Mandla Tembe

Most of us have areas in our lives that we are not happy about. We kind of feel ashamed to talk about. Every time someone brings up that topic, we wish we can just talk about something else or just ask about the weather. These are the weak areas, where it seems as if God has turned a deaf ear concerning those areas. These are the areas where it seems as if the devil is in control. If we look through out the bible we see many heroes who had weak areas in their lives. For instance; Moses was a startler, He could not speak properly. He was not a kind of a person who would jump for public speaking opportunity. This was his weak area. Nevertheless, it's great to know that after Moses had a God encounter, the very weak area became strong. It became the strong area of influence. Moses went on to negotiate for the release of the children of Israel. He ministered to the nation of God. He became a great  leader of millions. Friend, I declare that as you make it one of your resolutio...

So you see them being successful; you wonder, "how did they become so successful? I so wish to be like them?" Well you are not alone; we all wish to be like them. We want to have what they have. But what is it that makes some people to remain at a wishy wishy stage and never get to the desired stage? Now here is a problem. When we see people at a desired stage we often ignore the process they went through before getting to the  top. So you really want to have what they have but you don't want to go through what they have been through? Forget it! There's no Jesus without a cross!

God's purpose is that you enjoy the gift and not simple preserve it! Imagine if you gave your child a bicycle; instead of using or playing with it, he just says 'thanks a lot dad', and then stores it away in a safe place. You certainly would not be happy over the reaction of your child. Your joy can only come from seeing your child enjoying the gift. What I'm trying to say is; 'don't feel guilty of enjoying all the gifts that God has given you! Let God know that you are happy, excited and grateful. Enjoy what you have been given by God! 

Many of us call this season 'a season of giving'. Our focus is therefore mostly on what 'can I give' or 'who should I bless'. Surely this is not wrong. I want you to realize that in as much as you think like that so is our father. Our God is asking the very same question, 'What can I get my daughter for this Christmas? What should I get my son this Christmas? My question is, 'have you asked God a particular present for this Christmas? Ask now! This is a right moment to receive from God your father! I believe that as you ask now, you should receive your present before the 25th of December.

Long before the movie grace the large screens in the theatres all over the world the director knows the details of the movie. He knows who are the right fit for the movie. Sometimes the actors are auditioned before filming, some renowned talented actors are called without auditioning. He knows how long must a certain actor stay in the movie. Some actors only appear in the first scene and you never see them again. It is also noticeable that sometimes the disappearing or the death of an actor in the first scene could become a catalyst to the direction of the movie. In short, God knows who should be with you and who shouldn't be with you. God knows who you need now and who you don't need. Quit crying over the people who left you. Open up for the new people that God has brought in to your life this season.

As we enter in the last month of 2014; many of us had dreams that we wanted to accomplish this year but they haven't manifested yet. It's easy to be tempted and throw in the towel saying well it will never happen; it's too late. Receive this prophecy today: With God all things are possible! I declare over your life right now that you will accomplish more in one month(December) than you could have accomplished in Eleven months. God is saying, "Your disappointments in the past months happened so that you may be appointed in this last month. I declare that you will not miss your blessing this season.

You can not have everyone around you when giving birth to a God given dream. Some people will have to leave you. You might say but, "why are they leaving right at my critical moment in my life?" Hear me child of God, you must understand that it is God who brings specific people in your life. We must also bear in mind that he also takes people away. God knows who you need this season. If we agree that God is in control in our lives we should also accept the fact that He is also in control of who we need to meet or of those people who leave us.

One of the senses that we have is olfaction (a sense of smell). With this sense you are able to tell which type of odour you sensing whether fragrant or offensive. Like wise beloved, you can tell right now in this very moment which spirit is more powerful in your life. In other words, the spirit that is in the driver's seat of your life. How are you feeling right now? Have you ever felt annoyed and you didn't even know what caused you to feel that way? Listen that was not just biological reactions in your body but it was the influence of the evil spirits. The word of God tells us that where the spirit of God is; there is liberty. The holy spirit will not cause you to feel depressed and restless, but it will release the peace of God in your life. The spirit of God will inspire you to want to do right and be a blessing to others. May the spirit of God be upon you right now.

