EXPERIENCE GOD’S PEACE

Philippians 4:4-7 (NLT)

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again - rejoice! 

Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. 

Remember the Lord is coming soon. 

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, which exceeds anything we can understand. 

His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

The Apostle Paul was very practical in his instructions to the Christians he taught, which includes us of course and foremost in his mind was the Lord coming soon. Maybe if we kept that in mind more than we do, we might remember to be more full of joy too.😊

It’s always a matter of perspective and if we can look at our problems, whether big or small, in the light of Jesus coming back soon then the bigger picture will help things keep in balance.

The Holy Spirit, through Paul, was giving us the answer by telling us to hand everything over to the Lord in prayer believing He’ll meet our needs. God knows our needs already but we have to surrender those needs to Him so He can supply them and this time it’s not perspective but attitude of mind. He says do it thankfully, remembering all the times He’s come through for us before, then we’ll have God’s peace flowing in our hearts and minds.

How often do we go over and over a problem in our minds and get in a state about it, forgetting to go to God first, as soon as the problem crops up? 

So as we read these verses over again let’s experience God’s peace as we allow it to soak into us once more as we tell Him about simply everything.😊

GOD HAS IT ALL ORGANISED

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

As I was sitting thinking about our futures I just had such a sense of there being no need to be anxious about it because God has it all organised, already planned it out and it will be for our good and not for our harm. 

We don’t even need to try and figure it out because He did that before the creation of the world so that takes all the pressure off us as well. All we have to do is keep listening for His promptings by spending time in His word and in His presence and He’ll make sure we know when to take any action if we need to. Sometimes just sitting and listening to worship music will tune us in so we’re open to hear His voice or to receive an impression from Him.

Our verse says He wants to see us leaning in to Him and trusting Him without worrying about it all. He wants us to be willing to obey His instructions, even if they don’t make sense to our minds! Samuel had to remind King Saul of that when he told him ‘obedience is better than sacrifice’ when King Saul had disobeyed God so seriously and only did half of what he was told to do. (1 Samuel 15:22)

God knows what He’s doing and His timing is never late so there’s no need to think I’m too old, or I’ve made too many mistakes, or it’s too late, I can’t afford it, or any other excuse. No, God is bigger than all of that and His heart is still to bless us and get us to where He wants us to be, and if He wants us to stay where we are for now then He’ll provide all we’ll need there too. 

While the Israelites were in the wilderness they always knew they had to move camp when the cloud lifted as it meant God wanted them to move on. God was able to guide and provide for three million people through a wilderness for forty years so I’m sure He can show each one of us what to do, where and when to move on or stay, don’t you?😊

If we’ll lay down our worries about our futures and give them all to our loving Father, He’ll make sure it will all come together and all will be well for us, as we keep trusting Him.

Have a lovely weekend.x

 

I STILL BELIEVE

Jeremiah 30:17 For I will restore health to you And I will heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord,….

God wants us to keep believing when everything around us is trying to make us doubt or give up. The illness that’s dragging on and on; you know the promises of healing God has given you but you don’t see any improvement. That’s the time we have to dig our heels in and turn off the doubts. It’s the time to say “I still believe.” 

When we can see something we don’t need faith, but when we can’t see something happening but we choose to still believe God, then we’re learning to walk by faith and we’re growing. 

Jesus dealt with people all the time who had been doing fine but then they gave up. Mary and Martha kept believing Lazarus would stay alive till Jesus came to the house to heal him but Jesus never turned up when they thought He should. They gave up, they complained to Him. Did He write them off and say, “Well if you can’t believe unless I do everything the way you want me to, then I can’t be bothered with you!” ?

Of course, He didn’t say that. He met them where they were at, in that place of despair, of shattered dreams. He was at the graveside where all their hopes lay dead but He had resurrection on His mind! Maybe you feel like some of your hopes have taken such a beating lately that they feel like they’re dead and buried too. Jesus hasn’t done things the way you wanted Him to, now you’re miserable, filled with doubts and fears, but Jesus still has resurrection on His mind.

God knows where you’re at in it all, He’s seen your struggles and He still loves you. He hasn’t written you off as a waste of His time. Far from it! He is still working behind the scenes, still restoring health to you. Now our part is to say “I still believe, regardless of what my body says or what I feel and see, regardless of the enemy bombarding me with doubts and fears, I choose to believe God has me in the palm of His hand and He is still working everything out for my good.

I’m speaking to myself as well as to you, so don’t give up, get your shield of faith back up, keep trusting, keep declaring “I still believe. God is restoring health to me and I praise and thank Him for it. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

OUR PRECIOUS PRIVILEGES

Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor and Philosopher who once said: ‘When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.’

That’s a very thought provoking quote! It stops you in your tracks when you want to have a grumble about something because it takes you back to the very basics of life, of just being able to breathe, able to still think and to realise not everybody can. It's a Thank God moment.

We regularly speak of blessings but another word for blessings would be privileges. I wonder if we often stop to think of being able to love someone as a privilege, whether it’s our parents, children, or other family members, or a spouse or our friends. We may moan about them or take them for granted but it’s good to stop and consider what life would be like if they weren’t there, to consider it a privilege that they’re in our lives and let them know.😊

Is there anything in your life you enjoy doing? The first cup of tea in the morning, favourite hobby? Well whatever it is, it also is a privilege and a blessing of God. We don’t have to have loads of money, lots of belongings, or an amazing job, to be considered privileged. 

No. We’re privileged most of all because God loves us, Jesus died to save us and we belong to Him. But then we’re privileged because He wakes us up each morning and we find we’re still breathing, still able to think with the sound mind God gave us, still able to enjoy things whether it’s a favourite biscuit or a phone call with a loved one. We’re privileged to love and be loved, most of all by God Himself.

