COMING OUT OF IT!

Jonah 2:7 As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you…v.9 But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfil all my vows, For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.

Jonah was in the belly of the whale because his disobedience to God had led him in the wrong direction. He was in the dark, covered in slime, it was smelly, seaweed wrapped round his head, he couldn’t see the way out, everything looked hopeless but despite all that, Jonah knew what to do!

First of all he remembered the Lord, he called out to God from where he was at, and then he offered the sacrifice of praise, before he got out, for three days and three nights which probably felt like forever! He also said he’d fulfil the vows he’s made to God before he was in the mess. We can all learn from Jonah and do as he did. 

We all face different difficulties but we too can remember God is for us, that He is mighty to save through Jesus and call out to Him in faith and then give Him the sacrifice of praise. You may say, “What can I praise God for, things are messed up, I’m so discouraged?” Thank Him you’re still alive, thank God for His Word that He’s going to bring you out of your trouble into victory, that His plans for you are good, to give you a future and a hope.

Faith works when there is no evidence of our deliverance, or of things changing, but we choose to stand facing the fear, the depression, or whatever physical situation we’re in, by praising God, believing He’s bringing us out of it all, that we’ll be stronger and better off than when we went into it. Faith believes that with God all things are possible.😊

Sometimes it is a sacrifice and we may not feel like doing it, but let’s allow faith to rise up on the inside and give God praise for the victory before we see it, knowing God is faithful to us, He is in the delivering business and He will do it because of Jesus, because He said He would. Nothing is too hard for our God. Amen.

 Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

WHEREVER WE ARE GOD IS!

1 John 3:24  Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.

I have this little sign on my mirror so I like to say it out loud, to help start my day off right, to remind myself that those statements are true and I find they bring great comfort and peace to my heart. Perhaps they would be a help and blessing to you too?

It’s an amazing thought that if we’ve asked Jesus to come into our hearts then God moved in too and wherever we go God goes with us. He has given us His anointing and when we come into a room we bring His anointing with us! People should be aware there’s something different about us because we’ve brought God along and His light is surrounding us and His love is enfolding us. We sometimes forget that in the pressures of our day.😊

We all meet people who need God to intervene in their lives. Very often our own testimony will speak to them because no one can deny how we’ve experienced God’s help for ourselves to strengthen and rescue us. 

God gave us His Holy Spirit to help us know what to say, to know how to pray for people who are sick or distressed. Jesus said we would lay hands on the sick and they would recover (Mark 16:18) so sometimes when I meet someone who is hurting or ill I just lay my hand on their hand or arm and even if there’s no opportunity to pray for them out loud, I believe God to step in and do what only He can do because His power is inside me, flowing through me and He’s in you too.

So as we go into our week, let’s smile and rejoice we are children of the Most High God, with the Holy Spirit living inside and we take our mighty Saviour with us wherever we go, taking His love and compassion to a needy world. 

Have a blessed week.😊

BLESS HIS HOLY NAME

Psalm 103:1-2

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.

May I never forget! Sometimes we remember all the wrong things, don’t we? We go over in our minds the things that were hurtful or disastrous, or that we wished had never happened. But the Psalmist says differently. 

God seems to have given me this verse again so maybe I’ve forgotten it already! He keeps reminding us to never forget the good things as He lists them in this psalm. Let them run through our minds all the time, knowing they have all come from our good God. If we’ll choose to do that, then we’ll be filled with thanksgiving which will make us much happier on the inside when we realise that what God has done before, He will readily do again for us.😊

David stirred himself up and began with praising and blessing God’s holy name and if we remind ourselves of some of the names of God we’ll realise how easy it is to bless Him.

Jehovah Jireh - Our Provider, Jehovah Rapha - our Healer, El Shaddai - the God who is more than enough. There are many more names that describe our amazing God but even if we bless His Holy Name for who He has revealed Himself to be in these few names, it’s a good start.

And then there is the name of Jesus Himself, who is far above all principalities and power, and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come; Ephesians 1:21

Philippians 2:9-10 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Let’s wholeheartedly bless God as we praise His holy name today, as we remember He is God our Provider, our Healer, who is More Than Enough for us. We bless You Lord. Amen.

LOOK AT MY HANDS…TOUCH ME

Luke 24:38-39 And He (Jesus) said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.

Can you imagine the way the disciples were feeling after seeing Jesus, the one they loved, nailed to a wooden cross, and the finality of it all? It seemed as though everything had come to an end. But then we see them all together and suddenly that same Jesus, is standing right there in front of them! No wonder they were frightened! I think I would have been troubled as well! 

But Jesus appeared to them to stop their doubts in their tracks. They’d seen His hands heal Jairus’s daughter, they’d seen His hands laid on the blind man’s eyes so He could see, seen His hands stop a funeral and raise a young man from the dead so he could be restored to his mum. They’d seen His hands, only days before, washing their own feet, wiping them with a towel. They’d seen His feet walk mile upon mile with them.

Now He says, “Look at My hands, look at My feet. Touch Me ….” Can you just imagine them looking at each other, filled with apprehension, gingerly reaching out their hands and touching His hands, those precious hands that had just been nailed to the Cross. Can you see them look up into His loving eyes in wonder and amazement when they realise He’s real and He has actually defeated death and risen from the dead!

Jesus says the same to us today. It’s like He’s saying shut your eyes and see me through the eyes of your spirit, touch me and know I am alive forevermore. Reach out by faith and touch Me every time you read My Word. I give My peace, my reassurance to you, will you receive it, will you take it? Let it calm all your fears and doubts once and for all. Don’t let doubts arise in your hearts anymore.  I’ve shed My blood for you, now receive My forgiveness, My healing for your body and mind, and know I have made you righteous. Look at My hands and feet - it is done and I am alive forevermore. Glory to God.

