WE CAN BOAST ABOUT OUR GOD

1 Corinthians 4:7 ....For what do you have that God hasn't given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?

God reminds us here through the Apostle Paul to not boast about anything as though it was by our own smartness we got it. The context talks about not boasting about one leader over another but the principle applies in every area of our lives.

The Lord reminded me this week to never boast about anything we have unless we're willing to publicly declare it's because God gave it to us.  If you boast about your health say it's because God gave it to you, He healed you, He keeps you well. It's by His grace and goodness and kindness. There's nothing for us to boast about. It's the goodness of God.   

Give God the glory whether it's for a great family, finance to meet all your needs, house, car, health, career, whatever you feel like boasting about we're to always remember to give God the glory for it because it all came from Him.

There is no such thing as a self made man! We may think we've done it all, or that it's our hard work that gained it for us, but who gave us the breath to breath, the brains to work things out, the skills in our hands to create things, to sing, to make lovely meals, to make people laugh, to encourage, to make a family, to run a business, to relate to people?  Who gave us the physical strength each day, to see, to hear, to get from here to there? Who gave us the money to put food on the table, a roof over our heads? Who gave us the friends to cheer us on and help us when we've been down?

It all came from God and we praise Him for every single thing because He is a good good God to us and we give Him all the glory. We boast about Him. Hallelujah!

NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR GOD

Jeremiah 32:17 O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!

Sometimes we're merrily going along and then something hits us or our family unexpectedly. Depending on what it is it can seem pretty big and it's then we have to remind ourselves that our God is bigger and more powerful than anything the enemy brings out against any of us.

The giant Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 flaunted his strength and physical superiority over the Israelites so much that they cowered back in fear. But one young man called David knew His God and he knew He had a covenant with His God that was far more powerful and superior to anything the Philistines had so he wasn't intimidated by what he saw or heard.

We too can be like David because we serve exactly the same God, the God who made the heavens and the earth! We too have a covenant with God our Father but ours is written in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ  and nothing is too hard for Him. David knew with God on his side that he would overcome and win the battle. He had no doubts about what his God would do for him.

God wants us to be like David, confident in what our God can and will do for us because He is in covenant with us.

We need to constantly remind ourselves that God is on our side and He is far greater than anything else, He is immensely powerful, He is for us because He loves us and nothing is impossible with God.  

The enemy shouts at us just like Goliath and tells us we're his victims and it's then we need to defy him and shout back 'No I'm not a victim I am more than a Conqueror through Christ who loves me. My God will fight this battle for me and He has given me the victory over every attack of the enemy. I have the anointing of God inside me, nothing is too hard for my God and I resist the devil and tell him to flee from me.'

Whatever you're facing today know that God is in it with you and He is working on your behalf and as we trust in Him we will see the tide of the battle turned in our favour. In Jesus Name. Amen. 

WHAT ARE YOU SEEKING?

Mark 3:2 So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 

The Pharisees were all watching Jesus that Sabbath day wanting to find fault, wanting to accuse Him. The only reason they were listening to Him was to do just that! They actually wanted to find something wrong with Him.

I was very challenged by that. Am I, are you, looking to find fault in situations or people, because what we seek for is what we will find. 

If we seek and look for the good in people or situations we will find the good, if we look for the bad, the unsatisfactory, the faults, we will surely find that too.

It's easy to look on the down side but God wants us to look on the bright side, the uplifting side, the good things in life and then praise and be thankful for each and every one of them.  When we're tempted to complain and moan about anything just stop for a moment and say to yourself '"why do I feel like this, why am I behaving like that?"  It's because you've been seeking to find fault instead of seeking to find any good in the situation and dwell on that.

What we dwell on will affect our day, it will affect the way we feel and behave, and ultimately it will affect others.  If we constantly think about negative things they will get down in our hearts and Jesus said that what is in your heart will eventually come out your mouth.

Today and in the coming days lets not dwell on the negative things in life which gives glory to satan, but instead let's find every excuse to dwell on the good things in people and in life around us and give glory to God. Let's remind ourselves of their good traits, of the blessings we have from God and just rehearse those over and over again until they get down in our hearts so they come up into our mouths and bless others.

