GET VICTORY OVER FEAR

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect  in love.

This verse is talking about God's perfect love for us not our love for Him, but I doubt if any of us have been perfected yet in knowing how much God loves us. We only have to listen to the media for five minutes and it seems the enemy is using them to plant seeds of fear into anyone who's listening, so it's no wonder God tells us not to be afraid literally hundreds of times throughout scripture because He knows how destructive fear can be.

The good news is, God doesn't want us to be afraid and He's provided the way of escape by giving us His love because the knowledge of how much He loves us brings us His security and His peace in every area of our lives.

When we learn just how much God loves us and how He only seeks our good, our health, our wholeness in every area of life, then the more we shall be freed from fears that hound us because He's right there with us. 

Let me ask you how fear comes to you. It starts with a fear thought doesn't it, in which case it can be counteracted by a God thought and replaced by His words and His promises. When we're anxious or frightened we can use God's words and thoughts in our minds to uproot the fears.

We know will power doesn't work, it has to be God power, and it's called faith in Jesus. He broke the back of fear, nailed it to His cross and rendered every demon powerless to harm us but we have to enforce His victory with His Word in our mouths and in our hearts and minds.

If we're fed up being afraid, let's get God's word out, look up His promises on how He loves us and how He's with us. Open the door to faith, and close the door to fear. Pin them up round the house, learn them, so we can declare them, and call on the Holy Spirit to help us. As soon as the fear thought comes, let's slam the door shut in the enemy's face and declare this instead:

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has NOT given us (me) a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Even if we have to do it every two minutes, let's keep declaring the victory in Jesus because we don't have to give in to fear anymore.

THE GOD OF HOPE

Zechariah 9:12 Come back to the place of safety, all you prisoners who still have hope! I promise this very day that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles.

Godly hope is a certain expectation of good based on God's word and promises, it's not some airy fairy thing, so my question to myself and you is, are we walking in Godly hope or just worldly hope where it's down to chance? The Nkjv in that verse says 'Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope.'  I like the idea of being a prisoner of Godly hope, it wont let us go! 

Romans 15:13  Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit wants you and me to abound, or overflow, with hope - with a certain expectation of  God's goodness to us. He wants us to be looking to the New Year, not with dread or fear, but with the knowledge that God has good plans and purposes for us, that He is going to repay us with double blessings for our troubles that we've had, whatever they may be. 

Paul encourages us in the Romans verse to know that God will fill us with all joy and peace as we keep believing, trusting and expecting good from Him by the power of the Holy Spirit.

When something is filled it means there's no room for anything else doesn't it and that's what God wants for us with no room for fears, or worries or anxious thoughts. As we said yesterday He wants that old wallpaper taking down!

Instead let's allow our God of Hope to fill us up with His great expectation of good and fill us up with His joy and peace in believing, and let's remember to be believing for those double blessings He's promised too.😊

LETTTING GOD TRANSFORM US

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Have you ever done any renovating in your home where you got rid of the old because you realised you needed a change to something new and fresh? The meaning of that word 'renewing' also means renovation and complete change for the better. Would you like some of that, to renovate your mind? I know I would! 

First of all though we have to look at what we are believing and thinking as to whether it has been taught us by the world's system or past experiences and are we willing to allow God to renew and renovate our thinking by His Word to come in line with His Kingdom and His thinking?

If we love God we will want to obey what He says and the lovely thing is, God has given us His Holy Spirit to help us from the inside out. As we read His word and agree with it, we shall find we are being steadily renovated and we shall know His good, acceptable and perfect will.

So if you find you're thinking isn't all it could be and you recognise there are some old negative thought patterns that need a 'new look' may I encourage us all to allow God to pull the old wallpaper off our minds with His word and give us His thought patterns which will be a complete change for the better as we approach the coming new year.😊

PLANT GOD'S WORD

Luke 8:11+15...The seed is the word of God. 15. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

Before Christmas I planted some cress seeds which the packet said to plant on kitchen paper. After a few days some of the tiny brown hard seeds started to germinate and we've been fascinated to see them grow at different rates of growth. Some are only germinating now after many days while others are 1.5" tall already. But yesterday I came downstairs to discover they had all fallen over and looked dead as a dodo. I had forgotten to water them and they couldn't survive without it and I was so upset!  It was like they were my pet cress seeds!  I immediately watered them and they are now all standing merrily once again and I don't think I can cut them down to eat them after just saving their lives!😊

The reason I'm telling you all that is because Jesus called the Word of God seed and when we plant it by speaking it over our lives and believing it in our hearts, it will grow tall and strong and bear fruit, but just like my tiny cress seeds it has to be watered and not neglected.

May I encourage us all to keep planting God's Word everyday in our lives because it will grow, take root and change us from the inside out. If you've planted a promise in your heart keep watering the Word of God by attending to it, keep believing it. Don't listen to negative lies about it and don't neglect it. Promises of God can take time to come to fruition but a promise is a promise and it will manifest and bear much fruit with patience.😊

SO GRATEFUL

Psalm 95:2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving...

Sometimes we take things so much for granted and it isn't till we can't do something any more that we start to appreciate what we had. 

It was like that for us this year as we looked back on last Christmas. I was reminded by my daughter that last year we weren't even allowed to meet indoors together but had to meet up on a bitterly cold Christmas Eve for a walk instead, and exchanged presents from the boot of our car into the boot of  her car, and we couldn't hug each other because of all the restrictions. So at least this year we were allowed to open our gifts and have fun together in the comfort of our home on the day! Thank You Lord I was so grateful and I wont take that for granted any more!

Part of Christmas is the giving and receiving of gifts which is all about showing our love for one another. One of the lovely presents I received was a beautiful patchwork bag my sister made for me which is all the more special because she took the time to make it herself. 

God is like that. He took the time to plan and make it possible to give us the greatest gift we'll ever receive - the gift of His very own Son. He had planned His gift of Jesus since before the world was made and our part is to not take His gift for granted, it cost Him so much.

It's a great opportunity for us to take the time and just be so thankful and grateful for all the gifts and blessings God has poured out on us, but especially for Jesus.

RECAPTURE OUR EXCITEMENT

Luke 3:20 Then the shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

It's not everyday you have a load of shepherds knock on your front door asking to see your new baby is it and I expect Mary must have been exhausted after the birth? They had no family nearby to share their good news with, but suddenly there's a load of strangers standing on the doorstep! 

Not only that but they were saying angels had appeared in the night sky to let these ordinary men be the first to know that God had sent a Saviour into the world and their baby was Him!

God had given them someone to share their baby news with after all, and the men were so thrilled and excited that they went out and told the people in town all about it too. Those shepherds just wanted to tell everybody!

It might be easy to lose the wonder and joy of Christmas, but not when we remember Christmas is still all about Jesus, about Peace and Goodwill from God to men through Him. 

So whatever else is happening in your world, let's ask the Holy Spirit to help us recapture something of those shepherds' excitement this Christmas and give great praise and glory to God for all He's done for us in sending us our wonderful Saviour Jesus, because He really is worth celebrating. All glory to Him.

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Have a very Blessed and Happy Christmas everyone from my home to yours, wherever in the world you are reading my blog. Have a lovely time.xx 😊

FOLLOW THE SHEPHERDS

Luke 2:9 Now there were...shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

There will be lots of children this Christmas Eve who will be trying to stay awake and watching to see Santa when he arrives. 😊

How about you and me?  What are we watching for? Are we like the shepherds, so busy watching over our responsibilities (their sheep), watching over the arrangements for Christmas, possibly all watching TV at some point, that we maybe forget to watch for Jesus to join us in our festivities. I know it's happened to me before. 

We're told that the shepherds had quite a fright when their heavenly visitors lit up the night sky. The angels made such an impact on them that they believed their message and left everything to rush into town to find the newborn King. (Luke 3:16) And they made haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.) 

At some point in all the celebrations let's try to follow the shepherds' example, leave everything to one side for a few minutes, and go and spend some time with Jesus. He still wants to be Emmanuel, God with us, as we eat our Christmas dinner or play our games or whatever we all plan to do, He's there with us. Let's find Jesus in it all.😊

WHY A STONE MANGER?

Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger... . 

