Discipleship

This week we looked in-depth at how to be a disciple - no, a true follower of Christ. I am very glad about this teaching because this is the first time that someone really did such a deep study with me. And WOW look at the fruits!!!

Our speaker from the beginning announced that she will only be holding up the mirror of God's Word to us and we will have to see ourselves in it and through it. So in the beginning we really focused on how to remember the word of God and how to GET in ito our heads. Proverbs 4:23 says that out of our hearts flow the sources of life. So it is in the treasuries of our hearts where we have to store the Word of God!! Thats what I knew all the time, but never earnestly applied.

So how did I memorize the Scriptures? I used DRAMA!! WOW, that was really an eye-opener! Our teacher told us that her memory isn't very good, but that some of us have an excellent memory! But we are too lazy to use it! Immediately I felt convicted! So when she told us we can use ANY way to memorize the Scripture, I reverted to drama. I went outside and played out Isaiah 58 - and in 15 minutes I memorized 5 verses! It was amazing! I love moving around, pacing back and forth and gesturing whenever I talk to God. So this really helped and I would encourage everyone to find their own way of memorizing Bible in whatever method they prefer. It does not really matter how crazy it might look in the eyes of other people. Look at me for example. I sometimes did things that are really extraordinary in the eyes of many people in Potchefstroom. But my life as a child of god was really enriched because I did what I did. And where are all those who mocked me and laughed at me? Still at Potchefstroom!! And where am I today? So far away - their opinion matters even less to me now. So do not be afraid of people or what they might think about you - its just not worth it compared to what God has in store for us through His Son Jesus!!

Anyway, also this week we looked at how to get more personal with God. God loves each and every one of us, we are all special to Him and not one of us is a mistake or a genetic fault!! So He takes special effort to communicate with us - we need to respond! We need to connect to God, to stay in touch with Him. I had discovered that whenever I begin to pray and I wish to connect to God, my whole inner man "seems" to turn towards God , like towards a classmate who sits next to me, asking Him: "Well, and what do YOU think??" I think this is an amazing gift of God's grace and I encourage you to find your own way of connecting with God, i.e. entering His Holy Presence.

Whenever I would do that I would hear Him so much clearer! An amazing thing happened at a time like that! I was talking to God and got a picture of a white house in the fields. when I later spoke to our teacher, she said that when she spoke to God about me, she got exactly the same image!! This was truly a miraculous sign for both of us, just to show that God loves me so much!

We also spoke to God with our bodies. Since I love drama, I loved this way of expressing myself towards God. I chose to play out a little act of surrendering all my life and my dreams and failures, with pieces of grass and little rocks, barefoot and before a huge wooden cross! All that without interacting with other people or using my voice! The Spirit touched me and I felt a HUGE release! God is good!!! All the time!

But I think that the most amazing exercise was when we DID have to interact with each other!!! What we did is to pair up with one another and to compliment one another on the qualities each one saw the best in another person, while holding each other's hands. This was indescribable! 17 people complimented me - and most of them saw exactly the same thing or two! I did not even know that I had such good qualities in myself!! I often considered myself quite useless to my friends, trying my best to help them and to be there for them, and that day they acknowledged these qualities for the first time! Nobody has ever done that to me and I felt very very special, truly loved and appreciated by people. I will definitely do more to others because they all said it meant so much to them all! :)

This week challenged a lot of my world views and paradigms about God. I had to remove many people out of the boxes and to forgive many, especially my family and friends back in Potchefstroom. I love them all and I pray for them in hope that God will take them through the same expirience of joy and liberation that I am experiencing every day!

I love You Jesus! I love You so MUCH!! Oh my God, the love You give me is alive!! I don't know how can anyone love a dead statue or an idol or some other stuff when Your love is SO real, so alive and vibrant! Whenever I feel bad I can just turn to You with my whole being and You will comfort me and support me! Thank you for opening my eyes My God!! I know I work hard too by seeking you every day and surrendering my self and my desires and preferences every time you speak to me. i admit that I never know 100% when You talk to me - but i also know that You are building my faith and i deeply appreciate that! I love you, Holy Spirit!!