Anju Ebanks

I’ve spoken with a few people recently who find it really hard to read the bible either because they feel condemned by what they read or because it’s being treated as a text and not as the living breathing word of God.

My advice to these friends was simple.  I suggested that before they start to read their bibles that they should ask the Holy Spirit to read with with them and bring something alive from the scriptures to them as they read.

It’s amazing what happens when we read the word of God with the Holy Spirit.  Just recently I faced a tough situation and I sort guidance from the bible.  The situation that I faced, the reasons for caused it and the approach that I should take in dealing with the it were all outlined in the book of James. I was amazed and comforted all at the same time.

Through the bible I received God’s promise that I would not drown or be overcome although I was definitely feeling the pressure.  I went for prayer regarding the tough place I was in and the Lord had given the people who were praying for me similar scriptures regarding God’s faithfulness and His ability to rescue.  Finally as I was faced with tough days I asked the Lord for an anchoring word from the bible to keep me strong and steady.  A dear friend of mine text me the same bible reference that the Lord had given me at the beginning of this season.

The word of God is living, it brings about change, it gives hope and direction, and it separates light from dark, bone from marrow.  It is our weapon as we face trials and troubles.  It teaches us about the faithfulness, character, power and love of God.

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you read the bible to open up your understanding and give you life as you read!

To be honest as I began growing tomatoes I would have been happy if I had ended up with one tomato at the end of the process but I realised that the point of growing a tomato plant was fruit and that this is what the Father is after in our lives; That we would be very fruitful.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23, The Message, But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

I planted the seeds and waited to see some green shoots.  Planting the seeds really built my faith; I had no doubt that the seeds would produce plants.  Also I was relieved in the knowledge that I could not make the seed grow only God could and God would.  It reminded me of Mark 4:26-27, The Message, Then Jesus said, “God’s kingdom is like seed thrown on a field by a man who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows he has no idea how it happens. The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps harvest time!

The plants needed the right conditions in order to germinate and then grow.  I had to thin the plants out to make sure each one had enough room to grow.  I had to water them or they would have died.  I had to position them in a sunny place in the garden.  This reinforced the need for spiritual maintenance both for myself and for those around me.  If we are going to grow we need to be in a church that can nurture us and build us up, we need to read our bibles and we need to spend time in God’s presence letting him shine into our lives, love us and direct us and as leaders we need to invest time doing this for the people God has entrusted to us and teach them to maintain their walks in the same way.

I also had to prune the plants, pruning was important in the growing process because it kept the plant healthy and made it produce the maximum amount of fruit possible.  All of my plants didn’t bear fruit, my fault not natures, so I cut down the fruitless ones and continued to care for the ones that had fruit on them.  This made me think of John 15 1-2, The Message, “I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. I had always thought it was quite a harsh thing to say that if you are not bearing fruit you are going to get the chop but from a farmers point of view it makes perfect sense.  If the plant isn’t bearing fruit it isn’t functioning, it’s using up water and nutrients that could boost the crop of the functioning plants and therefore needs to be removed.

When I started to see fruit on the plants I was so full of joy and excitement and when I finally got to eat a ripe little tomato I was chuffed.

Finally, I didn’t harvest as many tomatoes as an experienced gardener would have but I learnt so much and I’m looking forward to a bigger harvest next year!

This year was the first year I tried to grow some veg. Gardening has never appealed to me. Both of my parents came from farming stock and had green fingers. When I was a child they used to ask my sisters and me to help them with the gardening. I could never understand why they enjoyed gardening and used to run a mile at the very mention of the word.

I definitely do not have green fingers, I generally forget to feed and water plants and so eventually my neglect kills them. This year I felt a new ability to commit to grow something from seed.  I am surprised by what I have learnt through this process. My spiritual mum Ve always says ‘if you want to know how God works look at nature.’  I have to agree with her as I have discovered growing plants really does give you a window into the way God the creator works.

Do you have trouble believing that Father God loves you?

Do you know how much He loves you?

Do you know He leaps for joy whenever you bound into His presence?

This song might change your life if you let it!

John Ryeland Director of The Christian Healing Mission suggested that I write about the Father. He gave me a couple of books to read one was ‘From Oprhans to Heirs’ by Mark Stibbe and the other was ‘The Father’s Blessing’ by John Arnott. Here is the song that came out of my studies on the Father’s love.

This song changed my life. I’ve always known in my head that the Father of heaven loves me. The head knowledge needed to get into my heart and stay there, which is the work of the Holy Spirit and not something that I could do for myself.

The song asks the Holy Spirit to ‘get this truth into my heart’ and to ‘witness to my heart until I really believe’. As I sang the song and it became a part of me God convinced of His unconditional love, His approval of me.