Jesus said "Ask, seek and knock and the door will be opened to you." That works in the negative as well as the positive!  Sometimes we bring negative stuff towards us because we've been looking for it and expecting it. If so, can I encourage each one of us instead to look for the good in people and in our situations, to seek it out if it's a bit hidden! Let's find something in them to be thankful for and refuse to look for the reasons to be dissatisfied or disgruntled.

Let's look for and seek for the good. Amen.

COUNT IT ALL JOY

2 Corinthians 4:17 For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! v.18 So we don't  look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, v.3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

I was challenged this morning by the Lord. Am I going to wallow in self pity or am I going to shake it off and walk in faith.? Am I going to rehearse my hurts or am I going to count my blessings? 

Do you ever find that hurts don't just come from one source? The enemy will throw hurt at you from several directions at once and then remind you of past hurts as well which will make you feel oppressed. We have to know how to handle it or we shall go under from the pain of  it.

We all have a choice and according to that choice will be the amount of joy or sadness we experience and walk in. Are we going to allow the hurts and the misunderstanding, the untruths and the disappointments to be uppermost in our thinking or are we going to elevate Jesus, the Author and Developer of our Faith?  Who and what is going to be uppermost in our minds today?

As for me, I am going to choose to dwell on the goodness of God and His faithfulness, His great mercy and forgiveness for me when I need it so I can forgive others and let God be my vindicator when others think ill of me.

We have a God of hope and comfort. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, Counsellor, Teacher, the One who comes alongside and is our Helper.  He knows the truth about us whether it's good or bad and He still ministers the love and grace of God to our hearts because God loves us so much and the price He paid for us was so high with the blood of Jesus.  We matter to God and He has good plans for each one of us. When we hurt He hurts and wants to heal the brokenhearted and restore our souls.

One thing to remember from our verse is that the things we see, hear or experience are only temporary, they will pass, but the things that really matter are eternal. Those things are the love of God, His Word, His power and grace which are available to us 24/7 and He has sealed us with His Holy Spirit to spend eternity with Him. Those are the things that matter most and everything else will lose their power to overwhelm us in the light of God's truths.

If your soul needs restoring today why not pray this prayer with me today

Heavenly Father, I thank You for your great love for me and that you understand everything about me. Nothing is hidden from You and You have the answer to every problem. Lord by faith I receive Your balm for every hurt, the strength for every challenge and the courage to defeat every enemy.  My eyes are on You Lord and I trust You to help me today to count it all joy because it is all working for my good and my glory. I thank You and praise You Lord for You are Good and nothing is impossible with You. You have prepared good things for me to walk into in the coming days and I take them by faith in Jesus Name. Amen.

GOD KNOWS YOUR NAME

John 10:3 To Him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

Jesus calls us by name. He knows your name!  Jesus goes on in v.10 to say the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy but He has come to give us life more abundantly and the 'life more abundantly' part comes from knowing the voice of your Good Shepherd and He calls you by name. 

If ever you have felt like you're being passed over remember that the One who upholds all things by the word of His power is upholding you and knows who you are and where you are.  This verse reminds us He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  

The Psalmist says in Psalm 23 that He leads us beside the still waters along paths of righteousness for His Name's sake. So you can have confidence that wherever He leads you today as long as you're listening to His voice you will be at the right place at the right time and you will be blessed.

Psalm 23 goes on to say that 'surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life'. So as Jesus leads us, as we follow His voice, so we will walk in paths that drip with blessings and be followed and overtaken by His goodness and mercy. How wonderful is that! We shall walk in the favour of God because we are one of His sheep and He knows your name. 

THE SPIRIT OF FAITH SPEAKS

Faith is a force you can't see, it's invisible. Faith literally feeds on the Word of God so if you want more faith then you can do something about it, you can feed on the Word of God more and more. Faith doesn't comes by asking for it or hoping for it. No, it requires us to put the Word of God in our hearts  and in our mouths and it will grow automatically.

The way we release our faith is by talking, by speaking because faith has two main ingredients. 'I believe and I speak.' You have to say what you believe.

