Your Relationship With God: Terms and Conditions Apply!

One of the misconceptions that we have to deal with as young people is the idea that living a clean and disciplined Christian life is boring, ‘kuyabhora’ as they would say in Swati! Ok, I won’t dilly dally on this one; I’ll go straight into what I think.  I believe that there is no substance in this thought. Get me well here, I am not in any way taking lightly the effect that this negative attitude has had on many young people’s Christ walk. We need to understand that being born again is only the beginning of a relationship that requires one to consciously and constantly desire to grow and experience an intimate relationship with Christ. It is by no means an end to all one’s troubles, problems and temptations! Actually, it is the beginning of a friendship, a partnership of sorts.

Every relationship has some sort of ‘give and take’ aspect to it. It connects people, challenges you to reach out and will yank you out of your comfort zone at times. A healthy relationship, especially if it’s between God and a person must also empower that individual. So if it is to yield any fruit, both sides must be willing to give as much as they take. I’ve heard many youth complain about how boring and ‘uninspiring’ it is to be Christian today. Yet when I ask them to tell me about what they have personally done/put into the relationship to ensure that it develops or grows, their response is almost always disappointing to say the least. I have observed that it is only after I’ve asked this question that they begin to see things from a different angle.

If a relationship experiences problems, the possibility is someone is taking more than they are giving, one way or the other. My guess is God is not that person. When it comes to giving in your relationship with God, you can never out give or outdo God. So in the effort to make sure that being a born again believer doesn’t become boring, the responsibility rests with the individual. What I usually suggest here is that you’ve got to totally devote yourself to God from the onset. You’ve got to play your part. If there is anything that doesn’t seem to be going right in your life, instead of rushing to blame it on anything/anybody else, ask or talk to God about it.

I have found that a change of attitude and mentality can greatly enhance a young person’s relationship with God. Instead of sitting back and talking about how boring or uncool it is to be a child of God, stand and take stock of your relationship with God, then you can talk to me about it! Are you taking as much as you are giving in this relationship? Are you giving yourself enough time to get to know God in prayer, fellowship and being responsible for your actions? What have you personally done to try to bring the fun into the relationship? It is my honest opinion that if you can find answers to these and other questions about your relationship with God, then it will help you redefine and revitalize your Christ walk. If you still can’t get the hang of it, then email me and I’d be more than willing to have coffee with you! Lol.

Real means Perfect in God’s world!Be Real!

Today @VOG we had this interesting ‘lil pep’ talk at the end of our daily session and it left me with a lot of things in my mind. I am normally the kind of person who likes to take things as they are and then apply it in my life. So as we were discussing stuff I was busy having another ‘conference’ in my mind! So I thought why not share some of it with my ‘sukumaRIZED’ folk right here. What fascinated me the most was the issue of how we as Christians we like to kinda hype everything when we talk or analyze how Jesus Christ lived and also how he did things. Even the way we have been taught, as way back as your days at Sunday school or children’s church, tends to mislead some of us concerning the true identity and character of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ok, before I wonder off in many directions, let me hit it head on. The picture and mindset that we have about Jesus is the very one that limits our relationship with Him sometimes. Phillipians 2:7 clearly states that ‘but made himself of no reputation…..’ and that word ‘reputation’ just concludes the matter for me really!

He was born king, God even sent an angel to announce His birth (doesn’t get better than that really!LOL) and at some point a voice from heaven was even heard declearing, ‘This is my son in whom I am well pleased.’ So we are clear that in Jesus we had combination of God and man. He was a model of the spiritual in the natural, which I believe is God’s ultimate plan for mankind. Yet in all His divine power Jesus still made himself of no ‘reputation’. Now this is where I believe most of us miss it.The fact that He was anointed and divine did not exempt him from experiencing all that a human being can go through, from excitement to dejection. In fact some of us will never ever go through what He underwent! Clearly this Jesus man displayed just a tid bit of how it would be to have God in our midst. From the miracles to the kindness and love He showed, one cannot doubt His deity. Yet in all this there was a human side (being) to Him. Most often than not when we view Him we tend to overlook that in favor of His divine side. Yet as human beings that alienates Him as this bigger than life character that we cannot identify with. This obviously works against us when we have to cultivate a relationship with Him.

the ChristaHolyc

The reason God sent Jesus into this world is very broad. One of the Christ’s important missions was also to give us some sort of preview of what Jehovah desires His perfect man (human) to be like. Yes He was not yet glorified but yet there is still so much we can learn from Him. Jesus was an everyday kinda guy. He leaved with people, loved and respected every one and even used to hang out with His ‘boys’ at the shops!LOL  Mind you the mingling and mixing with folk, the mistakes He use to make as a kid and even the things that stressed him as a person did not disturb Him from enjoying a relationship with the Father. I cannot quote all the instances when he simply showed us His human side. But we definitely have a good example of what God’s perfect man is through the life of Jesus Christ. Sometimes I’ve reflected on the issue of perfection, holiness and purity. However that is a subject for another day!

