Reflections

May 21, 2011 – A Dangerous Prediction

May 20, 2011 by Anna Mangeni

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 3:2

“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 25:14

Harold Camping, Family Radio, has predicted and prophesied that the rapture will take place on May 21, 2011 and five months from then the world will end on October 21, 2011. Camping has convinced some people that they will be raptured by Jesus on May 21^st and the rest will be left to face God’s judgment. This is not the first time someone has set a date for the rapture or the end of the world. However, my criticism is not concerning Camping’s prediction but what really should concern us is the foundation of people’s faith.

In 2000 I was very involved in the teaching and timing of the rapture. I remember how there were some of us who believed that the rapture would take place that year based on some events happening in the world and the timing of the earth. One of the dates came and went and we learned that someone in our group actually committed suicide because the rapture did not happen. We realized how dangerous it is to prophesy a specific date for the rapture or the end of the world.

As I have watched the news about this current prediction I remembered my own disappointment in 2000 and the craziness I was involved in. It did nothing to increase or benefit my faith, nor was I effective in leading others to Jesus. I believed what I wanted to believe even though it wasn’t based on truth or God’s word. My fascination with predicting the rapture almost became a detriment to my faith. Since then I have grown in my relationship with Jesus and have accepted that it really is not for me to know the dates and times that have been set by God. Instead I am learning how to live heaven on earth. Our prayer should be that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

After the resurrection Jesus instructed the disciples to preach the gospel to all the nations of the world. Jesus left but He did not take the Kingdom with Him, instead He told us to occupy while we wait for His return. Our message is to teach the world about the gospel and the Kingdom. We are to bring heaven to earth. Jesus said the world would know us because of the love we have for one another.

There are many that believe tomorrow the rapture will take place. Some have even emptied out their savings and have given stuff away, awaiting for tomorrow. If the rapture fails to take place what will they do? What will happen to their faith? What price have they paid listening to Camping? I pray that they will come to know Jesus in a more intimate way and just understand how much the Father loves them. The very things they desire they can have in Jesus today. They will remember that Jesus abides in us and we abide in Him.

Our hope and faith must be based on the foundation of Jesus, not on another person, event or some date. We know that one day Jesus will return and we all hope it will take place in our lifetime. However, let us not forget the bigger picture and that is that God desires that all will come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. God takes no pleasure in the destruction of people; neither should we.

John preached that the Kingdom of God was at hand and told the people to repent. Jesus came and preached the gospel and the kingdom of God; and we as believers must continue to take the gospel to the entire world.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 25 the signs of His coming. Many of the signs are just the beginning of the end. Jesus said the end would come when the gospel of the kingdom was preached to the whole earth. So each day Jesus tarries we must continue preaching the gospel of the kingdom – the hope that we have in Jesus. Most of all let us share the gospel in the spirit of love and compassion; and not with fear and judgment.

Tomorrow is never promised to us. So when May 21^st does come let us rejoice and be glad in the day that the Lord has made. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34

Posted in Heaven, Jesus, Salvation | 1 Comment »

Performing Signs and Wonders

May 18, 2011 by Anna Mangeni

²⁶“I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel;
For He is the living God and enduring forever,
And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed,
And His dominion will be forever.
²⁷“He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders, In heaven and on earth,
Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.” Daniel 6:26-27

“I believe in miracles with every atom of my being… because I believe in God – but Kathryn Kuhlman has nothing to do with the healing of sick bodies. I have no healing power. It’s the power of God that does the healing. The only part I have in it is making Jesus real to the hearts of men and women. Any results there might be in this life of mine, is not Kathryn Kuhlman. It’s the Holy Spirit; IT’S WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES THROUGH A YIELDED VESSEL.” – Kathryn Kuhlman.

I found this quote by Kathryn Kuhlman, who was a great faith healer and evangelist in the 1940s through 1970s, and pondered this for quite some time. Miracles, signs and wonders are to point people to our God. They are not meant to elevate men or cause others to glorify and worship us. Miracles are a testimony to the power and glory of God. We see this in the book of Daniel.

King Darius threw Daniel into the lions’ den because Daniel did not stop praying to God. King Darius hoped that God would save Daniel because it was the king’s injunction that got Daniel thrown in the lions’ den. When King Darius saw the next day that Daniel had not been harmed and eaten by the lions’ he was grateful and gave glory to God. It was God’s provision that caused King Darius to make the above confession about God. See that is the purpose of miracles, signs and wonders.

Kathryn Kuhlman understood this too. She knew that healing had nothing to do with her ability or power but that it was all God and she was just a vessel. Daniel understood this too. He acted as a vessel for God to cause the kings of Babylon to bow to Him; to confess that God was above all and that His kingdom would endure forever.