We all have certain limitations in our lives. These limitations could be physically related, cognitively or psychosocially related. Limitations causes one to think, "hey I can't achieve that because I am somehow limited." With this kind of attitude we can not conquer the giant like David. When dealing with limitations we must understand that it's either limitations are too big or God is too big. Whatever that is magnified will be king over your life. Let God be magnified over your limitations and watch him do what you could not do. I declare that as you do, God will will begin to move on your behalf. People will ask you, 'how did you do it?' You will tell them, 'hey I magnified God over my limitations.'

There is never a day when a photographer captures an image of a lion an comes back with an image of a cat. Like wise, our minds operate like a camera;whatever we focus on will take residence in our minds. The scipture tells us that as long as the Israelites focused on the snakes that were biting them; some of them died but when they focused on a bronze snake they were healed from the vernom of the snakes. Beloved you might be going through some setbacks  today but I want to encourage you to look on Jesus , focus on Jesus. As you do whatever that has been tormenting or harrasing you will lose power and you will live  a victorious life.

Some channels are worth watching and some deserve to be ignored. As for some channels; after watching their shows you feel motivated to get up from the ashes and see life with a different perspective.  But it is not so with the other channel, after watching its shows you feel depressed and hopeless. This channel instills fear in your mind it causes you to be negative towards life. Having said that beloved; can I tell you something, you might not have control over what content they put on their programmes but you have the power over the remote. You have the power to change the channel that instills fear on your mind. Likewise you might not have control over the content of your past, but you have the power to control which images to entertain in your mind. If you really want to be free from the control of the devil you have to quit watching his channel in your mind. Begin to see what God wants you to see! See that bright future! If you do so beloved; you will be amazed at how yo...

What does it means to live on purpose? Living on purpose means that the environment or situations does not prescribe to you how you should think or behave in any given circumstance. In other words before the next day begins you have already decided in your heart that you will be grateful no matter what! We can not deny the fact that no matter how good we live,  but still we are not exempted from facing difficulties and disappointments. But we are humans,  God has given us a mind to reason. We can be wise and be proactive instead of being reactive. Just like we carry lunch or cash to work to proactively satisfy the hunger drives; likewise we can purposefully carry peace and love in our hearts. Maybe you work with someone who is always rude towards you and every time you see that person you begin to be angry and that ends up ruining your whole day; but as a person who lives on purpose you are wise enough not to let that person control your moods and how your day should be. ...

Have you ever wondered how the devil operates? Knowing and understanding the enemy's schemes is vital if you really want to overcome the enemy.  In that way,  you will be able to predict the devil's moves before the devil finds out. One of the ways the devil operates is, magnifying the negative past. He causes the past to look brighter than the future. The moment you begin to see the missed past opportunities bigger than what God can do now or in the future; realize that, that is the work of the devil. God says , he does not withhold anything good to those who walk uprightly. God's blessings get better and better! The devil will show you pictures in your mind and say,  look this is a person you could have been married to or this is a place you could have been residing in. Listen the devil is a lier, he knows that the best is yet to come. Right now begin to say Lord thank you that the best is yet to come! I declare today that you will have a better future. You have ...

A countless times I have watched you. I have watched you throw yourself at what you do. No matter how draining your work can be; but you have never ceased to be your best. Many days you have been punctual irrespective of  a daily insufficient sleep. You have given every precious gift to your significant other or to the people you loved the most without withholding anything back. Actually you did not consider that the very Rand/dollar you spent on them was your last Rand. In your conversation with your significant other you spoke so softly and slowly as if you owned time. At first I was impressed, I said to myself, oh you really can love,  you are a person who knows the meaning of 'passion, intimacy and commitment; but as I continued watching you,  I wondered;        "Can you throw yourself on me?"        "Can you come into my presence without reservation?"        "Can you give to me your all?" ...

In Psalms 37:23, the scripture says, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord". Just like God was leading the Israelites to the promised land; they did not choose where to go or who to meet but God orchestrated their every move. Same thing applies to you as a righteous person of the Almighty God, your steps are ordered by the Lord. You might not understand where you are but God knows. You are not where you are by coincident. Some people you were hoping that they will always be there for you might have left you at a time when you needed them the most. Listen, God knows who you need to meet right in this season. Don't cry for a dummy when God says now is a time to let go of the old and open up for chicken drummies or the new!

