Daily Inspirations
GIFTINGS
God will take our “ natural” giftings and use them mightily for the Kingdom if we allow Him to. Within the Clement household ,Music was one such gift. Kim had a unique and powerful anointing on his music,and today it is still touching the lives of many many people. Music has a way of ministering to the body,soul and spirit and its impartation can either be edifying or destructive. In the book of Samuel we read that as David played the Lyre ( harp) the evil or tormented spirit departed from Saul. For me ,listening to and singing along to Praise and Worship music ushers me into the presence of God and realms of the spirit quickly. On the other side,listening to and repeating the lyrics of ungodly music can defile our spirit and soul. There is such power in the tongue. A few years ago, one of our daughters was going through a rebellious stage.The Lord showed me she had opened a door in her life through the music she was listening to, singing along with and thereby aligning herself with.God created music as a powerful way for man to communicate with Him,worship Him and it is through music that we can become edified, refreshed and ministered to in many different ways. David,too, has been blessed with an anointed musical gift and sometimes when he is playing the Bass guitar at home,I pick up on the boldness and prophetic and begin to prophesy. The video below was done as a tribute to Kim. David added the guitar parts. May we continually sing praises and worship to our God at every opportunity as He is forever waiting for us to draw close to Him and enjoy such sweet fellowship and intimacy.
PUT ON THE GARMENT OF PRAISE
With today’s stresses and fast paced lifestyles, it is quite common to experience off days.
However, when life becomes continually ‘bleak’, with little hope, it may be that a spirit of heaviness, (that can feel like a heavy cloak depressing us), is at work against us. This demonic spirit’s main objective is to distract, get us off track and keep us in a place of despondency and despair.
Our Heavenly Father provides the solution in Isaiah 61:3 NIV
͞”Put on the Garment of Praise in place of the spirit of heaviness.”
͟To put on a garment requires an action – a decision to cover, surround, and envelop ourselves with an atmosphere of Praise.
Often, it’s a sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15) that is required to take our eyes off our circumstances and feelings, choosing to magnify the Lord above everything else.
The word Praise is mentioned over 450 times in the Bible and simply put, it is a heart attitude that flows out of our mouths. We praise God for His Greatness and His Goodness, and we praise Him not because He demands it, but rather because He is worthy of it. Praise is often mentioned along with Thanksgiving.
Psalm 100:4 declares we enter into His Gates, God’s presence, through Praise. When we enter into His presence, our Heavenly Father inhabits our praise, (Psalm 22:3) and He, in turn, goes to work on our behalf. When we lift up our praises to the Lord, the spirit of heaviness has to flee.
May we be quick to discern when this spirit is harassing us, and even quicker to offer up continuous Praise to the One who is forever worthy of it.
DIVINE APPOINTMENTS
The following account took place many years ago, but it’s ‘fruit’ still remains to this day. A friend of mine was really searching for the Lord and had asked me to visit an Anglican Church with her. On our late arrival, we snuck in and found an empty wooden pew at the far back of the sanctuary.
As the Minister proceeded with his message, I began to feel a warmth around me and realized that my posterior (for want of the most fittingly correct word) was becoming increasingly ‘hotter’ by the minute. I could tell from my friend’s facial and bodily expressions, that she too, was experiencing the same. Could this be a supernatural sign from the Lord reminding us that hell was a real place? As the call for salvation was given, my friend bolted towards the front with me in tow. Petrified that the rapture may take place that night and I may be left behind, I felt to re-dedicate my life to the Lord… just to make sure. As we exited the church, and passed the pew where we were sitting, I read the following sign:
‘Heated pew for the elderly. Please use dial to adjust heat settings’
My friend and I laughed the entire way home. God had ‘set up’ this ‘Divine Encounter’… it had worked, and Praise God, to this day we are both still “on fire” for the Lord.
To me, a Divine Appointment’ is an encounter or meeting that seemed to be random, then realizing it was indeed orchestrated by our Heavenly Father. Simply put, the outcome is designed to fulfill a special purpose or meet a specific need.
I know that, as our steps are ordered by the Lord (Psalm 37:23), Our Heavenly Father has many exciting Divine meetings and Encounters lined up for us. May we make the most of every opportunity
(Ephesians 5:16) and not miss out on any “Heavenly orchestrated Setups” the Lord has planned for us.
Kim once told me that one introduction to Matt and Laurie Crouch from TBN opened the door to television exposure as well as a long lasting, personal friendship with the Crouch Family.
May we seek, ask and anticipate the many Divine Appointments that await us, to assist us in fulfilling all that God has planned for us to accomplish, whilst here on earth
The Lord is my Shepherd
Psalm 23 is one of the most well known passages of scripture from the Bible. A recent reflection, gave me deeper insight into the following:
“You prepare a table before me in the midst of my enemies” vs 5
Often I find myself so busy fighting my enemies that I do not even notice the table. Instead of remembering that I wrestle not against flesh and blood, I resort to carnal weapons to fight spiritual battles. No wonder I come away both exhausted and wounded.
Kim was a true warrior for the Kingdom. He understood spiritual warfare and enjoyed many victories.