Have a blessed weekend as you too see His nail pierced hands reaching out to you.🙂

STANDING STRONG

Ephesians 3:16-17 I pray that from his glorious unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.

The Redwood Trees of California can grow over 300 feet tall, one of them has a circumference of 36 feet at its base and is over 2200 years old! They’re fascinating trees but the Redwood is known for its root system. They don’t have deep tap roots but are entwined with other Redwoods’ roots that grow close to one another. By doing that they give support so they withstand huge storms, and supply nutrients to each other via their entwined root system.

As Christians, we are like the Redwood Trees! When we stay close to each other, by supporting and praying for one another, we help supply the spiritual encouragement which we all so need. Paul prays for Christ to make His home in us so that then our roots will go down into what holds us all steady and strong in the storms and difficulties of life- the love of God Himself. 

You and I are rooted in God’s own love. How wonderful that is!😊 And when we are, then our ‘roots’ can entwine and hold each other up. How often have we experienced that, when a brother or sister has said or done something which has given us the boost we needed at that moment?

Colossians 2:2 I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love… This is a picture of the entwined roots. We need one another both for support and to support others as well. As we receive God’s love then we can give it out again and strengthen one another.

Be encouraged brothers and sisters, as we allow Jesus to make His home in our hearts, we will stay rooted in God’s love, knitted together, and shall indeed stand strong in our faith in Him, till we see Him face to face. Glory to His name!😊

If you’d like to know more about God’s amazing Redwood Trees here’s a link:   https://sempervirens.org/learn/redwood-facts/#fact-list

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE!

Acts 12:1l (Nlt) Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!”

We may be able to identify with Peter sometimes when we’ve thought it was too late for us, thought our dreams had gone out the window, thought nothing could be done to resolve the situation and hope seemed lost? Peter was in that position, locked up in the inner prison, prepared to be executed the next morning, it looked like rescue was impossible, no one really expected him to get out, it was too late!

But God is never too late! And nothing is impossible for God to turn around, no matter how late in the proceedings it is! He sent an angel to get Peter out, to cause his chains to drop off, for locked doors to miraculously open, for the prison to be left behind, and all done by God intervening when the believers thought it was too late!

Acts 16:25-34 Paul and Silas were in prison, and around midnight, when everything can seem at its worst, we find them singing and praising God at the tops of their voices! Those praises caused God to send an earthquake, caused their whole situation to be shaken, and for them to be delivered safely out of their prison. Praise changes things! It has power!

I wonder if you feel like it’s a midnight hour for you, you’ve maybe lost hope of things ever being any different? It’s like you’re in a prison of some kind; perhaps it’s loneliness, addictions, financial difficulties, inadequate job, or have some sickness or disease? Whatever it is for you, God is saying it’s not too late. 

God is in the business of deliverance, healing and new beginnings and He has them all scheduled for each one of us when we need them, so never give up hope, start believing again.

Be encouraged God has not forgotten you or your dreams. If it needs an angel He’ll send you one in some form or another, and in the meantime release some praise that will shake things up and believe God to move in your life. 

It’s never too late for God. Never!😊

WHEN THINGS UPSET US

Luke 17:3-4 (Nlt) So watch yourselves! “If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.”

It’s good to be real about our Christianity, to admit we get it wrong sometimes, and to be honest with one another about how we deal with it when we do.

We all know it can be easy to be offended or hurt by something someone has said or done, or by what they didn’t do, and we have to choose what we’ll do with that offence. Now you may be really good at dealing with these things and don’t let them bother you, but we’re all at different stages of growing up into Jesus’ likeness and I obviously still have some growing to do!😊

We can let the offence grow until we can’t seem to stop thinking about it, or we can bring it out in the open so the enemy has no hold over us through it. He’ll try to make us think we can’t be honest about how we feel, or we can’t say what’s bothering us because it may hurt the other person, or they may think less of us for being bothered about it in the first place! But I’ve discovered and I expect you have too, getting things out in the open can be the best way. Jesus said to talk to the person about it!

I had a situation like that just this week. I was hurt about something and lost my peace because the enemy kept running it through my head, so I asked the Holy Spirit to help me let it go, but it wasn’t working. It was giving me a bad attitude and it was not good! I kept asking the Lord for help and realised He wanted me to be honest about it and let the other person know how I felt. 

It was difficult but when I did that, they hadn’t realised, they said sorry, and the whole situation lost its power. I said sorry as well for letting it upset me and it was very soon resolved.😊 The whole thing was over in a few hours instead of letting it bother me for days! There was a good outcome all round and I was totally free of it. It’s why Jesus told us to forgive and keep forgiving, so the enemy has no hold on us.

I don’t know if this helps anyone but may I encourage you today if you’re wrestling with ‘something’, to bring it out into the open so the Lord can heal it, turn it round for your good and let Him set you free from it in Jesus’ name. Amen.

JUST LIKE A PALM TREE

Psalm 92:12 But the godly with flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.

Apparently palm trees were designed by God to be able to bend right over in the wind almost 40 to 50 degrees and withstand 145 mph winds, without breaking. Then when the storm stops they literally bounce back up again, tall and strong once more. In fact, they are stronger and grow more rapidly after the storm than they did before it!

The Psalmist likens us, the godly, to palm trees because God designed us also with the ability to bounce back when we’ve been blown about by the storms of life. We’ve all experienced situations where we seem to feel like we’re all bent out of shape and bowed down! Well take heart because God says He’s placed inside us the Holy Spirit who will help us rise again.😊 (Proverbs 24:16 For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again….)

You see when God says He’ll help, strengthen us and uphold us, He’ll do exactly that. He’s giving us all we shall ever need to rise back up to be an overcomer, to be a testimony to others to know they’ll make it through and bounce back from whatever has happened or is happening to them too.

Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all. God never ever leaves us in a pit, (Psalm 40:2). He’s promised to deliver us from every affliction, to have the strength and courage to face and overcome whatever our enemy is at the time, but with His ability not our own. That’s why He’s given us His own Holy Spirit with His supernatural power to live inside us. 

So if you’re bent over today, for whatever reason, know this - you are going to bounce back upright and stand strong and be stronger because of what you have been through.  It’s all about leaning and depending on the Holy Spirit inside us and His amazing power and grace. Bounce back is coming. Amen.

WHAT HAVE THE BIRDS GOT TO DO WITH IT?

Luke 12:6-7 What is the price of five sparrows - two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid, you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

Jesus’ heart was always wanting to reassure His disciples and His listeners. He so often told them not to worry or fear because He said there was no need when they knew their Heavenly Father would look after them.

Luke 12:22…That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life…Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds!

He reminded them how valuable they were to God and He says the same thing to us as we begin a new week. He wants us to remember that God has not forgotten any one of us - we’re on His mind day and night. He knows where we are, when we’re sitting down or rushing around. (Psalm 139)

Jesus was wanting us to realise how intimately God our Father is concerned about us by saying He’s even counted the hairs on our heads! God knows every detail about us, so we don’t need to think we have to tackle our troubles or struggle on by ourselves. If we ask Him, God will give us His wisdom to know what to do in every situation. He is the One watching over us, straightening things out,(Isaiah 45:2 Nkjv), and fighting our battles.

He was helping us understand God has it all under control and we can put our worries in the worry basket and hand them all to Him.  He knows all about every one of our cares and troubles and if He even feeds ravens and doesn’t forget sparrows, He’ll surely look after us too.😊

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, so what He tells us must be the Truth too, so let’s believe Him, and lean into Him more and more knowing He’s covering our backs and has already thought of everything long before we do.😊

Have a blessed week.😊

WHEN IN DISTRESS

Psalm 59:16-17

But as for me, I will sing about your power. 

Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. 

For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress.

O my Strength, to you I sing praises,

For you, O God, are my refuge, 

the God who shows me unfailing love.  

We all experience distress some times but I’m so thankful for God’s unfailing love, because no matter how distressed we become there is always God’s love to run to and depend on. We know He’ll never take it away from us, that it will never fail us. Bad news can’t stop it, a negative report can’t block it, our mistakes can’t cancel it. In fact, nothing can separate us from the love of God.

It’s lovely to know we can still choose to sing God’s praises each morning, whether we’ve had a good night’s sleep or not, whether we’ve  tossed and turned all night long or not, because no matter what our distress is, God is still our strength, He is still our refuge, still our safe place and that will never change.

Even if the bottom looks like it’s going to fall out, God is still there for us to see us through because His power has not changed or decreased in any way, and it will strengthen us from deep within. His angels are on assignment to us, commissioned to minister to us and help us however we may need it.  

So if ever you find yourself in distress you can know you are not on your own - God is right there with you, beside you, around you and in you. He’s has a strong hold of you, keeping you safe, and He will bring you out, to give you the victory. In Jesus name. Amen.

GOD IS A REWARDER

Hebrews 11:6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

We’re told to not just believe that God is, but to believe that He rewards us. We may have been taught we shouldn’t expect a reward for anything. If so, let God’s word speak to your heart because He has told us He will reward us, when we sincerely seek Him. 

Faith is simply taking hold of God’s word, believing it and then acting on it as if it is so. When God sees us doing that then He’s pleased because we’re releasing Him to work with us and for us.

God wants us to pray bringing the scripture concerning our situation to Him. In Jeremiah 1:12 (Ampc) God says “…for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it” but He waits for us to bring it to Him in faith, and believe it for ourselves.

For example, when we’re praying for our family to be saved we can bring Acts 16:31-34 to the Lord and ask Him to do the same for us.

God doesn’t want us to struggle financially. He says He is pleased when we prosper,(Psalm 35:27) that He gives us the ability to produce wealth and be successful. (Deuteronomy 8:18 Nkjv). I didn’t say that, God did!😊  

If we have sicknesses or diseases He says He is our Healer. He says by Jesus’ stripes we were and are healed, (Psalm 103:3,1 Peter 2:24. Isaiah 53:5)) So we bring those scriptures in faith to Him and believe Him to make them real in our own lives. 

Whatever our problems are, if we find the scriptures that relate to them and persistently take them to God in faith, then He can reward our faith and bring them to pass. Our part is to believe His word above everything else and that He will do what He has said He will do, no matter how long it takes. Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.😊

DID YOU NOTICE?

I did the Blog about “Get Off that Ladder” today and someone has very kindly pointed out to me that I got it wrong in the Blog.

In the game Snakes and Ladders we go up the ladder and slide down the snake!  I said we slid down the ladder!! Sorry everybody but I think you get what I meant.🤣 Glad someone was concentrating!

Just as long as we keep climbing the ladder of praise to the Lord together we shall be all right.😊😊

GET OFF THAT LADDER!

1 Samuel 30:6 (KJV) Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him..But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.

If you’ve ever played the child’s game Snakes and Ladders you’ll know the sinking feeling when you have to slide down the ladder because it’s the rule, you have no choice and you’re back at the bottom! 

Sometimes in life it can feel like we’re on the edge of sliding down the ladder of discouragement, or the ladder of grumbles, the ladder of feeling sorry for ourselves, but we do get a choice! We need to get off that ladder!

If we have started sliding down, then we can choose to praise and thank our way up again, and remember the goodness of God to us and how He has blessed us in so many ways. Instead of dwelling on the ‘oh dears’, we can dwell on the ‘what’s good’, on what is working, on what we have got!😊

If we’re still breathing then God has a good plan and purpose for us in the days ahead. He has anointed us and equipped us for each and every day and as long as we keep close to Him, we’ll be blessed and be a blessing to those around us. We’ve never blessed anybody yet by being in a mood, or being grumpy!!

