BAD HAIR DAY!

Luke 5:4-6 NKJV When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.

This picture reminded me of when we have ‘a bad hair day’. Those days when nothing goes according to plan, and everything seems to go wrong, like when our hair won’t do what we want it to! Anyone have one of those?😊

Peter and his men were having one of those times! They had fished all night, they were worn out and had nothing to show for it! No fish, so no income, just discouragement, frustration, weariness and disappointment. Ever been there? Well you’re not alone!

But then Jesus tells them to try again, to let down their nets again. Oh no! Peter didn’t really want to, he’d had enough for one night but he was wise and decided to obey the Lord. So he said, “Nevertheless, at your word, I will let down the net.” Notice he didn’t let down both nets because he only half believed! But Jesus was so gracious and the net was so full of fish it nearly broke and they had to have help from other boats!

Maybe you’ve had a bad hair day, you’ve been feeling worn out, nothing is going right, and can’t see what to do next. Maybe you’ve been applying for work and nothing has come through, or you’ve been praying for a family member and there’s no change, don’t give up! Let your nets down again, keep believing for breakthrough, keep believing for a double net load of blessing.

Jesus is present in our trouble, present to turn things around if we’ll do as He tells us. Peter could have refused, gone home to bed, sorry, sad and worried how he’d pay the bills. But he didn’t, and neither should we! Peter was blessed beyond measure because he obeyed Jesus’ words and persevered.😊

Whatever it is God’s word is telling us to do, let’s be like Peter and just do it, whether it makes sense or not, whether we feel like it or not, and allow God to bless us and surround us with His favour, and bring about His purpose for our lives. In Jesus name. Amen.

 

Photo by KUSHAGRA DHALL on Unsplash

SAFEGUARD YOUR FAITH

Philippians 3:1 NLT Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.

Whatever happens! Did you notice those words? I wonder if they registered with us today? Has stuff been happening in your life these past few months? There may have been some tests and trials but I trust there have been some joys as well. Joy in the knowledge that God has never left us alone for one moment, that His grace has been available to see us through each ‘happening’, each moment.😊

Paul urges us to rejoice, not in our circumstances, because they tend to go up and down, but to rejoice in the Lord Himself. Rejoice because Jesus has given us His victory, to be overcomers through Him. Rejoice because His Spirit is with us to counsel, comfort, protect and guide us through each day. The Holy Spirit is never off duty, never goes on holiday, He never leaves us to manage on our own.

We can rejoice because God has promised to deliver us out of all our troubles. Rejoice because Jesus has made us righteous, and He’s coming back for us to live with Him forever. We rejoice because God has forgiven all our sins, washed us clean and made it possible to come into His presence night and day, and because His grace and mercy are more than enough for today.

Next time you feel down in the dumps, or don’t feel very much like rejoicing, remember you are a child of God, bought and paid for with the blood of Jesus, precious in His sight, anointed and equipped to do His will and most of all - remember how much God loves you personally.😊

If we do that, as we go into our new week, whatever else happens, in this age of safeguarding everything, we will safeguard our faith. We’ll be able to stand strong through the storms and we’ll be blessed and be a blessing to others. In Jesus name. Amen.

Photo: Maria on Unsplash 

EVERYTHING IN PLACE

Isaiah 45:18-19 NLT

For the LORD is God,

and he created the heavens and earth

and put everything in place.

He made the world to be lived in,

not to be a place of empty chaos.

“I am the LORD,” he says,

“and there is no other.

I publicly proclaim bold promises.

I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner.

I would not have told the people of Israel to seek me

if I could not be found.

I, the LORD, speak only what is true

and declare only what is right.

God put everything in place, He’s the God of order not chaos and when He made the world it was beautiful and good. So what happened? Well we all know the answer to that is because Adam chose to rebel against God and accepted the lies of the enemy which has caused the trouble ever since. 

But praise God for Jesus because He came and restored our relationship with His Father and He has proclaimed His promises over our lives so we can believe them and take Him at His word. He’s promised when we seek Him, we will find Him. Thank You Lord.😊

God Himself is speaking in these verses and He reminds us He only speaks what is true and what is right so we know His word is true and right. V.23 goes on to say I have sworn by my own name; I have spoken the truth, and I will never go back on my word: …

Whatever happens around us personally, or in the world, there are some things that will never change - God is still on the throne. We know His word and His promises will stand for ever and what He said He will do, He will do. It’s our firm foundation and Jesus is The Word, the rock on which we stand. We can be encouraged because God has promised to hold us steady, we’re securely held in His hands and His love for us will endure forever.😊

So let’s rejoice in our faithful God today and praise His wonderful name, and thank Him for Jesus and His Word. In Jesus name. Amen.

