KEEP YOUR GUARD UP

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.

I'm learning when things happen we weren't expecting it's an opportunity to grow if we seek the Lord in it. If nothing else, to always run to Him and not from Him.

Maybe we've felt downhearted when we find we've been hit by something out of the blue. It's easy to be tempted to be discouraged and think why has God allowed this to happen but I'm realising some (not all) of what happens is because we've allowed our guard down and we have to stand on the promises of God daily, moment by moment in faith and it's our responsibility to keep our shield of faith up trusting in God alone. 

So if some things are happening you weren't expecting, maybe what I've learnt recently might help:  

Don't give the enemy any room by listening to his doubts, fears and accusations. We've not to put our trust in anything but God alone because we belong to Him. We can know that whatever we face He will bring us out the other side in victory when we keep our eyes on Him. If you feel discouraged or even tearful because tiredness or sickness has brought you low, talk to someone who you know will help lift you back up and pray for you. And remember God never wastes anything He allows us to go through.

So be encouraged today, even though we don't understand why we go through some things God is still with us, delivering us, strengthening us and giving us the victory. Praise His name. 

(If you'd like someone to pray for you please say in the comments and we will pray for you.)

WHEN WE DON'T ALWAYS GET IT RIGHT

Romans 7:15 I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate.

The Apostle Paul was one of the giants of the faith and he wrote a large chunk of the New Testament by the Holy Spirit.  And yet you can see him holding his head in his hands at times when he knew he'd made a mistake and saying "Why did I do that?" or "Why did I say that?".

I'm sure we can all identify with that experience when we realise yet again that we've fallen short, that even though we know better, we got it wrong again. The wonderful thing is though, Jesus has made us perfect in our spirit right now and for eternity and nothing changes that, but because of our flesh we wont behave right all the time this side of the grave and God knows that. 

Jesus was the only perfect man, but the good news is God still uses people who don't always behave perfectly because they're the only kind of people He has! He knows we get it wrong sometimes but He has made us perfect in our spirit in Jesus and that's what matters to him.

His grace is far bigger than all of our mistakes or flaws and He can use us despite them. Our souls are a work in progress, not a finished product. When we fail and repent He picks us up again, dusts us off and says "right, now let's carry on." The key is when we humbly repent because then His grace overflows to us.

So be encouraged today to know God can still use each one of us if we'll allow Him to, even when we don't always get it right. Thank You Lord for your mercy.

SHOWING KINDNESS

Romans 12:8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously..... And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

All of the gifts God gives us are wonderful and one of my favourites is the gift of kindness. Kindness comes out of a caring, loving heart. It overlooks offences and continues to be kind regardless of what has been said or has happened to upset. It sees a need and wants to help and uplift.

Kindness is like love and goes the extra mile and makes the other person feel so special that their whole day just got better because you were kind to them, because you said a kind word maybe when they were down.

Jesus embodied all the spiritual gifts all the time and He was infinitely kind to those who were struggling, whether with  relationships, or finances, or sickness and disease. He met the lady at the well, who everyone else had written off because she'd had five husbands, just to tell her she mattered to Him, that she was special to Him and He had a new future mapped out for her.

Is there anyone today you can think of that you can be kind to, that you can show the love of God to? Maybe it's someone who in the natural you wouldn't bother with, or you'd overlook. God's challenge to each one of us is to show His loving kindness to them, to let them know somebody loves them and somebody cares and just be Jesus to them for His sake. 

Why not make their day with kindness.😊 

THE POWER OF GOD TO US

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

God wants to remind us today as we start our new week that the message of the cross is still the power of God to us in every way whether it's to overcome temptation, or set us free from addiction or fear or anything else we're troubled by. When we look to Jesus crucified in our place, the power of God is released to us and in us to deliver us, because Jesus accomplished it for us not for Himself. 

It's the cross that reconciles us to God and puts us under His care. It tells us how deeply we're loved by Him and reminds us He's given us right standing with Him so we can come to Him day or night to receive His mercy and help.

If we've ever said, "I feel so powerless", then our problem is not enough power, rather it's not knowing and realising we've already been given it! Instead we can say, "Thank You Lord I believe the cross of Jesus releases your power and grace to me to live the life Jesus came to give me."

Do you believe Jesus died on the cross for you? Do you believe He took all your sins away and gave you His righteousness in exchange? Then the message of the cross is power to you and for you. 

