Author: HoW Team

‘A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.’ Proverbs 25:28

In biblical times cities had boundaries such as walls and gates which protected the cities from enemy penetration and kept its residents safe. These boundaries typically had men stationed around them, especially at the city gates as they monitored who came into and left the city and restricted or permitted access accordingly. In those days a city without vigilant men manning the boundaries and ensuring the walls and gates were secure would have been quite porous and open to easy attack by those seeking to take undue advantage.

It’s therefore interesting that in Proverbs a person without self-control is likened to a city with broken down walls.

In applying this to our lives, how do we ensure we are effectively manning our boundaries? What strategies can we employ to secure all aspects of our lives so we don’t leave any areas open to attacks and manipulations? As we go through this series, we pray the Holy Spirit will equip us with the skills and strategies required to take charge of our boundaries so we walk in constant victory. Click Here to download the study.

‘To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven’ Ecclesiastes 3:1

Life is not meant to be lived according to natural calendars such as January to December, but rather according to our seasons of life. And seasons are not static, they are dynamic and once it’s time is up, a new season begins. If we’re not conscious of this, we could lock ourselves into a cycle that’s outside of God’s agenda.

Since life is lived in seasons, this means we’re constantly transitioning from one season to another. The transition phase may be different depending on the season, but we’re never meant to be stuck permanently in a particular stage, rather we’re to move from glory to glory.

To navigate transitions effectively, we must understand when one phase is ending and another is starting, how to enter the next phase, how to stabilize in a phase and how to ensure we’re constantly flowing with the Holy Spirit and ensuring that our best days should never be behind us. Click Here to download the study.

Fire is often spoken of in the context of caution because of its capacity to burn and destroy. However, fire does many other things for us in the natural that aren’t destructive. It’s a source of illumination in darkness, warmth in the cold, a necessity for preparing cooked food and sterilizing items for health purposes and so much more.

Likewise in the spiritual realm, fire isn’t only about destruction and punishment. It purges, purifies, cleanses, reveals our works, equips and keeps us connected to the Lord and so much more.

This study we’re exploring different types of spiritual fire and we pray that the Holy Spirit will give us revelation and understanding about the type of fire we need to have or are currently experiencing in our lives. Click Here to download the study.

“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8

We know that physical exercise is important to the body, however when people are training for sporting competitions, not all exercises will yield the same results. A good sportsman knows the series of training activities required to make a difference in their performance. Similarly, there are spiritual exercises we engage in, but some are game changers when it comes to making a difference to our spiritual capacity.

This series we’re looking at these game changers, trusting that the Holy Spirit will give us understanding so we are well equipped to walk in dominion this year. Click Here to download the series.

Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. Hebrews 5:14 NLT

The Bible speaks of those who are spiritually mature by virtue of having been trained. As with any training, there have to be various stages and processes the person being trained goes through in order to arrive at expertise. As we look at spiritual development, let’s draw an analogy of a person waking up and starting their day.

Typically, the first thing people do when they wake up from a night’s sleep is to open their eyes, so this is usually the first sign of being awake. The next step would then be to get up. When you get up you may still be a little groggy and may stagger a bit when you take your first few steps and then get their bearings right as we often see with young children. Adults typically would stretch a little bit to loosen tension in the muscles after being in the same position for a while. Then you start moving and fully kick off your day, going on to achieve great things. Then the day ends and the process starts again the next day.

Spiritual development is similar to this and the process may be summarised in 4 key stages which we have labelled: Awake, Arise, Align and Advance.

This series we are digging into these stages and we trust that the Holy Spirit will guide us as we commit to the process of continuous spiritual growth. Click Here to download the study.

‘The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”’ Genesis 12:1-3

The Bible documents that Abraham had a relationship with God which led to him embarking on a lifelong journey of faith. Abraham was a normal person, who just like any of us had his personal challenges and during this journey there were triumphs and tribulations. Yet in him many families were blessed, not because he was perfect, but because of the work God did in, with and through him.

This series we are embarking on a study on the life of this patriarch, trusting that the Holy Spirit will bring inspiration that we can gain from as we start a new year and season. Our prayer is that He will open our eyes to see how we can align with God’s agenda so that this will be our best year yet as we press into a deeper walk with Him. Click Here to download the study.

‘But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.’ Hebrews 11:6

‘Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ Hebrews 12:1-2

God is a very generous rewarder of those who diligently seek Him and are faithful in this journey of life and our walk with Him. The Bible tells us that part of what Jesus kept in mind during His earthly journey was the joy waiting for Him, so He understands the power of having something to look forward to. Specifically, there are crowns that were listed in the Bible which will be given to those who meet certain conditions.

This series we are looking at five crowns which we pray will encourage us to keep running this race with endurance. This series we will also include some reflection points which we encourage us all to thoughtfully consider as we wrap up the year and plan for the year to come.

May the holy Spirit open our minds and hearts and help us on this journey so we all finish strong. Click Here to download the study.

‘For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.’ Matthew 24:7-8

We are in a time where we are seeing the above scripture play out right before us. The world recently emerged from a global pandemic which caused nations to shut their doors to other nations and even restrict movement locally – impacting global supply chains and local businesses. Following closely on the heels of the pandemic, a war arose between two nations who are critical global resource providers. With all these happening, there have also been natural disasters of various forms across nations. All these have led to economic hardship across nations.

Jesus warned us about these events (and so much more) thousands of years ago and because we know He loves us, we know that there are avenues available to find security even in the midst of the economic challenges.

This series we explored 10 of such avenues and we trust that the Holy Spirit will help us understand which are applicable to our specific situations. Click Here to download the study.

Blessed be the Lord my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle—

Psalms 144:1

Chapter after chapter in the Old Testament we read about how the Israelites had to fight a number of battles, sometimes against nations much larger and with greater military might than Israel had. Yet in spite of the odds stacked against them, Israel prevailed most of the time.

In the New Testament, the battles continued, but those documented were more of the warfare going on in the spiritual realm with the Bible teaching us about fighting, wrestling with the unseen, contending, prevailing and overcoming. All these speak to various forms of battle that we have to engage in through our journey of life.

It can be overwhelming to look at all one has to contend with if we focus on our strength alone. But God never leaves us without superior battle strategies to work with. This series we are exploring a few of the strategies made available to believers so we can come out as victors at all times. Click HERE to download the series.

Dealing with Life’s Distractions

“But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”” Luke 10:40-42 NKJV

Jesus and Martha had an interesting interaction when He visited her home. Martha was understandably putting things in place for the visitors so everyone – including Jesus – would be comfortable; while her sister Mary seemed to be doing nothing, just seated at the feet of Jesus listening to everything He had to say.

If the guests were to score Martha and Mary, Martha would probably be rated higher because of her level of activity and service, yet Jesus called Martha distracted. Martha didn’t do anything wrong by working to ensure everything went well for the visitors, but there was a critical point where she missed the real purpose and focus of the meeting which was what Jesus had to share.

The word used for distraction means, “to be over-occupied, too busy, about a thing”. There are many times we go through life distracted – over-occupied with life and its myriad of issues. And in the midst of the distraction we miss out on important cues the Holy Spirit is giving us concerning our lives and things around us.

This series we’re looking at 6 keys for living a focused and purposeful life so we don’t end up full of activities without tangible results to show for it. We pray that the series will help us re-direct our attention so we put our focus on what really matters. Click here to download the study.