Photo by Tautvydas Mačiulis on Unsplash

TIME SPEEDED UP

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

Just recently we had some odd things happen! It was early morning, pouring with rain, as we paid for our two tram tickets at the station machine and out popped a receipt for the previous customer and one ticket for us instead of two! 

So I went to speak to the invisible man on the intercom and explained that I was one ticket short. As he was saying he couldn't help me, I looked down at the ticket in my hand and suddenly there were two tickets! Chris and I both looked in amazement and can’t explain it, it just appeared and we were able to get to the hospital on time!😊Thank you Lord!

Later on we were sitting in a hospital waiting room, all on our own for about an hour, and we’d been told Chris wouldn’t be operated on until maybe three hours later at about 5 o’clock. As we sat there, the clock on the opposite wall which was at the correct time, suddenly started doing its own thing. The hands were spinning round and round  all on their own! It was most odd, when suddenly it stopped and they adjusted themselves to the correct time again. A few moments later Chris was called in for the surgery on his eye!

Now I’ve since discovered that hospital clocks are controlled and receive radio signals from a central control point, but at the time, it felt like the Lord had speeded up time and put the procedure forward three hours so we didn’t have to wait till the end of the day.😊

Like I said yesterday our God does supernatural things and there are some things in life we can’t explain! I expect you’ve had things happen that are beyond the normal as well. 

I just find it so reassuring though, that no matter what our situation, God is in it with us, turning things round for our good. He even knows about our tram tickets and our appointments, nothing escapes His notice and He cares about it all. And I’m just so thankful and glad all things are possible with our God, aren’t you?😊

Have a blessed weekend.x

Photo by Jose Antoinne on Unsplash

OUR SUPERNATURAL GOD

Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

When we think of supernatural we’re talking about something or someone beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature. Unfortunately in today’s society, the world will think about spooky films, or ouija boards. 

But the truth is, our God is supernatural! His thoughts and ways are way above and beyond what we can perceive and understand in the natural. Whatever He does is supernaturally good. He gives us supernatural protection, supernatural provision, supernatural comfort, strength and help. I believe He wants to help us think about and expand our understanding of His supernaturalness, His powerfulness, today.😊

Our God is our Heavenly Father and He’s promised to be our Provider, and there are times when He uses supernatural means to answer our prayers. Miracles are supernatural and He is the God of miracles so we can ask for them knowing He has a store house full of them, and we access them by faith.😊

It’s a bit like when we go to the bank and withdraw some of our money we’ve already deposited in there. Jesus has deposited whatever we’ll need for our whole lifetime in our supernatural bank account, whether it’s healing, wisdom, finances, strength, etc., but we have to come in faith and draw it out. We haven’t earned it or deserved it but Jesus credited it all to us at Calvary at the divine exchange. It was done supernaturally.

We know when we were born again our spirits were supernaturally reborn and we were supernaturally joined to Christ, which means we now have access to everything God has for us in the spiritual realm through Jesus. His storehouse, full of His provision for whatever we need, is just waiting for us to have the revelation we can go and withdraw from it by faith because it’s already bought and paid for by Jesus. 

Maybe it’s time to have a sit down and ask the Holy Spirit for fresh revelation of the supernaturalness of our God, and of what is now ours, so we can do some supernatural withdrawing from our heavenly account!😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

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IF YOU DO IT, I’LL DO IT

Isaiah 1:19 NKJV If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;

Have you ever found yourself praying and asking God to do something!? But more often than not God is saying to us, “If you do it, I’ll do it!” God is waiting for us to do our part so He can do His part.😊

For instance, God won’t get the enemy off our backs when He’s told us to tell him to go, to put our armour on and resist him ourselves to make him flee! He says when we use the authority Jesus gave us He will back us up.

When we tap into His love, His love will flow, when we step out in faith to do what He’s said we can do, then the Holy Spirit will help and strengthen us. When we give, and stand in faith on His promise to provide, He will provide, but we have to just do it, do what God has said to do.😊

Maybe God has asked you to do something for Him, to spend more time with Him, to give your testimony, to forgive somebody, to volunteer for something - whatever it is -and you think, “I just can’t do that! ” 

But God is saying to each one of us today, “If you’ll do it, I’ll do it.”  In other words He will give us the ability, the anointing, the words, the compassion we need to do whatever He has asked us to do. God is looking for willing and obedient hearts, not just obedience but a willingness to do whatever He has asked. He says if we do that, we’ll eat the good of the land.😊

So be encouraged today. God is not condemning anyone, He’s letting us know whatever He is asking of us, if we’ll do it, He’ll do it through us, for us and with us, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

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

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PARTNERS WITH JESUS

1 Corinthians 1:8-9 NLT He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

I wonder if you’ve ever had a desire to go into business in some way, like owning a shop or running an internet business, to be independent of working for someone else? Or maybe you thought you would need someone in partnership with you to share the load and the expense? 

