I was born in a beautiful part of New Zealand called New Plymouth, at a very young age. I had a happy child hood, with loving parents and a great sister. My father loved fishing and built a Bach at Mokau where we used to spend a lot of time every holiday and most weekends fishing, playing, swimming and hanging out with friends. I had lots of cousins in New Plymouth too and used to spend time with them at Fitzroy Beach and up the river near my house. I used to play a lot of golf too with my cousin Paul.
As I went into my teenage years, I was conscious of something missing in my life. I felt lonely and empty inside. A lot of my mates had girlfriends but I wasn’t scoring in this department. It didn’t help much when the gym teacher called me ‘Sparrow Legs’ in front of 2 classes of boys and for awhile there I would only go swimming with my jeans on. I thought the reason why I was sad inside was my need of a girlfriend, but didn’t realise that the true reason was my need for Jesus.
I used to go to lots a parties later, smoked drank and tried drugs but it didn’t help and it seemed to get worse. When I left school I worked in the local record shop and surfed my days away. My dad pulled me up and told me I needed to get a real job, so I went to Auckland in pursuit of work. I was good at art and eventually got work in the advertising department of the Farmers Trading Company, which really was the hand of God. I spent 2 years up there and still had some dark lonely days and didn’t find a girl friend either. My friends back home were making big money in oil exploration around Mount Taranaki, so I threw in my job and went down there to join them. I saved up the money to go on a trip to Australia and then onto South Africa.
Praise God that on the way I got saved in Johannesburg. I met a girl there that told me about Jesus and introduced me to Christians. I got gloriously saved and life looked so much better, but there still was something missing. I was asking the Lord about my partner for life and went up to Rhodesia and got some work at a Christian Printing Firm in Bulawayo. It was there I met my future wife - Bernice. We were just friends at first. She went to the Baptist Church and I to a Pentecostal one. After a year I was called up for the Army, as there was a war going on. I decided after a year of this that I would go home as I was getting homesick for New Zealand. Just before I left I read in the book of Acts one night about ‘Bernice’ and felt the Lord say that I would marry her one day.
While in New Zealand I got my old job back in the Farmers Advertising and wrote to Bernice often. I was a bit of a ‘Space Cadet’ back then and decided that I would go back to Rhodesia and marry her. My approach was. ‘The Lord has told me that you are the one I am to marry.’ That didn’t go down too well, so I returned to New Zealand with my tail between my legs. I felt that I must have been wrong about all of this, so just chalk it up to experience.
In all of this God was working in me and teaching me to praise Him even when things don’t work out the way we want and seek first the Kingdom of God, for He promises that if we do all other things will be given unto us. He was developing my relationship with Him.
Once while hitch hiking back to Auckland from New Plymouth, I was dropped off near Urenui. There were not many cars and no one wanted to pick me up. I was there a long time and began to complain to the Lord. I felt Him say that I needed to stop and smell the roses so to speak. ‘Look around you and praise Him for His creation.’ Use this moment to praise and worship Him. I had just been reading the Song of Solomon and noticed how creation is used in worship. For instance it says that His countenance is as Lebanon. Lebanon is known for its magnificent trees. All around me were impressive trees so I told the Lord that He was tall and strong like them. I did a sort of ‘I spy with my little eye’ moment of seeing all the things that reminded me of God and scripture. The Song uses this method all the time, He (Jesus) says to her that she is like one of Pharaoh’s Horses. That doesn’t mean she’s a horse face with big teeth. Pharaoh’s horse were the best of the best and were beautiful and stately and covered in jewels.It was a compliment.
Anyway I ended up having a wonderful worship time with the Lord and it started something that has grown over the years. I can now sit in a cafe in London with noise and people everywhere and see the glory of God in the midst. Its in Him we live and move and have our being.
While in New Zealand praying about when I would marry, I distinctly remember after reading about Abraham’s servant having to go to Mesopotamia to get his son a wife, that I too I needed to go back to Rhodesia and marry Bernice. I wasn’t wrong before in my failed attempt but my timing was out. I went back played it cool this time and she also heard the lord say that it was me and were married in 1977.
I got a fantastic job in an Art Studio in Bulawayo, and after a year I had to go back into the Army again, as things were really getting bad. I ended doing 40 days in and 40 days out.
I really felt more complete as a married man, and realised that marriage is only part of the puzzle. If you are called to marriage then its like a triangle. You your wife and God.