Have you ever noticed stones play an important part in God's story? God wrote the laws He required His people to live by on stone tablets.Then as a baby, Jesus was wrapped in linen cloths by His mum and laid in a manger, which Bible scholars tell us would certainly have been a stone feeding trough at that time.  God wanted us to have that detail, that picture because He is the Bread of Life to us. 

Fast forward thirty three years from there and you find Jesus being wrapped once again, this time in linen burial cloths and being laid in a stone tomb. His manger had been a picture of what was to come.  God had already planned the stone tomb before Jesus ever came to the stone manger. Then God tells us a large stone was rolled in front of His tomb and sealed. 

Only God could have brought Jesus into the manger and only God could get Him out of the tomb.

But praise God the story wasn't over! Go forward another three days and the stone has been rolled away!

Jesus came to free us from the grave and punishment for our sins. He was born into our world, died on the cross and rose again in order to fulfil all the requirements of the law for us, so God could forgive our sin and give us His righteousness in exchange.

The next time you see a picture of Jesus in a manger, let Him remind you He came to take your place, to be the Bread of Life to you, to free you from the law of sin and death and give you His righteousness, and to give you resurrection life in Him. What a Saviour! 

Just in case you don't know Jesus as your Saviour, let me invite you to ask Him to come into your heart this Christmas and pray the prayer at the side of this Blog. He loves you so.😊

GOD'S DRAMATIC ENTRY INTO OUR WORLD

Isaiah 9:6 ... Unto us a Son is given...

Have you ever searched for that 'perfect' gift for your loved ones? It's a gift that makes their faces break open in a big smile, in a 'Wow! Thank You! moment. It doesn't happen too often but sometimes we get it just right and there is a lot of joy around and it makes you feel happy too.😊

God has done exactly that for us. His heart loves us so much He wanted to give the very best present to mankind He could give so He gave us His very own Son. 

When the angels announced His arrival it was a huge celebration as a multitude of angels appeared in the sky and praised God saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:14)  It was a  dramatic moment both on earth and in Heaven. God had entered our world!

I hope we all make time to receive God's wonderful gift of His Son into our everyday lives this Christmas season, to draw aside each day and allow the "Wow! Thank You for Jesus" moment rise up in our hearts. 

In a sense God's angels are still announcing to us Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards you and me right here, right now. 

We are actually part of an ongoing dramatic moment with God everyday we walk and talk with Jesus. His gift of His Son is still with us and I hope still 'Wowing' us with the knowledge that He has forgiven us and reconciled us to Himself. 

Let's join the angels in their celebrations as the days unfold with our heartfelt praise of 'Glory to God and Thank You Lord.' Let the  'Wow' of the moment come to us afresh.  Amen. 

GOD'S WONDERFUL KINDNESS TO US

Titus 3:4-6 But-"When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. (Nlt).

I woke up today with the word kindness running through my mind and how hugely kind and merciful God is to all of us so I looked up some verses to see what the Word says about it. 

When God sent Jesus to us that first Christmas He was revealing to us His kindness and His mercy because He was giving us the Saviour. 

He's the only One who could rescue us from our sins. He was giving us the One who could heal all our diseases, the only One who could overcome the world and defeat the devil. He is the Source of our life, the Light for our path, the Way to heaven.

Apart from those immensely wonderful things God's nature is kindness itself. Scripture tells us He is full of mercy and loving kindness, that every morning we wake up, we wake up to His kindness, love and mercy. (Lamentations 3:23) I don't know about you but that blesses my heart so much. Psalm 103:4 goes on to tell us He crowns us with loving kindness.

So today as we begin Christmas week countdown, wherever we go and whatever we have to do, we can go out knowing we're wearing a crown given to us by God Himself and that He is pouring out His loving kindness on us.  What a wonderful thought! Thank You Jesus.

 Have a blessed week and let's show someone else God's kindness.😊

AT THE RIGHT TIME IT WILL HAPPEN

Galations 4:4-5 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.

Some versions read 'at the appointed time'.  God has an 'appointed time'. a 'right time' for doing things in our lives so don't be discouraged if what you are waiting for hasn't happened yet. God waited several hundred years to bring Jesus to us at the right time because He has a perfect plan and we are part of it.

All through the Old Testament God had his prophets speak His Word into the earth declaring the arrival of His Son who would be conceived through a virgin by His Holy Spirit. In the same way God requires us to speak His Word over our lives in faith and as we do that His Word, which is incorruptible seed, will bear fruit and conceive in us whatever God has already appointed for us, again by His Holy Spirit.

The more we speak God's Word over our lives, the more our faith will grow, and we will see the manifestation of what we're believing for. The virgin birth was miraculous and God's Word brought it about. 

Maybe you're believing for loved ones to come to know Jesus this coming year then use God's Word like the seed it is and pray over it, declaring it by faith as you pray,  that you and your household will be saved. 

Maybe you're believing for healing then pray God's Word over that sickness or disease and declare by faith that 'by Jesus wounds you are healed'. 

Whatever it is you're believing and waiting for, God's Word will not return to Him empty but it will accomplish it's assignment - at the right time. Keep believing, be encouraged today.

DO NOT BE AFRAID

Malachi 3:6 I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The times we are living in seem to be very uncertain with circumstances changing from day to day. What we have taken for granted in the past can no longer be counted on for the future. Our unsaved friends are very anxious and worried with good cause as they don't have God as their foundation and their security.

But God does not want us to be worried, anxious or afraid. Our verse tells us that God, who is Love, does not change. He still loves us and always will. God is still on the throne of Heaven and all authority has been given to our Lord Jesus Christ. When our eyes are fixed on Jesus our lives will be held steady because He is our Deliverer and our firm foundation not our jobs, our pensions, our governments or even our traditions. 

Regardless of what changes in the world around us we can know for sure that God remains the same in His care of us, His children. God has told us there will be a shaking in our world so we shouldn't be surprised and if we're wise we'll keep our eyes on Him and His Word and not just on the News!

On Jesus' last night on earth, just hours before His crucifixion, He gave His disciples an instruction, knowing they would see their world rocked to the core within 24 hours and what was it?  I believe He wants to remind us today ...

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Remember even though everything else changes, God will not, and He says there is no need for us to be afraid so let's trust what He says.  I hope that helps us today.

TOTALLY SECURE IN GOD

Hebrews 13:5(b)... For He himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." The Amplified Bible says God will never abandon us or leave us without support nor leave us helpless. Three times He says 'He will Not!'

If ever we're tempted to think God has gone off somewhere and left us to our own devices it's good then to stop and ask ourselves is there any part of 'never' we're not understanding? When God says never He really means never and if  we have any sense of insecurity it will be washed away by that truth. God wants us to be secure in Him and we can be if we'll believe what He says.

God is  never taken by surprise by what's happening, or by what we've done or not done.  He's never stressed out by any situation because He's the One who holds all of time and space in place. He's never at a loss to know what to do because He already has the answers to our problems before we even get them!

The bottom line of all that is we're not 'Home Alone', not even for a second! We have the Great 'I AM' on our side, the Prince of Peace living in us, equipping us and empowering us by His Holy Spirit wherever we are and wherever we go.

So let's relax and remind ourselves 'God is never going to leave me, so I'm going to be more than OK'. 

God really wants us to get a hold of this truth. He's never going to leave us, not ever, not for all eternity because of Jesus. We can be totally secure in Him and it's such a wonderful thing to celebrate this Christmas season don't you think? Thank You Lord.

HEALING IN OUR THOUGHTS

Philippians 4:8 And now dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (Nlt).

 'It takes a thought to heal a thought'  is a quote from his book  'The Power of Right Believing' by Joseph Prince.

We all have thoughts running through our minds and sometimes they're not so helpful. We may tend to see the worse case scenario for a situation. We go with the 'what if it all goes wrong' rather than the 'what if it all goes right' thinking. So what do we do with all those negative thoughts? 

The way to counteract and overcome them is to replace them with God thoughts and what He tells us in scripture. God's promises are true and if we'll choose to believe them and see them make a picture in our minds they will heal our negative thoughts.

It's a bit like our minds are full of different TV channels and if we watch the wrong ones we'll be depressed and discouraged. When that happens we need to switch channels in our minds and watch what God sees. He sees us fearfully and wonderfully made not 'I'm a mess and don't feel good about myself'. God sees us being fully provided for with more than enough and we need to watch that channel when we're tempted to think 'I don't know how we'll manage with the cost of everything going up'. We need to watch 'The Lord is protecting me wherever I go' channel if we're afraid to go out because of the virus.

