Be ready and Alert

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."  1 Peter 5: 8 NKJV

I was watching our cat this morning as he sat on the window still. Even though he was looking rested and content, he was fully alert to what was happening in the garden. Birds were feeding on the lawn, gulls were flying over head and wood pigeons and other birds were perched in our tall Sycamore tree.
At any moment he would have been ready to pounce, if the window would have been open. You see, he's conditioned, a bird, mouse or a slow worm would stand very little chance if he was up close to them. He's doing what is natural to him.

When we go out, he has this built in clock which tells him when we will return home. He sits and waits for us at the gate. When it's meal times he knows. He doesn't wear a watch, his inner sense lets him know the time is right. He's conditioned and alert to what is going on around him.
We could learn a lot from a cat's behaviour. they know when it's time to rest and they'll take the time to do this. They are curious animals and walk around looking into whatever takes their fancy. However, they're careful how they go about it. Their conditioning is what we need to think about.
God has given us all we need to live in this world today. However, if we don't read the Word of God, we will suffer from lack of knowledge. Conditioning ourselves means, getting into the bible and feeding on the promises God gives us. That should be the natural thing we should do. Then when we meet up with a situation, we will know how to address it, with prayer, quoting the scriptures that we need, thus taking action against the devil's attacks.

Vigilance - being on total alert is how we should live 24/7. That as Christians, is the natural thing to do. But it's difficult to be fully alert if we're too tired because we haven't rested enough. This may be because we've taken too much on and are finding it difficult to work, run a home, go to church and try to be involved in as much as we're asked to do there. A cat is conditioned, it knows when to rest but it remains on full alert because it pays attention to its needs.
Are you doing too much, whether at work, in your leisure time or at church? Do you need to cut back a little? When we're tired, we leave ourselves open to attack and we can end up snapping at our loved ones and generally not flowing with God the way He wants us to.

Don't just re-charge your batteries so you can face another day. Analyse if changes can be made to the way you live and work. Your health needs it. Your spiritual health too. Do something about it so that you can be fully alert!

Distractions

"Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one."  Ephesians 6: 16

Hazel Howard says,'The devil uses distractions to stop you from worshiping.'  And he will do, by firing his darts at us to try and get our minds off God and put our minds on worries and fears.
Kenneth Copeland says, 'He fires at us to get us to take our attention and focus off God, making us feel other things are more important and fearful.'

Many times we decide we're going to get close to God and have a quiet time with Him. No sooner have we started when the telephone will ring or someone will knock at the door. It's all sent to distract us from spending time with our Father.
I think it was Kenneth Copeland that said that the devil fires SCUD missiles at us. When you break the word SCUD down, it means, 'satan continually uses distractions.' This is very true, if he can cause a diversion between us and God, he will go for it, big time.

We have to take charge of our minds as we focus on God. many is the time when I've been at prayer when something has popped into my mind that is quite important. Except if there is a disaster happening in your home, nothing is more important than being in prayer' listening to what God has in store for us, or just taking the time to listen or worship Him. The devil knows that and like a snake, he'll crawl into your situation and try to disrupt and distraction you from doing what he knows you want to do.

Discipline is required to overcome times such as these. We have to take authority and kick the devil out of the situation before he takes over. We have the authority that Jesus gave us to do this. Stand on the Word and put the shield of faith to work.

Make sure that today, you read and put on the armour of God (Ephesians 6:13 -18. You need to be dressed in His armour. Let's face it you wouldn't go out to the supermarket naked, would you? Well, don't go through your day spiritually naked. Dress in the Armour of God.

Don't Grieve The Holy Spirit

"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." 
                                                                                                          Ephesians 4: 30

How can we grieve the Holy Spirit. Well, anger to start with; the kind that makes us lose control and completely makes a mess of your testimony. Many unbelievers don't read the bible but they do look at Christians. What do they see in you?
Next comes gossip. We can gossip in a prayer meeting by bringing too much information about someone into the group. Praying for someone's problems, yes, but not giving out their life history because you feel concerned about them. Bob Gass says:

'The trouble with gossip is not so much that it is spoken as an intended lie, but that it is heard as if it were the absolute truth.' Therefore, watch what you say.

Ephesians4:31 -32 says:
"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice"

The Holy Spirit is very sensitive and He's easy to grieve. Anger, losing your temper, shouting out in frustration, being unkind, holding a grudge and pointing the finger at people are such things that grieve Him.
Do you keep a record of people's wrongs? What I mean is, think of those who have done wrong to you over the years. They may be family, friends, neighbours or even work colleagues. Have they offended you. If so, have you forgiven them? God expects us to:

"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him (her), that your Father in Heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in Heaven, forgive your trespasses."  Mark 11:25 - 26

Strong words indeed but words that we need to take on board. We must forgive people who have done us wrong, even if it's difficult to. You may say,"I will never forgive him." The thing is, that is grieving the Holy Spirit and God will not forgive you your sin until you do. It is also a vow that needs to be broken. Forgiveness can do this. You will owe that person nothing when you do.

Who or what is on your record of wrongs today? God is highlighting what he wants you to do. He will help as well. Get on your knees and repent of your feelings. Give it to Him and feel the rush of the Holy Spirit come to excite and heal your feelings. Have a great day.

Our eyes are upon You Lord

Our Eyes Are Upon You

2 Chronicles 20:1 - 30
Jehoshaphat reigned in Judah and found favour with the Lord because he walked in the former ways of his father, David (2 Chronicles 17:3)
Then came a time when people of Moab, the Ammonites and other armies rose up against him in battle. This was quite a mighty force to deal with and Jehoshaphat shook with fear. However, he had the sense to give this problem to God and proclaimed a fast throughout the whole of Judah. He sought the Lord in prayer, pouring out his heart to Him, "O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us, nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You:" Verse 12. In other words, he was saying, 'Lord, I don't know what to do but You do and I'm counting on You.'

A lesson here is, when we're in this position - PRAY! Give the problem to God. He knows the way through, you don't. Jehoshaphat did just that and gathered the people of Judah to stand, fast and pray before the Lord. God spoke to a man, filled with the Spirit of God, who declared that there was no need to be afraid; the battle was the Lord's,  not theirs. He would be fighting for them. He told Jehoshaphat to get into position, in other words, STAND TRUST - BELIEVE and then Jehoshaphat told the people to praise God. Make music before Him. Sing His praises and their fear was turned into victory and blessing, in fact, total abundance.

The formula Jehoshaphat used was:
* ASK verse 12
* BELIEVE Verse 20
* PRAISE verse 22.  Praise opens door!
And finally: GIVE IT ALL TO GOD.

Many times we are in a position similar to this, where we are overwhelmed by the pressures of life and we just don't know what to do. Remember, God does. He will go before you and make a way forward where perhaps we couldn't see one.

