly, a whitish substance with the consistency of mayonnaise, produced by glands in the heads of the worker bees.

O The queen bee is the only The queen bee is the only

fertilised female in the colony.fertilised female in the colony.

Our Graphic Designer-

Inspired to create

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LIFEspirit‘I have been restored and made alive through the love, power and protection of my Lord Jesus Christ.

From a young age I have known the Holy Spirit, and through that, have been able to live victoriously

and discern the Lord’s voice in my life.

He has led me every step of the way and will continue to lead me into my glorious inheritance with HIM.’

- Kerry -

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with these false prophets, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. These people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God; that is why those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.” (1 John 4:1 – 6). It is not only possible but important to discern between the “Spirit of truth” and the “spirit of falsehood”. In this time it is increasingly important to emphasize the Word of God as the highest and final authority over every other revelation.

There will be a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days and various supernatural manifestations will accom-pany this outpouring. Simultaneously, however, there will be an increase in the activity of demonic forces. Jesus warns in Matthew 24:23 – 25, “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah’, or ‘There he is’, don’t pay any attention. For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great miracu-lous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. See, I have warned you.”

In 1 Timothy 4:1 – 3, Paul warns that in the last days some will depart from the faith, following deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. He mentions doctrines that impose unnatural and unscriptural instructions with regard to diet and the marriage relationship. The safeguard against being deceived is to believe and know the truth – the truth of God’s Word. God’s Word and God’s Spirit work together in perfect harmony.

We must have a personal understanding of the Word of God. The Word of God will never be wrong. The danger lies in people’s interpretation of the Word. One

Holy Spirit Himself. One may receive one gift and another believer receives another gift, and not all receive all the gifts.

GUIDELINES

The spiritual gifts are often already operating in our lives, yet we fail to recognize them for what they are because of lack of boldness, experience or knowledge - that is why Paul says he does not want us to be ignorant about the gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1). The Bible says boldness comes from a clean conscience. It is not a physical or outward sign of relationship God seeks, but a heart that is responsive to His Spirit. We should be encouraged to apply the gifts we received as Paul encourages Timothy: “Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecies spoken to you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you.” (1 Timothy 4:14).

If we know that our sins are forgiven and that we have confessed all known sin, and live a life utterly surrendered unto God, we can expect more confidence. The confi-dence from knowing that we are right with God, will help us to know when a thought or feeling we experience, is God commu-nicating to us by means of a revelatory gift of the Holy Spirit.

The gift of discernment is often more easily recognized with hindsight. As things unfold in a particular way that we actually anticipated, we realize that the feeling or thought we had, was from God. One should not be discouraged because with experi-ence one gets more familiar with that inner voice of the indwelling Spirit. This is how we grow in the application of this gift.Sometimes we hesitate to obey this voice or follow up on the information we gain from the Spirit for fear of hurting people. Most of us have a tendency not to want to rock the boat. This is because we see love

must therefore not be dependent on other people’s interpretation of the Word. If we have a firsthand knowledge and under-standing of the Word of God, we will not easily be deceived by a very persuasive speaker who has the gift of the gab.

Even impressive supernatural manifesta-tions are no guarantee that a leader is indeed led by the Spirit of truth. Jesus did not say, “By their gifts you will know them”, but “By their fruit…” (Matthew 7:16). We should be careful not to be so impressed by the spectacular that we do not look for the fruit of the Spirit, namely love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22). We must remember that even the Egyptian magicians of Pharaoh could initially duplicate the miraculous signs of Moses and Aaron. (Exodus 7:10 – 12).

We read in the Bible that the Antichrist will also do spectacular counterfeit miracles: “This evil man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles.” (2 Thessalonians 2:9). We should therefore never seek the manifestations of the Holy Spirit or the gifts apart from the Word of God. This could lead to deception or fanaticism. “Now we can really serve God, not in the old way by obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way, by the Spirit.” (Romans 7:6b). Paul also encourages believers to discern. In 1 Thessalonians 5: 20-22 he says, “Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Keep away from every kind of evil.”

