From Caterpillar to a Butterfly 1

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Vol. 2 | Issue 4

www.thespecialseed.com A Registered NPO

“From Caterpillar To Butterfly”

Devotions for the Month:

• TheCurseThatPavedAPathForYourSalvation…

• AreYouTrulyBornAgain?

• TheBlessingOfBeingNothing!

• TheSecretToAcceptableGiving!

• WhyIsMyLifeNotFulfilling?

• EveryoneIsBornToLead,But...

• OurTrueSabbathRest–TheSecretToALifeOfVictory

Salvation is a monthly magazine that seeks to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, the power of God to salvation and lead all who believe to a purpose driven life that will give glory to God. (Romans 1:16) No Rights Reserved. This publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form with the sole objective of preaching the gospel of Christ.

What’s Inside?

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Caterpillar to Butterfly:

The Great Story

Gospel Q &A: Can I Lose My Salvation?

Counseling:Can I claim child

maintenance from court?

The Heart Intelligence Corner:

Solution To The Fundamental Problem Of Revenge God’s Heart To You

Quotable Quote

salvation2

Victor’s message to you

Hi Friends, At some point of our lives many questions

begin to arise in our hearts: “Why is my life

not fulfilling?” “Why is there so much darkness

in my life?” “Why do I feel like a fake person?”

“Why do I feel so empty yet I have achieved so

much in my life?” “I believe I am saved, I am born

again but why don’t I have peace and rest in

my heart?” “Why do I sin more when I try hard

to stop sinning?” These questions were also

a thorn in my heart in my journey of life and

many people are asking themselves these

same questions. Friends, it is sad but TRUE that

until you find the grace of God, you seek for

salvation in lifeless symbols and idols. As with

every reactionary and temporary fulfilment

these symbols create a vacuum which in turn

causes a greater need for satisfaction and an

even bigger need for symbols. This is because

the heart feels the need for deity and yet your

mind seeks salvation in all the wrong places.

Many people are looking for answers in their

lives. People are hungry for change but they

are looking for change in the wrong places. I

have discovered that many who actively follow

signs and wonders happen to be the most

miserable in society. Some have died in far-

off countries in search of miracles that could

change their lives. Although they attend these

miracle services Sunday after Sunday, they

remain thirstier. They move from one church

to another in search of change. People do not

know the secret of change, and therefore,

they labour to change on their own efforts and

ability. This was my life too and I call this stage

of life the caterpillar times.

I struggled with sin. My life was miserable.

My life was a mirror of Genesis 1:2 “The earth

was without form and void, and darkness was

upon the face of the deep, and the spirit of God

moved upon the face of the waters”. The book

of Genesis in the bible goes beyond creation.

It also talks about the nature of a person`s

heart. The earth in Genesis 1 was without

Quotable Quote“When you accept the Word of God as knowledge or theory, there will never be change

in you but true change will only arise when you accept the Word of God into your heart by faith. It is at this point that God’s Word becomes the light that drives away darkness, it becomes the love that drives away hatred, it becomes hope that drives away despair. It becomes joy that drives away sadness and the foundation of this

process of change is your true relationship with God through His son Jesus Christ and the foundation of your relationship with God is your faith and the faithfulness of Christ

– the gift of forgiveness of sin” – Victor Nkomo

God’s Heart To You “To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness”.(Ephesians 4:22-24)

form, was void and was in deep darkness.

Surely God did not like the earth in this form

and what followed was that He spoke to the

earth: “Let there be light”; “Let the earth bring

forth the herb yielding seed, and the tree yielding

fruit whose seed is in itself”. The earth changed

into God’s purpose as His Words came upon

it. The creation process as given in Genesis

gives us two things: firstly, the state of our

purposelessness (Caterpillar); and secondly,

the source of true change that leads us to a

purpose-driven life (Butterfly).

The greatest gift of my life was receiving

forgiveness of sin – salvation! I had attended

church all my life but I had no story of salvation.

I had assumed that being born in church and

being baptised in my early days meant that I

was born again, but I was wrong. True change

came about in my life when I received true

salvation prepared by God. It was after this

that the inspiration to pen this magazine was

born – after true transformation came into my

life. We are all born spiritually dead – with an

identity of sin from Satan through Adam. We

are born as ugly caterpillars but God prepared

a plan of salvation for all of us and it is this plan

that truly transforms us to a new identity of

Jesus Christ. It is this identity that makes us

to be beautiful butterflies. Our call with this

magazine is to preach the gospel of Christ,

the power of God to salvation leading all who

believe to a purpose-driven life that gives glory

to God.

Friends, true change comes through the Word

of God. The Word of God is Jesus Christ (John

1:1). It was the Word of God that brought

change to the void and dark earth. Until and

unless you receive forgiveness of sin, accepting

the Word of God into your heart by faith

and allowing Jesus Christ to take dominion,

darkness will continue to rule in your life,

and the headless chicken habits of looking

for miracles will never end. TRUE CHANGE

IN YOUR LIFE = JESUS (Galatians 2:20) – SIN

(Romans 7:17-18) – YOUR THOUGHTS (Isaiah

55:8). Therefore true change comes through

accepting Jesus Christ in your heart. Friends, I

lived a painful life in the past, I was a wanderer,

wandering in darkness, suffering from guilt,

pain, and fear but through salvation I received

forgiveness of sin. Being truly born again

brought true satisfaction, happiness, joy, rest,

peace and a Purpose-driven life.

I have therefore refused to bite my tongue as

there is a song in my heart, a song of salvation,

my great story. I would like the whole world

to hear this song and story of salvation. I

believe this is the great song that will change

our nations and the communities around us.

It is a love story that every person must hear

and embrace in their hearts, the love of Jesus

Christ that brings true happiness. Salvation

magazine is about restoring the true identity

of Jesus Christ, nothing less and nothing more.

I trust you will enjoy this month’s edition.

Please use it to introduce Jesus Christ to

everyone you meet (one more saved person

for Christ!). This is your greatest mission as

you live. It is through this mission that all

other things shall be added to your life. It is my

prayer that you will receive the Word of God in

this magazine into your heart by faith and that

the Word shall become the Special Seed that

will transform your life from a caterpillar to a

beautiful butterfly and that you will live your

life with the new heart of Jesus Christ.

“Never Be Discouraged, Stay Encouraged In The Lord“ Love of Christ.

Compiledby: TheSpecialSeedDesignedby: StratsmithMarketing

Salva ion

From Caterpillar to a Butterfly 3

Devotion: 1The CURSE THAT PAVED A PATH TO YOUR

RIGHTEOUSNESS

Today we live in an era of confused Christians. From addicts of blessings, miracles, to deliverance, people from all walks of life are searching for answers for their lives. Many are quick to say they are cursed when things do not go their way or when they struggle with certain weaknesses or darkness which they can’t overcome. This has led to the boom of so called deliverance services.

The solution to any problem requires you to go to the source of the problem, otherwise dealing with the symptom of the problem will only lead to pain and frustration. Let’s explore the first curse in the bible. I believe it will open your eyes as far as your spiritual life is concerned. In Genesis 3, the Lord cursed Adam and Eve who ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He said to Adam that through painful toil he would eat of it [the ground] all the days of his life. To Eve He said He would greatly increase her pains in childbearing and her husband would govern over her. When you look carefully into the life of man, you can see that men are cursed according to the Words in Genesis 3. Many people say they do not understand the curse the Lord gave to the serpent. The Lord said the serpent would eat dust all the days of its life and He would put enmity between the serpent’s seed and the woman’s seed. What worries many is whether the serpent really eats the dust? What does the enmity between the serpent’s seed and the woman’s seed mean? After Adam and Eve sinned, the Lord cursed man and the serpent. The curse against the serpent is written in Genesis 3:14-15: “So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring[a] and hers; he will crush[b] your head, and you will strike his heel.”

The first curse the Lord gave to the serpent was, “upon thy belly shalt thou go.” Satan worked through the serpent to deceive the woman. He was the archangel – wiser and more beautiful than other angels, but he was driven out of heaven because in his pride he wanted to make himself like the Most High. (Isaiah 14:14, Ezekiel 28) Satan who had tried (and failed) to be like God stole into the Garden of Eden and put the thought “to be like God” into man to make man challenge the throne of God. “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil”

(Genesis 3:5). Satan tried to exalt himself, but the Lord made him “the lowest.” It was God’s will to make Satan, the lowest. God also said to the serpent, “And dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.” Many people ponder, “Does the serpent really eat dust?” There is a spiritual meaning within this verse. “Dust” means “the flesh” of man. In Genesis 2:7, God formed man of the dust of the ground. In other words, the verse “dust shall thou eat” means Satan will prey on our flesh. If we are freed from the flesh, there will be no condition for Satan to tempt us. That’s why it is important to understand that your freedom from sins lies in you being reconciled back to God through Jesus Christ. It is through this reconciliation that we begin to walk in the spirit, living by faith in Christ who takes residence in us: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

Satan continuously puts into us the desires and lust of the flesh and therefore tempts us. So those who love the flesh, live and rely on the flesh become the prey and slave of Satan and are tortured by him. Those who live by faith overcome the sinful nature by the Spirit. In our journey of spiritual life it is important to realize that the lust of flesh and every inclination of the thoughts of the heart are evil all the time. We must throw away the lust of flesh and our evil thoughts, and discover the real heart of God: “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God” (Romans 8:13-14).