So my encouragement today is to tell you, you are doing far better than you think, you are the apple of God’s eye and His hand of blessing is on your head. His favour surrounds you like a shield and God cares for you immensely. His love for you is deeper, higher and wider than you can imagine. Whatever situation you are facing today His power and grace are far greater than it is, and He will turn it round for you as you stay in faith trusting in Him. 

Philippians 4:8 (Nlt) And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Praise the Lord! Start climbing and praising your way off that ladder.😊

PURSUING THE RIGHT THINGS

1 Timothy 6:11-12 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith….

Have you ever seen a dog in pursuit of a cat, especially if it comes in its own garden? Watch out cat! It gives us a picture of how God wants us to pursue the things of God. It’s not a half hearted approach He wants, but an all out, ‘I’m going after it, I’m going to get it’ thinking we need.

We can pursue all sorts of things but here Paul lists the things God wants us to pursue wholeheartedly. 

First of all, he says to pursue righteousness, but thankfully it’s not our own righteousness where we have to ‘do’ stuff to get it. Jesus has freely given us His righteousness and when we receive it, then we’ll be able to behave righteously. It’s good to declare everyday ‘I am the righteousness of God in Christ’ even when we blow it. Just because we did something wrong we didn’t lose our righteousness. It is a gift of God and He wont take it back! 

Pursue godliness. If we need a picture of  godliness we only need to look at the life of Jesus and how He acted and reacted to all kinds of situations with love and faith. It ties in with endurance and gentleness as well because Jesus endured to the Cross and was so gentle with people. He never retaliated when treated cruelly or when He was betrayed. We can look to Jesus to know how to be godly.😊

When we’re tempted to be unloving and faithless let’s decide instead to pursue faith and love. Scripture tells us we’ve been given the measure of faith (Romans 12:3) so we can exercise it, and to love one another with the love God has already put in our hearts. (Romans 5:5) 

Sometimes we just need a gentle reminder to be like that dog and chase after them again. If we need a refresher course then let’s ask the Lord for it and He will surely help us by the power of His Holy Spirit inside us. Let’s pursue the right things.😊

GROWING SPIRITUALLY MATURE

2 Peter 3:18(Amp) But grow(spiritually mature) in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  I’m no good at all at General Knowledge questions and someone jokingly told me the things I don’t know would fill the Albert Hall! They’re probably right but the things I do know are more important.😊 It’s good to remind ourselves what we know about God and Jesus so we can encourage each other to become spiritually mature, so here goes…Jesus is coming back. Job 19:25 But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. We shall be like Him when we see Him. 1 John 3:2 Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. God is working things out for us. 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. Our bodies are not our own, they’re God’s temple. 1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? Jesus conquered death for us. 2 Timothy 1:10 ….our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,  Jesus is praying for us. Hebrews 7:25 Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.  God is watching over us. Psalm 121:8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever. He is our helper and He will never leave or forsake us.  Hebrews 13:5-6 …For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my Helper .…”Nothing can separate us from God’s great love for us. Romans 8:39…nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Well there’s just a few wonderful things we know about Jesus and God and I hope it encourages you to read them and look them up. No doubt you will be able to add multitudes of other things you know about our amazing God and even share them with someone else to lift them up too?😊 Help us Lord to grow spiritually mature in the grace and knowledge of You. Amen.

TRUSTING GOD TO DO IT HIS WAY

Isaiah 55:8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”

It’s great when we have instant answers to prayers but I’m sure we’ve all known times when we’ve prayed and it’s taking so long we’re tempted to ask the inevitable question Why? Where are the answers I’m believing for?

At some point we all have to come to that place of trusting God and saying ‘I don’t understand why things are the way they are, but I trust You. I know You love me and I still believe Your word is true and that You will do what You have said You will do. I believe You’re working behind the scenes and You have angels on the job. I believe You’re turning all things together for good for those who love You.’

We all tend to like to be in control of our own lives and think we know when and how God should answer our prayers! But He’s waiting for us to reach that place of being willing to surrender our plans for His, our way of thinking, and our way of making it work out, for His way. 

It’s easy trusting God when things are going well, but we find out where we’re really at when things go wrong and our faith is put to the test.  It’s when we need to grab hold of God’s word and say ‘God I’m just going to let you do it in Your time and how You want to do it, because You know what’s round the corner, You know the end from the beginning and You only want the best for me and so I trust You.’

The good news is God is working in all of us to strengthen us and help us do the right thing, helping us to be strong in our faith in Him. It’s not all on us, it’s all by His grace and it’s more than enough for each and every day.😊 Thank You Lord.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all of your heart; do not lean on your own understanding.

GRATITUDE DAY

1 Chronicles 16:34 O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

The other day I read about Gratitude Day being on 21st September and thought what a good idea, but why wait till September 21st? We can have Gratitude Day every day! They were promoting business products to buy a gift to show staff members appreciation for their loyalty and hard work, but we can show our gratitude in all kinds of ways to anyone, anytime. It may be a hug, or a phone call to say how grateful we are that person is in our lives or for their help and support. Our words of gratitude make all the difference.😊

Most of all though our gratitude is to God and to the Lord Jesus for all He has done for us. Praise God because of Jesus we have a hope and a future and I’m so grateful for that! We have His favour and His approval, His acceptance and forgiveness, we have His love. There’s just so much we can praise Him for!😊

Some people have a Grateful Jar where they write down anything that they’re grateful and glad about, then after a period of time they empty it out and remind themselves once more of how grateful they are to God for all His goodness to them. 

Psalm 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits. Everything that is good in our lives has come from our good God. He doesn’t say ‘Whatever you do, don’t forget the bad things’. No, He tells us throughout scripture to forgive and let them go. Instead He says ‘Don’t forget the good things, don’t forget all His benefits to us.’