The object of the Spiritual gifts is the welfare of others. Paul outlines the different services and activities of the Spirit – wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers, distinguish-ing spirits, and tongues or languages and their interpretation. The various gifts of the Spirit are divided up among the believers according to the sovereign will of the

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in its humanistic form - that is, temporar-ily keeping people happy and content, while knowing that what is happening in a process or a person or fellowship is steer-ing to destruction. These are the times when we should warn people at the cost of short-term unpopularity, for the sake of saving lives in the long run. The long-term and eternal best for the body or person should be our concern. “Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed. Don’t think of them as enemies, but speak to them as you would to a Chris-tian who needs to be warned.” (2 Thessalo-nians 3:14,15).

The Bible gives guidelines of how to go about correcting another Christian: “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the fault. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If that person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. If the church decides you are right, but the other person won’t accept it, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector” (Matthew 18:15-17).

Those who have experienced the pain, shock and disappointment caused by “false broth-ers” in a fellowship, will understand why Paul mentions them in the same breath as hardships such as being shipwrecked, stoned or facing the danger of flooded rivers and robbers. (2 Corinthians 11:26).

In the latter times, the Bible explicitly warns that “some will depart from the faith, being influenced by deceiving spirits, speaking lies in hypocrisy” (1Timothy 4:1-3). The safeguard against being deceived is to know and believe Biblical truth. Isaiah 8:20 says, “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.” Once again we must see Scripture as the standard by

DANGERS OF ABUSE OF THE GIFT OF DISCERNMENT

We should beware of becoming overly zealous in a hunt of false preachers. Saul was in this position before his eyes were opened during the Damascus experience and Jesus asked him, “Why are you perse-cuting Me?” (Acts 9:4).

Years ago, a minister’s wife, whose identity is withheld for her protection, made it her mission to “expose” so-called false teachers. This lady and her followers ended up casting out “demons” associated with the names of the world’s greatest preachers. She was convinced that she was doing this for God. The deception was revealed to her followers only when they noticed that the fruit of her life no longer glorified Christ.

It is very dangerous to become critical or judgemental – a self-appointed watchman on the walls. This normally leads to nega-tivity and bitterness, as well as a decline in one’s ministry. To safeguard ourselves against abuse of the gift of discernment, we should never lose sight of the purpose of the spiritual gifts - to enable the mem-bers of the congregation to comfort, strengthen and encourage one another.

1 Corinthians 12:7 says, “But the manifes-tation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.” In 1 Corinthians 13:1-2 we furthermore read, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowl-edge, and though I have all faith, so that I could move mountains, but I have not love, I am nothing.”

The absence of love in the exercising of the gifts causes the person to be as empty as an irritating sound.

which the gift of discernment must be judged and tested. No gift is to be accepted if it is not in full accord with the Word of God. Christ promised that when He went to His Father, He would send His Spirit. What is the purpose of His Spirit and what would the Spirit do? In the period that we call the church age (1 Corinthians 10:11; 1 Timothy 4:1,2) we experience the Spirit’s revelatory activity. Divine revelation is a sign or explanation from God about His nature, purpose and will.

QUALITIES OF A PERSON OPERATING IN THE GIFT OF DISCERNMENT

• Ability to discern between spiritual truths and lies;• Ability to pick up manipulative conduct and messages long before others;• Ability to discern between good and evil.

HOW TO KNOW IF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GIFTING YOU WITH DISCERNMENT:

• You will experience a concern regarding the danger of false teachers and teachings entering a fellowship;• You will begin to “see” under the surface of people’s actions and words, sensing the underlying motives;• You will know when people are wear- ing masks or pretending.

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things. His goodness and wisdom are available for you. “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9,10) Now you know how to give your life to Him. Paul says in Ephe-sians 1:11 that it is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.

Strengthen your heart in the Lord. You can achieve this through prayer and spending time reading the Bible, and allowing the Lord to speak to you through His Word. The Lord wants you to be part of His flock – you need to be part of a church through which the Lord can build you up to becoming a mighty instrument in His hand.