In Genesis 3:15, God said He would put enmity between the serpent and the woman and between the serpent’s seed and her seed. The seed of the woman signifies Jesus Christ. Jesus was not a seed of man but was born of the Virgin Mary, so the Scripture refers to Him as “the seed of the woman”. Yes, when God cursed the serpent, He also foretold that Jesus Christ, the seed of the woman, would fight against the serpent, Satan! “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Satan tempted man to achieve his lust, and God who knew that man would be tempted and be fallen sent Jesus, the seed of woman, to fight against Satan. We have to keep in mind why God had Jesus Christ fight against Satan. If there had been the

slightest possibility of man winning the fight against Satan, God would not have made Jesus fight against Satan. God clearly knew that man was no match for Satan. So God let Jesus fight for man, and Jesus defeated Satan in the battle. In Matthew 4, Jesus was tempted by Satan. Satan tried to tempt Jesus in three ways. One of the temptations was: “All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me.” Satan tried to make Jesus fall down and worship him through the bait of the glory of the whole world. In this way, Satan mischievously succeeded against man. “You will be able to become a doctor, a lawyer, or enter a prestigious university, or marry a beautiful girl if you turn away from Jesus and follow your own thoughts.” Most of us actually succumb to this bait, fall into sin, and ultimately follow Satan. Many live chasing the deceiving glamour of the world, only to discover when death is knocking that all this was vanity. Satan however could not defeat Jesus Christ. Jesus’ form of defence was not His thoughts but the Words of God. Eve, in Genesis 3, relied on her own thoughts and ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. However, Jesus was different. Jesus fought against Satan with “It is written.” He didn’t follow His own thoughts. Jesus didn’t rely on His will or thoughts but won over Satan by the Words of the Lord. According to the will of God, Jesus was nailed on the Cross. Even though His heel was bruised, He bruised the head of Satan and resurrected from death to give real freedom and joy to all mankind. It is with this understanding that we must receive Christ in our hearts if we are to defeat Satan. Only Christ can do it for us, with our efforts and abilities sin can only defeat us.

When God cursed Adam and Eve, He already had the plan for Jesus, our Saviour. God opened the way for man to communicate freely with Him and to be blessed with His grace through the cleansing of sins and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. We have to forsake our thoughts and knowledge, accept the Word of God in our heart and enjoy the grace of God in our lives.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you[a] free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, [b] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. [c] And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh

cannot please God”. (Romans 8:1-8)

salvation4

After we become aware of the existence of God, we normally serve God as

best we can in our own way. We go to church, read the Bible, pray, keep the Ten Commandments, and do good. Yet, the Bible says, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; . . .” (Matthew 7:21). Do we have assurance that we will enter heaven or paradise? Now is the time to check our salvation and the status of our spiritual life.

In John 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus that he should be born again. This is a very shocking remark. If Jesus had stated it to a person who was dissolute, hypocritical, and wretched, then everyone would have agreed, saying, “That’s right. He needs to be renewed. He has to change.” However, Jesus told Nicodemus to be born again! Nicodemus was a Pharisee – outstanding and flawless in terms of religion, morality and character. People usually think of Pharisees as hypocrites, but the real Pharisees were not like that. The Pharisees were an order of the Jews found in the middle of the Old Testament and the New Testament. The leaders were the scholars who were strictly disciplined in keeping and following the law. Not only were they accurate in interpreting the law, but they were the strictest order in obeying the traditions of the law among the Jewish religions. The law was the foundation of their faith and life. Thus, the Pharisees were the most significant religious sect in Judaism. Nicodemus was very religious and was a member of the denomination that was most traditional and powerful, yet, Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) He was probably a role model among the Jews, but because his soul was never born again, he could not enter into heaven.

Being born again and receiving salvation has nothing to do with the outwardly appearance. Nicodemus saith unto him, how

can a man be born again when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Sprint is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again” (John 3:4-7). Friends, you must eliminate your ego and identity. As Nicodemus took notice of Jesus’ power and works, he believed that Jesus was the teacher who came from God (John 3:2). In a way, he was different from the other

Pharisees. He was honest and sincere. As he saw the works and power from Jesus, he thought, “His power and works could not occur unless God is with Him. God is truly inside of Him.” He was truly a devout person, but he was aware of his lacking aspects in his faith. Because he needed to quench the thirst in his soul, he came to Jesus despite others who shunned Jesus by calling Him a cult. However, humanistic sincerity and humbleness was useless to save his soul.

Everything that comes out of a person who is not born again by the Spirit is only flesh. “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). For the inward man to be born again, it is not through the deeds of the law, but through the Word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit. Nicodemus was not a person who had eliminated his ego and identity. His “I” had not yet been crumbled down. Although he was thirsty for the truth, he had to come to Jesus secretly at night, trying to avoid any witnesses. In front of this great problem of whether his soul would

go to heaven or hell, he still cared about what others thought, and he could not cast away his pride; he was truly a foolish and unfortunate person. It is difficult for a person whose heart is rich to enter the kingdom of God. The grace of salvation will only be upon a person whose spirit is poor and seeks only for God’s grace and mercy as he denies himself.

What does it mean to be born again? Is it going to church, keeping the Ten Commandments and doing good? Is it volunteering to help and assist others? Is it getting baptised and believing the signs? Is it confessing your sins and repenting? No! Definitely not! Jesus told Nicodemus to be born again. We were all born as sinners inside of Adam, who is only under death and curse through sin, and we cannot help but to live a life inside of the flesh. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). All mankind, born as the descendants of Adam, sinned, departed from God, and went under the control of the devil. He that committeth sin is of the devil; . . . (1 John 3:8) Ye are of your father the devil, ... (John 8:44). If we become the children of God from the day we attend church, then why would Jesus say, “Be born again” ? Why should a person like Nicodemus be born again? Sinners are under the devil.

In order to be born again, one has to first realise that he is a sinner who can only be dead, and that he is under the power of the devil. Your heart must be revealed that you are a person that has no good but one who can only sin. Then, he could deny himself, and accept the true Word of the gospel to have all of his sins be cleansed in his heart. When he becomes changed as a child of God by the blood of Jesus through listening to the grace of the gospel, then he could say, “I am born again.” The Bible states that we must be born again, and testifies to us that being born again is something that we can know and must be made known. “Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, we speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness”. (John 3:10-11). If Nicodemus was a prominent leader of Israel, then he should have already been born again, and known what being born again was, but he did not know at all what was the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; (Titus 3:5) To Nicodemus, the Word of Jesus, “Be born again” was astonishing

Devotion: 2

Are you Truly Born Again?

In order to be born again, one has to first realise that he is a sinner ... under the power of the devil. Your heart must be revealed ...

a person that has no good but one who can only sin.

From Caterpillar to a Butterfly 5

(John 3:9). By using the Scripture, The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit (John 3:8), some people say, and “Only God knows whether we are born again or not. We human beings cannot know.” These are the people who have never read John chapter 3 completely.

This Scripture is saying, “When I tell you that you should be born again, you, who are spiritually deaf, don’t know what I mean. Just like when you hear the sound of the blowing wind, you cannot tell where the wind comes and goes.” We could know that the phrase “canst not tell” is subjected to Nicodemus. This does not mean that a person who is born again cannot tell. It would be a good idea to closely examine the book of John from the beginning to the end.

“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; . . .” (John 3:11). And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life (1 John 5:20). When and how were you born again? Has your sin been washed away as white as snow? Can you go to heaven even if you die now? Do you have evidence that you are born again? Why don’t you stand before God? From the story of Nicodemus we can conclude that self-righteousness is not equal to being truly born again but it is actually assurance of hell. It is far easier to compare ourselves with one another than it is to recognize that we cannot measure up to the standards of a Holy God.

However, in Christ we can know true righteousness. In Christ, we can know the forgiveness of sin that comes to us through grace. Because He stood in our place, we benefit from both His sinless life and His sin-bearing death (2 Corinthians 5:21). Because of His sacrifice, we can face our sin and bring it to the cross, rather than try somehow to be good enough for God. Only in the cross can we see the grace that covers all our sin and defeat the constant tendency toward self-righteousness in our hearts. Friends, assurance of salvation is the most fundamental foundation of your Christian spiritual life. Without it, a relationship with God can never be established. It is your faith on God’s promise about salvation in His Word, the bible, that becomes your evidence of being truly born again. Loving friends, until and unless we have assurance of salvation in our lives, our headless chicken tendencies will never seize.

As the world evolved the delivery of Christ’s message evolved as well. Many have stopped preaching the end time message, true gospel of Christ that leads to salvation

and the virtue of spiritual riches. Instead they now preach what is in line with the desires of their accumulating audiences who are pampering themselves with materialism while spiritually dead. In the past there was a thin line between the church and the world. Today the church looks more of the world! The world that Christ warned us not to be part of is now the church in some places. Are we ready to live for nothing else other than the Gospel, own nothing and become nothing or we also want to join the famous wagon of materialism?

