THE POSSIBLE YOU!

Matthew 4:19 Then He (Jesus) said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Yesterday we looked at being on the Potter’s wheel and being made into how God sees us. When Michelangelo carved his famous Angel from marble he said, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” He was doing what God does on the Potter’s wheel. He is setting us free to be who we were called to be.

It’s a bit like when Jesus said to His disciples “Follow me and I will make you…”  In effect He was saying “You are fishermen now but you shall be …...” He says it to you and me too. 

He was talking about the possible you, the possible me. You are…but you shall be…. Jesus has a plan and purpose for each one of our lives too and whether it’s to be a homemaker or a politician, included in it, will also be the call to tell others about Jesus.

He said “Follow me and I will make you….” If we follow Jesus He will make us into who He designed and destined us to be for His Father’s glory. Jesus made His disciples an offer - they took it.

On our own, we may amount to something, but it wont be half of what we could be if we allow Jesus to make us. He has amazing plans for each of us to prosper and not to harm us.(Jeremiah 29:11)

“You are - but you shall be!  Wherever we’re at now, no matter our age, God wants to take us further. He wants to give you His vision of the possible you. Regardless of whether we think what we have now, or where we’re at now, is good or bad, God has so much more for us.😊 

The disciples had been content catching fish. Jesus called them to change lives. 

I wonder what He could do with us if we were to surrender our lives to Him afresh…. what the ‘possible you’, the ‘possible me’ looks like?

Jesus says to each of us, ‘Follow Me and I will make you…’ - God knows!😊

Enjoy a blessed weekend everyone.x

IN THE POTTER’S HANDS

Jeremiah 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.

Have you ever tried making anything out of clay on a potter’s wheel? Well when I tried it, the pot I made left a lot to be desired! You could say it was somewhat misshapen in my hands and was hardly worth keeping although it was quite funny at the time! I was splattered in clay!😊

As I thought about our verse it made me realise that there are many people who go through experiences which can leave them feeling like that lump of clay, a bit bashed about, battered by past mistakes or just bruised by life. We can probably all identify with moments like that at some time or another.

But the good news is the potter in this verse didn’t leave it all messed up, he made it again. Our God is like that because He is the Master Potter and we are the clay. There is always hope for each one of us no matter how dented and cracked we are. He will make us again and make us into a pot fit for His use. 

There may have been days of betrayal or disappointment or heartbreak in life but we can remember that just like the clay is in the potter’s hands, we are also in the loving hands of Jesus who knows how to create beautiful things.

We are all on the Potter’s wheel, and it may feel like we’re spinning around, being prodded and pulled in all directions, but be encouraged, all is not lost, He is making us into something wonderful, of great worth. God knows what He is doing. He is transforming us by the renewing of our minds, changing us from glory to glory till we look like Jesus. 

2 Corinthians 3:18(Nlt) …And the Lord - who is the Spirit - makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

We are all being changed into something glorious - He is making us again!😊 Praise His name.

MAKING LIFE ‘BEARABLE’!

Galatians 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

We have a very large teddy bear called Fudge who has been relegated to the garage for some time now as he is so big, but our daughter has borrowed him to take to her Well-Being Class for primary children this week. So now he’s back on duty giving hugs and cuddles to all who want them and he is extremely cuddly! They’ll love him!😊

He reminded me of our verse encouraging us to ‘bear’ one another’s burdens, to be there for someone and give them a hug if it’s needed. There are times when we’re upset and we don’t want to hear any words, we don’t want advice, all we want is to know we are loved, we need a big hug! When Covid was keeping us all apart in 2020 I think one of the hardest parts of it was to not be able to hug or come close to those we loved.

Now I’m not suggesting we go round hugging all we meet, because I know some people would be horrified, but I do know God does want us to love one another in whatever way is appropriate, whether it’s listening to someone’s troubles, or baking them a cake, or phoning them to make sure they know they’re still loved and not forgotten.

John 13:34-35 “So now I am giving you a new commandment. Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

God wants us to be so loving and lovable that others are drawn to us because they see we have the love of God. We may not be like that in our own nature but we can ask the Holy Spirit to help us grow in His love so we become more and more like Jesus. 

I suddenly had this lovely thought (‘bear’ with me here), of having a God size bear hug with Him at the beginning of every day and as we receive His love so it can flow out to others. Scripture tells us He wraps His loving arms around us, same thing!🙂

So whenever you see a teddy bear in the future whether he’s big or small, remember to ‘bear’ one another’s burdens, and love one another in whatever way you can. You just might make someone’s life more ‘bearable’.🙂

Sending you all big hugs today.

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THE LORD IS OUR CUP OF BLESSING

Psalm 16:1-2(Nlt) Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge. I said to the Lord, “You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.”  v.5 Lord you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine.

I hope these words really bless you because they’re words that build up and give us hope, of comfort and security, words of infinite possibilities in Him because He is our inheritance. God’s words are such a blessing to us.

They remind me of Psalm 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil: My cup runs over. Our God is the God of ‘running over’ and He tells us today He is a cup of blessing to us. He is the God of more than enough, the One who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above and beyond all we can ask or think.(Ephesians 3:20)

I wonder what you’re asking for, and thinking of? Is it nothing much, or is it a big vision? Whatever it is God wants to go beyond it!  When a child is small they want to be an astronaut, or an inventor or a great explorer. They have big dreams because no one has told them they can’t do it. They believe all things are possible!

As we grow up we can lose that and we start to think smaller. Where we may ask to survive, God wants us to thrive, we may want just enough for our family but God wants to bless us financially so much we can be a blessing to His kingdom and others. We may just want to recover from an illness, God wants us so well we can go out and be a testimony to His healing power.😊

God wants us to expand our thinking, to think big, think out of the box of mediocre or just get by. He has so much more for us if we’d just believe what He says - He is and has a cup of blessing for us today, running over so we can’t even contain it. Jesus came that we might have the abundant, God kind of life to the full, till it overflows. 

