fbpx

Category: Personal Transformation

Posted on

Passion

My life has been characterized by a long and winding quest for passion. There were seasons when I pursued it vigorously. There were seasons when I tried to wrestle it into submission. I have cut it loose to run wild. I have cursed God for giving me this wild horse and then demanding that I keep it in the stable (at least that’s how it felt to me). Most recently, I have come to understand and appreciate passion more fully. The truth is, I was made to live a passionate life. We all are.

But what is passion? The passion that I am talking about occurs when I experience something with my physical senses, my soul and my spirit simultaneously. It is when I experience life with every facet of my being. It is that feeling of being completely alive. We were made tripartite beings – body, soul and spirit. Therefore, it only makes sense that this desire for holistic engagement would burn in us.

Before I walked with Christ, I felt the edges of this elusive life of passion most acutely in moments of revelry. My country is the home of carnival and in my younger days, I enjoyed it thoroughly.  As I danced with crowds of jubilant celebrants through the streets there were moments when I could feel d music in meh soul and it was just pure movement to the rhythm, eyes closed, a blissful smile on my face and no care for who might be watching. This also explains our fascination with sex. Making love (what a wonderful phrase) includes touch, taste, sight, sound and smell; all five senses fully engaged. It is also intensely emotional and deeply spiritual. Yet, there is another factor that makes the loving sexual union of two souls such a powerful experience – it is a shared experience.

We are meant to live in a shared experience of life, with God and others. The sharing of the experience multiplies the passion. I have given up my life of revelry, but I have discovered something better (I would have never thought that was possible back in the days though) – worship! For me, there are few other experiences that are more passionate than corporate worship. I’m not talking about absent-mindedly mouthing some lyrics while shifting from one foot to the other. I’m talking about eyes closed, eruptions of praise from the depths of your soul as you encounter the heart-rending presence of God together with a community of beautiful worshippers. Another worship experience that is becoming one of my favourite passion-moments is watching sunsets with God while listening to soft instrumental worship music. (Cue tears of bliss.)

There is something oxymoronic about passionless Christians. If Christ is that good and the abundant life that He promises so abundant, then shouldn’t that move us deeply? Shouldn’t the love of God be something more captivating than a theological fact? It is unfortunate that some of us have interpreted “if you love me you will obey my commands” to mean that the mere act of obeying is the complete fulfillment of love. What a travesty. This type of thinking pervades our world and has created a soul-less robotic church that quite frankly does more damage than good. A better interpretation of Christ’s words would be that when our souls are filled with the love of Christ, loving actions (obeying my commands) will naturally follow.

This was after all how Christ lived. How many times did he heal people or feed the crowds because He was moved with compassion? Jesus was not an automaton, woodenly following His Father’s orders. Jesus was passionate! There is a reason why Jesus’ suffering and crucifixion is called the passion of Christ. It was gritty. It was visceral. It was emotionally taxing. His very flesh was violated. His soul was tortured and the communion of His spirit with His Father was interrupted. Yet, Jesus persevered through it all for the joy set before Him – for the love He carried in his heart for His family to be united. On another occasion, He whipped merchants selling cattle and doves and overturned the tables of moneychangers in the temple. His disciples explained His behaviour with the saying, “Passion for God’s house will consume me.” Jesus was consumed with passion the bible says.

So, what are we to do about this soul-less Christianity that many of us are living? God has His ways to reach our hearts. The Christian mystic Simone Weil wrote, “Two things can pierce the human heart – beauty and affliction.” Richard Rohr echoes the same sentiment by repeatedly pointing to two things that have the power to awaken us to God – wonder and suffering. Both are God’s way of awakening us to a passionate love-affair with Him. Choose one.

Copyright 2022, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.

The Authentic Joy team is starting another cycle of the Spiritual Formation workshop series!

If you are hungry for a deeper walk with God and are looking for a group of like-minded people to journey alongside you in this season then why not join us?

Let’s grow together!

