The musings of Sats Solanki

My thoughts about all things life, music & God. I like to write & reflect on stuff.

[satssolanki-blog]

Valiant

Psalm 60:12 ‘With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes’

There’s something beautiful about the combination of God and man. With God, we will do splendidly. Valiant means to be bold, courageous or brave. To be valiant is to express faith in a big God. We know that where we go and what we do will succeed because we are ‘with God’. That’s good reason to be brimming with confidence.

Faith is all about certainty and sureness yet often we don’t feel very certain about life; the decisions we need to make, the places we need to go, the connections we should pursue. In all honesty, I’m not sure we need to be oh so certain about everything we do, just certain of who is with us.

God is the one who treads down our foes. The imagery here is stunning, painting a picture of just how big God is. Often we see God fighting by our side against our enemies, man against man. But the very soles of God’s feet are capable of squashing our foes. We do not serve a small God but one of immense stature and power, capable of fulfilling his purpose in and through us and making sure we get to where we need to go.

Last but not least, being bold is not just something we are or feel but something we do. Courage sends us out into new situations, possibilities, ideas and creativity. Being valiant is not about always succeeding. There’s a good chance we may fail as we step out but we are reassured in the knowledge that IT IS HE who will tread down our opposition. Psalm 60:12 ‘With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes’

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Life to the full

John 10:10 ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’

For me this is the most succinct and profound explanation of the purpose of Jesus and of every Christian. In particular, leaders live and breathe this purpose. To lead people to the person of Jesus himself but also to the life that Jesus has to offer.

By very definition Christians are led to Jesus often Christians are not truly experiencing much of the life that Jesus offers. It’s the reason why Christianity has a bad rep for being boring, religious or rules based.

But the life Jesus has to offer is different. It’s exciting, it’s fun, it’s full of adventure, purpose, significance, impact, memories, change and crazy stuff! It’s the best version of life that could ever be described or experienced.

The Bible tells us that when God created the world it was good. Everything God does is GOOD, so why is it that often our lives don’t feel much fun or have much high quality content.

Let’s be honest though, this is not just about living a perfect head-in-the-clouds type of life with no trials or challenges or difficulties, but there is something about the life that Jesus wants for us that is simply the best, in spite of all that comes our way. When we get to heaven, we’ll spend all of eternity exploring who God is and the life he has for us. It keeps getting better and fuller, richer and more satisfying.

Our job is two fold, to firstly experience said life right now and then to lead others into it. This is the mission of every (Christian) leader...or should I say, every Christian (leader).

What does your life look like?

How full does it feel?

What can you do to experience more of the life Jesus has for you?

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God can do anything

Ephesians 3:20 (MSG) 'God can do anything, you know...' I love the simplicity of this translation. God can do anything. No frills, no hype, just truth. The problem with a lot of us is that we think God will do everything. It's easy to be frustrated when you hold this mindset. Why didn't God come through for me? Why didn't he answer that prayer? How come things didn't work out? But that's not what the scripture says. God will not do everything but he can do anything. One is an absolute fixed statement and the other leaves a wide open space of possibility. One is finite and one is full of dreaming and imagination. I suspect the reason we don't see God doing everything we would like is because God is actually waiting for US to do something. God isn't interested in the accomplishments of divine purpose as much as he is interested in mobilising and empowering his people to experience the incredible thing that is being a part of Gods plan. Jesus could have solved all problems at the cross (and of course in one way he did), but the world didn't magically end in salvation. Instead he heads off to heaven and sends the Holy Spirit to empower US to finish things up. Maybe we need to stop waiting for God and start doing... something! Then maybe we will experience the God who can do anything.

[satssolanki-blog]

Remembering You - Track 2 Is Now Online!

Hey gang,

I'm happy to tell you that track 2 of my album '2015' is now available… It's called REMEMBERING YOU and is a love song of sorts.

(Click here to skip the emotional paragraphs and get straight to the music) 

I really had a lot of fun recording and mixing this one and I'm pretty happy with the pumping upbeat vibes of the chorus. As you may or may not know, I'm releasing one track per month of the album for you (my delightful fan base) to download at whatever cost you feel is fair; whether that be ten pence, ten pounds or more.

It's amazing to think that if I'd been born in any other time in history (hello easy and accessible music production from almost only your fingertips) or any other country (hello England; a country with one of the world's richest musical heritages) then aspects of my creativity would have never been realised or released.

People complain that it's so hard to break through into the music industry nowadays. Whilst I agree in part, really it's never been easier to make music than today. I'm really grateful for such an amazing response to the album launch last month; thanks to everyone who has downloaded it and shared it on Facebook. Please keep sharing as I release new tracks (online and offline of course) as it really helps me out!

Enough talking… you can get the track HERE. If you've not yet download the 'whole' album then why not do that too!

