I Was Just Thinking

By Pastor Vincent Imwensi

We have a crafty enemy who has perfected the act of stealing, killing and destroying. So he has different clever ways of doing so.

The Bible calls the devil a serpent and when you look at serpents (or snakes) in the natural, you find that not only do they meander in the way they move, they also do not swallow their prey without first paralysing and strangling it. It is after they have strangled their prey that they begin to swallow it in.

The same thing happens with this spiritual serpent, the devil (and his demons).
One of the devil’s clever ways to carry out his killing agenda is to present you with your own death warrant and trick you to sign it.

What is this death warrant?
What am I talking about? Well, it is not a piece of paper and pen that he gives to you – it is his misrepresentations and misinterpretations of your situations and circumstances which he pumps into your mind and wants you to accept. He paints them really black.
For instance, by the thoughts that he suggests into your mind, he reminds you of what is not working in your life. He shows you your colleagues and other people for whom everything is fine (so it seems) while you are still in your problems.

He tells you that at the rate you are going, nothing good is going to come out of your life. He leaves you thinking that there is no point in continuing to live. He tells you that prayer doesn’t work like you think; and that righteousness doesn’t pay. He will point out to you people that do not pray and do not care about righteousness for whom everything is working fine (so to say).

He will even tell you that going to church is a waste of time (which is why many don’t or no longer go to church these days). He will show you many people that do not go to church but who are enjoying life. What is he trying to do, he is trying to make you sign your death warrant because the moment you agree and begin to harbour these thoughts, he gets busy to destroy your life.

He hides his identity. It doesn’t sound as though it is the devil speaking
When the enemy is speaking to you, he doesn’t want you to know – he hides his identity while he subtly blows these thoughts into your mind. Yes, he does all these suggestions in a very crafty way by hiding behind your thinking process in which case, you don’t even know that he is the one pushing these thoughts into your mind – you’d think it is just you thinking things over.

The devil understands very clearly that most of the time, he cannot kill you or your vision or your dreams without your permission. He will come to you asking for that permission in some very subtle ways. He wants you to agree with him and when you do, you will begin to sign your own death warrant without knowing that that is what you are doing.

How is this death warrant signed?
It is first by the thoughts of your heart and then by the words of your mouth – in that order. The thoughts come first and they are followed by spoken words.

Like the scripture tells us, it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks (Mt.12:34). So the enemy throws thoughts – negative thoughts, discouraging thoughts and defeatist thoughts into your mind. 
Most times, these thoughts are based on facts, they are logical. If you don’t deal with such negative thoughts, very soon, you will begin to speak against yourself, against your dreams and your visions; against your aspirations, pursuits and endeavours.

The words that proceed out of your mouth are acted upon by unseen forces
You may begin to say things like, “Oh, I don’t think it is going to work for me. I am a failure, my business will never succeed, I am too ugly to marry, I am too old to marry; all my mates have left me behind; it is too late for me to make any difference now, it is better for me to die than to live, no good thing ever happens to people like me, this sickness is going to kill me, I am not going to live long, why me, oh me, poor me ….” and stuff like that.

Life and death are in the power of the tongue, the scripture tells us (Prov.18:21). And you need to understand that the words that proceed out of your mouth are acted upon by invisible forces – that is, the forces of good or of evil.

When you speak the right words, positive words, words of hope and faith, the angels of God can act on those words to release your victory and breakthroughs according to what you are saying. But when your words are negative, the devils that have been on your trail are quick to jump at them and begin to execute those negatives sentences against you.

Correct logic and truth are not always the same
You may think you are being realistic and logical but you need to realize that logic and truth are not always the same. Something can be logical and seem realistic yet not true.

For instance, there are some people right now who are in prison for crimes they did not commit but the logic of the case pointed accusing fingers at them and so they were found guilty and imprisoned – even though the truth is that they are innocent. Don’t let the enemy imprison you by the logic of your circumstances.

Look at your life through the mirror of God’s word 
Look at your life and circumstances through the mirror of the truth of God’s word. What does God’s word say about you?

It says that it shall be well with the righteous; it says that weeping may endure for a night but joys is coming in the morning; It says that many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all; it says that God will not leave or forsake those who are His; it says that God is able to make way where there is no way for those that trust in Him; it says that to him that believes, all things are possible … and so on.

With all such wonderful promises there for you, there is no reason to despair. Stand on God’s word and keep on believing and trusting Him. He will turn things around for you. God is never too late and there is nothing impossible for Him.

Activate these wonderful promises and let them begin, to work for you. How do you do that? By meditating on them and speaking them forth by faith into your life and circumstances.

Therefore, be careful what thoughts you allow to stay on your mind. If they are negative, discouraging and depressing thoughts, (no matter how logical they may be, ) reject them outright – do not dwell on them and don’t let them come out of your mouth.