For more information & to register click here: https://authenticjoy.org/online-event-spiritual…/

Posted on

ONLINE WORKSHOP: SPIRITUAL FORMATION 101

DATE: Mondays from 19th September 2022 to 21st November 2022

TIME: 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm AST

VENUE: Online Zoom Event (Cameras On)

FACILITATORS: Matik Nicholls, Tricia Celestin-Nicholls

DESCRIPTION: Participants will be taken on a 10-week journey that explores topics such as intimacy with God, identity, transformation, what it means to be a mature Christian, and how we can become mature. The sessions will include teaching, discussion, reflection, and activation in an environment of loving community.

TARGET AUDIENCE: This workshop is open to anyone seeking to walk more intimately with Jesus Christ and become more like Him.

COST: FREE

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Spiritual Formation 301 was EXCELLENT!!
Like the previous Sessions SF 101 & 201, packed with solid Biblical content, thought provoking, life transforming activities and discussions. I believe the facilitators through the leading of Adonai took us all on a journey each session where we were confronted, inspired and motivated to pursue authentic deeper intimacy with our Father. All my relationships have benefitted significantly from what I have gleaned as a participant in these sessions and if possible I would be willing to do them over again!

Thank you Matik and Tricia for making yourselves available and willing to process life with us in community as we provoke each other unto good works, and grow up into mature sons. God bless you and your ministry. We love you.

Rose, Turks & Caicos

It was a great pleasure to be a part of Spiritual Formation 101, 201 and 301. It has been a very enlightening, informative and eye-opening experience.

The purpose of these sessions was to encourage spiritual growth; to move from a place of immaturity to a place of maturity in Christ. It was about teaching the participants how to form new habits to help us grow and be more intimate in our relationship with others and with God. We identified where we were at in these relationships and through teachings and practice, looked at ways to find our identity in Christ. We learned and discussed ways to move from individual mindsets to a Kingdom mindset.

I loved that this was an open place to share. I had quite a bit on my plate at the start of 101, and being in that space was a healing in itself. It renewed my trust in God. At that time, my husband was having some issues with his sight; he couldn’t see. But listening to the teachings and hearing what others had to share helped me to see God’s hand working in my life, and that of my husband, even in that situation.

It seems like there was something happening in my life for each fraction of Spiritual Formation. In 201, I was having some issues with my alcoholic brother. He was drinking and getting into fights. But being in a place that I felt safe to share and being taught about God’s continued grace, helped me through. During 301, I was not in the best place spiritually; I wasn’t giving God His due, not spending enough time in His presence. But Matik’s presentations (practice and
assignments) helped to pull me out of that place and be more focused on my
relationship with God.

I truly believe that spirituality is much more important than religion. I also believe that God isn’t about saving only one religion but all of mankind. These three ‘courses’ reiterated that fact. Interacting with people of different countries, religious persuasions and socio-economic backgrounds, taught me that I take a lot of things for granted in my life.


I truly enjoyed these sessions and looked forward to them. I would this again if given the opportunity, because there was so much to learn that I’m sure I missed something(s).

Thanks so much for this Matik! May God continue to bless your efforts to spread His Kingdom message to others.

Jeneil, Trinidad & Tobago

Hi everyone. My name is Gillian. My husband and I met Matik and Tricia virtually during our search for a greater level of understanding of the Kingdom of God and desiring a greater daily impact in our lives through a deeper intimacy with God. I have had the great opportunity to sit expectantly through the Spiritual Formation sessions for the 201 and 301 courses. At the time when the 101 course was being offered, I was not available, but caught up, I believe, with the Basic, and Phase One sessions on the Authentic Joy website- https://authenticjoy.org/.

The Authentic Joy journey has been a real eye opener for me. In their loving way, I was encouraged to ask myself some deep questions, that allowed me to understand who I am and who God created me to be. My fellow course-mates helped in the process by sharing their experiences and what they gleaned as well. I especially liked the exercises and the habits we were encouraged to develop. Journaling is still a challenge but I appreciate the value of it and will settle in one day. Our model was always Christ Jesus and I learnt that real life was thriving in His love, joy and peace and not the false self of the survival mode where I had the tendency to perform for acceptance.

We are all to continue to seek the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and in this, mature in love and purpose. I encourage you to go on this journey of Spiritual Formation. For me although the course has ended, the transformation journey continues. I am committed to ardently pursue intimacy with Father, Son and Holy Spirit. My life depends on it.