2 Corinthians 4:13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke, we also believe and therefore speak.

As believers we have the same spirit of faith Jesus did and we have His words to speak! All of scripture is His Word, so we can believe and speak His promises in faith over our lives.

I'm a believer but I have to have  my 'speaker' connected to my 'believer'. Believing and speaking open the door to the supernatural.  The law of faith is activated by believing and speaking and that's the spirit of faith.

So this week let's practice speaking what we are believing for and if we find ourselves saying something which is not in line with God's Word let's be quick to repent of it and change our speaking to agree with what God has said. Let's release our faith by speaking faith filled words.

THE POWER OF REJOICING

2 Chronicles 20:22  Now when they began to sing and to praise,  the Lord set ambushes against the people...... who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.

We all have things happen and things which come against us all through our lives and we can choose to see ourselves as a victim or as a victor. The truth is, if we are 'in Christ' then He has already made us victors and we need to embrace that truth and believe it and declare it.  We either believe what God says about us or we don't. I don't want to be one of those whose words are stout against the Lord. I want to get into agreement with Him don't you?

This verse above tells how the Israelites were so threatened and outnumbered by an invading army that they couldn't do anything about it in their own strength so they turned their eyes on the Lord and did as they were commanded - they started to sing and to praise their God, to show that they trusted Him to rescue them.

Do you need rescuing today from anything? Then can I encourage us all to start showing God that we are trusting Him by praising Him, singing songs of praise to Him, rejoicing in Him because we know He is a delivering God. We know He is a Good Good God who cares for us greatly, who loves us deeply and has already blessed us beyond measure by giving us His Son.

Let's start to laugh at our enemies and remind them they are a defeated foe. Let's start to rejoice by faith in our God. Let's start to expect the goodness of God to show up. Let's forget 'victim' and declare 'VICTORY' in the face of the enemy. Let's rejoice and get our strength back. The JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH! Sometimes we have to rejoice by faith even when we don't feel like it. 

I don't suppose those Israelites felt much like singing or praising when they were facing what looked like certain death by the thousands of soldiers waiting to kill them, but they did it, and the Lord turned what looked like an impending defeat into a glorious victory in His Name and for His Glory.

I believe He will do the same for us if we will enter into the power of rejoicing and praising. Hallelujah.

HANG ON TO WHAT GOD GIVES

Judges 11:24  You keep whatever your god Chemosh gives you, and we will keep whatever the Lord our God gives us.

In this chapter of Judges the Israelites were yet again defending their territory that God had given them and I love this verse because it reminds us that whatever God has given us we have to hang on to it, we have to keep it and protect it.

Jesus Himself tells us in John 10:10 that the enemy comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Jesus came to give us abundant life, not 'let's get by' life but abundant life and it's our job to lay hold of it by faith, and not let the enemy steal, kill or destroy any of it.

He has given us His Holy Spirit, His Name, His Word, His Blood, His Righteousness to enable us to fight the fight of faith and to defeat the enemy every time he comes calling but we have to do it with the power and help of the Holy Spirit. Thank God we never do it on our own or in our own strength but we have God Himself helping us holding our right hand, strengthening us (Read Isaiah 41:10 and 13).

So the next time satan comes knocking on your door trying to steal your peace, your joy, your health or anything else just laugh and say 'I have authority over you so HA HA HA,  I WILL KEEP  WHATEVER THE LORD MY GOD GIVES ME and you satan are not stealing it from me so GET OUT!'

Hallelujah! Our God reigns and He reigns in us and nothing shall by any means harm us or hurt us. No weapon formed against us shall prosper and the favour of God surrounds us like a shield. 

Glory! what more could we want. Praise the name of the Lord our God. Thank You Jesus. 😊 

GOD SEES YOU DIFFERENTLY

Judges 6:14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, "Go with the strength you have...."

Gideon was hiding down inside a winepress threshing wheat so their enemies wouldn't find and steal it when the Angel of the Lord came to him and called him a Mighty hero!  He didn't look like one or feel like one but God saw him as a mighty man of valour or as we would say today a mighty man of courage!