Don’t give Satan any legal foothold in your life through sin. It is so easy to get desensitized to sin in this world where many do not even acknowledge God and compromise becomes the norm. Paul warns in 1 Timothy 1:19 to “cling tightly to your faith in Christ, and always keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.” The Amplified Bible explains plainly that your conscience is actually your “inborn discernment”. Your righteousness is so important because the Lord said in Ezekiel 22:30 “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land…”

Yes, you understand it right! Righteous-ness is the supernatural wall of protec-tion around your whole life. If you confess your sins to Him, He who is faith-ful and just will forgive you and cleanse you from every wrong! Sin causes a gap in the wall of righteousness protecting your land. The beauty is that in confessing that sin, the blood of Jesus covers that gap and shuts the door on Satan to further attack you through that specific gap.

Take the time and allow yourself like King David in Psalm 4:4 to lie in silence on your bed and to meditate on the destruc-tive consequences of your sins and to be really sorry. Satan will always try to cloud your mind to those consequences so that you would wilfully persist in sin, but the Holy Spirit will convict you of your sins. Please do not harden your heart when you hear His soft voice!

Overcome evil with good and do not allow Satan to tempt you to repay evil with evil. Vengeance belongs to the Lord. Matthew 5:44 inspires us to love our enemies and to pray for those who perse-cute us. Let’s follow Jesus in showing this kind of love. If you say you can’t, you’re completely right … only God can give you this kind of grace. Romans 5:5 reminds us that “He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.”

Take up your armour, resist the Devil and he will flee from you! Many Chris-tians underestimate their authority in the spiritual dimension and think their battle is against people and systems. Not so! Let’s acknowledge Ephesians 6:12-17:“For we are not fighting against people … but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world … those mighty powers of darkness … and ... wicked spirits in the heavenly realms. Use every piece of God’s armour to resist the enemy in the time of evil …”

This Scripture proceeds to name the various pieces of armour:

• “the sturdy belt of truth”;• “the body armour of God’s righteousness”;• “for shoes put on the peace that comes from the Good News”;• “you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan”;• “salvation as your helmet”;• “and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

As people hand themselves through sin into the hands of Satan, he can use them against you. Just remember, you have a choice as to how you’re going to react, which will determine the outcome.

Let the joy of the Lord be your strength and thank Him for everything, for He is in control – no matter how you may feel.

Praise is a powerful weapon against despair. When you feel despair, thank the Lord for the trials. Remember, when Paul started praising God in prison, the walls came down.

The Bible explains plainly that your conscience is actually

your “inborn discernment”.

Satan will always tryto cloud your mind to those

consequences so that you wouldwilfully persist in sin.

Overcome evil with good and do not allow Satan

to tempt you to repay evil with evil.

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gracegracegraceAMAZINGAMAZING

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ʻAmazing grace! (how sweet the sound)

That savʼd a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

ʻTwas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears relievʼd;

How precious did that grace appear,

The hour I first believʼd!

Throʼ many dangers, toils and snares,

I have already come;

ʻTis grace has brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promisʼd good to me,

His word my hope secures;

He will my shield and portion be,

As long as life endures.

amazing grace THE WORDS OF THIS INSPIRED HYMN capture the profound-ness of a love and generosity that will always leave us amazed. To understand grace we cannot learn from ourselves – we have to look at God. The benevolence, loving kindness and steadfast love embraced in the word grace are simply not human but Divine.

The author of the lyrics, John Newton, was born in London in 1725. His father was the commander of a merchant ship. At the age of eleven, John started joining his father on voyages. In 1744 John was impressed into service on an armed ship. He found conditions on board intolerable and deserted; but was soon recaptured, publicly flogged and demoted from midshipman to common seaman.

Later, at his own request, he was exchanged into service on a slave ship and became the servant of a slave trader. He was brutally abused, but a sea captain who had known his father, rescued him early in 1748. Ultimately he became captain of his own ship, which was actively involved in the slave trade. By this time, John had long given up all religious convictions. On May 10, 1748, while attempting to steer his ship through a violent storm, he experienced what he was to refer to later as his "great deliverance." The ship seemed bound to sink, when he exclaimed, "Lord, have mercy upon us!" Afterwards, reflecting on what he had said, he began to believe that God had addressed him through the storm and that he had experi-enced God’s grace. Although he continued in the slave trade for a time after his conversion, he ensured that the slaves under his care were treated humanely.

