Have you all come across situations where people may have misjudged you? It can be an immediate sphere of friends or family. People who matter to you. Suddenly, everything is different. You tried explaining yourself, but it was to no avail. What do you do? It is wise to move away.

I was led to write this note today on misjudgments. Do you know the devil loves to create chaos and break relationships and trust among people? Especially your loved ones. You may have good intentions, but somehow it was wrongly misinterpreted. Suddenly you hear wrong accusations about yourself.

But it is also during this tuff period that we see the honest hearts of people around us. Sometimes, people don’t really care. But I would like to share this. There is someone who cares. It is the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

What do you do during these situations? What can we do when we feel isolated from the very people whom we have loved so much? What can we do when suddenly we feel there is nobody that we can put our trust on?

What do you do during these situations? What can we do when we feel isolated from the very people whom we have loved so much? What can we do when suddenly we think there is nobody that we can put our trust in?

It is wise to shift our focus away from the situation that is troubling us. Move away from the hurt that is afflicting our hearts. Focusing on the Lord Jesus Christ is a wise move. Dwelling on wrong thoughts also limits our trust in the Lord. You must never forget, the devil takes advantage of situations.

As we focus on His goodness, He will take care of us. As we continue focusing on Him, He showers us with His Love, and we would be sufficient with His Love. Once we have understood the magnitude of His Love, things will be different. It will no longer be a battle. He would plant us in a new season. The promise is, ”This is the best season ever.”

When we choose to move away from situations that trouble our hearts, we have decided to move on—this time moving on with the Lord Jesus Christ himself. It is no more about people anymore. It is no more about pleasing men but pleasing the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

1st Corinthians chap 2 : 9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

Say this today: I have chosen to move away to MOVE ON in my life-R.J.JOHN

Prayer: ”Abba Father, I thank you Lord for each of my readers here, that they have chosen to move away from situations that hurt them and put their focus on you, Lord Jesus Christ.” Amen

Application:

1.Obey the Lord. Have quality time with the Lord Jesus Christ.

I was moved to write about thanksgiving today. We are moving into our next half of the year 2021. So much has happened this year, and I am grateful God has seen us through.
I believe it is vital to have a heart of thanksgiving. Have you given thanks today? There are so many things to give thanks to God. It can be your life, finances, ministry, family, work, health, and so many other reasons.
When we come into a heart of thanksgiving, God sees our heart. Sometimes, we are so easily carried away grumbling about situations in life. We forget we have a God Almighty who sees us through. Let us look at Jesus how he approach his Father with a heart of thanksgiving.

Matthew chap 14: 16-21(NIV)

As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

”We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.“Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

When I was reading this chapter, I notice Jesus gave thanks to the Father. He did not ask the Father to multiply the bread and fish to feed the disciples. Instead, He chose to give thanks for what he has.

If you want to experience the power of God in any area of your life, try thanksgiving.
Do not limit God with what you see or hear today. He is GOD.

Happy Thanksgiving dear readers! I am grateful for each one of you.

Say this today: I choose to give thanks to God-R.J.JOHN

Application: List down ten things you want to thank God for today.

Prayer: ”Abba, I pray for my readers that their hearts will be full of thanksgiving. Giving Glory to you alone. ‘Amen-R.J.JOHN

Proverbs chap 22 : 3 ( NIV)-The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

I wanted to understand the verse better, and so I tried reading them in different translations. Do check out the CEV version.

Proverbs chap 22 : 3 (CEV)-When you see trouble coming, don’t be stupid and walk right into it-be smart and hide.

I believe as believers in Christ, it is essential to anticipate evil. It is vital to have a discerning spirit to know if there is trouble. It is also important to move away and hide in CHRIST.

If you are in a situation where you know there is trouble, move away. For example, two different people may have a different understanding of a subject. Maybe you tried explaining to the person, but there seems to be no understanding. Things may be getting worse. To make matters worst, you are getting affected emotionally.

As a Child of the Most High God, we must remember we are spiritual beings. If you anticipate trouble in certain situations in your life, it is wise to move away. After moving away, what happens?

Romans chap 12 : 17-21 (NIV)-”Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ”It is mine to avenge, I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary; ”If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty; give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals, on his head. ”Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Human pride often tricks us into thinking we can deal with evil on our own. It is always important to seek our Father in matters dealing with evil. Prayer helps you get into God’s will for your life.

A wise man avoids evil by anticipating it.

Say this today: I move away when I anticipate evil-R.J.JOHN

Application:

1) Don’t go into continuous misunderstanding with another person if you anticipate trouble.

2) Practice self-control and move away.

3) Don’t take revenge, instead overcome evil with good. Control your thought pattern.

