Gospel road 66

Missing my bro #blaugust.18

I’m one of seven children, yes that’s right, seven! I now have 17 nephews and nieces, some of them I still have not met as a few have been born while im in Portugal. I have rather a big family yet I do not know many of them! Im closest right now to my Dad and my 11 month younger sister and I have recently got back in contact with my 2 year younger brother.

For a long time my younger brother stopped speaking to me. Truth be told, he didn’t like that I moved to Portugal as he felt I abandoned him, but he knows I’m his heart that’s not the case! My little bro and I were once the closest in the family. Sure we were all raised in foster care and lived in separate homes, sometimes many miles away from each other! Yet my little bro Craig was the one I would always visit and spend weekends with.

Oh don’t get me wrong we had some big fights when we were kids! Yet we always made up after the scuffle and were like best friends again.

My brothers finding Jesus story

My brother was not like me in my teens, he refused to ever step into church and acknowledge Gods existence. One day, the church put on an event called the fun fest. Basically a whole day event with free food, sports, crafts and a talent show – the same event that first brought me to church! My brother was reluctant to go but he went. At the end we usually have a time of prayer, I invited my bro and he said “I ain’t gonna join prayer!”, but he went. After this event a group of us (including myself) were booked in to go to Soul Survivor – a 5 day Christian camp in England which sees around 30,000 young people attending. Someone had dropped out last minute and a space was available. The pastor asked me to ask if Craig wanted to go. I asked my bro, he said no but he went 😅.

It was the third day of soul survivor that my brothers stubborn heart was broken into and he answered the altar call to accept Jesus! After that time he was on fire for God for about a year – during this time I had moved to Portugal for 11 months – it was around 2010. Yet he suddenly stopped going to church and proclaimed to me that he no longer believes, this was due to him facing some difficult times. It was sad, but I refuse to believe that’s the end of his faith story.

I confess, I miss my bro. I was messaging him for months without response, he finally responded when I told him I want to visit England to see him. He’s a manager now and is doing very well! Yesterday was his birthday and I sent a nice message to him. Pray that one day we may see each other and have a great reunion! It’s been about 6 years I think since I saw him, I haven’t seen his 4 kids for that long too! But praise God they are all healthy and during those years Craig has kept me updated with how they are doing.

God has a plan for my brothers life, his work has not finished with him because God started something! Before Jesus returns or we go to Him, God will finish what he starts!

Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Love and God bless

Deano

The flesh and the spirit are at war #blaugust.17

Have you ever declared war on your flesh? It sounds absurd right? But the flesh and the spirit are already at war! There’s no need for a declaration.

I have stumbled into the miry pit of self pity and battled with the “I want it that way” anthem. I have begrudged making a sacrifice to appease someone else when I could be watching TV or playing video games. I have reacted bitterly to a difficult decision which would require me to crucify my flesh. In the words of the apostle Paul, “what a wretched man I am!”.

We face battles every day, whether in our minds, against sin, with loved ones or with our enemy. You know why we face battles? Because we actually want to do Gods will! Let me explain…

There is no battle if there is agreement. For example, we do not fight against sin if we do not believe it is sin. This is why those of the world do not fight against lust but the people of God do, or at least should do. This is why prayer is a struggle, do you think the devil wants you to master how to use your greatest weapon? Of course not! He will fight you until you lay down that weapon, unless you master the weapon and then use it against him, oh he’s afraid when you do that child of God!

We are the children of the most high, we should be the greatest soldiers in the world. Not soldiers that fight the way the world does, for our battle is more on our knees than in the trenches of war. Our battle is by the word of God not by curses and evil declarations. We fight in the spirit for our battle is not against flesh and blood but against rulers and principalities in the unseen world (Ephesians 6:12). When we learn how to fight against our flesh, we learn to live by the Spirit.

If you sense to speak the good news to someone, but then a distraction comes in a sugar coated form, that’s a moment to fight against the flesh. If a situation occurs that need urgent prayer but at the same time your favourite TV show is on, that’s a moment to fight the flesh. If you have to be up early to seek God about an important decision, but instead feel like sleeping, that’s a moment to fight the flesh.

We will have flesh fighting moments everyday. We become stronger in Spirit the more we resist the flesh, we become weaker in Spirit the more we yield to the flesh. This reminds me of a story that I believe I have said before, but I will say again…

A son once approached his father and said, “Father, I have a good wolf and a bad wolf living inside of me, which one will survive!” The father simply replies, “the one you feed”.

Whatever we feed ourselves with, whether it be fleshly or spiritual, is ultimately what will survive. So let’s feed pour spirits and be victorious children of God!