I believe that God wants to see a young people who are trully liberated from the clutches and slavery of sin. A breed who will understand how important it is to have a relationship with their God. For this to happen we need to first acknowledge that it is God who knows us better. Thereby allowing Him through Jesus Christ to lead us into purpose and life. If we are to relate with God through Jesus, we need to reitroduce Him to ourselves as the perfect man who lived as a human being and yet still walked blameless before God. Some of the most divine and supernatural experiences with God that I have had were not because I was perfect but because my heart was pure before God. I desired a real relationship with God. I was sincere and open even about my mistakes. God never passes by an open heart, He does not ignore someone who invites the Lord to reign over him/her. I am a firm beliver in a God who does not limit us to a Sunday or special occassion kind of relationship but one who will visit me even in th street whilst I take a walk! So lets remove the limits and invite Jehovah into our daily business.

Christ blessings y’all!

Emmanuel ‘ChristaHolyc’ Dlamini

What they said – Facebook group dicussion comments!

Hey! I am so excited that finally we get to do this after I my promise last time. This is it, today we get to sample views shared by some of the young people who commented on this subject! A couple of weeks ago we posted a question on the sukumaRIZE youth Expressions facebook group asking them some ‘open’ questions like the following,  ‘Is marriage overrated? Why are young people failing in marriage? Why do we get married anyways? The response we got was ok, some of them really engaged the discussion, and some did not. But those that did share their thoughts made an impressions. So I thought, why not post some of their comments here and lets all see how open, clean, informed and God oriented a response they gave us.

Read and find out what these young guns had to say, here goes………………..

‘….it’s not marriage that is overrated but sex is overrated, I don’t know in what way but it is, especially for those that are not married. Maybe not all of us desire to be married and be committed to one partner but it’s one thing I feel I would definitely call a blessing. Maybe if love is hot in both the partners and not one sided! I definitely desire to get married one day but my fear is me and my so called partner, will we look things and understand them the same way or we will call it a journey halfway???’

‘……an element we mostly neglect is God. That which the Lord has brought together, no man can separate! so people allow themselves to be led by the lust, emotions n marry coz she/he is beautiful/handsome, perfect body features blah,blah,blah n neglect the humanity part of that individual, when all that is stripped away, the real person emerges like a worm from its cocoon..and it’s that which people run away from..We always want what seems appealing to the eye n not look into facts and ask God…….’

‘Marriage is not overrated. It is just not highly anticipated like it used to be obviously because of the “blessings” of marriage being discovered out of marriage.’

‘The problem is with Us, we are not marrying for the right reasons. There are so a lot of factors that can lead you to marrying, yet they aren’t the ingredient for marriage. Lomunye wake watsi she married because she wanted to have sex ngalokusemtsetfweni, and someone else said, besekahanjelwe sikhatsi, all her friends were married, thus she married too.’

‘I believe in:
a) Finish your ambitions as a bachelor
b) Fall in love not because you fit together but because you can’t live without each other (Remember, Moses married a black woman)

c) Make it work and never give up.

‘Unfortunately, when it comes to matters of the heart we tend to shut God out yet it is God that brought the woman to the man in the garden (Genesis 2:21). It is on this conviction therefore that I believe the spiritual quality (not in comparison but in reality) of a potential lifelong partner is crucial.’

‘…..God’s kind of marriage, a guaranteed success, is not a wedding only but a union according to God’s set standards. These are not just rules or laws but a way of life, a truth of heart and life lived through faith in Jesus Christ.’

‘…..so people allow themselves to be led by the lust, emotions n marry coz she/he is beautiful/handsome, perfect body features blah,blah,blah n neglect the humanity part of that individual, when all that is stripped away, the real person emerges like a worm from its cocoon. And it’s that which people run away from. We always want what seems appealing to the eye n not look into facts and ask God will to be done.’

‘….a lot of factors do come into play. e.g.

a) did you seek God’s guidance through prayer before marrying?
b) Are you in love or are you compatible?
c) Do you relive your “first love” experience constantly as depicted by Jesus to the Ephesus church?
- And there are many other factors’

‘We go for people who have THE looks but lacks humanity. Who am I to judge??? I am not but that’s why marriages fails left right and centre. it’s time we remind ourselves where we really come from, who initiated all the beautiful things we lays our eyes on, it is God who knows who’s good for who and who’s not’

‘…..I still stand to say, what I also believe is your point, that yes a wedding can survive without God, but the marriage can never.’

‘………guess it’s not only young people who are failing but a majority of the populace. Personally, there’s one element people neglect after the wedding. It’s more like a marathon. Once you have turned almost all the corners, you still ask yourself, why I have to turn another one after all….. ?’

I really would like to salute all of y’all facebookers who submitted their comment. With this kind of mindsets and standards I see a generation that will bring back the sanctity and didgnity of  God founded lifestyles even in marriage.

I’m out, stay blessed!

Note : For reasons of privacy, especially on the side of the commentators/contributors, we decided not to publish their identities.