I found that we are called to ‘know’ Him. Not just know about Him but have an intimate relationship with Him. Praise God that we are saved by faith. Look at the thief on the cross; he believed in Jesus and wasn’t even baptised but Jesus said that today he would be with Him in the Kingdom.
The Lord is always calling us deeper. Always wanting to enlarge our hearts so that we can take in more of Him. He doesn’t want us to just be saved by the skin of our teeth.
Look at the Queen of England for example. You can know about her. You can read all the royal books and even be a descendant of hers, but that doesn’t mean you know her intimately. Her children know her well but her husband knows her intimately. There are secrets they share that no one else knows about. The bible says that in marriage you become one. A healthy marriage really experiences this.
It is the same with the Lord. You can know about Him. You can even be a Jew but do you know Him intimately? This is His desire for you and I. He doesn’t want us just get into heaven by faith but to also enjoy Him too. He wants us to know that He is in us and we in Him. He wants us to know the intimacy of oneness. Look at John 17:22-23
“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one - I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
There is much more land to be possessed as far as relationship is concerned.Someone may say that they knows the ‘Big Man’ upstairs. Some call Him the Governor. Their Brother, their Friend. Some may dare to say that He holds their hand while others like to think that they can sit on His knee. The bible shows that He wants us to know that He is in you. He is to be our all in all, our portion and our cup. Your life and your strength.
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.” Galatians 2:20
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. Colossians 2:9-10
Jesus said to Peter after he had denied Him 3 times. “Do you love me?” Jesus said to Peter do you love (Agape) me?
Agape is the greatest of the Greek words for love. Its the unconditional love, the God kind of love. Peter’s reply was that he loved (Phileo) Him. Phileo is a brotherly love and not so committed as agape. Again Jesus repeated the question and in the end Jesus said. “Do you ‘Phileo’ love me? Praise God Peter did chose the highest path and was prepared to die for Jesus with an agape love.
In Matthew 7:22 there will be those who come to Jesus and say that they prophesied and did miracles in His name, but Jesus will say. “Depart from me for I never knew you.” That word ‘knew’ is ‘Ginosko’ in Greek which also means to have intimacy with the Lord.
The Bible tells us that we are forgiven and accepted by the Lord. We are made parts of His Body. We are His Bride. The Song of Songs reveals the heart of God for His Bride. He is wild about you. The Bride to Him is the most beautiful woman in the world. Isaiah 62:5 tells us that as a young man delights in his young bride so does the Lord delight in you. He is always thinking about you. He has tattooed your name on the palm of his hand.You are the apple of His eye His precious possession. We need to have our minds renewed to comprehend this. In the Dark Ages it would have been considered blasphemous to say any of these things. He wants to conquer you with His love.
I am not lonely anymore and love my wife more and more. The Devil hates this kind of relationship. That of a Bride. He lost it through sin and is jealous that we can have even better than he had through the blood of Jesus. He attacks us with accusations, condemnation and temptation. He wants us to stop falling in love with Jesus. He wants us to treat Him like an optional extra. He doesn’t mind us liking Him but hates us knowing Him, for in that there is great power. Jesus delights in this kind of love.
Paul prayed that we might know the love of God that passes knowledge. He considered it the priceless privilege of knowing Christ. The Supreme advantage of knowing Christ.
In the Song of Songs it tells us that the Lord wants to create a garden within us that He will come too and enjoy. We need to know what He is doing so that we will enjoy Him too I love what it says in Song of Songs 7:10
“Now I know that I am filled with my Beloved, and that all His desires are fulfilled in me.’ The Passion
We are in a unique window of opportunity before the Lord’s return where we are invited to a whole new level of relationship with Lord. Hosea speaks of this day.
“Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. 2After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight. 3Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth.” Hosea 6:1-3
If 1 day is as 1000 years, then the 1st day since the Church was birthed would bring us up to the year 1000. The 2nd day would take us to the year 2000 and now we are in the 3rd day. We are now invited to know Him intimately as a Bride and He says that He will come to us like the former and latter rain upon us.
This is the time for the Bride to get herself ready and prepare for the coming of the Lord. Its time to throw away those things that hinder. The sins, and little foxes that are spoiling the vine.
The more you listen and surrender to the Holy Spirit in the little things, the more confident you will become to do greater exploits.
God wants us to sense His love from head to foot. We are meant to know the love of the Father deep within. 1 John 2:15-17 says that one of the main reasons why we don’t experience this is because we love the world too much. Our God is jealous of our love.