What are you facing at this time? Is it a big decision you need to make? Is it something so urgent and pressing that you really don't know how to go about it?
Remember, 'OUR EYES ARE UPON YOU' v 12

Seek Him
Cast your burdens upon Him Psalm 55:22 and Proverbs 3:5 - 6
Praise Him

"Lord, we come to You today and place our worries, our burdens and our fears at Your feet.
Please help us in our time of struggle to find a way through this mess.
In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Joseph's brothers

Joseph's brothers

Read Genesis 42 - 43
One thing that had caused Joseph's brothers much frustration, was his dreams. He used to tell them about how he had dreamt that he would be superior to them and that they would have to bow down to him. Possibly Joseph should have kept this to himself, but we know that he was rather over zealous in his younger days and this just wound them up - big time.

This was fulfilled some 22 years later when Jacob sent Joseph's brothers into Egypt to buy grain. When they arrived, Joseph recognised them instantly but his brothers failed to recognise him. They bowed down before him and and requested that they buy food. ( 42:6 - 7). They told Joseph that they were from Canaan - some 50 miles away. After further questioning, Joseph accused them of being spies who had come to check out his land. Whatever they said, he pretended to disbelieve them and carried on with the accusation.

You know, what goes around comes around. Joseph had been falsely accused of attempted rape and thrown into prison. Now the brothers were getting the same treatment. God has a sense of humour at times. Joseph told them that one of them was to be imprisoned while the others went back to Canaan to bring their youngest brother, Benjamin back with them. He was Joseph's blood brother.
Whilst they were discussing this with each other, Joseph was listening, they didn't know he spoke their language because he had been using an interpreter.

 In 42:21-22 we see them coming under conviction as they said, "Clearly we are being punished because of what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his anguish when he pleaded for his life, but we wouldn't listen. That's why we're in this trouble. Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy?" Reuben asked. "But you wouldn't listen. And now we have to answer for his blood."

Joseph hearing all of this, turned around and began to weep. One would have thought he would now be able to take revenge on these men who had hurt him so badly. But no, he was full of compassion.
He sent them away with the food, keeping Simeon in prison and they journeyed the 50 miles back home. Joseph arranged for their money to be returned to their bags and they panicked thinking they would be further accused of stealing.

There were lessons to be learnt here. We'll always get caught out at some stage. God knows what we do; He sees all and will do all He can to get us to repent and put things right. Look at the compassion of Joseph. Could we act in the same way to people who have wronged us so badly? Do we need to forgive someone? Do we show compassion to people? Jesus did. That's why He gave us a second chance. Do we need to give someone another chance? Do we need to let them off the hook, thus freeing them and ourselves?
Think about it.

Honourable and Trustworthy

Honourable and trustworthy

Please read Genesis 41:37 - 57
Joseph had taken quite a few knocks in his short life. His brothers were jealous of him because of Jacob's favouritism towards him. As a young lad Joseph had perhaps been over zealous talking about the dreams that he had, describing him as a leader over them. They decided enough was enough and eventually sold him to travellers and he ended up in Egypt working in an officials house.

Joseph had favour from God and excelled in his work within the house. Therefore, the official - Potiphar promoted him to be in charge of the whole house and servants. Unfortunately, Potiphar's wife made sexual advances towards him but even though he refused her offers, he was accused of attempted rape and thrown into prison. Still God's favour was upon him and he was very quickly put in the position looking after the whole jail.

Eventually, because of Joseph's gift of interpreting dreams, he was brought before Pharaoh and asked to interpret  dreams that he had had - dreams that no one else could interpret. The Chief Butler remembered that Joseph had interpreted a dream for him and the Chief Baker, one in which he had promised he would tell Pharaoh about. He had forgotten and now it was two years later.
Pharaoh told Joseph about the two dreams he had had and Joseph was able to tell him that the dreams meant there was to be seven years of abundance and then a seven year famine and there was a need to prepare for this.

Pharaoh was astounded at the gift of this young man and said, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God." Verse 38. Pharaoh knew there was something different about Joseph and recognised it was God. This is very similar to when Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4. In verse 13 we read, "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marvelled. And they realised that they had been with Jesus." I call this 'Impact evangelism,' the type where one doesn't really have to say anything but people around notice that there is a difference in you.

God had recognised the talent and the faithfulness of Joseph. He had seen the tolerance and the patience; the diligence and the integrity that Joseph had, and He was ready to reward this man.
Pharaoh at once recognised this in Joseph and made him the second in command in Egypt. In fact, he was made the Prime Minister. Pharaoh gave him his signet ring which represented - 'Seal bearer to the king.' and from thereon, he was a highly trusted official in the land of Egypt.
His story is a rags to riches one and shows us how God honours His people. You may never be promoted to Prime Minister - and let's face it, who would want that? However, God will recognise all you do for Him, even though at the time you may not notice this, especially through the bad times.
Joseph got out of bed that morning a prisoner but went to bed that evening the Prime Minister.

Communication

Communication

One of the biggest problems in life today is the lack of communication between people, especially within a marriage. Sometimes we go about our day and fail to communicate with people who matter. Possibly sometimes our head is so filled with what has to be done that we just assume that other people know what is happening and what needs to be done. However, by doing this, we show them  no dignity or respect.

Assumptions are dangerous and kill the moment. Husbands and wives assume that, 'this will be done,' and, 'we'll go there today,' etc etc without telling the other partner what they're planning. Sometimes we're tempted to hide certain things from our partners because we want to protect them, 'they don't need to know about this.' Sadly,  the other partner can pick up on something not being right and can form an assumption, only to get it all wrong. Arguments can then take place and we have a division.
This can happen in the workplace too, especially in a church. If the communication isn't good, people can feel left out and may feel rejected and of no value. Communication is essential.

When communication has been neglected, bad feeling can take place and then the devil can have a heyday with our thought life. The devil loves to bring division. It can split churches and work places alike. Don't forget:

"Stay alert! Watch out, for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:7  New Living Translation

Remember, what Kenneth Copeland says, 'If you let him into the back seat of the car, fretting soon he's gonna want to drive.' Given the opportunity, the devil will rip up whatever he can. He's no one's friend and if we let him in, he'll be only too glad to come in.

In Christian marriage, we're called to pray together. However, if there's division between us - a wall, that joining together is not there. there's a rift and we'll get no blessing from that until we put it right.

What is the communication like within your marriage. Does it need to improve? What is the communication like in your church, spot on or is there room for improvement.
God communicates with us, He expects us to communicate with people too, otherwise people become hurt, confused and feel as if they're surplus to requirements

Romans 12:10 in the New Living Translation says:
"Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honouring each other." 