We know all things are possible with God so by faith let’s allow Him to give us a big vision of our cup overflowing with health, overflowing with finances, overflowing with every good thing that comes from Him because they’re all in His promises through Jesus, for His glory. Praise You Lord.

DEALING WITH STRUGGLES

Philippians 1:30 We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.

I take heart from this verse because it struck me that it includes all of us who are walking through the Christian life with Jesus. I’m sure we can identify with Paul and acknowledge it can be a struggle sometimes, which is why we need one another.😊

Paul says ‘We are in this struggle together’. We’re not meant to struggle on by ourselves, we need fellowship with faith filled believers who will encourage and build us up in our faith to put our eyes on Jesus even more.

Paul was a great apostle for the Lord, and yet He’s the first to admit he was in the middle of a struggle. Maybe you are too. He was in prison for his faith and though we may not be in prison, it can feel like we’re imprisoned by circumstances and struggle at times. 

When life feels like it’s getting on top of us, it would be good to go to someone we trust, and say we’re struggling and ask for prayer and moral support. It’s good to be honest.😊

God put us in the family of God to be there for one another. Perhaps God is calling you to ‘be there’ for someone else today. Paul often speaks of encouraging each other, bearing one another’s burdens, praying unceasingly not just for ourselves but for others too.

God never intended us to struggle on our own because He’s given us His Holy Spirit to counsel and guide us. He’s given us each other to encourage and build us back up.

Paul knew what he was talking about and tells us how to win through in our struggle. He says to rejoice, have a good attitude, find something to be glad about, be thankful to God in the midst of it all, for all His mercies and goodness to us, for His favour and protection. Remember praise defeats the enemy! 

So let me encourage you. God is still on the throne. He loves you, He’s on your side and He is strengthening you. He will bring you through and out to a place of victory. He’s the God of the turn around and we can all rejoice in those things.😊

Thank You Lord. Our eyes are on You. You are full of loving kindness and You always lead us in victory, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

IRREPRESSIBLE JOY FOR YOU

Psalm 97:11 (Amplified Classic) Light is sown for the [uncompromisingly] righteous and strewn along their pathway, and joy for the upright in heart [the irrepressible joy which comes from consciousness of His favor and protection].

I love the thought that we can all have irrepressible joy, and the Psalmist even tells us how to get it. I think we could all do with a fresh dose of joy don’t you? 

He says what we need is to be righteous and conscious of God’s favour and protection.  Well praise God, Jesus has made us righteous in God’s eyes, and Psalm 5:12 says (Nkjv)For You O Lord, will bless the righteous. With favor You will surround him as with a shield. Hallelujah!😊

I’ve discovered that some Christians think we shouldn’t expect God to show us His favour which is sad and they often have little joy! I’m delighted to say that God tells us His favour is for all His children and it lasts for a lifetime. 

Psalm 30:5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. 

Although God has no favourites yet we all do have God’s favour on us for the whole of our lives and He wants us to not only expect and be conscious of it, but to rejoice in it because God links joy and favour together. And if we’re filled with joy and it shows on our faces, others will be attracted to Him too.

The other thing that brings irrepressible joy is the consciousness of God’s protection. I wonder if we are conscious of it or just ‘hoping’ that He’ll protect us? God wants us to have such a certainty of His loving protection that we can relax into it and let it bring such a deep sense of joy that we can hardly contain it. 😊

So, in case you’ve not had much joy lately, can I encourage you with our verse as you jump into another week to remember you are the righteousness of God in Christ, and expect and enjoy God’s favour and protection on your life so you can let His joy fill you up and spill over on to everybody else you meet.😊

Thank You Lord we’re walking in Your favour and protection every day, help us to be conscious of them all the time. Amen.

CLOSE TO GOD’S HEART

John 10:14-16 

I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me,

 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father.

 So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. 

I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. 

They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd. 

Those verses are wonderful as they talk about the enormous cost to Jesus because of His great love for His sheep - you and me. They remind us of the deep relationship between Jesus and each one of us, which He’s says is the same kind of relationship He has with His own Father in Heaven! That’s huge when you think about it!

A friend reminded me yesterday that we have been made for our Father’s pleasure. What a thought - the God of all things, who made the earth and all the stars - He has chosen us to be His sheep, and we bring Him pleasure. Can you just stop for a minute and let that sink in? I hope it thrills your soul. You bring God pleasure.😊

Isaiah 40:10 He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.

Jesus is holding us close to His heart. Imagine that, it doesn’t come any better does it? Right this minute you and I are being held in His loving arms and we’re so close to His heart He says we can hear His voice, and as He holds us He’s whispering His love into our hearts today. Just be still, and hear it in your spirit, wherever you are. Give Him your time and hear Him.😊

Thank You Lord Jesus. Thank You for Your sacrifice and love for each one of us so that we can be one of Your sheep, and thank You for holding us so close to your heart. We love You Lord, Amen.

DON’T GIVE UP - IT WILL HAPPEN!

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

If you’ve ever waited for something for a long time you’ll know the joy and excitement of when it actually arrives or happens. It was so worth the wait wasn’t it? It’s a hurrah moment!😊

Months ago a lady gave me some cosmos plants to say thank you for finding and returning her Iphone. Well I planted them and they grew huge - but no flowers to be seen! I waited and waited, it looked hopeless and thought about digging them up. Finally there it was this week, out of the blue, after storms and rain battering them - my first flower! A hurrah moment!

A similar thing happened with a friend who my daughter sent some stick insect eggs to

months ago. She waited and waited, nothing seemed to be happening, they looked like little black seeds with no life in them, then suddenly out popped a stick insect at long last! She was thrilled she hadn’t given up on them. Another hurrah moment!