Prayer for today:

I thank you Lord for your grace and mercy upon me. I thank Lord for teaching me what to do when I anticipate trouble. Help me always to stay focused in your Word.–R.J.JOHN

Dear God,

”I am writing today’s note for you. I want to praise your name forever and ever.”

Psalm 145 (NIV)

A psalm of praise of David

¹ I will exalt you, my God the King;
    I will praise your name for ever and ever.
² Every day I will praise you
    and extol your name for ever and ever.

³ Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
    his greatness no one can fathom.
⁴ One generation commends your works to another;
    they tell of your mighty acts.
⁵ They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
    and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
⁶ They tell of the power of your awesome works—
    and I will proclaim your great deeds.
⁷ They celebrate your abundant goodness
    and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

⁸ The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
    slow to anger and rich in love.

⁹ The Lord is good to all;
    he has compassion on all he has made.
¹⁰ All your works praise you, Lord;
    your faithful people extol you.
¹¹ They tell of the glory of your kingdom
    and speak of your might,
¹² so that all people may know of your mighty acts
    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
¹³ Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures through all generations.

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises
    and faithful in all he does.
¹⁴ The Lord upholds all who fall
    and lifts up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵ The eyes of all look to you,
    and you give them their food at the proper time.
¹⁶ You open your hand
    and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

¹⁷ The Lord is righteous in all his ways
    and faithful in all he does.
¹⁸ The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.
¹⁹ He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
    he hears their cry and saves them.
²⁰ The Lord watches over all who love him,
    but all the wicked he will destroy.

²¹ My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
    Let every creature praise his holy name
    for ever and ever.

‘Abba, thank you for this gift of Eternal Life in me. This Life of God is breathing upon me. I want to live my life for your glory alone. Let your name be exalted. Let your name be glorified. I want to praise you and praise you. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for bringing the realities of God into my life. Thank you for completing what is started in me. Love you Dad ”-R.J.JOHN

How do fishes stay alive? Fishes do not breathe air. They get the oxygen they need from the water they live. Fish have special filters in the sides of their body called ‘gills’ that act as their ”lungs”. The fish opens its mouth to let water flow through the gills and out of its body. As the water passes the gill membrane, oxygen is absorbed into the bloodstream. At the same time, carbon dioxide from the blood passes across the gill membrane and is carried away with the water.

What happens when we remove fishes from the water? Fishes don’t survive. They die. The water is the source for the fishes. Once taken out, it is unable to be alive.

How about men? What is the source for men? Genesis chap 2: 7 ( NIV) Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. In the very beginning, when God formed man, he breathes into the man’s nostrils the breath of life. Only when God breathes the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, the man became a living being. Remember this; the man only became a living being after the breath of life was breathe into the nostrils. Without the breath, the man is only a man. Not a living being.

Let’s look at another scripture. Ezekiel 37 : 3-4 ( NIV) He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, `Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.

If you notice, both scriptures above connect The Lord-Breath -Life. Have you seen people feeling very dry and frustrated in life? They live a sorrowful human life. Sadly, this happens when the source is not connected. You may be alive but dead inside. Without the Holy Spirit, you cannot go far in life. You would live a very miserable life. You know why? No fuel. You have not stirred the Holy Spirit in you.

Imagine a television. Without electricity, we cannot switch on the television. Everything in life, we need a source—a power supply.

It is vital to stay connected to our source, which is the Holy Spirit. We are spiritual beings. The only way to be connected to the Father is through the Holy Spirit. Don’t fret. Don’t look at the past. Don’t ask why God. The Holy Spirit is ever ready to spend time with you. As you seek Him, He will be revealed to you.

1st John chap 1: 1 (NIV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

As we spend time with the Word of God, we must continue spending time speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues is our fuel for the day.1st Corinthians chap 14:2 (NIV)For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit. Try doing this consistently for the next three months. Watch where God takes you.

Acts chap 1: 8 ( NIV) But ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Remember don’t stay out of your source!

Say this today: I remain connected to the Source-The Holy Spirit-R.J.JOHN

Prayer: ‘Dear Holy Spirit, thank you for remaining to be the source of LIFE for me and my readers today. Thank you for reminding us to stay connected to you.” Amen.

Application

1.Spend 15 minutes a day to speak in tongues.

2.If you don’t speak in tongues, pray and ask God for the gift of speaking in tongues.

Let us look at diamonds today. How are diamonds formed? Diamonds are formed deep within the Earth, about 100 miles below the surface in the upper mantle. Obviously, in that part of the Earth, it’s very hot. There’s a lot of pressure, the weight of the overlying rock bearing down, so that combination of high temperature and high pressure is necessary to grow diamond crystals in the Earth. Diamonds have been adapted for many uses because of the material’s exceptional physical characteristics. Of all known substances, it is the hardest and least compressible. ( Wikipedia)

Today, humans prize diamonds above all other stones. Diamonds are beautiful.