What pictures are you running through your mind? I know I have to pull myself up short and run the 'I'm healthy and strong and well able in Jesus' programme. Maybe you need to tune into that channel too! We get to choose what we dwell on and with the help of the Holy Spirit we can choose to think God's thoughts even when circumstances say different.

So as we go about our day or lying in bed at night let's run God's promises through our minds and let Him heal our thoughts with His thoughts, and see them playing out in our minds and I believe we'll begin to make real progress. Amen.😊

GOD IS TURNING IT ROUND

1 Peter 5: Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.

On the 9th December I wrote in 'Angels on Assignment' about my parcel which hadn't arrived. I was really upset about it and we prayed for angels to intervene so the courier would deliver it. Days went by and I was so tempted to give it up as lost or stolen but each day I kept thanking the Lord for His care and concern over what concerns me and that angels were on the job bringing it to someone's attention.

Well the wonderful news is, 13 days later, my parcel was delivered but it arrived back at my house, all safe and sound!! So that was such a big Thank You Jesus! moment for me because at least it was no longer missing! It is now on it's way once again and we commissioned angels to see it's delivered safely to the right place this time! 

I know in the big scheme of things that is such a small thing, especially in view of all the traumas so many people are going through right now and our hearts and prayers are for them, but I'm telling you about it to encourage you in your faith.

Nothing is too small or too big to God because if it concerns us it concerns our loving Heavenly Father too. Standing in faith for something can be a fight but it's a fight in our thinking. Who will I listen to - the enemy's lies and doubts or the truth that God cares about me?

Can I encourage you to keep standing in your faith, keep believing that no matter what things look like or what people have said God can turn things around that look impossible. If God cares about my insignificant little parcel He most certainly cares about everything happening in your life right now too. 

We thank You Lord in faith, in advance, for the turn around for our good. Amen.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting the whole of your care (all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all) on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. (Amplified Bible)

EMMANUEL - GOD IS WITH YOU WHERE YOU ARE

Matthew 1:23  Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel, which means 'God is with us.'

Where are you at this moment because wherever you are God is right there with you.

Do you ever scratch your head and wonder why we allow ourselves to get upset and bothered when we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is for us and with us. Why do we allow ourselves to be worried when we know Almighty God, the most powerful Being in the universe, the wonder making, miracle working God, is not just with us but in us?

God gave us Emmanuel, He gave us Jesus so we could spend eternity with Him and be saved from doing life on our own in our own strength. God made us for Himself because He wanted us in His family. What an honour that is. 

We were designed to contain God. We all have a God shaped hole inside us and thank God He sent Jesus to fill it, but we have to allow Him to fill us. 

Just in case the worries or anxieties of life have filled you up instead, may I give you a nudge to draw aside with your Saviour and let Him fill you afresh with His peace and joy and love. Give Him all those things that oppress you and pull you down, the things that keep you awake in the night and let Him be God to you, the One who knows you so intimately He even knows how many hairs are on your head.

As we begin a new week let's keep reminding ourselves all through each day that God really is with us, He hasn't gone on holiday, He's not too busy, He's not mad at us but loves us deeply, and He's waiting and wanting to be 'God with us'.  Have a great week.😊

HOW AMAZING JESUS IS TO US!

2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Yesterday we looked at receiving God's grace but have you ever asked yourself what am I receiving when I receive grace? It's good to remind ourselves so let's look at part of it...

We receive God's amazing gift of forgiveness for all our sins past, present and future because Jesus went to the cross for us and when we believe He rose from the dead we then receive His gift of righteousness and everlasting life in Him as well. That is all huge but that's not all...

We receive healing for all our diseases and infirmities whether of body, mind or our souls. (Isaiah 53, Psalm 103, 1 Peter 2:24). It's all included in the finished work of Jesus on the cross, not separate.

We receive His provision for us out of His riches in heaven by Christ Jesus so we have more than enough.  He became poor so we could become rich to also be a blessing to others. (Phil. 4:19,  2 Cor.8:9)

We receive His favour like a shield so we'll be at the right place at the right time to meet the right people. (Psalm 5:12 Nkjv) 

We receive His protection as He guards us and keeps us from all harm when we're trusting in the blood of Jesus. (Exodus 12:23,  Psalm 91, Psalm 121).

This is just part of the abundance of His grace so when we open ourselves up to receive His grace we're receiving all of the above and much more besides. It is amazing grace! We have an amazing, wonderful Saviour and can be so glad Jesus came into this world to save us.😊 Thank You Jesus.

TAKE A GRACE BREAK

Romans 5:17.....much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

We all enjoy taking a tea or coffee break and you may remember a while ago how the Lord encouraged us to take a 'Love Break' where we just draw aside for a few moments throughout our day and think about the fact God loves us so much and just receive His love and let it flow into us.

Recently I read the phrase "Take a Grace Break" and thought what a great concept that is as well. Our verse tells us to receive abundance of grace which implies that we have to do the receiving or not receiving! 

This is the time of year for giving and receiving gifts and here God is gifting us with His grace but we have to take it, receive it. 

Thankfully Grace is not a gift we have to earn or deserve, it's just the most wonderful gift God gives us. Jesus is Grace and we're reminded at Christmas that God has given us Jesus to receive, and I think we all probably would love to have all of God's grace and favour we can have. 

So in the coming days let's just take a Grace Break and stop for a minute throughout each day, open up our hands to the King of Kings, to the Prince of Peace, to the God Who Is With us - Emmanuel- to Jesus Himself, who is full of Grace and Truth and just receive all of the abundance of His grace and favour afresh whenever we need it.

Lord we reach out by faith and receive Your overflowing grace and the gift of your righteousness again today and thank You so much for them in Jesus' Name. Amen.

ANGELS ON ASSIGNMENT

Hebrews 1:14 Therefore, angels are only servants - spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation. (Nlt)

I posted a parcel by courier to a friend last week with her Christmas present and a basket for Advent to open each day. She should have had it by 1st December but as of writing this Blog many days later she still hasn't received it.  

God knows about that parcel and He knows where it is and why it hasn't reached her yet, but I keep thanking Him for angels to come to our aid, to go and  find it and help the Couriers to deliver it!  I've been tempted to give up on it but I know God wants her to have it so I have to keep casting the care of that parcel back on to Him.

Are there things in your life that you've given the care of to God, then been tempted to take those cares back and start worrying about them all over again? If so, let me encourage you to keep trusting, keep believing for a good outcome. 

God's angels are given to each of us to minister to us and for us in all the affairs of our lives. In 1 Kings 19:5-6 an angel brought bread and water to Elijah. They can be Messengers like the message given to Mary. They protect us from harm which we looked at the other day. Isaiah tells us they obey the Word of God coming out of our mouths so whenever we declare God's promises angels are commissioned to do as God's Word says for us.

Be uplifted today and keep casting your cares on to the Lord, He's well able to take care of them and you, and His angels are constantly ministering to you and for you. How wonderful and reassuring is that!?

LIFE IS FOR LIVING NOW

Psalm 118:24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Life does not start later! I heard that phrase while watching a film last night and was very struck by it. The character was putting off till 'later' all the things she was planning on doing or enjoying 'when she had the time'.

I wonder how many of us do that too? Have you ever caught yourself saying "I'm planning on doing that later." Or, "one day, I'll go to such and such a place." We're so busy with stuff that we keep putting off all our plans for one reason or another.  Life is for living now because we don't have a guarantee of 'later'. Proverbs 27:1 tells us not to boast about tomorrow for we don't know what a day may bring. Hebrews tells us 'now is the day of salvation.'  

Jesus encouraged us to live in the now and leave tomorrow till tomorrow. He gives us His grace and great favour for each day as each day dawns and He wants us to enjoy our 'now' and not keep putting off  our enjoyment of it till later. He says rejoice and be glad in it! 

Maybe the Lord has been nudging you to do something like inviting someone for coffee or given you a dream, like writing a book, or going on a missions trip or starting a course to learn something new. If so can I encourage you to not put it off? 