I wonder have you been waiting and waiting for something from God? You feel like it should have blossomed by now, that the seeds of faith should be producing what you’re believing for and you’ve become discouraged. It all looks hopeless, looks like nothing is happening? 

Well I’m here today to tell you to hang in there. You’re right in the middle of our verse doing good, believing, standing in faith, and God says if you’ll not grow weary you’ll reap a harvest. 

Jesus was on His way to heal a little girl when He heard the report that she had died, but He said to Jairus ‘Only believe’. He didn’t say “only believe but if it doesn’t look like it’s happening or it looks like it’s too late just give it up!” No! He said “Don’t be afraid. Only believe!”

If  you’ve asked and believed for something God has promised you then it is on its way. God’s timing is not our timing but it is on time! Your hurrah moment is coming, your prayer of faith is being answered. Concentrate on the promise, not the time it’s taking - what God has said He will do - He will do! Healing is on it’s way, finances are coming, whatever it is you’re believing for, don’t give up - it will happen.😊 

Mark 5:36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid, only believe.”

GOD’S PERSPECTIVE ON THINGS

Hebrews 4:16 (Nkjv) So let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Yesterday we looked at Blind Bartimaeus and when he woke up that morning he had no idea he would meet Jesus and his whole life would be transformed. His entire perspective on life was opened up and changed for the better. In fact, it was really dramatic - He could now see - He wasn’t blind any more!(Mark 10:52) 

As I read this story I wondered if you and I are willing to let Jesus open our spiritual eyes to see what He wants us to see, to see from His perspective instead of our own limited one? We may only see things from the viewpoint of our upbringing, our culture, our denomination, but God is so much bigger than those. There may be some things we’re ‘blind’ to that God wants to reveal to us if we’ll allow Him to. Ephesians 4:23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.

We call out to God because we want Him to hear us, don’t we? But God reminded me we need to understand that God’s desire is for us us to hear Him too! He wants us to hear His perspective, His way of seeing things. As we listen to Him and read His word we’ll discover His way of doing life.

Bart acknowledged his need of Jesus, that He was the only One who could meet his need, so he boldly asked for Jesus to intervene. God says we too can come boldly to His throne of grace to get His help, His input, when we need it. What we forget sometimes is that when we come and boldly ask, God might have something to say about it! He may want to give us an instruction, a new idea or perspective on the situation which would bring the answer to us maybe much quicker! We need to hear what God has to say as well as asking Him to hear what we have to say!😊

So let’s not only be bold and specific but let’s be teachable and listening for God’s perspective and instructions and allow His marvellous grace and mercy to flow to us and through us as we bring our requests to Him. Amen.

Luke 11:9-10 And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU?

Luke 18:40 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”

We can learn a lot from Bartimaeus who was a blind beggar until He met Jesus. Matthew’s account of this story says he’d heard that Jesus was passing by where he was. Jesus is the same today, He’s not only passing by but He’s right there beside you right now. He’s not far off!😊

Bart called out to Him because he wanted something that only Jesus could give him. He wanted to see! What is it you need from Jesus today? He’s listening. You have His attention! We can call out in faith like Bart did, knowing He’s the God who hears and answers prayer, who does the impossible, who has no favourites. What He’s done for others, He will do for you and me. We can take Him at His word because He cannot lie.

God wants us to reach out and put our confidence in Him knowing He’s for us and not against us, knowing He went to the Cross for us and defeated disease, poverty and all our other giants whatever they are. He can restore our lives, heal broken hearts, set the drug addict free, and He can soften the hardest heart if we’ll call out and ask Him to.

Bart laid aside his beggar cloak and went to Jesus. I wonder if we’re willing to lay other things aside in order to go and seek Him out knowing He’ll reward us if we do. The crowd tried to stop him but when Bart yelled out he wasn’t taking No for an answer! He was very specific as he made his request for sight. We need to do the same, so that when the answer comes we’ll recognise it! No vague prayers! 

Jesus is asking you “What do you want Me to do for you?” Can you hear His loving, caring heart in that question? Let’s draw near to Him today and tell Him what we want Him to do for us. Bart received His request and so will we.😊

Isaiah 30:19…He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries.

RANDOM KINDNESS

Matthew 6:3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret: and your father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

When we were on holiday we visited Wedmore, a lovely Somerset village, where we had coffee in a cafe. Scattered around were these pretty crochet key rings saying they were free to take away and no one knew where they had come from! They were random acts of kindness that some lovely person had spent quite a while making for the benefit of people she would never know or meet. They were all over the village! What a lovely idea.😊

It really brightened my day and reminded me how a random act of kindness has a ripple effect on people we may never know. Kindness is something we can all be involved in and might lift someone who may be feeling down or just to make them smile like the key ring did for me.

It seemed to go the extra mile, a bit like Jesus telling us to be givers without our left hand knowing what our right hand is doing. I rather like the idea of doing our good deeds secretly instead of openly, not expecting anything in return from the one we’re being kind to because they’ll never know where it came from.😊

Kindness can come in different disguises though. 1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. We’re being kind when we overlook an offence, or when we know someone’s faults but because we love them we don’t say anything.(Ephesians 4:2)

We’re being kind when we find something encouraging to say when we see someone being put down or sad. The list is endless and God Himself is full of loving kindness towards us. 

Ephesians 4:32  ….Instead, be kind to each other, tender hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. God sees kindness as being forgiving, even when they don’t deserve it.

So whatever else we have to do today, maybe we could be on the lookout for ways to make someone’s day, to find a way to commit a random act of kindness especially if we can do it without them even knowing where it came from. God will know.😊

 

THERE’S NOTHING! GO AGAIN!