It may be for ongoing strength to overcome situations which try to weigh us down, or for the health we do have, the finances to pay bills, the joy of family, for His protection. It can be easy to take things for granted.😊

So whether we have a Grateful Jar or not, as we enter our routines for the week, let’s begin with praising and thanking God and being grateful for all He’s done and is doing for us, and most of all for Jesus. Amen.

KEEP WATCH AND BE READY!

Matthew 24:6 

And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not troubled; 

for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

With everything that’s happening in the world I’m so thankful Jesus had foreseen it all and warned us about it before it comes. He gave us a warning but also great reassurances.

John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me….I go to prepare a place for you. Jesus was constantly telling His disciples not to be troubled, not to worry, not to be afraid but to put their trust in their God, and He says the same to us.

In Matthew 24:6 He warns us of wars and other terrible things and yet He says again to not be troubled, not to panic! When we see these things begin to happen Jesus told us to be on the lookout for His return, not to be caught unawares like the five foolish virgins.(Matthew 25:1-13)  

Jesus reminds us He is coming back for the ones who are ready for Him to return, who believe in Him and His salvation, who are eagerly waiting for Him. Are we ready?

1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 Paul tells us the sequence of events when the Lord will come to meet His believers in the air and He catches us up to be with Him. He says encourage each other with those words. It could happen at any time as it’s a separate event to the Lord’s Second Coming to the earth when all the nations will be judged.

None of us know when Jesus will come for us but are we ready, supposing it was today? Jesus could come any time to catch us up to meet Him in the air and take us safely home to be with Him before the end time events unfold which He says will be terrible.

As we read Matthew 24 & 25 Jesus earnestly tells us to make sure we’re ready by believing in Him, in His death and resurrection and make Him Lord of our lives. It’s wonderful that He loves us and wants us to be with Him in the place He has prepared for each one of us that love Him.😊

Jesus said this - Matthew 24:42 So you too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. v.44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

THE THREE BEARS!

I’ve just finished making three very small bears for a friend and they reminded me of some ‘bears’ in scripture.

Ephesians 4:1-2 Walk….with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.

When we were small we may have had a Teddybear at some point and we knew they would never be judgemental but would ‘bear’ with all our foibles.😊 We’re called to do the same, to be gentle and patient, not to be hard on each other but to bear with one another, to be tolerant and understanding. We maybe need to learn to be more like a bear!

Colossians. 3:13 (NIV) Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, ….

We all know a threadbare bear is always one which has been loved to bits, he’s had so many hugs! So as we bear with each other, let’s also practice forgiving, and love each other to bits, just like God does with us.😊

John 15:8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. We’re all bearing fruit of one kind or another, but Jesus is asking us to bear the same kind of good fruit He did because He always glorified His Father. So whatever we see Jesus behaving like, we can follow His example and be loving with good attitude, who goes about doing good. 

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

When we take the time to listen to people’s burdens, it very often helps them to feel better about things. They say a burden shared is a burden halved. That may, or may not be true all the time, but it definitely helps and we’ve not to carry their burdens ourselves, but take them to the Lord and cast all our burdens on to Him. Be a wise bear who takes His burdens to the Lord.

If you have a minute just check your ‘bear’ credentials in these verses again and see how you’re doing. And I hope I’ve made you smile.😊

Have a blessed ‘bear-like’ weekend.😊x

BELIEVING WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

As I was walking into the village, a lady runner dashed past and her t-shirt said ‘Believing You Can Make A Difference’ which really challenged me! Can each one of us make a difference? With God’s help I believe we can.

The words we speak to people can make a difference to them for good or bad. I tried a new hairdresser for a trim and I told her what a soothing person she was and what a pleasant experience it had been. Her face broke into a big smile and she just beamed from ear to ear.😊 I’d helped to make her feel good too.

Equally, I’ve been challenged recently about how I can be too forthright and need to be more diplomatic!  How we say things can make a difference too! Lord help each of us to be more gracious and thoughtful before we speak, especially me! 

Colossians 4:5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace,……

We can believe we make a difference when we pray for people for God to change things for the better, to turn things around, to pray for their salvation, because if we don’t pray, maybe no one else will!

Our giving makes a difference in many ways too. When we give of our finances to the poor (Proverbs 19:17), or if we give into God’s kingdom, He says He will multiply our seed sown and cause it to be a blessing to others and ourselves, and God gets the praise.(2 Cor. 9:8)

So whatever we find to do, we can believe we can make a difference, whether small or big. Just being there for someone or being honest or truthful may make a difference to somebody if we do it kindly and we can all give a word of encouragement.😊

Lord help us show the love of Jesus and make a difference in a good way for someone today for Your glory. Amen.

GOD CAN CHANGE ANYTHING!

James 5:16 …The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man (or woman) avails much.

Do you ever look at things and think they look hopeless? Well be encouraged, God says there is nothing in our lives or the lives of others, that He cannot change if we’ll pray in faith!

Things you’re dealing with may look bad, and be bad, but just because the world says there’s no answer or no hope don’t forget God. God is alive and He hears and answers our prayers!

Scripture says we don’t have because we don’t ask, maybe because we thought there was no point. We need to keep reminding ourselves and each other that the things that are impossible with men are possible with God. Just because they say there’s no hope it’s not true, because with God there is always hope! And if two of us agree and believe about what we’re asking for, even over the phone or zoom, it will be done for us! (Matthew 18:18-20)

2 Chronicles 32:9-22 Jerusalem was under attack by the King of Assyria, and the enemy was literally shouting from outside the walls so all the people would hear, “Your God can’t save you. You don’t have a chance! You’ve no hope. Give up now!” 