In 1755, following a serious illness, John decided to give up seafaring. He taught himself Latin, Greek and Hebrew, and became a minister. He did not only preach in his own congre-gation (which became so crowded that it had to be enlarged), but also regularly toured to other parts of the country.

REFERENCE :www.anointedlinks.com/amazinggrace.html

He experienced what he was to refer to later as his

“great deliverance”.

w o r d s : d i n i e s t e r h u i z e n p h o t o g r a p h e r : l i e z l d u p r e e z

DO YOU KNOW THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG “AMAZING GRACE”?

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ECARG Sʼ DOG YBMA I TAHW MA I

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BY THE GRACE OF GOD I AM WHAT I AM

When Moses encountered God at the burning bush, he asked, “Who shall I say is sending me?” God, underived, uncreated, unaffected, uncontaminated and unthreat-ened, answered, “I am who I am.” One of the biggest philosophical questions people ask themselves is, “Who am I?” Many search for an answer before they come to Christ and some are still asking the same question when they have become Chris-tians. It’s a vital one. Paul’s response is the extraordinary claim, “By the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Corinthians 15:10). Grace gives him peace and security regard-ing his identity.

Earlier in his life, Paul would have regarded himself very differently. In Philip-pians 3, for instance, he describes what he used to be, “circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benja-min, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, and as regards the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless” (Philippians 3:5, 6). He wasn’t a man searching for answers; he knew his identity. He knew his background. He was trained at the feet of Gamaliel, probably the foremost Jewish teacher of his generation, and he could boast that he was ahead of his contemporaries.

But Paul also had dreadful sin in his life. He had persecuted the church. When Stephen, a magnificent young man full of

the Holy Spirit, wisdom and power, was stoned to death, Paul was overseeing the event. Surely, Paul was trying to suppress unremitting guilt when God said to him at his conversion, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 26:14). Paul’s vulnerability may have been rooted in his memory of that day. Stephen died with breathtaking dignity, his face shining like an angel. Perhaps that image was stamped indelibly of his conscience.

GRACE AND IDENT I T Y How powerful grace is that it can take an embittered legalist, a murderer, and set him free to say, “By the grace of God I am who I am”! Grace not only provided forgiveness, grace gave him a new identity. He was a new person, a new creation. Sometimes people think, “I could never forgive myself for that”, “I ruined that young girl’s life”, “I broke my parents’ hearts”, “I cheated that guy in business”. Some people feel shackled to guilty memo-ries.

If that is your experience, you must not only receive forgiveness for the past but also the new identity that God freely gives you. No other evaluation of your life can compete with His, namely, “Therefore if any one is in Christ he is a new creature, old things have passed away, behold new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Do not withstand this wonderful grace! God’s assessment of you is the authentic one. Because Paul believed it, he was able to leave behind the past.

God told Abram, whose name means “exalted father”, “You will be ‘Abraham’”,

Earlier in his life, Paul would have regarded

himself very differently.

But Paul also had dreadful sin in his life.

Godʼs assessment of you is the authentic one.

BY THE GRACE OF GOD I AM WHAT I AM

GRACE AND IDENT I T Y

Earlier in his life, Paul would have regarded

himself very differently.

But Paul also had dreadful sin in his life.

Godʼs assessment of you is the authentic one.

73

which means “father of a multitude”. Abraham believed God, and by faith he received his new identity. God renamed Jacob “Israel”. He took a cheat like Jacob and called him “Prince with God”. When God gives you a new identity, receive it! God called Gideon “a mighty man of valour” even while he was skulking in a cave. God’s assessment overcame his previous view of himself. When God says you are mighty, believe it! “By the grace of God I am what I am.”

DON ʼ T LOSE HEAR T

Sometimes we are tested and are tempted to throw in the towel in terms of receiving grace. Paul gives us a little insight into some of the conflicts he went through when he tells us that sometimes it was like being squeezed so much that he cried, “Who is adequate for these things?” (2 Corinthians 2:16). But he gets an answer: “Our adequacy is from God who also made us adequate” (2 Corinthians 3:5-6).