As Christians we must be yielded vessels, allowing the Holy Spirit to do the work of bringing conviction of sin to the world and the world to Jesus. The greatest miracle is the death and resurrection of a life – when someone who is dead in their sin is made alive in Jesus. God said that whenever we preach the gospel signs and wonders would follow as a confirmation of His word.

Posted in God's Glory, Healing, Knowing God, The Father, The Holy Spirit | Leave a Comment »

No Slaves in Heaven

May 13, 2011 by Anna Mangeni

The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave. Proverbs 22:7

The average person has some type of financial debt that they owe to a bank, financial institution, company, school, hospital, IRS or person(s). Many of us owe money on our homes, cars, education, etc. These lenders have the power to repossess our property, foreclose on our homes, or impose massive financial penalties for late payments and our inability to pay. In essence we are slaves to these lenders.

For years our family has been trying to pay down our debts. We have consulted financial advisors, read books on money management, cut expenses, and worked out a budget. Yet still we live paycheck to paycheck like most people trying to make ends meet. In this time when gas and food prices are increasing the looming debts that we owe overshadow our finances. We have spent years paying our mortgage but when we look at our principle loan amount not much of it has been paid, most of the money goes toward the interest. I do praise God for the provision but honestly the burden of debt has gotten to be too much. It seems to only bring stress, worry and doubts about the future. So I did the only thing I could do and I cried out to God.

I told God we have not robbed Him. We pay our tithes and offerings. We have listened to man’s wisdom and strategy. We have done our best to be good stewards with the money God has entrusted us with, but still we are bound to these lenders where most of our money goes toward paying off debts.

Is God willing to cancel our debts? I pondered this question as I struggled on how to pray. I know that God has paid our sin debt through the blood of Jesus. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection sin and death no longer have power over us. What about our financial debts? Is it our responsibility to get ourselves out of debt since we got ourselves in debt in the first place? These questions caused me to doubt God’s willingness to get us out of this burdensome situation. Then I heard God ask “Are there slaves in heaven?”

I thought about it. There are no slaves in heaven. Then I remembered Jesus teaching His disciples to pray that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. It is not the will of God that we be slaves on earth. He does not want us to be enslaved by lenders. So what do we do? We pray that God’s will be done, and we surrender to God’s will for our finances. We trust God for wisdom and direction in getting ourselves out of these situations. It may require some tough decisions and a lot of discipline. With God all things are possible.

So if you are in debt and feel enslaved by your lenders then know that is not the will of God. There are no slaves in heaven. You do not have to wait until you get to heaven to be free. For whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Be encouraged and believe that God can and will free us from any situation we find ourselves in. We shouldn’t have to work for money, money should work for us.

Posted in Heaven, Knowing God, Money, The Father, The Word | Leave a Comment »

The Godly Wives

May 5, 2011 by Anna Mangeni

¹⁰An excellent wife, who can find?
         For her worth is far above jewels.
¹¹The heart of her husband trusts in her,
         And he will have no lack of gain.
¹²She does him good and not evil
         All the days of her life.

²⁵Strength and dignity are her clothing,
         And she smiles at the future.
²⁶She opens her mouth in wisdom,
         And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
³⁰Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
         But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. Proverbs 31:10-12, 25-30

We have so many TV shows about wives: Desperate Housewives; The Real Housewives of Orange County, New York, Atlanta, Miami, New Jersey, D.C., Beverly Hills; Army Wives; Basketball Wives; and now Mob wives the list goes on. Sadly the majority of the women on these so called reality shows depict wives as being rich, spoiled, mean, vindictive, shallow, etc. It seems the best drama comes from the fighting that occurs on these shows. It really is pitiful how these wives are portrayed. However, we must love it because there seems to be a new show coming each year focused on wives. Honestly, these shows do not depict the average wife.

Proverbs 31 describes a wife of noble character. The writer asks who can find an excellent wife. Truly her worth is more than fine jewels. She gives her husband no trouble. She is not a backbiter, backstabber, deceitful, malicious, or anything contrary to nobility.

So today let’s celebrate and praise the Godly wives – the women who fear the Lord. She is the jewel of her husband’s eye. She is blessed and is a blessing to others. Here are more attributes of the Godly wives:

¹⁴She is like merchant ships; she brings her food from afar.
¹⁵She rises also while it is still night and gives food to her household and portions to her maidens.
¹⁶She considers a field and buys it; from her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷She girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong.
¹⁸She senses that her gain is good; her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hands grasp the spindle.
²⁰She extends her hand to the poor, and she stretches out her hands to the needy. Proverbs 31

Posted in God's Glory, The Righteous | Leave a Comment »

Unity!