That’s what our enemy the devil shouts in our ears too. He’s not changed his tactics but satan is a defeated foe. Just as God totally defeated Israel’s enemies then, (an angel killed 185,000 enemy soldiers in one night), so Jesus conquered satan totally at the Cross. We have the victory over all his works through Jesus and we’re on the winning side. We just need to pray and believe God when He says nothing is impossible with Him. 

God is looking to us to stand in the gap for others and pray fervently for our family and friends, for our nation and the nations of the world. If ever the enemy comes and says you can’t do much for God, remind him he’s defeated, that you can pray and praise God and our God will bring him down every time. 

It’s the ministry of prayer that brings God’s kingdom and His will to be done here on earth, and we can all do it, so let’s pray some more.😊

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

WE HAVE AUTHORITY

Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall proper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgement, you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from me, says the Lord.

It’s always good to have the word of God inside us so it can come out of us when we need it, especially when we’re under attack from the things Satan brings against us. We need to know who we are in Jesus and what we have been given by God, and it never does any harm to be reminded so we don’t forget.😊

Luke 10:19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Jesus’ words are for all of us and He says He’s given us authority over ALL the power of the enemy! The trouble is we either don’t believe Him or we forget we have it and allow the enemy to put things on us.

Today the Lord is reminding us that we’re not helpless, hopeless or defenceless! Jesus told us He has equipped us with His authority over everything that comes against us, whether it’s voices speaking against us, or actual harm in any area of our lives. He warned weapons will rise up against us, but He told us to take authority over those things to stop them and they wont succeed. We have to do it!

If we can just remember that and use the authority God has given us, we won’t get trampled on by the devil. We can declare the protection of the blood of Jesus, and use the mighty name of Jesus against whatever tries to kill, steal or destroy any part of our lives. We can use God’s Word in our mouths as a sword to defeat Satan. He will have to flee if we resist him.

Praise God we can be encouraged by reminding ourselves, and telling the enemy,   - 

‘Jesus has given me power and authority over all the power of the enemy 

and no weapon formed against me will succeed.’

GOD IS LISTENING

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

The other day someone was telling me something but I was preoccupied and didn’t really hear what they said. I wasn’t listening properly! Maybe you’ve done that or someone didn’t listen to you?

The good news is our God is not like that with us. When we talk to Him He’s always listening, never too busy, never too preoccupied to give us His full attention. He says call on Me and I will answer you, so we can pray and believe we’re going to get an answer from Him. 

James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

I’m so thankful we can just talk to Jesus about anything and everything. We can talk to Him when we’re up and when we’re down. There’s no problem He can’t resolve, no sin He can’t forgive, no mountain we can’t remove with His help. He can bring water out of rock, and part Red Seas so He can most surely answer our prayers. Jesus has made us righteous and He says our prayers have great power and will achieve far more than we realise!😊

1Thessalonians 5:17 Never stop praying. Talk to Jesus about it. Pray all the time - if it’s in His word, pray till you get it! Even what seems impossible becomes possible with God.

If you don’t know Jesus yet then why not talk to Him today and invite Him into your life, let Him take over and give Him all your cares and troubles today. Or maybe you’ve not spoken to Him in a while and you feel like you’ve drifted off. He wants you to come back and talk to Him, tell Him what’s going on with you. He is listening. 

Jesus is the most important and best friend we’ll ever have and He’s waiting and listening for your voice because He loves you.

Talk to Jesus.😊

I pray this song blesses you - https://youtu.be/h8hHVdhRaoE?si=uRDEd0k3BURuVnAa

HOLD ON TO IT!

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophesies, but test everything that I said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.

You may have woken up all bright and breezy this morning, or a bit bleary eyed, but the lovely thing is God is right here with us, lifting us up as we begin our new day and that’s a good thing we can hold on to.😊 

As we launch into another week I just wanted to encourage us all to hold on to God and the goodness He’s brought into our lives. Apparently ‘to hold on’ here means to seize and hold in such a way that it restrains something or someone else.

For instance when you hold on to the rope when the life boat rescues you, you are holding on to stop the sea from drowning you! In the same way we have to hold on to anything that God has spoken or given to us that is good, to stop the enemy’s lies from engulfing and drowning us or trying to steal it from us.

It’s like when we read or hear something from scripture and it jumps in our spirits then we know the Holy Spirit is speaking to us and we should hold tightly to it and not let it go because it must be important. It would help to write it down, and keep referring to it so we don’t forget what God has said. It might change the course of our lives, or even save our lives. God never says something willy nilly! If He said it, He meant it. Paul says don’t despise those promptings, test them against scripture and hold on to them or the enemy will try to steal them from us.

In Luke 8:5-15 Jesus said the sower sows the seed (the word of God) and it falls on four types of ground but He says Satan comes and steals the Word if he can. Our job is to tell Satan he can’t! We’re holding on to it for all we’re worth. It’s our lifeline to our future, the lifeline to our peace and joy and fulfilment. It may even be the lifeline to help someone else or for their salvation!

So let me encourage you today - whatever good God has given you whether it’s some thing, or a word - hold on to it! 

Have a blessed, holding on week, knowing God is also holding on to you!😊

SING AND SING SOME MORE!

Psalm 59:16–17 

But as for me, I will sing about your power. 

Each morning, I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. 

For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress. 

O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, 

the God who shows me unfailing love.

This psalm was written by David when King Saul sent soldiers to watch his house in order to kill him! Not your average sort of day! David had some hairy experiences and yet despite them all he still managed to keep singing and praising his God even when his back was against the wall!

Isn’t it strange how we sometimes struggle to be joyful and praise God even when everything is all right! Do you ever feel like that? You just feel sort of grumpy for no reason, or out of sorts and you know the enemy is trying to pull you down. You don’t feel like singing, you’ve lost your ‘singyness’!🙂

David had plenty of reasons to feel disgruntled and yet here he is singing about God’s power and His unfailing love. He remembers how God has always rescued him before and been his place of safety when he’s distressed. He reminds himself that his strength to face his enemies comes from God whose love has always held him steady and never failed him. 