1 Kings18:43 and (Elijah) said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”

Have you ever gone to look for something and you just can’t find it? So you go again and have another look, and another look. It was a bit like that for Elijah’s servant. They hadn’t had rain for over three years but Elijah had heard from God that He’d send rain (v.1), and he could hear the sound of the abundance of rain in his spirit though he had no evidence. He had the faith to believe God would fulfil His promise.

Faith is believing what God has said and receiving it as fact in our spirit. God wants us to see and hear what we’re believing for in our spirit. See ourselves well, see ourselves prospering, etc. before we have it.

We know faith is what pleases God but sometimes it’s a challenge to keep praying when there’s no encouragement isn’t it? Elijah’s servant kept saying “There is nothing.”  So Elijah sent him to look for a rain cloud again. Same reply “There’s nothing”. But Elijah had God’s word, so he stuck with it. “Go again”. So off went the servant, time and time again. Can you imagine how challenging that must have been to them both? “Go again”. “There’s nothing”, until finally on the seventh look he finally saw it! A cloud the size of a man’s hand! Shortly after there was a deluge! Elijah had the determination to not give up, to pray till the promise came. 

Have you ever been there? Prayed and prayed and there’s nothing, no improvement in your health, not enough money to pay bills maybe? May I encourage you because if you’ll keep believing God’s word is true, keep believing His promises, you will have your ‘seventh time’  and you will see what God has promised you. We need to encourage each other to be determined to pray what God has said in His word and not let go till we have it. Never let go - never give up!

Maybe you feel like you’ve got ‘nothing’, not even a glimmer of something happening. Well Elijah started with ‘nothing’ but eventually his ‘nothing’ became a mighty ‘something’! 

God is still the same God, healing, providing and fulfilling what He has said, so let’s have a made up mind set, to ‘Go again’ until we too have what we’re believing God for, knowing God can make something out of our nothing.😊 Amen.

GOD IS A REWARDER

Hebrews 11:6 For without faith it is impossible to please God for he that comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

It’s good to remind ourselves that God is a rewarder! He is not a destroyer but He really wants us to know not only is He a rewarder but that there’s nothing wrong with receiving a reward from Him! He is not the One who steals from us, He restores what the enemy has stolen. He blesses us with double blessings for our troubles. (Isaiah 61:7) Isaiah 61:8 “For I the Lord, love justice. I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering and make an everlasting covenant with them.” 

How often have we heard people blame God when they became sick or lost their jobs, or they think He took their family member or they thought He’d punished them for a wrong thought or deed? They’ve been misled to think God did those things, or is waiting for them to do something wrong so He can hit them with something bad. That’s not God! Jesus told us clearly it’s the enemy! He said in John 10:10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. v.11 I am the good Shepherd…”  

God is not the One who makes us sick, He’s the One who makes us well, who makes us alive, who gives us an abundant life. 

If we’re believing that God exists and we’re diligently seeking Him then we can rest assured that God has a reward coming our way. Fortunately, I didn’t say that, and it’s not wishful thinking on my part either, it’s what God has said by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Isn’t that wonderful?😊

What a lovely way to begin the week and go back to work, or go about our routines. We can have an attitude that wants to diligently seek the Lord just for who He is, our Good Shepherd. We don’t need to seek His rewards because we know the rewards will follow anyway as we stay in faith.😊 Thank You Lord.

CHOSEN IN ADVANCE

Ephesians 1:11 (Nlt) 

Furthermore, because we are united with Christ,

 we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, 

and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

Do you remember being in school and teams were being picked for games? There were always one or two who were last to be picked and we none of us wanted to be chosen last as it made us feel unwanted as though we were a bit useless!

Well the good news for us today is that we were all chosen in advance, not chosen as a last resort by God, but chosen before the foundation of the world. I think that is so wonderful and remarkable. God wanted and hand picked each one of us to be part of His family. Very often you hear people say you can’t choose your family but you can choose your friends. But God has chosen His family and included us in it. Glory to God! 

I hope that makes your heart sing with praise today and makes you feel so wanted and special because you are. 

Ephesians 1:6 (Nkjv) to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. You are called, chosen, anointed, accepted, gifted and loved beyond measure by God our loving Father and all made possible because of Jesus and His work on the Cross. What a Saviour we have and what a loving Father we have too. 

Let’s fix our eyes on Him today and give Him all our praise and thanks for all He’s done and continues to do for us. 

Ephesians 1:4 (Nkjv) just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.

Most important of all is that God’s invitation to His family is open to everybody who will accept His Son Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. If you haven’t done it yet, why not pray the prayer at the side of the Blog and invite Him into your life today and join God’s family? He loves you too.😊

WHAT GOD SAYS

Deuteronomy 28:6 (Nkjv)Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

God says we’re blessed! All the promises of God are wonderful but this is such an easy promise to remember and I love to declare it throughout the day. The great thing is, it’s for all of us who are in Jesus. Whether we’re coming in or whether we’re going out and about, God says we’re blessed. He has commanded the blessing on us. (Deut 28:8)

Just like He commanded light to come at creation and it came, He has commanded the blessing on His children - in or out - we’re blessed! All we have to do is believe and receive His word and declare it over our lives. Even a child can do it, He’s made it so easy and accessible to us. We don’t have to be clever, or super spiritual to receive His blessing, we just need to have received Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. I’m so glad we’re blessed because of all Jesus has done for us, not because of our own efforts. We give Him all the glory for it.

Deuteronomy 28:2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you … If you want to read some of the many blessings God has given us read Deut 28:1-13 Whatever we repeatedly declare over our lives is being drawn to us, which is why it’s so important for us to say what God says about us and not what we feel or think about ourselves. 

And just in case you read the curses that follow in Deuteronomy 28, remember we have been delivered from every one of them by Jesus (Gal 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law…) Jesus took all the curses on Himself at the Cross for us, how wonderful that is.