Life does not start later, it has already started, and for some of us it's well on the way!  

The Lord is encouraging us today to get on and just do those things you planned on doing later and enjoy them now! Join that class, meet new people, try that new packet of biscuits! Today is the day the Lord has made, let's enjoy it now not later.😊

THE LORD WATCHES OVER YOU

Psalm 121:5,7-8 The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever. 

We live in a society which seems to be more 'watched' on surveillance cameras than ever before, but they're watching to see we're not breaking the law in some way.

God, however, is watching over us with a heart of love preserving us from all harm. He's sending angels on assignment, just for us, to protect us wherever we go. (Psalm 91:11) 

He says "I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. (Psalm 91:14)

So whether we're sleeping (as we looked at yesterday) or whether we're out and about, God is looking out for us, blessing us and keeping us safe. I hope that speaks to your heart and gives you peace of mind today. God himself is keeping a watch over you. 

I have a friend who, when she goes out driving, she first reaches across to the passenger seat as though she's taking the Lord's hand to acknowledge His presence with her, keeping her safe. I thought that was a good idea, to be constantly reaching out to the Lord and acknowledging His protection and presence with us, reassuring us wherever we are and whatever we're doing.

So the next time you see a surveillance camera of any kind let it be a reminder that your loving Heavenly Father who loves you beyond measure is watching over you to keep you safe.😊

EVEN WHILE YOU SLEEP!

Psalm 127:   It is vain for you to rise up early, to take rest late, to eat the bread of (anxious) toil - for He gives (blessings) to His beloved in sleep. (Amplified Bible)

Before you go to sleep tonight, or any night, think about this verse for a moment and take the time to put your mind at ease knowing God has promised to bless you even while you sleep. I think that's wonderful.

The Psalmist is not saying we've not to get up early to go to work or do what we have to do but to remember we're to depend on our loving God for all we need, not to depend on our own efforts of rising early and slogging away late into the night! God is the One who provides all we need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus and it's good to remember we're not our providers - He is.  In fact He is the Source for everything in life.

God has a way of blessing us even when we go to bed because He wants us not to worry, but rest in Him, confident that He's sorting things out, going ahead of us into tomorrow and making a way for things to turn round for our good. Only He can do that and He wants us to remember it so we don't worry ourselves silly all night! Psalm 121:4 tells us God doesn't slumber or sleep  so we can sleep knowing He's in charge!

So as we start a new week let's remember to relax and enter into God's rest knowing that as we trust Him, He is the One helping us and providing us with the multiple blessings we're going to need for today and everyday, even while we sleep!  Glory to God. Thank You Lord.

GOD IS STILL WITH US!

Psalm 139:18 ...And when I wake up you are still with me!

I don't  know about you, but I find that statement is such a blessing because it gives us a rock solid foundation for our lives. No matter what happens in the world, whether good or bad, God is still with us when we wake up each day.

I know we all experience times when we think 'God where are you?' but the truth is He is right there with us whether we're aware of Him or not. He's in us, covering us, protecting our backs, going before us making crooked paths straight so things will be smoothed out for us and He has blessed us.

Underneath us are His everlasting arms supporting us through tough times, so no matter what's happened in our past or our present we can know He's still with us to help bring us into the good future He ordained before the world was even made. 

So take heart this morning, regardless of what you've heard on the media, the TV, the newspaper or from local gossip - God Himself is still with us so all will be well for the godly. He hasn't abandoned us and never will but has given us 'I Can Do This' power in Jesus.

Enjoy your day today because whatever happens and whatever you have to do, when you woke up this morning, God was still with you and He always will be.😊

MAKE A 'THANKFUL JAR'

Psalm 95:2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;...

You've probably seen or heard of a 'Thankful Jar' and I woke up for some reason with it on my mind so thought I'd pass it on. 

Just in case you're not familiar with the idea you find a suitable jam jar and if you feel like it you decorate up the lid by covering it with pretty paper or cloth, or cut out a picture you like or even paint a picture on top. Then every time you think of something you're thankful for you write it on a little slip of paper and pop it in the jar. When your jar is full or after a few weeks you empty it out and read all the lovely things you've been 'Thankful For' that you'd forgotten all about.

It's a great way to acknowledge the goodness of God and how He blesses us with not just the big things in life but all the little moments that go to make up our walk with Him. Then if your mind has gone a blank when you want to pray, you read some of your little slips of paper and share them with the Lord. I guarantee it will help.

You can make a large 'family' one where every dinner time you all write something down to be thankful for or you can do it for one and enjoy it just as much.  The important thing is it helps us to have a grateful heart and makes us stop at any time of day to remember anything at all that made us glad or thankful or made us smile, no matter how small it was. 

If you don't have a jar, use a tin or anything else, but I think it's a lovely idea and hope it blesses you too if you take the time to do it. You might just be  'thankful' that you did.😊

GOD'S HEART IS TO BLESS US

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us...

If there is one thing God wants us to get down in our spirit in the coming days it's this truth - God's heart is always to bless us. We in turn need to have the same heart in us so we can be a blessing to others too. God is in the business of changing peoples' lives for the good, encouraging us and building us up, healing bodies and hurting souls.

A lot of that He ministers by His Spirit from the inside out, speaking to our hearts, helping us to change the way we think about things, but some of it He actually does through each one of us to reach others with the Good News that He loves them. 

When we allow Him to use us then He can touch them by our kindness, by our tolerance, by the grace He gives us to show to them. Kindness softens people's hearts and opens them to the love of God and what better time of year than leading up to Christmas. 

Very often a listening ear is what people most need at the moment. It can be a tricky time of year for a lot of folk and having someone to listen can be such a blessing but more than anything to let them know you care about them.

So let's try and be on the lookout for those ones the Lord is putting across our path that He wants to bless and touch with His love knowing He has already blessed us.😊 

John 1:16  Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another. (GNT)   Thank You Lord.

GOD LOVES TO SURPRISE US!

Ephesians 3:20 God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. (The Message).

December has arrived and here we are at the beginning of Advent once more! I always enjoy the build up to Christmas, probably because we get a chance to be a blessing to others and spring some happy surprises along the way.

I think God loves to do that too because He sometimes gives us a lovely surprise when we least expect it.  Maybe Mary was the one who had the biggest surprise from God when an angel announced she'd been chosen to be the mother of God's son. That had to be a heart stopping surprise don't you think?!

Peter was surprised when Jesus told him to go and find his tax money in a fish's mouth and sure enough, there it was! Jesus surprised people every day, wherever He went but even Jesus was amazed and surprised when the centurion told him to just say the word and his servant would be healed. I think his faith really blessed Jesus' greatly.

How about you? Have you had any nice surprises lately or is God prompting you to be the one to make a happy surprise for someone else like popping a chocolate coin into your Christmas cards?! It doesn't have to be big just something to bring a smile. Either way it's God who gets the glory because He is the instigator of it all and scripture tells us that all good gifts come from Him.

So I pray you all have some lovely 'God' surprises in this Advent season that really put a smile on your face.  He wants and encourages us to expect the unexpected and maybe it will be a big surprise.😊

WHAT'S ON GOD'S MIND?

Psalm 139:17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! 

Have you ever wondered what's on God's mind?  Well He reminds us in this verse that He's thinking about us all the time. You and I are on God's mind! How amazing is that!

We know our God is the God of restoration, the God of the 'Come Back' the God of doing 'over and above all we expect or imagine' so we can know those are some of the things God has on His mind for each of us as well. 

It's good to be reminded of that fact when we're in the midst of our humdrum everyday lives, and I believe God wants us to look up today. He wants to remind us of how big and wonderful He is. He wants us to get our hopes up because faith is the substance of things 'hoped' for.

What are you hoping for? Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. If you've let your hopes slip then may I encourage you to get them back out, dust them off, and start super gluing your faith to them. Nothing is impossible with God and we need to remind each other of that all the time. 

We need to remember we're dealing with the One who loved us more than life itself, who gives us all things to enjoy so we can have an abundant life. He has plans for us that we don't even know about yet and they're good ones! 

God came down to our level in Jesus so He could raise us up to His level. So let's do some rising up today. Let's lift our eyes up to Him and allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with hope again and get some fresh perspective and see what God has on His mind for us in the coming days. I can promise you it's good!😊

BACK TO THE BEGINNING

Revelation 21:6  And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.

