1John 4:4

When I became a Christian, I found the Great Commission very overwhelming:

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;
and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Amen
Matthew 28: 19-20.

It seemed like such a huge task, almost impossible. How on earth am I supposed to do that? Doesn't God know who are the people I have to talk to? I was scared to share my faith with people. And to be honest, sometimes I still am. I have come up with people who are so angry with God, that when they hear that I am a Christian it releases this ravenous beast that wants to chew up and spit out the Word of God like it's stale gum. It's pointless. It's worthless. It's only for gullible people. I can't believe in a God that says homosexuality is wrong. I can't believe in a God....period. These are some of the responses I've gotten from people.

It can leave you disheartened and weary. And for a few years, I just gave up sharing my faith. People choose want they want to. God gave us free will, so who am I to shove this down their throats, when they obviously don't want it. But that's not what God called me to do. When I became a Christian, I told God that I would love Him with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). And if I love Him, I will obey His commandments (John 14:15). And He commands me to go and make disciples! So how am I supposed to do that?!

I think (and to be honest, I still do a bit) find it daunting, because I think of me, on my own facing people. But that's not the truth, Jesus has promised to be with me always, even to the end of the age! Whenever I feel that the task Jesus has given is too much, I take comfort in the words from 1 John 4:4

...He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world

I asked Jesus to come into my heart, and being a Christian means that I am in Jesus and Jesus is in me. So I go in boldness of faith, knowing that it is not just me, but it is me with the armies of heaven and Jesus Christ in me, to go and tell them the truth. The truth that believing in Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven. And by believing in Him, you have eternal life.

The harvest is great, but the workers are few...

Boldness of faith

It has been a great few weeks being back in England. Believe me, I do miss the warm climate of Jamaica. The privilege of being able to wear slippers and sleeveless tops, and to be able to swim in the sea without putting yourself at risk of hypothermia. And I miss my family and not being able to see my very handsome nephews -for me home is where the heart is. But, God has been blessing me so much since I've been back.

I had a safe trip back. Both my suitcases turned up at Heathrow. I did have a little scare when I arrived in Miami where I was told (in Jamaica) to collect my bags and I didn't see them arrive for over 1 hour! But the people in the baggage collection were very helpful and one of them lead me to an Air Jamaica personnel, who put my concerns to rest when he said that my bags were checked through to Heathrow!

Chris and I are very close to an African church in East Croydon, London. It was the Pastor of the church, Louis Arku of Eagle Christian Ministries who told Chris that he was called to be a pastor. Whenever we attend their church we always go there with great expectation that God will do something! It's not that we don't get blessed in our church in Stapenhill (Immanuel Church), but there is something very special about Eagle Christian Ministries. Their motto is 'Proclaiming Jesus, Touching Lives' and that's exactly what they do. They proclaim the truth of the Bible (undiluted) and we never leave there the same. It'll be 5 years this year that we've been friends with them, and it's encouraging to note in ourselves (Chris and I) that we have changed and we have matured in our faith.

The main thing that I took from being there last week Sunday (14th January) was to be bold in my faith. To recognise that greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. And because of that promise, to not be shy about sharing my faith to people, even though they may scoff at it. Jesus faced prosecution during His ministry. There are several accounts in the Bible when they threatened to stone Him for what He was saying. But He kept on going boldly with faith in His Heavenly Father until the end....

I've been meditating on this and God lead me to this Scripture passage - Jeremiah 17:7-8

...blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in Him.
He will be like a tree planted by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.

I want to stand firm no matter what the year brings trusting and putting my confidence in Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father, so that I will bear good fruit for the sake of the kingdom of God.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

It's official I have to complete my PhD in 9 months!

I wasn't sure whether to make new year resolutions or not....but I did anyway. My main New Year resolution is to eat healthier and exercise more! Sounds a bit boring...and also like a cliche. My New Year prayer is the same as last year, reconciliation and restoration of my family. I pray that I'll be able to see my brother, his wife and his children and to have all of my family under one roof. For my Dad, I pray that he will become a new creature in Jesus Christ. It has been so difficult for my mom and myself with him moping around and throwing himself a pity-party. In a way, I'm scared because I don't want him to take it all out on Mommy once I'm gone. I know that I can't be around for her all the time, but I do feel guilty leaving her alone with the wrath of my father.

But what else can I do, but pray. I've tried talking to him. I've wrote him letters. I've prayed...but not with complete faith in my heart I guess. I've yet to fully understand the perseverance in prayer. Is it repeating a prayer all the time to God? Or is it having it consistently in your heart, even though you may not say it out loud? I do find prayer confusing at times. I feel that do it too casually...if that's a possibility. Why do I feel that I need to put on this 'air' when I pray that will make it more effective? I would love to see some of my prayers answered, the main prayer being Daddy's willingness to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour. I think that event will have such a ricochet effect on all of our lives, that I may end up crying and shouting from the roof tops that God does answer prayer. And it's not to say that I haven't seen Him answer my prayers...I have. It's just that the situation between my parents has been going on for over 20 yrs. This year will make 15 years since my brother was in Jamaica! And I would love to hear his voice....I think I've forgotten what he sounds like!

But I pray to God for supernatural strength and to pray against procrastination so that I can push full steam ahead with writing up my dissertation. I feel scared...I am scared. But all things are possible when I put my trust in God. Nevertheless, I have to do my part. And this is where I need divine guidance for.

So, Happy New Year everyone. May God richly bless you in all that you do!

Lots of love

Julie