You can listen to the song via the player on the right and you can download the song from iTunes. I’ll post a chart for the song soon but in the mean time here are the words.  The main thing that will stop you from receiving the message of this song into your heart is disagreement.  John Ryeland always says as much as you can let you inner voice say yes to the truth that you hear.

Witness To My Heart

I know you have adopted me

You’ve given me a family

I know that I am your child

And you are my Father

Well I know this truth in my head

But I need to know it in my heart

Spirit of God

Fall a fresh on me today,  today

Spirit of God

Reveal the Father’s love for me again, again

Witness to my heart

That I really do belong

That I have a place in His heart

Get it into my heart

Get it into my heart

Witness to my heart till I believe

©anjuebanks.com 2011

“Witness To My Heart”

Free Download This Weekend ONLY

Do you have trouble believing that Father God loves you?

Do you know how much He loves you?

Do you know He leaps for joy whenever you bound into His presence?

This song might change your life if you let it!

John Ryeland Director of The Christian Healing Mission suggested that I write about the Father. He gave me a couple of books to read one was ‘From Oprhans to Heirs’ by Mark Stibbe and the other was ‘The Father’s Blessing’ by John Arnott. Here is the song that came out of my studies on the Father’s love.

This song changed my life. I’ve always known in my head that the Father of heaven loves me. The head knowledge needed to get into my heart and stay there, which is the work of the Holy Spirit and not something that I could do for myself.

The song asks the Holy Spirit to ‘get this truth into my heart’ and to ‘witness to my heart until I really believe’.  As I sang the song and it became a part of me God convinced of His unconditional love, His approval of me.

You can download the song and the words from the player opposite, hurry though as the song is only available for free download this weekend.

The recording session is booked and from here on in life gets a bit more intense with rehearsals, coaching, artwork etc.  I’m so excited to finally get back into the studio to record this song.  I’ve been in so many situations where I have felt that people need to hear this song and at last I’ve got my act together!  I’ll be in the studio in mid May. 

I was reading Acts 23 this morning. Paul has been arrested and a plot is set in place by 40 men to ambush and kill him. But a relative hears of the plot and alerts Paul who in turn alerts his jailer. The jailer’s response is to send Paul out of Jerusalem   with an armed guard.  Verse 23 tells us that two hundred footmen, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen were assigned to escort Paul to Caesarea.

Paul must have been fearful. I can imagine the pressure he must have been under.

I’m amazed and reassured by the Lord’s response to the dangerous situation Paul was in. He sent 470 men to protect Paul from the 40 men who wanted to kill him. What a picture this is of God’s faithfulness and ability to protect us!

What is the song in your heart?

So, you are a believer, you know Jesus as your personal Saviour (rescuer, somebody who rescues somebody or something from harm or danger. Your redeemer, liberator). I wonder if that is the song in your heart. Are there victorious, uplifting words knocking about it your head or are there defeating, death words running through your thoughts?

A few years ago, I felt really challenged by the Lord. He told me to leave the Church I was in and move to a Church where nobody knew my name or recognised me. I did it; admittedly I ignored the Lord on the subject for a few months and then cried for a few months before making the bold move. I knew it was going to be tough because the Lord had told me it would be. He was right.

During this time I really related to a song by One Republic called Stop and Stare. I was so out of my comfort zone, I’d given up everything to follow God to a place where I felt scared of what the future held but had a burning desire to go deeper and further and grow in the call on my life to lead God’s people in worship and the song with in my heart was ‘stop and stare, I think I’m moving but I go nowhere’. These words were not giving me the strength and courage I needed to hold onto Jesus and move into the next phase of my life.

One day as I was parking the car outside my house I was singing ‘I think I’m moving but I go nowhere’ and I felt the Holy Spirit say to me ‘stop singing that’. I felt the Holy Spirit say ‘you are moving, you are going somewhere’ so I stopped singing the song. The lyrics of this song were feeding my unbelief about things working out for the future. What I needed to hear were words that fed my faith and anchored me to God so I started listening to an old Hillsongs track (lyrics below) in my car the words from this song gave me strength and Jesus’ perspective on my situation. Things did work out, I did move on I am still going somewhere.

All The Power You Need – Hillsongs

My God can never fail,
He’s been proved time and again
Trust Him and see
He’s got all the power you need

He’s never early, never late
It takes courage, it takes faith
Trust Him and see
He’s got all the power you need

What are you listening to? Is it feeding your faith and empowering you or is it bringing you down? If it is bringing you down stop listening to it and find something that is full of the Holy Spirit and let it get into your heart and mind and take you from strength to strength.

Leading worship at The Christian Healing Mission’s conference on Saturday was amazing. The glory of God as Jen Rees Larcombe puts it came twice during the times of worship. We were all caught up in the presence of our loving God who came to heal and set us free. Jennifer’s teaching was honest and accessible and the testimonies were powerful. I’m still getting revelation and more freedom a couple of days on. I’m sure you can get the talks from The Christian Healing Mission.