Thank you, Matik and Tricia for your passionate pursuit of God and joy in giving this course. I love you both.

Gillian, Jamaica
Posted on

Revival Starts Here

As I sat with God in my usual spot this morning, engrossed in another world, He drew my gaze to what was happening outside of my window. It was an overcast morning. Still. Like a blanket of silence had been pulled over the sky. But as I looked out, something was happening to the left, just outside of my field of view. Suddenly, thick rainclouds poured into view, scurrying low across the mountains. It seemed like an invasion of grey, driven by invisible winds that were blowing in the entirely wrong direction! Here in Trinidad & Tobago, the prevailing winds are from the Northeast. These clouds were moving in from the South… Strange.

In moments, the skies delivered its payload. The mountains that had been so clearly visible before became shadows behind white curtains. White, blinding rain. The winds picked up, jerking treetops violently, rattling doors and pelting the rain slantways off of roofs. I rushed to close my window as a gust spattered raindrops across my open journal. The scene evoked a cry of worship from my heart. What are you saying, God? Is this a picture of the shaking that is coming? What could it mean Lord?

I sat and watched and worshipped in awe and reverence as lightning flashed and thunder rolled. The rain curtains billowed, undulated and vibrated, making visible the gusts of wind moving through the valley (still in the wrong direction). David must have been in the mountains with his sheep on a day like today when the words of Psalm 29:4-8 came to him:

The voice of the Lord is powerful;

    the voice of the Lord is majestic.

The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars;

    the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.

He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf;

    he makes Mount Hermon leap like a young wild ox.

The voice of the Lord strikes

    with bolts of lightning.

The voice of the Lord makes the barren wilderness quake;

    the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks

    and strips the forests bare.

    In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”

A storm is coming – a shaking – and it will not come when or how we expect it. It will come suddenly from the South.

Revival always starts with shaking or judgment in the house of God. I believe there are 6 phases of revival:

  • Judgment in the house of God
  • Repentance in the house of God
  • Restoration in the house of God
  • Judgment in society
  • Conversion in society
  • Reformation in society

Judgment in the house of God

The word judgment probably evokes images of the wrath of God and fire and damnation but that is not the heart of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. The heart of God is that we would repent of our self-destructive ways and turn to Him. The heart of God is to save us from paths that lead to death and put us on the path to abundant life. Judgment is a warning, “Danger ahead! Turn around now!”

God often gives a verbal warning to his people first and if we do not heed the verbal warning then he takes more drastic action to get our attention. Today, God is issuing a verbal warning. I believe there are at least 3 areas that God is putting his finger on in this country:

  1. Idolatry in the church. The time of God’s people running after money and luxury cars is over. The time of leaders dominating their congregation to build their empire, enrich themselves, and feel powerful is over. It is time for the Doctors, Reverends, Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, and Bishops to lose the titles and become servants and brothers and sisters. It is time to abandon the man-made antics and bring back true worship and the awesome Presence of God. The time of leaders seeking to control others is over. It is time for kings to serve and empower their people to rule as kings and queens. It is time for men to stop dominating women in the church and start unleashing powerful women leaders.
  2. Division in the church. The time of withholding fellowship from brothers and sisters of different denominations or ideologies is over. The time of racial division and class division in the church is over. It is time for Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Anglicans, Pentecostals, Evangelicals, and all the streams of our common faith in Jesus Christ to join together to learn from each other and serve our country together. It is time for churches in West Moorings to work together with churches in Enterprise and churchgoers in Lange Park to dine with churchgoers in Beetham. Unity in our society starts with unity in the church.
  3. Neglect of the poor and vulnerable by the church. The time of using tithes and offerings to enrich leaders instead of taking care of the needs of all is over. The time of churches on every corner but addiction, domestic violence, incest, abuse, and gang violence also on every corner is over. The time of staying clean and self-righteous in our churches while others go home to battle it out in the mud is over. It is time for us to bring the tangible love of Jesus out of the church walls and into the broken homes in our communities. It is time to not just talk about Christ but to walk with sinners like Christ.