Diamonds go through a lot of pressure and process to become beautiful. I was meditating on a Bible verse today, and the verse reminded me of the diamond.

Romans chap 5 : 3-4 ( CEV) ³ But that’s not all! We gladly suffer, because we know that suffering helps us to endure. ⁴ And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope ⁵ that will never disappoint us. All of this happens because God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love.

God has given to each one of us the Holy Spirit. The more we yield to the Holy Spirit, we learn to endure. What character would you like to develop after enduring? This endurance builds our character. This character makes us very strong, resilient, courageous, bold, excellent, filled with love, forgiving, humbleness, and beautiful. In other words, endurance forms the diamond in you. Do you remember getting agitated with minor issues in life? Do you remember being pressured? Once you have learned to endure, you let go and let God take charge in your life. You have developed spiritual maturity.
You don’t go around the same circle of problems without a solution. You have endured. The problem is no more a circle. It has a way out.

Trust God in the process. After all, remember, He is in the process of creating a diamond in us.

Say this today : I have endured .-R.J.JOHN

Prayer: ”Abba, I thank you, Lord, for each of my readers, that they are your diamonds. They are your children of the Most High God. Thank you Lord, they have endured and become beautiful.” Amen

Application

1.Have a renewed mindset about yourself.

2. See yourself as a beautiful excellent person for Jesus.

Psalm 23: 6 (NIV) Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. This is one of my favorite verses of the Bible.

Have you all reflected the goodness of God upon your life today? Or is your life full of frustration and complaints in life. Do you realize it is frustrating to be unhappy with a lot of things in life? Life becomes more beautiful when you reflect on the goodness of God.

I was moved to write on Nick Vujicic. An Australian evangelist and motivational speaker born with tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by the absence of legs and arms. Nick was born in 1982. He was born without fully formed limbs. According to his autobiography, his mother refused to see him or hold him when the nurse held him in front of her, and she and her husband went out of the hospital and vomited from seeing their son with no limbs, but they eventually accepted the condition and understood it as “God’s plan for their son.”  ( Source: Vujicic, Nick. “A Life of Value,” Life Without Limits, Doubleday, 2010 )

In 2005, Vujicic founded Life Without Limbs, an international non-profit organization and ministry. Nick is married with 4 beautiful children. There is so much to write about Nick, but these are pretty much a rough brief summary of Nick Vujicic.

A life without arms and legs would definitely be a difficult journey for Nick. But instead of looking at what he doesn’t have, he chooses to cherish what he has. He has risen above the challenges.

In other words, he has glorified God for His goodness in his life. When he stands at the position of praise and goodness. Life without limbs doesn’t matter to him anymore. He has turned a difficult situation into Glory. God has lifted him up to another level of faith.

I would like to encourage my readers today not to fret. You would become very sickly if you continue to ask and grumble about what you don’t have. Shift your focus on what you have. As you focus on what you do have, the goodness and mercy of God will follow you. Choose to praise God for His goodness. Even if you are in a challenging situation, don’t look at the difficult situation. Look to Jesus. Thank God for who He is.

You are not ordinary. God has called you to do great and mighty things for Him. He sees your faithfulness, and He will promote. Take the position of praise and thankfulness. Stop grumbling!

Say this today : Goodness and Love shall follow me all the days of my life-R.J.JOHN

Prayer: ”I thank you Lord for each of my readers that Lord your plans are always to bless them. Thank you, Lord, for you love them very much.” Amen

Application :

1.Refuse to allow any negative words to come out from your mouth. Any challenging situation, turn it into praise. For, e.g. ”I can’t do this. You change your words to ” I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”Do it consistently for a period of 3 months. Watch God work.

Do you practice self-love? How much do you care and love yourself? I believe it is vital for us to embrace the way we are. Today, we are here because God LOVED us, created us, and formed us in our mother’s womb. It is the wonder of creation.

Jeremiah chap 1 : 5 ( NIV) ”Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Are you always busy at work? Are you always worried over your projects and commitments in life that they have made you weary and tired? Are you always running around for something?

Some are always trying to achieve something. In the process of acquiring specific achievements in life, we tend to forget to love ourselves. We may lose out on seeing the goodness of God along the process. I think it is not a problem to be positive and ambitious, but always trying to achieve something makes you tired within your soul.

We can’t please everybody around us. Some people, we have just to let go. Those who stay with us will stay and rise together. Certain toxic people, although how much we love to spend time with them, if they don’t bring out the best in us, it is wise to leave.

How do we practice self-love? We can only learn to love ourselves when we realize it is God who created us. We were once a human embryo, as in the picture above. There is a plan and purpose. We only can LOVE when we learn our life doesn’t belong to us anymore, but it is for the glory of God, we will know to take care of the person God created, which is you and me.