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2015 - I just released an album

It's true. I've just released an album called 2015 (<--GET IT NOW). However there's more.

Over last New Year's we spent some time with our very good mates Aidan & Anna down in London. The conversation turned to music and Anna and I schemed some practical ways to encourage myself making more music and also promoting what I do more.

A legend who I'll avoid namedropping recently said, 'Less announcements, more movements.' Funnily enough, I very much intended to announce my plans earlier but I never got around to it. Nevertheless, I imagine that myriads (how many is a myriad anyways?) will be delightfully inspired and happy.

Here's the problem I find with being a musician and songwriter in today's age; it's hard to convince myself that it's worth finishing tracks and writing songs. What if no one listens? What if all of my hours of effort are wasted on deaf ears?

I've finally decided; I'm not sure who will listen but I'm convinced that someone out there needs to hear my music. Here's what I did; I decided to create one track every month for the whole of 2015.

So there's only one track available right now to download for WHATEVER THE HECK YOU LIKE. All I'd ask is that you would pay whatever you think it is worth.

But don't just buy the song; buy the album. You can't hear it all yet; but there's a whole lot of stuff in the pipeline that I know someone will love.

I'm happy to announce that I (only just) managed to release the first track in January. It's called Breathe Life. 

You can visit http://sats.bandcamp.com to get a copy of the song and album.

As always, do share on Facebook etc and spread the word if you like it.

It's possibly one of the most simple songs I've written; and it's not even particularly lengthy; but for me it answers the question that frustrates me in the midst of busy-ness, unanswered dreams and ever-constant desire to do more.

What's my purpose? What's life about?

BREATHE LIFE

Wanna know what I'm here for 
Wanna know what my purpose is
 Wanna know my hearts desire
 Wanna know what will transpire Wanna know what's going on Wanna know if there's a plan Because I'm struggling to work it out 
Wanna know what life's about Breathe life

[satssolanki-blog]

Punctual As Of Late

I have to start this post by admitting that I am sometimes late. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Life is busy and crazy things do happen; in fact on many occasions my sleeping self has indeed turned off my alarm clock on my waking behalf, much to my dismay 35 minutes later.

However, I do want to address something crucially important to the issue of punctuality and it is this: Lateness, whether intentional or not, communicates the fact that you do not care about the person you are late for.

It may not be how you really feel, in fact little of what we actually do rarely lines up to what we really feel and think; but if you are late, you are undoubtedly letting the world know that you don't value whatever it is you are late for.

Take a classic meeting for example; let's say you're meeting six colleagues at 9:00 and you arrive at 9:10. Guess what, not only have you wasted ten minutes of their time because they had to wait for you to be there but it's actually collectively SIXTY MINUTES of their time that you have paid no regard for. That's one whole gigantic hour of possibility that will never come back.

Some simple tips for you

1) Plan to be late - by this I really mean the exact opposite. Factor in an extra five, ten or even fifteen minutes in your wake up (or anything else) schedule. If it's important, it's not so crazy to allow even more. (I missed a flight last year because I was three minutes too late; I'm pretty keen on getting there early now!)

2) No excuses needed. If there's anything worse than someone who is late; it's someone who excuses the fact that they are late by explaining in great lengthy detail the exact reasons and happenings that caused them to become late. This is mostly just a subconscious tactic to blame shift the fact that we are late on to someone or something else.

We all do it (myself included) but it's actually pretty unnecessary and just draws attention to the fact that you don't value the other person's time. The truth is… we are just late… Let's leave it at that 97% of the time.

3) Communicate. No crazy reasons needed but a small text or call goes a long way.

4) Be gracious. No doubt the moment you are frustrated because someone else has left you waiting somewhere; the next day, you'll have a genuine emergency and let someone else down. Gracious behaviour goes a long way in 'buying' yourself others patience.

Finally, I leave you with this thought. If it's your birthday party, when do you want everyone to arrive? There's nothing like that awkward moment where not many people are there and you wonder if anyone actually likes you. (I've never thought that of course…)

Yours punctually,

Sats

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Glory and Beauty

Exodus 28: 40 'For Aaron's sons you shall make coats and sashes and caps. You shall make them for glory and beauty'

The priests of old wore coats, sashes and caps. Not for a clinical purpose, not for a practical reason but 'just' for glory and beauty.

There was no other purpose than to display the creativity and beauty of God; in fact, the more glorious they were, the more glory they gave to God. You don't have to read very far through Exodus realise that God was very much into gold, silver, precious jewels etc. Not just in his house but upon his people. It's not wrong to want to be glorious; it's actually a God-given desire.

Glory without God only glorifies ourselves which leads to pride and nothingness. Heaps of people across the world are looking for glory without God. But godly glory is is found when we delight ourselves in him. God's purpose over our lives is that we would shine, and show off the glory of who he is displayed in us.