Repentance in the house of God

Whether we heed these warnings or not is up to us. Repentance does not just mean that we feel convicted, or that we pray that others would change. Repentance is doing something different. We cannot afford as people of God to continue doing what we have been doing and going the way we have been going. The time for change is imminent and the need is urgent.

I will talk more about the remaining phases of revival in future posts but for now, I want to end with a call to action.

If you are interested in joining together with other like-minded believers in Trinidad & Tobago to conspire together about how we can take action (to be change agents in the 3 areas outlined above), then contact me.

Let’s start a revival in our country!

Copyright 2022, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.
Posted on

How Do You Become A Kingdom Leader?

Back in the day, we thought that leaders could only be born. We thought that either that ‘leadership charisma’ came naturally to us or it didn’t. Thankfully, we realized that this was not the case. In more modern times, we were taught that leaders could be trained. I do not believe this is entirely accurate either. It is definitely not the case if you want to be a leader in the kingdom of God. Kingdom leadership is not a communication style, or of a set of tools, or emotional intelligence skills (although all of these are beneficial). Therefore, it cannot be taught. To become a kingdom leader, you must be processed or refined. I propose there are three steps involved:

  1. Calling
  2. Crucifixion
  3. Co-creation

Calling

Every believer is called to be a leader. If everyone is called, then you may well ask, what’s the value of this step? The significance is that I believe everyone has a very specific assignment or purpose to fulfill on this earth. Therefore, it should be one of our primary tasks to determine our purpose.

We have been given the gifts, talents, abilities and personality needed to fulfill our assignment and our assignment alone. Only you can be a good you and that is precisely why everyone is a leader in the kingdom. It’s not a position or a title, it’s a particular facet of God that only you carry to be expressed in a specific sphere of life on planet earth.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. ~ Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

Crucifixion

Kingdom believers must serve from a place of selfless love. What stops that? All our self-serving agendas. The only way to truly become a vessel fit for God’s use is to crucify the flesh of our selfish desires.  This is a painful and often protracted process. The good news is that life gives us ample crises and trials that offer us the opportunity to become like Christ. Yes, that is good news! The trials of life are gifts – the potential of a better us on the other side.

This is where many exit the process and instead of becoming leaders that glorify God, we become pariahs in the body of Christ. There is nothing more heartbreaking than men and women in positions of great responsibility who refuse to do the inner work of maturing in Christ. There is no room for ego, selfishness, greed, domination, empire-building power-seeking, and the like in the heart of a Godly leader.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. ~ James 1:3-4 (NLT)

Co-creation

Should we make it this far, there is one final step – learning to lead in partnership with God. Ultimately, kingdom leaders are persons who are actively expanding the kingdom of God. That means that they are actively making more and more of earth like heaven. This cannot be done by human will and understanding.

Kingdom leaders need to be actively working by the wisdom and grace of God. These leaders live their lives led by the Spirit. The successful leader in God’s eyes is not one who has the largest church, the most followers, or the greatest number of books, it’s the one who has most diligently built according to His blueprint and commands.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” ~ Matthew 7:24-27 (NLT)

Let’s Do This!

I would argue that the most dire need in the world today is for selfless servant leaders. The world needs you to become the leader that you were born to be. The internal, personal work of developing our leadership capacity is one of the greatest things we can do to contribute to humanity. Let us not neglect this noble work of character development. The world needs us. Let’s do this!

Copyright 2022, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.

If you haven’t yet, check out our FREE Spiritual Growth Foundation Course in which we cover the four foundational principles for spiritual growth and much more! In addition to on-demand videos which you can watch at your leisure, there are downloadable handouts for those who prefer written content.

Posted on

The Gift of Mortality Salience

All over the world people are demanding a higher quality of life. Many have finally found the will to end abusive or stagnant relationships. Many more have refused to go back to the tyranny of long commutes and soul-crushing jobs. The pandemic has sparked a newfound appreciation for an ancient truth – life is short. Too short not to pay attention to what really matters. Too short to waste our days obsessing over trivial things like profits and housework. Too short to do anything less than something that makes our soul exult.

This phenomenon is called mortality salience – a heightened awareness of the inevitability of our death. I first heard about this phenomenon on a Brene Brown podcast. Thus far, over 6 million people worldwide have died from the Covid virus. I think it is fair to say that we are all experiencing a higher level of awareness of our mortality.

