Pure Faith

Can you feel it in the air? The end has begun...like a woman who is about to give birth and her contractions are getting stronger and stronger? it feels the same thing especially with all the prophecies taking place right now. I do not blog here as often as before... I don't know how long this blog will run but by the grace of God Pure Faith is 7 years this year and I'll keep it online as long as the Lord wants me to and if it is time to stop writing then I would too.
 Friend, if you have stumbled on this blog, it is no accident, take, accept the grace of God to you- Him offering and revealing Himself to you. Know that He is alive and working in the lives of his children, that there is light in this dark world, that there are people who are living testimonies of Christ walking on the earth right here, right now.
That His promises are real and is a reality in the lives of those who believe in Him...that He, only He has the power to transform you the way no science, medicine, self-help book, or spiritual guru can. At the end of the day, it is only Jesus...and we only have this one life to make that decision to make Him our Lord and Saviour.
There are no chances, no more opportunity beyond the grave. This is it. This is where we make the decision between eternal life or damnation. We have to shake off our spiritual amnesia, all of the world's filth, all of the world's man made theologies and theories, all intellectual perception and misconception and just accept Christ's word as it is. Friend, do not wait until your last breath to make that decision, we don't know the number of our days and if there is one thing I am certain at- one thing I am most sure when that time comes is that at the end of our life- we will know that it is true- it is true all along....


But what good would the truth be if you have wasted your life away? We have to repent of our sins and give our life to Christ. For those who claim to be christians- what good is it to you to know the Bible or the message like the back of your hand and yet not know the author of the Word? when you know in your heart- you have not really met Him? we have to be honest with ourselves and bow down in humility, we have to shed that pride and surrender all to the author and finisher of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ. Professing that we know Jesus is  easy- but remember that the heart knows what is true.
And if in your heart you feel that you have not had an experience with God yet despite the fact that you have sat in church for as long as you can remember, maybe even as a child- then do consider to get to know person behind the name.This is not the time to play around. It isn't the time to procrastinate. We simply do not have the leisure of time itself. Time is slipping between our fingers.
A lot of people will dismiss this as being 'religious' especially in this day and age where faith and belief is really up in the air and you can believe any which way you want BUT that is a form of deception in the guise of political correctness.
There is TRUTH, there is one truth in all this, like a needle in a haystack, like a negative film there is a positive picture, if there is counterfeit then there is a genuine somewhere, like how there is light to oppose the darkness- it is simply the law of opposites. God exists! He is not a figment of imagination, He isn't a fable, or a myth, a legend. He was on earth, He walked the earth, He was crucified for you and I.

For the saints of God, for all the true believers on the other hand- this is actually a celebration. We will soon have the fulfillment of our body change, amen! I cannot wait. I want to see Jesus, the One who redeemed me from my fallen state, the One who encouraged me and gave strength to my heart throughout my life, the One who guided my actions, the One who provided for all of my needs, the One who comforted me through all my grief, the One who answered all my prayers, the One who healed all my sickness and diseases, the One who is my peace when I lay my head to sleep at night or when I am troubled. To see in person that still, small voice. Hallelujah! I cannot wait. I want to embrace Him for as long as I can and say my thanks in person. Because I wouldn't have made it without Him.

If there are any last words I could ever say to anyone is this-
Choose Jesus. Jesus Christ is the answer to everything. Jesus Christ is THE hope, He is the real source of life, peace and happiness. The whole world is bent on seeking for a utopia that will never come through science or through Man and no matter how they intellectually explain it away- it will never really peak. Never. That innate desire is meant to be for our Maker, that thirst- Man's thirst for going back to that state of perfection is natural because we know, deep down in Man's psyche- we know we were created.We know we have a Maker.
We know that perfection is not just a possibility but is a reality somewhere...and that is what drives Man is that thirst, the satisfaction of coming back to that state of pureness. We just do not realize that that place is in God only.There is a place out yonder- where there is perfection, a paradise, where love, peace, joy and all these good things exist.
Man try to re-create these attributes through their own knowledge but it will never produce the authentic fruit. It is only by eating from the tree of righteousness that we can attain these things. Only through Jesus Christ my friend. Science is a product of the tree of good and evil- it is not 100% good, it always carry a consequence, a potential to go wrong. It can never be perfect. Unfortunately to man, Science and technology is the answer to many things, perhaps temporarily it satiates that hunger for something but it will never really satisfy.

