CONFIDENCE FOR A NEW SEASON 2023

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength. A very present help...

It's amazing how quickly Christmas comes and goes! A week has gone by and now we'll soon be on to the next thing.😊 

We all go through different seasons whether it's determined by the calendar or by life events, but it's good to remember the experiences we go through are only for a season especially when it happens to be a tough one, otherwise we might be tempted to be discouraged or downhearted.

God told us there would be seed time and harvest, that there would be seasons in life which He knows all about in advance which is so reassuring. Nothing is random in God's kingdom or in our lives when we've given our lives to God and nothing will be wasted, whatever has happened this past year, because God has promised to turn it round for our good.

I've found one of the secrets to rising above the tricky times is to remember the joyful ones, the ones where our heart sang with happiness in that moment and to dwell on those thoughts, to remember how far we have come, the progress we have made, and leave the mistakes or heartaches with God.

We can be so encouraged as we look at the close of this year because we know our God was with us in it, every joyful or challenging moment of every day, holding us up, strengthening and helping us and He's promised to do it all again in the coming days of 2023. 

He wants us to expect good things, great blessings, goodness and mercy chasing us down, despite what the world is doing, because we belong to His Kingdom and His provision.

We can constantly remind ourselves we belong to Him, part of His family because of Jesus' shed blood and He's put us on the winning side. He wants us to know we can go into 2023 with great confidence in Him and a smile on our faces.😊

He is our ever present help in every circumstance, whatever the world might be doing or whatever our season in life. Thank You Lord.

Jeremiah 17:7 But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.😊

GOD RESTORES OUR SPARKLE

Zechariah 9:16-17 On that day the Lord their God will rescue his people, just as a shepherd rescues his sheep. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. How wonderful and beautiful they will be!...

Now you may not have lost your sparkle at all (which is wonderful) but this Blog is for those days when your sparkle feels like it's gone on holiday, when life has been trying to press you down and you wonder if you'll ever get your sparkle back!  I was feeling a bit like that this week when the Lord encouraged me with the above verse and the next one, so I thought I'd share them.😊

Psalm 13:3, 5-6 Turn and answer me, O Lord my God. Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die. v.5 But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord, because he is good to me.

You see, losing our sparkle is something that David experienced as well, so we're not alone in feeling like it, but he knew where to turn to, to get it back. He knew God would restore it to him because of God's love and goodness to him. 

Just in case you've lost yours recently may I tell you that God is in the process of restoring your sparkle and mine too. We just have to be patient and believing.😊

So be encouraged, and keep remembering He's the God who rescues us because He is our Good Shepherd. He's promised us we will sparkle in His land like jewels in a crown and He will restore the sparkle to our eyes as we trust in His unfailing love. 

Let's rejoice in those promises today, grab a hold of them and make them our own and thank Him for them. We are getting our sparkle back because God is restoring it to us - He has said so!😊 Thank You Lord. ✨ ✨

THE PULL OF KINDNESS

Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy (loving kindness) and to walk humbly with your God?

Loving kindness is so lovely when you're on the receiving end of it and I have a friend who is one of the kindest people I know. It shows in her words and in her generosity. She has Jesus living on the inside and He can be seen in her. She reminds me of Zechariah 8:23 ..."Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."

We all have the Holy Spirit of Jesus in us if we've asked Jesus into our lives, and we can all show His love and kindness wherever we go. I'm sure it's something we can grow in more and more if we'll just stay open to His leading and Romans 5:5 tells us the Holy Spirit has put God's love in our hearts so we can. 

It could just be a kind comment that helps turn someone around from feeling hopeless and rubbish about themselves into knowing that they're of great worth and are beautiful in God's eyes.

How wonderful when people want to spend time with us, or be with us, just because they can see Jesus in us, see His love and mercy, not our judgement or criticism. That's not who we are any more. We are people who have God inside and He's the God who wants to be God to them too. He wants to pull them to Himself through His loving kindness He shows through us.😊

It's the goodness of God that draws men to repentance (Romans 2:4) and if we ask Him He'll give us opportunities to show His kindness and goodness to them. We have a wonderful Saviour.😊

Lord show us more and more how to walk in Your ways and do the things You want us to do, so others are drawn to You by Your love in us. Amen.

WALKING IN LIGHT FOR TODAY

Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

Walking is supposed to be very good for us but we can only go one step at a time. Lots of people have step counters today and they aim to maybe do 10,000 steps a day.  In the same way our walk with the Lord is also one step at a time and our aim is to do each step with Him, but so often we're trying to run ahead, or at others we're lagging behind because we're distracted with other things.

We can only walk in the light we have for that day but that's ok because it's all the light we actually need. We don't need light for tomorrow because God will give it to us when we get there. It's a bit like the manna God gave the Israelites - they only needed enough for one day and learned to trust Him for tomorrow.

1 Thessalonians 5:5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

We have Jesus on the inside of us who is The Light of the World so we have all the light we shall ever need. Our part is to believe He is imparting His light in us and out of us and as we take time to read His Word He often sheds 'light' on our circumstances doesn't He? 😊

Psalm 119:105 Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Lord help us walk as children of Light today, one step at a time with You and we know all will be well as You light up our path into the coming year. Amen.

GOD GOES BEFORE US

Psalm 139:5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.

