Posted on by Dominique Demetriades

Looking forward in the rear view mirror

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As we step into a new year it’s so easy to get melancholic about the challenges, victories and sometimes just the happy or sad occasions we enjoyed or survived in the past 365 days.

We as a family have had many changes since this very date one year ago and I am grateful for each one. I am excited to unwrap what lies ahead in both wonder and anticipation!

I think that to a certain extent we can play a part of what awaits us in the next chapter or year. I don’t in any way discount the fact that so many things are completedly out of our control and we can only close our eyes tight and hope for the best.

I do however believe that in many circumstances our attitudes and our posture determines a lot of what lies ahead for us.

A posture of arrogance and self righteousness that comes with the belief that we are so powerful and in control often leads to the downfall we dread. 

The same can be said for a rigid belief that life really does suck and will continue to do so. We usually get pretty much what we expect -not because the “universe” has heard us but because even good things taste sour when experienced through the lens of misery and negativity. Have you ever been in conversation with a person that has a negative response to just about everything? “What lovely weather” gets a “it’s too %$#@ hot”.

“That dress looks great on you” gets a “the fabric is so cheap” and a “ that meal tasted so good” is tagged with a “I thought it was ok, just way too salty”…… you get the picture! I’m sure you know one or a few like that…

On the other hand a posture of kneeling before the Holy One and surrendering our year to Him takes away the responsibility of everything being up to us. I say everything because even in surrender there are things that God gives us responsibility for.

When we hope for the favor of God we are so much more likely to see it. Favor isn’t always wrapped in the exact paper we expect but in my personal experience it often looks even better when I’ve not had my perfect will be done!

Whatever the year ahead holds- the cliche words of “God hold it in His hand” are actually true. I heard someone say today that as God knew on the 31st of Dec 2024 what we would look back on today, He knows today what we will look back on on the eve of 2027.

I’m choosing hope, I’m choosing surrender,I’m choosing life and I’m definitely choosing laughter! The rest is up to the same One who holds my hand as I enter 2026 in the same way that He held onto me entering 2025.

May it be a good, prosperous and grace-filled year for you. And may you look back in one years time to see that the impossible really is possible when you believe.

You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance,”Psalm 65:11

And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope!” Romans 15:13 TPT

Posted on by Dominique Demetriades

Counterfeit Peace

I have been seeing so many dark brown handbags lately of a certain designer often associated with the very wealthy. A dear friend who often goes to the Far East to shop refers to them as Louis Venter handbags…enough said!

They really look like the real deal- to my very untrained eye they could in fact be. I was told that the fakes and the real are often made in the same factory. I’m not sure how much truth there is in that but as far as I’m concerned, the real and the fake are pretty identical in every way except the price tag!

I wonder how true this is with the concept of peace. I see a lot of “happy” people especially after having had a few drinks! Is happiness and peace the same though?

I know that happiness comes from circumstances. If I get a new car that I’ve wanted- I’m happy. If the Springboks win a rugby match, I’m happy. If I find something I’ve been searching for, I’m happy. Happy is what I feel when my life is going well and my family is thriving. It has been said that a mother can only be as happy as her saddest child. That much is true!

What about peace then? Can it be created simply by circumstances lined up in our favor?

I have come to the realization that for me peace is something that I experience in spite of circumstances. It does not come through things working in my favor nor does it leave when they don’t.

Counterfeit peace is a sense of well being that we can mistaken for the real thing when we feel happy. If the circumstances change though, what happens to your peace? Does it remain or go down the plug hole with your happiness?

I was at an Apple Store in London a few years ago and there was a lady attempting to exchange her iPhone for a newer model. At Apple they put the phones through a series of tests before you can do the exchange though and that’s where the problem came in. Her phone looked exactly like the previous model, all boxed up and still shiny and new. When the phone wouldn’t switch on, she said that there had been a problem with her charger. Further tests revealed that this was in fact a counterfeit model and was therefore worth absolutely nothing. She pretended to look shocked but nobody believed she really was.

She had what looked like the real deal. It was an expensive iPhone to the naked eye. It was only when it was closely examined and put through the scrutiny of the tests that it was exposed as a fake worthless copy. Needless to say she left the store without a new real iPhone.