May 3, 2011 by Anna Mangeni

“Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand. Matthew 12:25

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! Psalm 133:1

How wonderful it was to see on Monday May 2^nd the unity that America showed when we learned the news of Osama Bin Laden. It was great to hear that people everywhere where unified on this issue. There was no democrats, republicans, black, white, class, etc. It was just Americans celebrating the strength of this nation – the United States of America.

For the past few years we have been so divided over so many issues and that divide seemed to be getting greater and greater. Since the economy has been in bad shape we as a nation have been pointing fingers and blaming each other. The rhetoric that has been spoken has been full of hate and very divisive. But yesterday we showed that we can be better than that. We can be a better nation.

Last week I was reading that China may soon pass the US as the global superpower. Many continue to predict the demise of the US. It was not like that just a few years ago but our division has taken a great toil on this nation. It is this division that will destroy us, not another country or even a terrorist group. If we are divided against ourselves we cannot stand. The problems we are facing in this nation effect everyone and we must be united in solving our problems. We may disagree on many issues but that disagreement does not need to divide us.

When the forefathers founded this nation many of them had differing opinions and ideals but they were united by one common cause – freedom. It was that unity that founded this country and made it so great. Unfortunately, these past couple of years there is talk of some states wanting to secede. Some saying we have to take our country back (not sure from whom?). The division amongst races and classes is getting worse. It would be a great tragedy if this nation is laid to waste because of our division.

We are better than this, yesterday was proof. We can be united once again by a vision of a better future, and coming together to solve our nation’s problems. The naysayers are saying we will be laid to waste, but we don’t have to accept this. We should not accept this. The United States is still a very young country especially compared to many other nations. The one thing that has always defined us from all others is that we were and still can be “One nation under God.” There is power and blessing in Unity. God bless the United States of America.

Posted in government, The Righteous, Unity | Leave a Comment »

Why Celebrate?

May 2, 2011 by Anna Mangeni

The exercise of justice is joy for the righteous, but is terror to the workers of iniquity. Proverbs 21:15

Today news spread that Osama Bin Laden had been killed by Special Forces of the US Military. There were images of people celebrating in front of the White House, in New York City at Ground Zero, on college campuses and in other cities in the US. People were rejoicing about the capture and death of Bin Laden. Finally, one of the most wanted men on earth had been killed. But why rejoice some Christians ask? Some have said that we are no better than Bin Laden by rejoicing in his death.

Let’s put this in perspective. Yes as Christians we are to show love and mercy for all. We are to extend the love of Christ to everyone including our enemies. Jesus said that if they hate us they hated Him first; of course Jesus died for all of our sins. Osama Bin Laden declared Israel and Christians his enemy. He led terror attacks, death sentences, and declared war on those who did not believe in the god he believed in. For years thousands of men, women and children died because of Osama Bin Laden. Since 9/11/2001 he has been hiding but still calling upon the death of Americans and Israelites everywhere. He showed us no mercy but God showed him mercy every day he lived on this earth. Osama Bin Laden had a chance every morning to repent and turn from his wicked ways, but he chose not to and in the end fought until his death.

During years of terror and death, people cried out to God for justice. Families and loved ones wanted justice for all the people who died in terror attacks orchestrated by Osama Bin Laden. We prayed for justice for the troops that lost their lives in pursuing Bin Laden and fighting two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. America demanded justice and today America got justice.

This is why people flooded the streets in celebration and jubilee. For years the people longed for justice and finally their prayers were answered. The good news is that even if we are wrong, God is not. Osama Bin Laden will give an account before God and God will have the final say. God is just, and is the administrator of all justice.

Posted in Justice, Sowing and Reaping, The Father, The Righteous | Leave a Comment »

These Signs Shall Follow

April 22, 2011 by Anna Mangeni

¹⁹So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

²⁰And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed. Mark 16: 19-20

³how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard,

⁴God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. Hebrews 2: 3-4

Today is Good Friday and Sunday is Easter. As Christians we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ during this time. Usually on Easter weekend, churches have the largest attendance of the year. So many churches preach the gospel message hoping that many will give their life to Christ.

When Jesus commissioned the disciples after His resurrection, He told them that when they went out to preach the gospel, signs and wonders would follow them. They would be able to cast out demons, lay hands on the sick and they would be healed. We are also told in the above scriptures that God confirms the message of salvation by both signs and wonders and various miracles. We cannot have the gospel preached without evidence of signs, wonders and miracles. Otherwise we are simply preaching a message with no power behind it.

We should not only anticipate a great soul harvest this weekend, but we should expect to see it all including signs, wonders and miracles. Their purpose is to confirm the gospel message and point people to Jesus. So we should expect to see miracles, healings take place, deliverance from demons, etc. Of course the greatest miracle of all is when a person is saved – that person was once dead in their sin and is made alive in Christ.

