Fulfilling Your God-Chosen Destiny

"...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." - Philippians 1:6

When Joseph was seventeen, he had a dream prophesying that he would someday rule over his brothers. This peek into his destiny filled him with self-confidence; he was a young man who was riding high. But the fact is, he wasn't ready to rule over his brothers yet. He needed to go through some character-shaping times. And indeed, he did just that, spending thirteen years facing setbacks, challenges, and even prison. Although Joseph was forgotten by man during those times, he was never forgotten by God. Through adversity, God molded his character so that when Pharaoh appointed him the Prime Minister of Egypt, he was ready to fulfill his God-chosen destiny.

Think about Joseph when you go through tough times in your own life. Sometimes God allows us to hit rock bottom so that He can shape us into the person that He is calling us to be. Maybe the adversity is God's way to toughen you, teach you, and prepare you for the great plans He has for you.

In His love

Leslene

GIVE ME BACK MY STUFF YOU LIAR!!!!!

YOU ARE A LIAR AND I'M COMING FOR YOU

Every one of us knows what it’s like to have experienced loss. John 10:10 says that the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Have you had something stolen from you recently? Maybe it’s a job, a relationship, finances, or your health? Perhaps it’s lost opportunities, time, or peace of mind. Whatever it is, the Good News is: Jesus came to GIVE YOU BACK everything that the devil has stolen, broken or destroyed. Today is your day!

GOD WANTS YOU WELL. HE WANTS YOUR FAMILY WELL. THE BLOOD WAS SHED AND YOU CAN ONLY BE WELL THROUGH THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST!!!!

A Longing in my heart – 14 March 2012

For a couple days now I have this longing in my heart to see a friend of mine whom I had to say goodbye too.

About two years ago I had to say goodbye to her. It broke my heart but for some reason I felt it was the right thing to do. I sought the Lord and he assured me, all will be ok. When I told her this is the last she will be seeing me until God says other wise, I was heart broken. God gave the scripture and I accepted it.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 ESV

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; ...

Early that Saturday morning we packed our stuff, gathered our kids, said goodbye and we were on our way home and never to return until God gave the ok. I spoke to God and I had so many questions. I questioned my self. We come to Christ, we seek Him and during that time you realise how many times you compromise your relationship with God by holding on to friends. Friends that you see are not ready to serve Christ, but because you love them so much you hold on. God is a jealous God and He wants us to hold on to him and not friends. We say we love God but yet we reject God by holding on to people especially the ones you tell about Jesus. They listen to what you say but they are not ready to commit to Christ. So if that is the case, why hold on to something that will be fought in your own strength.

Almost two years later, I find myself missing my friend so much. Even my kids are asking about them now. Marco asks so time and again about them but knows going there is not an option. I believe with this longing in our hearts, God is telling us that we are stringer to visit them again and that we know our place with a friend who does not want to commit their lives to Christ.

On my way to work, I heard this song in my heart, “Jesus loves me this I know” and I was thinking of my friend and tears poured down my face. I remembered it’s her birthday and God said “sing this song to her”. I called her and I sang.

“Jesus loves you this I know, for the Bible tells me so”. She cried, I cried and I knew that what she felt when we left that morning was all in the past. I told her I miss her, we miss them so much and we are thinking of them. I know that when we left it was the right thing to do even though both the families didn’t understand what God was saying, but I believe we do now.

I want to ask you today my friend, when God speaks; LISTEN to what He has to say. Yes, you will have questions and it will be answered at the right time.

I am looking forward to seeing my friend again and I’m sure Marco’s looking forward to seeing is cousin again and when we do get together again, it will be glorious.

Thanks for reading my posts and I trust you are blessed by it.

In His love

Leslene

A weekend of pain and love

It's finally a new week!! I thought this weekend will never end. The past weekend was so hectic with the past repeating itself once again in my home. I couldn't cry out to God enough. It felt as if my groaning was in vane.

Friday afternoon I had a feeling that something was about to happen and I started praying but to my dismay(at the time), what I dreaded happened. I thought, even asked the question out loud "Why on earth is this happening again? Why is the past repeating itself?

Then it came to me what Job says, "The very thing I feared has come upon me." Job 3:25 When those words were dropped in my spirit, I decided not to panic. I decided to encourage myself in the Lord. To tell you the truth, I found it so hard to encourage myself even though I knew it would help me rest in God.

 With all that was happening I even started to condemn myself and cast the blame all on me. I thought of speaking to someone about the trial I was going, but I did not feel comfortable doing that. So many people knows what I went through a few years back and I knew for a fact they would talk. "Strong Leslene is weak after all." In my mind that would be their words.  

