GOD MEANS WHAT HE SAYS

Isaiah 43:19 ESV Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

God still has new things for us all, and they may make our heads tilt a bit, whether it’s in our own lives personally or by the mighty move of God that is coming on the earth in these end times where the Holy Spirit will bring many people into God’s kingdom before it’s too late.

When we read this verse though, we may think it’s only referring to some big new thing that’s going to happen, but perhaps we forget that each new day is a new beginning.😊 

Yesterday has gone and we can leave it in God’s hands. God reminds us He has poured out His new mercies on us as the new day dawned for when we get it wrong, and He has showered us with the new blessings of His grace that will meet every need we will have in the next 24 hours.

There may be things looming in your life and you just can’t see how they can be resolved, or how things are going to work out, but we’ve not been called to ‘work things out’. We’ve been called to trust in the God who holds the solar systems in place, who calls out the stars by name, who knows how many hairs are on your head, who knows when you sit down and rise up again.😊

We’re called to tell others about the goodness and love of our God and leave the details to Him, one day at a time. We’re called to follow His lead, not to go down the cul de sacs of ‘good ideas’ or lean on our own very limited understanding. When God says He will make a way in the wilderness, He means it! It’s not an airy fairy, vague nice thing to say! God always means what He says. He will make a way!

So be encouraged to grab a hold of this verse, whether it’s for the next 24 hours or for the big picture of the future, because either way it’s God Himself who is promising it and He will do what He says He will do! My part is to stir up our faith and your part is to believe Him.😊 Amen.

Photo by Josh Mills on Unsplash

SOMETHING TO REJOICE ABOUT

Luke 10:19 NKJV “Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

It’s easy to jump up and down for joy when everything is going well but it’s not so easy on those days when life is hard and the last thing you feel like doing just at this minute is rejoice!😊 

So why and what are we rejoicing about? When the Apostle Paul told us ‘Rejoice and again I say rejoice’(Philippians 4:4), even when he was in prison, he knew why he was rejoicing. It wasn’t fake! On one occasion he was in a cell, underground, chained, beaten and in pain. We saw a photo recently of the actual prison they believe Paul was incarcerated in and it wouldn’t have made you feel like rejoicing!

So how could Paul rejoice? It was because his name was written in heaven! That’s why we can all rejoice who own the name of Jesus who have repented of our sins and are trusting in Him alone and not in our own righteousness. We have a sure and certain hope of heaven, because of all Jesus has done for us.

John 14:2-3 NRSV Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.

It means even when we feel like we’re in a prison of difficult days or hard trials we can rejoice in this  - our names are recorded in heaven and one day Jesus is coming back to take us into our new home where there will be joy everlasting and our Heavenly Father is waiting to say, ‘Welcome Home!’😊

But until then, even when things may look impossible, we encourage each other to keep standing on all the promises of God, we walk by faith and not by sight, and having done all, we stand - and we can all rejoice because we know God loves us and our names are written in heaven. 

Thank You Lord Jesus. Amen.

Photo by Japheth Mast on Unsplash