In the parable of the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 20 we see a scene where the householder goes out early in the morning to bring in workers into his vineyard. Although the workers that came in early in the morning spent the entire day with the householder, they did not have the eyes to see the abundant grace and mercy in the householder’s heart. Therefore, they were immersed in the work and left with an uncomfortable heart with complaints against the householder. They were worthless and useless hired workers, but went against the noble householder because they had worked. How evil is it to be indulged in the heart that “one has worked”! Not only does Satan make people distant from the blessings of God by making them to have works remain in their hearts, he prevents salvation from being attained.

Friends, as we live we must never have the heart that we have done well. Our works are nothing, your flesh will always want to deceive you after a certain achievement. You will be in trouble if you accept that heart that says “I have done well, I am a smart person”! You will be ruined and cursed because what follows that heart is self-exaltation and arrogance. At that point remember, Isaiah 41:24 “But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless; whoever chooses you is detestable” and Galatians 6:3 “If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves”. 1 Corinthians 3:18 – “Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise”. As we live we see many people around us taste and experience the great works of God but are forsaken because of forgetting the fact that they are just vessels. Throw away the thought that you have done well; which could be the reason to be forsaken by God.

Cain thought he was always blessed because of the Lord, but he was cursed because he believed his thoughts and offered the fruits of the ground unto God. Esau, who did everything well, was ultimately cursed because he despised his birthright and his mother’s help. Not only Cain and Esau but Rachel as well, who thought she was better than her sister Leah because she believed in her looks and did not feel the need to seek God’s grace. She lived a hard life and died after giving birth to Benjamin. They, who were indulged in the excellence of man, were all under the curse. Throughout the bible people that were successfully used by God are people who saw no strength in themselves but only their lacking and nothingness. It is our nothingness that God wants. Remember Moses: “Moses said to the LORD, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am

The blessing of being nothing!

Devotion: 3

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slow of speech and tongue.” (Exodus 4:10). What about Jeremiah “Then I said “Ah Lord God! Behold I cannot speak for I am a youth” (Jeremiah 1:6). Who are called by God? The foolish, the weak, those despised, – “but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God...” (1 Corinthians 1:27-28). Those that are qualified by the world cannot be called by God! For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse ... (Galatians 3:10).

Why did Jesus come to this world and was crucified? Was it necessary for Jesus to come if we were able to do a little bit better? Did Jesus not die on the cross because we cannot do it? We can never do it, we are wrong, and we cannot receive salvation through our goodness. However, Satan puts inside the heart of man that they can do something well and makes them to use methods instead of relying on the Lord. “Hey! I did this last time and it worked well. If I do that again, it will work well.” He makes us to rely on “methods and experiences” like this. The reason we fail in what we do is because we do not seek the Lord. We do not seek the Lord because we are under the illusion that we have the capability to do something without God. Satan constantly deceives us and exalts us saying, “At least you do this well.” It is just like putting a frog inside a glass beaker full of water and slowly turning up the heat. The frog will get cooked and die but it does not think of coming out. Likewise, Satan continuously puts inside the heart of man the heart to trust themselves that they can do well if they recollect their heart a little bit more. It seems that we are saved, we go to church, live a spiritual life, and observe Sundays or Saturdays, then a heart to trust ourselves is unknowingly formed and strangely we do not reach out to the Lord and are ultimately cursed. Whosoever opens their heart before God, confesses that they cannot do anything, and seeks after God, will receive the help of God as that great strength that comes from heaven connects with your seeking heart.

In my short life of witnessing, many people regard me as someone who witnesses well but I regard myself as a person that cannot witness well. No one person can be saved if the Lord does not help me, people get saved because God has already prepared them way before I have a bible study with them, therefore I am nothing but just a transmission tool of God’s Word. Recently a friend complimented me saying “My friend well done for raising a disciplined intelligent child like Dante”, my immediate response to my friend was, “Glory be to God who is raising Dante, as for me I am nothing but a vessel that the Lord has chosen to parent my children here on earth as his representative.” Friends, we have to rely on the Lord because we cannot solve whatever problem it may be: “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me” (John 5; 30). What is the reason why many people today do not receive salvation? It seems that we cannot receive salvation because God punished us for living a dark, lustful, and evil life, but the reality is not so. Rather than that reason, Satan deceived man such that they felt important and prevented them from receiving the work God accomplished for us. God had accomplished His work of saving mankind by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to carry our sins, shed His blood, and die for us, who were yet sinners, weak, and adversaries. That is why when we discover the truth that there is no righteousness in us, when we realize that we can never receive salvation through our efforts, and leave the problem of sin completely to God, the blood of Christ resolves everything. There are many people today who trust themselves and use Satan’s knees as a pillow losing the heart

they should have before God. That is why God cannot do any work through us. Yet there are many people who think, “I attend church well. Many of my prayers were answered. Everyone recognizes me!” This is how they set themselves but degrade into a worthless person as they are led by sin, flesh, and unrighteousness.

Spiritual life is not lived by us doing well. This is the reason I always say as you live you need to meet people that are better than you so as to realize that you are nothing, otherwise death will make you realize that you are nothing. Your blessing is in your nothingness! “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness” (2 Corinthians 11:30). Spiritual life is where God does it because we cannot do it. However, people misunderstand this as trying hard to seek God. That is why they try not to sin, do many good deeds, and try to wash their sins by repenting on every symptom of sin instead of repenting on their sinful nature, the fact that they were conceived in sin. All their life, they cannot receive salvation. This is not how salvation is attained. When I acknowledge that I cannot overcome sin by my own efforts, on my own I cannot keep the laws of God “I cannot but sin, I cannot precisely repent the sins I committed, and I am someone that cannot live without sinning” and thus leave all our sins up to the Lord, salvation is then attained. “Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away” (Psalms 65:3).

Man was created to strive to do good deeds and the heart that they are important is planted inside of them. People always want to feel good, have good deeds and to be exalted but this is the condition that leads to ruin. We have to throw away these carnal thoughts that will perish. People will be ruined because in many people’s hearts, Christ is despised and they are sitting on the high seat in high places. Only when we exalt Jesus Christ and only the work of Jesus Christ remains in our hearts, Jesus saves us and He becomes the way in every situation of our life. “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I would rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). “For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Galatians 6:13-14).

salvation6

From Caterpillar to a Butterfly 7

Devotion: 4

One time, I received a question from a friend; “If a believer does not tithe is he or she under

the curse?” The issue of tithing has always been a sensitive issue to many people. In some places tithing is over-emphasised and it has become a profit centre for certain individuals. Corruption is our biggest devil in Africa. Sadly corruption is now in church, in that tithing has become their source of prosperity neglecting the body of Christ.

How painful is it to own a private jet while leading many people who are spiritually empty. Owing to their spiritual blindness, believers now think they can bribe God and receive blessings. It is your motive for giving that determines whether your giving is corrupt or acceptable to God. Some people have refused completely to give to the church. It is also important for believers to know that giving is an act of worship that God desires. In Matthew 23:23 we see Jesus Christ speaking to the Pharisees regarding the issue of tithing: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former”. The Scribes and Pharisees were enemies to the gospel of Christ, and therefore to the salvation of the souls of men. Friends, outward motives may keep the outside clean, whilst the inside is filthy, but if the heart and spirit be made new, there will be newness of life. This is where we must begin with ourselves. The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was like the ornaments of a grave, or dressing up a dead body – only for show. They lived a life of impressing not a life of influence. The Word in Matthew 23:23 is further substantiated by the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14 “The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

The most important thing is our motive of giving. If our giving does not honour God then it is for our own glory and such giving is not acceptable to God. Malachi 3:8 is the chorus of tithing, but what is important to note is that during Malachi’s time physical blessings were equated to obedience.

When you read Deuteronomy 28, one realises that because we are people who cannot obey the law of God, we are cursed instead of being blessed. If we are still the under the law; remember all of us have been imprisoned to disobedience by God so that He can have MERCY on us – read Romans 11:32 and Romans 3:20. Galatians 3:10 “For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law”. However if you believe that Jesus Christ redeemed you from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for you then surely you shall rely on Jesus Christ that lives in you by His Holy spirit. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” (Galatians 3:13). Our priority must be important things as Jesus advised in Matthew 23:23. The mark of salvation must be our focus, meaning we must be lovers of mercy – “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

When we have truly accepted Jesus Christ in our hearts, giving becomes an attitude of worship. It now comes naturally like breathing but if we give to God from a basis of keeping the law then we are no different from the Pharisees and the scribes. Our giving will be seeking self-righteousness not the righteousness of Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast”. If you are tithing from the basis of the law that is by your own works. You are saved by grace and you are supposed to live by grace too, not by your own works. When we have truly received forgiveness of sin, Jesus Christ takes residence in us by His Holy Spirit. Giving will then come from the heart of Christ not from your own deceitful heart (Jeremiah 17:9). This is the giving that God accepts. We must be covered by Jesus Christ, as such we do not give under compulsion, because giving under compulsion is not giving.