I spoke to God and I trusted God to remove this giant exalting itself against the God I serve and it's all because of my weakness. I started praising and worshipping God for breakthrough. I started speaking the word to the problem and most of all, I took every negative thought captive that tried to exalt itself and brought it to the obedience of Jesus Christ.

I realized that there are times God is quiet, and until you be still and know that He is God(Ps 41:10), He will not answer.

Once again I was taught a valuable lesson and when the weekend was over I had my breakthrough. I had to show love and see this problem through the eyes of God.

I am revived. A true revival happened in my soul Sunday morning. God blessed me with an awesomely beautiful scripture and I am more than greatful for what happened.

"Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
² For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you." Isaiah 60:1-2

Bless and love you

In His love

Leslene 

www.chaginglivesaroundyou.co.za

www.clayoungadults.blogspot.com

7 Blessings (Psalm 41:1-3

This morning I was reading Psalm 41 and while I was reading verse 1-3, I immediately received revelation. 

God is so awesome espacially in a moment of need, test and trial. what happens when a class is busy writing a test? There is absolute silence. There will be one or two kids who will have words but do you hear anything from the teacher? NO! The very same thing happens to us. We do not hear a single thing from the Master. 

The test builds us upa nd teaches us to know that we should be still and know that He is God.(Psalm 41:10)

Be Blessed by the revelation received from God this morning. Psalm 41:1-3

1. The Lord wll deliver you

2. The Lord will preserve you

3. The Lord will keep you aive

4. You shall be blessed on the earth

5 The Lord will protect you from your enemies.They wll not triumph over you.

6. The will stregthen you in a time of weakness

7. The Lord will heal you

Fath is what you should have during a time of need. You have the confidence  that the things you hope for and cannot see will be in your posession sooner than you think. (Hebrews 11:1)

Romans 10:17 " Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God"

God bless you abundantly

In His Love

Leslene

I Felt Broken

This morning on my way to work I read a profound article a lady wrote. It really spoke to my heart and it was much needed. I had this sadness within me and it was a feeling I just couldn't explain. The name of the article is, "What if I were broken?" - by Tracey Miles
She was busy cleaning out her kitchen draws and she found a broken can opener. She asked her son to throw it away and he asked her if he could keep it. She was thinking to herself, "why in the world would a little boy want an old, dirty, useless can opener?"  He insisted on keeping it. She then asked him why? and he asked her a questioned that made her think. "Mommy, if I were broken, would you throw me away?"


WOW!!!! What a question from a little boy. That is how I felt before I read this article. God used this article and the little boy's question to speak to my heart. He will never throw me away whenever I feel broken. I remembered feeling like that can opener, all broken, hurt and useless at least in my eyes. I told my friend who was sitting next to me at the time that whenever i feel down, God comes through in such an awesome way no matter how small. 
When I got out of the bus it started to rain again I could actually feel this warm wind all around me and I felt so much love and peace. I knew it was God assuring me that He loves me. I felt God's presence and heard Him speaking to my heart. "I have made known to you the ways of life, but in MY presence there is fullness of joy." Acts 2:28. The damaged pieces of my heart were mended instantly and today I set on a new wonderful journey to discover my worth in God's eyes.
All I have to do continuously is to "know that the Lord is God. It is He who made me, and I am His, I am the sheep of His pasture." Psalm 100:3


There will always be times that we will feel, broken, hurt, lonely and unloved, but be assured that when we seek God, He takes that feelings away. The enemy wants us to feel that way and he wants us to condemn ourselves. 
REMEMBER!!! You are God's handiwork. look at the beauty of nature around you and you will clearly see that everything God makes is very good, including you/me.


In His love
Leslene

I AM HONORED/ BLESSED TO KNOW YOU

I am encouraged daily by other people's lives. I find it so awesome when people go through trials knowing that their endurance will be rewarded at the end of the trial. God says in His word that we should count it all joy when we go through trials and tribulation. (James 1:2) 


I am encouraged by a friend and her family who has been through so much, yet they have a smile on their faces, yet they know how to show love, yet they know how to stay humble, yet they do not give up praying for others and yet their faith is so much stronger than ever before. God will never lie to us where His word and His promises are concerned. I fail God on a daily basis but my prayer is that I will not forget to repent and to do better the next day. 
My encouragement to you today is that we will keep on praying for each other and never to rejoice in when other's face trials. If you know of a person/ family who is facing a trial today, speak to God and hear how you can make a difference in that person/ family's life.


"The Lord God has given you/ me a tongue of the learned that we should speak a word in season to those who are weary. He awakens me/ you morning by morning with an ear to listen." Isaiah 50:4


I hope you are encouraged and blessed and ready to do the right thing.


In His love 
Leslene