The Quest For Truth

Putting That Effort Into Grace

Robert Sekhose — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 12:28:03 +0000

Grace is wonderful but we cannot stop there. If we think that grace alone is sufficient without us playing any part in our salvation then we are completely mistaken. Salvation as an ongoing process is grace accompanied with our decisions made by our free will. That is why the Bible says that we can despise and neglect this grace given to us. After we receive grace we need to exercise our will and move in the direction that God wants us to move in. By ourself we can do nothing but grace alone without the exercise of our free will can also achieve nothing. We have to choose to do right by receiving the grace to do right. Our efforts don’t come first but grace does. We must first receive the grace of God to do right and then we must exercise our will and do that which is to be done. That is when our human will merges with the Divine will of God. God does not force us to do anything. Nor will He stop us from doing something wrong against our will. We have to be empowered for our task by the grace of God and then instead of waiting for God to do something we need to do our part by obeying the voice of God for the task ahead of us. We surrender and God empowers and then we take the step of faith knowing that the power of God is behind us. Grace is not passivity but the power for every activity we do for God. You will know when the grace of God is there, then it is your responsibility to act from that grace given by God and please God with your faith by taking that step which comes from your own will. First it is grace and faith and then the works follow as we do our part by obeying the will of God.

When The Night Comes…..

Robert Sekhose — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 15:48:20 +0000

There are times in our Christian walk when purposelessness and meaninglessness creeps in. We have no motivation or desire to exert any effort in any things least of all the things of God. We say and think like the writer of Ecclesiastes that everything is meaningless. It is a painful path but God allows it to take away every impure motive in our life for serving Him. We are so concerned about success that we want success which can be seen by men even in our service towards God. Our buildings and our money and even the number of followers that you have may not be what God is seeking from you. So there are times when everything is meaningless. We have the desire to do nothing and nothing that we do or are doing seems to be of any use for anyone. It is a period of darkness for the soul. God does not speak to us and we feel the heavens are shut to our prayers. The very act of prayer is a burden we cannot bear. What is happening to us?, we think. It is the cross working in our life. It is the time when God opens our eyes to the meaning of life in Him. What we thought could make us happy did not do so. Our busyness and our vision is gone. We don’t seem to have any vision for anything in life. We are left to die on the cross by our loving Father because He knows that there can be no resurrection without a dying on the cross. We die and we die alone saying, God, why have you forsaken me? The only response we can have in such a situation is simply to surrender to the Almighty and His Divine will. We have to cry out, Lord not my will but Yours be done. We will rise up from the tomb a better man sensitive to the pain that others go through in life and we will be in a position to better serve God with pureness of heart and motive. Amen.

What Is All This Talk About “Being Good”?

Robert Sekhose — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:57:53 +0000

There was a time in my life when I believed that good people go to heaven. Not any more! You may be good but that does not qualify you for heaven. You may be shocked but that is the truth according to the Bible. In fact ‘being good’ is the cause of the greatest deception even among the so called Christians. Jesus had to tell the righteous Nicodemus, “You must be born again” Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by Me.” What does this mean? It means that if you don’t believe in Him you are not on the Way and you do not have the Truth and the Life. Simple as that. There is no such thing as a good human being without Christ entering heaven. You may not like it but that is your problem. I may sound narrow but I walk on the narrow path. Broad is the path that leads to destruction and many find it. That is what the Bible says. If you are a Christian, you have to be narrow. There is no such thing like I am right and you are also right. If you are not born again then you are walking in darkness and the light is not in you. You may be a good human being but you are still in darkness. You are not living according to the will of God for your life. You may think you are a Christian and you may even go to church but without a living relationship with Christ, you are just as lost as the others. There is no such thing as a good Muslim or a good Hindu or a good Buddhist. Without Christ you are lost and you don’t even know about it. The good news is that there is room in the kingdom of God for you and the way to enter is by believing in Christ.

Love God With All Your Heart

Robert Sekhose — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 16:02:56 +0000

What is the one commandment that fulfills all other commandments? It is love. When we love God and people we are fulfilling the greatest law in the universe. We begin to live in harmony with ourselves, with others and most importantly with God. It is not difficult if you know that it is not you but God who will fulfill this truth in your life. Dear friend, I testify from my own life that when you love God with all your heart, He takes care of everything in your life – from the smallest detail to the greatest. Yes, God is concerned about us. He remembers you every day. You are always before Him. He knows what you are going through and how you feel. The Bible says that we have a High Priest, Jesus, who is able to sympathize with all our weaknesses. He will turn your failures into your victories and your weaknesses into your strengths. You will find that He cares for you so much and that is why He let His Son die for you on the cross. It was a cruel death. It was bitter for the Son of God to taste death for you. He did not want to but He did it for you. His love is great and even a heavenly language will not be able to describe it. We did nothing good to deserve it. He did it because He created us and though we strayed away from Him, He was always waiting for us to come back. The Bible says taste and see. Yes we have to taste and see that the Lord is good. All His plans for us are good. He loves us with all His heart. He had only one Son who was His beloved and He let Him die a cruel death on the cross for us. How can we not love Him back with all our hearts?

Fear God, Not Man

Robert Sekhose — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 06:47:30 +0000

The fear of man brings a snare. We have to resist the fear that men may try to bring upon us. Not a sparrow falls to the earth without His knowledge. The very hairs of your head are numbered. Nothing can touch you or harm you unless it is His will. So, take courage and be bold. The righteous are bold as a lion. The sacrifice of Christ has cleansed you and made you righteous. You can avail of God’s full security. The mighty angels are there to fight for you and to protect you. So, do not fear. The plans of the wicked will fall upon themselves. They may rage against you but the Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and earth is for you. He is there to plead your case. You need not worry about what you should say. The words will come from His Spirit and the wisdom of it no man shall be able to stand against. For your God is a Man of war. He wars with mighty power. The mountains tremble before Him. The earth shakes at His feet. So, take courage. God is with you and He will not fail you or forsake you. Fear God, Not Man.