In my opinion, this is truly a gift from God. Anything that awakens us from our deception is a gift. It is a merciful opportunity to course correct. So do not let this moment pass you by! Take action now while your soul is still gripped with the urgency of this moment! Don’t wait! Don’t get sucked back into the soul-numbing existence of chasing after more stuff or more security or more success.

I say yes to more family time and fewer office hours! Yes to eight hours of sleep and leisurely breakfasts! Yes to work that you really enjoy and that makes a difference in the world. But most of all I say yes to more of God and less of religion. Yes to watching the sunrise while meditating on His grandeur. Yes to breaking bread with family and friends. Yes to soaking in His Presence for hours.

Life is too short not to seek God. I mean to really seek Him. To seek Him because He is the only thing worthy of ALL of your time and energy. 

Intimacy with God is the ONLY pursuit that is worthy of your lifetime.

Seek Him first. Here’s a secret you may not have heard before: building big ministries, growing megachurches, saving souls, spreading the gospel, impacting nations and the like do not make good goals for your life. They are good things, just not good as life goals, they are much better as by-products of a life spent in pursuit of Christ and Christ alone.

He alone is worthy. This primal pursuit is the foundation of all other pursuits. The pursuit of Christ makes all other pursuits worthwhile. It doesn’t matter how long you have been going to church. It does not matter how much of Him you have already experienced. There is always more. If you think this moment in history (this humanity reset) is only about those who don’t know Jesus, you are wrong. God is speaking to all of us.

We Jesus people need a reset. We have been so caught up in religious activity that we haven’t had time to be caught up in God. We have been living lives of superficiality and striving instead of lives of wonderment. We have been blind, deaf, and half-dead to the wonder of Jesus. We have been slaves to busyness. Too busy serving God to see Him…really see Him. Too busy with building projects, church meetings, and pursuing blessings to stroll with Him in the cool of the garden.

Beloved, let us seek God again. Let us seek Him like water in the desert. Seek Him in spirit and in truth. Let us seek Him with all our heart and soul and might! Life is short!

If you need help defining what a reset looks like for you, our resident life coach, Tricia, would be happy to help. Contact her at celestintricia@gmail.com

Copyright 2022, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.

If you haven’t yet, check out our FREE Spiritual Growth Foundation Course in which we cover the four foundational principles for spiritual growth and much more! In addition to on-demand videos which you can watch at your leisure, there are downloadable handouts for those who prefer written content.

Posted on

The Grace Of Failure

I’m my worst critic. I want to obey God. I want to make all the right decisions. Most of all, I want to love people well. Somehow, I do not live up to that standard on a daily basis. And sometimes, when I fail, I beat myself up about it. I had a particularly bad self-flagellation episode recently. I was teaching an online class about spiritual growth. I had given the participants an exercise to do and as one participant was sharing her experience with the exercise, I interrupted her to ‘correct’ what I thought was a misunderstanding of the instructions that I had given.

I went over that interaction in my head for days. “Why did I feel the need to interrupt?” “How could I have acted in a way that was exactly the opposite of creating a safe loving space which was the foundation of the whole course!?” I sank deeper and deeper into a depression.

After I had a chance to apologize (and realize that this was bothering me much more than it was bothering her) I was able to begin to see God’s grace in my failure. I was able to see myself starting the session that day with a cavalier air about myself. I had been doing the sessions for a while now and I was becoming a believer in my own expertise. I was losing the ethos of the ‘eternal amateur’ as I call it. I believe that great moves of God, great churches and great men usually start off in a place of ‘Oh God, we need you, we don’t know what we’re doing.’ That place of dependency is not meant to be a phase that we graduate from but a lifetime heart posture.

God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

Matthew 5:3 (NLT)

God moves in the midst of and on behalf of those who live in the reality of their dependency on Jesus. We can do nothing Godly without God.

My failure was God mercifully letting me know that I had taken a step away from that place of dependency. I was becoming a professional. I remember how I prayed at the start of that session… I didn’t pray for God to help me. I prayed for God to help them. They needed help, not me. What a delusion!