Galatians 2:20 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

Love and God bless

Deano

Over half way through the Blaugust challenge! #blaugust.16

Hello everyone! Hope all is well with you.

Over half way through the blogging every day challenge! It’s not been an easy journey but it’s been worth it! I set this challenge not only because it’s a known thing, but also to improve my writing ability, yet I must confess I’m extremely tired.

These last few months I have been commuting three hours a day, settling into a new job, dealing with health issues, building new friendships, ministry and trying to balance my marriage. It’s been extremely difficult at times and lately I have been almost falling asleep on my work desk.

Life is like that isn’t it? We have so many tasks that it seems impossible to manage. Our to do list becomes as thick as the yellow pages and it becomes overwhelming. Gosh I can’t imagine how parents must feel! I admire your resilience and persistence.

Yet there is something a Christian has that the world does not, the power of the Holy Spirit! On the night when Jesus was betrayed the disciples had heavy eyes and fell asleep. The disciples were allowing the flesh to dominate while Jesus was strengthened by the Holy Spirit through prayer. In the natural it would have been impossible for Jesus to endure what He did, but Gods strength enabled him to carry out the mission.

This is how we need to be, allowing the supernatural strength to enable us to fulfil Gods purpose. Oh I so need to trust in Gods strength right now, I cannot give up! Rest will come to Gods people in the end because we belong to the author of peace.

We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13)

Let’s pray

Father God, Thank you that in you we live and move and have our being. For those who are tired may you give them supernatural strength. Strength to overcome the evil one, strength to endure any hardship, strength to reach out to others in their needs and strength to move forward. May your people be known for the love they have for each other and let your peace reign in their heart! You are the way, the truth and the life and worthy to be praised. To you be all the glory. In Jesus Christ name - amen

Love and God bless

Deano

Over half way through the Blaugust challenge! #blaugust.16

Hello everyone! Hope all is well with you.

We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13)

Let’s pray

Father God, Thank you that in you we live and move and have our being. For those who are tired may you give them supernatural strength. Strength to overcome the evil one, strength to endure any hardship, strength to reach out to others in their needs and strength to move forward. May your people be known for the love they have for each other and let your peace reign in their heart! You are the way, the truth and the life and worthy to be praised. To you be all the glory. In Jesus Christ name - amen

Love and God bless

Deano

Praying for the persecuted church #30 Blaugust #15

What does persecution look like in Bangladesh?

In Bangladesh, the severest persecution is reserved for those who come from Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or tribal backgrounds. Such believers can encounter restrictions, discrimination and even attacks. Gatherings with other Christians are often done in secret.

Protestant churches that are engaged in outreach among Muslim communities can also face persecution. The arrest of church leaders can destabilise Christian communities and make them feel afraid to gather for worship. Even other denominations which have historically faced less persecution in Bangladesh, such as those affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, are increasingly facing attacks and death threats.

Who is most vulnerable to persecution?

Bangladesh’s northern region, home to many ethnic minorities, is an especially difficult place for Christians to live, with persecution coming from both the Muslim majority and Buddhist minority, as well as tribal communities.

In recent years, more than 700,000 Islamic refugees have arrived from neighbouring Myanmar, with the majority located in Cox Bazar district in the southeast tip of the country. Among the refugees are a tiny minority of Rohingya converts, who can face pressure for their faith but have no means of escape.

Meet Jashim

“I have the right to choose and practise my faith. I will not forsake my faith in Jesus Christ.”
JASHIM, WHO WAS BRUTALLY ATTACKED BY A MOB

What has changed this year?

Despite a slight drop in reported incidents of violence against Christians, opposition in private life has increased and converts have been put under more pressure than in previous years. Overall, the persecution of our Bangladeshi brothers and sisters remains at a severe level

Let’s pray 🙏

Father God, thank you that you hear the cries of your sons and daughters in Bangladesh. We come before you now and life up those who are facing pressure and persecution for the name of Jesus. May you strengthen those who are suffering through your Holy Spirit, your word and through local believers. May those who persecute them have a personal encounter with Jesus Christ that will transform their lives. May their be a revival break out in the land of Bangladesh so that every one living in that nation will hear the gospel. May you heal those traumatised by attacks and bring healing and restoration for those who have suffered. In Jesus Christ name we pray, amen.

Info taken from – https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/bangladesh/

Love and God bless

Deano

When God sends someone to inspire you #blaugust.14

We had a great visitor come to our church this weekend. His name is Dave Barnett, he’s an x professional footballer who played for Birmingham City. I’m an Aston Villa fan so of course we had a lot of banter because our teams are rivals. Yet all I can say is that I’m truly inspired!

How did this man of God end up coming to our church?