God loves a cheerful giver: 2 Corinthians 9:7 – “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver”. When you are truly born again, Jesus Christ becomes your pilot, giving is no longer by your efforts. Remember in His new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34) He has put his laws in your heart and mind. It is the Holy Spirit that guides

The Secret To Acceptable Giving your spiritual life including your offering and giving to the body of Christ. Being a cheerful giver and with no compulsion means there is no measure, you might give less than 10%, you may give 10% or more than 10% but importantly is Jesus Christ in your heart? Because if you have not received forgiveness of sin your giving is in vain, God must see Jesus Christ in you to receive your offering with joy. Abraham also gave a tithe and he did so way before the law of Moses. If we read Hebrews 7 you will realize that for Abraham the bible does not speak of any law of tithe which Abraham had to adhere to but Abraham gave willingly from his heart not from basis of any law. Same with Jacob. Also, Abraham gave a tithe from the spoils of war not from his wealth, it was an act of worship indeed. Therefore true and ideal tithing should be an act of worship from the heart compared to tithing on basis of the law or not under compulsion. When one has truly been crucified with Christ and received Jesus in His heart; this act of worship becomes automatic from one’s heart. Friends let’s give with pure motives of honouring and glorifying God with an attitude of worship to God and the body of Christ. God is able to bless us abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that we need, we will abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8). The important thing is the mark of salvation that gives eternal life, the way is Jesus Christ. When we accept Him by faith, he takes residence in our hearts and He becomes our perfect GPS that direct us even on such matters as tithing and offering. We will cease to be double-minded when it comes to things of God. God does not accept things from the flesh of men but He accepts offerings that comes from His son Jesus Christ. Therefore, we must give to God covered by the blood of Jesus Christ meaning being truly born again or receiving forgiveness of sin must be our number one priority in our spiritual life. God is not a casino that we give or tithe to Him with expectation of winning back more money or blessings, but giving that is an act of worship from the heart of Christ within you does indeed bring blessings in your life. Blessings of God are not for sale but they are unmerited favour from God to us – THE GRACE OF GOD. Our true relationship with God can never be bought by money. “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have” (2 Corinthians 8:12) “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:13.) “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6).

8

When we were growing up, we all had dreams. We all aspired to be something

in life. It is also every parent’s wish that their children become something in life. I remember when I passed my A‘ levels and made it to university, it was the best feeling ever in my life then. After my Honors degree in Finance I entered the corporate world in South Africa, worked for Deutsche Bank as an Investment Banker, then I moved to Rand Merchant Bank.

Initially this seemed to be a dream come true. After a few years in investment banking something seemed missing in my life and I decided to join a parastatal as a Treasury Assistant of which I only lasted 7 months. I then decided to merge my treasury experience with an IT system called SAP. Concurrently I was trying different businesses but nothing seemed to give me fulfilment, and I believe many can relate to this circle. I meet many people from different walks of life and I have concluded that we might have different nationalities, tribes, races but one common thing we have is our problems. For years I searched for answers to why I was not getting fulfilment, until I met Jesus Christ and it became clear that my problem was spiritual emptiness. My perspective of life changed completely when I met with Jesus Christ.

I believe many people are just in a circus, considering the way they live their lives: wake up – go to work – study further – sleep – watch TV – have parties over weekends – go to church – then die. This is not living but existing. Surely, life must have a better meaning than this. To many, life is all about trying to look good, doing well and having the materialistic goods, and in other words rat-racing. My life experiences made me to discover that my

value is not determined by my valuables. My heart was filled with emptiness regardless of the education, great jobs and valuables I had. I started to realize, that life is not about me but it is about other people, it is about servant hood, true leaders are servants not small gods who want to be worshipped.

Friends, let’s read Genesis 3:17-19 “To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it, all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” After Adam had eaten the fruit of good and evil, God cursed him as per the scripture above. If I look at my past life and life of many today, it is at par with this scripture. I began to understand that I was born with a curse of sin from Adam. This is what caused the spiritual emptiness in me.

In Genesis 1:28 we see God creating the first man and blessing him to be fruitful and to multiply, meaning this was God’s original plan or purpose, but after Adam sinned that changed, God cursed them. It is clear that the reason why I was a wanderer and the reason why you are a wanderer is because you are not aligned to God’s purpose for your life due to the inherited sin. You were born spiritually dead and separated from God. Remember God warned Adam that the day he would eat the fruit of knowledge of good and bad, he would surely die. This meant spiritual death – meaning separation from God. From Romans 5:12 we have also inherited this original sin

leading all of us to be born spiritually dead and separated from God. In Africa many people are jobless and many believe that if they may get a job or better job, life will become better. Those that have jobs spend their whole life studying in pursuit of better life but even if they get those jobs and get promoted life continues to be a misery. You may see them in beautiful cars, beautiful clothes but I can tell you now, life has no meaning to many of them, and inside they are tired and weary. Friends I lived there in the past and I know many that have M and P degrees with serious titles but no peace, no rest at all. It is the problem of spiritual emptiness.

Until we understand that our life is about our hearts not externals only then life can change. I listen to people giving others inspirational advice and it is all about motivational advice that deals with the externals not the heart and that is a waste of time. Spiritual emptiness cannot be healed by fleshly solutions. Our main disease in life is the disease of the heart and that is our curse of sin from Adam. The solution to any challenge in life begins with reconciliation of our life back to God’s original purpose through Jesus Christ. It means we need to go back to the sinless nature which was God’s original plan. In Genesis 4 Cain was cursed by God after killing his brother Abel. Genesis 4:12 says “When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.” Friends, this curse is spot-on in terms of our lives. Many are just existing without a purpose.Many travel to different countries searching for so called greener pastures, in reality they are not searching for greener pastures but for answers to their spiritual emptiness.

Why is my life not

fulfilling?

Devotion: 5

salvation

9

TheanswermightlieinhowCainrespondedtoGod,tohiscurse,Genesis 4:13 ”Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear, You have banished me from the land and from your presence; you have made me a homeless wanderer. Anyone who finds me will kill me!” Cain’s responsereflectedarepentantheartthatnolongerhadmethodsofitsownandthatcouldonlywaitforGod’sgrace. See how the Lord responded toCain: “And the Lord said unto him, therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him seven-fold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.(Gen. 4:14-15).GodgaveCainaclearmark that would not allow anyone to killhim.GoddidnotgivethemarkonlytoCain,butalsotomyheartandalsotoyou.JesusshedHisbloodonthecross!Thatbloodhasbecome the mark that says all of my sinshavebeenwashed.Jesushaspaidthewagesof sin which is death, yes all of us weresupposedtodiebecausewehaveallsinned(Romans 3:23)BUTjudgmentcannolongercome uponme. The destruction that I wasto receive, the curse that I was to receive,everythingthatIwastogothrough,theLordhasalreadyreceivedonthecross.

That is why I cannot be cursed and destroyed. Friends, it is this blood of Christ that reconciles your life back to God’s purpose for your life. The Word of God says “you are longer a sinner regardless of what you have done but you are now righteous of God (Hebrews 10:17,2 Corinthians 5:21). You might be depressed right now, you might be a wanderer searching for answers, your problem is of spiritual emptiness, not being jobless, and not about business not doing well. I urge you to receive Gods promise of salvation in your heart by faith. Once you have assurance of salvation, it is only then that life starts to have a meaning.

Instead of pursuing blessings, money, business, materialism and jobs, get assurance of your salvation. Salvation is the full package that comes with God’s purpose, blessings and eternity embedded within. Friends, after receiving the same word by faith, my life got changed. I am no longer a wanderer but God’s purpose for my life became clear. As you receive forgiveness of sin and having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, God’s purpose for your life will be revealed to you and you will live a life that gives true satisfaction, happiness, while enjoying the blessings of God.

When we receive the gift of forgiveness of sin by faith, we move from being living beings that are empty to life giving spirit. This is where you need to be and your bus to move you is FAITH not your actions or your deeds: “So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45). “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

The Heart Intelligence

Corner

“When the heart changes, everything changes”

Solving The Fundamental Problem Of

revenge

From Caterpillar to a Butterfly

In Chinese movies, stories about revenge appear often. There are people in this world who live their entire life only to get revenge because they were unable to get rid of a grudge. When people have hatred and a grudge, it ruins their lives. Only captured by abhorrence and a grudge, this person is unable to do anything else but simply ends up as a slave of revenge.

There is a person called Joseph in the Bible. Joseph’s brothers hated him, so they cast him into a pit thinking of killing him. Later, they just sold him to traders for 20 shekels of silver. Joseph was taken to Egypt and became a slave to Potiphar, the captain of the guard of Pharaoh. Later, because Joseph resisted the temptation of Potiphar’s wife, he was set up and imprisoned. In prison, he interpreted the dream of the chief butler of Pharaoh and later interpreted the dream of Pharaoh. Pharaoh saw the wisdom in Joseph and set him over all the land of Egypt. After he had been set over all the land of Egypt, no story about his abhorrence or revenge towards the wife of Potiphar, who had him sent to prison, can be found in the Bible. Also, when he met his brothers who tried to kill him and sold him as a slave, he never tried to get revenge. The brothers trembled with fear that Joseph would get revenge because of what they did to him, but Joseph never had such a heart. Instead, he took care of them and loved them. Joseph got rid of all the abhorrence and revenge in his heart by faith.