In 2 Corinthians 4:16, Paul claims, “There-fore we do not lose heart”, adding, “Though our outer man is decaying, our inner man is being renewed day by day.” That’s how grace works. Sometimes he was tested in the extreme: “We were burdened excessively beyond our strength so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9). Sometimes that describes how you feel! This does not apply only to apostles; this is for believers trying to run a business, raise children, work with difficult colleagues, keep a godly attitude when wrongly accused, or when the car has been broken into … again! When you

keep thinking you have got nothing left to give, grace is like those wonderful birthday cake candles, which you blow out only to discover that they all come on again! It’s not I, but the grace of God that’s with me, even in pressure.

At times, the pressure was so intense for Paul that, in 2 Corinthians 12:9, he asked for the thorn in his flesh to be removed, but the verse continues unexpectedly, “He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly therefore I will rather boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” We don’t know what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was; but when he said, “I prayed three times”, we are talking about some serious prayer on three occasions. The phrase I have under-lined in my Bible is, “He has said to me”. We need not only to know in theory that God’s grace is sufficient; we must also experience the intimacy of His presence and the expression of His love that commu-nicates the grace. When we hear His voice and receive His renewing touch, every-thing else falls into the right proportion. Truly, His grace is sufficient.

Writing from prison to the Philippians church, Paul seems to be constantly overflowing with joy. It is difficult to imag-ine how gruelling his circumstances must have been, as his imprisonment kept him hovering between life and death. Maybe he would die, but of one thing he was

confident: “If I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labour for me” (Philippians 1:22). He knew he might die, but if he lived he expected to be fruitful. Why was he so confident? Because he had received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among the Gentiles (see Romans 1:5). Gentiles would become obedient to the faith. Paul was confident that if he lived it would happen. This was what he had received grace to accomplish.

Paul expected to be fruitful and to see lives transformed through his ministry. That was why he was on the planet. God had given him grace to be fruitful and Paul was sure that that grace was not going to be in vain. Like Nehemiah, he could confi-dently say, “The God of heaven will give us success. Therefore we, His servants, will arise and build” (Nehemiah 2:20).

By the grace of God you are who you are.

Mighty grace has given you a new identity.

Don’t let that grace be in vain in your life.

p h o t o g r a p h y : l i e z l d u p r e e zw o r d s : t e r r y v i r g o

ʻMy grace is sufficient for you, for My power is

perfected in weakness.̓

“If I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean

fruitful labour for me” (Philippians 1:22).

By the grace of God you are who you are.

... he expected to be fruitful ...

DON ʼ T LOSE HEAR T

ʻMy grace is sufficient for you, for My power is

perfected in weakness.̓

... he expected to be fruitful ...

“If I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean

fruitful labour for me” (Philippians 1:22).

By the grace of God you are who you are.

REVERSING DOWN THE RAMP of an ocean-going ferry in a huge old County Station Wagon Landrover and a borrowed brown trailer, with the blue Adriatic ocean underneath, was a unique experience.

These huge ferries, like enormous three storey buildings, cross the strip of ocean between the beautiful Dalmatian coast and the long landform of Italy that looks like a leg on the map. I had to make the crossing of 200km from the medieval city of Split to the position of the “kneecap” of Italy.

We were living in a small town in Bosnia during and after the war, reaching out with the Gospel and distributing humanitarian aid. We had asked the Lord for strategy to reach the traumatized people and had heard from Him to bring in a Gospel Band. The Band, called U Turn (as in “turning back to God”) was on its way from South Africa. The only hitch was that the musical instruments, rented in Rome, had to be brought on a ferry. And the ferry only carried cargo packed inside a vehicle, since it functioned as a car ferry. That morning I got a phone call confirming that I had to bring a vehicle to Italy. “And we need a trailer?” I asked. “Definitely a trailer,” replied the thin voice from Rome.

I ran to the local market where you could buy anything from a handmade axe to a tomato. The farmers were enjoying the morning sun with a little black coffee and ‘rakia’ (mampoer). “Ima neki prekolitsa?” I yelled in the local language. “Does anybody have a trailer?” I rented a brown trailer from somebody’s chicken farm and he borrowed wheels for it from a neighbour.