If it takes failure for me to remember the mess that I am and my utter need for God, oh God please give me failure. When God begins to move in your life and the spheres that you inhabit, it is a seductive fantasy to buy into your own competence. I’ve seen it. I’ve witnessed the exit of God as man exalts himself to god-like status. I’ve seen mere mortals become THE man of God to the point where it is anathema to even remind his church members that he is just a man. I’ve seen churches buy into a ‘we are the chosen ones’ narrative to the point that they sincerely believe that no other church can steward God’s purpose like them. The thing is, this happened to sincere people who genuinely wanted God. They just bought into their own success.

Success is a strong drink. It can intoxicate the heart and distort reality. Failure has the potential to sober us up to the delusion of our competence.

...I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. 8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

2 Corinthians 12:7b-9

Oh God, whenever I begin to buy into myself as the source of my success, please send me the grace of failure. I don’t need a reputation as a perfect Christian who has it all together. I do not want a reputation as successful in man’s eyes when I am not in Yours. I only want You. I only need You. I only want Your ‘Well done.’ On the days that I feel successful, please help me to remember that it is only by Your grace. And on the days that I feel like a failure, please help me to remember that that too is grace – an invitation to see You at work more deeply in my life.

Copyright 2022, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.

If you haven’t yet, check out our FREE Spiritual Growth Foundation Course in which we cover the four foundational principles for spiritual growth and much more! In addition to on-demand videos which you can watch at your leisure, there are downloadable handouts for those who prefer written content.

Posted on

How To Achieve Spiritual Growth Part 2

In the first installment of this series, I introduced two foundational principles of spiritual growth:

  1. Only Jesus transforms. Not religion. Only a real face to face relationship with Jesus. Sure, anyone can change their behaviour and manage their sin but only Jesus can change our desires – change us from the inside out. John 15:4-6 (ESV) says: “4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” It is the abiding connection with Jesus that transforms us.
  2. We change more through relationships than through information. We have been fooled into a left-brained approach to spiritual formation. We have been told that if we study our bibles and attend to our church sermons we will grow. These are helpful, but what really transforms us is loving relationships and strong bonds with people and with God. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1 (ESV) “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”

Today, I want to continue with three more principles:

  1. Transformation works from the inside out
  2. Fruit not gifts/accomplishments is the evidence of transformation
  3. Jesus is our model of maturity

Transformation

Transformation is one of the core values of Authentic Joy. We are about inside-out transformation. We are convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that no lasting change comes through external means such as rule-keeping, sin-management, or behaviour modification. Transformation starts with the Holy Spirit re-connecting our spirit with Christ, progresses through a heart regenerated by His love and a mind renewed by beholding His glory, and finally ends in an incarnated Christ-like life. The imperative for transformation then is not more education, more willpower, more effort, or more external motivation (whether through fear, shame, or the approval of men) but rather more encounters with God (the only one who can truly change us).

Fruit

Giftedness is not a measure of maturity. God gives gifts freely to all men. It does not require maturity to be a gifted soccer player, musician, public speaker, businesswoman, pastor, evangelist, or prophet. This is huge because we often erroneously choose highly-gifted people as our role models, mentors, or worse yet, spiritual advisors. Mature people are those who have put in the inner work of growth in Christlikeness. The result of a life abiding in the vine and submitting to the Master’s pruning is fruitfulness.  According to Galatians 5, the fruit of the Spirit looks like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Only mature trees bear fruit!

The Model

Our role model for maturity is Christ Himself. He is the standard. While we may emulate different aspects of Christlikeness that we see in people, only Christ is perfect and complete. We like to give a relational perspective of Christ’s maturity:

  • Intimately connected to the Father.
  • Discipling, empowering and unifying our brothers and sisters.
  • Sacrificially and powerfully demonstrating the unconditional love of the Father to the world.

If we keep these principles in mind, we will have a good foundation for the spiritual growth that we all want to see in our lives.

Live long and grow!

Copyright 2022, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.

If you haven’t yet, check out our FREE Spiritual Growth Foundation Course in which we cover the four foundational principles for spiritual growth and much more! In addition to on-demand videos which you can watch at your leisure, there are downloadable handouts for those who prefer written content.

