Faith and Life Blog

  Hey, you! Yes, you! God sees that you are struggling. He is El Roi, the God who sees and indeed He sees your pain. He knows how much you are hurting, but He wants you to remember that He is standing by. Do not give up. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He promised never to give you more than you can bear. He makes a way where there seems to be no way. He is the God of the impossible, the God who can do more than you can ever ask or think. His plans for you are good and not evil, to give you hope and a future.  He wants you to trust Him. He wants to do something new in your life: make streams in the deserts and roadways in the wilderness. He wants to give you beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness. He is your balm in Gilead, so rejoice in Him, even though the fig tree does not blossom and there are no fruits on the vine.  Rejoice in Him and give thanks in every situation, whether good or bad, because it...

  The Power of Your Testimony My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness  and  thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers  thereof.  (Psalm 71:15. KJV)   A testimony is a powerful weapon. The word ‘testimony’ is derived from the Latin testis , which means ‘ witness’ . According to merrionwebster.com, witness means – attestation of a fact or event; able to ascertain the veracity of such fact or event. In a court of law, the outcome of the case is heavily dependent on the word of witnesses during a trial. A testimony establishes a truth which can be relied on as it is the first-hand experience of an event. This is supported by the Jamaican saying, ‘hearsay can’t go a law’ (Hearsay cannot be used as evidence in a court of law). As it is in the court of law, so it is in the life of a believer. Sharing your testimony is a very important habit for every Christian to develop, one which should be encouraged as there are many benefits which c...

  The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like hinds feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. ( Habakkuk 3:19 ) He makes my feet like hinds feet, and setteth me up on my high places. ( Psalm 18:33) Recently, I had a dream. In that dream, I was standing outside the post office in the village square of my small, St. Elizabeth community. Across the road was the house of the postmistress, Mrs Hinds, which was being demolished by a bulldozer. The structure appeared old and it was apparent that it was no longer useful. Close to the house being demolished was, however, a smaller structure which was fairly new and was spared from demolition. My instinct told me that this newer structure would form part of a new house that was going to be built. In dream symbolism, a house usually represents an individual, so I realised that the Lord was communicating a message to me. Interestingly, in the dream I was standing in front of the post office, which suggests that some sort of c...

  Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. *  Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42). I took up my phone to register for an upconference which had caught my interest, but instead, got caught up in scrolling on Facebook. After some time I had enough and switched to another social media site. The flyer for the conference popped up on my screen and it was then that I remembered why I had picked up the phone in the first place. I had become distracted and lost sight of what I had set out to do. I had caused the unimportant to distract me from the important.  Thankfully, I was able to get back on track. Distractions have a way of turning the focus from what is important. The story of Jesus at the house of Mary and Martha is one such example. While Mary sat down at the feet of Jesus and fellowshipped with him, Martha was busily distracted by all the work that had to be done. ...

Staying inside for too long often brings on a feeling of claustrophobia or cabin fever. The antidote is simply a change of location, to get outside, if only for a few minutes. Being outside has numerous benefits for our physical and mental well-being! Some of these benefits include: 1. Vitamin D boost: Exposure to natural sunlight helps our bodies produce vitamin D, which is essential for bone health and immune function. 2. Improved mental health: Being outdoors can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms while promoting a sense of calm and connection to nature. 3. Physical activity: Engaging in outdoor activities like hiking, cycling, or sports can improve cardiovascular health, strength, and flexibility. 4. Fresh air and oxygen: Breathing in fresh air can help purify our lungs and increase oxygen flow to our brains, improving focus and productivity. 5. Connection with nature: Spending time outside can foster a sense of wonder, awe, and appreciation for the natural world. 6. S...

  How is your thought life? Have you ever taken time to think about what you think about? These are important questions that we need to ask ourselves. In the hustle and bustle of life, the things that matter are often overlooked, as we busily try to complete our to-do list and strive to make another buck, another dollar.  Dwelling on negative thoughts often leads to a downward spiral resulting in pain, distress and anxiety, while thinking positively leads to peace and joy.  While we cannot control what happens to and around us, we can control our reactions to them.  Thoughts determine actions, actions determine habit, and habit determines character. It behoves us then to carefully consider how and what we think. The Bible teaches that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7),  while Proverbs 4:23 cautions us to guard our hearts because everything we do flows from them.  These are words of wisdom that we should all strive to live by. As we take...

  In 2013, I was diagnosed with endometrial hyperplasia ( thickening of the uterine lining) and had to do a minor medical procedure to correct the condition. The problem surfaced again in 2020; this time, it was worse than in 2013. My gynaecologist insisted on repeating the procedure and I reluctantly agreed. A date was set, however, because of the Covid 19 pandemic, I was required to submit a negative test result before being admitted to the hospital. By God's design, I could not do the test on the day and as such, the hospital arrangements had to be shelved. I committed the matter to the Lord, asking him to reverse the diagnosis. A few months later, I repeated the ultrasound and it revealed that the measurement of the lining had reduced considerably and I was now in the safe zone.  In January of this year, I was again, out of caution, asked to do another ultrasound which, indicated that the lining was now at 5mm, which is the cut-off point., My gynaecologist advised that I s...