That is how I landed on one of these huge vessels in the nick of time at sunset, moments before the last ferries departed. I felt relieved that my dog (my faith-ful travelling companion) and I had made it in time – until the official looked me in the eye and told me that I couldn’t board because I didn’t have a visa for Italy. I prayed, of course. A stranger came to my rescue and whispered, “Back down, get a ticket for the other ferry; they don’t check documents until you arrive in Italy.” Thus I found myself maneuvering down the ramp. I prayed again, this time not to land in the ocean.

I decided to be honest with the officials once on board, own up and explain my situation. The following morning as we docked in Italian waters, people queued for visa control. This was my moment to declare that I had no visa. I watched the smugglers passing money and goods around, merrily welcomed by the host nation. Yet I was singled out as the offender.

I had dressed with care that morning, wanting to look my best as a convict. The Italian police explained that they would guard me for the duration of the day,

until we had left Italian waters. The captain of the ferry was going to pay a fine for having me on board without a visa. I was introduced to the captain in his spotless white braided uniform. I apologized profusely and undertook to pay the fine. With that I had his attention. I then proceeded with my explanation – palms up when you speak to a Mediterranean, otherwise they don’t take you seriously. As part of the explana-tion I mentioned that I had to collect the musical instruments for the U Turn band.

Exactly here the misunderstanding entered. The captain snapped his fingers and summoned a meal served on the best white tablecloth with silver settings. After that he announced to the police that his passenger had to withdraw to her cabin to rest. The police had no choice but to put up camp in front of my room. Subsequently police headquarters were contacted because my dog had to be taken for her walk. Permission was granted for the dog to disembark and a police officer duly escorted her to Italian soil for the necessary.

The band members turned up and loaded their equipment, and the police retreated very cordially as we were sailing out. And I was still trying to figure out why the special treatment. When we arrived in Bosnia and I saw the news-paper banners, the penny dropped.

The world famous rock band U2 with Bono and co. was visiting Bosnia. And the captain and officials thought I had said “U-two” when I mentioned our little Gospel band called U turn.

For a fleeting few hours I had the feeling of being well connected to the celebrities of this world. And I am forever connected to our God, who has a sense of humor.

b y d i n i e s t e r h u i z e n

divine

74

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May our lives be living proof of the exchange that took place at Calvary,

where Jesus became a curse so that we might receive the blessing;

where He bore the shame and the rejection so that we might have God’s acceptance.

Even if we do not fully understand yet, may we believe

and say thank you, and share the redemption of the Cross,

because the thought of someone dying without having heard is unbearable.

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because of rebellion can experience restora-

tion through repentance.

STAGE ONE: REBELLION

A rebellious spirit marks the first stage of

getting into a crisis. We often rebel in one or

more of the following ways:

Impatience with God’s timing. The son didn’t

wait for the Father to divide the inheritance in

his time. “Give me my share of the estate.”

Desire to be in control. The son wanted to leave

town to be on his own. He wanted to be indepen-

dent of his father and in control of his own destiny.

Moral lapse or decline. The son soon forgot his

moral upbringing. He wasted his money on wild

(prodigal) living.

STAGE TWO: REVERSAL

After a rebellious spirit has run its course, God

sends a reversal that grabs our attention.

The lost son’s money is gone and the famine comes.

“After he had spent everything, there was a severe

famine in that whole country.” He turns to a

foreigner for help and finds himself in such a desper-

ate place that he even accepts to stay with and feed

the pigs. Can you imagine the state of desperation

that he must have been in that as a young Jewish

IN EVERY CULTURE AND EVERY AGE, GRACE COMMUNICATES. Loving the lovely

is no big deal. Anybody can do that. But embracing the people who are

unlovely is the mark of Christ.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from

yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.”

(Ephesians 2:8-9)

Earlier this year I was a facilitator at a camp where some of the young

people had broken one of the camp rules. In an attempt to persuade the

guilty ones to come forward, we took away everyone’s privilege to have

breakfast that morning. Everyone was keen to inform me who the guilty

ones were, but I was insistent that they come to me of their own accord.

Following a discussion on the meaning of grace, I let the young people have

breakfast even though they did not deserve it. After a few moments the

guilty ones came forward and accepted responsibility for what they had

done. The fact that they received an act of kindness even though they did

not deserve it, made the difference. This is exactly what grace means.