David’s God is our God so on those days when we feel a bit down, let’s learn from this strong man of God and do what He did. Remind ourselves of how much God still loves us, and how we can go to Him day and night to keep us safe and strengthen us, especially when we’re distressed.

We know praise defeats the enemy so if we need lifting up or an injection of joy today let’s put on some praise music and sing, and give God the praise and thanks He’s due, not least for His amazing, unfailing love. Sing and sing some more.😊

This song might help stir up the joy.😊  https://youtu.be/raFnjGVkHe8?si=QPyJR15s1Gvj3ioM

BY HIM - WE CAN GET OVER IT

John 8:36 (Nlt) So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

If you leave the door open of a caged bird, it will fly out at the first chance it has because it wants to fly free again. Yesterday we looked at God getting us through our troubles in order to bring us to where He wants us to be. But our God wants more for us even than that.🙂 

Instead of us being left bruised and hurt by those experiences He wants us to get over them. He wants us to once again fly free of whatever upset or trauma we went through, over the loss, the illness, over the betrayal, the divorce, the burglary, the abuse or our own failures, over the fears, over whatever has messed us up. 

Psalm 18:29 For by You I can run against a troop. By my God I can leap over a wall. 

David says here, “By You - I can!” Maybe we all have had things that we’d like to be free from, free from guilt or the grief of some sort of loss or hurt. Whatever it is, we can say to God “By You - I can! With Your help I can get over the wall, over the memories, over the distresses. By You - I can!”

God never leaves us floundering around, He’s given us His own Spirit to live inside us to strengthen and enable us to get to the place where those things no longer have a hold over us. Jesus heals the broken-hearted, He sets the prisoners free. He’s destroyed that yoke and opened the door to our cage, and He’s the same yesterday, today and forever.

God is giving us the ‘leap’ over the wall that’s held us in and back, over the wall of hopelessness or disappointment. By Him…We Can! God is wanting to restore to us our joy, our peace, whatever the enemy stole, God wants to restore it to us.😊

God never intended us to be trapped in our past or for it to dictate our future. So if you’re in a place of having gone through something, maybe last week or forty years ago, and you haven’t got over it but you’d like to, start saying by faith to God “Lord I thank You for Your help. I believe By You - I can. I can get over it because You’re doing it in me. Jesus shed His blood to take all my sorrow away, to heal my heart, He has set me free from it. You’re enabling me to leap over that wall in Jesus Name and by Jesus I am set me free. Amen.”

Have a blessed weekend.x

GOING THROUGH - TO GO TO

Isaiah 43:2 (Nlt) When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.

I heard someone say “It’s not what you’re going through, it’s what you’re going to.” All of us go through things, it’s the way life is in a fallen world. God doesn’t bring the bad things on us but He does promise to be in them with us and to bring us through and out the other side to a place of fulfilment, joy and peace in Him. Psalm 18:19 He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me. 

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were fully convinced God’s word was true and He miraculously brought them through and out the fire to promotion.(Daniel 3:30) Joseph went through betrayal and prison but God brought Him through and out to the palace, to his destiny. (Gen. 41:40-43)

Psalm 34:19 The righteous person may have many troubles but the Lord delivers him from them all. At some point mountains will loom up, circumstances will shout at us, but our God is faithful. When He says He will deliver us out of all our troubles - He will, when He says He will restore our health - He will. He is also our Protector, our Provider, our everything and it’s all because of Jesus.

Be encouraged today if you’re going through a tough time, God is working it all out and bringing you through and out to a blessed place, to a place of greater faith, of being more like Jesus.

Life is made up of miracles and messes, triumphs and troubles, but what matters most is that we’re still standing, still praising, still able to thank God for His great grace to us. He has brought us, or is bringing us, through and to whatever good life He has planned for us.

So let’s not focus on what we’re going through, but what we’re going to, where we can help others because we’ve been there and come through and out to where God wants us to be. Amen.

YOU’RE NOT A DINOSAUR!

Psalm 121:2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

My friend had asked me to make another dinosaur for her grandson and I’ve just finished him, ready for posting. It reminded me of some people I’ve recently heard saying they’re made to feel like they’re a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to all the modern technology, especially by big companies.

Each generation has amazing skill sets to offer to each other so we don’t need to feel inadequate just because we maybe can’t do what our grandchild can do with a screen! A friend of mine was on the phone to her bank asking for help filling in computer forms. She said “I can’t do the computer things, but I can bake you a cake or sew you some curtains!” The Bank lady laughed and admitted she couldn’t bake a cake but would like to!

Yesterday we looked at how God has made us all unique and given us gifts and talents which equip us for our own lives so we don’t need to feel less than anyone else. He has given some people abilities that we don’t have and vice versa. It doesn’t mean they, or we, are any better or worse. You wouldn’t ask a brain surgeon to roof a house for instance but he is skilled in his own field. 

So be encouraged today, if you’ve been made to feel a bit of a dinosaur in some area, remember there are loads of things you can do, and we can ask the Lord for His wisdom and He will help us do whatever it is we have to do.  Either that or He’ll give us someone who can do it for us or show us how.

Moses was 80 years old when God called him to do something new and He taught him to perform miracles! We can choose to have inquiring minds and ask Him to help us learn new things, new skills, maybe even work miracles, regardless of  whether we’re younger or older! You’re not a dinosaur! You are a Spirit filled child of God. 😊

James 1:5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

YOU ARE GOD’S MASTERPIECE!

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

We came across this little flurry of mushrooms the other day when we were out and they reminded me of lots of little houses all piled on top of each other, like fairy houses in story books!😊

Then we met a lady who was out foraging for mushrooms and it was fascinating to have her show us so many different varieties she’d found that day. She was really enthusiastic and while she saw them as food supply, I saw them as little houses! We are all so very different aren’t we?