It never fails to amaze me how our Heavenly Father cares so much about the details of our lives and how His heart is to bless us even in the little things, and I'm sure you've had similar things happen, but let me explain....

Just recently my favourite mug was accidentally broken and we tried absolutely everywhere to replace it but found it was no longer made. So then we tried to find another mug that I liked but nothing seemed to tick the box at all and I was disappointed but just thought well never mind, as you do!😊

But as always God had gone ahead, and my daughter gave me the most beautiful 'Goosie' mug for Christmas which I absolutely love and she had bought it before she knew the other one was even broken. Maybe you know what I mean when I say it's one of those things when we use it and it makes us smile and our hearts sing.😊

God goes before us constantly because He knows our every need and our every desire however small or unimportant it may seem to us. If it matters to us then it matters to our loving Father too which I find so lovely. It may seem no big deal to someone else, but it touched my heart and I thank Him for it.

God is involved in every area of our lives whether big or small and I pray that gives us such a sense of security and being cared for, that our worries will be easier to give over to Him knowing He already has the answers worked out for us. 

God knows, He cares and He's going before us all the time, preparing blessings for us.😊 

Thank You Lord.

CHOSEN BY GOD

John 15:16 You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. 

Just as God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus, so He chose Joseph out of all the men available at that time to be His earthly dad. What a responsibility! God didn't randomly choose them, He obviously chose Jesus' parents with great care for the job He was calling them to do. What an honour to raise God's Son in your family! 

Just as God chose Mary and Joseph,  our verse tells us He also chose you and me to be part of His family. How wonderful that is and what a privilege! 

We are chosen by Almighty God to be His much loved children, and He has given each one of us His ability so we can bear fruit to be a blessing to others and to be used for His glory. The Holy Spirit is producing in us the fruit of  love, joy peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control and the ability to tell others about Jesus.

And just in case we feel down in the dumps at any point, He wants us to remember God went to great lengths to make it possible for Him to choose us, to choose you, because He wanted us, He wanted you to be in His family and we now have a loving Heavenly Father forever because of Jesus. What assurance that brings. Thank You Lord Jesus. 

JESUS OUR GUEST OF HONOUR

Philippians 2:-11 Therefore God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!😊

And our Guest of Honour today is Jesus! King of Kings, Lord of Lords and soon coming King.

Our Redeemer from the curse, our Saviour, our Healer, the Restorer of our souls, our Provider and Protector. The Bright and Morning Star, the All Sufficient One, our Righteousness. He's the only One who could rescue us and praise God He's the One who loves us so much He was willing to come and do it.

No wonder He is our Guest of Honour today. 

Hallelujah and all our praises and honour go to You Lord Jesus on your birthday. Happy Birthday Jesus!😊

SAT NAV BY STAR BRINGS JOY!

Matthew 2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

These wise travellers from the Far East had come a long way and the only navigation they seemed to be following was a star in the sky, so they must have followed it all through the night for months for them to be able to see it. They were determined to find the New King no matter what! I wonder if they knew He would be the King of Kings?

We often think we have to have all the latest technology to live in today's world but God is so much bigger than that and can provide us with all the guidance and navigation we need, when we need it. Sometimes He leads us beside still waters, at others He leads us out of the valleys. He leads and guides us everyday of our lives and all He asks of us is to follow His leading, just like with the star in the sky.

At one point it looked like the star had temporarily disappeared from sight because when they saw it again they were absolutely overjoyed. The end of their quest was in sight and it led them to the exact spot where Jesus was and we can imagine the whoop for joy there must have been!

Thankfully this Christmas we don't need a star in the sky to follow, we have the Spirit of God Himself inside us and He's reminding us He'll lead us to Jesus not only today but every day if we'll follow His leading. How wonderful that is - something we too can be overjoyed about especially when things are difficult.😊

I pray you have a truly blessed, joy filled Christmas everybody as the Lord leads us to discover Jesus afresh in the midst of our Christmas celebrations, whatever shape they may take for us.😊

😊 JOY TO THE WORLD THE LORD IS COME 😊🎄xx

DRAWING CLOSE AND GOD'S RIGHT TIME

Galations 4:4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman....

As I read that verse yesterday I had such a sense of God's heart being so full of love for us that He wants us close to Him more than anything else, and He paid the ultimate price to make it happen.

It says 'when the right time came'. God has a 'right time' for everything and He has a right time for us too. No matter how many delays we may have had, or how many disappointments we have experienced God wants to remind us today to let Him draw us so close to Him that they'll lose their sting and not have such a hold, as we find out His deep love for us. 

Be assured He does have a right time to bring about what He purposes for us, and it wont be too late or too early. We can enter His rest safe in that knowledge, and as we draw close to Him we'll hear what He wants, not always what we want.😊 The question is, will we let Him draw us close? Will we trust Him to carry out His good plans for us, at what He knows will be the 'right time'? 

His record proves that His 'right time' is always perfect. Jesus arrived on earth as a baby at exactly the right time and He carried out the plan of God to the last letter just so we too can be called God's own sons and daughters and belong to Him.

If He'd come earlier or later He would have missed Herod calling for the census that would have him arrive in Bethlehem on time. He'd have missed the Magis' arrival with their provision. He would have missed Simeon and Anna in the temple giving confirming words of His being the awaited Messiah. He'd have missed the Roman Empire being in place to enable the gospel go far and wide.  Isn't that amazing?  

