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.