The God's Tumbler

If the real beauty of a dumb old rock is uncovered through turmoil and turbulence, don't you suppose that could be true of us as people; of you as a "people"? Could it be that all the hits that you've been taking right now are actually part of God's "tumbler" to give you a beauty that you've never had before? That's very much His way. Pressure and heat make a lump of coal into a diamond. An oyster's irritation and aggravation from a grain of sand ultimately emerges as a pearl of great price.

Maybe you need to stand back from just looking at what's happening to see what God is doing through what's happening. Isaiah 61, beginning with verse 1, our word for today from the Word of God, reveals some of how turbulence can transform you.

The Son of God says: "The Lord ... has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." You may feel like you're in one of those categories: you're broken-hearted, you're captive, or you're a prisoner to darkness. That's not the end of the story.

God's Son goes on to say He was sent to "...comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion; to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." Jesus makes beauty from the ashes of your life, gladness from the grieving times, and praise emerging from a time of despair.

Here's how God wants to help you look when you come out of the tumbler: "They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendour." God wants to use the tumbler to make you strong and indestructible like an oak.

Suffering makes wimps into warriors. And He wants to use the turbulence to give you such a beautiful relationship with Him that you will be a stage to show His glory. Ultimately, the Bible says, "You will be named ministers of our God." You'll be equipped by the hard times to be a powerful instrument of God in other hurting lives.

The shaking you're enduring, the hits you're taking are tools in God's hands to bring out an amazing beauty in you: a strength, a tenderness, a maturity, a confidence, a compassion that come only from being beautified in God's tumbler. So don't wallow in the "why is this happening?" quagmire. Instead, keep asking, "How can God use this?" Don't despair when you keep running into things and things keep running into you, when your whole world is spinning and colliding. This isn't to destroy you. This is to give you a beauty you've never had before. If you let God have His way in this turbulence, you will "display His splendour" for the rest of your life!

EXODUS and the promises of God

• The Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt. I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows (3:8).

Note - There is no doubt that God has seen and will do something about your situation.

• The Lord took the Israelites as his own people, became their God, and brought them out from their enslavement(6:7).

Note- the Lord shall bring you out from under every yoke and burden of life in Jesus name.

• The Lord raised up Pharaoh to show him his power and to cause his name to be proclaimed in all the earth (9:16).

Note - God raised you up to show his absolute sovereignty over every contrary power in your life

• The Lord is faithful to his covenant promises and delivers his people through his powerful right hand (14-15).

• “Who among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” (15:11).

• God brought his people in and planted them on the mountain of his inheritance (15:17).

Note - The incomparable God is able to save you from your adversaries and afterward lead you to your promised land.

• The Lord is our Banner (17:15).

• God promised that if his people would obey him fully and keep his covenant, than out of all nations they would be his treasured possession. Although the whole earth is his, they would be for him a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (19:5-6).

• “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (33:14).

• The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, is slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin (34:6-7).

Watch out for LEVITICUS and the promises of God

Understanding Hypertension.

AN OVERVIEW
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) is the presence of persistently elevated blood pressure (above 140/90 mm Hg). In 90% of cases no direct cause can be found [primary hypertension]. The rest [secondary hypertension] may be due to diseases of the kidneys, blood vessels, abnormal hormone production etc.

When the Doctor sees the patient, he will search for evidence of a secondary cause and correct when possible. He will also examine for injury to the heart, eyes, kidneys brain and blood vessels, as longstanding hypertension tend to harm these parts of the body.
The higher the level of either systolic or diastolic blood pressure the greater the risk of hypertension-associated catastrophe and end organ damage.

PREDISPOSING FACTORS FOR HYPERTENSION

• Heredity predisposition [from parents]
• Excess body weight [obesity]
• Tobacco / cigarette smoking
• Lack of physical exercise / sedentary lifestyle
• Excess alcohol intake
• Ingestion of excess salt over many years
• Other diseases like kidney disease, Diabetes mellitus, hormonal problems etc.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE IS HYPERTENSION?