Proverbs 10:6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous…. That’s you and me, Jesus has made us righteous in Him. God says it over and over again through His word. He really wants us to get the message. We’re blessed, and can be a blessing to others too!😊

So as we go about our day, be encouraged because we can keep agreeing with God and His word and declare “I am blessed coming in and blessed going out. Wherever I go His blessing is on me. Thank You Lord.”

Enjoy a blessed weekend in Him everybody.x😊

WITH MEN OR WITH GOD?

Matthew 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

I wonder who we’re with today? With men, or with God? If we’re with men in our thinking (what the doctor said, or the bank or the lawyer, etc.) then we’ll be limited, but the good news is if we’re with God in our thinking then we’ll have limitless possibilities and all things will be possible.  According to which camp we’re in, it will determine what we receive in the future. It’s actually our choice which is amazing.😊

So often we look at our circumstances, our finances, or our state of health and if we believe only what we feel or see we’ll be limited in what we could be believing God for. The only way to counteract what we see with our natural eyes is to ‘see’ through the eyes of faith based on God’s word, because faith sees and believes something is possible with our mighty God.

Whatever we’re dealing with we can find a promise in scripture about it, take it to God and say we’re taking it in faith and ask Him to fulfil His word according to 1 Cor. 1:20 For all the promises of God in Him (Jesus) are Yes, and in Him Amen. 

Faith doesn’t bow to what it feels or what it sees in the natural, but it goes beyond it and grabs hold of what God has said and promised in His word and won’t let go no matter what.

If we’ll keep immersing ourselves in the promises, declaring them by faith, reminding God and ourselves that what He has said He meant, and that He meant what He said, then faith will grow inside us. If we keep looking at the Word instead of looking at the circumstances then the Word will manifest if we’ll not give up.

So be encouraged, what you’re feeling or seeing with your natural eyes is not the end of the story. What God has said is the end of the story if we’ll choose to go ‘with God’ and not ‘with men’.😊

Jeremiah 1:12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.”

FROM DISAPPOINTMENT TO BLESSING

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

We all have disappointments in life and over the past year, although I’ve been very unwell, I’ve tried to get away to see family and friends. We arranged four times to go but each time I was so disappointed as I just wasn’t strong enough and had to cancel every time. But praise God I’m a lot better now and finally went to see them all this past week and returned yesterday.

The reason I’m telling you all that is to say that if we had managed to go when we wanted to, the weather would have been colder and wetter, I wouldn’t have had the energy and we wouldn’t have enjoyed it half as much as this past sunny week which we’ve had down in Devon and Somerset! 😊

I want to encourage anyone who is suffering from big or small disappointments over things that have happened, or you’re feeling very discouraged because things are not working out the way you wanted them to, or they’re taking a long time.

You see God reminded me this past week that He has His plans for all of us, even our holidays, and His plans are always for our good. He showed it to me last week by giving us one of the happiest and nicest holidays we’ve had. His timing was perfect and was so worth waiting for and am very grateful to Him for it.😊

So whatever disappointment you may be experiencing or have had, keep trusting the One who loves you and holds your life in His hands, to work it all out for you in the best possible way, and I know you will be blessed. He really does work all things together for our good in the end. 

Psalm 40: 2-3 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Luke 5:4-5 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,”Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” “Master,” Simon replied. “We worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”

I was out a walk the other day when we had to cross a railway line to reach the field beyond. As I stood in the middle of the track I was struck with how like life it was. It went straight along for a bit then there was a curve and you couldn’t see round the corner. 

We probably all find our Christian walk is like that. All is going smoothly then the Lord takes us to something where we can’t see round the corner, we have to do it in faith. 

There are times when we know, that we know, what God has asked us to do and all we have to do is follow, regardless of whether we can see where we’re headed or not. We just trust the Lord to lead us each step of the way. But there are times when we have to step out in faith, if we’re ever going to do what God wants us to do, when the way ahead is so unclear. 

He told Peter to launch out into the deep when everything in Peter wanted to say ‘That doesn’t make any sense Lord. I’ve already tried and it didn’t work.’ Instead Peter chose to obey and we know he ended up with a blessing of fish that almost sank his boat it was so big and so good.

God is looking for people who will obey Him even if we’ve tried and failed before or when it doesn’t make sense to our own minds, because He always has a good reason for asking us to do something, it’s not random. 

So this is to encourage anyone who is facing a curve in the road where you can’t see where it’s leading to just do whatever God has put in your heart and trust Him to provide all you need. 

Scripture says God is pleased when we step out in faith, so let’s keep following Him one step at a time and He’ll show us what to do next, when we need to know.😊

Proverbs 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

JESUS BLESSES THANKFULNESS

Luke 17:17-18 Jesus asked “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?

Ten lepers had been standing off at a distance when they shouted to Jesus to have mercy on them. Jesus then told them to go and show themselves to the priests and as they went, as they obeyed, they received their miracle of healing.

Now you’d think they’d all be over the moon and come rushing to say thank you to Jesus wouldn’t you? But they didn’t! Only one came back to give glory to God and thank Jesus.

As I was reading that I just had such a sense of how important it is to say thank you to God whenever we’ve seen Him move in our lives, no matter how small a thing it is. He wants us to acknowledge it was from Him, not a coincidence, to be aware of God speaking and moving in our daily lives when others would think it just ‘happened’. We’ve all experienced things where it didn’t just ‘happen’, it was the goodness of God.😊

The leper who returned to say thank you, not only received his healing of leprosy, but the KJV says Jesus blessed him with being made whole. So the parts which had been destroyed and were missing were restored which was a result of going back to say thank you. It makes you think that maybe the other nine lepers were only healed but not made whole. Jesus seemed very disappointed with the attitude of the nine who never thanked Him, because God never received the glory He was due. 