It's probably a while since you played Snakes and Ladders but you'll remember landing on the snake's head and having to slide all the way back down to the beginning!

Occasionally we can feel like that with everyday life where things haven't gone according to plan and we feel like we've taken some backward steps. But don't be discouraged because it's not unusual. When we read about many of the people in Bible days we find them seemingly going backwards and then being wonderfully blessed and restored as God rescues them and they climb back up the ladder.

Joseph is a prime example. He goes from favourite son to being thrown in a pit to become a slave. Then he becomes favourite slave, being promoted to head of Potipher's household, only to find himself thrown in prison for years for something which wasn't his fault and he didn't do. Then finally we see him being raised back up to being in command of the whole country second only to Pharaoh and being restored to his family! All he went through strengthened him for the position God had prepared for him.

So be encouraged knowing that whatever 'setbacks' you're experiencing at the minute God has a 'setup' already prepared for you to rise back up and be all that He wants you to be. Jesus is the 'Beginning' and the End so He has a new 'beginning' all through our lives as one season ends and another one begins.

Our lives are a journey and Corrie Ten Boom said they look like a mess of tangled threads on a piece of cloth but when we turn the cloth over one day we'll see a beautiful patchwork picture. God is making a beautiful picture out of your life too so just rest in that as you begin a new week and remember you are Highly Favoured, Greatly Blessed and Deeply Loved by God.

SEE THE POSITIVES

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

As I look out my lounge window there is a winter wonderland with thickly falling snow. There are usually two schools of thought with snow - you either absolutely love it or it makes you miserable! It's a bit like life - you can choose to enjoy it or be 'under the weather' and choose to allow things to make you miserable or frustrated.

I've heard it said that when life gives you lemons to go and make some lemonade. In other words make the best of whatever situation you have to deal with and ask the Lord to help you see the positives in it. Let's be people who see the bright side and lift other peoples' spirits up rather than moaning and pulling them down even further. We do get the choice. How we react will affect others! So I throw out the challenge to you to go out with a smile and an upbeat attitude and amaze everybody!

So today, even though it's snowing, or whatever is happening in your part of the world, let's believe God is bigger than our circumstances and will work all things out together for our good - even the snow.

Go out and throw a snowball at a tree if that helps relieve your frustration but don't let it get you down! Believe the Lord to give you a great day!😊

TIME PASSES!

2 Peter 3:8 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.

Everyone you speak to seems to feel that time is passing by very quickly and we all wonder where the last few years have gone. If you're older you're probably thinking the last 20, 40 or more years have whizzed by! But more importantly don't let's forget the Lord's blessing in all of them.

It's easy to bemoan the passing years but a much better thing to do would be to focus on Jesus and all He's done for us and how He's rescued us time and again, favoured us when we didn't deserve it, protected us when we never even knew it. He's lifted us up when we were down, He's given us joy and laughter to offset the sad days, loved us when we've been unlovely. He's prospered us and blessed us so we could be a blessing to others.

However time is passing for you, whether it drags or goes at the speed of light, and here we are at another weekend, just stop for a little while and let's count our blessings. 

Let's spend some 'time' giving all the praise, thanks and glory to the One who makes our lives possible and let's remember God has planned an amazing future for us with Him still to come in Heaven. Woohoo! Thank You Lord.

WHAT ARE YOU WISHING FOR?

Matthew 21:22 You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.

Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it will be given to you...

Do you have a Wish List this Christmas? Have you written down all the things you might dream of having but probably think you never will? For instance I'm needing to renew my iphone, my ipad and my laptop. They're all old, out of date and not performing well, all at the same time, so I would really appreciate newer ones! They are on my 'Wish List'!

So I ask what's on your 'Wish List', those things that seem too big to ask for? Now, what if I ask you what's on your 'Believing List'? There's a big difference! God says we can have what we believe for if we don't doubt in our heart.  I felt challenged by the Lord this morning to stop wishing and start believing! 

The things that seem big to us are actually small to God. We often feel 'oh I can't ask for that, it's too much!'  But I believe God is saying to us to 'ask and you will receive'! God is the God of More Than Enough, the God of Overflow, the God of 'my cup runs over'. God is the One who gives us our heart's desires when we seek after Him. Nothing is impossible with God and nothing is too hard.

So what is your heart's desire, what would make your heart sing? We gave our grandson a 'Bugs in the Kitchen' game for his birthday yesterday but it had one extra vibrating bug and when he saw it he had a 'Wow' moment. When you're eight years old one extra vibrating bug is BIG! It was over and above what he was expecting and he was excited!

So today God is encouraging us to stop wishing and start believing for Him to do over and above all we ask or think or imagine.  He wants us to move some things over from the 'Wish List' to our 'Believing List'. He wants us to believe for some Wow moments too!😊

GOD WANTS TO BE INVOLVED

Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

Are you ever tempted to think 'God's not interested in that part of my life',  or 'I wont bother God with this problem He's got far more important things and other people with more traumatic troubles to deal with',  or 'I can handle this myself', or 'I don't want to take up His time'? If you have ever thought like that may I respectfully say that those thoughts don't come from God.

God loves each one of us so much He wants to be intimately involved in every area of our lives no matter how big or how small or how embarrassing or how personal. He's the God of the infinite but also the God of the infinitesimal so be encouraged today to talk to God about everything and ask Him what He wants you to do about every detail.  He has time for you always.

I've heard people say 'Well God gave me a brain and common sense to deal with life' but our verse says not to depend on our own understanding! He also gave us His Holy Spirit to be our Helper, our Counsellor, our Advocate, our Standby, our Wisdom. Surely humility would be to say 'I need Your help Lord with all areas of my life'.

God never intended man to be independent of Him in any way, He intended us to be co-heirs, one spirit with Jesus, partners in life with Him deferring to Him in all things because we belong to Him.

So whatever is bothering us or whatever we have to do let's just stop and ask the Holy Spirit the best way to do it, when to do it and whether we need someone else to come along side to help us do it. He'll show us what to do and I'm so thankful for that. We don't have to do life on our own praise God.

BE BRAVE-YOU CAN DO IT

Joshua 1:9 This is my command - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Being strong and courageous doesn't always come naturally does it? Sometimes it means pulling up your big girl socks which is something I did yesterday!  I haven't driven properly for several years and have used lots of excuses as to why I don't drive anymore but have felt very challenged lately to get out there again.  The other night I dreamed about driving successfully so yesterday I took the bull by the horns and actually went out for a drive and I kept reminding myself I'm an Overcomer, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, thank You Lord with Your help I can drive this car!

By the time I came back I was so chuffed that I'd overcome some of my fears about it and am believing the Lord to get me back to normal driving again.You're probably thinking what's the big deal but for me it was big! How about you? Are there some things that you'd love to overcome, things you keep finding excuses for not doing; things that maybe intimidate you? 

If so, let me encourage you today to be strong and courageous, to not be afraid or discouraged because the Lord your God really is with you wherever you go and He wants you to believe Him when He says He's made you an Overcomer.

I heard Joyce Meyer say once that it's ok to do it afraid. If we wait until the fear goes we'll probably wait a long time but when we confront the problem and do it in faith with His help He really does help us overcome. So I hope my testimony today encourages someone to be an Overcomer and a doer of the Word and put it into practice, not just be hearers only. Be brave - you can do it too! 😊

LET'S DO GOOD TO OTHERS

Philippians 2:4 Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

Leading up to Christmas, it can get a bit hectic buying presents, wracking our brains what to give, planning family gatherings and maybe we become a bit blinkered and forget  to look out for the interests of others. They too may be under some pressure.

Hebrews 13:16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Doing good to others can come in all shapes and sizes. It may even be as simple as giving someone an encouraging smile as you go about your day to lift their spirits as you pass them by. It may be thinking of a way to help lighten a colleague's load if they're struggling a bit, or be a listening ear, or letting the person behind you go in front in a queue when they only have a couple of items. I know I so appreciate that when someone does it for me!

Is there perhaps a friend or relative you haven't phoned in quite a while, someone you keep meaning to visit but never quite get around to it? Maybe you've been thinking about taking a little gift to somebody just to say you love them whether it's their birthday or not.  Whatever it is, any prompting to do good is coming from the Lord, and He wants us to look out for each other, to find ways to show some love and kindness and thoughtfulness. 