So when you wake up tomorrow morning, what will you be thinking? Will you wake up with dread and think "Oh bother, it’s another 'same old' difficult day?" Or will you wake with joy and a grateful heart thinking, "Oh thank You Lord You woke me up, I can still breathe, still think, still enjoy whatever happens today and still love and be loved?"

 I hope it’s the latter because we still have so many precious privileges.😊 

CELEBRATING THE GOOD

Genesis 1:4/10/12/18/21/25 (Nkjv) And God saw that it was good; ......v.31 And God saw that it was very good.

I heard someone talk about Creation in a way I hadn’t seen before and thought it was so helpful I’m passing it on and hope it encourages you too.😊

In the story of Creation in Genesis 1, at the end of each day creating, God would step back and He saw that it was good, even though He still had so much to do. God recognised what He had so far was good. 

Each day He added a bit more, the sea, dry land, mountains, etc. and at the end of each day He’d say the same thing and celebrate the ‘good’ that He saw even though the rest was nowhere near finished yet. He saw each day “That it was good!”

Finally on day six, it was all finished and things changed - He stands back and sees “It was very good!”

You see God was teaching us a principle at creation - enjoy the process while you’re on your way to seeing completion. Don’t be so focused on how far you have to go that you miss the joy and contentment of how far you’ve already come, and what you've already achieved. Enjoy and recognise the 'Good' on the way to the 'Very Good'! 

So often we miss the moment, we miss the good God gives us each day because we're constantly looking at the next thing. Let's learn to enjoy the 'now' thing.😊

Let's not forget to stand back each day, and whatever progress we made that day, even if it was just to bite our tongue when we wanted to say something, or we saw even a tiny improvement in our health, we were like God and say ”That was good”. 

And instead of being on auto-pilot as we go into tomorrow, next month, next year and planning our lives away, looking at the next thing, let’s really stand back each day and enjoy the moment and give God a high five and say with Him “That was good. Thank You so much!”

The 'very good' will come at the right time, but let’s celebrate the 'good' on the way in the meantime.😊

FROM FRUSTRATION TO FRUIT

Colossians 1:11-12 We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father....

The other day I was trying to place an advert on the internet and nearly stood on my head trying to get it to publish! Sometimes life, and computers, are sooo frustrating but it does pay to persevere, as it is now working!😊

Our verse reminds us that there are times when we really need a strong dose of patience and endurance and this was one of those times! So often when things are frustrating we just want to throw our hands in the air and give up, but that is not God's way!😊

Rather He wants us to turn to Him so He can give us the extra strength we need that comes from His glorious power. When we do that we can draw on His supernatural patience especially when ours has run out. He gives us a clue in this verse as to how to do it by encouraging us to always be thankful which will turn our thinking round to the positive and should start our joy to rise up again.

So when we're frustrated may I encourage us all to just stand back a minute, take a deep breath and be thankful, to help us draw on the supernatural fruit of patience and joy He has placed inside us. They're there to help us overcome those frustrating times when things seem to conspire against us and they're not doing what we want them to, or when we're frustrated at our own weaknesses or the weaknesses of others! 

Galations 6:22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. There is no law against these things!

We're not on our own at these times, the Holy Spirit is always ready to help us overcome if we remember to call on Him. He will remind us that His grace will always be enough to help us when we're at the end of our tether.😊

Lord help us to be thankful, to get things into perspective, to see the bigger picture, that really some of our frustrations are not always so very important, as we draw on Your grace and strength, Your patience and Your joy.  In Jesus' Name. Amen.

TODAY IS OUR RECEIVING DAY

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

I like to try and start the week with something uplifting and the other day I heard someone say ‘Today is my Receiving Day’. Now I’d heard of ‘Today is my Washing day’, or ‘Today is my Birthday’, but I hadn’t heard of ‘Today is my Receiving Day’!

He was meaning that today he would lift up his hands and receive from God whatever it is that God is giving him and he does it every morning. I thought that was a great idea to consciously receive from God.😊

So what does Scripture say we are to receive? So many things and you will be able to think of lots! But our verse tells us that when we receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness we will reign in life through Jesus Christ. God encourages us to open ourselves up to Him and receive His overflowing abundance of favour wherever we are and whatever we’re doing, to believe His heart is to provide more than enough grace for each day so we’re well cared for. Isn’t that a lovely thought?

He knows when we receive His gift of righteousness, the knowledge that we are ‘right’ with Him, then we will have confidence to go out into our day knowing He has us covered for whatever might come because we’re at peace with Him and the enemy has nothing on us.

So as we begin this new week let’s lift our hands to our loving Saviour and receive from Him all He wants to give us today - His love, His grace and favour, and His righteousness and everything else we know He so freely gives us. Maybe there will be some lovely surprises as well that we wants to give us. And like the man I heard saying it, let’s do it every day because we can!

Lord we lift our hands to You and receive all You want to give us today in Jesus Name. Amen.

Have a great ‘receiving daily’ week!😊

PROTECTION, LIGHT AND JOY

Psalm 97:10-12(Nlt)

You who love the Lord, hate evil!  

He protects the lives of his godly people,

and rescues them from the power of the wicked.

Light shines on the godly,

and joy on those whose hearts are right.

May all who are godly rejoice in the Lord and praise his holy name.

When we read those verses I hope it makes us so grateful that we belong to the Lord. It declares His protection over our lives, declares His deliverance and rescue from being overpowered by wicked, unscrupulous people. Other scriptures remind us His Word says that no weapon formed against us will succeed, that He is making our crooked places straight.