Well, God has invited each one of us into partnership with Jesus and we know Jesus told His parents when He was 12 years old, “I must be about my Father’s business.” So, we are all in business whether we realise it or not because we are all partners with Jesus in the business of  His Kingdom.😊

Philippians 1:6  NLT And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Whether we’re a parent raising a family, retired, or a business person, a carer or a teacher, no matter who we are, we are all in partnership with Jesus which means He is partnering with us in all we do as well. 

He’s not a silent partner or a sleeping partner, but He is with us by His Holy Spirit to give counsel, to provide funding, to develop ideas and strategies, to be our back up in all we do whether it’s in His kingdom work or in our day to day lives.

So be encouraged today to know your Partner Jesus, and your Heavenly Father, will continue God’s work in you and through you until the day Jesus returns to bring us home to be with Him. And don’t forget in Deuteronomy 28:6 NLT ‘wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed.’ Why? Because you’re in partnership with Jesus, the King of Kings. Thank You Lord! Amen.😊

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GIVE ME STRENGTH

Isaiah 30:15 NLT This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.

Isaiah 30:15 ISV: …in staying calm and trusting will be your strength. But you refused.

I’m sure we all have moments when we pray, “Lord give me strength!”. It may be an exclamation of exasperation if a situation is testing our patience, or it may be we need God to step in supernaturally and give us the extra spiritual strength we need, or physical strength when ours is all used up. 

Very often we think of Nehemiah 8:10, “The joy of the Lord is our strength”, but if we’re feeling worn out or at a low ebb, the joy of the Lord can sometimes seem out of reach, (even though we know it isn’t because it’s down inside our spirit).😊 

But in the ISV translation of Isaiah 30:15, we’re told our strength also comes from staying calm and trusting God to help us in whatever way we need Him to, and I’m so grateful for that.

“Return and rest in Me…In quietness and confidence is your strength”. What a lovely invitation - return and rest. Whenever we’re upset, or distressed in some way, we can know we have an open invitation to return and rest in Him.😊 

We know our confidence isn’t to be in ourselves, but in our God, but so often we speak out the negative or fearful thoughts that are going through our minds and make matters worse! We‘re actually refusing His offer when we do that!

It’s a bit like God is saying, it’s better to keep quiet and if you’ll just trust Me to turn things around for good you’ll be strong through it all.

So if or when you need more strength this week, tap into the joy of the Lord, but if you’re struggling with that, then stay calm, keep quiet and be confident in God. Let’s remember to keep returning and resting in Him and trust Him to be our strength, our strong tower, our refuge throughout each day, and His joy will begin to bubble up in us again.😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

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LIVING LIFE WITH JESUS

Matthew 11:28-30 NLT Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

I was chatting with someone a little while ago and they were saying how sometimes they can be half way through the day and they realise they haven’t talked to the Lord. Maybe you’ve had days when you’ve maybe slept in, no time for breakfast, so didn’t take as much time to pray because you were running late, too many things pressing in on you and suddenly realise, like that lady, that you’re doing life in your own strength without God’s help. 

Jesus wanted us to know life is easier when we include the One who holds the universe together, who gives us breath, and the strength to get out of bed, to go to work, to school, to do whatever we have to do. He can help us hold it together too!😊

God never intended us to do life on our own, or carry the cares of the world on our own shoulders. 

Jesus said to not let our hearts be troubled but to come to Him because His yoke is easy and His burden is light. So, when we’re doing things joined to Him, alongside Him, we know His ability, His wisdom and strength are available to us to tap into.

As we roll out of bed each morning and as we begin another week, let’s imagine Jesus is sat on the end of the bed waiting for us to wake up and let Him guide and help us through each task we have to do. Whether it’s trying to get going on a Monday morning, or leading a group meeting at work, whether it’s the school run or the walk in the park, let’s see Jesus beside us, listening to all our concerns, helping and encouraging us in it all, because He is, because He loves us. Amen.😊

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COME AND SEE

Psalm 66: NLT 

1. Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth! 

2. Sing about the glory of his name. 

Tell the world how glorious he is. 

4. Everything on earth will worship you, 

they will sing your praises, 

shouting your name in glorious songs.”

5. Come and see what God has done,

What awesome miracles he performs for people!

9. Our lives are in his hands, 

and he keeps our feet from stumbling.

The Psalmist crams such a lot into these verses!  You can feel his enthusiasm as he tells us to encourage each other by giving a shout, sing with all we’ve got, tell others about the goodness of our God, to worship and bless our God and “come and see what God has done”!😊

Maybe you’re thinking, “What can I praise God for?” Well, apart from everything else, just this past week we’ve looked at being those who may wobble but who bounce back, those who God won’t allow to fall headlong but He’ll rescue us. Verse 9 once again gives us the reassurance that our lives are in His hands and He keeps our feet from stumbling.