So as we go into yet another new week let's be on the lookout to see how we can do someone some good and be a blessing, which will please our Heavenly Father at the same time and make Him smile too.

GRACE TO HANDLE IT

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I was asked recently to make a cushion from a jumper which had belonged to a lady's deceased father as a 'memory' cushion. I've never done one before and was aware it was a very precious jumper so didn't want to make a mistake! I prayed about it a lot and asked the Holy Spirit for how to do it as she wanted the collar and arms left intact which made it more complicated. I'm pleased to say I did successfully finish it last night. Thank You Lord.

Before I began I used this verse which is similar to the one we looked at recently about not being able to do anything without God and here Paul is saying 'but we can do everything through Christ'.

So what is it that makes that statement possible? It's the grace of God that enables and empowers us to do what we have to do. 

2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."

Take heart if you have weaknesses because God says His grace is bigger and stronger than any of your weak areas. In fact He's saying they won't hinder you because it just gives His grace a place to show up and be shown off for His glory and to let us rest on Him so we can stop struggling so much.

So whatever challenge we have to deal with or difficult situation we face let's remember we're not dealing with it on our own but we have the grace of God to call on 24/7 to help us. Remember He calls us to His throne all the time to receive mercy and to find grace in time of need, but we have to go to God to get it. (Hebrews 4:16)

Whatever we have to do today just stop for a minute, let's relax and ask God for His help, His favour and His empowering grace and He'll make sure we''ll overcome and we'll be just fine, just like me and the cushion.😊

Have a blessed weekend everyone. x

WONDERFUL RESULTS

James 5:16 ...The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

When we hear of anyone who's been studying hard for an exam and they achieve a wonderful result we're glad for them and say well done. It's like when we get involved in a project, maybe like decorating, and the result is wonderful, we feel so chuffed with our efforts don't we?

God is reminding us that if we'll make the effort to be involved and pray for people or situations we can achieve wonderful results in prayer as well, because we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

There are times when we don't feel or even look righteous but God has declared that we are, so we are! That fact then qualifies us to earnestly pray because He declares our prayers will be powerful in the spirit realm and will get wonderful results. He reminds us about Elijah who was just as human as we are but he got amazing results. Imagine praying for the weather to be just what you said it would be and it was! Now that's something we could all do with practising!😊

God wants us to get a vision for our prayers being answered above and beyond what we've been thinking or expecting and to pray more in faith believing we'll actually see what we pray for come to pass. Don't let's be discouraged by any disappointments of the past. God wants us to remember nothing is impossible with Him because the only thing that will limit Him is our own unbelief.

Let's believe when we pray that we're going to get a wonderful result, let's be praying in faith and we'll see what we prayed for. (Mark 11:22-24)

FAITH WINS OUR BATTLES

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

Yesterday we were reminded of some of the things Faith can and will do for us. Here are a few more and it may help to read the words underlined over ourselves as a means of helping us stand our ground against any depressing thoughts or fiery darts we may have to deal with!

Faith has redeemed me from the curse of the law. (Galations 3:13) If we read Deuteronomy 28:15-68, we discover all the terrible curse of the law, but the wonderful news is Jesus has redeemed us from it all and our faith is in Him. So if you find anything in that list which you are suffering from, then know Jesus has redeemed you from it and declare your freedom by faith.

Faith pleases God, and God rewards my faith (Hebrews 11:6) God gets so pleased with us when we believe what Jesus has accomplished for us, so much so He rewards us for our faith. God is so good.

Faith fights and wins! (1 Timothy 6:12) It's worth making a stand and fighting when we know we win especially when we remember the battle is the Lord's.

Faith in Christ Jesus has made me God's child. (Galations 3:26/29) Thank God we belong in God's family now and He has made us His heirs. That's huge!

Faith has brought The Blessing of Abraham and The Spirit of Promise upon me. (Galations 3:14)  What more could we possibly want or need?

Faith in God is my key to believing, receiving and having all God has promised. (Mark 11:22-25)

Jesus told us to believe we've received something when we ask for it before we see it. That's our faith in action. 

I'm so thankful for my shield of faith, aren't you? We just need to remember to use it! I believe as we stand on God's word and confess it over our lives our faith will grow more and more. Amen.

FAITH TRUTHS

Have you ever wondered why Faith is so important and why we need it so much? Well recently we received a card which had a list of Faith Truths on it which I thought might help us all. The comments are my own though and we'll take the first five today. Hope you have the time to look up the verses.

Faith is our gift from God! (Ephesians 2:8) What a relief to know we don't have to earn it but just receive it.

Faith comes to us by hearing God's Word (Romans 10:17) If you've ever said 'I wish I had more faith' then be encouraged because it doesn't come by asking, it comes by hearing and the more we hear, and keep hearing about Jesus, the more our faith will grow and grow. 

Faith speaks what it hears (Romans 10:8) When we believe something we'll speak about it whether it's positive or negative so let's speak out the positive truths of God's Word over our lives and into our futures.

Faith believes God's promise of salvation by His grace! (Ephesians 2:8-9) God gives us His grace and faith to receive His salvation and all that comes with it. It's all from Him not from us.

Faith brings the unseen into the seen realm (Hebrews 11:1) When we're believing for something in faith we're actually calling for things that already exist in the spiritual realm for them to manifest in our physical realm, like healing for example. We're not trying to convince God to heal us, because it's already provided for in the new covenant by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross so we can receive it by faith.

Faith is wonderful and God has given it to all of us to use and grow in, so no-one is left out. 😊 Thank You Lord.

THAT'S THE TRUTH

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, ....full of grace and truth.

John 8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 8:36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Everyone wants to be free, but free from what? If you live under an oppressed regime then you want to be free from it and Satan's regime is extremely oppressive which is why we want to be free from everything tied to him and free from sin and judgement.

Maybe we want to be free from sickness and disease, free from financial lack, from worry and care, free from fear and depressing mindsets. If so I have good news!

Jesus said 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.'  Our verses above remind us that we shall know the truth, in other words we shall know Jesus and He (Truth) shall make us free because He paid the price for our freedom from the kingdom of darkness and everything in it by being nailed to the cross.

Colossians 1:13 For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins

That's good news, Jesus is the Way to freedom and deliverance and that's the truth. Jesus is the One who can give us abundant life and that's the truth. There is no other name given under Heaven by which we must be saved. No-one else can do it and that's the truth too. Revealed truth is what sets us free. Let's believe what God has said and remind ourselves and satan that he has no hold on us any more, we've been set free!

Thank You Lord for revealing Jesus and His offer of freedom from everything in the kingdom of darkness and for bringing us into your wonderful Kingdom of life and light and for the peace and joy that brings. Amen.

GOD'S UNSTOPPABLE BLESSINGS

Psalm 23:6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life...

I heard someone say yesterday that God's blessings don't know how to stop. What an encouraging, lovely thought! It made me think of the above verse which I've heard described as being like a fighter plane in hot pursuit of it's target it's so intent on reaching the mark. God's goodness and unfailing love, His blessings are like that chasing us down till they overtake us.Thank You Jesus!

So what are some of these blessings that are chasing us? Psalm 112 (Nlt and Nkjv)say 'the person who fears the Lord who delights greatly in His commandments will be blessed and have descendants who will be successful everywhere; an entire generation of godly people will be blessed; they themselves will be wealthy and their good deeds will last forever. They will have light in the darkness, they will be generous, compassionate and righteous. They will not be overcome by evil and will be long remembered.'

It goes on... 'They will not fear bad news, they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly. They share freely and give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.'

Those words are God's words to us not mine, so as we start this week let's remember we are blessed of God because of Jesus and the above blessings and many more are chasing us down all day every day. I hope that helps you go out with a smile. Have a blessed week.😊

TUCKED IN

Psalm 91:4 He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

When I was little I used to love being 'tucked in' at night,  that feeling of being safe as the sheets and blankets were snuggled in tight around me was lovely.

God wants us to have exactly the same feeling now as he reminds us we are 'tucked in' under His protective wings. 