It assures us that His light will shine on us and light up our pathway because Jesus Himself said He is the Light of the world. His Word declares that the path of the righteous will get brighter and brighter not darker and darker even when the world does.  He is the One directing our paths. 

Then it goes on and reminds us that His joy will also shine on us when our hearts are right with Him. Jesus has already made our hearts right with Him, given us His own right-standing with God so our joy is guaranteed.😊

We have so much to praise Him for, so much to be thankful for and so much to be glad about. 

No matter what kind of week this past week has been like, whether difficult or easy I hope these verses will refocus us all back on to our wonderful God, lift our spirits and help us remember who we belong to, and how much He has given us in Jesus.

We do indeed rejoice, praise and thank You again today Lord. Amen.

GOD IS HERE TO HELP US

Isaiah 41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

I was given a wonderful new sewing machine several months ago but fell ill just after receiving it and just wasn’t well enough to work out how it worked in order to start using it. Gradually over the weeks it built up in my mind that I couldn’t do it or get my head round it and I kept putting if off and still it sat unused! I think I can hear you say “How silly!” And you’d be right! It had become a mountain in my thinking and the longer I delayed the worse it became. Anyway, I’m pleased to say that yesterday I did tackle it with the Lord’s help and it wasn’t as difficult as I thought and am going to enjoy using it!😊

Now you may be scratching your head wondering how I could let that happen, but I wonder if you have things in your life that you’ve been putting off doing for some time? Maybe they’ve become bigger in your thinking than they actually are and you find the thought of doing them intimidating. Maybe it’s paperwork, or learning a new skill? Perhaps it’s the thought of a new relationship and you think of all the reasons why not? 

God has told us He’s here to help us with whatever we have to deal with in life - even a new sewing machine! Whatever our particular hang up is about He wants us to be free of it, and we can be, if we look to Him for His ability and help, no matter what it is. The enemy loves it when he can deceive us into thinking we can’t do something but God is right there with us and in us so we can tell the enemy to go!

Whatever it is we’re facing, let’s invite the Lord in at the beginning and commit it to Him. It may be losing weight and we’ve always struggled and failed in the past but if we bring God into it, we wont be doing it in our own strength. God has made His strength, and anything else we’ll need, available to us. We can do it by faith. There’s nothing that God can’t help us with, however trivial it may seem or enormous!

So my encouragement to us all today is to stop listening to the lies of the enemy, trust God for His great help and just do it, and He’ll make sure it works out for you.😊

Isaiah 41:13 For I hold you by your right hand - I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, “Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.

Have a blessed weekend. x

GUARDING OUR HEARTS

Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

We had a new door lock fitted last summer and all was well till yesterday when it seized up and no longer worked. Fortunately the door was locked so no one could  just walk in but at the same time if the door bell went I couldn't open the door!  It’s now repaired but I realised how important it is to have the locks all working.🙂 We all want to guard the things that are valuable to us and there are some things, and some people who we don't want to come into our home uninvited!

Are there some things though, that we might not be aware of, that we've allowed to creep into our heart which is the control centre of our soul which involves our mind, will and emotions? Maybe we didn't notice it happening because we'd left the doors of our heart and mind unlocked and just let anything in, like the thief who steals our peace and leaves behind his fear.

Scripture says to guard our hearts and our minds. So what are we to guard against? Offence is one of the chief culprits. It's so easy for someone to say something and we ruffle up and immediately go on the defensive. Offence causes strife and division and James 3:16 (Kjv)says Where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.  We may not have realised it but it's like opening the door to the enemy and saying do come in and bring trouble!

God wants us free from strife, free from anything that gives the enemy even a millimetre, so before we get upset with someone or something, let’s take a deep breath and ask ourselves “Is this worth losing my peace over, is this worth giving the enemy entry into my life? Definitely not!” 

Thankfully the answer to guarding our hearts is found here…..

Philippians 4:6-7 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, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  

Maybe it’s time to check and repair the old locks or put some new ones on our hearts?😊

YOU'RE SO SPECIAL TO GOD

Jeremiah 31:3...I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love; With unfailing love have I drawn you to myself.

I was chatting to a shop assistant and it wasn't two minutes before she was showing me pictures of her little boy who she was so proud of. She'd had to wait many years to have him so he was very special to her and her husband so I could understand why.

As I was thinking about that conversation it crossed my mind that God is like that too. You wouldn't be talking to Him for any time at all before He would be getting out our photographs and telling everyone how proud of us He is, because we're His family and so special to Him too. 

If God had a wallet He'd have our photo up front for all to see because He had to wait a long time for us as well - right from the garden of Eden. Actually He chose us before the world was made!(Ephesians 1:4)

God never wants us to feel as though we're unimportant to Him or insignificant. The price He paid through the blood of Jesus was so great He wants everyone to know and rejoice with Him for every soul saved, that's why the angels party in heaven every time someone repents and gives their life to Jesus.😊(Luke 15:10)

There will never be a time when God isn't interested in every detail of our lives, when He stops thinking about us or stops working everything out for our good. Our God is a faithful God, absolutely filled with love and compassion for each one of us. He's not focused on our past because He's washed it clean in Jesus' blood, and in our spirits He's now made us blameless in His sight.(Colossians 1:22) But He is focused on our present and our future and we can trust Him with it all because His heart is so strong towards us.

So next time you're scrolling through some family photos, remember you're in God's family album too because you're so special to Him and He loves you so much.😊

GOD IS ON OUR WAVELENGTH

Philippians 2:6-8 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges, he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.

When Jesus came to earth He was showing us that God was willing to come down to us to be on our wave length because He knew we couldn't reach up to Him otherwise. He came down to our level so He could raise us up to His level. We didn’t bring God down to our level - He did it. How mind boggling that is!