Let us seek Jesus, let us lay down all pride, let us stop and consider His plea, His offer of salvation. Let us lay down our arms, our defensiveness, our status quo, our own intellectual perception, our religion, our reputation, our personal idols, our self-importance, our unbelief...at His feet. At the end of the day friend, all our worldy achievements, wealth, fame and self-righteousness are just ashes, it might hurt to know this but it is worth nothing- that is the truth. It may even hinder us from coming to Christ. When death stares you in the face- could all those save you? it can't. There is only One who can.

Let us lay prostrate at His feet and know, just really, truly know in our heart that we are nothing without Him, that we need Him to change us, transform us and just stay there on bended knees, in humility, believing. Have faith in Him, He only requires faith even as small as a mustard seed, that is all it takes for Him to gain ground in your heart. Give Him that chance, give yourself a chance. I will leave you with a verse that is quite familiar to most of us but if this verse has become a reality in your life, then you would truly know what it means and that He not only paid His own life to redeem us from the enemy but we were promised eternal life with Him. His life is what we are worth in His eyes. He loves you that much.

Hello friend. I hope all is well with you, I really haven't blogged here for ages, just waiting on the Lord.   Tonight though there are just so many things simmering in my head that I feel I need to post here because I know a lot of you may have the same questions or going through the same thing. I just had an interesting and honest conversation with a dear friend of mine about the realities of the christian walk- the things that we rarely verbalize but think about you know? such as the difficult and sometimes heart wrenching trials that we go through, the pain of sacrifices, the dying to self, the isolation that we sometimes or for some often feel, the individuality and uniqueness of the journey that we take towards becoming Christ-like. Now, that chat made me think really well and it made me look back on my own experiences with the Lord...I feel led to write about this too because it is an eye opening realization, our walk with Christ.
Some are aware and some are taken by surprise, or taken aback when our prayers don't get answered straight away or the way we want to, or we experience sickness and diseases- for some even Cancer or accidents, when we go through different afflictions, persecutions which seem to go on and on...times when we become really discouraged especially when we make mistakes and we doubt God and we start to question and doubt ourselves and our walk with Him.
I decided to write about this to encourage all of us who wait on the Lord...because the truth is, we all go through this stage of questioning, not just once but many times- whether you are a baby christian or a mature one, there is no exception.

A lot of people may think, including myself that after we become baptized, or after we have decided to follow the Lord, that life would be easier, that everything would be smooth sailing- it is in a sense because now that we have Christ we can overcome everything and we truly do, lest I be misunderstood as contradictng myself, but what a lot of us did not expect was the fact that there are battles to actually fight, that there are rugged mountains to actually climb, that we have entered into His rest but also at the same time we have entered a battleground. The christian walk can be a paradoxical experience especially from a human perspective. To attempt to figure it all out, to try to make sense of it with the carnal mind is impossible, we need the mind of Christ to be able to comprehend God's ways, His plans and His economy but we also acknowledge the truth that this comprehension, this understanding and the realizations of the scripture in our life with Christ is also a revelation. They do not unfold all at once but I can probably say from my own experiences and the experiences of others, that the Lord reveals and unfolds these truths as we go. A lot of times, in retrospect after we have gone through the trials.
There is a very apt scripture for that from Heb.4:15-

"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."

Now, I know that discouragement, doubt and disillusion comes to us especially if we get confronted with a trial that is so big, so overwhelming and so painful we think we won't possibly come out of it alive or when we feel we got further away from Christ, or that He is silent, or even for no reason at all we start to question the Lord, we start to entertain doubt. Sometimes, when we feel that He is asking us to open our hands even more than usual- our initial reaction is to withdraw, because we know it will hurt. Surrendering everything hurts, that is the crux of the matter.
Surrender is equivalent to death, it is the act of giving up who you are and everything you hold dear and for a lot of us, that is a difficult thing to do. But the Lord is very much aware of the truth of surrendering because when He became flesh and walked on earth, His prayer at gethsemane and at the cross was reflective of that. He asked God to pass the cup if it were possible, He asked God why He forsook Him... but He knows the plan, He is the author of the plan and He was obedient to the end.
That is Christ being human and we do go through points in our lives where we do the same, where we go through a death to self. We ask Christ why is this happening to me? why me? do I really need to? but it will cost me...