We were created for relationship with God, but the entry of sin into the

world caused a break in this relationship. God shows His grace in never

letting us go, although we may turn and run away from Him. When our

plans lead in a wrong direction, He sends reversals into our lives to

humble us and turn our hearts back to him.

With reference to the parable of the lost son in Luke 15, I want to

illustrate how the man or woman who has

suffered reversals

78

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79

GRACE

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male he was willing to spend time with an unclean animal? STAGE THREE: REPENTANCE

We need to see a time of crisis as a gift from God, which points us back toward Him. Our deep miseries invite us to turn to the unfailing love of our perfect Father. Often we don’t turn until we are turned. In the parable, the lost son comes to his senses in the depths of his despair.

STAGE FOUR: RESTORATION

The father in the parable did two things. Firstly, the father lavished his son with love. He was filled with compassion for him. The Greek word for compassion also means “to have the bowels yearn, to feel sympathy and to have pity”. Secondly, the father restored his son. Even before the son could finish his repentance speech the father began to say, “This son of mine was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found.” The father called for a celebration because his lost son had found his good sense again.

We are all lost children of our Heavenly Father – but if we turn to Him and repent, He will restore us. Even though we do not deserve to be restored. That is the meaning of grace.

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For it is by grace

you have been saved,

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- not by works,

so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

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Our Photographer - Capturing the moments

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‘Lord, restore unto me Thyself. I will never know myself if I don’t know You,

because I was created in Your beautiful image.’

- Liezl -

Helmet Breastplate Belt Shield Shoes Sword

ANT IQUE and ANTOINEIllustrator: Marthinus Palmer

SHIELD OF FAITH

In the time of the Bible, soldiers used leather shields as big as doors. They could link them together like a wall. They soaked the leather with water to put out the fiery

arrows of the enemy. Satan our enemy attacks us all the time with things that are like these arrows – for example fear, anger

and bad thoughts - to break the unity of our group of friends who believe in Jesus. These

arrows should be stopped with faith. Our faith in God is like a shield that puts out

Satan’s arrows.

As long as we cling to Jesus and to our faith in Him, Satan will not be able to harm us or

cause panic. Faith is to be sure of God’s love and protection, even though we cannot see Him. Don’t go anywhere without your

shield of faith!

It is

an

idea

l gift

!

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WHAT’S COMING IN ISSUE 5:

Feature

Do you hear what I hear? Prenatal messages

We visit Kempton Park and Tembisa

Add some energy

The gift of knowledge

take a lookd i r e c t o r y

To advertise in the “take a look directory” please contact Betsie Stokes on +27(11) 953-5214

Stand No 65, Shop 3, No 42 Rudolf Street

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‘Nineteen years ago I was desperate for God to take control of my chaotic life. I called out to Him and He

restored my life, renewing everything. Our God is an awesome God!’

- Betsie -

Our Copy Editor - An eye for words

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‘Throughout my life, God has been restoring me through people. May He use me as an instrument to restore

others; may He inspire my words.’

- Ena -

OF

E v e r y m o n t h w e w i l l p u b l i s h a f e w n a m e s f r o m T h e N a m e B o o k . E n j o y !

F r o m T h e N a m e B o o k b y D o r o t h y A s t o r i a , B e t h a n y H o u s e P u b l i s h e r s

name?what’s in a In Biblical times a person’s name had a lot to do with character and

destiny. In some special cases, God changed people’s names... Abram became Abraham, Sarai became Sarah, Jacob became Israel and Saul became Paul. It is interesting to know the meaning, origin and spiritual significance of your name.

KARIN

HELEN THERESA

BASIL

Language/Cultural Origin: GreekInherent meaning: LightSpiritual Connotation: RighteousScripture: Psalm 37:6 NKJV

“He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.”

Language/Cultural Origin: GreekInherent meaning: HarvesterSpiritual Connotation: Bountiful SpiritScripture: John 4:35 NLT

“Look around you! Vast fields are ripening all around us and are ready now for the harvest.”

Language/Cultural Origin: GreekInherent meaning: KinglySpiritual Connotation: MagnificentScripture: 1 Chronicles 29:12 NASB

“Both riches and honour come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might.”