Jesus came at just the right time for each one of us, so be encouraged, He will bring about our 'right times' too if we'll draw close to Him so we don't miss them. 

Lord help us above all else to draw close to You this Christmas and into our coming year knowing You'll bring about everything that concerns us at the right time. Amen.

OUR FUTURE IS IN GOD'S HANDS

Psalm 16:5 (Gnt) You, Lord, are all I have, and you give me all I need; my future is in your hands. 

The 'Magi' had arrived having travelled for a long time from the Far East. Scholars tell us these were powerful wealthy men, probably more than three of them. Their reputation would have gone before them as having the ability to bring down rulers and kings and they brought their own private army for protection, probably bringing an entourage of 500 or more servants and soldiers with them as they'd travelled through dangerous territory to find the new King. 

King Herod was so afraid because he feared for his own throne when they appeared and he knew he was majorly under threat when they announced their intention of finding and worshipping the new born King. No wonder he had all the baby boys under two years old killed! 

But God had other plans, prepared long before, for these 'Magi' to arrive at exactly the right moment in time, with great wealth to present to His Son. God is never taken by surprise and He knew that Joseph and Mary would have to flee in the night with Jesus to Egypt with no prior warning. He knew they would have no home and no job to go to when they got there, so God provided in advance. He made sure they had all the gold they would need to set up home and care for His Son in Egypt and then to move back to Nazareth a few years later.

God knows everything that is going to happen in our futures and He has His plans already laid out for us, to prosper us and not to harm us, to bless us. He has already prepared everything we will need when we get there, whether it's a job, finances, new friends or whatever. 

When we think about our future, if we'll remember to first ask God to be in charge of it, we can relax and leave it in His loving hands and not lose any sleep over it! What a reassurance and blessing that is especially as we look forward to 2023. Our futures are safe in His loving hands.😊

Psalm 31:14-15 ... I am trusting you, O Lord, saying, "You are my God!" My future is in your hands...

WONDERFUL JOY GIVER

1 Corinthians 2:9 Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.

Yesterday we we were looking at God's extravagant love for us all and how He wants to freely give us everything else He has for us as well, because everything flows out from His love.

He wants to fill us with His presence, His joy and peace, provide for all our physical and financial needs, surround us with His wonderful protection and more.

When our day has been tough for whatever reason, we struggle to be glad, but last night before I went to bed the verse about counting it all joy popped in my head which is hard sometimes isn't it? But then I remembered part of the reason is that the joy of the Lord is our strength and I really need some right now, so I said to the Lord, "I choose to not be downhearted, I choose to count it all joy because there must be a reason for it all and I trust You to sort it out."

This morning when I woke up I opened the advent my daughter gave me and the card today read

"Be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while." ( Peter 1:6) Isn't that wonderful! A confirming word the next morning which I pass on to you to grab a hold of, if things are tough just now. There is wonderful joy ahead.😊

God is a joy filled Person, who wants to fill us with His joy this Christmas time. Can I encourage us all to open up our hearts afresh to the Joy Giver, to the One who gave it all for us so we could have all He wants to give, and let Him into any dark or sad places to bring His joy.😊

Lord Jesus we ask You to come and fill our hearts once again with Your wonderful supernatural Joy today, this Christmas time, and thank You for it. Amen.

GOD'S EXTRAVAGANT LOVE FOR US

1 John 3:1 (NIV) See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! ...

"God has so much for us. We have no idea. We look for crumbs under the table; He has prepared a feast for us in the royal banquet hall." Quote from Stormie Omartian.

I thought that was so encouraging I wanted to share it to lift us up and help us shift our perspective up a notch or three today!😊

Our God is wanting to do so much more for us, in us, and through us, than we can ever understand and He's trying to help us open up our hearts to receive all He has prepared for us. So often we have a bit of a stranglehold on our own lives because of our upbringing, our present circumstances, past mistakes, or whatever, and we can find it hard to believe and receive all God wants to lavish on us sometimes.

Lavish is such an extravagant sounding word isn't it? But that describes our God. He lavished His love on the human race when He sent Jesus into the world on the first Christmas day knowing full well He would be crucified only thirty three years later to save us all. That is extravagant, lavish love isn't it?

Romans 8:32 ...He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not freely give us all things?

Lord we thank You for loving us so extravagantly. Help us to take the limits off ourselves to receive not only Your Son Jesus into our hearts this Christmas, but all the other wonderful things He has for us too. Amen.

ANGELS WITH US TOO

Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

The sheep were quietly sleeping, the shepherds were probably sitting round a camp fire keeping warm while they watched over the flock through the night. All seemed totally normal and they weren't expecting anything out of the ordinary. When suddenly.....!

God had been planning this moment for centuries! He had said it was coming through many prophets for literally ages, and amazingly the message came to the ordinary working man first. He didn't go to the palace or High Priests to announce the birth of Jesus because He wanted the ordinary man to know first that there was hope and reconciliation with God that would change his world forever and He used angels to tell them.