However, Gideon did not see himself that way. He saw himself as the least in his clan as the weakest in his tribe but God saw him differently. 

How often do we look at ourselves and see ourselves as maybe the weakest or the least, of no importance, maybe as someone nobody listens to very much and yet God sees each one of us a mighty man or woman of courage, a person who carries His authority.  How can He do that? It's because God has placed inside us the Greater One and with Him inside no power of darkness can stand against us, with Him inside us He has placed greatness in us and we become more than conquerors.

Gideon found lots of excuses and tried to blame God Himself for their defeats but God ignored all that and just told him to "go with the strength you have..." and in verse 16 He adds "I will be with you."  That's the key He will be with us.

Can I encourage each one of us today to go out into the day with the strength you have knowing that the Spirit of the Living God is living in you, (Who is more than enough).  See yourself the way God sees you and know He has equipped you and empowered you to deal with today in a spirit of victory and an overcoming ability. 

Let's thank God today for the strength we have got and believe by faith that as the need arises God will supply more and more as we need it. And if He asks you to do something beyond your natural ability know that He will enable you to do it because He is in you.

And remember God sees you as a mighty man or woman of courage especially in battle! Declare it by faith "I am a mighty person of courage because the Greater One lives in me. I can do whatever He calls me to do.  I am an Over-Comer in the Holy Spirit today and everyday."  In Jesus' Name Amen.

TRUST IN THE LORD ALWAYS

Isaiah 26:1...Our city is strong! We are surrounded by the walls of God's salvation.

It's good and necessary to keep reminding ourselves that we are surrounded by the walls of God's salvation. So often we feel we are surrounded by bad news. We hear of so much sadness that we can feel like we are surrounded by the enemy. But can I tell you that is an absolute lie. 

God has us surrounded not the enemy! He has surrounded us with His salvation and His salvation includes, forgiveness, peace with God, rightstanding with Him, healing and health, His prosperity and provision, His encouragement and strengthening, His supernatural peace, His joy.

He is the God of all comfort when we are down, the cure for every disease and virus, the answer to every failing and fault and how is that - because of Jesus - because of the cross - because of the resurrection. Jesus paid the price for it all and we belong to Him now.

Isaiah 26:2-4 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. 

So when we get downhearted, or depressed He has given us the antidote.  God calls us to trust in Him and in Him alone and to get our thoughts fixed on Him, not on all the depressing things we keep seeing and hearing.  It says trust in the Lord always not sometimes or when we 'feel' like it or when we 'feel' strong. No, He says to trust Him always, no matter what things look like or feel like. In fact, I think it's even more important to say to the Lord that we're trusting Him especially when we don't feel like it, when we can't see the promise manifesting yet, when we are being so oppressed by the enemy because praise turns the tide of the battle.

Have you ever noticed that DESPAIR turned around spells PRAISE when you kick the D for devil out of it!

Lets kick the devil out today and praise our God and tell Him once again we trust Him and our eyes are fixed on Him always as we expect the goodness of God and His peace to unfold in our lives this week. Amen.

CLING TIGHTLY TO THE LORD YOUR GOD

Joshua 23:8 Rather cling tightly to the Lord your God as you have done until now.

Sometimes we have to ask ourselves what we are clinging to? Is it family and friends? Is it our savings in the bank? Is it our spouse? Is it our church and it's traditions? Or is it the Lord our God?

Joshua challenged God's people and told them who to cling to because any, or all of the other things, will be left behind one day and none of them will matter too much when we stand before the Lord.

There are times I forget that and I wrongly do cling to all the other things and I have to remind myself to hold them all loosely because we only need one thing to cling to and that is the Lord Himself. 

He alone is our source of supply. He alone is the one who rescues us daily and for eternity. He alone provides our very breath we breathe. He alone is the only One who loves us with an unconditional and unlimited love. He is the one who gives us victory over the enemy. He is the One who provides the money to buy our food and pay for a roof over our heads. He is the One who gives us peace in the middle of turmoil and unrest. He gives us His joy deep inside when the bottom falls out of our world. He gives us His wisdom to deal with life. The list could go on and on. It's good to remember these things.