• TO BLOOD VESSELS
  The linings of blood vessels subjected to blood flowing at abnormally high pressure become damaged. This injury may encourage blood clot to form, blocking them and reducing supply to organs. Such clots may dislodge and block other more distal vessels partially or completely. The walls of injured vessels may also expand abnormally forming aneurisms or may burst.
• TO THE HEART
  When the pressure against which the heart must pump blood becomes higher. It is forced to work much more. Over long periods its walls become very thick and need more oxygen. The combined effect of this, and the occlusion of the vessels that supply it blood [by cholesterol plaques] may result in ischaemia, a situation when its oxygen needs out way its supply. With time, the heart muscles, starved of oxygen and food may die [heart attack] or can no longer meet the body’s demands and fail [heart failure]. Both conditions can result in death.
• TO THE EYE
  Blood vessels in the eye may burst or bleed causing partial or total blindness.
• TO THE BRAIN
  Blood vessels in the brain, exposed to prolong assault may burst causing haemorrhagic stroke. Blood clots formed in other traumatised blood vessels can also be pushed to the brain blocking its supply and starving the brain of oxygen, causing thrombotic stroke.
• TO THE KIDNEY
  Blood vessels in the kidneys, exposed to prolong trauma become damaged and unable to filter salts and fluids. This further worsens the hypertension, setting off a vicious cycle.

You and your family must adopt a healthy lifestyle now.
Do not wait until you are forty!

Exercise regularly

• Avoid tobacco smoking
• Avoid excess alcohol intake
• Avoid junk food
• Reduce salts [e.g. cooking salt, ‘Magi’, ‘Knorr’ etc.] in your foods
• Mind your calories.

Health is Wealth.

The interludes of Life

• Don't go for looks - they can deceive; Don't go for wealth - even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile, 'cause only a smile makes a dark day seem bright. Hope you find that person.
• May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy and enough money to buy gifts!!!
• When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one that has been opened for us.
• It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it; but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.
• ALWAYS PUT YOURSELF IN OTHER'S SHOES! If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts that person too.
• The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them with our own image - otherwise, we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.
• Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one so that when we finally meet the right person, we should know how to be grateful for that gift.
• A sad thing about life is that when you meet someone who means a lot to you only to find out in the end that it was never bound to be, you just have to let go.
• Love comes to those who still hope, even though they've been disappointed, to those who still believe, even though they've been betrayed,to those who still love, even though they've been hurt before.
• It hurts to love someone and not be loved in return, but what is most painful is to love someone and never find the courage to let the person know how you feel.
• There are things you'd love to hear, but if you would never hear it from the person you would like to hear it from, don't be deaf to hear it from the person who says it with his/her heart.
• When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling - live your life so that when you die, you're smiling and everyone around you is crying.
  

The Resurrection.

It is the season of resurrection and I wish to congratulate us all for the opportunity to witness another celebration of Jesus,the Resurrection and Life.You see,there is therefore no condemnation for all who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1). The big question is: Are you in him?
Easter is around the corner,I think it is a time for sober reflection,we should all think about the reason for this season,it is indeed a joy that our Lord Jesus Christ has RISEN.Has he risen in your life?Does his death make sense to you?Please think about it and know that because he is the Resurrection and Life,anyone that believe in him, though he were dead, yet he shall live(Jn 11:25)
I will also like to encourage us to pray for the upcoming election,people have been dreaming of seeing armoured tanks and military personnel marching as in the time of war,BUT I say that for this election it is PEACE. Instead the Lord will rule as our mighty king,Rivers and wide streams will flow through our nation;no war galley will enter our country;no large ships will sail through(Is 33:21). The Lord has promised to grant us peace in the land so that we will lie down to sleep without anyone terrifying us.He will remove harmful animals from our land, and no sword of war will pass through our land (Lev 26:6).
Happy Easter Celebration.
Please remember to reach out to the NEEDY around you.