Despised were the hands that fed Flooded with ignorance Worthy of hiding and yet rare Fragility composed its compare Persistent piercing words won not Scorned and ridiculed yet reeled not The hands that fed endured the test Tenacity marked its existence Though so hideous Hidden inside was life Unattractive and unworthy to be touched Yet artistic in nature Everywhere it touches, behold Inescapable marks Could be heard from a distance "I was here." The works, the  hands matched not Always questionable by the onlookers, Is it really possible ? Some marvelled at its works For the hands that Fed, fainted not.©

As I write this message, beloved, I assume that you already know Jesus as your Lord and savior. Today I want to share with you how you can cause the blessing of the Lord to begin to manifest in your life. There are many ways but I have chosen one for today. We all have dreams; next year you want to be something you not now or have certain things you don't have now. Remember that if you truly want to see the blessing of the Lord; you must have a dream that is inclusive of others, not just a "me, me" dream. Who are you planning to touch or help within the next three months? If you will become a person who has a heart for the less fortunate; God will step out of his throne to help you and bring you out of any difficult situation.

One of the things they taught us in  Mechanical engineering class is to use the right tool for the right job. Some of the reasons were; it could cost you more of your time to get the job done, or you could even hurt yourself. In other words when a wrong tool is used for a wrong job; it becomes a struggle. Each tool is designed for a certain purpose and if it is not used where it should function; vulnerability marks its course. We are no different to a tool designed by God for a certain purpose. Now the main question is, "how do I find out what my calling in life is?" Now many studies have been conducted and a number of personality tests have been designed to help guide people in order to find out which careers could be suitable for them,  nevertheless, with all that, some people still find themselves unfulfilled in their careers. They find no meaning in what they do. The right place to find out might not be in the books or seminars, but, in your mind. Your mind carries a...

You do not want to see yourself in the same position for years.  You want to increase and grow. It's nice when one or two people are promoted before your eyes in one year, you can celebrate with them; but when this begins to happen year after year and it becomes a trend it can be very frustrating. The scripture tells us that promotion does not come from the east or the west but promotion comes from the Lord. We can therefore agree that the main person that you need to impress in order to get that promotion is God. God promoted the two men who doubled the talents he had given them. Paul also encourages us to work as if we working for the Lord.

It feels good to be happy and excited. Sometimes we wish that it can always be like that but the truth is, sometimes it doesn't happen. When disappointment kicks in, we are presented with two choices, either be stressed or be happy no matter what. What is it that causes someone to be happy even after his house has completely burned down. Is it the insurance? Of cause not. But it is; 1)Gratitude  This person says I might have lost my house but thank God I have not lost my mind or my family. In other words this person's focus is on the "have;" not the have not." 2)Hope  If we believe that something good is about to happen, it creates a feeling of joy. One of the ways I use to create a positive atmosphere is to play songs that affirms a positive outcome for my situation. I play that song over and over until it becomes the part of my thoughts.

The scripture tells us that God knows everything, nothing is hidden from God's sight. He knows the beginning and the end. It is an undeniable truth that we have all had doors close before us. It is very painful when you had faith that a do would open but it didn't open. When all that happen, some choose to walk in Johnny's footsteps; I mean Johnny Walker by the way. So they keep on walking until they find a Bar, take a sip hopping to wash away their frustrations only to wake up with the same bad news that the door didn't open. What do you do when a door didn't open? Remember God is not by any means surprised by a closed door. Sometimes God would allow a door to close so that when a much better door opens you will be available. We must therefore move on and believe that the best is yet to come.

The scripture tells us that God knows everything, nothing is hidden from God's sight. He knows the beginning and the end. It is an undeniable truth that we have all had doors close before us. It is very painful when you had faith that a do would open but it didn't open. When all that happen, some choose to walk in Johnny's footsteps; I mean Johnny Walker by the way. So they keep on walking until they find a Bar, take a sip hopping to wash away their frustrations only to wake up with the same bad news that the door didn't open. What do you do when a door didn't open? Remember God is not by any means surprised by a closed door. Sometimes God would allow a door to close so that when a much better door opens you will be available. We must therefore move on and believe that the best is yet to come.

Do you want to get to the next level? You are not alone, we all want to. It is also clear that between you and the next level; there are many obstacles. If we don't know how to deal with those obstacles it might take us forever to get to the next level. What do we do then? Remember you are not the first one to be facing those obstacles, some have gone before you. We must therefore be people who are teachable, be open to other people's point of view. I must warn you though, sometimes words of wisdom might not come from the people who talk like you or dress like you. Don't let the other person's indifference impede you from receiving what God has for you. We must accept the fact that we don't know everything.