If you take the time to read Joshua 24 it recounts everything God did for the children of Israel. They didn't do it, He did! Then sit for a minute and realise that all the good in your life God did it for you too! Thank You Lord.

So if any of the above things have been taken away from you for whatever reason it's good to be reminded that when it really comes down to it we really only need Him and as long as we have Him He will take care of everything else and show us what to do.

GOD'S GREAT GOODNESS TO US

Psalm 31:19 Oh, how great is Your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!

The other day I sent a little parcel with some gifts I'd made for a friend's grand daughters for Easter and as I was posting them very late I prayed over the parcel and asked the Lord to please make sure it got there at the right time even if it was late.

I've just had a phone call from that friend and her words were 'Your parcel came on Tuesday but it was  at exactly the right time because we'd just had a horrible thing happen and it helped to make things better.'

The Lord is amazing how He's interested in all the things that matter to us even down to a little parcel for some little girls whose family is being torn apart by divorce.

I was so encouraged by that episode because it let's me know that God is never late but always on time even in the details of life. We can know for sure that He will direct us  along the pathways He wants for us and His timing will be perfect so we can rest in that knowledge. 

When God is involved in our lives we can know He is in control and will bring the best solution to our problems if we look to Him and trust Him. 

There are times when we need to make a sacrifice of praise when things are not how we want them but we praise Him just because He's worthy of our praise. I think our praise releases His angels to work on our behalf and I love those special 'God Moments' when you recognise His hand has been at work and it brings such a smile to our faces. 

When I heard that parcel had arrived at 'just the right time' I smiled and raised my hand and praised the Lord for His goodness and kindness to two little girls because He loves them, even though they don't know it yet, and just in case you've forgotten HE LOVES YOU TOO. 

So as you praise Him today be on the lookout for His special God Moments, His great goodness,  and know that you are walking into His prepared goodness for you. How awesome is that!

Thank You Lord, we receive it by faith and we praise you in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Reading: Let the Lord minister to you today as you read all of Psalm 31.

GOD WANTS TO BE GOOD TO US

Psalm 145:8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. v.9 The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.

v.17 The Lord is righteous in everything He does; He is filled with kindness. v.18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.

Just a reminder today of how good God is to each and everyone of us. This psalm 145 is great for showing us how truly wonderful our God is. It takes our focus off ourselves or our situation and it reveals His nature and how very blessed we are that He is our God. Why not take the time today to read the whole psalm and let God minister to you as you read it?

Whatever we have done, whatever is happening in our lives, or whatever anyone else has done we can be so comforted to know we have a God who isn't waiting to hit us over the head if we get it wrong, but He has such compassion towards us, He is slow to get angry and immensely merciful. 

We know when we call on Him that He doesn't just listen but He wants to be so kind to us and that whatever He does is righteous, not biased in any way or unjust. He is the God who loves us and wants us to have a great expectation of good from Him in the coming days.

Don't only come to God with your need but believe He is actually meeting that need as you pray to Him,  Come in faith thanking Him He is working behind the scenes in your life.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Thank You Lord we know we can come to You anytime and know that you want to be good to us and will help us. Amen.

ASK GOD FIRST

Joshua 9:14 So the Israelites examined their food but they did not consult the Lord.

Joshua and his army were told by God to not make any treaty with the people of the land they were going in to conquer but to destroy them all. However, the Gibeonites were a very shrewd bunch and they conned Joshua and his leaders into thinking they were from a long way away by wearing worn out shoes and having mouldy bread and old wine skins as though they'd been on a long journey and not a threat, so Joshua agreed by covenant not to destroy them.

Joshua and his leaders looked at the evidence that was presented to them ( the old wine skins and mouldy bread that the Gibeonites had brought)  and they believed what they saw and what they were told and were deceived! They made the mistake of not consulting the Lord first.  They thought it was obvious what they were to do and didn't need to bother!  

May we learn from this story of how important it is, no matter what things look like or what the evidence is or the facts look like, that we need to check with God first anyway and see and hear what His instructions are.