I think once we reach this stage in our christian walk, when the Lord wants us to surrender not just bits and pieces but He is now asking for the greater portion- we tend to stall, we stop and think. And this I will tell you now, is a very delicate time, an opportune time for the enemy to flood us with doubt to try to convince us to just give it up altogether. To give up Jesus. He would say- this is getting too difficult now, too painful, too costly- it would cost you your friends, your career, your family and loved ones, your life- your WILL. 

That is what the Lord is after, see you are not the only one asking questions, He is too- Are you ready now for me? are you really serious when you say you love me? Are you really willing to live out my life the way I did? Are you willing to lay down your will, your all on my altar?

And when we reach that stage in our walk with Jesus Christ, we have to then make a decision. In analogy, it is pretty much like how a relationship is between a girl and a boy, there is the courtship stage where everything is new and exciting and fun, however, one cannot forever stay in that stage, if you do love each other and you are not just playing around but you truly are serious about this love- you will then decide if you want to get married, to spend the rest of your life with this person. The questions are- Can you really live your life without this person? is life worth living without them?
Decisions are made, see and you know what it will cost you. You are no longer your own person for you have become one with your husband or wife. It is a love relationship and it is the same with Jesus Christ.
Can you bear to live without Him? when He asks you to come up hither- up to a higher ground, a deeper and a serious walk with Him, will you answer the call? but you know it will cost you. is he worth it? then you have to make a decision too. Can you really live without Jesus by your side?
is the question. We know He cannot bear to live without us, despite the fact that He can choose not to even bother with man. But His sacrifice and His love towards us was great and beyond all human measure, He gave us His all. He poured all that is in Him for us. All that is required now from us who love the Lord, is to serve and love Him to the best that we can, to allow Him to reign in our hearts and minds, in our lives. And He provided a way for us to do so by giving us a part of Himself.

But do not think also that God expects perfection (in the context of us not making mistakes...), He knows we will fail every now and again, He knows we will stumble and fall and how many times in a day too. However, a lot of christians abuse God's grace. Things should be set in perspective. Bro. Branham set an analogy for this likening it to love and marriage- if a husband goes away from home for a time, he can be unfaithful to his wife if he wants to, he has the opportunity to fool around, but he won't, he cannot bring himself to do so- because he loves his wife so much even though he can he chooses not to. That is the balance of this love relationship. We make mistakes yet we cannot use the alibi of making mistakes to deliberately sin against God. A beautiful chapter which exemplifies God's knowing of us and our frailties is Psalms 103 have a read of that chapter. But for this discussion I want to quote Psalms 103:14-

Here we are friend, here we are living in the fringes of time. The Lord has come and is veiled in the Bride, in His true followers... Here we are, proclaiming Jesus Christ to the world, witnessing with our voices and our lives. We are here. Those who gave up on christianity because of people who claim to be christians but who does not manifest Him do not be discouraged. We are here, we may be a minority but we are here.
 Be mindful of your christian brother or sister, be mindful that Christ is in them, that He chose them, us. To those who have not met Christ yet, be mindful of that christian who you mock, be mindful of the Christ that you make fun of, be mindful of the signs of the times that just passes your eyes...
because when the last grain of the sands of time has trickled in- that is it my friend. There is no stopping what has been prophesied, they will come to pass and it is not dependent on whether we believe it or not. Even if the whole world disbelieve it, God's truth will always stand regardless of anything.
I can feel it in the air, i believe those who are true believers the world over feel it in their gut as well...the taking away of the Bride is going to happen soon. The destruction of the world is upon us.
Now, I am fully aware that when I say things like this especially in these times- I know not everyone will believe it and a lot will mock, like in the days of Noah but I'd rather shout this out from the rooftops and I'd rather throw it out there- a predestined one might catcht it and get a hold of it, amen.
That is the goal is to look for the last one....to look for the last lost sheep and if that is you, then come. Come into the ark of Christ brother or sister. Come before it's too late- do not hesitate any longer. Pray and ask the Lord to reveal Himself to you, read the Bible get to know His words, His plans, get to know what He thinks of you- that you are the apple of His eye, that He has great things in store for you. That He will wipe all tears from your eyes, all suffering and bitterness. Come my friend.