Being thankful released even further blessing for the one who returned with praise and thanks.

Thank you Lord for every good thing, every blessing, no matter how small or big it is that you give us, and we acknowledge it’s all due to Your goodness and care of us. But most of all we thank You for Jesus. Amen.

GOD IS RIGHT THERE WITH YOU

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

As I thought about that I realised that God doesn’t only have to be our help when we’re in trouble, He can be our help in every situation whether it’s trouble or not.😊

God is just our very present help, full stop. He’s there for us all the time, in the ups and in the downs. He’s there with us when we’re laughing about something, and He’s there with us when we’re deep in sorrow or troubles. God is there for us, and He says in His presence is fullness of joy. In other words He’ll help to lighten our spirits when we remember who is on our side so our victory is assured, that He wants to be involved on our behalf. 

I’m sure it would probably help us all to have an even greater awareness of God being present all the time. He’s right there with you now, this minute. He’s not far off like He was in the Old Testament days. They didn’t have the Holy Spirit in dwelling them but we do. Wherever we go God goes too because He is in us. We can turn to Him at a moment’s notice and we’ll find He’s right there ready to enter in to whatever we invite Him in to.

We can enjoy knowing we’re never alone for one moment, that when we have the Holy Spirit we have a Companion, a Helper, Someone to strengthen us and give us wisdom when we don’t know what to do or say. Jesus came as Emmanuel - God is with us. God wanted to be with us. He wants to be part of our lives, part of our everyday. What an amazing thought. We are so blessed!

So as we begin another working week we can relax knowing GOD IS PRESENT, here with us at all times, in all circumstances and He is constantly watching over our lives. Thank You Lord. 

GOD’S LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS

Psalm 92:1-2 

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. 

It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, 

your faithfulness in the evening, 

The Psalmist encourages us to remind ourselves of God’s love for us every morning and of His great faithfulness to us every evening. When we do, we’re starting and finishing, and putting a seal on our day at the beginning and the end with God Himself, and in between is the same God who flung stars into space, who made the oceans and the mountains, and yet He walks and talks with us and lives in us by the Holy Spirit. How mind stretching is that?  I hope it causes us to want to praise Him.😊

I could do with a reminder on my mirror in the morning so I don’t forget to do it because how we start our day will play a big part in how it goes on. If we start, knowing we’re surrounded by a loving God who’s promised to care for us and protect us, then we’ll go out with a light spirit and a spring in our step knowing all will be well and we’re walking under the shadow of His wings. We’re entering the day knowing angels have been assigned to us to protect us wherever we go.

It actually says it’s a good thing to proclaim His unfailing love and faithfulness, not just think it. We have something to do each day - proclaim it so our own ears can hear it, because it helps our faith grow when we do. And then when we go to bed at night remember to proclaim how faithful God has been to us throughout our day, yet again, and thank Him for it.😊

So Lord we proclaim Your love and kindness to us, and praise and thank You for them and for Your great faithfulness to us. Help us not to take them for granted but to be constantly aware of You in all we do. In Jesus Name. Amen.

STRENGTHEN EACH OTHER

2 Corinthians 12:19 Perhaps you think we’re saying these things just to defend ourselves. No, we tell you this as Christ’s servants, and with God as our witness. Everything we do, dear friends, is to strengthen you.

I was really struck with the last part of this verse where it says everything Paul and his helpers were doing was to strengthen the people they were sent to. 

It made me think about each one of us. Are we doing the things we’re doing and saying in order to strengthen and encourage our brothers and sisters in the faith? When we do, it’s coming out of a heart of love for them because God loved us first. When we receive God’s love we’ll want to love and encourage others.😊

There are so many things which try to pull us down in life, or things that happen suddenly, where we can feel overwhelmed or knocked sideways. It’s at times like that when we need someone to come alongside to help build us up in the Lord, to encourage each other to look to Jesus all the time for everything. Sometimes we’re tempted to gossip and criticise but that’s not God’s way or His desire for us.

When we talk to, or meet someone, instead of telling them all our worries, let’s tell them how well they are doing, what a blessing they are, how God wants to bless them and help them in all their troubles. Let’s remind one another we have a God who can make the impossible possible, who can make a way where we can’t see one. Let’s tell each other what a good and merciful God we have when we make a mistake, that He forgives us, that we can cast all our cares on to Him and that we’re on the winning side. 

When people meet us let’s be known as someone who they know will lift them up and encourage them.😊

We are very blessed to be part of God’s family, so let’s do all in our power to strengthen each other and build one another up in the Lord. Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x

GOD MOVES IN OUR LIVES

Psalm 34:23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.

Scripture tells us God doesn’t change, (Malachi 3:6), and that Jesus is the same today as He was 2000 years ago.(Hebrews 13:8) God moved at creation and He is still on the move, He’s never static, He’s the great Creator, still creating and moving on the earth today. Because we are God’s children we can expect Him to move in our daily experience of life too if we’ll open up to Him; to move in our health, our finances, to move in our relationships, to create something great out of them. When God gets involved great things result, it’s never mediocre or less than.

God knows us intimately and He already knows where we need to see Him move, to see His direction, or to help us change our thinking and attitudes where we need them to come in line with His Word.

God never forces Himself on us though, He waits to be invited. God won’t barge in and take over but He will wait till we’re ready to say “God I need you to move in this situation, to come and do what only You can do. Change me if you need to, but I need You to direct and move in my life.”

Sometimes we hold back and don’t want God in some areas but God says He is more than ready and willing to watch over and perform His word. He is greater than any situation and He will do what He says He will do if we ask Him to. That gives us great hope, great expectation of good, doesn’t it?😊 

Psalm 119:68 You are good and do only good.