Posted on

The Mourning – A Valentine’s Day Poem

Somewhere back there,

I lost You.

I don’t know when it happened.

All I know is loss, grief, anguish consume my soul.

Once we laughed and played.

Once my eyes were full of love,

For You only.

For You only.

When did I look away?

When did I become distracted?

Too busy to notice the creeping darkness;

The joy oozing from my soul.

When did doing good,

Replace being in love?

When did I start,

Taking Your Presence for granted?

Oh how I am overcome with remorse!

This isn’t the first time,

I’ve strayed so many times.

So many times…

One small step, one small step,

‘I will return to Your embrace later’

‘After this meeting’

‘As soon as I finish working on…’

Oh! I hear Your voice on the Wind!

My love, my love,

I am coming!

The basket of baubles,

That consumed me so,

Spills from my lap.

I must run to His voice!

I hear You my love.

Now I see You!

I see You leaping over the mountains to me!

To me! You have found me!

You have awakened my heart

Your breath hot on my lips.

The deadlines I was chasing, now forgotten.

The great deeds and heavy duties,

So much paler in the shadow of Your love.

Captivate me Jesus!

Cup my chin and turn my head,

Whenever my eyes wander.

Hold my hand tight,

Whenever I angle to turn away.

My heart is utterly in Your hands Jesus,

Only Your love holds me up.

Only Your love keeps me from utter ruin.

Enthrall me now and forever Jesus.

Amen.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. ~ Matthew 4:4 (ESV)
Copyright 2022, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.
Posted on

Beneath The Surface Of Authentic Joy

As Authentic Joy evolves, we have found it necessary to be more intentional about communicating the unique calling and identity of our organization. To this end, we are pleased to announce a new revamped ‘About’ page that does just that. Here is a preview:

OUR VISION

Our vision is of a world inhabited by mature believers who live like Christ did. We define this Christ-life by describing the way that Jesus related to the Father, His disciples and the world:

  • Intimately connected to the Father.
  • Discipling, empowering and unifying our brothers and sisters.
  • Sacrificially and powerfully demonstrating the unconditional love of the Father to the world.

OUR MISSION

The mission of Authentic Joy is to promote, accelerate and support the spiritual growth and maturation of the body of Christ.

The Authentic Joy Growth Model focuses on 7 core growth processes:

  • Love
  • Intimacy with God
  • Identity
  • Responsibility
  • Wholeness
  • Resilience
  • Purpose

Our Motto: Your spiritual growth is our passion!

OUR VALUES

Intimacy with God is the one thing

For us, the Christ-centred life is not about doing things for Him but being with Him. Like Lazarus’s sister, Mary, it is our #1 priority to sit at His feet. Everything else is secondary. We will forsake all else just to be with Jesus.

There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her. ~ Luke 10:42 (NLT)

 Love is the most powerful force in the universe

We believe that the unconditional, lavish, sticky, fierce, pursuing, jealous, covenant-keeping, longsuffering love of God is unstoppable! We believe that His love for us, our requited love back to Him, and the overflow of love for each other is the dynamic that changes the world. There is no situation too hopeless, too far gone, too dark for the love of God to turn around.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (NKJV)

 The world conforms from the outside in, but Christ transforms from the inside out.

We are about transformation. We are convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that no lasting change comes through external means such as rule-keeping, sin-management, or behaviour modification. Transformation starts with the Holy Spirit re-connecting our spirit with Christ, progresses through a heart regenerated by His love and a mind renewed by beholding His glory, and finally ends in an incarnated Christ-like life. The imperative for transformation then is not more education, more willpower, more effort, or more external motivation (whether through fear, shame, or the approval of men) but rather more encounter with God (the only one who can truly change us).

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV)

 Never stop growing

As long as we remain connected to the Vine, we will be undergoing spiritual growth. The moment we become satisfied with how much of God we have experienced, or the cost of losing our lives to gain His (pruning) is too much, is the moment we disconnect from Christ and begin to die. In this life, we are always on a journey of healing, growth, transformation and maturation. We cannot afford not to grow, both for our sake and for the sake of the world. The Father is looking for fruit and only mature trees bear fruit!