Then He goes further and because He knows us each as individuals He communicates with us through things He knows we understand and can relate to. God can inspire us, not only through His written Word, but through the everyday things of life.

For instance the Lord spoke to me last week through the film I was watching about the blessing bracelets. (See 15th April) He knew I could identify with that and He used it to inspire me to hopefully inspire others along the same lines. Although I've only had one comment on that Blog privately to say they liked it, it blessed me to know they ‘got it’ and were blessed by it too.😊

God chose to speak to Moses through a burning bush Exodus 3:4, He spoke to Balaam through his donkey!Numbers 22:28 If we're listening and watching God will get through to us too!

All through the day we can tune in to the Lord and let Him speak to us through something really simple, maybe through a casual word a friend spoke, through a song, a podcast, through a sign on a bus! God will use whatever it takes to tune in to our wave length. 

So be encouraged today, God is not only speaking to us through His Word, although whatever we hear must agree with His Word, but we can keep alert for however He chooses to do it. Keep listening and watching and let Him inspire you too.😊

John 10:16...My sheep hear my voice....

KEEP WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN YOU

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

Judges 11 is the fascinating story about Jephthah who was the son of a prostitute and had been told by his half brothers, who didn't want him, to leave the land. When their tribe was later threatened by the Ammonite King they all asked Jephthah to come back and be their leader! 

The Ammonite King said they had stolen their land but Jephthah told him how the Lord had taken their land away from him and given it to them. Then he made this profound statement "You keep what your god gives you and we'll keep what our God gives us. That struck a chord with me.

Are we keeping... are we holding on... to what the Lord our God has given us or are we letting it go without realising it? I sometimes find it can happen like this -

God has given us His great love yet there are days when things go wrong or we’re feeling very unwell and we don't ‘feel’ like we're loved which is untrue of course. We need to hold on to God's love!

God has given us His grace to overcome in life each day, but some days we think we can't do things which is when we need to keep hold of His grace which is more than enough. 

God has given us His peace but we lie in bed worrying over things He tells us He's taking care of. We need to keep hold of His peace.

God has given us His righteousness, made us right with Him, yet there are times we forget who God has made us to be in Christ. We need to keep remembering what our God has given us - His very own righteousness!

When we allow situations to stress us we forget to hold on to the joy which He has given us. The list could go on, but you get my drift.😊 I think God is giving us a wake-up call. 

It's like He's saying,  "I am your God and I love you. Keep a tight hold of what I have already given to you. Don't give it away or let it slip. Resist the enemy who tries to steal it from you and enjoy the blessings I have given you in Jesus."

DO NOT BE DISTURBED

Isaiah 37:6 (Nlt) the prophet replied, “Say to your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be disturbed…..’

All through our lives we come across things that disturb us, whether they’re major issues or minor ones, the fact is they can unsettle us and cause us to lose our peace.

As I was thinking about that yesterday this phrase from our verse really spoke to me, “Do not be disturbed”. I wonder if there are things troubling you at the minute and you’re feeling disturbed? If so I pray these same words will speak to you.

Our God is in control of the whole earth and our lives too when we invite Jesus in. His word goes even further and says He will perfect that which concerns us.Psalm 138:8 He tells us to cast our cares on Him however big or small they are.1 Peter 5:7

The bottom line is He doesn’t want us ‘disturbed’, He wants us to be at peace and in peace 'in Him'.

Jesus said, “I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:27

Whether we call it troubled or disturbed, Jesus’ gift of peace has it covered. As with all gifts, we have to receive it personally and use it.😊 I used to have a relative who would receive a gift, then put it on a shelf saving it for ‘special occasions’. She eventually passed away and the trouble was she never had got round to using it, which was such a waste and sad for the giver who had gone to the trouble and expense of buying it for her to use and enjoy! It just sat there.

Today Jesus is offering us His gift of peace so we can deal with whatever crops up, so let’s be wise and use the gift He has so wonderfully given us, every day, not just on special occasions.  

We have a big God and when He says ‘Do not be disturbed’, it means there is no need because He’s taking care of it. He loves us and cares greatly for us and about us.

As we begin a new week, each day let’s give Him our troubles, and those things that disturb us, and allow His peace to flow into our spirits once again. Let Him lighten the load and put a smile back on our faces.😊  

GOD HAS ALREADY DEALT WITH IT ALL

Psalm 103

 Let all  that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart I will praise his holy name.

 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.

The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.....
For his unfailing love toward those who fear him 
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

I love this whole Psalm and the reassurance it brings to every area of our lives. It seems to cover it all and reminds us that God is for us not against us.

Even when we know God had a right to be angry with us He wants us to know He's not angry with us any more because of Jesus and His sacrifice. Everything has been dealt with that could possibly separate us from Him and He draws us close to Himself in His great love.

No matter where we're at today, whether we're feeling good or feeling bad about something, God says He's already dealt with it at the Cross so we can run to Him and not from Him day and night. How much we have to thank Him and praise Him for when we read He's like a Father to His children, tender and compassionate to those who fear Him and He remembers the frailties of our lives. (v.13-14) 

The Psalmist finishes in v.22 with Let all that I am praise the Lord.

So Lord we give you all our praise and thanks today as we remember all Your goodness and mercy to us, but most of all for loving us. Thank You Lord. Amen.

BLESSINGS THROUGH THE DAY

1 Chronicles 16:34 Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.

I saw a film the other night on Utube called The Blessing Bracelet. It was about a lady who made bracelets with four or five beads interspersed around the circle and the idea was that whenever your bracelet caught your eye, for each of the four beads you thanked God for a different blessing in your life that you were thankful for at that moment. As a result your focus was taken back to the Lord who provides each blessing no matter how small. I thought that was a neat idea so I've made some to give to friends if they’d like one.