Those are all things to praise God for! I don’t know about you but I find those are thoughts to grab a hold of when we’re under attack, when the enemy is trying to trip us up or overwhelm us in some way. 

All through scripture we read of those who have been delivered from the enemy’s hand, who have seen God come through miraculously for them and we can believe God for the same and more because of Jesus’ finished work on the Cross. Hallelujah!😊

So we can keep praising and singing about our amazing, delivering God who holds us steady in the palm of His hand, knowing He loves us and He’s worthy of every bit of joyful praise we can give Him today. In Jesus name. Amen.😊

Photo by Jahanzeb Ahsan on Unsplash

LAUGHTER THE BEST MEDICINE

Proverbs 17:22 NKJV A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.

It’s good to have something to make us smile when things have been a bit tense and just seeing someone laughing makes us want to laugh too! It doesn’t matter how old or young we are, or where we are in the world, we know smiling or laughing is good for us because it releases all of the right chemicals into our bodies, and apart from that it just lifts our spirits and makes us feel good.😊

We all have a different sense of humour, some like slap stick, like the old silent movies, and others have a more sophisticated humour, but God is kind to give us a sense of humour at all, and it’s because He knew we would need it! He wants us to laugh!😊

It helps to have a sense of the ridiculous and I’m sure we all love it when something makes us laugh and laugh, when we see the funny side of life.

I heard a true story about a preacher whose hair kept sticking up, so his wife suggested putting some hair spray on it to hold it down before he went on the platform. He did as she said, but after the service she asked him why he didn’t do anything about it. He told her he had done, but it didn’t work! When she asked what he used he showed her the can and realised, because he was in a hurry, he’d picked up the wrong can and covered his hair with loads of air freshener instead of hair spray! But like he said, at least he smelt nice, and it made them laugh.😊

If you haven't had anything to laugh about lately, why not ask the Lord to give you something that really tickles your funny bump, something so hilarious you can’t stop laughing. Scripture says a merry heart does us good like a medicine, so let’s ask the Lord to renew our prescription for a bottle of laughter and take it as often as needed, all through the day. Even if it’s something small, just laugh and enjoy the moment. It’ll do you good!😊

Job 8:21 NLT He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.

Have a blessed weekend.x

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THERE’S MORE TO IT

1 Corinthians 2:14 NLT But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.

Has anyone ever recounted a situation to you and you’ve thought to yourself, “There’s more to it than that!” In other words, you’ve not heard the whole story!

In the same way, there are things happening all the time in the spiritual realm and as we saw recently they are more real than what we can access with our five senses. We only have half the picture like we only see half a moon but we know the rest of it is still there!😊

God is a Spirit and we know we can only come to Him and receive from Him in our spirit, by the Holy Spirit inside us, by faith. When Elijah told his servant there are more for us than against us,(2 Kings 6:16) the servant thought he was delusional because he couldn’t see them with his physical eyes, he thought they were vastly outnumbered! So Elijah asked the Lord to show him there were thousands of angels garrisoned around them, far more than the enemy soldiers he’d physically seen. Suddenly the servant ‘saw’ what was real in the spiritual realm!

God wants us to believe what we can’t see in the natural, regardless of how we feel, or what the doctor’s report says, or what the bank statement says. He’s not asking us to deny those things but to put faith to work to believe they can change.😊

When we pray, if we’ll do what Jesus said in Mark 11:23-24 and believe we’ve received the answer to our prayer when we’ve prayed it, we shall (future tense) have it, but it requires faith. It requires us to not go by our five natural senses but by our inner spiritual sense, by what the Spirit of God has said in scripture.

The devil wants us to look at our physical circumstances and think that’s all there is, that things can’t change, to stop us agreeing with God’s promise of provision of healing, or whatever we have asked for. 

Whatever you’re experiencing at the minute, take heart because you can know ‘there’s more to it’ than you can see, touch or feel. God is at work!😊

Thank You Lord we can tune in to You, to what You say we have, and draw on Your provision in our spirit. In Jesus name. Amen.

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OVERCOMING FEARS

1 John 5:4-5 NIV for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

We all face different fears or challenges and the things that disturb me won’t disturb you at all, and vice versa!  Recently the Lord has been showing me He wants us to face the fears we have, and learn to overcome them with His help, so I share this part of my story and hope it encourages someone who needs it today.

Driving for me is a big challenge and I was sitting in our house knowing I had to drive places I’ve never driven before, and I was literally gripped with dread, and couldn’t bring myself to do it. The more I thought about it the worse it became, the fear had a hold!