He knows all things, He knows the secrets of our hearts and He knows the end from the beginning and wants to protect us from the enemy's traps but He wont interfere and He waits for us to ask Him for His instruction, His plan, which will always be for our good.

So whatever you are planning or whatever surprise catches you unawares, just stop for a minute and listen inside to what the Holy Spirit is saying. Let His peace or lack of it guide you whether to go ahead with your plan or not. Don't let the enemy con you! If what we're wanting to do agrees with God's Word  that's great. If it says otherwise then we know we're being conned or we're just being carnal Christians following after what our flesh wants not what God wants!

Ask God first!

EXPECT THE GOOD FROM GOD

John2:9-10  When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over.  "A host always serves the best wine first," he said. "Then when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!"

This bridegroom had miscalculated the amount of wine that would be needed for his wedding feast and it would have been a cause of great embarrassment for the family. Have you ever miscalculated in life?  Things didn't go according to how you thought, you made all the plans but it didn't work out right. What you did wasn't quite good enough.  People may have been looking to you and you didn't have what they needed like this bridegroom. Or maybe your resources ran out?

Although that can be a difficult situation it's actually sometimes a good thing because it brings us to the end of ourselves and our own resources and if we'll turn to God alone at those times we will see something wonderful happen because we can expect the good that comes from God.

It wasn't the bridegroom who went to Jesus for help but Jesus' mum who went to Him to ask for help. Is there someone you know who needs help or is it yourself? Whichever it is we know we can go to Jesus Himself and have an expectation of good from Him.

We know that, because when Jesus intervened He gave them the Best. Not 'that'll do' but the 'best'. Have you been putting up with 'that'll do'? That's not what God wants for us all when He wants to give us His best.  There is a key to it though I think. Mary told the servants to 'do whatever Jesus tells you to do'. They had to obey to the letter what He said even when it made absolutely no sense at all.

Can I encourage you today that whatever has happened or not happened in your life that when we acknowledge we have come to the end of ourselves and we don't know what to do, Jesus is waiting to give us His best and tell us what to do. 

The best outcome, the best future, whatever it is - He has it all planned but we have to go to Him to find out what it is. God knows in advance before any lack or trouble comes and He has the solution but we do have to humble ourselves and ask for His help. 

May all our eyes be on Him today as we have a strong expectation of good from God.

The best is yet to come!

A NEW SEASON

Ecclesiastes 3:1 For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

God is a God of variety. He gave us four seasons to enjoy and everyone has it's own beauty and loveliness.

Life is very much like that and God gives us very different seasons in life to walk through with Him, some we enjoy more than others. But even if your season just now is difficult you can know it's only temporary.  If it feels like winter, spring is on the way.  Whatever you are going through it is not forever! It is only for a season.

Maybe you know a season for you is drawing to a close, as in my own life. For some months now God has been telling us He is moving us on to pastures new and He has more things for us to do. 

But be encouraged whatever season you are in because God is in it with you. He has good days and good plans laid up for each one of us, planned since before the foundation of the world. As long as our eyes are on Him and not on people we shall hear His instructions and be led beside His still waters and get to where He is taking us.

We are the sheep of His pasture and His sheep hear His voice. Sometimes we have to take that by faith and declare it by faith because so many other voices try to crowd Him out.

But God reminds us to 'Be still and know that I am God'. How often should we do that? As often as we need to, every five minutes if that is what it takes!  

He is God of our circumstances, God of our future, our eternity, but also God of our now. Our part is to remember to keep God on the throne and take the worries and anxieties of life off the throne and just follow where He leads. If we find we're fretting about something all the time, we need to recognise we're in danger of making an idol of it because we're thinking about the problem more than God, we've put it on the throne instead of God.  He knows what is up ahead and He has prepared the way, He's busy making crooked paths straight. He only gives us one step at a time and we just need to trust Him, keep listening, keep obeying.

When He says stay, we stay, when He says move on, we move on. 

New season, new beginning, just follow the Shepherd's instructions and all will be well.

RESURRECTION!

Mattthew 28:6 He isn't here. He is risen from the dead, just as He said would happen.