Thoughts

Thoughts

"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he."   Proverbs 23:7

Let's try a little self analysis. Ask yourself:

* What do I think of myself?
* What do I think about situations I meet on a daily basis?
* What do I think in general?

Our thoughts can control our day and life if we allow them too. We can have mental battles in our heads, followed by conversations that are potentially dangerous to relationships and life in general.
However, it's all in our heads but if we begin to believe it, we are sucked into thinking that it is really happening. It can be anything from what a person thinks about you to a marital relationship.

Romans 12:2 tells us that we need to renew our minds. This literally means, changing the way we think and what we focus on. It is seeing things differently and changing our perspective.

Philippians 4:8 reads:
"Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of a good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things."

Basically this scripture is leading us to think about Jesus because He has all of these characteristics and more. Just stop and think for a moment, if God was to write a report about your thoughts, how would they read? Would it be a good report or an embarrassing one?
Think, can I honestly say that what God finds in my mind is of a good report? If not, then perhaps this is the place to start work by renewing the mind Romans 12:2.

It is very possible to turn things around - to change things. However, it starts with changing our focus and perception; changing how we think and act and having the determination to succeed.

God thinks you're a nice person. He loves you more than words could ever say. He always thinks the best of you. Therefore, He is on your side and wants to help you change things around.

Start right now. Draw near to Jesus. His arms are open wide.

Blessings are coming

Blessings are coming

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think - according to the power that works in us; to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."    Ephesians 3:20 - 21

Read and meditate on these two verses. Let them speak to you and feed you. Pick the bones out of them and then chew them over in your mind. God is speaking to you. He can and is willing to do more than you could ever imagine but it is according to the faith we have; it is according to how much we let Him into our lives and let Him have His way with us. It is according to what we believe He can do. You may be praying for something very important right now. Do you believe God can do it? Do you believe that he wants to do it? Do you believe He loves you enough to do it for you? Of course he does. However, He is not a glorified Father Christmas, giving us everything we've ever wanted - a new house, car, more money than we have ever dreamed of or the finest designer clothes and shoes that we have only seen on the television or in a film. Of course he can do all of this, but He is interested in your needs not your wants.

I believe God is saying to His church:
* Get into place
* Let Me bless you
* I long to bless you
* Forget your pain-riddled history. There's a turnaround coming.
   Forget the confusion of the past. You have and can carry answers to your community

God is in control - if you put Him there. He is your provider - no one else.
Thank Him for all he has done. For the times he has rescued you from certain disaster. Thank Him for keeping your marriage together. Thank Him for your home, your family, your health - even if some fine tuning needs to be done there. Believe He can and wants to do it.

Get into place and let Him bless you

Bartimaeus

22 January 2019

Bartimaeus.  (Mark 10:46 - 52)
Jesus was becoming very popular and wherever He went, He drew crowds. Some wanting Him to meet their needs and heal them; some curious and wanting to see what all the fuss was about; and then, the people who were against Him and wanted to stir up trouble wherever they went. Nothing has really changed today when you think about it, except that Jesus doesn't walk around the area like He was here.

There was a young chap called Bartimaeus. He had been blind from birth and was like an outcast. he couldn't work because of his disability so He had to beg, as no one else was there to really care for Him. He had heard the stories about Jesus and excitement was beginning build within him at the news that He was visiting his area. He sat  the side of the road waiting.

To be born blind in Jesus' day was thought to be the result of sin within the family, either the parents or the child. (John 9:2ff.) Bartimaeus therefore, had little going for himself and no one loved him or cared what happened to him. There are many in our day and age who also fit into this category - people with certain addictions, ex forces and ex prisoners to name but a few. This is one of the reasons why our streets are occupied by homeless people. They are the misfits of our society. When I was pastoring a certain church, we used to have many of them visit us at our day centre and thereafter, at our services. I was asked if I would consider having two services, one for the church members and one for the 'Down and outs.' I told this person that if they could show me in the bible where Jesus was reported to have done this, I would consider it. Obviously that finished the conversation.

Jesus was here. Bartimaeus jumped to his feet when he heard that Jesus was walking by. He knew this was his only chance and he was going to take it. 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.' He kept shouting this over and over, despite people around him telling him to be quiet. Then the moment came he had been dreaming about. Jesus heard him and called him to come forward. Bartimaeus ran over to Him, leaving his cloak behind, possibly his only possession. Jesus asked him, 'What do you want me to do for you?' He replied 'Rabboni - which means My Great One - that I may see.' Jesus told him, 'Go your way, your faith has made you well.' Immediately his sight was restored and he chose to follow Jesus.

Life would never be the same again for him. He had been healed - I know that feeling so well, see my testimony - he had called on Jesus and scripture was fulfilled, 'For whoever calls upon the name of the lord shall be saved.'  Romans 10:13. God is a God of the second chance.

Do you need a touch from Jesus? Are you sick? Do you believe Jesus can deal with this - that is the condition, faith. Why not get on your knees and cry out to Him now and listen for those lovely words, 'What do you want me to do for you?'

'Lord Jesus, I call out to You today. I want to be well, please heal me. Amen'

Send me, I'll go

21 January 2019

Send me, I'll go.   (Isaiah 6:1 - 9)
In this passage, we read about the calling of Isaiah who was to become a prophet for God. Isaiah saw the Lord. Now whether this was in a dream or in reality we don't really know. What we do know is that God certainly called him. The description of Heaven is amazing, with angels flying around and worshipping God and shouting,

"Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory". (Verse 3).
Now, if you ever thought that Heaven was a peaceful, serene place, think again. Verse 4 tells us,

"And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out and the house was filled with smoke."
Now that rules out the average church that we're used to. When they worship in Heaven they have a blast and one day, if we know Him as Lord and Saviour, we will witness this.

Throughout this world, people hear the call of God and devote their lives to serving Him. Some become vicars and pastors. Others nuns, chaplains and padres. Most dedicate the whole of their working lives to this calling.
The thing is, God isn't just looking for this type of servant. He is also very interested in ordinary people just like us. People who will carry on with their careers but include Jesus in it. Many are policemen, HM Forces personnel, bank clerks and managers, even refuse collectors. No one is excluded from God's plans to serve Him.

We  don't all need to serve God in such an official way. He is calling us all to: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" Mark 16:15. Not everyone attends church on a Sunday but most go to work each day or we have neighbours who have all types of needs. We are in the harvest field and God wants to use us by getting alongside people who may have marital problems, financial worries and general problems in their lives. Just getting to know them and being a listener can open the door to bringing Jesus into their situation. You don't have to be a bible student or carry around the biggest bible you can find. You just need to be available for God to use you.

Perhaps, you're thinking of someone at this moment who is having a rough time. Why not get alongside them, without rushing in like a bull in a china shop spouting off all types of scriptures to them. No, why not just let them see Jesus in you by being their friend at this time.
Go on, Jesus will help you.