Then the Holy Spirit began reminding me of all His promises, that I’m a victor and not a victim, that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. I remembered that God is for us and protecting us, that we have angels guarding us wherever we go, and gradually I had a shift in my thinking. God was breaking down the stronghold in my mind that I’d allowed the enemy to put there many years ago! 

So, we had set off on our trip when, out of nowhere, the heavens literally opened in a full blown extreme rain storm! Torrential rain beat down on the car, howling wind, the roads were flooding as I drove through with water gushing and whooshing up all around us. Talk about overcoming! But praise God we arrived safely!😊

The end result was that I really felt I had indeed overcome in extreme circumstances, with the Lord’s help. So I just wanted to encourage anybody who is held back by fears, sometimes in a prison of our own making, and allow God to show us He is more than able to deliver us from whatever the enemy tries to put on us.😊

We know Jesus has set each one of us free but we have to trust God to do what He says He will do and use our faith, no matter how small we think it is. Each day let’s allow Him to help us be the Overcomers He’s made us to be in Christ, to know we’re above and not beneath, to see ourselves as victors and not victims. In Jesus name. Amen.

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GOD YOU SAID…

Psalm 37:24 ESV though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.

It’s so good to know our God is always encouraging us to trust Him, to know we have an anchor for our souls. He knows that there are those times when we need extra help, but He reassures us in this verse that even if we do trip up He has a strong hold of our hand. Praise God!😊

You may be up against it in some area of life but keep reminding yourself that if we keep saying what God says about us and our situations, then we are giving our angels something to work with to bring victory in our lives. We all know if we talk negatively we tend to fall in a hole! So following on from yesterday, here are some more things God has said to help us fight our battles, or for when we just need encouragement at any time.😊

God You said You will hold us up, strengthen and help us, that You fight our battles. You’ve promised to come to our rescue each time we face troubles, that You have made us more than conquerors through Jesus.

God You said we can do everything You call us to do with the Holy Spirit’s help, that we are equipped and anointed by You to overcome temptation and trials and fulfil our calling.

God You said, we can talk to our mountains and they will be moved, that Jesus has given us authority over sickness and disease and over all the works of the devil because the Greater One is in us.

God You said You bless the work of our hands and give us success, that we are precious in Your sight, and You surround us with Your love and favour and no weapon formed against us will prosper. 

God You said You would give us beauty for ashes, a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that You will provide all our needs according to Your riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

So Father for anyone who is struggling today, we join our shields of faith with them and we stand on Your promises and thank You for them. We declare them by faith and trust You to bring Your words to pass in each one of our lives. In Jesus name. Amen.

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WOBBLY WEEBLES

Ephesians 6:11 NLT Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.

I was reminded by a friend that there are times when we’re like the ‘Weebles’, (the wobbly toys from the 1970s and 80’s.) Their catch phrase was ‘Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down.’😊

We all know life gangs up on us sometimes, and we can be doing well standing on the promises of God over certain things, but when other things pile up against us which we didn’t see coming, they can really upset us or make us feel ‘wobbly’ because our emotions have kicked in. It’s at those times when we’re vulnerable that the enemy tries to find a foothold to undermine us. Anyone identify?

But like my wise friend reminded me, we may wobble but God makes sure we spring back up again! So I just wanted to encourage anyone today who has been feeling a bit wobbly, or you may think you’re not doing as well as you thought you should, or may be feeling condemned in some way, to know that God has you in His strong hand and He is strengthening you to withstand the storms.

God is for us, not against us and He knows our frailties but He has given us the assurance that He will never forsake us or leave us to deal with life alone. He’s not condemning us but encouraging us to keep our eyes on Him, to draw on the Holy Spirit’s strength at all times. 

I find it helps when I start saying what God says, because His word is upholding the universe so it can certainly uphold you and me too, so here are three to be going on with…😊

Lord You said that we would be above and not beneath our situations, that we are overcomers and victors through Jesus, not victims. (Deuteronomy 28:13, 1 John 5:4-5) Lord You are a shelter and refuge for me. You’re my strong tower against the enemy. (Psalm 61:3)

Thank You Lord You are holding us steady and strong in You. In Jesus name. Amen.

WHERE ARE YOU LIVING?

Psalm 71:14 NIV As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.

How often have you heard someone say. “Don’t get your hopes up!” In other words it’s not very likely to happen! It would take a miracle!

But Hope is the doorway to Faith, the doorway to the Miraculous! If we don’t have hope living at our house, then we won’t have faith living there either! We have a need of hope to rise above the disappointments, we need faith to believe that the best is still to come.😊

Have you given up on hope lately because you were afraid of being let down? We all know that life includes storms and you’re maybe going through one of them right now, but God wants us all to know He is right there with us in it. 