I can't sleep yet friend, just been doing some thinking...I'm thinking of those who were once christians and those who used to love the Lord dearly and maybe still do but at the moment they have not found their way  to Him yet, those who have not fully surrendered to Christ. I am not talking about unbelievers but I am talking about those who sit in church with us, those who we fellowship with but have not surrendered yet.
My heart really goes out to them because I once was like that, I can still clearly remember those days where I was on the brink of deciding whether I will follow Him or not. I can still remember the criticsm around me from fellow christians and how tempting it was to just throw in the towel knowing that I am not in the right place with God and yet I cannot give Him up because I fiercely love Him. How can that be? I was wondering during those days... my heart knows its Maker and yet I found it hard to surrender to Him completely.
The right time came though when God Himself did all the work, when I didn't really lift a finger. I came to a point where my heart just ached for a change and I was just in tears most of the time, saddened by the fact that I kept disappointing God. And the Lord answered me, He almost really pried open these clutching hands and took away everything that I relied on, took away the many fears and temporary comforts that were besetting me but now I can say I am a changed woman. I am eternally grateful to Him that I am but who I am now too is because of the Lord... He keeps and preserves me and even now He is still working on me because I make mistakes, lots of them.

Now, these things were brought back to my mind because I know of people who have not fully committed to the Lord but are honest about it and I also know of people who sit in churches and look the part but are not true followers of Christ. The former get a lot of flak from fellow christians (or so-called christians) and the latter do not because as I have mentioned before they say and look the part. But that is what really gets to me- is how people can judge others that quickly because my argument for this would be- How can we judge others when they are (even ourselves) are an unfinished work? who knows the beginning from the end, see? only God. Who can read the heart of a man? only God. So, what is the basis of judgement?
I am never really one for debate or contentions however I can argue word for word based on the Scriptures how we cannot judge others based simply on outward manifestations.

This is hard for me to say but a good many christians (or those who profess to be) can be a bit harsh and judgemental with those who are weak in faith even when God clearly instructs us to not despise the weak but to help them (Rom.14:1, Roma.15:1, 1 Thess.5:14). And sadly, this is not uncommon in the christian community- given the fact that there will always be a mixture of mature and immature believers. Judging and condemning the weak in faith is clearly a reflection of immaturity and not Christ-like at all and has to be corrected and exposed because the enemy takes advantage of this to create divisions, see.

I know this to be true because I used to be the same way and oh boy did I feel the judging eyes and sometimes condemnation, I know how it feels to be written off by one or many and it hurt s I must say. It hurt me a lot that I am perceived as a make-believer or even a 'professor' of christianity and feel that I am not good enough to be a christian because I am not like them. I almost agreed with them on their opinion about me but what made me stood my ground was God Himself- that gut feeling in knowing that He chose me.
 It almost gave me a reason to forego christianity altogether.  I felt disappointed because even though I am aware that I have not fully surrendered to Christ and the manifestation at that point was lacking but in my heart of hearts, I loved the Lord truly. It's just that I cannot change myself even if I try, I cannot manifest Christ on my own because we all know we cannot. It is only Him who can bring about genuine changes and manifestations but He does it in His time.
That is the thing that we all have to remember and respect that in God's economy there is a time and season for everything. That He has a different plan and strategy for everyone. The road to God is not a one road fits all....He is smarter than that and I don't mean to sound sacrilegious- but the point I am trying to make is that He made us all different, each of us is unique and so the way to capture our hearts would be unique too. See, there is courtship before we get married.

So, how can we help these lovely, little ones to go further along in their faith, we ask? Love is the answer, plain and simple. One good thing the Lord taught me that I can share with you is to use the Jesus' lens :)  ask yourself- if God is here right this moment, how will He react towards those who are weak? will He judge them? will He write them off? will He say things about them? will He avoid them?
I think we all know the answer to these questions....