Why are you still worrying

20 January 2019

Why are you still worrying
Sometimes we worry about things that we can do nothing about. If you can change the situation, then fine, go along and do that. However, if there is nothing you can do, then all worrying about it will do is to make you ill.
Jesus told us not to worry:

"Therefore do not worry saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  Read the whole passage in Matthew 6:25 - 34.

In verse 33 note He says, 'Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.'

Jesus said not to worry. Therefore when we do the opposite of what He tells us, are we not in disobedience? Kenneth Copeland says that, 'Worry is the conclusion of believing the lies of the devil. It brings fear.' Think about that statement for a moment. Fear is the opposite of faith. If we are worrying about this, that and the other and we belong to Jesus, firstly we are not obeying Him and secondly we are in error because we are getting entangled in a web of lies and fear that the evil one is trying to put us under.
Fear unhooks us from faith and the supernatural. It puts us in bondage to the natural realm. We begin to feel defeated, that there is no point, that it's all going to go wrong or that answer to prayer will not come. But we're not defeated. We belong to Jesus, the King of kings. He has the final say in whatever happens. He is the miracle worker.

'God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those in heaven and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.' Philippians 2:9 - 11.

Worry has a name, so it has to bow the knee to Jesus. Fear has a name so that too must bow to Jesus. What I'm saying here is that we are not defeated. We belong to a miracle working God. As we seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness (Verse 33), He will change the situation. However, you must believe He will. He has the final say.
So stop that worrying and turn to Jesus and trust Him to change whatever it is that has gone wrong.

'Lord I come to You and confess that I've been worrying about..................................................
Lord I realise that I can do nothing, but I know You can because You're the miracle worker.
Lord I give my worry and concern to You. Amen'

Stop Complaining

19 January 2019

Stop Complaining

Philippians 2:14 reads: 

"Do all things without complaining and disputing."

In other words, stop being a whinge bag, arguing all of the time. When we act like this, we end up hurting:

* Yourself   Complaing leads to anger and depression

* God.         Complaining questions God's care for us; His character and His competence. We're 

                    basically telling God that, "You blew it Lord. You had Your chance to fulfil my demands

                    and You chose not to. (This is dodgy ground to place yourself on)

* Others.    Your words affect people around you and no one wants to spend time with a moaner.

                    Complaining changes nothing. You explain your pain for no gain and raise your blood

                    pressure too.

                    Perhaps you didn't start out as a complainer; you became that way. but by God's Grace 

                    you can become a thanks-giver.

                    Stop the habit of complaining  - NOW! "Don't use foul or abusive language . Let 

                    everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to 

                    those who hear them." Ephesians 4:29    New Living Translation

Watch what comes out of your mouth. Sometimes the mouth can erupt when we're not in control of it, especially when one is driving. If you're anything like me, I own the road and feel others shouldn't be on it. But I've had to learn to share this and Zip my Lip.

Have you got a short fuse? Perhaps now is the time to sort it out and bring this to Jesus.

Fear and Anxiety

18 January 2019

Fear and Anxiety

"You will keep him in Perfect Peace whose mind is stayed on You, 
Because he trusts in You."   Isaiah 26:3

"Perfect Peace, means Shalom, Shalom, a Hebrew method of putting great emphasis on a word. Shalom implies - health, well - being, happiness and peace. The word translated 'Mind' is not the usual Hebrew word but means 'Creative imagination.' Isaiah's thoughts that he whose creative imagination, the seat of plans and ideas, is firmly founded on the eternal Lord, will enjoy Shalom in all its implications."  (Data paraphrased from the Spirit Filled Bible).

As we focus on fear - just the thought of it, we can begin to be affected by it. Even though we may  not be going through any particular situation concerning a fearful element, we can suffer fear as if we were. It's all in the mind, and if we allow it, the mind can play havoc. Kenneth Copeland's Grandfather once said:

'If we allow the devil into the back seat of the car, pretty soon he's gonna want to drive.'

Think about that statement for a moment. If we allow the devil into our lives - our thoughts, he will soon get us thinking and doing the things we should not be thinking and doing.

Focusing our minds on Jesus can bring relief to a fearful situation, thus diminishing our anxiety levels. Focus your mind on Jesus and allow Him to give you Shalom, Shalom - Perfect Peace.

Change the way you think

17 January 2019

Change the way you think
"And so dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.
Don't copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."  Romans 12: 1-2. New Living translation.

Do not conform to this world; don't be a copy cat, don't copy other people because you feel that they are good at a particular thing, especially within the church. Be you, that's who God made.
In the church, it is so easy to want to copy someone else. That's not bad if you are modelling yourself on that person as your mentor. But keep your own identity. What He has for you is far different from what He has for the person you're tempted to copy. Be yourself.
If you let Him, God will transform you. You just need to change the way you think about things. Think positive not negative. Speak faith not fear. Believe in yourself. Believe what God believes about you. He sees a man, woman or child He has made who at this time is under construction. Let Him mould you into His shape, until He is ready to set you free into His work. You may be ready now, but check out the way that you think and what comes out of your mouth when you speak and you'll get a pretty good idea about the spiritual state of your heart.

Possibly in the past, you may have allowed negative thoughts to control and ruin your day. When you're not flowing with the Holy Spirit and you don't spend time in the Word, it may be easier for the devil to get into your day and feed you with lies about stuff. Kick him into touch - NOW! Change the way you think; analyse your thoughts and decide to get into a positive manner instead of being like a bull in a china shop.

Some of us can remember how we used to be; how we used to flow with God and nothing really mattered except being with Him. What happened? Perhaps, you stepped away from Him; avoided fellowship and reading His Word like you used to. You've lost that wonderful sparkle that only Jesus can give. It's not too late. Join me in this prayer:

'Lord Jesus, I have lost that sparkle that I used to have. I feel empty and I need You to come and fill me up again with Your Spirit. Please forgive me. I open myself to You - now!"

Let me know what happens

Launch out into the deep

16 January 2019

Launch out into the deep  Luke 5: 1-11
Walk through the scene:

Crowds are gathering around Jesus to hear His teaching. Fishermen clean their nets after a night of disappointment. They have caught no fish and their livelihood is at stake.  There's a feeling of fear and tension around the place and still the crowds bustle Jesus. Jesus asks Peter for the use of his boat and Peter all though not in the best of moods, allows Jesus to sit in it and casts out a little so the crowds can't get to Him.

A short while later, we hear Jesus ask Peter to launch out into deep water and let his nets down again. Peter is tired, fed up and quite emotional. Peter thinks about this very strange and futile request yet instead of being negative towards Jesus - which we know, he could be, he replies, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing. Nevertheless, at your word, I will let down the net." (verse 5)
Suddenly, pandemonium strikes, fish begin to fill the net at an incredible pace and the net threatens to break. The other boat has to come to help out. They find themselves beginning to sink - but hold on, Jesus is on board. People don't sink when He's around, as long as they focus on Him.