We can buy the fake handbags and parade them as the expensive one. We can try to exchange a fake iPhone for the real one. We can plaster on a smile and pretend to be happy. We can even have all the genuine goods and believe that this is what satisfies our souls. We can also wear the robes and burn the incense and believe that by chanting a few lines we will be at complete peace.

The Bible warns us about exchanging our very soul and our peace for short lived pleasures. 

Take a look.

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world [wealth, fame, success], but forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26

I’ve seen with my own eyes the harsh realities of keeping up with an ever changing world and losing all sense of peace and joy in the process. People all around us are chasing the next spot of glory and recognition in exchange for their peace. 

They plot and plan how to find approval and then chase desperately after it as though that moment of being admired will feed them for a lifetime. 

When the truth is exposed they feel naked and disappointed. 

True peace is completely attainable. You can have it and you can keep it. Not only that, you do not even have to go far or strive painfully to find it.

We have a God who breathes His peace over us. It is so freely given in exchange for our inner turmoil and anxieties.

Money cannot buy it nor can popularity or success guarantee it. It is one of those “in spite of” things that we can have and hold on to.

I wonder today if you would dare to look away from your beautiful possessions, your circumstances, your blessings and even the statues you may bow to and seek real authentic peace? 

The only stance we need to take is one of humble surrender and a recognition that the very thing we chase after is a gift from a Father who gives to us freely that which money cannot buy.

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“I leave the gift of peace with you—my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts—instead, be courageous!”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭27‬ ‭TPT‬‬

Posted on by Dominique Demetriades

Hourglasses and stopwatches.

Photo by Jordan Benton on Pexels.com

We all have a different perspective about the here and now. For some it’s the struggle of a daily existence of pain and suffering. Perhaps its dire poverty or a relentless illness or a difficult situation.

For some it’s the hope of the next good thing – what I will afford next year, the job I’ll have in 6 months, finishing  my studies in the foreseeable future or an upcoming event that we look forward to.

For some there’s a sense of satisfaction or full enjoyment of the here and now- how much they have, fame and popularity, possessions, influence and admirers.

For some others it’s the dread of another day, another week and another year of a draining reality, marriage or job- the endless daily battle they struggle to survive.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says we have been created with eternity in our hearts, an understanding that there is more. 

There are those who look forward to the ‘more’ with a hope in their hearts and there are those who choose to ignore that this what we know right now is not the ‘be all and end all’. What’s here and now seems pretty good so why mess with it or question its longevity?

I remember when we were kids we used to love blowing soap bubbles outside and then trying to catch them. Inevitably these pretty bubbles popped as we touched them or even before. What was perfect and shiny became nothing before our eyes. Such are the beautiful shiny things in life – lovely and perfect until in the blink of an eye they are gone. In the same way, wealth, fame, popularity and even health can come and go in an instant.

What lies beyond the stuff we carry in our perfectly orchestrated or severely flawed lives?

That for me is where the hope of an eternity is a reminder of how temporary our lives and our pleasures here on earth are. 

In the well known song by Queen”Who wants to live forever “ there’s a line that says “What is this thing that builds our dreams, yet slips away from us?”

I was reminded a few days ago of the suffering my mom endured for the past 7 years. 

For those 7 years it seemed like an eternity. Day in and day out she got weaker and more confused. Her physical and mental condition got so bad that that’s what we focused on. We forgot the beautiful and vibrant woman she was before and wondered if this would ever end. And then suddenly it was over and we could reminisce about the good old days before Illness took over.  What seemed like a lifetime of bad health at the time now seems like a blink of an eye. Her focus was always on her eternity. She didn’t live in terrible fear of what would happen here but looked past the worst possibilities to a glorious future that was promised to her. 

Some worship the god of ‘ME’ and some look to the God of forever. 

Whoever is on your altar, tomorrow is a sure thing. Make sure your worship is wisely directed. After all your future depends on it!