Could it be that true humility is not about becoming less but actually about becoming more because our choice to grow and become mighty is a choice that shows the world a great and mighty God.

Why doesn't Jesus come back already and solve every problem we see around us? Why doesn't God move his mighty hand and wipe out ISIS from the face of the earth or miraculously show them his grace and mercy so that they would repent and change their ways? Perhaps God is not interested in 'solving' the world on his own but releasing his people to be true world changers.

I'm tired of false humility. I want true humility that leads to greatness.

[satssolanki-blog]

Permission To Praise

Psalm 97:12 'May all who are godly rejoice in the Lord and praise his holy name!'

On first glance you could assume that the psalmist is gently encouraging the godly to rejoice and praise God. But what if the act of praise and worship isn't an open invite to anyone who wants to but a privilege of those called by God?

In the Old Testament, there were many rules and guidelines for worship. It was not always an open invitation for just anyone but only those who had ticked the boxes of the law could enter into the physical dwelling place of God in the temple. The right sacrifices had to be made, the right lifestyle was required and the right things had to be said.

Yet here the Psalmist speaks of God's true thoughts about worship; he looks at the hearts of those who partake in it. Here the godly are those with godly hearts; who are thinking truly of God and honestly desire his glory and honour above all other things. 

Praise isn't something we are just encouraged to do but a privilege that we are allowed to enjoy; a place of intimacy and celebration with God that through Jesus we are able to live and dwell in. In other words… we GET TO praise God.

REJOICE IN THE LORD

This speaks of thankfulness; an overflowing of joy in our hearts that comes from a knowledge of who Jesus is and what he has done for us. Rejoicing is not quiet nor is it calm; it's an uncontainable shout of happiness and celebration.

PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME

The name of Jesus IS holy and it IS the name above every other names. His name is now something we are a part of. We're under the banner of his name; the covering of who he is because our relationship with God is based on Christ living in us. There is only one acceptable response to this revelation and that is praise; a total and complete exaltation of Jesus, where we declare and proclaim his glory and splendour from the city rooftops.

Let us not think on the scriptures through the eyes of past church experiences and expectations but allow God to reveal the fullness of life in Christ to us from his word. Praise and thankfulness are actually some of the characteristics of a godly person; they are God orientated in heart and expression.

Permission to praise!

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Tangible Change

John 14:10 (MSG) 'The Father who resides in me crafts each word into a divine act' - Jesus

Every word that came from the mouth of Jesus was filled with purpose because the Father himself would cause each word to come to pass.

The world's speech is vague and distracted. It's full of concepts and wishful thinking whilst never fully committing to definites or absolutes. But when Jesus speaks; things tangibly change. Indeed the whole world was created through the words of Jesus and the power of the Father.

When Jesus spoke, the sick got better. When Jesus spoke, strongholds of difficulty in people's lives were broken.

Our words are not meant to be simply poetry but revolutionary; tearing down the things of darkness and establishing the kingdom of God around us. Let us recognise today the power of our words in the hands of a divine God.

As the Father resides in Jesus, so the Holy Spirit lives in us; crafting our every word into a divine act and accomplishing his will every day. Let our declaration be in line with the desires of the Holy Spirit. Then we will surely see the power of the life-giving God at work around us.

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God Is Near

Psalm 75:1 'We give thanks because you are near'

God is near. However it's also fair to say that God does not always feel near. Sometimes you wake up one morning and you feel far away from God for no apparent reason. It's a part of living in a fallen world and I suspect the irregularity of our feelings will continue as such until we upgrade to heaven.

God is actually entirely spirit so when you accept the spirit of Christ into your life it doesn't mean you necessarily feel anything different. We can't feel, touch, smell or experience the things of the spirit with any of our physical senses but when our body and soul align with the truth of our spirit then we feel the presence of God in our lives.

I love the Psalmist's declaration; it's based on an unshakeable truth not on feelings or opinions. The truth is that God is near… forever and always. We can change the alignment of our soul by the choices we take and the decisions we make but we cannot remove God from our vicinity.

How do you align your soul to your spirit? How do we feel the near-ness of God in our lives? We give thanks for what we know to be truth. We declare the reality of Christ over our lives. We don't always feel near but we always are near.

The fruit of thanksgiving is a confident knowledge of the truth of God. Sometimes it takes a little time to 'sync up' but you can't shake the unmistakeable truth. Time to live it like it's true.

God is near.

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Self Control

Proverbs 5:23 'He will die for lack of self control'

Strange that the consequences seem so severe for something that escapes attention in popular culture. To be 'wild' and 'out of control' is painted as the definition of an exciting and fulfilling life. Surely this scripture cannot be true; that the cause of death is lack of self control.