When we’re out in shops, or daily life, we often hear people who are not very thankful but complaining about one thing or another. But this idea counteracts that thinking. It reminds us to count our blessings as we go along, and actually stop and thank God for them through the day. When life gets a bit niggly we do need something to jog our minds in the right direction sometimes don't we? Well I do anyway!😊

So what am I thanking God for at this moment? For my family safely returned from holiday, for improving health, for running hot water, for good news of a friend's recovery from an operation.😊

Psalm 95:2 Let us come to Him with thanksgiving….. How about you? If you had a reminder on your wrist, what would you stop and thank God for throughout your day? Even if you don’t have a bracelet, perhaps each time you stop at a traffic light, or have to wait for something, or in a queue, why not have a go and think of four blessings in your life to thank God for at that particular moment in time. 

You might just be thankful for enjoying a quiet cup of tea or coffee, or there were no traffic hold ups, and tomorrow there will be something entirely different because our God is a good God and He's good to us in so many ways we can't even count them.😊 

Numbers 6:2-25 May the Lord bless you and protect you, May the Lord smile on you, and be gracious to you....

Have a good weekend counting your blessings.😊

If you'd like to watch the uplifting film here's the link.

https://youtu.be/D-THvIxIz44

THE GOODNESS OF GOD

Psalm 107:8 (Nkjv) Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!

When the enemy tries to bring lots of negative things to our attention through media, circumstances or whatever, that's the time to keep reminding ourselves about the goodness of our God and how He has never changed and will never let us go. He always was, and still is, our good God.

Psalm 100:4-5(Nkjv) ...Be thankful to Him and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting...

Psalm 145:9 The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.

Psalm 119:68 You are good and do good; 

Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the  day of trouble; 

Exodus 33:18-19 And he (Moses) said, "Please show me Your glory." And He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. ....

Isn't it interesting that God equates His glory with His goodness? That is the essence of who He is, that is His heart towards you and me. He only ever wanted or wants to do mankind good. James says every good and perfect gift comes down to us from our good God. (James 1:17) 

When we look at Jesus He was always doing good and He told us He only ever did what He saw His own Father doing - doing good.😊

So for those days when someone tries to tell us God is not good because of a tragedy that has occurred, or our circumstances, or the media try to make us doubt it, or if we have one of those 'wobbly moments', just keep these wonderful verses in mind (and countless others we could find) and remember the amazing goodness of God in sending His Son Jesus to the Cross for each one of us and the multitude of blessings He has poured into our lives. He gives every single one of us the opportunity to accept Jesus as our personal  Saviour. If you’ve never actually done that, why not do it today, while you still can?😊 (There is a prayer to help you on the side of the Blog when you click on Web Version if you scroll this page down.)🙂

Praise You and Thank You Lord for Your goodness to each one of us. Amen.

IN GOD'S HANDS

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ...

I wonder do you ever put things into God's hands and then take them out again? It's like when we cast our cares on God, believing He's more than able to deal with our situation, but then thoughts come whispering in our ears and we take that care back onto ourselves, without even realising it half the time!

God knows we struggle in that area and He taught us in these verses what to do about it. He reminds us that we are the ones who have control over it, not someone else, not the enemy. We have the final say in dealing with our thoughts, with those things that argue against trusting God, the so called 'reasoning', or anything that's contrary to God's word, instruction or promise.  

He says we can do it 'in God'. We have to remind ourselves it's Christ's obedience that gives us the victory, not our obedience, or strength or will power. It's because Jesus overcame the devil that He gave us the authority to do the same thing. That's good news!😊

If we've had a promise or a word from God, then the battle comes into our minds whether to hang on to it or not. When symptoms shout at us, or the bank statement tells us there's not enough, etc. with God's help we can get those promises of healing or provision out and take authority over those negative thoughts the way Jesus did. 

Jesus fought the enemy with the Word of God. He didn't argue or try to justify why He believed something. He just simply used the Word of God like the weapon it is, put down the enemy's thoughts by believing what Father God said about it and saw the enemy flee! The devil doesn't like to hang around someone who believes and uses God's word against him. He'll flee!

So next time your're tempted to take something back out of God's hands that you've already placed there, just wait a minute, look at the promise again and remind yourself and the devil who's in charge here, it''s you!, that you are 'in Christ' and the devil has no say in your life anymore. You've been taken out of his kingdom, out from under his authority and you're now in God's kingdom and under God's protection and direction. (Colossians 1:13)

Let's take captive some of those negative thoughts and not let them run riot in our minds, and do some casting and pulling down of some strongholds in the coming days. Our cares and our loved ones are safe in God's hands. Amen.😊

OUR UNBREAKABLE COVENANT

Psalm 89:33-34 Nevertheless My loving kindness I will not utterly take from him, Nor allow My faithfulness to fail. My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.

God is constantly reminding us in His word about the things that cannot be changed and here they are again - God’s covenant with us and His Word. They are two things that are irrevocable. If God has declared it, then it will be!

That is why His promises are so sure and steadfast. We may have people in our lives who may change their minds or let us down when under pressure in some way, but God is not a man that He should lie. God cannot lie or change!

Isaiah 54:10 “For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But my kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

When we feel like we've lost our peace or we're upset, it’s good to let that sink in a bit especially if we’re under pressure about a situation. Then if we take some time to read Hebrews 10 especially verses 14,16-17 we’re reminded that in the new covenant God declares He has perfected us forever, and He’ll remember our sins and lawless deeds no more!