God knows your address, whether you’re in a high rise flat, or in a mansion. Wherever we live we are all subject to storms but He wants us to experience His peace even in the storm because He will either calm it down, or see us through it.

If we need a miracle today it means we have a problem, but we have the problem solver living inside us and He’s saying to get our hopes up, to reach out in faith for the miracle, because He is the God who does the unimaginable. He is the God who gives new purpose to those who despair, new plans to those who are disillusioned.

I wonder where you’re living today? - on Hope Street? on Faith Avenue? Or have you settled in Despair Alley, in Depressed Cul-de-sac or on Self Pity Lane? 

If you have, then as we begin another week, God wants you to pack up your belongings and move back into Hope Street and mix with neighbours on Faith Avenue who will tell you all things are possible with God, that nothing is too hard for Him, where God turns things around for our good.😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

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THE LORD ENTHRONED ON HIGH

Psalm 113:4-6 NLT 

Praise the LORD!

Yes, give praise, O servants of the LORD.

Praise the name of the LORD!

Blessed be the name of the LORD

now and forever.

Everywhere—from east to west—

praise the name of the LORD.

For the LORD is high above the nations;

his glory is higher than the heavens.

Who can be compared with the LORD our God,

who is enthroned on high?

He stoops to look down

on heaven and on earth.

Whoever wrote this Psalm was passionate about his call to worship! He calls us to praise and bless the name of the Lord five times and another translation says from the rising of the sun to it’s going down. In other words he calls us to be praising the Lord continually, not just on Sundays, not just when we feel like it, but all throughout our day, wherever we are .😊

Sometimes we forget don’t we, with the pressures of the day, or when things are challenging? But the reason why we can praise God is because the Lord is so highly exalted above us, above all we experience. When we look at the glory of the heavens and see all the scientists have so far discovered about our universe, he tells us God’s glory is far greater than anything we’ve seen or imagined.

And yet, God stoops to look down on all of us, to be involved in our small lives, to care about what makes us tick. He goes on to say He lifts the poor from the dust and gives others a family to belong to. Our God cares about each and every one of us and He knows what’s going on throughout the world. 

At some point Jesus will return to the world He died for, and put this world right. We have to be ready for that moment in time when history will once again be changed; there will be a paradigm shift, and the Lord of all the earth will return to claim what is His. What a day that will be! Glory to His name. Worthy of all our praise. Amen. 

Are we ready?

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UPSIDE DOWN OR RIGHT SIDE UP?

Hebrews 11:1/3 ESV Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

It’s remarkable that when our eye sees an image, initially it’s perceived as upside down until the brain makes it so we can see it the right way up! Scientists also know there are things that are very real that we can’t see with the naked eye, but they are there!

As I was thinking about that I realised it’s what scripture has been telling us all along, that there are things in the unseen realm that are more real than the things we can see, feel, taste and touch. In other words our five senses only perceive a limited amount of information.😊 Some people say, “Seeing is believing” but actually there is far more than what we can see!

God has given us everything we need in Jesus but we have to call things into our world by faith, before we see them with our physical eyes. Faith is the substance of things ‘not seen’ and that’s why God says the godly live by faith and not by sight, and we don’t want to miss out on all He has for us!😊

Just as the eye sees things upside down and it has to be rearranged, so it is in our personal world where our lives can sometimes seem to be upside down. God is saying to see things from His perspective not our limited understanding and to call for those things to come right side up, 

I hope that makes sense or that I have at least provoked our thinking, and that the Lord gives us deeper revelation of what is truly ‘real’ and available to us because He wants us to have it all.😊

‘See’ ourselves well, ‘see’ ourselves provided for with more than enough, with whatever we need, because it’s in the unseen realm waiting for us to take it by faith and have it in our now world. Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x

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DOING THE RIGHT THING

John 21:20-21 NIV Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them… 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”

I’ve been thinking about eyes a lot lately and Jesus had something to say about them! I wonder, do you ever look around and see what others are doing, or what they’re not doing? Jesus told us when we’re tempted to judge someone else, to stop it and get the log out of our own eye first!😊 

When Peter asked Jesus “What about John?” Jesus told him to basically mind his own business and concentrate on the job Jesus had for Peter to do. God wants us to concentrate on running our own race with excellence and do all we can with the ability He has given us.

It may not be spectacular, or earth shifting, but it will be of importance in God’s kingdom in realms we don’t see. I heard of one old lady who challenged a man with the gospel and as a result he was saved and won millions of others to Christ and among those who were subsequently saved down through the next decades, was a man who led Billy Graham to Christ. Through that one lady speaking to one man, back in the 1800’s, they reckon millions of souls have since been saved!

So don’t let’s allow the enemy to discourage us in anything we do for God and for His kingdom regardless of what anyone else is doing. We’re all here for Jesus, for His glory, for His will to be done and not our own.