Language/Cultural Origin: ScandinavianInherent meaning: UnblemishedSpiritual Connotation: RighteousScripture: Psalm 18:2 NCV

“The Lord is my rock, my protection, my Saviour. My God is my rock. I can run to him for safety. He is my shield and my saving strength, my defender.”

JOHN SIMEON RICHARDLanguage/Cultural Origin: GreekInherent meaning: God is GraciousSpiritual Connotation: Strength of GodScripture: Psalm 118:14 NKJV

“The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.”

Language/Cultural Origin: HebrewInherent meaning: God HeardSpiritual Connotation: DiligentScripture: Psalm 61:5 NASB

“For You have heard my vows, O God; You have given me the inheritance of those who fear Your name.”

Language/Cultural Origin: Old GermanInherent meaning: Powerful RulerSpiritual Connotation: BenevolentScripture: Psalm 111:10 NKJV

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.”

NATASHALanguage/Cultural Origin: RussianInherent meaning: Christmas ChildSpiritual Connotation: InnocentScripture: Matthew 18:3 NRSV

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

WERNERLanguage/Cultural Origin: Old GermanInherent meaning: ProtectorSpiritual Connotation: PeacefulScripture: John 14:27 NRSV

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”

9594

Unscramble each of the clue words

and take the letters that

appear in boxes

and unscramble them for the final message.

RUNT HET ETOHR KEHEC

DARUG OURY GOETUN

PAML NOUT YRUO EFET

VIEG ME A PERU REATH

EVLO UORY GIONEUBHR

FINAL MESSAGE

double“puzzle”wor ds

wor ds

1

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4

5

clue

wor

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correctly and send it to

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- A n g e l a R o g e r s -

I was crawling along a dusty path, my lips all dry and chapped, With the heavy load I used to carry bound upon my back.

I was surrounded by the darkness of the never-ending night, When I thought for just a second that I saw some kind of light.

“No”, I thought, “I’m just growing weary, it could never be”, But I lifted my head anyway, squinting hard to see.

And behold in the distance, a most glorious glimmer, A light so pure and yet it was before this wretched sinner.

Desperately I crawled towards it, my heart was pounding fast, And within the light I saw a figure, like a rugged sort of cross.

At its base the road divided, two paths before my eyes … One to death, this I knew for I heard the bitter cries

Of those who were confronted by this cross and by this light, But couldn’t see, or chose not to, and so stayed within the night.

The other path was narrow, the way it took was straight, And at the end stood an awesome sight – it was a pearly gate.

Then penetrating my very being, I heard a gentle voice, “I set before you life and death … now you make your choice”.

In reverent fear, I bowed down and asked “Who are You, LORD?” And I sensed His love as He declared to be the Living Word.

He said “No one passes into life, unless they go by Me, Look, these holes in My hands and feet, I endured to set you free.”

Blemish free, the Son of God, became our sacrifice, To allow access to the narrow path and entrance to eternal life.

Then, I don’t know why, He knelt beside my weakened form, And looked at me with eyes so caring, compassionate and warm.

Yet there were tears in them, this confused me too, They flowed as He begged me, saying “Let me rescue you.”

My thoughts shifted briefly to those who’d passed this way before, And I realised each one must have had this encounter with The LORD,

Where He reached out His arms, and invited them all in, But some rejected Him, I don’t know how, and so died within their sin.

Perceiving what was on my mind, He said, “Don’t make the same mistake, Choose life, and choose it now for tomorrow may be too late.”

All of us are journeying on life’s uncertain road, And on our backs we carry sin’s destructive load.

But when you see the cross of Jesus right before your face, Know that He will free you, for His cross is full of grace,

Then open up your heart, for then you have to choose, Life or death beyond the cross … your soul you must not lose.

Meeting Jesus

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AD

Now the wall of the New Jerusalem

had twelve foundations

and on them were the names

of the twelve apostles of the Lamb

0

the name of the apostle for Emerald:

A n d r e w

In Revelation 21, the names of the apostles are not written in a specific order.

We know that Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone. We feature the apostles names purely as information as to

whom the apostles were. Their names are in the order which they appear in Acts 1:13.