The shepherds suddenly had angelic beings surrounding them and the amazing thing is, we do too! Hebrews 1:14 tells us that angels are assigned to each one of us who are being saved by Jesus and they are here to protect us and perform God's word which we speak from our mouths. (Psalm 103:20)

They only had angels for a few awe inspiring moments. We have angels to come to our aid all the time! (Psalm 91) and we sometimes entertain angels without realising it when we show hospitality to strangers.(Hebrews 13:2)

God has assigned angels to each one of us for a reason, because He knows we need them and the ability and power they have to help us. What a wonderful thought. 

As we begin a new week things may seem very ordinary, but we can know for sure they're not, because we have angels by our side working for us and protecting us all the time. God has wonderful 'suddenlies' coming to us too that He has been planning for a very long time.😊 Woohoo. We receive that. Thank You Lord!

Enjoy your Christmas week everybody.x

ENTERING HIS REST

 Psalm 62:1-2 

I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. 

He alone is my rock and my salvation, 

my fortress where I will never be shaken.

David had such wonderful confidence in God that he could just rest in Him and wait quietly for Him to come through for him with the victory he was waiting for.

It ties in with Hebrews 4:7 So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. v.11 So let us do our best to enter that rest...

God doesn't want us all up tight, stressed out or anxious about things, but makes His rest available to us all to enter into, but it's a choice we have to make, no one else can do it for us. v.7 continues...Today when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts. In other words when we choose not to enter His rest we're hardening our hearts without maybe realising it. This verse reminds me I need to keep checking to see where I'm at - am I resting or not? Sometimes I'm not and I have to do some readjusting!😊 How about you?

David goes on to say how he does it, by reminding himself just who God is to him, how He is the only true rock He has, He is His salvation in every circumstance of life, He is His fortress he can run to. Then he reminds himself that as long as he rests in all of that he will never be shaken.

The enemy likes trying to shake us off balance doesn't he, but as long as we do like David and keep reminding ourselves just who God is to us and how wonderful His love is for us then the Lord will hold us rock solid steady and we too will never be shaken no matter what does or doesn't happen, and that is something we can also rest in.😊 Praise the Lord. Thank You Lord.

DOUBLE BLESSING FOR OUR TROUBLE

Zechariah 9:12 (Nkjv) Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.

(Nlt) I promise this very day that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles.

I was at a Table Top sale recently when I wasn't too well, so not thinking very clearly, and bought one big and two little remote helicopters for £17 from a lady who said they were brand new and not been out the boxes, which was great, I thought I had a bargain! When we tried them out though she'd not been honest, they had been used and the big one, which was the one I really wanted, didn't work at all! I was so disappointed and felt rather cheated and bothered so I prayed about it, forgave the lady and said "Lord I'm planting that money into that lady as a seed and I choose to let it go and not get all bothered about it." 

Now go back a few months when we bought a really super second hand bike. After getting it home we realised it wasn't quite what we wanted after all so put it up for sale again.  We've just sold it and the man insisted on giving us more than we were asking for it he liked it so much and we made £15 profit!

The reason I'm telling you all that is, the Lord gave back to me double what I'd lost. The two little helicopters are working fine so it was only the £7 for the big one I'd lost out on in the end, but God doubled back to me what I'd lost.😊

God says to acknowledge Him at all times and give Him the glory and hopefully encourage someone else. I know it may seem a very small thing but it had troubled me at the time and I just realised afterwards how kind the Lord is to us. He cares about what bothers and concerns us, no matter how small or big, and He was showing me His word is practical and it works in the everyday things of life. 

If you're having or had some trouble, or experienced a loss of some kind, let me encourage you today to believe this promise that God will give you double blessing for every trouble and let Him work it out for you.

😊 Have a blessed weekend.x

THE SAME POWER LIVES IN YOU

Romans 8:11 (Nlt) The Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.

When we don't see answers to prayers straight away, we probably need all the help we can get with our believing when the going isn't as smooth as we'd like it to be!😊

The Lord is constantly giving us encouragements in His word when we take the time to read it, and from lots of other avenues when we recognise and receive them, so I'm passing on something which has been helping me recently and hope it helps you too.

God tells us that He has put the same power inside each one of us that raised Christ from the dead. He's the same power that conceived Jesus supernaturally in Mary's womb, that made blind eyes see and flung stars into space. He's the Holy Spirit of God Himself, dwelling on the inside of us and it's so important we believe and remember it because our peace, and our ability to receive from the Lord, will grow when we do.😊

So here is a little list I compiled to help me in my recent struggles to help me remember, but you can add any more you think appropriate to your situation because the same resurrection power that raised Christ from the dead is dwelling on the inside of you too, to overcome every situation and obstacle you may be facing. (if you turn your phone sideways it's easier to read the list.)

The same power that conquered the grave lives in me.

The same power that delivers me from sin lives in me.

The same power that destroys sickness and pain lives in me.

The same power that brings life, healing and health lives in me.

The same power that has set me free lives in me.

The same power that's making me whole lives in me.

The same power that strengthens me is living in me.

The same power, Jesus Christ, lives in me. 

I printed it out on a bit of paper to keep reminding me that the Holy Spirit is actively doing all of that in me (and you) right now. As we keep reading it over I pray it sinks into our spirit more and more, that you'll maybe want to write it out for yourself and declare it over your life too throughout your day because God has said it, so we know it's true.😊 

Col. 1:27 And this is the secret: Christ lives in you.

BELIEVING BRINGS REWARDS

Luke 1:45  (Nlt) You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.

