Reflections

³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:36-38 (NIV)

⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)

Thousands have gathered together in Philadelphia for the “America for Jesus” rally.  Thousands of Christians have come together to pray for the nation and the upcoming election.  Many are spending the next forty days fasting and praying for the nation.  Prayer is the life source of the believer.  It is our connection with God and it is vital that we pray and never cease to pray.  However, we can’t stop there.  We have to act and do what God has called us to do.

Many feel that our nation has become morally depraved and that we are headed for destruction.  Our government has failed us and many feel that this country is headed in the wrong direction.  The things that are contrary to God seem to be taking precedence in this nation of ours – sin abounds.  The people are hurting and crying out for help.  So they are looking toward this election to determine who is best to lead our nation which is one of the reasons for this rally and 40 days of prayer.

The church needs to understand that our government does not have the answers and we are the ones called to turn this nation toward God.  We have to see America as a land that is ripe for the harvest; to see the people as Jesus saw them “like sheep without a shepherd.”  So really our prayer should be to ask God to send more workers out to the harvest field.  Also, those of us that know God should answer God’s call of whom He shall send and go out as Jesus instructed us.

The tragedy of these 40 days of prayer is if we walk away at the end of the time and return to business as usual -back to our pews and pulpits.  Far too long the church has remained silent over the years.  Truthfully if our nation is becoming depraved then we have failed to live and teach the people by example because it is righteousness that exalts a nation and it is our duty to walk in righteousness.

So as we pray let us prepare ourselves for the work that lies ahead.  We can’t continue to sit in our pews and pulpits judging the nation and the people lording over them and dismissing the lost.  We need to have the compassion that Jesus had and seek to help and shepherd the people of this nation.

I refuse to believe that our nation is headed to destruction or moral depravity.  We are better than that.  We cannot give up on the people of this nation and we have to seek and go after those that are lost.  It is our mandate and the commission that Jesus gave every believer to go and make disciples of everyone.  It is God’s desire that none should perish and all should come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

It is my prayer and hope that this rally and this time of prayer will result in the greatest harvest our nation has seen.  It will happen in our nation and other nations as well.  We will see the greatest revival and soul harvest the world has ever seen.  Our best days are still ahead of us.  The United States of America is our inheritance and every nation that we declare.

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“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”  Matthew 24: 1 

Years ago I used to debate with others about the last days.  There were differing views about the rapture and the return of Jesus.  Most of us were looking at the signs of the times in determining Jesus’ return.  We looked at world events, economic situations and wars between nations.  Some were even looking for the signs of the antichrist or the mark of the beast as explained in the book of Revelation.

In Matthew 24 Jesus tells the disciples the signs of His return.  He talks about wars, rumors of wars, hatred by people, the rise of false prophets, deception, increase of lawlessness, but these are just signs.  Jesus said the end would come when the gospel is preached to the entire world.

As I have traveled on this missionary journey to some remote villages bringing the gospel of the good news, I am really beginning to understand the significance of this scripture and God’s will and purpose for the people of the world.  It is the commission that Jesus gave us before He returned to the Father over 2000 years ago to go and make disciples in all nations and all peoples.

Our concern should not be what the signs of the times are but are we fulfilling our purpose in taking the gospel to the far corners of the world?  There are so many that have been deceived by Satan and are in desperate need for the message of Hope, the Good News, the Kingdom of God.

We cannot be satisfied that the gospel is being preached if we are not in some way participating.  Not everyone has heard of Jesus and knows the truth of God.  Does your neighbor know Jesus?  How about your family members?  Who do you know that is still lost and blinded by the lie of the enemy?  You see the end cannot come until this gospel is preached to the entire world.  It requires every believer to participate and it is the mandate that Jesus entrusted us with.

I no longer hold the views of the last days that I used to.  Honestly, I was wrong in my views.  They were short sighted and quite selfish.  As I have traveled to other parts of the world I am ever convinced that my responsibility is to preach this gospel, to take it until the day the Lord calls me home or the day Jesus returns.  Either way I want to be found doing the work Jesus entrusted me to do.

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For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.  Psalm 149:4

At the beginning of 2011 our church declared this was the year of God’s pleasure.  At first when I heard this I thought about blessings and promises of God.  I thought maybe this year if I did more for God I would find more pleasure in Him.  But that was not the case.  Instead this year I learned that God is pleased with me not because of what I did but God is pleased with me because of who I am His daughter.

Discovering God’s pleasure has been life changing for me.  For so many years I viewed Christianity as working and doing right by God.  As long as I did those things then He would bless me.  If I worked then I would be accepted.  Unfortunately, this year I have not worked as hard as I have in the past or produced a bunch of good works that would qualify be as having grown as a Christian.  Instead I have spent this year learning that God loves me and accepts me just as I am.

It has not been easy seeing me as God sees me.  At times I have shied away from God’s pleasure and fallen into the trap of condemning myself.  Time and time again God has spent time expressing His love for me not based on what I have done.  God has shown me He values relationship over work.  He would rather me spend intimate moments with Him lavishing His love on me than me producing a bunch of work and saying “look what I did.”  God has asked me to look to Him.

I did not accomplish everything I set out to do this year.  But I am not the same.  Something has shifted and changed in my life.  I no longer see my relationship with God as to something that has to be earned; or supported by the work that I do in the church or ministry.