Today if we open our hearts, treat other people with an open heart, and accept their heart, it is not only me that becomes happy, but I can become a person who makes others happy too. When you make soup and add a spice, it tastes like the spice. If you add anchovies, it will taste like anchovies. Likewise, if we have hatred in our heart, hatred is going to be shown in our life. If we have evil, then evil will be revealed. If we have fear, then fear shows up. Even though hatred, abhorrence, fear, and lustfulness, which are inside the heart, are not seen outwardly, these become the core factors that can destroy our lives.

People know how to treat a stomach ulcer and how to treat hypertension. People know very well about their bodies, but they do not know how to treat the illness within the heart. There are many occasions in which life is destroyed because of what happens in the heart, but the necessary treatment is not known. They leave the lustfulness, desires, abhorrence, and fear as they are in their heart. There are many people in this world whose whole lives are destroyed by being held in fear, lustfulness, and hatred because they cannot get rid of these. Even though King Saul tried to kill David, David did not hate Saul. How did he learn such a heart? How could he get rid of hatred and abhorrence within his heart? How could Joseph get rid of resentment and hatred towards his brothers and abhorrence towards the wife of Potiphar who set him up and sent him to the prison? When God made the heart of human beings He made the hearts to flow from heart to heart. If I have the same heart with someone, then my heart flows with that person. When the heart flows, I become happy when that person is happy, and I become sad when that person is sad. If threatening poison is in the heart of that person, the poison is transferred to me, and if peace is in the heart of that person, that peace is transferred to me as well. It is the same for God and human beings. It is not about just attending church, but if the heart of God is found in the Bible and our hearts flow with the heart of God, we change to become like God. The peace, love, hope and happiness that is not in us but are in God comes into us, and oppositely, the fear, abhorrence, hatred, and lustfulness, which God hates, recede gradually from us. As we discover God through the Bible and as we share same heart with God, unbeknown to us, we naturally begin to hate sin. The heart to hate and abhor others disappears, and the lustful and evil heart collapse as it rises within us. Then true peace, happiness, and love enter our heart, and we can love others since we treat them with these hearts.

We can overcome whatever suffering we are in with hope, and we can calm whatever abhorrence within us with the heart of God. A faithful life is not about going to church diligently or doing something diligently. It is about my heart flowing with the heart of God. Even between couples, siblings, and friends our heart has to flow together. Then we began to miss each other, want to meet, and be happy. A sincere person is someone who opens their heart towards people around them and exchanges hearts. On the contrary, if a person closes his heart and falls into his own thoughts, the mind weakens. Most of the people who commit suicide are people like the person that has closed his heart and has fallen into his own thoughts. That is why the most evil person is someone who is captured within himself, someone who has isolated his heart from others. Today, if we open our hearts and treat others with our hearts and accept their hearts, then it is not only me that becomes happy, but we will be a person that makes others happy as well.

Pastor Ock Soo Park, Chief Advisor of IYF, Senior Pastor, Good News Gang-Nam Church

Life is to have a flowing heart.

salvation10

army. However, as soon as he receives a little recognition, he gets chased by Saul and runs away. Saul, who rightly should have appointed David, saw him as a threat instead and tried to destroy him. While on the run, David had two chances to kill Saul whom he knew viewed him as the enemy and was chasing him. On the first occasion, unsuspecting Saul entered a cave that David was hiding in – David merely cut off a piece of Saul’s garment. The other opportunity presented itself when Saul was asleep, David had the perfect chance to kill him. A servant even said “there is no need to stab him twice” – meaning he had enough time to make a good clean kill with one strike, but David stopped his servant. Yes, David had perfect chances that he did not take advantage of. Here we can see the difference between Saul and David.

God decided to appoint a king who suited His heart. David did not feel the need to try to protect himself. He left that responsibility to God, and he relied solely on God. A man without God’s heart would view these opportunities quite differently from David, and if for some reason he missed his chance for revenge, he would tend to have the heart, “we’ll see what happens next time.” However, David did not try to destroy Saul and establish himself. In the last chapter of first Samuel, we see the tragic destruction of Saul and it was for the very reason of him trying to establish himself that brought about his demise. David on the other hand left everything in God’s hands according to God’s will, and so it was God who protected and established David as king.

In our life you will realize that people, who are blessed by God, are people who do not try to establish themselves. Also, when we listen to their words we clearly see that they follow the guide of God. True leaders are servants that receive God’s heart as it is. This is what makes them blessed and receive the grace of God. Blessed life is about receiving God’s heart in contrast to your thoughts, or following your desires that give glory to yourself. Many countries in the world are in trouble because of leaders who want to establish themselves. These are people that worship their egos at the expense of humanity. Friends rather than working hard with your own heart, true success comes when you only do things according to the heart you receive from God, God’s heart is His Word in the Holy Bible, indeed you will live be blessed life. 2 Chronicles 20:20 guides us to only believe in God and follow His prophets. God’s prophets are men of God that are truly called, who preach the gospel of Christ that leads to salvation, men of God who have the Heart of God, not those who have the heart to establish themselves. The only greatest prophet is Jesus Christ and He is the Word (John 1:1). Therefore if you want prophesy about your life, open your Bible, meditate on the Word and if anyone has to guide you let Him guide you by the Word: “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe” (Hebrews 1:1-2). Friends, trying to establish yourself by following your thoughts can only bring misery. Focusing on earthly legacy is foolishness. Within your judgment and your thoughts, there automatically lies a heart that wants to establish yourself. Just like that, if the heart of God does not

“Are leaders born or made?” – this is, by far, the most asked question in the leadership wisdom of this world. I believe everyone is born a leader but what disqualifies many to be true leaders is the heart of wanting to establish oneself. It’s not about you! Every role in this life is a leadership role – from a cleaner, nanny, mother, father to a CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

What separates successful leaders from those that fail is the realisation that their role is far greater than their personal fulfilment, their desires, or worse, their happiness. Having read quite a number of books on leadership, if there is one book I would recommend to any leader, (remember I said everyone is born to lead), it would be the HOLY BIBLE. Let’s compare two leaders in the bible: King Saul and King David. Refer to the book of 1 Samuel. 1 Samuel 13: King Saul is in an anxious situation. In preparation for the battle against the Philistines, he put up tents facing them but the Philistine army was too strong. This was not an enemy that they had the natural ability to face in combat; in fact they were an enemy that could easily destroy them. The people knew this and got desperate, they ran away to mountains, caves, bushes, and valleys. There were those who didn’t run away and chose to stick around with Saul but even so, they too were shaken with fear. On top of that, there was no sign of Samuel who was supposed to come, even after waiting the seven days that Samuel had ‘appointed’. You will agree that in a situation as desperate as this it would be ideal for Prophet Samuel to be on the scene to uphold and lead the people’s heart, but he did not show up and there was no message from him. “Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. 9 So he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself.10 Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, 11 but Samuel said, “What is this you have done?” (1 Samuel 13:8-10)

King Saul felt really overwhelmed by the desperate situation. So much so that he felt he could not wait any longer for Samuel. He had to do something. King Saul himself went out and made burnt-offering. As soon as he made the offering, Samuel turned up. Saul told Samuel that he had no choice. That the people were scattered from him and he feared the Philistines would come down upon him, and he hadn’t yet made supplication unto the Lord, so he forced himself to make the burnt-offering. Samuel denounced his action calling it a big evil and said, “How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” (1Samuel 13: 13-14) The reason is because it is God who establishes a king and a nation, but Saul tried to establish himself and sustain his reign. David on the other hand did not try to establish himself. David was the one who killed Goliath. He had enough achievements to justify him being given the position as captain of the

Everyone Is Born To Lead But ...

Devotion: 6

From Caterpillar to a Butterfly 11

flow to your heart, you may find in that heart the hidden motive or desire to exalt yourself.

A person with the heart that believes in himself and has the desire to establish the self will be a miserable person. God wants us to taste the spiritual world. He wants us to see, the distinct difference between the results of living with one’s own heart and living with a heart received from God and His true church and His servants so that we can experience which life is more blessed ... Samuel’s and Saul’s hearts were not flowing. Saul says that he forced himself to do what he did, but in reality, he did not have Samuel’s heart. He lived following his own heart. He had the position of king along with the glory, but at a crucial point, he trusted in himself, and the result was destruction. The result of following one’s heart is always the same as for Saul, ultimate destruction. David’s heart was connected with God’s. In order to have this joined heart, one needs to receive the flow. Without receiving the flow, how can the hearts combine? When hearts get connected and one receives the flow, then it is possible to go out together within the flow and experience the same God. David received God’s heart, and so he did not kill Saul. That heart was not from man. It was God’s heart. If I were to ask David about it in heaven, David would testify, “It was God’s heart that flowed in me, not my heart. I saw Saul but I did not try to establish myself, it was the Lord who established me. With faith in the Lord, I waited for the Lord to work and it was much more blessed than me working for myself.” That heart will bless us, too. Saul said, “I forced myself to do it. I did not have any choice.” However that was the limitation of his own heart. Are you having thoughts of ‘I forced myself; I had no choice,’ justifying evil in front of God? If you see the image of that heart, realise that it is Saul’s life that you are living saying ‘I had no choice’. Take a step of faith forward with God’s heart, not your own heart. I believe that God will help us to live a life of faith. It is my prayer that you will throw away the heart to establish yourself and receive God’s heart which is in His Word. Remember God only works in our life when we surrender all to Him.