Mary was told she'd have a baby without a man and against all odds she believed it. She must have been a girl who had an uncomplicated faith in God and although she had a question, she didn't question the integrity of God or what He said. It says she was blessed because she believed. It's so encouraging to know that if we'll do what she did, have uncomplicated faith, and just believe what God has said, we too will be blessed. 

Romans 15:13 reminds us 'the God of hope will fill us with all joy and peace in believing.'  So believing not only brings God's blessing on our lives, it also brings with it His joy and peace. I'm discovering more and more, it's when we're doubting and not believing we seem to be all miserable and downhearted, so the way out is to simply believe!😊

Jesus Himself said 'all things are possible to Him who believes.' - all things. Wow!

We're called 'Believers' for a reason! We believe!😊 God has given us His own faith to believe and He wants us to use it and be believing Him for something all the time, no matter how small to start with, or how big, because He is well able to do whatever He's promised in His word. Nehemiah 9:8b And You have done what You promised, for You are always true to Your word.

Right now I'm believing for total restoration of my health but I wonder, what promise are you standing on and believing God for at the minute? Whatever it is, don't give up, keep trusting, keep believing because Hebrews 10:35 tells us that if we're patient we will reap a reward! Thank You Lord.😊 

DISTRACTIONS CAN GET STICKY

Hebrews 12:2 .....we do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus.

A couple of nights ago I was making the special marmalade my friend had given me, with everything merrily bubbling away in the pot, when I was distracted for a minute and went to chat in the other room. Big mistake! I came back to find it boiled over, sticky marmalade over the whole of the cooker hob, gas gone out of course, and such a sticky mess to clean up! I'd never done that in over 30 years of making marmalade! It was not a happy moment!! All was well in the end though and I miraculously now have six lovely jars of marmalade despite the spill!😊

Life can be like that sometimes when we get distracted from what we're supposed to be doing. Our enemy will get us off track if he can by giving us things to do that seem so important, or an opportunity not to be missed. Often, I'll be writing the blog and things keep flashing up on the screen to distract, but they prove to be just that, they're distractions from our purpose and sometimes we can end up in a bit of a mess if we don't pay attention.😊

God has given us more than enough grace and mercy for each day to do what He wants us to do and it seems when we allow ourselves to be distracted, we run out of puff because we're doing more than God asked of us. 

We have enough emotional energy for each day but when we bring yesterday's baggage into today our emotions go all to pot because they're overloaded and can't handle it. We get distracted by thinking of what happened yesterday, or years before, or what might happen and get upset about it. Matthew 6:34 .....Today's trouble is enough for today.

Let's not take our eyes off the marmalade, but keep focused on Jesus and what God gives us to do, not the distractions. As we go through the day we can keep checking in "Am I supposed to be doing this right now, or just keep my hands off?  Thank You for helping me to only deal with today in Your strength. Help me to not be distracted Lord." Amen.

SEE THE ENEMY FLEE

James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

I read this recently: "Every Christian is at war. There is a perpetual struggle against Satan and his kingdom from which there are no 'leaves' or 'discharges.' Our enemy goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter. 5:8). Those who resist the devil will see him flee (James. 4:7). The only ones whom he devours are those who don't actively fight against him."

Now I don't know about you but I do not want to be devoured so it's up to me, and you, to do some resisting! It's tempting to think God will do it all for us to just pray, sit back and do nothing, but God very clearly tells us we have to do the resisting, we are the ones who have to make a stand of faith, and it's not up to God to do it all.  Yes the battle is the Lord's but we still have to have our armour on, having done all stand our ground in faith, and resist the enemy. He's waiting on us to do our part.😊 

It's worth noticing our verse says submit to God first, which means to submit to His way of doing things, then we can resist the devil and he'll flee.

Psalm 18:39 You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued my enemies under my feet.

God has given us His spiritual weapons to use against the enemy (2 Corinthians 10:4) and if we wont use them, then that is our free choice, but we can't be surprised or complain if we get bashed up! 

Jesus told us to use His authority to bind and loose things and tell them to be removed and bow to the name of Jesus. (Matt. 18:18) He's given us the blood of Jesus for us to take shelter and protection under. He's given us the word of God itself to put in our mouths to use as a sharp two edged sword against the devil whether it's against sickness or lack in any area, we can use the word to demolish it.

I hope this has encouraged us all to do our part and get serious about resisting the enemy when he attacks us, use our weapons and not let him get away with it anymore, and as we stand our ground we'll see the Lord do His part by delivering us. Amen.😊

SHARING WHAT WE HAVE

2 Corinthians 9:7-8 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. "For God loves a person who gives cheerfully." And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

It's so lovely when we can share something of what we have, with the right spirit. The reason I say that is, it's possible to share something with a begrudging spirit, out of a sense of  'I suppose I ought to but I don't really want to.' Well, I know I've felt like that sometimes, maybe you have too!😊

It's possible though with God's help and His leading to share anything we have with such a happy spirit, such a generous spirit that it actually makes us glad to do it. It can be something small or something big, whether we're sharing a ride in our car, a card, a kind word, a phone call, a prayer, a gift, a compliment or maybe a helping hand. Even a touch can bring comfort, or an apology can bring restoration. It could be financial to help ministries spread the gospel, or some money slipped in someone's bag when we know they're struggling. The Lord will show us.