Let's receive it by faith again today and remember we already have the power of God in us to receive His great love, and all the help we'll ever need, so our week will be better than last week.😊

OUR SECURITY BLANKET

 Psalm 33:20 
(The Passion Translation)

The Lord alone is our radiant hope and we trust in him with all our hearts.

His wraparound presence will strengthen us.

There is something very comforting on a cold winter's night when we wrap ourselves around with a warm fluffy blanket in front of the fire with a hot chocolate drink.  It just makes you feel all safe and secure against the cold outside.

That was the picture that came to mind when I read this translation of God wrapping us around with His presence. It may produce a different picture for you but when we know He is with us, in us and around us, nothing need upset us or make us afraid because we're talking about the Lord of Heaven's armies, the One who holds the universe in place by the word of His power. Nothing can snatch us out of His hand and no weapon formed can succeed against us because the enemy knows we belong to God and if he messes with us then he'll have to mess with God first.

When we're constantly aware of God's wraparound presence with us we'll know He's actively strengthening us against whatever fear is knocking at our door, or whatever trouble is tempting us to worry. 

So next time you may feel vulnerable, why not 'see' yourself wrapping a blanket around yourself knowing that it's actually God Himself who is wrapping Himself around you. Allow Him to be your total security blanket and lean into Him knowing He has you safe and sound.

CHEER SOMEONE UP

Proverbs 12:25 Worry weighs a person down, an encouraging word cheers a person up.

We should never underestimate the power of an encouraging word at just the right time. It can transform someone's whole day, maybe even their life.

We've all experienced those days when we get very down for some reason and we're really struggling, but then some dear soul comes alongside of us to give us a word of encouragement, or an arm round our shoulder to tell us it will be all right, that God will turn it round if we'll just hang in there. Those people are precious souls and we can be that person for someone else too if we're sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading. We can be a 'cheerer-upper'! 😊

For some it's enough to know someone else is praying for them in faith, for some they need to hear that friend or family member's voice down the phone showing them how much they care about us as someone did for me this week for which I was so grateful. A text is helpful but a voice on the phone can bring so much comfort. It can lead to even having a laugh with them about something and getting things back into perspective.

They may just need to hear that you love them, that you think they're doing so well, that God has good stuff planned for them, that they're a blessing to you, that the best is still to come.

So whatever else you find to do this weekend may I encourage us all to be a 'cheerer-upper' for someone else and bring a much needed word of encouragement into their world.😊

Let me start you off by reminding you God thinks you're wonderful, that you're the apple of His eye, and He loves you to bits and I love you too for bothering to read my blog. I appreciate you. Have an encouraging, blessed weekend.😊

THE SEA OF DISTRESS

Zechariah 10:11 They will pass safely through the sea of distress, ....

I'm sure all of us have sailed on the sea of distress at some time or another and God certainly knows when we do, but He's reassuring us here that we will pass safely through it. In other words He's making sure we come out the other side and  He'll be the one bringing us out.

Isaiah felt the same way when the Holy Spirit inspired him to write the following:

Isaiah 43:2 When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.....v.4 because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.

Different things affect different people and what affects me will not affect you and vice versa, and the lovely thing is God knows us all so well He's totally aware of what upsets us and promises we will survive and wont be destroyed by whatever is trying to bring us down.

So take heart today, no matter what our circumstances, what personal fears, weariness or great difficulties we're working through, we can rest in our Saviour knowing He'll help us not only survive but bring us out stronger and wiser on the other side. 

When He says He made us more than overcomers He means it. Be blessed today.

SHOW GOD OUR LOVE

Deuteronomy 11:22 ......Show love to the Lord your God by walking in his ways and holding tightly to him.

We know God loves us in spite of who we are, not because of who we are and if we've truly believed that wonderful fact, then we will have wondered how to show God we love Him in return. Thankfully our verse tells us how. When we take the time to find out what God's ways are in scripture and do what He says, then we're showing Him we love Him. 

Jesus taught us to love others as ourselves, so when we do as He says then we're showing Him we love Him. As we read the gospels and the epistles we find a lot of instruction - be thankful, be kind, encourage one another, etc. When we follow God's way we show Him our love.

When we hold tightly to Him and cling to Him, then we're showing Him our love. 

When things get tough and we feel like wandering off and having a moan sometimes, but because we love God and know He loves us,  just hanging in there tightly, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus knowing He will pull us through into victory, we're showing Him we love Him.