Topic: The Secret of Forgiveness of Sin and being truly born again.

Target Group: Everyone •From an ugly Grasshopper to a

Beautiful Butterfly – Victor shares his big story of Salvation

•Wandering in darkness, suffering from guilt, pain, and fear: The Secret is the greatest gift of God forgiveness of sin. It is this secret that gives true satisfaction, happiness, and blessings of God.

1. PISHON

Topic: From Caterpillar to Butterfly: Your BIG story

Target Group: High school & College students

Victor uses heart intelligence to transform young people’s lives towards their true spiritual identity & purpose driven life. Purpose is key to the future of young people. Victor shares his personal story to change the lives of young people. Using the 6 Levels of the World of the Heart, he tackles the following: - Why many young people fail? leading to drugs, sex and prison. - Victor brings the blue print of true success and happiness. - prescribes incisive solutions and clear analysis on your heart. Change of heart changes everything!

3. HIDDEKEL

Topic: Falling into a deep sleep and waking up with your marriage Partner.

Target Group: Singles

Victor uses the Word of God to give singles a blue print of keeping themselves pure until they meet their marriage partners. Many desire to do good, not to indulge in sex but they continuously fail. Many youths are in a dilemma of moving from one relationship to another, having kids out of wedlock,– leading to distress to many young women, and social instability. Victor goes to the source of the problem, not the symptoms – helping many young people through the program. Victor will move your life from the material fake world to a true spiritual World. Victor helps singles to embrace their true spiritual identity versus a cursed fleshly identity. Your heart is precious – you must know it – this program will reveal your heart that you have never known.

4. PERAT

Topic: Validation of your purpose and financial wellness from within your heart

Target Group: Everyone •How to stop being a wanderer and

discover God’s purpose for your life. What on earth am I here for? Roadmap to discovering your Purpose. Myles Munroe said “The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but a life without a purpose.” but I say “The greatest tragedy in life is not death but a life without Jesus Christ because there is no purpose without Jesus Christ”. Receive Salvation and have your purpose validated. Find out how?

Victor examines 6 Levels of the World of the Heart covering the following: – reasons for financial distress. – incisive solutions & analysis of your heart. – mind navigation to break thoughts that lead to financial distress.

2. GIHON

Quench Your Spiritual Thirst!Four Rivers of Life-Changing Talks with Victor Nkomo

The power of God to Salvation

Invite Victor to speak to your heart:RSA: +27 11 655 7225 +27 71 714 6830 KENYA: +254 70 627 7704E-MAIL: info@thespecialseed.com

salvation12

I have heard many people making arguments about whether to keep the law of Sabbath

or whether the Sabbath is on Saturday or Sunday. Some even debate whether we need to worship God on Saturday or on Sunday. My first response on such is: this is an irrelevant conversation or argument, those of you that watch soccer, we have players who dribble all the opponents but never score a goal, and we also have players that always score goals without dribbling and with such players the team always meets their objective to win.

In our spiritual walk we meet two types of Christians: those that seek knowledge without a purpose, usually try hard to keep the law and those that are hungry for the word of God, the gospel of Christ leading to salvation. The first group usually debates a lot about the bible and approach the bible like mathematics with logic whereas the second group understand that the bible is a spiritual book, and they worship in spirit without effort from them. They are aware that the gospel of Christ is the key to eternal life. The origin of the Sabbath goes back to Creation. After creating the heavens and the earth in six days, God rested: “On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work, And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation” (Genesis 2:2-3). The greatest question is that: the people that keep the law of Sabbath, whether

Saturday or Sunday, do they really have true rest in their lives? The world around us is restless. People are running from one place to another searching for something meaningful. They are seeking “rest” - but they are looking in all the wrong places. What is the difference between the 7th day God rested and the other six days God was creating the earth and heavens: The record of all the other days of creation closed with the words, “and there was evening and there was morning, (a first, second, etc.,) day.” But there is no reference to evening or morning in this passage. This helps to confirm what we have already seen in these “days” of creation: that these “days” do not primarily emphasize time, but development.

The evening and morning were indicative of a developing process, beginning in a rather incomplete state and moving toward light. But on this seventh day there is no evening and morning. In fact, twice in this brief passage we find the word, “finished,” occurring. “Thus the heavens the earth were finished” (Gen 2:1a) and “God finished his work” (Gen 2:2b). Obviously there is no need for development, no place for it. The work of God is complete on the seventh day, and therefore no evening or morning is mentioned. For every verse in the bible there is a mate that agrees with it. Genesis 2:2-3 seems to be in agreement with John 19:28,30 “Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” From Genesis 2:2-3, it is obvious that the supreme meaning of the word Sabbath is rest. In fact, the word “seven,” the word “Sabbath,” and the word “rest,” are all the same basic word in Hebrew, Shabbat, seven, Sabbath, rest. Therefore, the heart of the meaning of Sabbath is rest. That is its primary significance.

Friends, let us not misunderstand this, that it does not mean rest as we often think of it. When we have been working hard and are weary and tired we need rest in order to restore our strength. But this is not the significance of the word here. It simply means the ending of activity, the cessation of effort. God was not tired by his creative work. He did not need to rest to restore strength. He did not stop because He was fatigued; He stopped because He was through. He had done all He intended to do and He rested in the midst of a perfect creation. Therefore the true Sabbath, is not the keeping of a special day but the ending of a specific effort. That is what Sabbath means. Looking at the creation process man is the last effort of God in creation. On the physical level, after creating man God says “It is finished”. God created man in His image to have rest but after Adam went against God’s Word and ate the fruit of good and evil, there was never rest again in the heart of Adam and Eve because of the sin they brought on themselves. This means you and I are born without rest because of the inherited sin from our ancestors Adam and Eve: Romans 5;12 “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned”.

After Adam, God gave the Israelites the law through Moses but since they could not keep the law, they became more restless and note that the law of Sabbath was part of the laws given to them: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). We all desire rest from our challenges of life, but many have struggled, some have tried to keep Sabbath holy but still they can’t find rest. How then do we find rest in the midst of such suffering and confusion in the world? When God finished his creation rest was achieved but it was lost for humans after they went against the Word of God – bringing the first original sin to all of us. Therefore to restore rest for all of us, God had to come up with a plan to recreate all of us: John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Our chorus verse growing up, John

Our True Sabbath Rest – Secret to a life of Victory

Devotion: 7

From Caterpillar to a Butterfly 13

3:16 – All our sins had to be transferred to Jesus Christ and He became sin yet he had no sin. He died on the Cross for me and you to become righteous – God’s original plan. This is the reconciliation that restores true rest in our life. True “rest” can only be found in “Jesus Christ taking residence in you”. In the same way that God after creating man in Genesis 2:2-3 He says“It is finished”, Jesus after recreating man on the Cross in John 19:28,30 He says “It is finished”. Paul makes it vividly clear about who is our Sabbath: “And you, who were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made a live together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, having canceled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands; this he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in its [not him; it, the cross].Therefore, let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ (Colossians 2:13-17).

Sabbath, in its application to us, is defined for us in Hebrews 4:9-10 “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his”. Friends, that is what the true Sabbath is, to cease from your own labours, your own efforts, your own activity; to cease from your own works. We can now cease from our spiritual labours and rest, not just one day a week but always. When you cease your own works it means you are going depend on someone or on another force. What are you going to depend on to receive true rest? Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” Philippians 2:13 – “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose”. In Jesus Christ we find complete rest from the labors of our self-effort, because He alone is holy and righteous. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The secret of true Christian life is to cease from dependence on one’s own activity, and to rest in dependence upon the activity of Jesus Christ who is our true Sabbath who dwells within you by His Holy Spirit. That is fulfilling the Sabbath, the true Sabbath. Mark 2:27 – “Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”.

Friends, true Sabbath rest is to rest on Jesus Christ. This is the divine provision to produce fruitfulness and abundance of victory in a Christian’s life. Today, take the first giant step, REPENT from who you are, a tree of sin, accept to God that you were conceived in sin and there is no good in you. Rest cannot be found from your efforts and works. Second step, receive the Word of God by FAITH that Jesus Christ died for your sins on the cross. All your sins have been washed as white as snow. You are now free from sin, you are now a righteous person because of the perfect deeds of Jesus Christ not yours. With this faith in your heart, true rest is restored in your life – “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone; but if it die, it brings forth much fruit.” (John 12:24 KJV). I pray that this Word can be established in your heart by faith. Today, I live a purpose-driven life because of the same Word. May it achieve the same for you. May you find true rest, true peace in your heart, God’s Word is a seed, if you receive it by faith, you cannot be a wanderer again! “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Hi Special SeedMy name is Duduzile Moyo. I am divorced with one child. All along I have had a stable job but recently I lost my job and my ex-husband is not supporting our son. Will I be wrong to claim maintenance from court to force him to support his son? Please guide me from the bible.