I am not a servant doing my master’s business, but I am a daughter continuing the work of my Father’s business.  My goals and dreams have changed.  I want to see the same things God wants to see happen.   I no longer judge myself by past, my failures, or shortcomings.  You see I am the beautiful daughter of the Most High.  He saved me and He changed me.  The Lord takes great pleasure in me, and I take great pleasure in Him.

2011 was a great year, for the first time I experienced the true pleasure of God He found in me.  He brought me to beauty from ashes.

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³ What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?  Romans 3:3

¹³ If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2:13

God is forever faithful, continually showing His love and mercy toward us.  God’s faithfulness is not dependent upon our faithfulness.  Praise God!  Unfortunately, many Christians feel that God will only remain faithful to them if they remain faithful to Him.  We constantly fall short of the glory of God, but His love and faithfulness is unconditional.

When Israel was being led out of Egypt, they murmured and complained.  They built an idol and worshipped it.  However, God remained faithful and continued to lead Israel to the promise land.  Despite man’s denial of Jesus and rejection of Him, God still fulfilled His promise and sent Jesus to the cross.  God used the death and resurrection of His Son to deliver us from sin, making us blameless and righteous like Jesus.  We also have the promise of the Holy Spirit to seal us until the day of Jesus’ return.  These things are dependent upon God’s faithfulness and not ours.

God does not shift like the wind.  He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  God promises us new mercies every day.  When we repent of our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us (1 John 1:9).  We can be confident in trusting God with everything in our lives; He is faithful and will fulfill all of His promises, abounding in His love for us.

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When I started this blog my purpose was to create devotionals based on scriptures and how God’s word pertains to our everyday life.  I tried to take a more theological approach to life but find this approach is not working for me.  Also, many of the things I shared was based on my knowledge and interpretation of the scriptures.  However, I know that there are many blogs, writings, teachings, books, sermons that interpret  the scriptures.  Do we really need another one?

Quite honestly I have been stuck for months as to what to write.  The devotional approach I took just hit a wall.  Nothing was coming to me.  However, in the past few months I have been growing in my spiritual walk and many changes have taken place.  I have been seeking God more for answers to questions I have.  Also I have been questioning many religious things I was taught in the church for years that do not seem to agree with God’s word.

I thought the better approach to this blog would be to chronicle my journey in seeking answers to my questions and my own personal experiences in my walk.  I will still use the scriptures as my jumping off point but the entries will be more personal.  My hope is that as I reflect on questions I have, what God is doing in my own life and what is happening around me you too will be blessed.

I really do welcome comments and questions.  We are all on a similar journey of going from faith to faith and glory to glory.  I pray that this blog will bless you as it is blessing me.

Yours in Christ,

Anna Mangeni

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“THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

We cannot fathom what God has planned for us.  Many of us will not let go of our own will and surrender to God’s will.  When we hold on to our wills, we miss God’s very best for our lives.  Our minds are finite and limited in thinking.  God is infinite and with Him all things are possible.

Too many of us settle for the little things in life, not pursuing our dreams, thinking we don’t deserve greater things.  God desires our faith, He wants us to trust Him to deliver blessings and plans we could have never imagined for ourselves.  He loves us.

We think of heaven and he mansions Jesus talked about, but we don’t think of what we can have, and accomplish, through God on this earth.  How many of us live up to our potential?  When God sees us, He does not see a person with limits or shortcomings.  God sees what He is creating us to be and what He desires us to be – the image of Christ.

We limit God in our lives with our lack of faith and our lack of vision.  God is creating dreams and visions within you right now.  What is stopping you from pursuing your purpose?  It is time we start putting our faith and trust in God, and believe in the impossible.  Pursue God’s will for your life today and let Him order your steps.

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Dear Readers,

I will be taking a leave from my blog and internet due to a mission trip to Africa.  I thank you all for your support and will be returning to the blog in September.  You are always welcome to look at past blogs.  The dates are to your right and there are blogs from last year also.  Be blessed and continue to reflect on God’s word because it is truly a living word that gives us life.

Pastor Anna

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²⁷God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

 28God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

 29Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;

 30and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to everything that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so.  Genesis 1: 27-30

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  God also created man and gave man dominion over all the earth.  As much as we have dominion over the earth including all the land and creatures, we have responsibilities in caring for the land and its creatures.  That is why it is so sad to see what is happening in the Gulf of Mexico with the oil spill.

For decades we have talked about relying less on oil and finding ways to better conserve energy and find more efficient means in powering our automobiles and other means of transportation.  There is technology available but we have chosen to continue to rely on oil as our main source.

So now when we see the lives that were lost with this oil rig explosion and the millions of barrels of oil spilling into the gulf – was it worth it?  We will now take responsibility of our land and living creatures and make better choices in how we use nature’s resources?

The spill in the Gulf is so overwhelming; we can only guess the damage that this spill will cause to the ecosystem and the livelihood of those who live along the Gulf Coast.  Maybe the best thing to do is to acknowledge our weaknesses and pray that God will intervene on our behalf.  Hopefully, this will serve as a wakeup call that we have bigger responsibilities in subduing the earth and caring for its creatures.  We cannot allow money to continue to be our sole focus.  The oil companies do have a responsibility, but we have a greater one in keeping them accountable and finding other ways to conserve energy.

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