If Christ is here right this very minute and look at that soul who is hungering for Him yet is weak in the flesh, I have a very good idea of what He will go through. First His heart will just feel heavy with mercy and compassion, then His eyes will water a bit because His love towards that soul will become unbearably overwhelming... He won't judge nor condemn because He knows that soul is incapable of change without His help but He will approach that soul and talk with him/her, He will embrace them and revive them...He will say things that will comfort, words that will uplift, words that will encourage and give hope. He will be a friend first before He can become a God.
Let us be to others how He is towards us my fellow christians, forgiving, kind and merciful. That is the way to treat those who are weak in faith because that is how Jesus will treat us if we are in their shoes. We are all His children, it is good to not forget that we all once were unbelievers
 but by His mercy we are saved. Let us not look down, talk about or judge those who are weak or who has weaknesses, for we are all at the mercy of Christ. He is the one preserving us, we have no strength of our own. May we just continue to love and encourage one another, uplift each other and may we not despise those who are weak but let us instead reach out to them so that Christ through us can help them break free of any shackle. May the love of God persevere in us. Amen. God keep us all.

My family, specifically my mother and my siblings were Catholic up until I was 8 years old. We joined a christian Pentecostal church and there started our journey to knowing Christ. I was quite young to really comprehend what it was all about but I knew I was touched by the Lord and that I love Him. I remember enjoying the singing and worship every Sunday but I still have not surrendered my all to Christ. Then we were introduced to the taped sermons preached by Bro.Branham, these were all new to me but when I heard him preach, the anointing was really strong and I felt that, it had to be God.
When the day came and I fully gave my heart to Christ I told him- 'Lord, let us please start over and i want you to show me these things, these truths yourself.  i don't want man's interpretation.' And that is what happened, every time I read my Bible and every time I listen to taped sermons of the prophet the Lord revealed his word to me.
All my small doubts melted away, I am now certain in my heart that William Branham indeed was used by the Lord to break the Word to us and that his ministry on earth is as a prophet. I do not worship the man, but I respect him as a prophet just the same respect i would give if Moses or Elijah was alive. I respect God's decision to choose him in a ministry that would unshackle the church from it's denominational bonds and start an individual relationship with Christ. I could not and would not deny the Lord's ministry through him. The message is the revealing of Jesus Christ Himself.
And I am glad that I can see truths now clearer than ever before through Bro.Branham's ministry, the world of course will try to discredit any moving of the Holy Spirit but before we judge and criticize I think we have to give it a chance and read his books and listen to his sermons. There's nothing to loose but much to gain.

My walk with the Lord has become more solid than ever after getting to know his plans for me and I realized He is not just in the Bible but He is in everything. My eyes were opened at last to see that He is in nature and the processes in nature, He is in the seasons, He is the great architect of the human anatomy, He is in the skies, in a stranger, in a friend's kindness, He walks behind me and before me, that there are battles being fought for me in the spiritual realm...He is the all in all indeed.
 I wondered how I missed Him all this time? but now I feel so honoured and priveleged that I can commune with my Great Creator, that He is accessible to me, that when I pray I know for sure that He listens to every word I say. That He knows of my heart's desires and it's heartaches, that everything in my life is ordained and if there are troubles He will be there for me. I realized that this peace that I have in my heart is His presence...and there is none greater.
I wish everyone can have what I have...i truly do. I pray that lost souls will come to repentance, that they will see what we see and hear what we hear. The world will end soon whether we scoff with disbelief or not, it will. That is written in the scriptures and all the prophesies of the Bible are coming to pass in front of our eyes...I pray dear reader that you will consider Jesus Christ in your life. Make him your Saviour and Lord, pray a simple but sincere prayer of repentance and read the bible and get to know Him. You will never be sorry...He is there for anyone who wants Him.