I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. ~ John 15:1-2 (NLT)

 Be yourself - a facet of God that only you can display to the world

God only makes originals. The physical diversity displayed throughout God’s creation reflects the diversity of personality-gift-passions-strengths He also wants in His sons and daughters. Similarly, the abundant thriving life that we see in ecosystems with high diversity is what will happen in the body of Christ when we each uniquely and fully express who we were called to be! We believe that people must be absolutely free to be different from what we expect or prefer. We refuse to control or manipulate others into our preferred mold. We want to see every human fully embody their facet of God’s multi-faceted glory that He created them to display to the world.

He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. ~ Ephesians 4:16 (NLT)

The fight is in the head, but the treasure we fight for is in the heart, and we share the spoil with the hands

We fully subscribe to C.S. Lewis’s view that our desires are not too strong but too weak. We are on a constant mission to convert head knowledge about God, to heart knowledge of the Lover of our souls. We want to live lives of deep desire, fully alive to God, and dead to the trifling pleasures of this world. We want to move from commitment to a God-idea (theology), to instead be enthralled by a divine being who reveals Himself to us daily. Yes, we want sound doctrine (head). Yes, we also want a mission-focused church that meets the needs of the world (hands). But without the heart, we will either get insular believers puffed up with knowledge or burnt-out believers serving others out of duty. But when our hearts are set ablaze for God, we become laid-down lovers serving the world joyfully with hearts overflowing with the love of God!

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” ~ Mark 12:29-31 (NLT)

 Joy is the atmosphere of heaven

Without the joy of God, life is hard and dry. There is a reason that oil is used as an analogy for joy. Joy lubricates the friction of life and makes us supple and resistant to the harsh environments we will encounter. Without joy, we won’t endure the hardships of life well. Where there is freedom, there is joy. Where there is fellowship, there is joy. Where there is God there is joy! If joy is missing, something is blocking the flow of heaven to earth – either the enemy has us in bondage or we have broken fellowship with God or each other. Jesus came to reconcile us to the Father, heal the broken-hearted and set the captives free. Our mandate is the same.

You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. ~ Psalm 16:11 (NLT)

See more at authenticjoy.org!

Posted on

Two New Bible Study Plans!

Two of my latest Bible study plans just went live on YouVersion!

The first one is a 7-day devotional for business executives called Refuel, Reframe, Recalibrate. This plan is a wonderful way to start your day with a kingdom mindset and a breath of fresh air from the Holy Spirit!

Here’s an excerpt:
Sometimes work feels like we’re walking on quicksand. We can’t get our footing, and with every step we only sink deeper. No matter how hard we try, we can’t seem to get on top of our workload or ahead of the crises. The antidote to this rat race mentality is to live in the secret place of intimacy with God. Daniel lived from intimacy. Daily, he would kneel in his upper room praying to Yahweh. God knew Him. God took care of him. God loved him. When the king made a law that promised death for anyone who prayed to any god or man besides the king, Daniel simply went up to his room to pray as usual. No fuss, no drama. He didn’t try to appeal to the king, get a petition signed or have a hissy fit on social media. He simply prayed. I think it’s fair to say that Daniel did not suffer from anxiety.

The second plan is a study based on the book of Daniel. It explores our relationship to power.

Here’s an excerpt from this one:
In Daniel 1, we discover Daniel starts at the bottom of the power ladder – as a conquered slave. Daniel is a captive of Babylon without the power to even decide his name. He finds himself a chosen trainee for service in the king’s court. This immediately presents a challenge for Daniel because he is a Jew – a servant of Yahweh – but he has to serve a king and a people who have no respect for or allegiance to his God. How will he navigate this dilemma? He doesn’t seem to have much power to influence this massive pagan system. Or does he?

You can access all of my plans including these two on the YouVersion app or here.

I hope they help you on your joyful journey of spiritual growth!

Copyright 2022, Matik Nicholls. All rights reserved.

If you haven’t yet, check out our FREE Spiritual Growth Foundation Course in which we cover the four foundational principles for spiritual growth and much more! In addition to on-demand videos which you can watch at your leisure, there are downloadable handouts for those who prefer written content.