So if life is trying to get on top of us, or we feel a failure for any reason we can go back to our verses today, read them over ourselves and keep a tight hold on our confidence in our great High Priest Jesus and all He’s done and doing for us. Yes, we may fail sometimes but that doesn't make us a failure! It's not who we are. 

We are in Christ, a child of God, and God sees us as forgiven and blameless in His sight so let's believe His Word which cannot be changed 😊 and remember….

Joshua 21:45 Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given…….was left unfulfilled; everything He had spoken came true.

We have an unchanging God and He’s given us an unbreakable covenant in Jesus. Thank You Lord.

THE DAY THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

Hebrews 4:14 seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

As we know there are some things that cannot be changed, they’re fixed by God and nothing and no-one can alter them. One of those things is the word of God that stands forever. (Isaiah 40:8, 1 Peter 1:25)

Another truth that can never be changed is the Victory Jesus won for us at the Cross. There is no symptom, no disease, no circumstance which is bigger than the victory Jesus won. It towers over history forever. It’s the day, the event, that changed everything for the world and mankind forever.

Our part is to keep a strong hold of our confession of faith in all we know and believe about Jesus and His finished work. When our verse says ‘hold fast’ it shows something or someone is trying to get us to let go, trying to tug it out of us so we give in or give up. I imagine it a bit like a tug of war with Satan at the other end of the rope. The good news is he has already been defeated and we now have a Great High Priest who is holding on to our end of the rope with us. 

He has already won the victory, so as long as we keep holding on to Him, as long as we keep trusting in His victory over all the works of the devil, and we keep His Word, that stands forever, coming out our mouths He will make sure we will not be defeated.

Scripture reminds us over and over again that we are on the winning side. We’ve read the back of the Book - We win!

The writer of Hebrews is saying to keep holding on to that truth no matter what, because with our Great High Priest who was tempted in every way just like us and who sympathises and understands us,(Heb.4:15) we will overcome through Him!😊

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

JUST BE!

1 Peter 2:9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Just Be! I read that on a sign yesterday and it made me think. Just be what? Just be there? Or Just be thankful? Or Just be yourself? Or Just be honest?  It could be a thousand and one things couldn’t it?

God asks us to just be who He has made us to be - righteous, without fault and blameless in His sight because He sees us through the perfection of Jesus, because He’s placed us in Him. 

Maybe today God wants you to just be there for someone else, to be the one they can call on for help, or advice, or just to know someone out there does care about and loves them.

Perhaps God wants us to just be thankful for all the blessings we do have, not complain about what we don’t have, for the health we do have even if some things aren’t working the way they should yet; to be thankful for our sins forgiven, our guilt and shame totally removed at the cross; for the huge fact that God loves us and Jesus gave His life blood for us.

Everyday God wants us to just be ourselves, not compare ourselves to someone else and wish we had what they had, or could do what they can do. No, we are fearfully and wonderfully made by the Creator for such a time as this. He has placed inside each one of us His great treasure and He thinks so much of us He planned our salvation before the world was made. You and I are His most prized possessions.😊

God doesn’t call us to pretend, He calls us to just be honest, to be real with Him because He knows us through and through anyway and still loves us beyond measure. There is nothing to fear in being honest with the Lord because He can turn any situation round for our good no matter if we’ve messed things up or someone else has.

So as we begin a new week, let’s ‘Just Be’ whatever God nudges us to be, whatever He’s already equipped and anointed us to be.  Most of all let’s always keep remembering to just be grateful for Jesus and all He has done for us. Amen.

Whatever you’re doing this week, enjoy ‘just being’ in Him.😊

LOOK UP!

Mark 16:3 And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"

Mark records there were three ladies walking towards the tomb that Easter morning on a mission to anoint the body of Jesus. We can imagine them, so downhearted, full of grief over Jesus dying and saying "What are we going to do about the stone?" As they walked towards it the thought of it seemed to  loom up in front of them because they knew it was bigger than they could deal with alone. Then it says in v.4 "But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away - for it was very large."

Are you walking along thinking "What are we going to do?" Is there something looming up in front of you that seems very large? If so, God encourages us today with this word Look up! The stone is rolled away! God is expert at rolling away stones that we think hold us trapped. He has stone removing power. The enemy thought he had Jesus dead and buried but God knew He had Jesus alive and risen and out of the tomb! The stone had no more power to hold Him in, hallelujah, and He's risen with healing in His wings.

God proved the impossible was possible when He raised Jesus from the dead, victorious over death, the grave and Hell for all eternity and He's alive for evermore. So whatever we're dealing with, whatever the enemy has tried to deceive us with, whatever dream he has told us is dead and buried God is saying the absolute opposite! He says "Look up, the precious blood of Jesus has been shed, the stone is rolled away, resurrection is here!"

He has removed the stone, removed the closed door, removed the heaviness of whatever your stone looks like and He says there is hope evermore because Jesus lives and He lives in you and me. 

Jesus is Risen and no situation is hopeless any more. Because of His shed Blood, because He's alive, the devil is defeated and we have hope. Hope for whatever is wrong to be turned around for our good in our now,  hope for our future, hope for our eternity. Glory to God for evermore. 

Alleluia, for the Lord God, the Almighty reigns.

HE IS ALIVE! HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE! 😊

WITH GOD IT IS POSSIBLE!

Luke 1:37 “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

We can imagine the disciples being so defeated on what we now know as Easter Saturday. They’d seen the horror of their Lord brutally killed the day before and had no idea there was a mind boggling miracle about to happen the next morning! It looked like their world had collapsed, all hope was gone, and they weren't sure what to do next.