Look at this scripture a moment and see yourself in this. Peter and his fellow fishermen had been totally depressed. they were professional fishermen and yet they had caught nothing except possibly a headache. Peter was low and probably couldn't see the point of everything. And then, Jesus is there and gives him some revelation. Peter, although reluctant, obeyed, "Nevertheless, at your word I will let down the net." In other words, 'I'll do it Lord'.

You know, things may be dismal in your life at this time. Sometimes, and I know from experience, there seems no point because the giant ahead of you is too big to tackle. But, hey, Jesus is a giant slayer. As Peter gave to Jesus, Jesus gave back to him and he had a superabundance of fish.

What is happening to you at this moment? Jesus is here and He's calling to you, "Launch out into the deep." The deep sounds scary but with Jesus on board, you won't sink. Say to Him, "Nevertheless, I will let down the net."

"Jesus, thank you for Your Word. I trust You and I agree to let down my net and launch out into the deep.
Go with me Lord and let my nets begin to break with Your blessing and goodness. Amen"

Where are you? (Part two)

15 January 2019

Where are you? Part two
Genesis 3

Adam and Eve knew they had done wrong. There was conviction all around. They hid and so do we at times. Hiding really is trying to cover sin up. It's rather like white washing a very cracked wall. It looks good at first, until it's dried, then the cracks start appearing. You can't hide your sin. It's almost like the Holy Spirit says to us, "You know." I'm sure it works rather like that.

Adam and Eve had already tried the 'Blame game.' "It wasn't my fault, it was the serpent," " it wasn't my fault it was the woman that You gave me." Adam had the audacity to put the blame on God V12.
Whatever they said, they knew that they had blown it. Things would never be the same again - for them or mankind. Sin had entered the world.
But before they were asked to leave the garden just look at the heart of God. He must have been very disappointed and very upset, in fact His heart would have been broken. That's the way He is with one of us when we go astray. It hurts Him. Here in verse 21, we see God making tunics of skin for them for clothes. this would hide their nakedness and embarrassment, to a degree. Where else would you get that? If you were fired from a job, would the boss make you some clothes to wear before you left? No. If you were asked to leave a church - and let's hope that never happens, but for the record, before you left would the pastor get the sewing machine out and run up a fancy suit for you? Extremely doubtful. However, here God continues to show them love, no matter what they've done - and what they'd done was massive. God continually shows us His love and mercy on a daily basis, even though we may be in error. You may have blown things last night but whatever you did, God loves you. Do you hear me? he loves you.

The question is 'Where are you?' Are you:

* Flowing with God
* Are you hiding in shame from hidden sin?
* Have you let God down?
* Where are you?

Thank goodness we have Jesus who took our sins upon Himself and nailed them to the cross. Through His action we have access to His Throne anytime of day or night.

"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathise with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are , yet without sin. Let us therefore, come boldly to the Throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" Hebrews 4:15 - 16

That doesn't mean that we can carry on sinning. Not at all. But when we do, which will be every day, we ask Jesus to forgive us, and He will.

The final question is, "Where are you?" Nothing can separate us from God; we just need at times, to get real close to Him and let The Holy Spirit wash afresh over us. Why not do that now?

"Jesus, I approach Your Throne of Grace with confidence
I need You Lord, things are difficult at the moment.
Please come and help me and as I draw near to You, draw near to me. Amen"

Where are you?

14 January 2019

Where are you?  Part1 (Read Genesis 3)
The serpent here represents the devil. Just a thought, but he spoke. I wonder if all the animals did at that time? What do you think?
Now a snake or serpent has 4 characteristics:

*  A Deadly tongue
*  Crawls into situations
*  Lies in wait
*  Strikes/bites

The serpent here was very crafty and twisted the truth.
The serpent said to Eve, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" V1
Eve relied, "We my eat the fruit of the trees of the garden but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' "
Now the was a mistake that Eve made. She obviously had not listened properly to God or her husband Adam. She added the words, 'nor shall you touch it.'
We really need to listen properly to what God is saying to us, otherwise we will get ourselves into all kinds of problems. People have gone out on missions believing God has sent them, when He hasn't, and it has been disastrous. Listen properly.

The serpent tempted Eve with the fruit of the tree, and he will tempt you too if you allow him. Verse 6 tells us that the tree, was:

* Good for fruit
* Pleasant to the eye
* Desirable to make one wise

Check these characteristics out. Isn't this the way we are often tempted by things? The longer we look at things that we shouldn't we stand the risk of falling to it.The longer we are in a place that we shouldn't be in, the risk becomes great. Eve, should have known better but she fell for the temptation and so will we if we're not careful. The thing is, Adam was with her and didn't stop any of this. He should have said to the serpent, 'GET OUT OF MY GARDEN.' He should have taken the authority that he had been given but he didn't. And oftentimes, we don't either.

Later in the day, God was strolling through the garden and called for Adam, "Where are you?" But Adam and Eve hid because they were ashamed. They were under conviction. Have you ever felt that way. Of course you have. I have many times, but it shouldn't be that way. It shows us just where we are in God.
In closing, Where are you?

'Father open my eyes and help me to walk with You
Without shame or conviction
For the times I have, forgive me.  Amen'

Don't go it alone

13 January 2019

Don't go it alone

"Not my might, nor by power but by My Spirit says the Lord of Hosts".   Zechariah 4:6

You need God! You can't go it alone. You're weak - God is strong.
Let Him work through you:
"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."  2 Corinthians 12:9
The way you know that you're truly anointed is when God takes the weaker vessel and performs supernatural feats. It's when we say to God, "Lord, I can't do this, but I know You can, please help me." You may think that you haven't a clue how God can use you to do anything but that's how He likes us to be. We are saying that we trust Him to help.

In Exodus 3:11, God called Moses to go and bring the Israelites out of Egypt. To go and see Pharaoh and tell him that he should let the people go. What a mammoth task and one in which any of us would find very daunting.
Moses asked God "Who am I?" Meaning, "what can I do?" Possibly he should have said, "Whose am I?" and possibly he may have realised the trust that God had in him to perform this task. However, with God, all things are possible. He's never caught out or has to stop and think what's the best thing to do.
Moses wriggled and thought of every excuse possible. I would have probably done the same. I mean, Moses would have to go back to the place where he had killed an Egyptian. He could face execution or a life in the dirtiest dungeon ever. God asked Moses, "What is that in your hand?" referring to Moses' rod or staff. When God commanded him to throw it on the ground, it turned into a snake. Exodus 4:2 - 3.
God was demonstrating to Moses that He would be in charge; He would go with Him and take care of every situation. Nothing is too difficult for God but we must include Him in all that we do, otherwise it can all go wrong. We need to give to Him all that we have and let Him use it and us to bring victory to the situation.