Experiencing Salvation Everyday

Robert Sekhose — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 08:17:10 +0000

Many of us think of salvation only as a one time experience that we enter in when we receive Christ as Lord of our lives. Salvation is a one time experience but it is also a process we go throughout our lives here on earth. We are saved and we are being saved. By grace you are saved through faith and it is not of yourselves, says the Bible. That is the gate we enter in. But then the process comes, for the Bible also says, Work out your own salvation. To enter into the gate of salvation is a blessed experience but we should not stop there. We have to experience salvation everyday of our lives. Being changed day by day into His likeness. Yes, that is full salvation.

Identified With Him

Robert Sekhose — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 18:07:26 +0000

These days we hear so much talk on our identification with the resurrection of Christ. We say, Lets move ahead. The cross is not the place to stay. We are now identified with His resurrection. We have to stay at the Throne and not at the grave. It is all true. But how have we forgotten that we have to always bear about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. Without a dying there is no resurrection. Without surrender there can be no faith. It is only when we let go that we let God. Dying we live and losing we gain. If we are so full of ourselves, how can we allow God to fill us with His life? Yes, it still hold true – you have to carry your cross and bear the sufferings of Christ for His life to radiate through you. Let us never remove the cross from our Christianity for that is where all that is ugly about us is taken away so that in the resurrection all that is beautiful in Christ may be ours.

Faith Is An Act…

Robert Sekhose — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 06:39:33 +0000

We may believe and we may agree and we may even confess all night and day but until we act, faith will not work. Faith is belief plus action. You have the assurance and then you show that you really have the assurance by acting on the word of God. Faith says, If you believe, you will act. You have to act to make your faith real. What is it that is hindering you? What is it that you fear? You have to act on your faith. Faith sees the invisible and makes it visible. It just does not happen all in the mind. You have to act on your faith. You have to do what you normally would not do. You have to act. You are not becoming an actor but you act on what you believe is true as shown to you in the word of God. If God’s word says that you are a child of the light, it is time to act as one. We have to keep our eyes focussed on the truth and have an attitude of contempt for our circumstances. Our circumstances will change as our faith increases with each step and finally becomes perfect. Faith is based on the facts of the word of God but it is expressed by our actions. We have to step on the water before we can walk on it. Put your full weight over the troubled waters and you will see your faith in action. It is like the Apostle James said, Faith without works is dead. Faith is an act.

Judgment In The House Of God

Robert Sekhose — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 04:29:09 +0000

It is beyond any doubt that we are in the last days. The Bible says that Christ will come for a bride without any blemish and spot. But we see so much dirt and filth in the church. The time is coming for judgment to begin in the house of God. We have preached about love and the kindness and compassion of God. But the Apostle Paul says, Behold the kindness and severity of God. Kindness comes first and then severity. We have seen the kindness and goodness of God. It is time to see His severity. Judgment will begin in the house of God and there shall be no mercy. Ananias and Sapphira received no mercy when the church was born. Deceitful and lukewarm believers will receive no mercy before the church is taken away. But those who submit to the discipline of God will receive a character refined by the power of God. For the church will be refined and it will be with fire. Such testings of faith as has never been witnessed in church history. But so will the grace and power of God be with us who believe. But for those who play with church, it will be a time for destruction for no foe or enemy will be able to withstand this move of God. God is not interested in half hearted believers. Jesus categorically mentioned that he who takes the plough and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God. We have to fight for our King who died for us and there is no looking back.

Acting As If It Were True…….

Robert Sekhose — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 04:03:36 +0000

There are many definitions of faith. And one definition is “Faith is acting as if it were true.” If we really have faith then our attitude and outlook towards our problems would change. We would start looking at them in a different light now since we have faith. If you had faith you would consider it done. The problem is solved. So you would act different now. It is not about the evidences presented before you but the Word of God that counts. So you now act as if it were true and it becomes true because it was already true. Once you know the will of God, you have to believe it and act as though it were true because it is true. Your acting does not make it real but you act because it is already real. More than two thousand years ago, Christ purchased your salvation and you have to appropriate everything that Christ won for you. You have freedom, peace, joy, health, success and life. Your needs are met and you are abundantly blessed. Do not look at your circumstances. By faith you have to thank God because He has promised to supply all your needs. Giving thanks is one way we can act as if it were already true. If you don’t have peace, thank God that He has given it to you in Christ. Do the same for everything else that you need because God cares for you and He wants to give every good thing to you. But you have to have faith because without faith no one can please God. And everything that is not of faith is sin. Faith does not look at the circumstances but at the Saviour who has changed the circumstances in the invisible world. Your faith will make it real in this world. Faith is not expectancy but assurance that the thing promised has come to be true so you act as if it were already true. You are not expecting it to happen in the near future. It has already happened, so when it really happens, you are not surprised but it is all very natural. The blessings of God come very naturally to you because you already believed them to be true before they were really true in the natural realm. If the bank gave you a check for a thousand dollars, you would consider yourself to be a thousand dollars rich, even though you do not have the money with you. It can be considered as if you already had the green notes because you can encash the check from the bank. It the same with God’s facts. They are what Christ has already won for you. You only need to encash them with your faith. So, once you know what is yours, you act as if it were already yours even though it may take some time to be really yours. This is acting as if it were true.