Whatever it is, when we do it gladly as to the Lord, He's promised He'll not only bless the person on the receiving end but He will bless us too. With God, it's always a win win situation.😊

Lord as we begin this new week help us to see anything we can share, big or small, to be a blessing in any way to others. Amen.

FOR YOU ARE WITH ME

 Psalm 23:4 ((Nlt and Nkjv)

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil; For You are with me;

When David wrote Psalm 23  he was still looking after his dad's sheep, out in the workplace, facing danger from fierce animal attacks, experiencing cold and heat in all weathers day and night, never knowing if passers by were friendly or not. It can be a bit like that for all of us, not knowing what's coming.

Although he may have felt vulnerable he knew who was with him and he'd decided in his heart that no matter what he had to face, he wasn't facing it alone because he knew his God was with him and it made all the difference to his state of mind. Because he knew his God was for him, loved and cared for him he knew he could relax knowing God would protect and comfort him even in the darkest valley.

He'd learned an important secret. As he's going round the fields doing his job, all the while he's declaring all the good things God is doing for him not talking about the fears he's facing. He says.... 

The Lord is providing all my needs, He is restoring my soul and making me strong, leading me to good pastures, letting me rest in peaceful places. He's prepared a feast for me, even when my enemies are right in front of me, (whether they're spiritual or physical), He's pouring his oil of blessings on me so I'm overflowing with them. The Lord's goodness and mercy are definitely following me every day.... 

What a wonderful attitude but the lovely thing is we can all do it. Under our breath all day just remind ourselves 'You are with me Lord, I don't need to worry or fear. You've got my life covered. I wont lack for anything. You're pouring Your blessings on me even in difficult and hard situations.  Your goodness and mercy are chasing me down. All will be well. Thank You Lord.'

Have a read of the rest of Psalm 23 and you'll see what I mean. 😊

LET IT HAPPEN TO ME

1 John 33:2 (Nkjv) Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers."

I love this verse. It says God wants us to prosper in all areas of our lives and if there are some areas where we're not prospering at the minute then don't despair because God is the God who has plans to change all that.😊

Pastor Jack Hayford says, "Don't let where you are become a prophesy of where you're going to stay." Think about that for a minute. It's saying just because you may have been in a 'situation' for some time it doesn't mean you, or it, are going to stay that way! We can believe and know that God is bringing us up and out into His prepared place of health and prospering in all areas including finances. Praise God He is always taking us forwards and upwards into His prepared blessings.

Just because illness has been bothering you, maybe for years, don't let it fool you into thinking it's staying that way. No, God has said "I will restore health to you." He says, "I am the God who heals you" He says, "I will rebuild what has been ruined, I will restore that which was broken." He says "By Jesus wounds you were and are healed." He says "I will strengthen you." Now our part is to agree with Him and thank Him that He doesn't lie to us. 

Let's be like Mary when the angel told her she'd have a baby without knowing a man. It looked totally impossible but she agreed to it and said "Let it be to me according to your word." Another translation says "May it happen to me as you have said."

Let's say the same to God today "I agree to it. Let it happen to me as You have said in Your word Lord. I choose to believe you and receive it all by faith in Jesus Name. Amen."

Enjoy a blessed weekend.😊x

 

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD

Hebrews 11:1  Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

Things we can see and feel seem so real don't they? Because we can physically see them, we think that's the end of it, but faith thinks quite differently. Faith goes by what it doesn't see, it has a confidence that what God has said is the truth, which can over-ride the facts we're looking at.

I wonder if you're looking at some 'facts' today, in some area of your life, which in the natural seem pretty impossible to change. The good news is, we're part of God's supernatural kingdom now and can call on God's supernatural ability to turn things around for us. God says nothing is impossible, so it can't be, and I keep reminding myself I don't need to debate it, doubt it or discuss it, just believe it.😊 

As long as we keep remembering that with God all things are possible, that He can make a way where we think there's absolutely none, then our faith will release Him to do what only He can do. God loves it when we use our faith, it pleases Him. (Hebrews 6:11)

Faith is when we get into agreement with what God has said or promised to us and deciding that because God said it, then there is no argument or discussion needed. We don't deny the facts exist but then we can remember that everything we can 'see' is temporary (2 Cor.4:18) so it's subject to change and God can do it.😊

I hope that encourages someone today, not to 'face the facts' but to 'faith the facts' we may be facing because they can be changed by our all powerful God if we're willing to do as He says. 

He asks us to use our faith to believe He can do it, agree with His word and speak it out our mouths. Jesus said we can have what we say (Mark 11:23) so let's say what God says (His promises), then we'll know it's right, and not keep saying what we can see with our eyes and know God is doing the impossible for us.😊

GOD INSIDE US

Galations 2:20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

We all know our God is very great and amazingly powerful, that He has no equal and that Jesus is the One who upholds all things by the word of His power. (Hebrews 3:1) So that means He is upholding us through every circumstance of our lives as well. Thank You Lord!

But as I lay awake the other night God reminded me that He, with all His greatness and power, is actually now inside each one of us who have accepted Jesus as our Saviour. He has come to live inside our spirits and He didn't leave anything behind when He came in! He brought all His greatness and power, His resurrection life with Him and it's actually coursing through our veins with every breath we breathe.