Are you struggling with something at this time. Has God asked you to do something that is so overwhelming that it is causing you sleepless nights. Or are you struggling with a decision to change jobs, move house or any other huge task. Don't carry this alone. It's too much for you. Yield it to God. In other words, approach the Throne of God and surrender it to Him. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. James 4:8. That's a promise!

Go in His Name

12 January 2019

Go in His Name
"Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord" Psalm 118:26, Matthew 21:9, Matthew 23:39
In Hebrew the means "Baruch haba, B'shem Adonai"

This scripture is talking of Jesus, who was to come in the Name of the Lord and as He made His way around the Holy Land, healing people, showing them the true meaning of life and generally spreading His love all over where He went.

Although the scripture is talking about Jesus, I feel it could be said of others who go in the Name of the Lord. Those who go to foreign lands, risking their lives for the Gospel. Those too, who work in ordinary jobs and yet let Jesus be seen in all they do there.

I used to work in a hospice as a Bereavement Counsellor/Social Worker. My job was to get along the dying and the family and friends, offering support wherever I could. I was the only Christian in the place and as it was frowned upon to speak about Jesus, I had to go undercover. I would joke with people that I was a covert, undercover agent for Jesus.
With God's help, I was able to help many people in their fear and sorrow and had the privilege of bringing quite a few people to God. I was even forbidden to speak about Jesus by a superior but I was comfortable in the knowledge that Jesus had placed me there and I must go on.
I considered that I was working for Jesus and He had sent me into this evangelistic and pastoral setting in the Name of the Lord. (Baruch haba, B'shem Adonai)

Many others are doing similar things for God. Therefore if God has sent them to do this work, they can be recognised as people who are, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

If you are one of these people, stand up tall, do your job well and know that God is well pleased with your efforts, even if some people aren't.

Choose your words wisely Part two

11 January 2019

Choose your words wisely Part two
Regarding the tongue and how we speak, James says:
"But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
With it, we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men who have been 
made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. 
My brethren these things ought not to be so." " James 3:8 - 10 

The tongue can not be tamed and we have no power over it - on our own. However:
"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, 
full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.: James 3:17

Whereas it is impossible for us to tame the tongue, being filled with God's Spirit can bring about a change to this. We can be so filled with The Holy Spirit that we do not desire to do anything, other than walk with God; being filled with God and only allowing the Word of God to come out of our mouths. Therefore it must be in our hearts first:

"For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." Matthew 12:34

The late Derek Prince said about this verse:
"When the heart is filled it overflows through the mouth; and that overflow tells us the real condition of the heart." Copyright Derek Prince

There you have it. Take a look at yourself and determine what is the state of your heart? Do Godly, wholesome words that offer edification come out of it, or criticism, bad mouthing, angry words etc etc?

Taking a look again at James 3:17, the check list is:

(1) Being pure
(2) Peaceable
(3) Gentle
(4) Willing to yield
(5) Full of mercy and good fruits
(6) Without partiality
(7) Without hypocrisy

This is a good place to start in order to heal the state and condition of our heart. Why not do a self evaluation and bring it before the Throne of God. You know He cares enough to help

Choose your words wisely Part one

10 January 2019

Choose your words wisely Part one
In other words, 'Keep your mouth zipped'. Very hard to do at times but so important
Proverbs 18: 20 - 21 reads:

A man's stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth.
From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.'

Again Ephesians 4:29 reads:

'Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary
edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers'

That last bit is very important: 'that it may impart grace to the hearers.'
You are a hearer too. What you are saying has the power to build you up pr tear you down.
If your glass is always half empty and you say things such as, 'It'll never happen to me. Other people are blessed but God will never bless me.' Chances are you'll hardly ever be blessed with an attitude such as this. Change your, 'I can't do this' into, 'I'm going to give this my best shot. I reckon I can do this,' and then sit back and see the difference.
Our words carry either Faith or fear, Blessing or cursing, Life or death. We have to choose what comes out of our minds, wisely. Speak positively not negatively. I've often worked in a counselling situation with people and the most common word that comes up is, 'But'. 'I know what you're saying, but.' 'Ive tried that so many times, but". As soon as that small word is uttered from the lips it produces negativity. Change that. What you confess - you get. Make your words productive.

Today, try practising using positive words instead of negative ones. In other words, seek what the bible says. It's full of faith. If something bad comes along, don't just throw a wobbly and give up - stand up in the power of Jesus Christ. The Name above all names. Your Friend and Saviour.

Subject to Change

9 January 2019

Subject to Change
Romans 4:17 says, "God who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did."
It's a faith thing and God is a God of faith. He called the world, which at the time did not exist, and brought about the lovely planet that we live on. There's been many things, over the years, that didn't exist and God called them into being. And He wants us to live like this too.
2 Corinthians 5:7 reads, "We walk by faith not by sight," This is saying the same thing. We need to be looking at things the way Jesus would. Instead of getting all upset because we're sick and despite constant prayer, we are still sick, we need to look at the sickness through the eyes of faith and declare that the sickness is subject to change.
Let's read 2 Corinthians 4:18 "while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not are eternal."
We either believe the bad report that the doctor has given us or we refuse to accept that and start believing that a good report is coming.
Now I don't mean that we should refuse to take our medication and not have tests. Some people would and if they have the faith for that, that is fine. What I am saying is to believe for a good report so that when the doctor says there is nothing wrong anymore, we can then stop taking the meds. That is what happened to me when I had a bad dose of Bell's Palsy. The doctor told me that he felt after all the treatment I had had, with no sign of improvement, my face would stay twisted and paralysed. However, God thought different and when I called out to Him, I was healed overnight. (See my testimony - the first of my blogs. If you can't find it, contact me. I'll send a copy to you.)
Things are subject to change. Stop accepting things just because they are that way. Start believing for a miracle. God is still on the Throne. He still cares and He wants you well!

The best is yet to come

8 January 2019

The best is yet to come (John 2:1 -11)
There was a family wedding and Mary and her family were invited. Now this also included Jesus and His disciples. Things were going well until they ran out of wine. This would have disastrous connotations on the bride and her family. It would bring total shame upon them all.
Mary is quick to mention this to Jesus (V3). Jesus' answer, in V4 reads "Woman what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." Some scholars think that Mary was wanting Jesus to present Himself openly as the Messiah. However, there is nothing really to suggest this. Many feel, and I agree, that she was concerned and mentioned it to Jesus - her son - to see if any normal thing could be done to help the family here. Mary therefore, told the servants to do whatever He told them to do. She knew Jesus could change the situation supernaturally but at this stage, was hoping that something, at least could be done to eradicate the shame the family would suffer.