So on the days when we don't know how to show God we love Him let's just do what this verse says and keep walking in His ways and keep holding tightly to Him. He knows our hearts and He sees our struggles and it makes His heart glad when we rise above them and trust Him regardless because He has such a deep, deep love for us.

RIGHT HERE WITH YOU

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

There might be lots of reasons why we don't 'feel' near to God or we 'feel' that God is far away but as is very often the case, our feelings can be very deceiving. 

Thankfully the scriptures tell us the truth and our verse today reminds us that, though we were far off at one time, yet now in Jesus He has brought us near to God and God near to us by His blood. God is now up close and very personal to each one of us because of the price Jesus paid.

Sometimes when things go wrong, or we feel ill, or we're disappointed with someone or something, we might be tempted to think God doesn't care, that He doesn't even know what's happening with us but that is so far from the truth. Psalm 139 and other scriptures tell us the truth of it. He knows when we get up and when we sit down, He knows the very thoughts in our minds, He knows how many hairs are on our heads, He knows the very breath we take. God knows each one of us intimately. 

So next time you 'feel' all alone, just remind yourself of what God says."I've brought you near to me by the blood of Christ. I'll never leave you nor abandon you. Don't let your heart be troubled but trust me.  Give Me all your worries and let Me care for you, let Me minister my peace, love and joy to you. Just turn to Me today and receive all the mercy and grace and help you need. I'm not far away at all - I'm right here with you."

GOD ONLY KNOWS

Jeremiah 32: 'Ah Lord God! Behold You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.'

I was watching a programme the other day and one of the characters said "God only knows.......but that's enough for me" and it struck me so very forcibly.

There are things that 'happen' in people's lives that only God knows because they're too traumatic, or too personal, or for some reason only they know, they just can't share it with another living person. I do know though that God hears every sigh, sees every tear, knows every heartache and they matter greatly to our heavenly Father because He loves us so very much.

Jesus said that when we go into our closet and close the door to talk to our Father He sees us and rewards us. Perhaps part of that reward is the sure knowledge that our 'happening' is safe with God, that He will never betray us or let us down, that He actually knows and understands us better than we know and understand ourselves so He's the safest One to share our innermost thoughts with.

As we said yesterday, nothing is impossible with God and He's the only one with the ability to turn things around for good when we'll bring it to Him and trust Him. 

So, even if your situation looks too far gone, and you know God is the only one who knows about it, let that be enough for you - remembering this - nothing is too hard for God and He is the God of all hope and comfort. Amen. 

GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE

2 Kings 3:18 But this is only a simple thing for the Lord, for he will make you victorious over the army of Moab.

Three kings and their armies had joined together to fight the King of Moab but had found no water for themselves, troops or animals for seven days and were desperate, so they appealed to Elisha to speak to God for them. They were told God would fill the valley with pools of water even though they'd see no wind nor rain to do it.  God told them it was a simple thing for Him to do and that He'd give them victory over their enemies as well!  And yet to them it must have seemed impossible.

How often do we look at circumstances or situations, both in our own lives or across the world and think that's never going to change. It's impossible! Maybe when we do that we should wash our mouths out with soapy water!  God says nothing is impossible with Him! For Him our 'impossible' is a 'simple thing'! Have we forgotten how powerful our God really is?

If we look at the problem all the time it gets bigger and bigger. But if we magnify the Lord and remind ourselves of all the miracles and outstanding wonders He has done, then we'll realise our problem is not a problem to God at all but that it's a small thing to Him.

Instead of going to God and telling Him how big our problems are, let's thank Him we can go to our problems and tell them how big our God is! 

As we begin this week let's get those things back in perspective - our God is bigger, mightier, stronger and more powerful than anything - with Him nothing, no situation,  is impossible! 

Psalm 34:3 Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.😊

WE PUT OUR HOPE IN HIM

Psalm 25:4 

Show me the right path, O Lord; 

point out the road for me to follow.

Lead me by your truth and teach me,

for you are the God who saves me,

All day long I put my hope in you.

Thank God today we have a God who saves us, who we can put our hope in, no matter what time of day or night it is, how bleak it may look, or what's happening. We all know what it's like to wake in the small hours of the night, anxious about something. It's then we need to remember we have a God who saves us, who will show us the right path to take, who will point out the road for us to follow and give us His wisdom to know what to do or say.  All we need is a teachable spirit.

We can cheer up -there is always hope in God - great expectation of good - always.

