JOY! Magazine

be strong in your faith!

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.” – 1 Peter 5:8-9 I think the scripture above is very clear, prophetic, informative, and instructive. We are living in and experiencing a time of lawlessness in South Africa, coupled with gross intolerance towards God’s laws (The 10 Commandments). No justice for the corrupt Political leaders are openly corrupt and dishonest, as well as many public business leaders too. Sadly, it seems like they get away with this and that there is no justice being served. This can leave one feeling defeated and hopeless. Recently there was a story in the news of a young doctor, Dr Jacques De Vos, who…

salvation prayer

Heavenly Father, I come to you in the Name of Jesus. I acknowledge that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself; I need your forgiveness and salvation. I believe that Jesus died on the Cross, and on the third day He rose to be with You. I confess Jesus as the Lord of my life. I invite Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Saviour and I surrender my life to Him. Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace that has saved me from my sins. Please, Lord Jesus, transform my life so that I may bring glory and honour to You alone and not to myself. Thank you Jesus for the gift of eternal life.…

sabbatical thoughts series: the gospel is for christians too

I would much rather forget the events of the 20th of July 2019, but try as I might, the day remains as clear as yesterday. I made two mistakes ahead of our flight from Orlando to Toronto, the most costly of which was forgetting my bag in the taxi, therefore missing our flight, resulting in me having to book four new tickets. It still hurts! Desperate to try to salvage something out of the situation, I repeatedly made phone calls over several hours, but to no avail. Irritation cascaded into anger, fear, and shame, with my family and the airport information desk on the receiving end of my un-Christlike meltdown. The entire episode was a painful reflection of what lies beneath. The Gospel’s transformative power In the midst of all this, God…

authentic prophetic prayer

I have been pondering for some time about the immense power of authentic prophetic prayer. When we powerfully pray and speak the word of God over our circumstances, we are speaking life and change into situations. We must guard against negative words after praying so that we don’t negate the power of the word of God from bringing our requests to pass. The gift of prophecy VS the office of a prophet There is a vast difference between the gift of prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:3) and the actual office of the prophet like Agabus, Paul, and John (Eph 4:11). When we gather together in homes and small groups, we can all operate in the gifts of the spirit and speak words of edification, exhortation, and comfort. Only a small number of believers…

letters to the editor

Christians need to stand together! Thank you for highlighting the Comprehensive Sex Education Bill that the government is considering enforcing in the primary schools of South Africa. It is a disgrace and must be stopped. Parents have to stand together and summons their school principals and governing bodies to a meeting and demonstrate their dismay and disdain. If they don’t stand together and keep thinking someone else will sort it out, then their children are in for a disaster. It seems like every month something new and evil is getting proposed. It shows the lack of values of the people running our country. Please Lord Jesus intervene. I pray your people will rise and respond. Concerned parent Anyone looking for a pastor? I greet you in the wonderful Name of our Lord Jesus. I…

screen the powerful pro-life movie ‘unplanned’ in your church or school

Unplanned is the incredible, powerful true story of Abby Johnson, former director of a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic and her conversion to being a pro-life activist. Abby gets drawn into working for Planned Parenthood because she thinks that their goal is to help prevent pregnancies. The longer that she stays at the Planned Parenthood clinic, the more she learns that, far from helping anyone, they are taught to lie to women to sell as many abortions as possible. It sadly seems that South Africans will not be able to see the film on the big screen. Africa Christian Action now has permission from Pureflix to arrange screenings at independent movie theatres, churches, or community groups. If you would like to host a screening, please contact: info@christianaction.org.za, 021 689 4480. Christian…