I think this scripture is referring not just to physical death but also all things that death is associated with; emotional ruin, unhappiness, failure in life's ventures etc. To have self control is to lead one's self properly. It protects us from impulsive decisions and from damaging situations. It thinks about the future and it responds rather than reacts. Money can purchase many things but it can never buy self control or discipline.

If lack of self control leads to death then discipline truly leads to life to the full. What a glimpse into God's heart… his desire is for us to succeed, to be happy and to be fulfilled. These are the things that truly matter to God; more so than our temporary desires and leanings toward anything that excites us for a moment. God is not a killjoy, he IS joy. All that he does is to see us do well and be happy for eternity.

Surely no one would knowingly seek death or the things of death. Yet the facts betray us; the world IS dying and you don't have to look far for ample proof. So self control is not as simple as controlling ourselves; otherwise we would all do it.

Outside of Christ our nature is bent and twisted. We know what to do but we don't do it. We know what is right, pure and good and yet we think about evil. But instead God asks us to give him control. What a freeing and incredible notion. We die to self and find self control through the power of the Holy Spirit. It doesn't make sense on paper and yet somehow it makes sense in our hearts. We can never be the person we know we were born to be without surrendering control to God.

Finally, its worth noting that God himself exudes self control and discipline. He is who he says he is and he does what he says he will do. He is truly trustworthy and forever faithful.

Self control sounds a little more fun now.

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God's Church?

1 Corinthians 1:2 ‘I am writing to God’s church in Corinth’

The church belongs to God. It is his and he treasures it. He will build it and he will protect it. Do not come between a man and his bride and definitely do not get in the way of the purposes of God coming to pass in and through his church.

Even the scriptures are written for and to his church. It is his family and even his body. It is a part of him and it lives in his heart. You cannot remove the church from Jesus because the church IS a part of Jesus.

Gods church in Corinth… Frankfurt… Sheffield or anywhere really. It is who I am because I am the church. I identify with the church because I identify with Christ.

And so, because the church belongs to God, so it will belong to me. For what man that loves God would ignore the cares and heart of God himself?

It is mine and I will treasure it. I will build it and I will protect it.

To be in Christ is to embrace the heart of Christ.

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God Will Do This

1 Corinthians 1:9 'God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says' And here lies the hope for mankind everywhere. That God will do what he has promised. That God neither changes his mind or is influenced by circumstances or externals. No one dictates to God and no one can sway him from being faithful to who he is. He is the most loyal friend and being; he cannot and will not let you down. It's a pleasant reminder that actually without God we can do nothing. Not only will God do 'this' but he will do that which we cannot do alone. Whenever we participate and align ourselves with what God is doing, he cheekily encourages the idea that we played some kind of significant part in the same way a parent allows a child to help them do something important that they could very easily do on their own. It's nonsense of course as it has always been God who rescued us, God who took care of us and God who led us. Why would it change now; as if we have somehow upgraded beyond complete and utter dependency on God. There is absolute certainty that he will do 'this' (whatever your 'this' is). Everything about who God is and all he does echoes into the entire universe. When God speaks, he cannot help but for his words to come to pass because he is the essence of TRUTH. For his words not to come true would be to betray his nature which is an absolute impossibility. Therefore the question is not whether he will but how and when he will. A better question is; what will we spend our time doing in the meantime? Solve that and you'll probably live a very happy, very awesome life.

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Love and Justice

Psalm 101:1 ‘I will sing of your love and justice, Lord’

How odd that the psalmist mixes two seemingly opposing characteristics of God in one sentence. The world wonders how a loving God can allow suffering or an eternity of it and yet here we hear of his love and his justice together in one sentence.

Justice comprises of the laws of God. It’s not only the rules of how everything in the universe works but actually a reflection of who God actually is, spilling into all of creation.

Take for example the law of consequence. If you do bad, then you are punished but if you do good then you are rewarded.

This comes from the very heart of God who is ENTIRELY GOOD. Everything he does reaps more goodness. He is infinitely sustaining and infinitely good. The justice of God is good! We all want to be rewarded for doing what is right. We want to be celebrated for the goodness in us.

But justice must be satisfied. God cannot change who he is. If he did, he would no longer be truly good by ignoring justice.

Instead love innovates and creates opportunity. The most thought provoking and radical thing happens… God allows Jesus to go to the cross in our place; fulfilling justice and yet fulfilling love. Of course it’s not really fulfilling in that sense to God because it is simply a part of his character. He is love and he is justice.

Now we still have consequences in our lives but something is different. Our eternal consequences are different. Through faith in Jesus, our spiritual consequences change to mean that he is punished instead of us and that we are rewarded as he would be rewarded.

This is definitely worth singing about!