    Last night I had a good quiet time, just me and the Lord. Praying, meditating and reflecting on things. I am embarrassed to say that I have not done that in awhile, I allowed life's busyness and routine to take over and it felt good to be alone with my God again, basking in His sweet presence. The only place where I feel I truly belonged is in Christ, when I am praying and worshipping Him, when I am able to breathe out all my cares and unload all my troubles and uncertainties and be comforted- not a worked-up, make believe comfort but the real thing, genuine peace...He truly is our resting place. I am glad I can access that, I know not many people do but it is available for us all if we accept and believe what Jesus offers.
I am reminded again that there is a raging spiritual warfare between God and the devil at this time and a very subtle approach from the enemy, the signs are everywhere but it goes over our heads...and it's never been so pronounced and open as it is in this generation.
   One only needs to go out- skulls, demons, witches, vampires- evil and demonic entities appears to be the theme of this day, Hollywood turning these characters into heroes, pizza parlors named after hell and people think it's okay. If someone cries out against the evil of this age, everyone will turn around and think you are the nutter...hmm. As the bible says we are living in the age of Laodecia- where we are materially abundant, our children go out into the street almost naked as dictated by fashion,  rife with rebellion and deprived of values.  There is a strong drive to neutralize? or i must say totally eliminate God from our psyche...there is no more fear of doing wrong- homosexual marriages, push for legalizing marijuana, a high tolerance for occultism, worshipping science, believing in everything else: crystals, seers, astrology, etcetera...The theme for this day and age is- 'To each his own'. We have become a godless generation.

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: Rev.3:17

 However, this was meant to come to pass and that is what the scripture and the prophesies say and things, including the financial climate of the world, despite what analysts say- will not become better. That was all written in the book of revelation...the financial crunch of all times is yet to come and there will be no solution, but someone will come along to offer a solution and that is the Anti-Christ. The world and it's governments will gladly accept it, the Great Tribulation befalls and the foolish virgins who got left from the rapture because they do not have the Holy Ghost (oil) will have to shed their blood because they will make a stand. Then...the nations of the earth will turn against Israel and the battle of Armageddon begins. I have not even mentioned that before or at the same time or right after the sinking of California- the physical taking away of the Bride will take place.
You can exhale now, i know it's pretty intense but it is real. The prophecies from Revelation that is yet to happen, but will soon enough happen beyond any shadow of a doubt. But the great question is- are we prepared? have we given our hearts to God? have we surrendered our life to Him? have we laid down our guns and admitted to ourselves that there is indeed a God to whom we have to give account for our life?

  The most common mistake we make is to think that we belong to ourselves. That we should be at the helm of the ship and that we are 'it', we are our own boss, that we dictate our fate. That is why we are having trouble surrendering and letting go but my friend, there is a greater being who overrules all our rules, who shapes, molds and influences our lives...who pre-destinated the order of things even before we were conceived in our mother's wombs. Are we too proud to admit and submit to that truth?

That greater being is not an alien, is not made up of many different gods, is not a man like us, is not the sun who used to be worshipped- it is the great I AM, the Creator Himself- who came down from His throne and clothed Himself with flesh (John 1:1). He fulfilled the Word, endured the suffering, hatred, the physical pain and the heartache of rejection and was nailed to the cross to die... for you.
   Now, I am fully aware that most of us have heard this before, hence, easily dismissed as a christian concept (as cynics would claim) but the truth that Jesus Christ is real is never dependent on the world's opinion or popular belief, it remains truth nevertheless. He is beyond concept or religion.
The world concocted their own equivalent, dare i say substitute for God which is Science. In the world of science everything has to be proven, it is non existent otherwise and that concept has spilled in into the very core of modern civilization that it has become their catch phrase, their worldview- the dominant, mainstream worldview. Would you want to raise your children as a godless person? Heaven forbid.
But glory be to God that He is who he says he is, that He protects His seed, that He raises a standard against the evil that besets us, that God Himself is our place of refuge. He is our refreshing and our strength. We may be poor and we may not have everything but He is our portion in this life. He is the fount of life, our peace and our righteousness. He is our knight in shining armour, our hero. He can be all these things to you if you let down your guard and open your heart sincerely. It's okay, He listens, Jesus Christ is a true friend and he never really far away. He is only a prayer away.
To those who desire to have a closer walk with our Saviour then please come to Him today as you read this and spare no idle minute. The world and the civilizations of the earth is near it's time, whether you believe it or not. It is truth and not a scare tactic as some would say...Let us seek God because only He has the answer, only He has the key. Friend, it is never too late- now is the time. Amen.
It's 2012 and we are given another chance to accept Jesus Christ's offer of salvation, let us redeem the time.