From the Special Seed DeskDear Duduzile,

Thank you for writing to us. God is happy when we accept that we are helpless because that’s the platform for him to bestow His grace upon our life. It is a myth that God helps those that can help themselves.

Duduzile in every situation there are two ways to solve our problems: 1. Our own humanistic method and 2. God’s method. Importantly you should know, even though you can take your ex-husband to court for maintenance that is not the sustainable solution. You need to know why God allowed this to happen. It is lack of faith that has led to this situation, your heart is troubled to see your father’s son not supporting your son and most probably and you too. If you fully have a relationship with God and trust and depend on him, your heart will not be troubled. Yes, you can take him to court but if God does not allow you to receive the support even then it will still fail.

On the other hand though, support can be assured by the court of law without God’s grace you will not overcome these troubles in life. Job 14:1-2 “Man, who is born of woman, is [a] short-lived and full of turmoil.2 Like a flower he comes forth and withers. He also flees like a shadow and does not remain”. Therefore even after being given maintenance support you will still be in trouble because you are born of women: “But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, [b]perseverance and gentleness” 1 Timothy 6:11. The key to joy and happiness in our life is salvation. It qualifies us to have a relationship with God. Once you have assurance of salvation by your faith in the promise of God, God takes responsibility of your life, and therefore even your son becomes His responsibility. Now you are burdened because you are carrying everything by yourself. Duduzile the first method which is our own method is foolishness but depending on God, is wisdom.

When the Israelites were being bitten by the snakes in Numbers 21, the solution God gave them to avoid being bitten by the snakes, was to look on the bronze fiery serpent on the pole: “And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived” (Numbers 21:8-9). The bronze fiery serpent on the pole was the shadow of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

In your situation as well, God is saying do not look to the snakes, those are your challenges of your son’s support but look on the Cross. Look at what Jesus Christ achieved for you on the Cross. All your sins were forgiven, reconciling you back to God, meaning you were crucified with Christ. It is no longer you that lives but Christ (Galatians 2:20) and the new life (2Corinthians 5:17-21),that you now live after believing the work of Jesus on the Cross, you live by faith in Jesus Christ, meaning you must have faith that God will take care of your son. He might do it by changing your ex-husband’s heart or providing you with another job. He is the only one who knows what is best for you – look upon the Cross. For now focus on your assurance of salvation, your relationship with God, will indeed bring joy to you. Please continue to fellowship with the servant of God referred to you in your area. God bless you.

Counselling

14

GOSPELQuestion and Answer

Question: I have always believed that all our sins were forgiven once and for all when Jesus Christ died on the cross. That is my past, current and future sins meaning my salvation is eternal that is clear in Hebrews 10-10-17. But while reading Hebrews 10:26, I got the impression that one might lose his salvation if he sins wilfully. What does it mean “if we sin wilfully there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but fiery indignation” Does it mean that a believer can lose salvation?Answer:We thank you for sharing your heart with us. Assurance of salvation is the most critical aspect of our spiritual journey. As it given in Hebrews 10:18, we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. All of our sins were cleansed by the blood of Jesus, and there is no longer an offering for sin. However, in Hebrews10:26 it says if we sin wilfully ... First, we need to know precisely the meaning of sinning wilfully. For this we need to remember the part, “after that we have received the knowledge of the truth” which follows, “if we sin wilfully” in Hebrews 10:26. “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries”. (Hebrews 10:26-27)

Here, the “truth” indicates the gospel that the blood of Jesus Christ saved us. After Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, the heart of Satan that distrusts the Word of God and believes one’s own thoughts, that is sin, entered the heart of humans. After sin entered the heart of humans, a wall between God and the heart of humans was raised. Communication between God and humans ended, humans were separated from God. “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2). God felt pity for humans who were tricked by Satan, suffering all their lives, and going to hell. He prepared Jesus Christ to carry all of our sin. And although we actually committed the sin, Jesus Christ carried all the punishment for the sin and died on the cross shedding His blood. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. (Romans 5:8). By the one death of Jesus on the cross, all the curse and judgment of destruction that we were to receive was ended.

The purpose of Jesus being crucified on the cross was to free us from sin. Therefore Jesus dying, being crucified on the cross was not in vain; through His death our sin had to be forgiven. “Have received the knowledge of the truth” means receiving the fact that “Jesus died on the cross for my sin; therefore all my sins were forgiven.” Whoever receives the knowledge that “Jesus forgave all of my sin,” surely should have faith from His heart to believe it. And if you believe this fact, your heart is free from sin. However many people, after receiving the truth that “the blood that Jesus shed on the cross cleansed my sin” cannot be free from the thought “Since I committed sin again I am a sinner.” These people do not seriously believe only the Word of God, but mix it together with the seducing thoughts of Satan. Therefore they think, “Since I committed sin I should confess

I grew up in a Christian family and my grandfather was a missionary. I was baptised before I even knew anything that was happening around me. I didn’t even see my baptism but I was told that you were baptised in Methodist church.

From a tender age, I moved from one church to the other – looking for inner satisfaction. I don’t even know how many churches I have attended in my life until the day I met with the true gospel and received salvation. I didn’t know what I was looking for but there was a void in my heart, I thought maybe I could find it in one of the churches. I lived a dirty life yet I claimed to be a born-again Christian. I even attended those churches who worship under the trees, some did not even read the bible, they said the bible was stale news. Alter calls? I don’t even know how many times I stood up to receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour, but still that did not take away the burden of sin which was in my heart. I tried all night prayers, fasting, tithing, and even giving to the poor. I tried everything but still had a burden in my heart. I took life into my own hands, I tried to be someone with my strength but everything I tried failed.

I was a Christian but I didn’t know what salvation was. I thought going to church everyday and trying to be nice was going to take me to heaven, but I was wrong. In 2010, I met Pastor Richard Hong of Goodnews mission church Johannesburg, a true servant of God who had fellowship with me and I received Salvation through John 1:29 – “behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” That is when I knew that Jesus Christ came to this world only to take away the sin of the world, - past, present and future sins. Jesus Christ has washed them with his blood. He has redeemed us from the bondage of sin, He has paid the price for our sins in full. What I only need to do now is to ‘just believe’ nothing else. When Jesus was asked in John 6:28 “What shall we do that we may do the works of God? Jesus did not mention all night prayers, fasting, seeking miracles, but Jesus answered“. This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent.

From the day I received salvation I am free indeed. I was tired of condemning myself each time I did something wrong. But now through Romans 8:1 “Therefore there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit”.

From the day I received Salvation, my life has never been the same again. I have not struggled not to do anything, there is so much transformation that has happened within me without even me realizing that I am now a different person. It’s like I have moved from my driver’s seat and Jesus Christ is now driving my life. Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me”.

Life in Christ is so sweet I tell you. Apart from the material things that also came flowing to me after receiving salvation, I have peace within me. I do not even stress about anything. Even if things are not going well in my life I do not stress because I know that it is being taken care of by my Saviour. Even if my daughter doesn’t have school fees I don’t worry because I know my God will provide and surely he does provide. I have never gone to bed without food. In 2 Samuel 9:11 King David said “As for Mephibosheth he shall eat at my table like one on the Kings sons”. Mephibosheth is me and you who inherited sins from our grandfather Adam but what did Jesus say through his grace not by our own effort. “come to me all you who labour and are heavily laden and I shall give you rest.”

My life after receiving salvation is so good. Every day I just see the hand of God. Once you become connected to God you do not labour to do anything. God already knows and answers before I even say it. I am not rich nor famous, I am just dust but my God sustains me daily. I do not seek any greater things for this life because I know that I am in the wilderness, my real hometown is coming, “HEAVEN”. If I have food for the day and shelter that is more than enough, clothing is bonus. In the Bible when the children of Israel were in the Wilderness going to Canaan they did not build permanent houses, but they pitched tents because their moving to the next point was determined by the ark of the lord in the form of a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire in the night. That is our model life.

Brothers and sisters my only prayer for you is that you receive salvation. Do not look at your situation or what is happening in your life just believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins 2000 years ago and obtain the righteousness of Jesus Christ and be saved. Amen.

Elizabeth Dile Marufu

My Salvation Story

Caterpillar to Butterfly — The Great Story

No more wandering, I am at home now.

again” and they live a life of confessing sin again and again. They do not have the faith to receive the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Therefore they continue to look at themselves as sinners instead as righteous not due to their deeds but deeds of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).