He wants us to really believe what He says, (regardless of how we might feel) that we not only have His power, but His anointing and ability inside because we are in Christ (the Anointed One) and He is in us. It's easy to forget it and the enemy tries to deceive us by making us think 'well we're only human after all'. But I'm learning that is just not true, and I'm not honouring the God who lives in me if I carry on thinking like that.

Jesus Himself said He could do nothing on His own but it was His Father who did the works through Him. He was aware of God inside Him all the time. He and the Father are One and amazingly so are we.😊

So this is just a gentle reminder that when God came to live in us He brought His greatness and power with Him and placed them inside you and me, (Acts 1:8) and they're there for us to draw on any time by faith. 

He wants us to become 'God inside minded' more and more, so He can do all He wants to do in and through us to bless us and others.😊

Lord we ask You to help us to have a deeper revelation of 'You inside us' and that we're carrying your anointing and power wherever we go to do whatever we have to do today. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

WE'RE ON GOD'S MIND ALL THE TIME

Psalm 139:17 (Nlt) How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them, they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up you are still with me!

It's amazing what a few words of encouragement will do for our spirits. They immediately lift us up when we may be feeling low and even better when they come at just the right moment. That happened to me last night when a friend texted me when I really needed it. 

God knows what we need, when we need it and He uses you and me to help and encourage others with just the right word at the right time. It is such a lovely ministry and something we can all do, at any time of day or night. It's just a case of following a nudge from the Holy Spirit isn't it, when we get an impression that we should be contacting someone.

We all appreciate kind words, words that build up and make us feel good or better. They're actually words of life to us when we may have had a tough day, words that help restore a worn down spirit for whatever reason. 

One of the things I love about God is how aware He is of our every sigh, our every thought, of how intimately involved He is in every detail of our lives and how He's thinking about us all the time. I find that so reassuring, knowing that the Creator of all things knows what's happening every moment of our day and He cares about it because He loves us so.

So today, no matter how often we may feel a sigh coming on, let's remember God knows all about it and He understands so we can release it to Him.😊 Thank You Lord.

Psalm 139:1-2 (Nkjv) O Lord you have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up. You understand my thought afar off.

WHERE DO WE TURN?

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

When things are ultra busy, especially just now, who or what are we turning to for a bit of peace and calm in the middle of it all? At the end of a busy day sometimes all we want to do is turn the TV on and watch something to 'take our minds off things for a bit', or we turn to our hobbies, a bar of chocolate or a glass of something. They may help for a  temporary fix, but that is all they are. 

But God, as always, has a better way. He tells us to just sit and be still for a little while and know deep down that He is still our God, He still loves us unconditionally even when we haven't done too well. He hasn't changed His good plans for us and He still is always present with us to help, strengthen and uphold us. He wants to remind us He's ever present to lead and guide us through all the stuff that happens in our day. He is still our fortress and our strong tower.😊

God calls us all to be still for a while whether we're quiet by nature or a busy 'doing' sort of person. His heart is calling to us all because He knows we all need it and He makes Himself available to us all. Our inner man needs God to minister to it and when we don't allow Him to, we can get frazzled at the edges.😊

Can I encourage us all to take five minutes, throughout our day, and at some point a bit longer than that and let God minister His peace to us. We so need Him because He's the only One who can give us what we really need - a God fix. Perhaps sit and listen to a praise and worship song for a few minutes and let it wash over us and into our spirit or read a verse or two of a Psalm which lifts us up. I used to have a friend and she'd say "I'm just going to soak with God for a few minutes." What a lovely thought!

Before we turn to the TV, or whatever we gravitate to, let's turn to the Lord first and let Him do what only He can do and let Him reassure us, put us back together, and bless us deep down.😊

PRAISE AND THANKS HELP TURN IT AROUND

Colossians 3:23-24 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

Paul tells us three times in this one chapter to be thankful all the time. That's not always easy especially when we're doing something we're not enjoying but he also talks about bringing praise into it, singing spiritual songs to God. (v.16) Why is that?

Our praise defeats and confuses the enemy! When we put a smile on our faces, when we're thankful and sing or even hum praise songs in our hearts, under our breath to God in the middle of doing a job we don't like, it will help turn the situation around. We're showing God by our thankful attitude that we trust Him to help us, trust Him to bring good out of the job we're doing. It helps to remember we're actually serving Christ Himself as we do what we do and He will reward us.

You may be in a 'work' situation, trying to please everybody all the time, or working at home with children, cleaning up after others, or just working at juggling lots of balls in the air, or maybe you're older and finding it harder to do the jobs you want to do, and sometimes it can bring us down.

If so, as we start this new week, let's take a fresh look at our attitude and ask the Lord for His perspective in everything we do, whether it's doing the shopping, or writing up another report. Let's bring some praise into it, because God is always worthy of our praise, and let's be thankful we're still able to do whatever it is we have to do in the first place and that He is strengthening and helping us all the time.😊

My friend texted yesterday to say she woke up with "Give me oil in my lamp, keep me praising..." and she heard herself singing it softly as she went about the house. It inspired me to do the same, and hope it does you too.  Keep us praising Lord, keep us praising.😊

Have a blessed thankful, praising week.😊

GOD IS FILLED WITH KINDNESS

Psalm 145:17-20 (Nlt)

The Lord is righteous in everything he does; 

he is filled with kindness.