And if we do have any logs in our eyes, and I’m looking at myself, let’s ask the Lord to help us get rid of them.😊 

In fact, wherever we’re at, at the moment, let’s praise God He’s leading us in paths of righteousness, and by His grace we will run our own race and win the victor’s crown. In Jesus name. Amen.

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AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

Matthew 6: 9-10 NLT Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

We’ve probably all used a vending machine where you put your money in, and out pops whatever you were expecting. Sometimes I think we’ve maybe prayed a bit like that! We’ve put our prayers in and expected God to pop out the answer straight away with no delay. But it doesn’t work quite like that, does it?😊

Our heart attitude comes into it, and God wants us to come to Him with a thankful heart for all his goodness to us, not a grumbling, “Why aren’t you doing it? How long is it going to take?” attitude. When I’ve been ill I know I’ve sometimes said,”Why is it taking so long? Why am I not getting any better?”. When I did that I was playing right into the enemy’s hands because he wanted me to doubt God!

Yes we do have faith, but our unbelief seems to grow bigger the more we grumble and question God. We probably all have a lot to learn about praying, but I know that Jesus went about healing all their sickness and diseases and He’s the same yesterday, today and forever.😊

Jesus said in the Lord’s Prayer, “Your will be done, even as it is in Heaven”. Well we know there’s no sickness and disease in heaven, no poverty and no lack, so we know we’re praying in line with His will when we believe for healing and provision in every area of our lives.

James 5:16 NLT … The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 

God has declared us righteous, if Jesus is our Saviour, so we qualify for this verse, and yet again God is encouraging us to keep praying earnestly, even if the answer isn’t popping out when we want it to!😊 Keep expecting wonderful results from our God because all things are still possible with Him. He hasn’t changed. Amen.

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WHAT’S WRONG

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

Have you ever felt like this droopy panda and thought, “What is wrong with me!”? Well we may be dealing with a spiritual attack or perhaps the Lord is showing us our attitude needs adjusting, or maybe we’ve simply made a mistake!😊

But don’t despair because God has mercy for every mistake and Paul writes to Timothy and explains there is a cure. If we’ll take the time to read the scriptures it will not just tell us what’s wrong but how to put it right, how to deal with it.

We know God speaks to us through His word and we sometimes wonder why we’ve never noticed something before when it jumps off the page at us! It’s the supernaturalness of it that is such a wonderful thing. 

David sometimes got it wrong but he said in Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. He knew to read and study God’s word when he needed to know what to do, when he needed wisdom or insight, when he needed anything!

In Psalm 119:17-50 he goes on to say God’s word revives, restores, comforts, encourages and gives him life and hope, that he can trust God’s word, and it even gave him the theme for his songs! God’s word can do everything we need!😊

So if you’ve been feeling a bit like the droopy panda, why not ask the Lord the same thing David did in Psalm 119:18 and let His word revive and restore you….

Open our eyes Lord, that we may see wonderful things in Your law. In Jesus name. Amen.

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BECOMING LIKE JESUS

Romans 8:29 NLT For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

As I looked at some little bears I’ve been making, which are all different, it made me realise we’re all so very different as well. Some are outgoing, while others are reserved, some are diplomatic and some are more forthright! 

God made us all different for a reason, and even identical twins, though they may look similar, have different finger prints, but we’re all being transformed to be more like Jesus.😊

Just as we leave the impression of our fingerprints on whatever we touch, the same thing is true spiritually. We leave an impression on people that either lifts them up or brings them down. Sometimes we get it right and sometimes we don’t and we thank God for His grace and mercy for when we don’t!

Jesus said He is the Light of the world, but we are also called to be light, to shine His love and goodness into people’s lives and oh how much we need the Holy Spirit’s help to do that!

It’s like the Lord is nudging us to remember He’s given us His Holy Spirit for that reason, to leave Jesus’ fingerprints behind wherever we go, to leave His touch of kindness and compassion, to leave people with an uplifting or an encouraging thought.😊

And don’t forget we can ask the Lord for forgiveness when we sometimes get it wrong, and remember we’re all a work in progress and forgive ourselves and one another when we could have done it better. Amen.

OUR GUARANTEE

Jeremiah 31:3 NLT Long ago the Lord said to Israel:“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.

The Message Translation: “God told them, “I’ve never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love!”

We probably all have guarantees tucked away in a drawer for certain appliances which only last for a while, but we have another guarantee that is unlimited. It’s the love of God and it was written in blood on a wooden cross.

How amazing it is that God loves us so much and what a privilege to be loved by God!😊 Sometimes I think we forget how dear we are to Him and how it must grieve His heart when we may have accused Him, at some point, of not listening or not caring about what’s going on in our lives!

The enemy loves to try to put doubts in our minds but as long as we keep reading God’s word and hear what He says we won’t be deceived or mislead. 