Every day of creation God looked at what He’d been doing and He said it was good. We know God’s idea of good is amazing so we don’t need to be anxious when we invite Him in to work His ‘good’ in whatever concerns us.😊

Lord we ask you to come and move in our lives wherever You know we need You to, because we know You are good and will only do good. In Jesus’ Name Amen.

FAITHFUL IN THE LITTLE THINGS

Luke 16:10-11 If you are faithful in the little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. V.11And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?

I’ve always been challenged by these verses and have to keep asking myself am I being faithful in the little things? In another version Jesus calls these money things ‘the least’ whereas the world counts money as all important! Am I using the money, or whatever God gives me, wisely? For instance, He gives us the worldly wealth to buy a home, or a car, so are we faithful in looking after them?

God sees if we’re being grateful for what He has blessed us with (whatever it is) and that we are being good stewards of His goodness. It’s nice to see a home in good repair, and the garden cared for because it’s a good witness to those who pass by or who visit us. It shows we’re looking after what God has already given us, as well as we can, whether it’s little or a lot. 

When we moved to our present house my sister said to me to do my bit for the road by keeping my front garden pretty for others to look at as they pass by. She meant keep it weeded and mow the lawn, maybe have a nice flowerpot,😊 It’s a way to be a good witness of what God has entrusted us with, and because we’re so grateful to Him for it.

Luke 16:12 And if you are not faithful with other people’s things why should you be trusted with things of your own? Jesus says it works the same with other people’s things. For example, if we’re renting, are we faithful to look after it for the landlord or do we become careless because it’s not ours? Or if God has given us a job, or something to do in church, are we faithful by doing the best we can so the business or organisation or church is blessed because we are there? 

Whatever God has blessed us with, whether money, belongings, special abilities or talents, He wants us to use them well for the benefit of others as well as ourselves because He wants to be able to trust us with so much more, both physically and spiritually. 

So Lord our prayer is help us to be faithful in the money things, and in looking after what You’ve given us, and show us where to give our money to in Your kingdom for the gospel to be sent out, and to help the poor. Amen.

DEAD OR ALIVE?

Romans 6:11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

In the Wild West cowboy films they used to pin up posters saying “Wanted: Dead or Alive” and name the criminal.  Today God is telling us to be dead to something and alive to something else.

Scripture says sin came into the world with Adam and Eve when they rebelled against God and chose to believe the devil rather than their Creator. Because of their rebellion, sickness, disease and every evil thing was released into the world and we know it’s why Jesus came to rescue His fallen world.

So we see original sin is the root of all the evil, but sickness and disease are the fruit of that original sin, (not our personal sins) and God tells us to consider ourselves dead to sin’s power, both to the root and the fruit.  He says sickness and disease no longer have power, authority or hold on our lives because Jesus ransomed us from the root and the fruit! Glory to God! 

He then goes on and says to be alive to God through Christ Jesus. In other words be alive to God and His righteousness, alive to His health and healing, and to everything good in His kingdom.

Are we considering ourselves dead and alive to the right things today? Are we doing what God said -  seeing ourselves dead to sin and all its fruit including sickness, disease, poverty, dead to condemnation or guilt, everything that is under the curse, dead to their power over us, declaring  they no longer have any right over us.

Instead, are we seeing ourselves alive to everything Christ won for us at the Cross including our forgiveness, our righteousness, our healing and wholeness, alive to His provision and prosperity, His great grace in every arena of life? 

The good news is Jesus has made us ALIVE in Him today to all those good things. They are the abundant life He talked about if we’ll just realise it, and give our attention to it. 

The power of sin, both the root and the fruit, are defeated! Now let’s truly be alive to God and all His goodness. Amen.😊

RECEIVING GOOD NEWS

1 Corinthians 2:9 That is what the scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

Our daughter gave us some Guernsey double chocolate biscuits just recently and they are just sooooo yummy, the best I’ve ever tasted. In fact all the others pale into insignificance by comparison!  

As I was thinking about that it’s like God said “My goodness is like that. What you have seen before will also pale into insignificance compared to the goodness I have prepared for my children in the days to come.” 

Wow! I receive that and hope you do too. It ties in with yesterday and the ‘new thing’ God is unfolding for us. Jesus taught us that as we believe so we will receive. We have to choose to believe His word or not. 

The whole Gospel of Jesus - when He bled and died for our sakes, taking our punishment so we can be free and totally reconciled to God our Father, can seem almost too good to be true, but nevertheless we know and have believed it is true for each one of us personally. Praise God.

Now everything He says to us should be so easy to believe after that, don’t you think? We’ve believed the most important part, now let’s believe for all the rest of His promises that come with it. 

Just lately we’ve been looking at bringing in harvests, expecting good things from God, His commanded blessings being poured out on us, which is all great, if we remember to take it personally and not think it’s for somebody else. All God’s promises are for all of us, yes and amen in Jesus Christ.😊

And the further good news is that even though we know none of us deserves anything, we also know it’s just the wonderful goodness of God to give all of it to us. God has chosen to bless us, not because of anything we’ve done but because of what Jesus has done. Thank You Lord!

Lord I pray You will help each of us believe and receive with a grateful heart, every good thing You have already prepared and promised to us, and believe for them to show up in our lives. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Psalm 136:1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!  His faithful love endures forever.

GOD’S NEW THING

Ecclesiastes 7:10 (Nlt) Don’t long for the “good old days.” This is not wise.

Probably anyone who’s been around for a while has been tempted to wish for the good old days, because we don’t like the way things are going, but King Solomon advises us it’s not wise to do that. Why is that? It implies we’re discontented with our lot, which is like complaining to God and that attitude will prevent us from enjoying the good we have right now. 

Complaining feeds our discontentment and hinders the blessings of God whereas praising and being thankful releases them, regardless of what is happening in the world.