Most of us are in a stage in our lives where we are waiting for Day X to come. Why? The main reason is because Day X promises us joy, happiness and fulfillment. Day X could be a day when you get that job you have been praying for or it could be a day when you walk down the aisle with the man or woman of your dreams to say, "I do".  The problem is, waiting can be very stressful if we do not know how to handle it. I personally do not like waiting for food especially when I'm very hungry. One of the things you can do while you waiting is to be grateful. Like in my case, I would say,"father thank you that I'm about to have a meal". In other words your perspective should not be on the delays but on the finished product. Be grateful where you are. Sometimes the very things that we mourn about are the very source of our joy. 

Surely, you are reading this because you have been to school; probably you must have studied subjects like languages, Mathematics or even economics subjects. But do you still remember that you were not accepted to the next grade or class because you had passed all of them with a hundred percent but because you had satisfied a certain standard?  What am I saying with all this? Understand, this, people cannot always meet your standard hundred percent. Just because they can't meet your highest standard that you have set; does not necessarily mean that they are bad people. In other words, if we want to create healthy relationships; we must accept people with the fifty percent or sixty percent they bringing in. 

Why Live by Faith. Most of us have a desire to achieve great things in life. Having a desire to achieve is never enough. People die with desires. Most of the time we hear of their desires during their funerals, "He always had a desire to start a business." What separates the one who has achieved and the one who hasn't, is the faith. Faith will cause you to keep going even in the mist of all the reasons why you shouldn't succeed. Remember, there will always be reasons why you shouldn't succeed. You cannot allow reasons to stop you from achieving those great dreams. Believe that God will help you succeed. Don't give up on your dreams. 

I had always wondered, what makes a champion? One day I noticed that a certain wrestler who was a champion at that time would use this important strategy in order to overcome his opponent. The wrestler would hit the opponent in the same spot over and over until the opponent could not handle the punches anymore. A certain man once said "If you hit a tree all over it; it will hardly fall, but if you hit it on the same spot over and over; the tree will easily fall." What am I saying with all this. Which area do you want to see a breakthrough in? Now everyday start focusing on that area. Pray about that area. Declare what you want to see happening. Do this until God gives you an answer. I believe that as you follow these instructions you will see your breakthrough earlier than you expected. 

 Throughout the Bible we learn that many great men and women of God had to apply a certain way of praying in order to see their miracles manifest in the natural. Some of these great people were, Hannah, Elijah and a widow. Hannah prayed to God for a baby and she got seven more children. Elijah prayed that it would rain and it did. What is unique about the way they prayed?  Persistence.  All these people were persistent. They prayed persistently until their breakthroughs began to manifest . Many people are against the idea of asking God the same thing over and over as if He is deaf. This is one of the tricks that the enemy uses against God's children in order to deprive them of their blessings. The enemy would say "hey you don't have to ask God about that because you asked him yesterday". In contrary to this Jesus encourages us to pray persistently. Luke18:1_8 If what you prayed to God for has not yet materialized; don't stop praying. Continue praying until you...

Covered with sack clothes, rolling on the ashes; David cried and wept before the Lord, praying that the Lord may heal his son he got through adultery. Nevertheless, God seemed to show no mercy towards David because the son died (2 Samuel 12). What do you do when God does not answer your prayer? You paid tithes, given to the poor and prayed all night, in fact, done all you know could cause God to answer your prayers but still no answer. You loose the deal. The child dies. After hearing the news that the child is dead, David Rose from the ashes, got rid of the sackclothes; put on the robe of royalty and went back to the temple and worshipped God.  The story does not end there, but we learn that in the end God blessed David with a son who grew up to become a king full of wisdom and wealth. Instead of his shame God gave him a double portion. May God do the same for you; may he wipe your tears of sorrow and put on you the tears of Joy. (If these short messages are blessing ...

Many times when we are about to enter into the promised land, trouble kicks in. Why? Remember the devil does not want you to have your blessings. And if you are not willing to fight, you will not receive your blessing. We must become men of war and women of war in the realm of the Spirit in order to take hold of the blessings that belong to us. Many times when trouble kicks in, it's easy to think,"maybe this is not my blessing". This is the very thought that caused the ten spies whom Moses sent to spy the promised land, to back off from their blessings. Only those who can see a great God beyond trouble will live to enjoy the promises of God.  Declare this with me: I refuse to back off from my blessings. I will fight until I win! (Join me on facebook at Mandla Tembe for more of a timely word from God).