“He restores my soul” vs 3
Many years ago, the Lord revealed to me that restoring my soul was a process. I had an impression of a table needing to be sanded, repaired and varnished, which took time, and I needed to be patient, continually yielded to Him.
Restoration for each one is different, but only God is able to restore us and He will do it His way, if we surrender and allow Him to.
” though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil” vs 4
None of us are exempt from tough times and trying seasons.
However, it is when we focus on the shadows and take our eyes off the Lord, fear enters. Our shepherd is there to continually guide and comfort us. May our eyes be fixed only on Him.
The entire Psalm is one of Hope, Comfort and Provision.Many references to ‘He’ and ‘I’ illustrate the close and personal relationship we have, as sheep, to the Lord, our good Shepherd.
Dealing with Doubt
In the days that followed my brother in law, Kim’s death, I experienced an unsettling that would not lift, a deep sense of worry, even robbing me of much needed sleep.
During one particular prayer time, the Holy Spirit clearly showed me that I was dealing with the impostor of Doubt, seeking entry into my mind. If not expelled, Doubt will invite its cohorts of worry, fear, anxiety and anything else it can align itself to, to attack us.
In very simple terms, Doubt creates an uncertainty. Is God really who He says He is and is He able to perform all He says He will do in the Word ? Doubt is no respecter of persons.
In the Bible, Sarah , Zechariah , John the Baptist, Thomas are but a few examples where Doubt knocked at the door and the door was opened.
That day, when I realized who had come to visit, I took steps to shut that door and repented of opening myself up to Doubt, fully aware that whatever is not of Faith is sin. ( Romans 14)
I then turned to the Word of God, the most powerful weapon we have. I began to quote scriptures of God’s Faithfulness and Goodness, and meditating on all the times my Heavenly Father had come through for me in the past. We can be assured that Doubt will try, at every opportunity, to infiltrate our minds. May we always be alert to its intentions and when it attacks, dispel it immediately with our greatest weapon, the Living Word of God….A weapon that is sharper than any two edged sword.
His Presence
At present , I live in one of the most beautiful places in the World- Cape Town. ( also known as the Cape of Good Hope)
Many, many prophesies have come forth about a world wide revival beginning in my home town. Even Kim, in his very last broadcast, uttered a prophetic word for Cape Town. We have also been on the map for another reason, we have been in a severe drought since 2015. Earlier this year it was predicted the city would completely run out of water by mid April , and severe water restrictions were put into place. Both visiting preachers and local pastors rallied together to hold large camp meetings to pray for rain. Capetonians, rich and poor, young and old, black and white, humbled themselves and cried out to the Lord….and He answered. It began to pour and pour and it is still pouring.
We too are God’s creation. We have been called, by Name , even before the earths foundation, ( Jeremiah 1:4) set apart to accomplish great things here on earth. The enemy knows this and will do whatever he can to keep us dry, barren, depleted of joy, good health and the necessary resources we need to flourish and succeed. There is no need to remain this way.
Praise God, our Heavenly Father promises to refresh, cleanse restore and revive us with His rain, ( His Presence) ,as we hunger , thirst and call out to Him. ( Psalm 68:9-10)
His magnificent Presence heals, delivers and causes us to walk in a shower of abundant blessings. ( Proverbs 16:15)
Where would we be, one moment, without His Presence.
Let us DAILY seek a fresh anointing of the Presence of the Lord. Let us allow His Rain to wash over us, saturate us, equip us and fill us to overflowing.
THE VALUE OF WORDS
Jesus cursing the fig tree is mentioned twice in the Bible ( Mark 11 and Matthew 22)
Jesus, finding no fruit on the fig tree, speaks death over it, never to bear fruit again. This is a clear example of the power of the tongue . Our tongues either speak life or they speak death,( Proverbs19:21) the choice remains with us. When words are spoken, they are activated , established in the spirit realm, and their effects set in motion. This is particularity true when people in authority speak over our lives. For example; When Isaac was tricked into giving Jacob the blessing , Esau begged his father to recant and give him this blessing instead, but he was unable to .
We are made in God’s Image and given the gift of language to rule and reign and build His Kingdom. Kim’s entire ministry focused upon this .
God places a very high value on words. Matthew 12:36 states that, at the Day of Judgment, we will each give an account for every careless, idle or empty word spoken. We need to therefore, watch every word we utter. Psalm 141:3 provides the help we need when we are tempted to speak wrongfully. “Set a guard over my mouth Lord , keep watch over the door of my lips”
Documented research studies have proven that Words alter brain activity, affect moods , trigger physiological responses, even change water molecules( study by Dr Emoto)
The Bible is full of the power of the spoken word. Our words can bring healing or sickness, peace or strife, prosperity or poverty….and much more. Praise God we have, in addition, the authority to reject/ refute contrary words that have been spoken over our lives by others.(Isaiah 54:17)
Please find below an audible prayer to recite after me , for anyone needing or wanting to break off the power of words spoken by us and or over us by others. May we make a determined effort to speak only words of life, wholeness and healing.