SUPERNATURAL PROVISION

Isaiah 45:3 And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness - secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.

Because of Jesus God has blessings stored up for us that we don't know about yet - they're hidden for us to walk into at the appointed time, but He does want us to believe for them. Jesus reminded his disciples that we get what we believe for. 

God says "I will do this." It's not an if or a maybe, it's an "I will" so He gives us rock solid grounds for believing. We see another instance with Jesus....

Luke 5:6-7 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!...soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.

Jesus blessed Peter, James and John with a catch of fish that was totally off the wall - outlandish - and it was supernatural, because they knew there were no fish out there that morning. They didn't have to ask Him how it could happen, they just obeyed what He said - they launched out. They experienced a "this time"!

Thankfully when God tells us to do something He doesn't ask us to work out if it can be done, or to make a spreadsheet of possibilities, or the likelihood of it succeeding! 

Is God asking any of us to launch out?  If so, we can be confident that He has outlandish, supernatural provision waiting for us too and we don't have to work out how. Maybe you've tried and failed before but God is saying to you 'this time'. 😊 

OUR COVENANT OF BLESSING

Isaiah 54:10 "For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken." says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

When we give our lives to Jesus we come under the wonderful covenant of blessing from God. Nothing can change it or break it, because it's forever. We may have thought that we've made too many mistakes, we don't deserve it or we've done something to stop it, or that God is still disappointed in us, so how can He bless us?  But those thoughts are definitely not from God! I just want to remind us today that the fact is, the covenant of blessing comes to us through what Jesus did on the cross. It doesn't depend on our performance or lack of it at all, thank God.

Maybe we've gone the other way and thought "I don't deserve this distress. What have I ever done to deserve this trouble I'm in. I've been faithful, I've been good, etc." We need to understand, that we can't earn the blessing, but that it comes on us because of Jesus, and God's kindness and grace to us, or we'll get confused.

If you've been thinking either way please let me remind us all that God gives us His blessing freely in Christ and all we have to do is receive it by faith. (Ephesians 3:1)

We are blessed beyond measure and we just need our eyes opening to see it and receive it more and more.

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

So regardless of how things look or feel, let's lift our hands up to God in faith today and do some receiving, just thank Him for it - we surely need it.😊

YOU ARE MY HIDING PLACE

Psalm 32:7 For You are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you...."

While Corrie Ten Boom and her sister were suffering in the concentration camps, on one occasion she and her sister were talking together and said, "Our hiding place is being in God's will." They'd learned there is great security when we're in the centre of God's will for our lives. What amazing grace God gave them to see it like that instead of feeling sorry for themselves.

Sometimes God's plan is not what we had planned but He says it will be the best pathway for our lives. Even in the midst of great difficulties they had learned to trust God and He used their experiences to help many people later on.

So be encouraged no matter what we may be going through, it is temporary, and we have a hope no one can steal from us and His name is Jesus, the One who suffered so much for our sake, to give us victory in the here and now.

Maybe the plan unfolding for you isn't what you had thought it would be, but learn to trust God, that He knows what He's doing, and He'll get you to where you need to be, and He'll make sure you have the finances to make it work. If His will is taking you outside your box then know it's the best place for you to be.

Thank You Lord You're helping us to lift our eyes up to see that You are our hiding place, that You have made us more than conquerors through Jesus, that You're guiding our lives and to remember Your joy is our strength throughout our day. Amen.

DEALING WITH STORMS

Mark 4:40 But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?"

The disciples were in the middle of a great storm, tossed about by the waves with water pouring in so badly that the boat was already filling up. Things were not looking good and with the storm came the fear. They were frantically trying to row for land, trying to bail themselves out, but to no avail. It looked like they were going to go down with the boat. It was scary for them all.

It's almost as though they'd forgotten Jesus was on board but eventually they had the wisdom to go to Jesus and ask for help, which He did by taking authority over the wind and waves. After it all went calm again, He has a chat with the men.

They're feeling somewhat battered and probably collapse in a heap, leaning on their oars. But Jesus asks them why they'd all panicked. They knew He'd said they were going to the other side with Him so why did they think the storm made any difference? The lovely thing is He didn't focus on their failure instead it was "Where is your faith?" 

He's challenging all of us today to remember He knows the end from the beginning and He's watching over us.  He wants us to trust Him so we can use our faith to rise above what may be happening and to know He will get us to the other side of our storms even when we didn't see them coming.  