Back in May, four great leaders came from England to see what God is doing in Portugal. Their eyes were opened to see what God is doing, they were so amazed that stories have been told in England. “You should hear that man’s testimony”, this is the man who survived the massacre many years ago in Brazil. “You should listen to the Bishops vision and how he envisions reaching the poor in Portugal”. They told the story to Dave who was intrigued.

Ron (one of the leaders who came in May) created a group chat with Dave in it. Eventually Dave sent me a private message to arrange a meet up with the Bishop through video chat. The meeting was arranged and we had an amazing chat. The Bishop informed him that he must come here to visit. This chat was about two weeks ago! A few days later Dave said the dates he could visit and then booked a ticket! It was all happening so fast.

He came here Saturday, the Bishop and I met him at the airport. Just being around this man of God was inspiring because in spite of his fame, he is very humble. He said, “I want everything I do to glorify God”. He told us that some time in the past Hillsong invited him and some VIPs to come to church. They wanted to use the stature of these people to bring in more people. Dave refused being used in such way and would not go. I found this amazing! He wants eyes to be on Jesus not himself.

He spoke a message at church about being persistent. He also had no idea how he ended up in Portugal, but God has brought him as an answer to many prayers! We spoke about our Youth Work mission – to reach young people for Christ through football and music. We showed a building we have that can one day be used for teaching English. We spoke about many projects and I shared with him my testimony. He was intrigued by my story and praised God for my deliverance.

Yesterday myself and Pastor Sammy took him on a tour around Lisbon. In all the people I have showed round I have never seen someone appreciate Lisbon as much as he did – and he’s travelled around the world! He said Lisbon is truly beautiful and offers a mix of many European capitals in one place – which is very true!

Over all, after how hard these last few days have been for me, this weekend was like rain waters after a season of drought! It was truly refreshing and much needed.

The verse that was spoken of again many times was, “lean not on your own understanding” (proverbs 3:5). Oh how God is teaching us to trust in Him!

Here’s a few pics…

Dave and the Bishop with pastor Sammy at the back

God is so good! He always knows the right time to send someone to be an answer to your prayers. All the pieces of Gods giant jigsaw are coming together. If you do not know what God us up to then that’s great! It means you cannot work out His full plan so we must have faith and yield to wherever the Spirit of God is leading us.

Love and God bless

Deano

Letter of encouragement #blaugust.13

Dear reader…

Never ever give up! You have had your fair share of disappointments, you have had set backs and failures. Yet, here you are today pressing forward because you overcame. Don’t ever think you are a waste of space, a loser, unworthy or a failure! Those are all lies from the father of lies – the devil! You are worthy, loved, precious and God even deemed you worth dying for! In those moments of despair, remember this – every cloud has a silver lining, every storm always passes by and all these turmoils in our present life will be done away with forever! You have grieved, yet you still believe. You have been broken but you never quit hoping. You have been down but you still wear that righteous crown. You have failed but you go back up, put wind in those sails and sailed! Oh you are far stronger than you think. Those thoughts that put you down, they aren’t from God. A good father does not put down his children. God says He loves you, has a plan for your life (for eternity) and will enable you to walk by faith and not by sight. Remember, this life compared to eternity is like a swimming pool compared to the sea, is it really worth comparing? God cares deeply for you and feels your pain just as you do! Oh how could we turn away from the one who invites us in? Oh precious child of God, rejoice and be glad! For a great reward awaits you, through Christ we have access to the eternal reward! What a burden should we carry, all our troubles and despair? When we have hope and eternal life and the power of our prayers! The devil does not define who you are, he did not create you. So, today know who you are in Christ and stand victorious! Today, you are here… So stand up man and woman of God and be the light in the darkness!

Love and God bless

Deano

A few quotes #blaugust.12

Hello everyone! Hope you are all doing great. Today is a quick post as I’m set to have a busy weekend.

Some of the below quotes are made up and some are by know people, enjoy!

The preachers who are mightiest in their closets with God are mightiest in their pulpits with men
E.M.Bound

You know the value of prayer, it is precious beyond all price. Never, ever neglect it
sir Thomas Buxton

Sin is not like our loved ones farts, it is not something we should just get used to. Sin should always shock us and stir us to action, if it no longer shocks us then we have become desensitised to it and something must be done.

If God made woman to be less than man he would have made her out of mans foot not side.

God didn’t create us to do evil, he created us to do good. So do good whenever you can, wherever you can and however you.

Love and God bless

Deano

Toxic reaction at work. #blaugust.11

I have no idea what they cleaned the carpet with at work but it’s made many people Sick!

So, our workplace has done a deep clean on the carpet to impress the client who was visiting. However, whatever was used to clean the carpet was extremely toxic. The smell is like medical equipment mixed with chemicals, the moment you enter our department the stench hits you like a plank in the face.