God has made us all as individuals, not one of us is the same but each and every one of us is precious in His sight. He calls us His treasured possessions, His masterpiece! Now we may not feel like it but just take it by faith. You are special to God! You’re not ordinary, not average, not mediocre. 

God has never made a nobody, He made you somebody, He made you a child of the Most High God. You are called and chosen by Him to be in His family because it pleased Him to, and how wonderful that is.(Ephesians 1:5) You belong to Him. God has placed inside each of us His very own nature, we’re made in the image and likeness of God and His Spirit lives inside our born again spirit. 

We don’t just belong to God, He has a purpose for us being here at this moment in time. It may be that we can use our natural interests or talents for His Kingdom but more importantly He has also placed in all of us His spiritual gifts for us to use for His glory, to help others to find Jesus too.(1Cor.12:7)

Just as the mushroom lady was enthusiastic, we too can be enthusiastic for Jesus, for all He has done for us. We’re walking testimonies of His goodness and mercy, so let’s allow others to see our enthusiasm and His joy in us today.  

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

TUG OF WAR - WE WIN!

1 Peter 5:8-9 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith….

Did you ever take part in a tug-of-war when you were younger? We all pulled like mad on our end of the rope till the others gave way. Sometimes life feels like that doesn’t it? 

Peter knew how to win over the enemy and tells us how to do it. He says “Stay alert! Watch out! Stand firm! Be strong!” Apostle James said “Resist the devil and he’ll flee from you.” That’s fighting talk isn’t it? The Christian life isn’t wimpy! It’s not a laze around, vague, woolly minded life. That will lead to defeat! No, it’s a ‘Get your armour on! Get off your bottom, use your spiritual weapons and fight the good fight of faith’ life. God is on our end of the rope - so we win!😊

Our faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate Champion who fought the devil and who overwhelmingly defeated him when He rose from the dead! Jesus is the Mighty Conqueror and we are united with Him. Hallelujah. His victory is our victory and He tells us to run our race with endurance by keeping our eyes fixed on Him.

2 Chronicles 16:9 The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

We’re not called to fight our battles or live this life on our own! Far from it, we have back up and the One doing the backing up is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the Mightiest of all, the Undefeated One!

So even though the devil is prowling round we don’t need to be afraid because if we stand firm and resist him he has to flee! Remember God is also seeking those who are committed to Him so He can strengthen and empower us with His Holy Spirit. What a great thought!😊 

Romans 8:37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.  Ephesians 6:10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Amen Lord!

WHEN THERE’S A MAMMOTH IN THE HOUSE

Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Our daughter has just bought a huge mammoth for our grandson but it’s having to live at our house as there’s no room at hers to hide it till his birthday! Every time I walk in the room I’m aware of its presence as he looms up, but this mammoth is very appealing!😊

Sometimes we have things in our lives that can seem a bit mammoth in size. They are not appealing and have a tendency to loom up and fill our thinking. Maybe you have a giant of some kind that’s like that and you can’t seem to think about anything else.

Well, I have good news for you, because Jesus has defeated every giant for us and even if we think we’ve only got a sling shot to tackle it with, with God’s help that giant, that problem, is coming down and you’ll put it under your feet. You are a victor and not a victim! God has made you an Overcomer and like David you’ll say to your Goliath …

Samuel 17:46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head …Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.

Or maybe you have a task, or a vision to fulfil, which just seems so big and beyond you that you feel a bit intimidated by it. Whatever the mammoth task is that looms up in front of you God has gone ahead and is making crooked paths straight. He’s fighting every battle and He has said you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you, that includes whatever you have to do. You’re not going to be doing it on your own, it’s Christ in you. He will bring it to pass in His time and with His help. You can do it!

We have a big God inside us who is equipping and anointing us to do whatever He has given us to do so don’t be deceived by the enemy’s lies or intimated by the size of the task. With God all things are possible and He will strengthen you and lead you each step of the way. 

Whatever your mammoth is this coming week, be encouraged you and God can more than handle it together and you will see the victory! Amen.😊 Thank You Lord.

MAY WE NEVER FORGET THE GOOD

Psalm 103:1-2 

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.

They say elephants never forget, so I thought I’d include a little elephant I made ages ago to remind us. With all the pressures of daily living we can be distracted and forget all the good things God does for us and the Holy Spirit says may we never forget!

He then goes on and reminds us that God forgives all our sins, not some, or just the old ones, but all our sins - past present and future. What a relief and what a blessing!

He heals all our diseases - same thing, no matter what name our disease has, or how long we’ve had it, Jesus has paid the price for our healing of it, with the flogging He took on His back. By His stripes we are and were healed.(Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24) We can receive our healing just like we receive our forgiveness because they came together. Jesus did it all.

He redeems my life from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. Jesus rescued us from going to Hell and then gave us wonderful crowns to wear. Spurgeon describes them as studded with the precious stones of His mercies and velvet lined with His loving kindness. How wonderful! Let’s not forget we’re wearing them.😊

Then he rounds it off by saying He fills my life with good. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! God restores and strengthens us so we’re like the soaring, powerful king of birds. How about you, are you claiming renewed youth? Jesus bought and paid for it along with all these other blessings. He says “Don’t forget the good things he does for us.” 

I wonder sometimes if we only believe some of His benefits, so we only claim some of them. God wants us to enjoy all of them.😊 Maybe you noticed that they’re all in the present tense, they’re for now! They are all such wonderful blessings, aren’t they? It’s not surprising the Psalmist says “I will praise the Lord with my whole heart” 

Perhaps you could spend a few minutes and read through Psalm 103 again and never forget the good things He does and has done for us. 

We can surely say ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!’ Amen.