“I am convinced that any suffering we endure is less than nothing compared to the magnitude of glory that is about to be unveiled within us. All creation longs for freedom from its slavery to decay and to experience with us the wonderful freedom coming to God’s children. Troubles, pressures, and problems are unable to come between us and heaven’s love. What about persecutions, deprivations, dangers, and death threats? No, for they are all impotent to hinder omnipotent love, So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s love. I’m convinced that his love will triumph over death, life’s troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love.” Romans 8:18, 21, 35, 38 TPT

“He has set the right time for everything. He has given us a desire to know the future, but never gives us the satisfaction of fully understanding what he does.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 GNT

Posted on by Dominique Demetriades · 1 Comment

Good Friday thoughts

Imagine a list of every single sin, every crime, every stronghold, every disease, every condition of the body, mind and spirit of all mankind from Adam to the very last person to walk this earth.

Now imagine one person taking all that on Himself.

To die on a cross in the time of Jesus was the cruelest and most torturous death that could ever be imagined. There was no respite from the agony until death finally took its trophy.

Now imagine a person being beaten , flogged until his skin came off in shreds, mocked, spat on and to top it all, having long thick thorns pressed down on his head until even that was bleeding profusely, probably dripping in his eyes blocking his vision. Then imagine walking up a rocky path to the top of the hill carrying a cross that weighed at least 40kg if He only carried the crossbar and up to 140kg if He was made to carry the whole cross. 

Once He was at the top the nails and the heavy hammer would come out. Each one between 12-18cm in length. They tapered to a sharp spike which was hammered into the victims hands and feet to make sure He was securely attached to the cross. The position of the arms stretched out and the chest dropping made every breath excruciatingly difficult. He would have had to try and raise himself up on his nailed feet to breath.

Imagine the horror of knowing as God Himself that this could and would go on for many excruciating hours until death mercifully took Him.

This victim knew no sin and had committed no crime and yet He let it go on and on until Hell had wrung out its very last bit of poison.

As each and every sin of each and every human ever created was put on Him,I am sure he asked “What else is there?”

For every crime and every disease put on Him, He would probably have asked this. Over and Over again. 

Hell rejoiced as His body weakened with every one of the sentences he bore. 

Adultery? Got it. Tetelestai. It is FINISHED.

Fraud? Got it. Tetelestai. It is FINISHED.

Lying? Got it. Tetelestai. It is FINISHED

Mockery? Got it. Tetelestai. It is FINISHED

Pornography? Got it. Tetelestai.It is FINISHED.

Theft? Got it. Tetelestai. It is FINISHED.

Murder? Got it. Tetelestai. It is FINISHED.

Rape? Got it. Tetelestai. It is FINISHED

Pride? Got it. Tetelestai.It is FINISHED

Self-righteousness? Got it. Tetelestai.It is FINISHED

Cancer? Got it. Tetelestai. It is FINISHED.

Alzheimer’s? Got it. Tetelestai. It is FINISHED

Motor Neuron Disease? Got it. Tetelestai. It is FINISHED.

Multiple Sclerosos? Got it. Tetelestai. It is FINISHED.

On and on the list went. Hell kept going back to see if they could come up with some more.

When they had fully wrung out every rag of sin, sought out every little crumb of filth and foulness and exposed every lie and deception Jesus cried out aloud IT IS FINISHED! I believe it was the endless lists of everything that Hell and its demons celebrate that had finally been exhausted and the Son of God dropped His chin and breathed His last breath.

Hell was emptied of every cache it had and the victory was about to be won 100-0. The temple curtain tore in two from the top to the bottom and the earth shook violently as God watched and was pleased. There could never be another filthy act or another devastating disease or condition that could steal eternity with the Father from anyone again. Accountability had been taken for each one.

Who is this man that He would do for us what nothing or nobody else could achieve for us?

What kind of love is this that He would die on behalf of each of us? Carry our strongholds, our arrogance and our denial of Him? How could He still love me after all that?

He left no stone unturned in paying for our redemption. No shortcut to weave him through the indescribable agony. He went the long way to ensure for once and for all that it really was finished.

The grave no longer had the victory and death no longer had its sting.

It was indeed finished. We get to choose to walk in freedom,sentence cancelled and case dropped.

Consider today that Tetelestai was for you.