Thank You Lord, You're a good God and Your grace will enable us to overcome all our storms. Amen.

DRAW ON GOD'S GRACE

2 Corinthians 12:9 ...My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.

I've been reading the book The Hiding Place, the true story of Corrie Ten Boom, who was imprisoned with her elderly sister in different concentration camps in WW2.  She tells of the great cruelty they saw and personally experienced and yet how God was in it with them and helped them rise above the suffering.

Very few of us will have experienced what those ladies endured and yet Corrie survived to go around the world to preach love and forgiveness to those who've treated us badly. Some years later God even gave her the grace, and His supernatural love, to be able to shake the hand of her former prison camp officer who had been so cruel, and to forgive him. 

Why am I relating all that? Well I suspect we have all at some time or another bemoaned what may or may not be happening, or what we're suffering, etc. but I just wanted to encourage anyone who is suffering, to remember that just as God  was with them, so He is with us in every experience to strengthen us and may even use it in our future to get along side and help other people in some way. 

They showed that the only way to rise above, and survive some things, is to cling to His promises and allow Jesus to lift us up as we learn to draw on His great grace and strength moment by moment.

God will never waste anything we experience and no matter how weak we get, He has promised His strength, His grace, will be more than enough and will pull us through.

KNOW THAT I AM GOD!

Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God!

Here we are at the start of another week and before we begin God reminded me this morning what He wants us all to remember....

"Just be still a minute, and let me remind you that I am still God and I love you. That never has changed and it never will. 

Whatever situations you might be dealing with keep remembering I am still God, I am still on the throne. All things are still possible with Me, that I've told you no weapon formed against you can prosper. 

I've told you I hold victory in store for the upright, that My favour surrounds you like a shield, that the path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter, and that's you because you've received My Son. I've promised to restore health to you, that the number of your days I will fulfil, that I will bring to completion what I've started in your life.

Keep remembering My promises are Yes and Amen in the Lord Jesus Christ, My son, who is interceding for you day and night, that my angels are watching over you, guarding you and all that is yours.

Now go out into your new week with My promises on your lips, keep running them through your mind all day and you'll find doubt, fear and negativity will lose their grip and believe and receive My grace, My strength and enjoy each moment with Me because I love you."

God says that to each one of us today. Thank You Jesus.😊

A QUIET PLACE

Mark 6:31

 Then Jesus said, "Let's go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile."

...So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone.

Today is a follow on from yesterday. Jesus recognised the need for us all to draw on one side and find a quiet place to rest with Him.  I know for busy people it can be difficult but it's even more important if our lives are hectic and 'full' of things to do.

Notice He says a quiet place - not one where the TV is on in the background or the radio is still muttering in the wings, or the mobile is pinging!. No, He says a place where it's quiet, where you can stop and listen so God can speak to our hearts.  The Psalmist says "Be still, and know that I am God." 

Why not ask the Lord to help you make time to draw aside for a little while and rest with Him even for a few minutes? To be alone with the One who holds the universe in His hands, who has all the answers to all our situations, whose love and favour surrounds us like a shield, who speaks to us in a still small voice and allow His peace to flow into your heart once again before we start a new week tomorrow.

A LOVING INVITATION

Psalm 27:8 My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me." And my heart responds, "Lord, I am coming." 

I wonder if you can hear God's heart for us in this verse, how He so wants us to spend time with Him and just talk with Him. This is not one of those "We need to talk!" moments which makes our heart sink! This is an invitation from one loving heart to share with another.

When we love someone, whether it's friends, siblings, mother, father, children, spouse - whoever it is - we like to spend time with them opening up our hearts to them and hearing what's on their heart too, because we care. 

Because God loves each one of us and He cares about everything that's happening in our lives He wants us to have that kind of relationship with Him too. So often we go and talk to God telling Him what we want or what we think He should do! But do we spend time with Him listening to what He has to say, what is on His heart? Relationship is two way, isn't it?

The Holy Spirit through David is once again encouraging us to have a heart response that says "Lord I'm coming." When we have storms we'll hear Him say "Peace, be still", when we have doubts we'll hear Him say "Trust me and all will be well." 

We've had the invitation, now what is your heart response today? I pray it will be to go and have a talk with the Lord and see what He's got to say.😊

KEEP OUR EYES ON THE LORD

Psalm 25:15 My eyes are always on the Lord, for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies.