Had they forgotten Jesus had said He’d rise again? Maybe they couldn’t get their heads round it anyway or how it could possibly be true. Ever felt like that? You’ve heard a promise of God but can't seem to believe it, or see how it could come about? The wonderful thing is it didn’t matter what they thought or believed at that point because God’s plan to resurrect Jesus from the dead didn’t depend on them, it was going through the process of coming to completion anyway and absolutely nothing could stop it!

We don’t want to be like the disciples who presumed nothing was happening, just because they couldn’t see it happening. The truth is some of God’s promises are unconditional and will come to pass whether we believe them or not. The promise that Jesus is coming back is one of those promises.😊

So the good news is God has restored hope to mankind and we can focus on the fact that He always keeps His promises. We can have a great sense of expectation of good because we know tomorrow we’re going to be celebrating the impossible.

Nothing is impossible anymore, because the impossibility of Jesus' resurrection has already happened! Hallelujah! Our God is awesome and He loves us. 

Matthew 19:26 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

.

GOD DEMONSTRATES FOR US

Romans 5:8 (Nkjv) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

When you stop to think about Good Friday you realise it’s the biggest demonstration of love mankind has ever seen. It was the day God revealed His great love for us when Jesus became the sacrifice for all our sins when we were so far away from Him. His love showed us there was no limit to the price He was willing to pay to redeem us. It's even more humbling when we realise how none of us deserved His great grace and mercy. It's not about us, it's all about Jesus and His love for us.

But it was also on Good Friday that God demonstrated His great goodness to mankind in sending Jesus, because no one else could do it. He didn't have to do it, but He chose to do it.

On Easter Sunday God demonstrated His great power when He raised Jesus from the dead and brought Him victorious out of Hell and seated Him at His right hand in heaven and then seated us there with Him.

God doesn't just talk about things, He demonstrates them for all to see so we can never be in any doubt about His love, His goodness and His power. And this same God has become One with our spirit, and He's living on the inside of us right now if we've made Jesus our Lord and Saviour.

Lord open the eyes of our hearts so we have a greater understanding of the length, the breadth, height, and the depth of Your great love for us and the exceedingly great power You have placed within us. Amen.

DON'T LOSE HEART, DON'T GIVE UP

Galations 6:9 So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.

There are lots of scriptures where the Lord encourages us all to keep going, not to grow weary, to strengthen the weak knees, etc. Our loving Father understands us so well and He knows we all come under the attack of the enemy to be discouraged, to want to give up. 

David experienced it in Psalm 27:13-14 but he fought back with these words "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes wait patiently for the Lord. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart: Wait, I say, on the Lord."

Doing good isn't necessarily doing good deeds but doing the right thing when the wrong thing is happening.  It's keeping going in faith when symptoms or circumstances haven't appeared to change, or have grown worse. It's believing that God is, and always will be, a good God who wants the best for us and being willing to stand on His promises no matter how long it takes. David says four times to wait for, and on the Lord!

Paul tells us at just the right time we will reap a harvest if we don't give up. Giving up would be so easy, wouldn't it? But God has a 'right time' for you. He has placed His mighty Holy Spirit inside you and me, and He's made us of sterner stuff than that.😊 He has placed the Overcomer inside us, the Greater One, we are united with Jesus, the Mighty Conqueror, the King of Kings, the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the One who went to the Cross and Hell and back for us. He went through too much for us to give in or give up.

He calls us to keep going, He promises us a harvest of blessing when we do. So brothers and sisters, for anyone who is discouraged or tired or weary today allow these words to encourage, strengthen and infuse new hope back into your tired spirit. We will reap a harvest if we do not lose heart and we don't give up. God loves you so much. 😊

MAKE ROOM FOR THE NEW

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 (AMP) There is a season (a time appointed) for everything  ...... A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.

One of my neighbours is in the process of digging up her old patio and taking it through to the front driveway to await removal. Before she can put down her new patio she has to get rid of the old concrete slabs and the hardcore which is holding them up. I'm sure the finished work will be lovely.😊

In the same way if we want God to do something new in our lives, to be able to release His life from inside us where He lives, into the lives of others, we're going to need to allow Him to dig up some things, to uproot some thought patterns or attitudes, to break up any hard ground in us and allow them to be removed.

We may be holding on to our comfort zone, to the things we feel safe with and they're holding back the Holy Spirit from showing us new paths, maybe different ways of doing things we didn't know were there. It may be thoughts about ourselves or others, or some traditions. Jesus said in Mark 7:13 And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition....

I don't know about you, but if I've got some concrete slabs in my thinking that are hindering me, I want them broken up and taken out. I don't want to hinder any of the plans God has to improve or redirect my life where He wants to!

If you feel the same way, then let's ask the Lord together to do a work in each one of us and give Him permission to uproot anything that's blocking His plans and purposes and ask Him to change us from the inside out where we need it, and make room for the new. 

Let's do it in faith with a great expectation of good to come from it, for His blessings to flow in greater measure, and His power to be released in and through us for the benefit of others, knowing that whatever God does it will be good and for our good. Amen.😊 

BEING STRONG AND COURAGEOUS

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

God says if Joshua will do what His word says he will be successful, and He says the same to us today. It’s a great verse and very well known, but as you know it’s not always easy to do!😊 You may have had a new doctor’s report which you didn’t like. You may be facing a work situation which grows more difficult to deal with each day and it requires courage to face these or other problems because they won’t just disappear on their own.

So what do we do? When we feel weary, like we’ve used all our courage up, when it feels like our strength is at a low ebb, we need to go back to the source of our supply for everything - to God Himself. 