Genesis 2:7 (NIV) “Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

Always remember the breath of life in us is a gift from God. Our life is a gift from God. We are to treasure every moment of it.

Believe the essential part is embracing God’s love upon us. The famous verse John chap 3: 16 ( NIV) ” For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. This eternal life is the Life of God in us NOW. It is not referring to life after death. 

We need to learn to focus upon the Lord and receive His Love in our lives today. When we know to receive God’s love upon our life, that is when we learn to treasure our lives. We learn to love ourselves. There would be so much love in us, and we can share the love with the people around us. After all, love is the greatest. We can never be the same anymore because we have this Eternal Life in us.

Say this today : I love my life-R.J.JOHN

Prayer : ”Abba , I thank you Lord for each of my readers that your Love will sustain them and bring them from one glory to another.”-Amen

Application :

1. Look into the mirror. Speak good words into your life.

2.Love God.

I was very comforted listening to this song from Alisa Turner. Are you someone who is troubled within? Are you having some challenges in life, that nobody understands except God alone? Do you feel life is tuff and empty? I am sharing part of her lyrics in my notes today.

May God give you eyes to see, He’s still greater
Courage to rise and believe He’s able
May God be your peace in the fire you’re walking through
This is my prayer now
This is my prayer for you ( Part of song titled My Prayer for you from Alisa Turner)

In any situation that we are in, we must remember God is still greater. It is very important to have courage to rise above and believe He is able. Unless we have eyes to see God is greater, we may live a very miserable life.

Ephesians 1 : 18-19 (NIV) ” I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”

There are some people who assumes their life can never be for the better. In other words, they have given up hope. Maybe they have been praying for 1 year,2 years and maybe it has been 15 years already. When you look back, you wonder, where did you go wrong. What happened to those years?

Let me tell you something, all these years was in God’s plan. It was for you to be the person you are today. You may assume certain choices may lead to wrong decisions in life. It is no point looking back, but always important to move forward looking to Jesus. Stop looking at the wrong choices and decisions made. Remember this, when we are in Christ we cannot make wrong choices.

If you want some changes in your life, you cannot repeat the same choices and mistakes and expect a change. If you got nothing else to change, at least change your prayer lifestyle. Get serious in really knowing the Lord. Take worship seriously.

It is very important to put our trust in the Lord. Jesus died on the cross for you and me for us to live a purpose filled life. His plans are always to give us a future and a hope and not to harm us.

It is not late yet. You are just in TIME. Believe me in this. In fact the BEST YEARS are ahead of you.

Say this today: My best years are ahead of me.-R.J.JOHN

Prayer : ”Abba, I thank you Lord for each of my readers for the personal encounters they have with you Lord. Thank you Lord for turning their discouragement and disappointments for your Glory. ”Amen

Application

1.Change your lifestyle. Beginning from eating habits, healthy exercise, and your prayer life. The rest let God take care.

I am someone who likes to see the skies and watch the different shapes and sizes of clouds. I like the blue sky. I like clouds.

Clouds in the Old Testament are very much likened to the presence of God.

Exodus chap 13: 21 :By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.

Exodus chap 24 : 15-16 : When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud.

Leviticus chap 16 : 2 The Lord said to Moses,” Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.

God led His people out of Egypt and the wilderness by means of the pillar of cloud.

Throughout scripture, cloud is mentioned few times. Mostly to reflect the presence of God and the Glory of God.

Revelation chap 1 : 7a ”Look,he is coming with the clouds,” and every eye will see him,

It was many years ago I received a prophecy, ”Rowena, you are the Cloud. You carry God’s presence in you. You will lead many to Christ. Don’t doubt God ”

At that very moment, I was a student. I didn’t really understand what the person meant. But now reflecting back my journey in Christ, I realized God’s cloud never left me. In other words, His presence never left me. It brought tears in my eyes to experience God’s love upon my life. His divine favor was always with me.

There were many times I have doubted his goodness and calling in my life. I have to admit I have showed the Lord many of my tantrums in all my growing up years as a Christian ,but God never left me nor forsake me. His presence was always in me. God knew me. The devil tried many ways but he has been defeated because Jesus is Lord.

Are you someone here who feels forsaken? Are you regretting over certain situations in life? Do you at times feel God is keeping quiet? Are there many silent years in your life?

Hey, don’t loose hope. Always remember you carry the Lord’s presence in you. You are the Cloud. As you fellowship more with the Holy Spirit, you become a solution to the world around you.The key is to have constant fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

Say this today : I carry the Lord’s presence in me.-R.J.JOHN

Prayer : ”Abba, I thank you Lord for my readers, your Presence will touch them and they would have an encounter with you Lord this moment.” Amen

Application:

1.Forget the past. Start fresh today. Fellowship with the Holy Spirit like never before.

2.Be focused in fulfilling your calling. The Holy Spirit will lead.