David seemed to have a lot of enemies but he'd learned a thing or two about fighting and winning battles! The first thing he made sure of was keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the Lord because he knew God was the only one who could rescue him and deliver him from the many traps he would have fallen into otherwise.

We can all learn from David because there are a lot of distractions out there that try to get our eyes off our God, but if we learn to recognise them for what they are, we can stand firm against them.

So can I encourage us all today to keep our eyes fixed on the Lord Jesus and the victory He has already won for us at the cross because He has given His victory to us to enforce on our enemies, whatever form they take in our lives. He tells us time and again He is our Shield, our Helper, our Strength, our everything basically, but if we take our eyes off Him then we'll be tempted to forget that. 

Here's a  question to ask ourselves. How long do we spend looking at our problems compared to how long we look at His promises? If you're anything like me, and our answer is sometimes out of balance, we can soon put it right.😊 The more we look at, and believe His word, the more we'll overcome and be at peace.

Let's keep our eyes on the Lord - all the time.

THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER

Psalm 100:1 On your feet now - applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence. (The Message).

I just found that such an uplifting translation I felt I had to share it with you. I've never thought of bringing a gift of laughter to God - how about you? We so often come to God with doomy and gloomy faces, weighed down with all our cares and woes but I'm sure we all have something to be happy about! 

The other day I had something wrong with two of my toes which have been troubling me for a while, so I went to the Lord about it and said "Thank You Lord, eight of my toes are really happy but two are not. Thank you for healing them. Amen."  Although we may be in pain in one part, we can be happy we're pain free in other parts of our bodies, don't you think? 😊 

I heard a lady recount how she was trying to cheer up her friend who was so worried and sad about her daughter it was making her ill. She'd read that if you put a pencil between your teeth it makes your mouth turn up at the sides so she went to her friend with a pencil for herself and one for her friend and was explaining the principle with the pencil in place. By the time they'd done it they were in fits of laughter and her friend was reminded that the joy of the Lord is her strength, that it's already inside us, but we have to stir that joy up ourselves sometimes.

God gave us His joy and He loves to see us laugh so next time you laugh how about sharing it with Him and share the joke? Maybe that's a radical thought for you but not for God. I'm sure He has a great sense of humour so why not make Him laugh as our verse says today and stir up your own joy at the same time. 😊 If all else fails, just start with the gift of a smile!😊😊

PLACE OUR CONFIDENCE IN HIM

2 Corinthians 1: 10 And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again.. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.

Things happen in all our lives that rock our boats and we can lose confidence in ourselves or in those we hold in high regard whether it's a relative, friend, professional person, whoever. Something happens which we didn't think would, and we're left with big questions. Why God?

The Apostle Paul had been through so many extreme situations which would rock anybody's faith - beatings, shipwreck, stoning to the point of death, colleagues deserting him on the mission field, and yet here he is saying,"our confidence is in Him, in God." 

What a wonderful example he is to all of us. He goes beyond the realm of Why? which doesn't get him anywhere, except upset, and instead enters the realm of resting in God being bigger than all of it and trusting Him to sort it out in His own good time, in His way.

He's reminding us that God is not our problem and never will be. He's the answer to our problems and if we'll continue to trust Him He will continue to rescue us and turn our great difficulties around for good.

So can I encourage all of us today, no matter what our 'Why?', to go beyond it and enter that place of resting in Him, being confident in knowing He is giving us His very own confidence, to see us through, and bring us back up in due time. 

JESUS IS OUR PRINCE OF PEACE

John 14:27 I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid.

It's about 6.30 a.m., the sun is already up and it's a crisp frosty March morning around 0-1 degrees. It's all so peaceful, no cars around yet, just peace and quiet with a rosy hue to the sky. As I was looking at the trees outside I was thanking the Lord for the peacefulness of it, especially when I thought of what's going on in the world news today. I felt Him remind me peace doesn't come from what's outside, peace comes from the inside.

He reminded me Jesus is the Prince of Peace and He is living on the inside of us by His Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. Freedom from fear and turmoil, freedom from anxiety and worries, freedom from anything and everything the enemy tries to put on us. 

Yes there are many pressures on us to forget all that, but God doesn't want us to forget it, which is why He gave us His many great and precious promises. Our security is in the Lord, not in the absence of outside peace. Whatever happens on the outside God has us in the palm of His hand and He's watching over us.

There's a true and encouraging story of an elderly lady in WW2 who was in a city being bombed so she said to God. "I know You never go to sleep and I need to sleep, so there's no point in both of us being awake so I'll let you take over." She knew whether she lived or died she was safe in God's hands and she slept peacefully all night long. She had learned to trust God in the worst of situations. 