If ever anyone needed courage to face a terrible situation it was Jesus when He was looking at the Cross. He was the bravest, most courageous man who ever lived and He overcame the temptation to quit, to give up. He is now living on the inside of us and it’s His courage we draw on not our own. It’s His strength we draw on, not our own. Whatever we need He is our source of supply, He is our Strength and Shield. He is the author of our faith and when ours is low we go to Him to live His faith through us.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Thank God, Jesus didn’t throw in the towel, and we mustn’t either!  We’re not on our own in life’s battles and it's not our courage we're to use, but we have the One who overcame and He is dwelling on the inside of us to enable us to live and overcome in our lives too. He says His grace is more than enough for us to overcome because His great strength is revealed when we’re weak. (2 Cor.12:9)

So be encouraged we have fresh courage, renewed strength, new levels of faith being released to us as we turn to Jesus. He will uphold, strengthen and help us do whatever we have to do by His grace. 

We wont just struggle on, but we will be strong and courageous, and overcome in Him. Let's believe that word and receive it today. 😊 Thank You Lord.

GOD HAS COME BACK ON HIS MIND

John 7:37-38 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’ 

In a little corner of our back garden we have a beautiful clump of primroses which always make my heart glad because they’re one of my favourite flowers. They looked as though they might not make it, what with the snow and freezing temperatures we’ve had, and last summer they were all but destroyed by slugs. Yet here they are again, as lovely as ever! They always come back stronger and more beautiful than before because their roots go down deep.

Our lives can feel a bit like that if we’ve had a battle on our hands and it can leave us feeling somewhat depleted. But the good news is Jesus is never depleted, He’s still the strength of our lives and He’s never abandoned us so we still have everything going for us.😊

Isaiah 58:11 The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.

So just in case you’ve been going through a dry patch where you feel like you don’t have much left to give why not bring these two promises to God’s throne and ask Him to give you a fresh infilling of His life giving water to restore you. Jesus promised as we believe and drink from Him rivers of living water will flow from our heart. It’s the Holy Spirit doing it and He’s promised to make us like a well watered garden once again. 

Like the primroses, no matter what your setbacks, God has your come back all planned and prepared for, because your roots have been safely anchored in Him even when you couldn’t see anything in the natural. 

As we begin this new week with the Lord, He is encouraging each one of us to know He will  make us like an ever-flowing spring. Have a blessed week.😊

OUR GLORIOUS GOD

Deuteronomy 32:3-4 
I will proclaim the name of the Lord; how glorious is our God! 
He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. 
Everything he does is just and fair. 
He is a faithful God who does no wrong; 

how just and upright he is! 

Moses had written a song to remind the Israelites how wonderful their God was and to warn them what would happen if they abandoned Him for false gods. He wrote it just before the Lord took him up on the mountain to die because he wasn't allowed to enter the promised land due to his betraying the Lord at Meribah Waters. (Deuteronomy 32:51-52) Despite what must have been a huge disappointment he says "Everything He does is just and fair." 

The bible tells us Moses was the meekest man on earth at that time even though God had used him to perform all the miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt. Part of the meaning of meekness is to be fully and entirely dependent on God which is how Moses could do those amazing things. Deut 34:10 There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.

Moses goes on...Deut.33:26-27 There is no one like the God of Israel. He rides across the heavens to help you, across the skies in majestic splendor. The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you. He drives out the enemy before you; he cries out, 'Destroy them!'

Our God never changes and just as He rode across the heavens in majestic splendour to help them then, He will ride across the heavens to help us now! I think that is wonderful, don’t you? The even more wonderful truth is He doesn't even need to because He's already living inside us now!

He is still our refuge and His everlasting arms are still under each one of us whether day or night and He's still driving out our enemy before us. In fact He has already destroyed him because we're this side of the Cross where Jesus defeated him for us.

We have a wonderful, glorious God and we can follow Moses example of being fully and entirely dependent on God as we give Him all the praise and glory on this Palm Sunday. Hallelujah!😊

GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS

Jeremiah 33:3 Call to me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.

A few years ago I was recounting a problem I had to my son and he said, "Mum you're bigger than that!" I've never forgotten it and when I face a situation that seems daunting I hear his voice in my head "You're bigger than that!"

That brings me to asking you what are you dealing with at the minute? Whatever it is, because you're in Jesus and joined with Him, you are definitely bigger than that, and greater is He that is in you than whatever you are facing!

 

The trouble is we have a tendency to think too small, we're tempted to think we're not able to overcome, that it has the upper hand because of what we feel and see. But I'm here to remind us we're walking by faith, not what we see. We're walking by what God has said in His word about us, that we are Overcomers, More Than Conquerors, that Jesus has given us the victory. 

We'll never hear of God thinking small, or of Him being limited, or only able to make a small difference to our lives. Definitely not!😊

We know God is huge. Huge in power, huge in love and grace towards us and there is nothing too hard for Him. He's the biggest thing out there! So I asked myself why am I thinking small or negative thoughts? We have the One who flung stars into space, whose Word is upholding the universe dwelling inside us. 

Jesus himself said all things are possible with God, and all things are possible to him who believes. Are we believing too small? He's saying it's time to start thinking and believing bigger because God has made us bigger than the illnesses, bigger than our weaknesses, bigger than our defeats or problems!

If we're going to believe God for something it might as well be big! He wants to show us great and mighty things. We wont give God a headache if we think and imagine big things, big healings, big deliverances, big projects.😊 He actively encourages us to do it in Ephesians 3:20!

Instead of thinking "If I could just get well." Let’s think "God I'm expecting 100% deliverance, for it never to return, to live in vibrant health!" Don't just think, "If my children could be saved." Let's think "My kids are going to be saved and do mighty things for God" Replace "If I could just have enough money to pay the bills." with "I'll have more than enough and be a blessing to someone else!"

Let's ask the Lord what it is He wants us to believe Him for, to show us great and mighty things, and then reach out in faith for them in Jesus Name. Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x😊