There's a true story of a mother hen who had a brood of chicks which she quickly tucked in under her wings, hiding them away to safety as a fire raged around her. When the fire died down they found her scorched body but as they lifted her wings there underneath were her chicks alive, safe and well. She died in the fire giving life to her chicks and that's what Jesus did for us. He died under the fire of God's judgement for our sin on the cross so we could now be safe and hidden under God's protective wings for all eternity.

Every now and again, throughout your day, just stop and feel God's wings of love and protection around you and tuck in closer with a thankful heart.

How amazing is the Father's love for us, how wonderful the sacrifice Jesus made for us, so we can be safe and tucked in, in Him, today.  Thank You Jesus.

GOD'S BROCHURE

What have we come to? Have you ever gone on holiday, arrived at your accommodation and asked that question? It's sometimes not very nice or it's so good it's over and above what you expected from the brochure and we've maybe all experienced both scenarios.

The writer of Hebrews though tells us very clearly what we have come to now. Let's take a look...

Hebrews 12:22 No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering.  Wow, sounds really good so far, but he continues...

v.23 You have come to the assembly of God's firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. It just gets better and better and then he says this...

v.24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance, like the blood of Abel.

Mount Zion represents God's Grace whereas Mount Sinai represented The Law. We need to make sure we're not stuck in the Old Covenant under Mt. Sinai but come to Mt. Zion, the mountain of grace.

So if you have come into God's kingdom and you wonder what you have come to, the Holy Spirit spelled it out for us in this chapter of Hebrews and I love the way He saved the best bit till last...You have come to Jesus; you have come to Grace and Truth Himself. I hope that makes your heart sing as you see Him with His arms of love open wide to receive you today.  

Thank you Heavenly Father for Jesus who made it all possible.

DON'T GET ROBBED!

2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

Many years ago I worked in a high class jewellers and all employees were told to never tackle burglars if ever we suffered a raid. All the expensive stock was not worth someone's life or being hurt.  

Fast forward then to 2018 when we were asleep in the house (bear in mind we're past retirement age) and were woken up by two hooded burglars who were prowling round stealing what they could find including our car, my handbag, purse etc. The old training kicked in not to tackle them, but my husband did chase them from the house. 

What's my point? There are two thieves who try to break into your house every single day and for some reason we don't chase them away as soon as we see them. Instead we let them get away with it. Who are they? They're called Doubt and Unbelief and they'll rob us blind if we'll let them and it's God's Word they're after. 

Has God promised you something? Have you heard or read something in His Word and known what it said was for you? Has He told you to do something, go somewhere? Now, next question, have you believed it and received it or have you let Doubt and Unbelief creep in to steal those things from you? If so, kick them out of your house, don't give them one more inch, serve an eviction notice on them. Resist them, tell them to go and they'll flee just like our burglars!

ALL God's promises are Yes and Amen in Jesus. Now I have to ask myself what part of that am I still doubting or not believing? Hmmmm.......! What about you?

John 10:10 The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

Thank You Lord.

ALL IS WELL!

Isaiah 3:10 Tell the godly that all will be well for them.  

2 Kings 4:26 And she answered, "All is well."

I woke far too early yesterday morning so listened to Joel Osteen on my MP3 player to try to go back to sleep but he kept saying 'All is Well' over and over again. As I got ready for the day I heard that phrase running through my mind all the time. 'All is well'. Then throughout the day I kept saying out loud 'All is well.'

We had to phone the fridge freezer manufacturer about our new appliance and even though I could hardly understand a word because the phone connection was bad, I did hear 'All is well' in my head! Then we had to go to Mansfield to the supplier to try to sort it out and didn't get much further but I just kept saying out loud 'All is well' in faith even though it didn't look like it at all.

Then last night we rang the manufacturer again and this time we got the answer we needed and praise God 'All is well!!'  

You may smile but actually I learned quite a lesson yesterday. When we agree with God's word, regardless of how things look or feel, and declare by faith that all is well, somehow He turns it all round so that it is. Normally I would have been getting really stressed out and muttering a whole lot of negative comments about how things weren't going well, how it wasn't good, etc. but instead the Lord made sure I started the day hearing the faith declaration 'All is well' over and over again as Joel preached. 

So can I encourage whoever reads this today to know and believe that even when things don't look good, 'All is well' because Almighty God is on our side, He really is for us and not against us and He can make the impossible possible. It may take time to turn things round but our story isn't over yet is it? We're only part way through and He's still working things out for us so we can say in faith "All is well".

If you want to listen to Joel's podcast the link is below.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-is-well-joel-osteen/id137254859?i=1000537584920

WE CAN HAVE REST AND PEACE

Hebrews 4:3 For only we who believe can enter his rest...  

Have you ever felt like you're being pulled in all directions, that there's so much to do and so many demands on your time? We've probably all experienced it at some point but what do we do about it?

God tells us to ask Him for wisdom and to turn to the Holy Spirit for help so that's the best place to start. Maybe we're doing things off our own backs that God never asked us to do. So it makes sense to check on our 'To Do' list because we may need to say no to some of them.

Our own mind set has a lot to do with it as well. If we're thinking "I have so many responsibilities, I have to fix this or that, I can't cope with it all", we've fallen into the 'I' trap.

But be encouraged because God tells us we're one spirit with Jesus now, that His Spirit actually lives in us, so we're no longer just I, but now it's we. Instead we can know, 'the Holy Spirit and I will do things together, we're now a team. Together we can do whatever God has put on my To Do list.' When we know it's not all up to us anymore it brings a peace and a rest into our spirit.

Whatever God wants us to do Jesus has already gone ahead and prepared the way. He's also equipped and qualified us.  God has already chosen the people to be in our lives and if we rest in that knowledge we wont get frustrated and upset. He's already prepared the job or the house or whatever which is right for us so we can rest knowing it's a good one which will be a blessing.

It all comes down to Jesus, all He bought and paid for on the cross for us and our trust in Him. When we know and remember He only wants what is good for us we can rest in Him and have peace about it. 

GOD HAS SET OUR BAROMETER

Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus didn't go to the cross so we could be grumpy and miserable. He died so we could be delivered from the kingdom of darkness and all that goes with it. 

He wants us to know we can live this life with a sweet attitude not a bad one and with His grace we can face each day's challenges and come out on top when we trust Him.

When we remember we're loved by our Heavenly Father, that He is for us and not against us, that He is the One holding us up, He is the One who has ordained a future and a hope for us, we'll find our attitude lifting.

The more we dwell on what Jesus has done for us, what God has given us, how He sees us as righteous in His eyes, the more we'll be able to face life's challenges knowing we're not alone to deal with them.

So whatever we face this week know this, God is going before us, He has already equipped and qualified us in Jesus to be victorious and more than a conqueror. We have the divine nature inside us so we can have a sweet attitude even when we don't always feel like it because we can trust God to turn it all round for our good in the end.

We can start the week with confidence in our God, with a good attitude, knowing He has already set our barometer to 'highly favoured and greatly blessed' and that whatever we set our hand to is blessed because of Jesus. Hallelujah, thank You Lord Jesus. 

RIGHTEOUSNESS IS THE ANSWER

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

If you read yesterday's blog I hope you'll be shouting hallelujah because we were reminded we've been forgiven and we have Jesus to intercede for us when we get off track.

Wouldn't it be glorious though if we could go off track less often, stop falling for the lies of the enemy and ending up in a dark hole? It happened to me this week and it was caused by being tempted to have a pity party and feeling very sorry for myself. I should have nipped it in the bud the moment it started, but I didn't!

No excuses on my part. God doesn't want excuses as they don't solve anything! He wants us to go to Him for mercy and grace. When we do that He'll welcome us with loving arms and remind us of the truth that we are still the righteousness of God in Christ even when we get it wrong because God made us righteous in our spirit and that's how He sees us.

God made us righteous when He made Jesus sin on the cross and we put our faith in His sacrifice. He gave us the divine exchange and it's dependant on what Jesus did, not what we do or don't do.

Yes we repent but feeling guilty doesn't actually change anything, but knowing we are still righteous in God's eyes does! The more we remind ourselves and tell the enemy that we have been made righteous the more we break free from Satan's hold, and free from our weaknesses. Knowing we're righteous will cause us to want to resist the temptations the enemy brings, because we'll remember who we are in Christ, that we belong to Him.