God wants us to trust Him and to be at peace on the inside, whatever our 'situation' may be on the outside. 

Lord we turn to you on the inside and fix our eyes on Jesus our Prince of Peace and thank You He has given us His gift of peace and receive it by faith. We have your peace inside us and we draw on it from Your well of salvation. In Jesus Name. Amen.

REOPEN THE WELLS

Genesis 26:18 He reopened the wells his father had dug, which the Philistines had filled in after Abraham's death..... Isaac's servants also dug in the Gerar Valley and discovered a well of fresh water.

I wonder if some of your wells have been blocked up by our enemy the devil just like Isaac's were blocked up by the Philistine enemy?  Sometimes our lifelines of church, and bible reading, or daily time with the Lord can become clogged up with all the pressures of life, by illness or distresses of many kinds. They become clogged with negative thinking, fearful thoughts from different sources, hurtful words, or maybe self isolation due to co-vid.

If that has happened to you then let the Lord encourage you to dig those wells of supply out again and let His living water flow to you once more. Isaiah 12:3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Another version says With great joy, you people will get water from the well of victory.

God doesn't want us all clogged up! He wants us to be able to draw fresh water from Him every single day because they are wells of salvation which one commentary says brings with it confidence, strength, refreshment, hope and joy. I think we all want some of that life giving water don't you?

God's well of salvation is for daily consumption, because our need of fresh supply is also daily. So let's come to the Lord afresh this week and enter His presence with thanksgiving and praise and humbly ask for His life giving water to flood our souls yet again as we turn our eyes back to Jesus and His victory for us on the cross, as we read His word and spend time with Him. 

It's time to get digging! Have a blessed week.😊

OUR HOPE IS IN THE LORD

Psalm 33:20-22

We put our hope in the Lord.

He is our help and shield. 

In Him our hearts rejoice,

for we trust in His holy name.

Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,

for our hope is in you alone.

No matter what happens in this world our hope is, and always will be in the Lord, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His love for us is from everlasting to everlasting and we belong to Him and because we're trusting in Him we can still rejoice in Him. 

Thank You Lord. We know You help and shield us. We lift Your name on high today and give you all our praise in Jesus powerful name. Amen.

ALWAYS TODAY WITH JESUS

Mark 3:4-5 Then he turned to his critics and asked, "Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?" But they wouldn't answer him. He ....was deeply saddened by their hard hearts.

Jesus was, and still is, always in the business of saving life and not destroying it. He told us The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. (John 10:10) He is The Life!

We may all have things in our lives that have been stolen from us, that have been destroyed or killed and we know from John 10:10 who did it - Satan who is the thief - not God. God is in the restoring, healing, delivering and rescuing business and He still wants to do that for all of us today and on a daily basis. 

Whatever has been destroyed or stolen we can come to the Lord Jesus again and again, and ask Him to do the impossible for us, and to restore our lives.

The man whose hand was deformed, but miraculously restored by Jesus that day, didn't know when he got up that morning that he would be noticed by the Lord or that he'd receive a miracle. 

God wants us to know He notices you and me today, His heart is still to heal, deliver and restore us. Nothing is too hard for him, nothing is impossible for Him, so don't let our hearts be hard with unbelief but let our faith rise up and Satan's plans be demolished as we come to Jesus with whatever is wrong or lost and allow His grace to overflow into us to restore our lives in whatever way He knows is best for us in the coming days. 

Today and every day is a day for Jesus to intervene, to save and rescue our lives.  Thank You Lord. Amen.

BEING THANKFUL

1 Thessalonians 5:18 in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I've been reminded recently of the importance and the power of being thankful to God in all circumstances. I don't mean for the bad stuff we're dealing with, but in the midst of the bad stuff. 

If the enemy can get us to focus on what's not right and what we don't have, then we start moaning and complaining which opens the door to the bad stuff. (1 Cor. 10:10) But if we choose to focus on all we do have and all we can do and start to thank God for His great grace and goodness, it releases us from the enemy's hold.

In the midst of the pain, the sickness, the fear, maybe the lack of finance, or whatever it is, can I encourage you to start thanking God in faith that He's bringing you out of it, thanking God for the victory over it, the deliverance from it. All through the day, "Thank You Lord for delivering me from this situation. Thank You Lord for healing me." God wants us to know it will come to an end and you will be free from it if we'll do it His way. God is a delivering God.