Today is all about Jesus! His glorious triumph over the enemy. His great love for each one of us that took Him to the cross. His great love for His Father God that caused Him to obey even to the point of death. His great grace and courage to do what He did to rescue those who put their trust in Him,  and His power in the face of evil which overcame death and the grave.

Today is about Resurrection! It gives us hope in the face of hopelessness. It gives us courage in the face of fear of the unknown. It gives us confidence that all will be well for the godly because Jesus rose from the dead and won the battle forever for us. The enemy has no hold over us now, we have been set free from his kingdom and Jesus has brought us safe into God's kingdom. We have been declared forgiven and righteous in the Father's eyes. Now we have been graced to forgive others too.

We can rejoice, rejoice, rejoice today. What is happening around us pales into insignificance in the light of the cross and the resurrection.

We belong to God forever. We are now His property because we trust what Jesus has done for us. He gives us hope for the future and His Holy Spirit to seal our spirits as the down payment of what glories are to come.

We can say with the Psalmist

Psalm 34:1 I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak His praises. 2. I will boast only in the Lord: let all who are helpless take heart. v.3 Come, let us tell of the Lord's greatness; let us exalt His name together.

Hallelujah! We praise your name Lord.

KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS

The Centurion had his eyes on Jesus all the time. When they hammered the nails in he was looking at Jesus. When Jesus spoke he heard what he said, he heard his groans. When he pierced Jesus side with the spear he was looking at Jesus as he pierced him. As the Lord suffered he was looking at Jesus. As it went supernaturally dark all around the whole world the Centurion was looking at Jesus. When the earth shook and rocks were split apart his eyes were on Jesus and he said this

 "Certainly this was a righteous man" and "Truly this was the Son of God".

I was reminded this morning to be like the Centurion and keep looking to Jesus. When it goes dark in the world around us keep looking to Him. When your world shakes and everything is uncertain keep looking at Jesus.  When you suffer remember Jesus bore all your griefs and sorrows on the cross and all your pains and sicknesses - keep looking at Jesus. He is your Deliverer.

Whenever things don't look good we can choose to be like the Centurion, fix our eyes on Jesus and we can confess our faith in the midst of the darkness and say

"Truly this is the Son of God and certainly He is a righteous man." In other words the centurion who was a Roman knew Jesus was innocent, He was not guilty but He bore my guilt and yours. And for the Jews he was telling them He truly was the Messiah, the One they had all been waiting for, our Saviour, the Saviour of the World.  And He came for you and me. All glory to His Name.

JESUS HAS SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO SAY!

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

Do you ever think you have to sort things out, especially in family or with people you care about? We try to work stuff out in  our heads, to make sense of circumstances but God says not to lean on our own understanding.  Why is that? Because our understanding is so limited and finite (and very often leans to the negative!).

When we tap into God and His way of doing things we are tapping into the infinite, unlimited resources and power of God which is going to be much better don't you think? 

If we're thinking negatively we know those thoughts are not coming from God! But if we turn our problems into praises we will see the turn around. Thank You Lord You already know the problems and You are giving us the answers, thank you Lord You are working behind the scenes, You are bringing triumphs out of our tragedies.

I keep imagining myself on the road walking with Cleopas as Jesus joined him and his companion on their depressing walk home to help these two get their hopes back up, to let them know all was not lost.  I love that, don't you?

In the same way Jesus is there beside you right now and He wants you to get your hopes back up because although it may look like Friday in your circumstances He wants to remind you that Sunday is on the way. Resurrection is on the way. New beginnings are on the way.

Cleopas and his companion thought that everything had come to a dead end. It hadn't worked out the way they thought it would or hoped. Things looked bad for them all. They were leaning on their own understanding!  BUT JESUS had something different to say. He told them this was just the beginning of a new chapter in their story and in the story of the world.

So be encouraged, as we trust Him, God is working behind the scenes in all our lives, bringing about His purposes and good plans. 

He can resurrect anything that is dead. 

He can turn our dead ends into new beginnings if we will let Him.

And if we let Him He will lead us into those plans which He has prepared before the foundation of the world. LET JESUS GET YOUR HOPES UP! Whatever your thoughts have been let Him say something different, it may be radical!