The Lord is close to all who call on him,

yes, to all who call on him in truth.

He grants the desires of those who fear him;

he hears their cries for help and rescues them.

The Lord protects all those who love him,

but he destroys the wicked.

These verses help to turn our focus back on our wonderful God when we've been distracted by all the events and pressures that have happened in our week. 

They fill our hearts with gratitude to the Lord for all His goodness to us and I love the fact that He's filled with kindness which is so reassuring. He's not harsh with us but loving and kind, and He's so close He can hear our faintest cry for help to come to our rescue. He knows the deepest desires in our hearts to grant them. He just knows everything about us and He still loves us.

The next Psalm goes on to say this:

Let all that I am praise the Lord. I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.

Let's give our God our heartfelt praises today as we remember He has crowned us with loving kindness and is indeed filled with kindness towards us.😊

WE WILL GAIN GROUND WITH GOD'S MERCIES

Lamentations 3:22-23 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness, his mercies begin afresh each morning.

I read this phrase the other day - "Take new ground". I found that very challenging and also inspiring all at the same time! For several weeks I've been in a battle for my health and some days I know I've gained ground but then there are the days when it looks like I've lost ground and it can feel very discouraging.  Ever been there in your situation? It might be a different type of issue for you.😊

But God wants to encourage us all because each day has fresh new mercies available to us. It has a new supply of overflowing grace which wont just 'see us through' but will cause us to thrive and not just survive if we'll keep believing. His mercies will cause us to gain ground.😊

When we realise, and remember in each moment that challenges us, that God is in control, that His love for us is far more than we can understand, that the hosts of heaven's armies are working for us, that He is as close to us as the breath we breath, then we can once again lift our heads up knowing He has said "All will be well", grab a hold of His hand and move forward.

If you've had some knock backs just recently, let me encourage you to hold fast to your confession of faith in Jesus and His promises, to remember the enemy was disarmed at the cross and he just uses deceit and lies to try to con us. 

We are actually doing better than we think and with God within us we shall continue to gain ground. We shall do more than survive, we shall thrive as we allow His abundant life to flow into every part of our lives. Regardless of what the enemy says or how things look, God says He's made us Over-comers through Jesus, that we're on the winning side and all will be well.😊

This song popped in my head which says it really well...

Step by step we're moving forward

Little by little gaining ground

Every prayer a powerful weapon

Strongholds come tumbling down and down and down.👏

Enjoy a blessed weekend.😊x

GOD IS WORKING IT OUT

Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing.

I wonder if you're in the 'middle' of something just now? It might be in the middle of making an important decision, in the middle of a stressful situation, or a mess someone else or you made yourself, or maybe in the middle of an illness or family situation. 

Whatever it is we're in the middle of God wants us to know that He is in the middle of it with us. I woke in the middle of the night last night and that thought just kept running through my head as God just ran through every situation we could possibly go through and how He is right there in the midst of it with us.

We're not dealing with things on our own, we have blood backed promises of God to stand on, and the Creator of the universe going before us and coming behind us every single minute of every single day. We have the Spirit of God who raised Christ from the dead living on the inside of us and Jesus Himself is our Great High Priest interceding for us with God the Father 24/7.

Jesus died on a wooden cross in the middle of two thieves, in the middle of what looked like a hopeless situation. He hung in the middle between heaven and earth for hours on end, so He understands what being in the middle means. The thing to remember is that the 'middle' doesn't last forever. It has a destination that God is bringing us to. He is bringing us through and out and it's good to not just remember that but believe it and declare it and allow Him to 'quiet us with His love' as our verse says today. 

God is in control of our lives and He will take us from the middle to the other side of it all, so hang in there, don't despair or be discouraged. God is working it out for our good and His glory.😊

GOD IS PROTECTING US

Psalm 121:5 The Lord will guard you. He is by your side to protect you.

Yesterday I went for an endoscopy which is a camera down the throat for investigations. As the nurse read all the risks I had alarm bells go off on the inside but signed the consent form anyway.

Now just before I went in for the procedure Chris had been led to give me a slip of paper with the words above written on it about God guarding me and being by my side which I read and declared over and over and over as I waited.

As they tried to carry out the procedure they found they were totally unable to get the camera over my throat and after three failed attempts they gave up. By that time my throat was a bit beaten up and I was stressed, very disappointed and thought "What's going on here?"  I'm sure you've experienced similar things when you can't understand what's happening and it can feel upsetting! 😊

When I was calmer though I realised that God had intervened and had indeed protected me from harm. They were apparently using the wrong size camera for my small frame and might have caused great harm on the inside if they had carried on. In the end I was just so grateful to God and so thankful for His great care in overruling in the whole situation.

I don't normally share things like this but felt that someone might need encouragement if your circumstances seem to go wrong, or you just can't figure out why stuff is, or isn't happening, the way you think it should. God wants us to know He is in control of it all and He wants us to keep our eyes on Him and trust Him for the best outcome.

He loves us so much and He is protecting us from all harm and as He promised me some weeks ago He is delivering us from the works of the devil (2 Timothy 4:18).

I hope that helps and encourages somebody to remember God really is guarding and protecting us. Thank You Lord.😊