I'm so thankful He has delivered me from the back pain I had, and I know He's delivering me from other things too. I'm not saying it's easy and sometimes a walk of faith is done when what we see and feel shouts otherwise, but God has promised He will deliver us if we'll believe Him and thank Him for it before we see it or feel it.

God is asking us to focus on the promise not the problem. When we focus on our problem it magnifies it, but if we focus on  God and His promises we'll see God turn things around and it all comes back to being thankful even though we may not see it yet.

Psalm 107:1-3 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.

KEEP RIGHT ON GOING

Hebrews 11:27 It was by faith Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king's anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.

It's interesting our verse tells us Moses left Egypt by faith. He didn't do it by strategy, or cleverness on his part, or by manipulation or subterfuge. No, he did it by faith. When God asks us to do the impossible, we have to remember if we do it by faith then it will be possible. Faith makes the impossible possible.

He didn't hesitate or delay because he didn't have any reservations for the wilderness hotel. It says he kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. When God said move, he moved. When God said stop, he stopped. He had such confidence in God that whatever God said he'd learned to just do it, no matter what things looked like or felt like and just kept going.

When God first told him to do the job at the burning bush Moses gave every excuse under the sun to try and get out of it. He really didn't want the job. Maybe God has asked you to do something and you don't want to do it either because it looks pretty impossible or you don't feel qualified or it seems too hard. 

Well may I encourage each one of us, whatever it is, whether it's going to your neighbour, or contacting someone you haven't spoken to in a while, or you're being called to a new job or learn new skills, we can know that God will equip us and strengthen us to do whatever it is He's asking. 

And if  you've already started then God is saying keep right on going. Don't stop and don't give up because God has already prepared the way and if He needs to part a Red Sea for you then He will, He doesn't expect you to do it! 😊

GOD NEVER WANDERS OFF!

Jeremiah 31:18...Turn me again to you and restore me.

God has faithfully promised us that He'll never leave us or forsake us so there's absolutely no fear of God wandering off and leaving us to fend for ourselves. (Hebrews 13:5)

It's actually us who do the wandering off! We get distracted by other things like work, or responsibilities, or we've been wandering off to pursue our hobbies or friends. None of those things is wrong but if they take God's central place then we'll grow cold and 'wander off' without even realising it. I suspect we can all put our hand up for having done that more than once!

So what's the answer? We can do like Jeremiah, come to God and say "Turn me again to You and restore me."

Just in case you've been feeling cold towards God, or thinking He's wandered off and left you, please know He's not a long way off at all. He's as close as your breath and as soon as we take one step towards Him, He's already there to restore us in His love and compassion.

Let's lay aside the things that hinder us and get them back in balance, and if we don't even know what they are, or how to, let's ask Him to show us and teach us. Remember Jesus said "Come to me all you who are heavy laden and I'll give you rest. ... Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart and you'll find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29)

Come back to Him again and let your spirit rest in Him knowing this.....

His light surrounds you

His love enfolds you

His power enables you

And wherever you are, God is.

Suggestion: How about writing those four lines on a bit of card and sticking them to your mirror like I've done, or keep them in your pocket so you can look at them any time you need them. They help me a lot every morning when I read them and personalise them. 😊

DON'T FEAR BAD NEWS

Psalm 112:7 They (the righteous) do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.

What with one thing and another there always seems to be a lot of bad news going round and if we're not careful to guard our hearts we could become fearful. God's plan though is for us to never fear bad news but to confidently trust Him to care for us.... whether it's personally or globally.

This is one of those 'choices' we're all going to have to make. God doesn't want us to bow to the fear that comes knocking but He wants us to look to Him and call on His name, to believe His promises of protection and provision. 

You've probably heard the saying, 'When fear comes knocking at your door, send faith to answer it.' In other words we can't stop fear knocking, but with God's help we can make a stand in faith and shut the door in it's face, with the word of God in our mouths, to send it packing.

God wants us to have confidence in Him for His protection and provision, for our eyes to be on Him and His word, not on the things that cause us fear.  Apostle Paul puts it this way...

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, ....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. (Philippians vs 4:6-8)

So here's a prayer we can be constantly coming to the Lord with all through every day, especially when fear comes knocking ...

Thank You Lord Your hand of blessing is on our head and You are taking care of us. Thank You, thank You, thank You, in Jesus' Name. Amen.