Romans 8:35-39 (The Message) ‘Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! 

Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture: 

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. 

I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.’

Praise God He gave us all a love guarantee when we accepted Jesus as our Saviour and His love never fails.😊

I hope that has put a smile on our faces and lifted our spirits as we go into our new week. God hasn’t gone anywhere or given up on us in any way and His plans for our lives are still on track and they all include His love, His kindness and His mercy. Praise God!

Father we thank You for Jesus and for loving us, so we can love You in return. Amen.

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BOAST ABOUT OUR GOD

 Psalm 20:1/4/5/7 NLT 

1. In times of trouble, may the Lord

Answer your cry.

May the name of the God of Jacob 

keep you safe from all harm.

4. May he grant your heart’s desires.

And make all your plans succeed.

5. May we shout for joy

When we hear of your victory

and raise a victory banner in the name of our God.

May the Lord answer all your prayers.

7. Some nations boast of their chariots and horses

But we will boast in the name of the Lord our God.

This has been the Global Week of Prayer where people have prayed around the clock in prayer rooms all over the world to our God. Did David have a prayer room or did he just pray out in the middle of a field - somewhere where he poured out his heart to his God and prayed believing God was answering?

We see it in today’s very positive Psalm, full of confidence in our God. David had proved time and again that no matter what trouble came along he could go to his God and know He would listen to him and do something about it.😊

God wants us to have that same level of confidence in Him as David did, and know we too can boast about the goodness of our God. David was so sure of the victory he was making plans for it, plans to make a victory banner, plans to shout for joy, he was so confident of the outcome of his prayers.

Our God is still the same and we can have that same confidence, and boast about what the Lord our God has done, and will do even more for us, in answer to our prayers. David prays about the Lord granting our heart’s desires and making our plans succeed, which ties in with yesterday - asking big prayers.😊

Romans 8:32 NIV He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

We have a wonderful prayer answering God. Let’s praise and boast in His name today and give Him all the honour He so rightly deserves. In Jesus name. Amen.

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YOU NEVER ASKED!

Luke 15:31 His Father said to him, “Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours.

I used to read this parable and feel sorry for the older brother until I realised he’d had the opportunity to have twenty parties (or whatever he wanted), if he'd wanted them! He’d just never asked! God is saying the same thing to each one of us who belongs to Him. We’re part of His family, we have inherited everything through Jesus, but if we don’t ask for something then we won’t receive it. James 4:2 NLT Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.  

Jabez had the courage to ask for big blessings and he received them, because he asked! 1 Chronicles 4:10 NLT He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request.

Jesus also told us to ask, seek, and knock, and not to give up. Sometimes we do ask but give up too soon, just before we were about to receive. We’ve said something like, “Oh, it’s not working! I can’t see things changing or being any different! It must not be God’s will!” And we missed the blessing because we gave in to doubt.

Just because God’s timing isn’t ours, doesn’t mean it’s not what He wants. He tells us in 3 John:2 KJV Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. There’s the will of God in a nutshell!😊

So, let’s just ask the Father for the desire that’s in our hearts! Better that than being resentful that God hasn’t given us something, like the older brother, when we never asked for it in the first place, or only asked for half of what we wanted because we didn’t like to ask for more, or gave up too soon and let the enemy steal it from us.

God’s heart is to bless us, so let’s keep praying and ask big prayers, keep believing the promises, keep standing on the word and do what Jesus said and just ask. In Jesus name. Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x

WHAT WE NEED - ENDURANCE

Hebrews 10:36 ESV For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

I don’t know if you’ve ever climbed a steep hill where it required you to go through the leg aching, muscle complaining stage, but you knew you had to endure and keep going in order to reach the top. The satisfaction when you reached the goal was so worth it!😊

James 1:12 ESV Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. We all know some trials are harder than others but there is an amazing reward for sticking with it, for not giving way or giving up. The crown of life is worth our endurance! So whatever is happening with you, don’t give way, don’t give up! 

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

What a wonderful prayer that is and we can pray it for one another. The only way to find joy in the trials and tests is to allow the Holy Spirit to minister to us, to draw on our source of all things - from God inside us. 

Paul told us it’s so important to pray for one another to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. He often asked for his partners to pray for them as they ministered, to be able to endure the beatings, the exhaustion, and the hardships they were experiencing.

We owe the early disciples so much for their endurance to make it possible for us to be able to receive all God has given to us in Jesus. Paul challenges us to follow their example and encourage one another to endure the trials of our faith so we all receive the reward of the crown of life. What a thought and what a reward!😊

Father we pray for each other that we will indeed be strengthened with all Your glorious power so we will have all the endurance and patience we need. May we be filled with Your joy and we thank You for it. In Jesus name. Amen.

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