So the next time we fall in a dark hole, don't let's bring our excuses to God, let's bring the finished work of Jesus. Let's go to Jesus our High Priest and ask Him to intercede for us with the Father, knowing He has already cleansed us by His blood, given us His grace, given us His righteousness. 

You know what - we wont want to sin any more, we'll be so grateful as He reminds us we are still righteous in His eyes. We have such an amazing, merciful God.

JESUS UNDERSTANDS OUR WEAKNESSES

Hebrews 4:14-16  So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

One of the tricks the enemy tries to con us with is to make us think no one has ever been through what we've been through, or suffered the temptations we've suffered but these verses remind us that Jesus experienced all the feelings, the temptations, the emotional bombardments that we will ever experience but without sinning.

Not only that but on the cross He had every single one of our sins, no matter how horrendous, put on Him along with every sickness and disease man will ever know. Even people who have committed terrible atrocities against their fellow men can know God's forgiveness through Jesus. Jesus bore it all even our guilt and shame. (Isaiah 53:3-9)

Jesus experienced it all, carried it all in His own body for us because of His great love for us, and because of that, God our Father made Jesus to be our High Priest, the One we can come to, to intercede for us with our Father because Jesus understands our weaknesses.

So whoever is reading this whether now or at some point in the future please know that the punishment for our sins has already been paid for by Jesus, God has forgiven you already but our part is to repent and receive His forgiveness and make Him the Lord of our lives.

We can come 24/7 to His throne of grace and receive His mercy and help whenever we need it and it's all because of Jesus because He truly understands our weaknesses. 

DOING IT WITH JESUS

2 Corinthians 3:5 It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. (Nlt)

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency comes from God (Nkjv)

I was asked to rethread a necklet for an elderly lady who had broken it while trying to put it over her head as she couldn't do the clasp herself. It was a gift from her daughter so it was important.  Now I haven't done any rethreading since before Co-vid so was out of practice but as I started to do it I asked the Lord for His skill and help to repair it as it was complicated to do and I'm pleased to say, with His help, it turned out really well.

We often breeze into doing things in our own strength and ability but God wants us to learn to include Him in everything we do, to be aware of His Holy Spirit's help and advice all the time. Some people say 'God helps those who help themselves', but I read in scripture that God helps those who go to Him for help!

We may not all be called to minister in church but wherever our daily walk takes us is our ministry with Jesus. Jesus Himself said in John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches, He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

I wonder sometimes if I've been doing a lot of 'nothing' because I was doing it in my own strength and without Jesus. When we acknowledge the Holy Spirit through the day and are calling on His help and ability with everything, we will bear the fruit He wants us to without even being aware of it. He'll give us the fruit of patience to deal with people, the joy of knowing He's working alongside us to do a good job, the kindness to stop and help someone else.

I know someone who is trying to write a story at the minute so I said 'Ask the Holy Spirit to help you put it into words'. You see God wants us to go to Him with everything not just the Christian stuff so whatever you are doing today ask the Holy Spirit to help and advise you the best way to do it because without Jesus we can do nothing.😊

JESUS LOVES YOU

John 15:9 I have loved you, even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.

Jesus was speaking to his twelve disciples just before He went to the cross. He already knew Judas would betray Him, that Peter would deny Him and that they would all desert Him when the rubber hit the road and yet He says He loves them in the same way His own Father loved Him!

Then He says'remain' in my love'. Have we ever felt like we've let the Lord down, maybe denied Him by keeping quiet when we should have spoken up, gone wandering off back sliding for a while? If so can I share Jesus's own words with you again? Jesus loves you and He loves me regardless of our mistakes or shortcomings or failures, despite our imperfect performance, despite the times when we feel rubbish because we let Him down again - He still loves you and He still loves me.

He knew how important it was for us to 'remain in His love' because if we don't we'll be condemned and feel guilty all the time, but His blood shed for us paid the price for all of it. His blood cleanses us of all iniquity, every sin, and He has declared us to be righteous in Him because He paid for our sins Himself.

God wants us to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He loves us unconditionally - that's the meaning of grace - we don't deserve it but He gives it to us as a gift to receive.

So if you need His grace (and we all do) then let's receive His love afresh from Him today and declare with the old songwriter 'Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Yes Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so.

No matter what happens - remain in His love, keep reminding yourself of it and it will bring you peace. I think I'll just go round muttering under my breath all day 'Jesus loves me'. How about you?

IF YOU ONLY KNEW!

John 4:10 Jesus replied, "If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water."

Have you ever said that to anyone? "If you only knew!" meaning that if they did know they would understand why things are the way they are, or they'd understand you better because they'd know the whole story instead of only a part.

Jesus walked miles out of His way to speak to this lady to meet her where she was at. He knew all about her, but she didn't know who He was and how He'd come to give her a gift that would change her life for ever.  When He offered her living water she could only think inside the box "But you don't have a rope and a bucket" she said. She kept offering up excuses as to why it wouldn't work for her.

How often do we come to Jesus and He offers us this living water too? If we only knew He offers us the gift of the Holy Spirit; He offers us supernatural ability to walk through life's problems with His perspective and power instead of with our rope and bucket.  

When this lady heard what Jesus was saying to her, even before she fully understood what He was offering but she saw the love and compassion in His eyes, she said "Please sir, give me this water!"

Jesus offers us His life giving water right now to each one of us, He says it becomes a fresh bubbling spring within us giving us eternal life. (v.13). We don't need a rope and a bucket we only need to ask for it and Jesus promised He would give it to us. 

You probably 'knew' all this already but sometimes we need a gentle reminder. So if you're feeling 'dry on the inside', and now you've been reminded, let's accept His offer and ask Him for His fresh bubbling spring of life giving water to bubble up in us today and ever day. Amen.

LET'S GIVE GOD GLORY

Psalm 44:8 O God, we give glory to you all day long and constantly praise your name.

It's very easy when talking to people to join in with all the doom and gloom and go over all the 'wrong' things going on in the world. But our Psalmist has a different approach because he wants to give God glory all day long, and I thought what a wise man!

He wants to recount all the things God has done and will do for us. v.5 Only by your power can we push back our enemies, only in your name can we trample our foes. v.6 I do not trust in my bow; I do not count on my sword to save me. v.7 You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies; you disgrace those who hate us.

This man had learned the importance of putting all his hopes and focus on God Himself,  and he'd learned a thing or two about praise too.

v.8 O God, we ...constantly praise your name. We know praise defeats the enemy at every turn  and there is power in constantly praising the name of our Wonderful Saviour, our Great Deliverer. It moves our focus from our problems to our Problem Solver.

So rather than us all going on about what's 'wrong' let's try and remember to turn it round and constantly praise our God for what's good and what's lovely, because only He has the power to change the unlovely and He deserves all the glory.

Have a blessed week.

ENCOURAGEMENT THROUGH FORGIVENESS

Philemon v.20 Yes, my brother, please do me this favor for the Lord's sake. Give me this encouragement in Christ. Nlt

The Apostle Paul is writing to Philemon who was wealthy enough to have a slave called Onesimus who had run away from him. Somehow Paul had met Onesimus while in chains and this young man had become a Christian through Paul's teaching. Now Paul was asking Philemon to forgive his slave because he wasn't just a slave anymore but was now a beloved brother in the Lord and of a great help to Paul in prison. He was asking Philemon to welcome back his slave as though he was Paul himself!

We know Paul as a great man of God who wrote a huge chunk of the New Testament, who went through shipwrecks, recovered from beatings and just seemed such a hero of the faith. But here we find Paul is now an old man and we see a side of him that reveals how much he needed encouragement just as much as we do. 

I take heart from that because God knows we all need encouragement in our walk with Him, especially when things are hard, no matter how long we've been walking with Him. We all need each other, to show the love of God to one another, even when we'd rather not forgive those who've wronged us or someone else, or even someone who has now passed on. 

Paul reminds him that God forgave him so would he now please be willing to forgive this man for the Lord's sake. It would encourage Paul if he knew his friend would forgive. 

Is there anyone we need to forgive for the Lord's sake because He's forgiven us? Is there anyone we can show some encouragement to today in some shape or form?

Let's be a people who show kindness, who listen, who are there for those who are hurting, who are willing to forgive and who want to find ways to encourage others in the coming days. 

Have a lovely weekend.