So let’s invite the lost, the sick and shut in, the hopeless, the downtrodden, those bound, etc.; and expect God to show up and deliver them all. Let our prayer be that God will confirm His covenant, made through the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, by the miracles, signs and wonders that will point all men to Jesus.

Posted in Crucified, God's Glory, Healing, Jesus, Prayer, Salvation, Satan, Sin, Teaching, The Father, The Holy Spirit, The Righteous, The Word | Leave a Comment »

Peace As Our Guide

April 15, 2011 by Anna Mangeni

⁶For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6

⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

Peace is one of the tools the Holy Spirit uses to give us direction, either with the presence or absence of peace. It is very important that we are in tune with the Holy Spirit and recognize when peace is present or not present.

The Holy Spirit will warn us if danger is ahead or if we are making the wrong decision. He will confirm if a decision is right and the will of God. But we must be sensitive to His promptings. Many people want God to shout in a booming voice what they should or should not do. Many times it is simply the presence or absences of peace that will let us know if we are on the right track.

Too many of us ignore this and we make decisions that we have no peace about but somehow reason it out to be right. Other times we gave peace about a decision but it does not make sense in the natural, so we question ourselves and go against that decision. It is very important that we heed to the Holy Spirit’s promptings and warnings.

When we make a decision based on God’s will, and obey Him, there will be peace, the kind of peace that is not controlled by circumstances or emotions. It is the peace of God; peace that the world does not have.

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When We Doubt

April 12, 2011 by Anna Mangeni

⁵But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

⁶But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

⁷For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,

⁸being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1: 5-8

There are times when we pray that we do not really know the will of God in a situation, so we pray “If it be your will Lord…” When we start our prayer with “if” it is an indication of doubt. “If” is not a definitive statement, it is a conditional statement. So when we put “if” in our prayer it is a conditional prayer that is actually based on doubt.

James tells us to ask for wisdom, so if we do not know what God’s will is in a situation we should ask for wisdom. God will give us wisdom and we can pray in accordance to that wisdom and God’s will. However, when we doubt we are double minded and unstable. We really have no confidence in our prayer or in God.

We know that without faith it is impossible to please God. James tells us that when we doubt we should not expect to receive anything from God. One minute we may believe God will hear and answer our prayer, but in another moment we will question the willingness of God. We become double minded.

Jesus taught us to pray that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. So when we pray we should not doubt that the will of God will be done. We don’t have to make statements such as “if it by thy will God…” we can say with certainty “Thy will be done God.” Wherever we lack wisdom we can simply ask God in faith and we will receive.

Prayers that are rooted in doubt cannot be answered by God. Only prayers of faith will be answered by God.

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And When You Pray

April 8, 2011 by Anna Mangeni

⁹“Pray, then, in this way:
  ‘Our Father, who is in heaven,
   Hallowed be Your name.
¹⁰’Your kingdom come
   Your will be done,
   On earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹‘Give us this day our daily bread.
¹²‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’ Matthew 6:9-13

Jesus taught the disciples how to pray. We often pray the Lord’s prayer in church and in our private time. This prayer is usually memorized by most Christians. But do we really pray the way Jesus taught us to pray?

Many times when we pray we put a caveat in our prayer “If it be your will…” But Jesus told us to pray “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” So when we pray we are to pray that the Father’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We do not have to guess what the Father wants to do. So when we pray we should ask ourselves what heaven says. Then we know what to pray.

When we pray for the salvation of a loved one, we know that everyone in Heaven is saved, so when we pray we pray for God’s will on earth as it is in heaven. We know it is God’s will to save the lost. There is no sickness in heaven, so we know we can pray God’s will for healing to be done on earth as it is in heaven. The bible even says that if we delight ourselves in Him, He will give us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4). So we can pray with confidence that God’s will be done when it comes to our desires.

When we start off a prayer saying “If it be your will…” we put the responsibility on God and remove our responsibility to have faith that God will answer our prayer. Because if our prayer is not answered, then we can say it was not God’s will. Instead, we should have enough faith to believe God for the answered prayer; have confidence enough that if it is not in line with His will then He will tell us; and direct us in what His will is in the situation.

It is important to remember that we pray from Heaven to earth. We are to pray that which is loose in heaven be loosed on earth. So it is always in line with God’s will to pray for peace, salvation, healing, restoration, joy, love, etc. because all these things are found in heaven. We never have to worry that God desires anything that is contrary to heaven.

So the next time you pray know that the will of God will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Pray in faith and with confidence.

Posted in Healing, Jesus, Knowing God, Love, Prayer, Salvation, The Father, The Word | Leave a Comment »

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