Jesus noticed that there were six empty stone pots standing around, each capable of holding twenty to thirty gallons. He told the servants to fill the pots with water and draw some off for the master of the feast. Now just check this out, six pots with say 30 gallons in each would be 180gallons in total. This would be the equivalent of 1440 pints. If we were to say that 3 glasses would equal a pint, that would be 4320 glasses of wine.
If the pots contained 20 gallons of water, that would be 120 gallons with a pint equivalent of 960 pints and 2880 glasses of wine. Wow, that would have been some party and it would be a great idea to have Jesus at your party.

The master of the feast was amazed. He said, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!"

Jesus had saved the day. He had rescued the family from certain shame. He led the master of the feast to believe that the best wine had been saved to the end.
Are you struggling with something in your life. Hanging on to a dream that never seems to come. You've asked God for a certain thing but you haven't received it yet, even though you know in your heart that it is His will. Don't give up. It may be just around the corner. The best is yet to come.
Jesus is well able to take your situation and turn it completely around. Hang in there and keep praying and reading your bible.

Don't miss it

7 January 2019

Don't miss it John 1:1 - 14
The first verse in the Gospel of John reads:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" John 1:1
Who was/is the Word. The Word was and is God. Scripture tells us that the Word - Jesus was there in the beginning. That means at creation, the Word was there; He was involved. He was with God and He was and is God.
It may seem complicated but really, it isn't. God the Father, God the Son and God The Holy Spirit. They are God yet in three persons and that is called, The Holy Trinity. You see right back to the Fall of man, sin had crept  into the life of man and God who is holy, could not look at this. There was the Law of God but these were a set of rules that no one could obey. It was impossible. People were dying in their sin. Therefore, God decided to do something about this. Verse 14 shows us what He did. 'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" However, people did not recognise who He was. Verse 11 reads, "He came to His own and His own did not receive Him." 
The King of Glory came down to earth as a man and people refused to recognise He was who He said he was. He was healing the sick and spreading friendship and love, hope and blessing all over the place and it all fell on deaf ears, except for the very few who realised who He was and followed Him.

You know, it's very similar today. Verse 5 tells us, "And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." Who is the Light? It is Jesus. What is the darkness? Those people and areas who reject Jesus as God. Who fail to accept Him as Lord. Those who do not accept that He is the Word, that He is God and was with God in the very beginning.
He is in the world today, but the darkness refuses to recognise Him, even though He shines His Light into each one He comes near. Haven't you ever felt that something strange has been happening to you? That all of a sudden a great sense of happiness has come upon you and you don't know from where? Haven't you ever been in the company of someone who you look up to and feel strangely drawn to them? Do you realise that it was more or likely Jesus who was whispering to you?
The Light has been shining in the darkness of your life. Are you going to invite Him to be your friend?

Conquerors

6 January 2019

Conquerors
Down the ages, there have been a few people who could claim to be conquerors. William the Conqueror obviously springs to mind, together with the rulers of the Roman Empire.  Then there are the dictators, such as Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin etc etc. Each of these at some stage have ruled with a rod of iron and been responsible for the deaths of many people with outrageous and disastrous  consequences.
Conqueror brings to mind the expression of power, however God wishes to make us - His children, more than conquerors. Let's look in the book of Romans:

"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor height, depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:37 - 39.

This is the Apostle Paul speaking and declaring God's love for us and how we will never be separated from Him.
Goliath, who was a massive giant who had slayed many men, was a domineering and frightening spectacle as he stood before David, who at the time was a skinny young boy. Goliath had all the weapons, David had only a sling and five smooth stones. Yet that day, David, who was later to become King, slew the giant with one stone. Height or strength such as this was not going to stop David.
Death cannot separate us from God, as a Christian our insurance policy is paid up in Jesus and we'll go straight to be with Him.
In this day and age, there is so much evil around. Murders practically every day; terrorists killing innocent people in the name of their so-called religion. It's scary, but as Christians, we belong to the King of kings, Jesus and we are more than conquerors.
Think about your life. There may be some scary things going on in your life at this time. As a Christian we can give it all to Jesus with the knowledge that He will help us. As a non-believer, we need to become a believer pretty quick for the day is coming when Jesus will return to clear all the mess up that we humans have made and it will be too late by then.
Are you ready? If not:

Lord Jesus, please come into my life,

Forgive me my in,

Fill me with Your Holy Spirit,

And be my friend, Lord and Saviour

Do not fear

5 January 2019

Do not Fear
Let us take a walk through Psalm 23 today.
Verse 1 tells us that The Lord is our shepherd. This phrase reveals to us one of God's redemptive names - Jehovah Ra-ah. He is our shepherd and as we trust in Him, we will want for nothing. In other words, He will provide all that we need, and more. A shepherd looks after his sheep, he keeps them refreshed and fed and protects them. Verse 4 talks of a rod and a staff. The shepherd would use the rod to ward off any ferocious animals that would come near to the sheep. Also, he would use his staff, or crook to prod the stubborn sheep or hook then out of holes and such like. He was their protector. God is our protector too.

The sheep would know the shepherds voice and would feel at peace with him or her. They would not be fearful when their shepherd was with them (Verse 4). Jesus does the same for us. He wants us to take care of ourselves and not to worry; He is our source of life, not the world. He gives us rest and restores our souls. The word 'soul' here in verse 3 is Mind, Will and Emotions. If we're not careful, our minds can run riots with our thoughts taking over and causing us mayhem. He wants to restore our minds. Our will, can make us stubborn and headstrong, thus unteachable leading us into all kinds of trouble. He wants to restore our will and help us to make our will, His will for our lives. Finally, our emotions can lead us into all kinds of problems, from anger to complete nervous breakdown because we cannot see a way through the pain, fear and worry. He wants to restore our emotions.

Whatever we go through in our lives, Goodness and Mercy (Verse 6) will be there. There may be changes to negotiate  but God never changes . He just loves us! Something good will come out of what you are going through at the moment. Possibly the thing you are struggling with at present cannot be taking away. It can though be changed or you can receive super strength to get to the other side.
Turn to your shepherd now. His name is Jesus or Jehovah Ra-ah. He will protect you, feed you, bind up the wounds of a broken heart, marriage or a life. Hs arms are open wide for you to run into

Difficult days can be good days

4 January 2019

Difficult days can be good days
1 Peter 4:12 says
"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you."
When the chips are down and nothing we touch appears to go right, it is difficult to think that God is anywhere around and if we feel He is, that He cares. We're tempted to think, 'If God loves us so much, why has this happened to me?"

