Dear Friends

I greet you in Jesus precious name.  A very special word that the Lord has laid on my heart to encourage us at this time is Psalm 42:5, 'Why are you cast down, O my soul?  And why are you disquieted within me?  Hope in God, for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.' (NKJV)

In this beautiful psalm, the psalmist says three times, speaking to himself,  'why are you cast down O my soul?'  This is speaking to your inner man.  Why are you cast down?

I have just returned from Somerset East in the Eastern Cape.  They are gripped in a drought, some parts have not had decent rain for a number of years.  We spoke at the 140th anniversary of Gill College.  It was an amazing event!  They had set up a platform on the back of a trailer (which made me feel at home) on the rugby field.  There was a huge crowd, I didn't realise that there were that many people in that area!  This is the verse that God gave me to encourage them with.  It was not the message that I had prepared, as usual I had to put that aside.  The Lord told me to encourage the people to lift themselves up and to take their eyes off their circumstances and focus on Him.  This is what He would say to you and me today.  This is not a time to become introverts.  It is a time to keep our eyes on Jesus and to walk by faith and not by sight, 2Cor.5:7.  At the end of the meeting, I made the altarcall and asked people who had made first time commitments to come forward.  I was absolutely amazed - literally hundreds come to the front, with much brokenness, weeping and tears.  We then prayed for the sick and are believing for many good reports of signs, wonders and miracles following.  We also prayed for rain and decided that we would not ask God for the rain again as His ears are not thick and His arm is not short that He cannot save.  From today onwards we are going to thank Him for the rain that is on its way.  It was an amazing meeting and we thank God for what he is doing all over this beautiful nation of ours.