What if you don’t have what it takes?
Born again Christians can fight negative thoughts with their faith, with the wonderful promises of God word and through the help of the Holy Spirit.

But if you are not a Christian, when these negative thoughts invade your mind, you are helpless to counter them. That is often the time some people go and get drunk or begin to smoke substances intended to help them overcome the problem. Some even contemplate suicide at such times.

If this is talking about you, I am happy to let you know that there is help for you. All you need to do is commit your life to the Lord Jesus Christ and He will come into your life. Click here to find out how.

When that happens, you are put in a position to counteract and overcome such negative invasions on your mind and be able to say no the the death warrant the enemy wants to trick you to sign.

by Pastor Vincent Imwensi

There is often a tendency for many people to treat what is free as “cheap.” Consequently they take it for granted and treat it as a thing of little or no value. But that is a big error and in many cases, nothing could be further from the truth!

Christmas has just passed and one of the main activities for which Christmas is known is that it is a time of giving and receiving gifts.

Do you realise how expensive it can be to get a fitting present for some people you love? Not just in terms of money alone but the huge amount of effort and time that go into searching and finding the right gift for certain individuals. And when you finally buy the gift you are looking for, you wrap it up nicely and give it out for free to the one you intended it for.

The question is, was it cheap simply because you gave it out for free? Certainly not! To the recipient, it is free but to you the giver, it was sacrificial and expensive.

If you pay peanuts, you will hire monkeys: yes but …..
That is a common saying meaning that you get what you pay for and that the cheaper it is, the lower the quality. In a number of cases, that is true. There are things that are of little or no value and when such things are given out for free, it is understandable why people take them lightly.

But what becomes wrong is when that attitude becomes our yardstick for quality assessment and the binoculars through which we look at everything that is free.

We ought to know the difference between what is cheap and free and what is costly but given out free. Failure to make that demarcation is what has left many people behaving in a most ungrateful manner without knowing it.

Too expensive to carry a price tag
The reason some things are given free is because they are too costly to carry a price tag – they are invaluable. Putting a fair price on such things will put them out of reach to the multitudes that need them.

Do you realize that some of the most expensive things in life are free? For instance, the air we breathe in, the water that we drink, the sound health that we enjoy, (etc..), are all free and yet they are often taken for granted until we have to pay for them.

When for example, people suffer kidney failure and their bodily system has to be kept working through dialysis, do you know how much that costs per day? Many times, the dialysis machine has to be switched off before treatment is completed and the patient dies because it is no longer affordable to keep the patient alive (except for those who are very rich).

And yet those, whose kidneys function properly as to need no dialysis, often take it for granted. There are a host of other examples that I could give right now to illustrate this fact but I am sure you get the point.

God knew we couldn’t pay so He offered it for free!
The salvation of our soul is something that is so expensive that no human being could afford it, so God offered it for free. That was why He sent Jesus Christ His Son into this world to die to save sinners free of charge.

The scriptures tell is that “… God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

The salvation that is offered to us free is the most expensive thing under the sun. It cost Jesus Christ unimaginable torture and persecution in the hands of His enemies plus a precarious death on the cross of Calvary. He did all that so that our sins could be paid for and so that we might receive salvation free of charge.

Why are so many people rejecting the gospel?
There may be several reasons but I believe one of the main reasons is because it is free and therefore in the thinking of many, it is cheap and of little value. But how wrong they are!

Regarding the Christmas presents that you gave out, how would you feel if the recipients of those gifts (that had cost you so much time, effort and money) regard the gifts as cheap simply because you gave it to them for free?
That would hurt your feelings, wouldn’t it? That is how God feels when people snub the gospel message and turn down the offer of free salvation by faith in Christ Jesus.

The wisdom of gratitude versus the folly of ingratitude
When something of value is given out for free, wisdom demands that the recipients should acknowledge such with a sense of gratitude – that is the proper response.

The truth is that nothing of value is actually free. It may have been given out for free, but it has cost the giver a lot.
Therefore to snub, belittle or take such benefits for granted, not only demonstrates gross ingratitude, it echoes the very opposite of wisdom (and that has a name – figure it out!).

Let me seize this opportunity to thank many of the users of this blogsite who have left encouraging comments to say how much they appreciate the fact that very valuable insight and information are being given out on this blogsite for free. A big thanks to all of you. Such gratitude and sincere appreciation act as impetus for me to keep it flowing.

Don’t reject God’s gift of salvation
Don’t be among those who snub and reject the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Every man born of a woman is in need of salvation (whether they realize it or not).

Without salvation, eternity holds a very bleak prospect for the human soul. This salvation is being offered free of charge – not because it is cheap but because it is beyond what we can merit or afford.
Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and asking Him to save your soul is the way to receive this wonderful gift. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to do it right away. Click here to find out how.