“Sin wilfully” is to say, “Jesus died on the cross to forgive my sin,” but then also to say, “my sin is remaining.” If so, how can you cleanse the remaining sins? Our sin cannot be cleansed with anything other than the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross. His blood was already sprinkled at the cross 2,000 years ago. His blood redeemed our sin in the kingdom of God. Regardless of past, present, or future, all punishment for all sin was ended at the cross before the eyes of God. Therefore God does not look to our sins any more (Hebrews 10:17). But the problem is, it is not so in our heart. There are many people who think, “But still, since I committed sin, aren’t I a sinner? Shouldn’t I confess to cleanse my sin?” These people underestimate or ignore the power of the cross and do not believe;.Instead, confessing and crying, they try to cleanse their sins by themselves. This is the same as trying to crucify the Son of God again, even though all sin has been forgiven.

However, the reason why the Son of God cannot be crucified again is that by His being crucified once, our sin was forgiven forever. Except for the blood that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, shed on the cross, there is no other way to pardon sin; therefore if you don’t believe that, there is no other method of sacrifice for sin. So if you do not believe that the blood on the cross pardoned our sin, the Bible tells us, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. (Hebrews 10:27) In order to save us, God allowed the cross and the blood. The people, who receive the forgiveness of sin by the blood of the cross, are the only people who receive salvation. If you are not satisfied with the cross and the blood of Jesus, and are trying to receive the forgiveness of sin through other methods, it is all in vain. We have to know this fact clearly so that we can break free from the thoughts of Satan leading us to destruction. Satan puts various false thoughts in us to scatter the line of the gospel that was established in our heart. To be free from these tricks, we have to reflect our heart precisely before the Word of God. Then, through fellowship with saved people, we have to learn more deeply the world of faith.

Therefore to turn away wilfully from the sacrifice of sin leaves no sacrifice; it leaves only sin, the penalty for which is eternal death. This passage is not speaking of a believer who falls away, but rather someone who may claim to be a believer, someone who has the knowledge but not the faith, that person was never saved. He never had genuine faith to begin with (1 John 2:19). One Christian cannot lose salvation. Most, if not all, of what the Bible says happens to us when we receive Christ would be invalidated if salvation could be lost. Salvation is the gift of God, and God’s gifts are “irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). A truly saved Christian cannot be un-newly created. The redeemed cannot be unpurchased. Eternal life cannot be temporary. God cannot renege on His Word. Scripture says that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2, Numbers 23:19)

Helping you ACHIEVE your maximum potential

ABOUT VICTOR: Victor is passionate about mind and personal finance education, he believes mind education & financial literacy is the foundation of the prosperity of Africa. He is a Treasury & Finance Expert, Executive Partner and Founder of Corporate Treasury Solutions; a John Maxwell-certified speaker and performance coach. He horned his financial acumen working for top institutions like Rand Merchant Bank and Deutshe Bank.

Victor‘s purpose is to empower, motivate and inspire people to live their purpose. He seeks to empower people to be successful, happy, ‘CEOs’ of their lives while serving humanity. His Personal Finance Employees Economic Program (PFEEP) is helping many employees in improving their financial wellbeing and productivity. His philosophy and motto in life is: “be blessed to be a blessing”.

In the 2-hour life-changing talk, Victor covers:

What is dragging you to financial distress?

Who is guiding you back into financial wellness?

2-Hour Life-Changing

Seminar

Your Financial Wellness, Personal Finance knowledge and level of your mind assessment. Your Mind & Heart in Personal Finances – “First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside

of it may become clean also”. 6 Levels of the World of the Heart: Reasons why you are in financial distress and in need of a

roadmap towards financial well-being. Incisive solutions and clear analysis on your heart that is unknown even to you. Mind navigation that shows how the heart breaks free from thoughts that lead to financial

distress and births a new heart that leads to financial well-being. Fundamentals of managing your personal finances – simple tools for crafting a vision for one’s

finances and management style that is energizing and inspiring. The audience will receive a winning blue print for their financial life, have their hearts and mind changed leading to a more productive joyful lifestyle, profitable personal income statement, positive net worth, how to serve others and pay yourself first, Mandatory Savings, Investments and Retirement, and Financial Well-being habits.

connect2succeed

Financial Wellness & Incisive Solutions from Within Your Heart

Book Victor for a session at your Company: Contact us for available dates & more information.

Tel: +27 11 655 7225 / +27 71 714 6830 e-mail: info@connect2succeed.com

A 2-hour seminar that deals with your employees’ heart and mind. We provide ‘mind navigation’ that shows how the heart flows towards financial distress and financial well-being. Great journey towards removing the walls of debt and achieving great results in improving productivity of employees in the workplace.

Transformational Conversations with Victor Nkomo

• Enhances productivity and employees get more engaged.

• Gives employees a ‘raise’ … without increasing their salaries.

• Reduces team liability – everyone ‘pulls their weight’.

• Boosts Employee Retention. • Increases participation in retirement

schemes.

Benefits to the Employer: Benefits to the Employees: • Ease family conflicts over money.• Reduce financially-related stress.• “Find” more money to save & invest.• Stretch employees’ salaries.• Plug employees’ financial “leaks”.• Eliminate their debts – forever!• Become productive and engaged in

the workplace.

Did you know? Employees with good financial well-being are more productive — translating to more PROFIT for your business!

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• TheSpecialSeedisaChristianspiritualmovementthatseekstopreachthe gospel of Jesus Christ, the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes and lead all who believe to a purposeful life that gives glory to God.

• The Special Seed ideal posits that the Christian “family” should beinseparably bound by the need to unashamedly proclaim the Gospel of Christ, and derive inspiration from that wonderful affirmation of the Holy Spirit of sacred revelation, brimming with truth and comfort that “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:16-17).

• The Special Seed is part of the body of Christ and only Jesus Christ is the head not any man or any organization. It is a fellowship based platform which consist of empty vessels that God is able to use to accomplish His will. Our objective is not to build membership but to make disciples who are prepared to go out and preach the gospel of Christ and lead people to salvation prepared by God.

Our ProgramsConnect2Fellowship• Salvation Magazine• Free Daily Devotion• Caterpillar to Butterfly -The Big Story: TV Talk Show• Individual and Group Bible study• Schools and Colleges Fellowship• Prisons Fellowship• Gospel on the Golf Course• Gospel in the Studio• Gospel on the Soccer pitch• Gospel in the Farm• The Special Seed Villages • The Special Seed Eden: Retreat Boot Camps• Forgiveness of Sin / Born-again Boot Camps• Braai & Fellowship (Salvation of Townships/Kasi)

Connect2Give• Spiritual and Physical sustenance to Orphans and Widows

Connect2Succeed• Financial Wellness from within your heart

– inspired by Luke 15:11-32• Heart Intelligence: “A change of heart changes everything”• Your big story day: for High school and college students• Online Network

About the Victor NkomoVictor Nkomo is a human being who preaches the gospel of Christ, the power of God to salvation leading people to a purpose-driven life focused on eternal legacy. Victor believes he is just a transmission cable, an empty vessel of God’s Word of Salvation which frees people from sin and Jesus Christ is the true founder of His body which is the true “church”. The greatest gift in his life was receiving forgiveness of sin through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, being truly born again. Victor received a promise from Romans 1:16-17, to preach the gospel of Christ.

Victor is not a believer of denominations, he believes church is the body of Christ and the head is Jesus Christ alone. Church is not something physical or earthly but SPIRITUAL! He believes it is critical for people to understand that the standard of true Christianity is Jesus Christ not a denomination or organization. People become more attached to individuals, institutions and organizations more than being attached to the heart of our ONLY Master Jesus Christ. Victor believes true Salvation is key to true satisfaction, joy and happiness and a passport to eternal life.

His philosophy and motto in life is “The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but a life without Jesus Christ. It is in Jesus Christ that we find our purpose in life and the best way to be blessed is to be a blessing to others”.

Contact us to advertise in this publication.Email: info@thespecialseed.com | www.specialseed.com Johannesburg Tel: +27 71 714 6830 | Kenya Tel: +254 70 6277704

The Special Seed Profile

If your heart is free to offer a gift, please be kind to partner with us.

We only accept sponsorship given joyfully, without compulsion. If supporting this cause to preach the gospel and make disciples is on your heart, feel free to

contact us and send your sponsorship – but ONLY if your heart is so moved.

Thank you in advance for your support. Together we can serve the Body of Christ by taking the gospel to all the corners of the World. We are also looking for more

distributors of our material. Be kind to use the magazine to introduce Jesus Christ to

one more person: “One more soul for Christ”.

Contact us at: info@thespecialseed.com

Tel: +27 71 714 6830

Call for Partnership & Distributors

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Helping you ACHIEVE your maximum potentialconnect2succeed

Transformational Conversations with Victor Nkomo

What is dragging you to financial distress?

Who is pulling you back into financial wellness?

2-Hour Life-Changing

Seminar Drug addicts need to go to a drug

rehabilitation center, likewise attending our seminar means coming to the best spending

addiction rehabilitation center available. It is your heart that must change first!

Financial Wellness & Incisive Solutions

from Within Your Heart

Book Victor for a Power-Packed 2-hr Session at your church, club, company or group meeting

Contact us for available dates & more information:Tel: +27 11 655 7225 / +27 71 714 6830 e-mail: info@connect2succeed.com

The power of God to Salvation