When we look back we tend to use rose tinted spectacles anyway and forget the not so good things there were back then too! We can be sure though that God has placed us here in this time frame for a reason. He has a good purpose for our lives right now, wherever we are.

Isaiah 43:18-19 Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 

So instead let’s be thankful because God wants us to be believing in faith for the new thing He has promised us to be on its way and it’s very hard to reach out for the new when we keep looking backwards! We tend to fall over!😊

If you’ve felt like you’ve been in the wilderness, or spiritually dry, take heart because God has said He’ll give us a new road to travel and He’ll satisfy our thirst, not with a little trickle but with a river, so let’s look forward with anticipation and expectation of the new thing He has prepared for us. Whatever it is, we know it will be a blessing.

Jesus is the Light in this world and He has made us to be light too so let’s not allow the enemy to bring us down or deceive us in any way. The best is yet to come.😊

And remember we belong to the King of Kings and the path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter, so let’s enjoy the present and believe for the good new days which God has planned for us. Amen. 

OUR GOD WANTS TO BOTHER WITH US

Psalm 139:1 

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.

It’s good to remember that whether we’re up or whether we’re down our God remains the same. His love for us is constant, it knows no variables. It just IS. I’m so thankful for that because we all have days when we’re less than cheerful, days when we feel a bit gloomy for some reason, but underneath all of that, for the believer, there is the joy of knowing God is still with us, still loving us, still cheering us on because His plan and purpose for us has never changed.

We all know our feelings can change in an instant so they’re not really worth listening to very much, they’re so unreliable, but our God is totally reliable and we can run to Him to lift us back up, for strength and courage, for comfort or any other thing, whenever we need it. I hope that helps and encourages someone today. 

We all know where negative feelings come from and we all know the way to deal with them is to remind the enemy he’s a defeated foe, he’s under our feet, to resist him and tell him to GO!

Even though God knows absolutely everything about us, He is, and always will be for us not against us. One of the keys I’ve found helpful is to take our eyes off ourselves and put them back on our amazing God and His amazing grace and thank Him for bothering with us at all! The lovely thing is, He wants to bother with us because we matter to Him so much. Reading Psalm 139 is so helpful because it reminds us how involved with us God is.😊

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

Take heart today my friend, and don’t let the enemy deceive you or bring you down because with God all things are possible, He loves you and He fully intends to finish what He started in all of us, for His glory. Amen.

 

OUR HOPE OF GOODNESS

Proverbs 10:24b (Nlt)…but the hopes of the godly will be granted.

I put my sun cream away in the cupboard the other day as I’d given up expecting the sun to be hot enough to need it any more this summer. As I did it I wondered have we, in a sense, put our spiritual sun cream away as well, because we’re not expecting the heat of God’s blessings to overwhelm us anymore? 

Moses prayed for God’s face to shine on His people and God still has the intention of shining down His blessings on us every day, all our lives, but if we’ve given up expecting anything it hinders the flow of all He’s trying to send our way. 

God wants us to have a spirit of hope, of expectancy of good from His hands, because our faith needs hope in order to work.😊 If you’ve lost heart recently, and lost your sense of expectancy of things getting better, please let this verse encourage you….

Psalm 27:13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Regardless of all the Psalmist had gone through, and all that was looming in front of him, he had learned to keep believing for, and expecting good things in his future because he knew his God was a good God. And we have the same good God, so even if we’ve been seeing or experiencing negative things recently, that doesn’t mean we should stop looking for God’s good things. Quite the contrary, we should be looking and believing all the more for God to turn things around for our good!

Isaiah 30:18b (AMPC) …Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who (earnestly) wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him (for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship)! I wonder, are we earnestly expecting all those?

Be encouraged! Our God is the God of all hope and comfort, not the God of all give up, hopelessness and despair. So if you’ve put your spiritual suncream away, go get it out again, and keep looking for and expecting God’s goodness to shine on you every day in all it’s glory.😊☀️

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

Expect a blessed weekend.x😊

A HARVEST OF BLESSING

Galatians 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 is an orchard near us where the public can go and help themselves to apples and plums which we did the other day. All through the year I save jam jars so I’m prepared and ready for harvest so I can make my jams and chutneys, some to store, some to give away.😊

Harvest always speaks to me of abundance, and in life God wants us to prepare for the harvests He has coming to us and not miss them. All through Scripture God talks about harvesting and blessings for His people. Deuteronomy 28:8 The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand….

God hasn’t just prepared, but has commanded blessings for us to gather in by faith as we believe for our prayers to be answered, so we can then bless others. What a wonderful thought! 

We had to go out and scrabble through nettles and brambles to get to the fruit because the orchard is all overgrown and neglected and it’s like that in other areas of life too. We have to make the effort and fight through the doubt and unbelief to bring in the harvest God is sending our way!

You may be believing for a harvest of healing, or for finances to come through, or for a new home, or a loved one to be saved. Every prayer was a seed you planted in faith, and that seed is constantly growing and will produce a wonderful harvest. Keep watering your seed prayers with the water of God’s word, of God’s promises, with praise and thanksgiving, till the harvest comes.

The farmer doesn’t sit in the farmhouse, he goes out and brings the harvest in! If God tells you to change your job it’s because there are greater blessings in the new one. If He says to go and witness to someone it’s because the harvest of their soul is ready to come in. If He says to give an offering, to sow a seed of finance into His Kingdom, it’s because He wants to multiply it back to you with a harvest of thirty, sixty, a hundred fold. But we have to do the sowing and reaping! 2 Cor 9:6-15 teaches us such a lot if you’d like to learn more. It gives us God’s ‘how tos’ on reaping and sowing.😊

Let’s speak words of faith and bring in the harvest of blessings He has prepared for us. Bring them in by praising and thanking Him for them and prepare our hearts (like the jam jars) to receive His abundance and not shy away from them. Amen.