Put God before material things

(James 5:1) Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. :2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. :3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. :4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. :5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. :6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you. :7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. :8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

This sounds terrible, almost as if God is angry at rich people. Do not misread this scripture my friends, God loves rich and poor alike and invites all to come to His banqueting table. In fact He has promised us earthly blessings and prosperity. The problem is that the love of money, or greed, is equal to idolatry. This is an unhealthy desire to become rich in earthly wealth while compromising on heavenly principles. E.g. if you do not pay your laborers a good wage, or you withold their wages then you are cheating them and their cry is before God. If you are running to get money and sacrifice your wife and kids on the altar of material gain then you are not pleasing God. It is better to live a simple lifestyle with love in the house and no enemies than to be rich with a trail of broken lives behind you. Our world will tell us "you need a new car, cellphone, boat, motorbike,etc" and that mostly leads us to buying on credit. Now the economies of the world is showing their weakness and all of us are in debt, including us, and we are all crying for deliverance. I have come to realize that immediate gratification is not always God's way. There is value in working for something you really want and putting other things on hold. We have decided to work our way out of debt as we are nose deep in it now. In order to do that we set some things aside and delay their purchase in order to make payments to creditors. We know Jesus redeemed us from the debt and we are standing on His word that He will set us free from it, but we still have to pay it and pay it until it's done. Friends, it is time to get our lives in order and seek the Lord. Set your priorities straight, with Jesus being the chief priority. Put mammon (money god) in his place, in hell, and crown Jesus Lord of your life, including your material needs. I want to encourage you to get out of debt. God often lays it on my heart, and He has for many years, that we as Christians should not owe man anything. Let US obey Him today and get ready for His return.

If you do not know Jesus as your friend, then maybe you have not been born again. Please follow the link "How to receive Jesus" on the front page of our website and read the message there. It will assist you in receiving and applying the work of Christ in your life.

Schalk Steyn
www.steynministries.org

Rule with the Creator

It is critically important for us as humans to steward, manage or rule this planet in a way that is was designed to be stewarded. Our power hungry nature and lust for personal enrichment have caused us to extract and not manage the resources of this incredibly beautiful and awesomely created planet we live on. It is the church of Jesus that should know the difference and start influencing others to be better stewards as well. The poor and needy also needs to be trained how to farm sustainably as part of the ecological challenges we face on earth is directly related to poverty. Mass clearing of indigenous forests and cutting of trees for firewood poses a major problem for our future well-being on this planet. The governments of many of these nations could not care less and therefore the Body of Christ has the mandate to incorporate such awareness into their bible training programs and church teachings.

till later
skalla

Bible - Development Manual

The more I study development the more I realize that the only answer for global sustainable development lies in the Bible. People need to know the designer of this planet and it's inhabitants. The owner knows best as He planned the creation and designed the parameters within which it would function optimally. Some of these parameters are, love, grace, generosity, holiness, intergrity, selfless giving, kindness. If we as a human race can meet Jesus Christ and have Him transform us by the billions we will see the manifestation of God's intentions, which are "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope."

See the right picture

Development and progress is only possible where there is vision. The picture we see of our world determines what we would become. If we do not see progress as something that is for us then we will give over to fatalistic views and become victims of a broken world. Make sure you see the right picture and help others to see the right pictures.

Be more Positive

Everywhere around us we hear bad news and negative reports. The fact is that we have so much going for us that we should be rejoicing. We have a God that loves us and has given us everything we need to live well, we have an amazing world to live in, lots of creativity, love and inteligence. Why are we using all this for the negative. People see God as bad, the world as bad, the humans as bad and all things are just bad. Come on, turn your negative energy into positive ideas of development and progress. How can you make the world better today??

Skalla

The owner's manual

As the years go by and I study human development and work in the field I realize more and more that the only factor that can bring about lasting and sustainable development is Jesus Christ. He is the creator of this place we live in and He knows each person in detail. He knows what our strengths, weaknesses, resources and abilities are. He is the Master Business Plan developer and His plans are always for mankind's blessing. I can say now, more than ever, that development without Jesus is short term and less effective.

The sun will rise again

I realize that in these times there are many people who are facing difficulties and trials. The economies of the world are in turmoil and money is showing its unstable foundation. We have to get the ideas that will truly lift us out of our situation. God knows all things and He knows best how we should live to rise above the current state of affairs. We are not bound to the economy of the world, but we should live in the economy of the Kingdom of God. His kingdom principles and ideas will set us apart from our peers. The Lord said we will be the head and not the tail, on top and not at the bottom. We will prosper even in famine as Isaac experienced when he sowed in the dry land in a famine and reaped a hundred fold harvest. Seek God for wisdom and apply His wisdom and see what He will do.

Till later,

Skalla

If it is to be, it is up to me!!

I heard a teacher use this phrase the other day and really liked it. The fact is that if anything good is going to come out of my life, my country and our world then it is up to us to make it happen. We will need to determine what it should look like and design it and build it. We cannot wait for some mystical force to make things happen and then call it destiny. The enemy of our souls, the devil, will hijack such beliefs and bring about his will and blame it on God. Take charge, walk with God and make your life count.

Till later
Skalla

Rise from the ashes

God says that as far as He is concerned all people should sit in royalty. Not some special ones only. This is evident in Ps 113 which says He raises the poor and needy from the ash heap and seats them with princes. The fact that there is so much unequal distribution of wealth is not God's plan. It is not altogether the problem of those who have the wealth either. They have applied certain principles and it worked and the fact is that money makes money and the lack of money leads to greater poverty. The redistribution of wealth by means of force and government programs is not the way to fix it. You cant steal from the rich to give to the poor. The poor will have to rise up and apply the principles, get some capital to assist and be trained to make it happen. Often the beliefs and values of the poor communities, especially rural African communities, does not allow for such an outlook. Well, the rest of the world should then not point fingers to the wealthy and say that they are causing those people to be poor. There is more to it than meets the eye. The fact is, every person on earth can enjoy God's abundance and overflow in every area of their lives. Those who will dare believe this and apply biblical truth will experience it.

Africa is rich

The sad thing about Africa and many other so-called third world areas is that they have the potential to be the richest and best places to live on earth. Unfortunately, due to a variety of reasons this is not the case. The bottom line is that Africans are not experiencing the riches and bounty they are destined for. The main reason for this is locked up in religious pre-suppositions and beliefs that have formed mindsets that are enslaving and that dictates the way in which people respond to their environment. The whole issue of personal destiny and what role we as individuals play in fulfilling this is a classic example. For many, it is a case of, "the ancestors, or god, will decide". This whole philosophy is contrary to biblical teaching and robs the individual of the awesome opportunity God has presented to each person. Each person has the same opportunity to succeed in life, it is a question of choice and action to follow that will set one apart from another. I know I am making it seem simple, but I do realize the complexities poor people face in order to rise from their circumstances. Fact is though that there are answers and solutions and they are found in the greatest human development manual ever, the Bible.

Truth above culture

Our continent is in a bad state when it comes to bribery and corruption. This is largely due to the fact that it is acceptable in many of the cultures to pay someone a gift for a favor. In Africa those with power can demands certain gifts and privileges simply because they have the power. This is contra development and will always keep the ones without power in slavery. Our people need to learn that bribery and corruption is keeping them at the feet of the corrupt power hungry and we need to rise up and uproot the elements in government who have no integrity. We should stop supporting those who abuse their power to get their personal ambitions. People of Africa, Rise and Shine... you dont need the people who abuse you.

skalla