During the day on Wednesday I was okay, but after lunch that’s when it happened. I was starting to feel a burning sensation around my neck and face. I turned to my colleague and his reaction said it all, he looked and said, “what the heck is happening to your face!!” He called other colleagues who were staring in disbelief. He said you need to go, “just look at the team manager and she will see”. I looked at her and she said I must go to the doctor, so I went only to find out the workplace doctor is not in!! So I went to the pharmacy. I was advised to go home and come back the next day.

The next day I returned to work and entered the room to login. A few colleagues witnessed themselves what happened, no longer than 2 minutes in that room I started to turn red and felt a burning sensation. I had to leave and get checked out.

Usually here in the hospital (I still do not have a doctor) we wait a long time, sometimes many hours to see a doctor there. However, this time I waited about 40 minutes. I explained the situation and the doctor did some quick checks, all was okay. The only advice he gave was to avoid the place of contact, meaning I couldn’t go back to work.

I explained this to my TM and have managed to get a justification for this time off, I’m back to work Monday. It was an interesting wedding anniversary but praise God my wife and I were able to go out for a beautiful meal last night.

I was not the only person effected, during the day another 4 people from the UK team went home sick! Along with that many others from other teams had gone home, all with different reactions. Whatever was used to clean the carpet should not have been used because it was extremely toxic, now apparently an investigation is underway to see what’s happened. What will the client think of this?

Praise God that all of us are not serious and that the effects seem to wear off once away from the chemical! Yet still, this kind of thing should not happen at any work place!

By the wounds of Jesus Christ we are healed
Isaiah 53:5

Please pray that when I return to work Monday I will not have this issue again.

Below is what I looked like after leaving the work room…

Love and God bless

Deano

Three years of marriage! #blaugust.10

You know, I once thought that I would never be married, but God had other plans! Today my wife and I celebrate three years of marriage.

It has certainly not been an easy journey. Those who know my wedding story know that we never had our big celebration because of Covid and lockdowns. You know that we lost 750 euros on a downpayment for the wedding venue and our 120 guests became just 10. It was a very difficult phase we went through and it almost destroyed our faith – but God had other plans!

The wedding day story

“It was a misty and unseasonably chilly morning on the 10th August 2020. My sister had been staying in Portugal as she didn’t want to miss the her big brothers big day! She was fortunate enough to have 2 weeks off after the wedding so she could comfortably do the mandatory quarantine without and hassle. I dressed up in my James Bond suit and went to meet my tearful sister, she was the first to see me and then we got a lift to a beautiful city called Setubal.

My heart was beating fast as I waited in anticipation for my soon to be wife. So we didn’t our dream wedding office and she never got to wear her official wedding dress. Yet my oh my did she look stunning when she stepped out the car to meet me at the registry office. We briefly took our masks off for a quick kiss, she was in tears as she looked at me and me at her!

The 10 guests included Andreias parents, her sister, my sister and also the Bishop and his wife. We entered the room – but at first only two witnesses were allowed due to government restrictions. The lady reading our vows was a bit harsh at first, she did not have a good attitude. Yet, when she went to get paper work the Bishop and his wife said a very Spirit led prayer.

When the lady returned she was completely transformed, almost as if she met Jesus! She said, “let all the others come in”. We were filled with joy as we opened the door for the other guests, they were as surprised as we were. So, Andreia and I read our vows and had our first official wedding kiss – with a mask on! But the moment was still so beautiful.

When we left this building it was sunny without a single cloud in the sky. It seemed to be a message that God had turned things around, what the devil meant for bad God turned to good! God is so good to us!

After this, Andreia and I took the 10 guests out for a beautiful lunch in Setubal. They treated us like royalty and we ate like Kings and Queens for a short time.

After this we had a photo shoot in Setubal and enjoyed the beautiful ocean view.

Later for dinner we went to a really fancy restaurant, you may know this one – yes..: McDonalds 😅.

God mad our day beautiful and the honeymoon in the Algarve was great too.

Yet low and behold, the devil was waiting for his attack. Once we returned from the honeymoon I had a severe illness and was ridden on the shofar for 2 days. After this, when Andreia got back to work she was immediately fired for no valid reason. She then spent 9 months out of work.

During the last three years we have faced many hardships and I also went 5 months without work. Yet we have ploughed through it all with the strength of Christ! We have overcome every obstacle the devil has put in our way.

The journey has not finished, it still continues and we cannot give up no matter what we are facing! If God turned our wedding day aground like he did then no doubt he can turn your situation around for good!

Here’s a few pics from the wedding day