Let's look at The Message version of this verse:
"When life gets difficult - don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job."
I much prefer TheMessage version because it says it as it is. We are tempted to think that He doesn't love us; that He has left us when we need Him the most etc. etc.
God will never leaves us. Hebrews 13:5. He is committed to us and cares so much. However, at times we have to go through some things so that He can see if we can handle stressful times. If we can't what is the point in Him putting us in a place if we're going to fall at the first hurdle.
No, when we're going through difficult times, He is right beside us.

In Isaiah 41:10, we read:
"Fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My
righteous right hand."
You may be thinking that 'it is all right for me to say this, he doesn't know what I'm going through'. And yes, that is true, I don't know what you're going through anymore than you know what I've been through. We all have bad times that floor us. However, we have a choice. One is to wallow in the pain and let it completely disable us, or we can rise above it by calling out to God and asking Him to get us through this bad time.
Bad times can be turned into good times. The glass is either half full or half empty. It's just the way we look at things.
If you throw yourself on God's mercy, He will meet you where you are, take your hand and walk you through these difficult times. The water may be wide but you can cross over it, with His help.
And by the way, He loves you amazingly!

Jonah 3 & 4 - Childish behaviour

3 January 2019

Jonah 3 & 4 - Childish behaviour
Following on from Jonah's repentance and obedience in going to Nineveh as God directed, one would hope that there would be a happier outcome. However, this was not the case.
Jonah does go to Nineveh and prophesies in the city about their need of repentance. A fast is declared by the king that everyone has to take part. The whole place repents and God is pleased and forgives them.
However, Jonah was not pleased with this, in fact he became angry and in prayer complained to God basically saying, "I knew you'd do this Lord. I knew you'd forgive them. That's why I fled to Tarshish in the first place. Take my life, I've had enough, the people  should not have been forgiven" (Paraphrase).
Jonah had the audacity to be angry with God and question Him about forgiving the people. He was being bigoted and selfish in his attitude and began to sulk like a spoilt child because he couldn't have his own way.
He went out of the city, made himself a shelter and sat there waiting to see what would happen to the people. I am sure he considered that God would change His mind and bring severe punishment on the people. However, when nothing happened, he sulked even more. Because of the heat of the sun, God caused a large plant to grow up and offer Jonah some shelter. Jonah was very pleased with this and tended it lovingly. Then God caused a worm to eat the plant so it offered no shelter at all. This caused Jonah to wish death upon himself again. God spoke with Jonah and told him that he had shown more compassion on a plant than he had shown towards one hundred and twenty thousand people.

Jonah was selfish, acted like a child and his motives were all wrong. He felt that these people should not have received God's blessing and forgiveness. Tell me, are we like this when certain people are blessed, saved and raised up to significant positions within our church? Do we have a "What about him or her'" attitude towards certain people? A,"They need to hear this sermon they do, it's for them." Have we now become a judge? If God had wanted us to be a judge, he'd have given us a black gown and a curly white wig to wear. It's time that we looked at ourselves instead of other people. If God wants to bless others, it's nothing to do with us. We need to mow our own grass, not theirs.

At the end of the day, we will have to give an account for all we've done and said. It may be a good idea to check out God's Word concerning this in The Great White Throne Judgement recorded in Revelation 20:11 - 15.
We can either meet God as our friend or take our fate upon ourselves. Now that's food for thought.

Jonah 2 - Call out to God

2 January 2019

Jonah 2 - Call out to God
Jonah through his own disobedience and stubborn nature, ended up in the raging sea and was swallowed up by a large fish. Now whether this was a whale or a large shark we don't really know. Many have argued that this is a myth and tend to ignore this piece of scripture. That is rather foolish because, 'All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, throughly equipped for every good work.' 2 Timothy 3:16-17. If God said it, that's all I want to know and I believe it.

Jonah came to his senses once installed in his smelly surroundings and realised that sin, really does separate someone from God. He had the sense to cry out to God, acknowledging his foolishness and repented and God ordered the fish to vomit him up onto dry land. Not an ideal way to come back into the world but I doubt at the time, that Jonah was complaining about this.

When we try and turn from God, He sees this and watches to see how we will handle things. He'll never leave us, but will also not intervene unless we call and ask Him too. Sin is a major matter with God. He cannot look at this because He is Holy. Because of this, He became a man and came down to earth as Jesus. He is the Son of God but He is also fully God. Maybe hard to get your head around this at first but that is fact. Jesus is God and because of this, we can call out to Him and ask Him for His help. but we need to ask His forgiveness when we have done wrong. God can't look on sin but Jesus can but His hands are tied until we repent. When we do, He is there to help in our time of need.

We all have stuff in our lives that we hide from people. People have been trapped into pornography, fornication, homosexuality and whatever else and yet have been preaching the Gospel. Others may not know but Jesus does but He shows us Grace. However, if we continue to ignore the fact that we need to ask Him to forgive and free us from whatever is in our live, we stand the risk that He may expose us to someone to set us free. Scary stuff and one that we don't wish to happen, but it has happened to many prominent men and women of God.

Therefore if you are struggling with something, give it to Jesus and get help. You know it makes sense.

Jonah (1) The peril of running away from duty

1 January 2019

Jonah (1)
Let's look at the book of Jonah for the next few days.
Jonah was a prophet but, a very reluctant one. When he received the call to go to Nineveh to warn people of the peril of living life without the Lord God, he flatly refused. In fact, he rebelled and bought a ticket on a ship going to Tarshish, to escape the presence of the Lord.

Now this was pure disobedience. When we are committed to God, as I am sure Jonah was or he wouldn't have been named as a prophet, then God would be expecting him to obey and go and execute the word He had given Jonah. However, the strong-willed, rather selfish Jonah was having none of this, and went off the other way to escape the presence of God.
This is a total impossibility. We cannot escape God, He is everywhere, but at times, we may have  tried to ignore what He is telling us, especially when He's pinpointing some sin in our lives that we want to hang on to. Disobedience can be costly, as Jonah found out.

A massive tempest was overcoming them and threatened to smash the ship and deposit them to a certain death in the raging water. Whenever, we're in danger we all have someone we cry out to for help. The captain and the crew were no different. They called on their gods, however, to no avail. Eventually they thought of Jonah down below, sleeping and ran and questioned him. Finally, satisfied that the was the reason for this peril, they considered throwing him overboard. But firstly, they tried to row back to land.But it was useless. They were sinking. You know, we need God in our lives to help us through dangers. He's the only one who can offer reasonable help. When their effort failed, they actually tossed Jonah into the waves, and the sea ceased from its raging.

Important points for today:

Disobedience We cannot continue to live in disobedience without God intervening

We need God We cannot try to make it alone. Trying to solve things and do things alone is a no go

Watch your attitude God requires our love and obedience as much as we require His

Cry out to God Whenever you need Him, He is there. Call on Him today