THE SIGN

Luke 2:12 NKJV 

And this will be the sign to you: 

You will find a Babe 

wrapped in swaddling cloths, 

lying in a manger.”

Sometimes we see old feeding troughs made into ponds or planters, but have you ever wondered what the ‘sign’ meant and why Jesus was wrapped in swaddling cloths and then laid in a manger, a feeding trough?

I heard a Jewish Rabbi explain that the shepherds in those fields were not ordinary shepherds but Levitical shepherds who were caring for the sheep which would produce the lambs for sacrifice in the temple. The sheep about to deliver, were taken to the caves in the village of Bethlehem where the lambs were born and then wrapped in swaddling cloths so they had no blemish before their sacrifice.

Then we read Mary gave birth to Jesus, possibly in one of those very caves where the lambs were born, and she wrapped Him in swaddling cloths just like the sacrificial lambs, and laid Him in a manger, one of the feeding troughs, which reminds us Jesus is the Bread of Life, the source of every spiritual and physical need we will ever have.😊

God was revealing to the Shepherds that His sacrificial Lamb had been born, that the Saviour, the Messiah, had been born that night in Bethlehem. No wonder the shepherds were the first to know about Jesus’ birth and how significant it is to us. God had prophesied for centuries that Jesus would be the Lamb of God born to take away the sins of the world and that night His plan became manifest. Glory to God!

It’s the message of Christmas - we’ve been given a Saviour, if we’ll receive Him, because He is the only way to Heaven. Jesus humbled Himself, identified with us by becoming a vulnerable human baby, He volunteered to be God’s sacrificial Lamb for us, and it says Mary pondered all these things in her heart.

How awe inspiring it all is, and may God bless us as we ponder these things in our hearts on the lead up to Christmas morning.😊Amen.

Photo: Jw-k on Unsplash

GOD IS CLOSE TO US

Nahum 1:7 NLT The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.

I expect we have all experienced trouble in some shape or form over the years, but for those who belong to God we have this wonderful assurance that our God is good and He’s close to us when we trust Him and make Him our strong refuge.😊

The enemy will do all in his power to try to make us forget that strong truth and it’s why we need to keep God’s word in front of our eyes, and in our hearts, every day.😊

Nahum describes the people of Nineveh as cruel and arrogant, they were a treacherous, deceitful, murdering enemy who had come and oppressed God’s people. They are a picture of Satan and his kingdom, but God reassures His people in verse 13 “Now I will break the yoke of bondage from your neck and tear off the chains of Assyrian oppression.”

I just felt the Lord is speaking prophetically to each one of us, that the yoke of whatever bondage may have been holding us, is broken from our necks by the Lord Jesus who came into the world to destroy the works of the devil. Jesus came as a baby, but let’s not forget He is the one who is tearing off the chains of oppression that may have troubled us for a long time, whether through sickness or lack of some kind.

I just felt the Lord is saying to receive His words personally today, and appropriate them for ourselves, “Lord, I thank You, You are a good God, You are my strong refuge in trouble, and You are close to me because I trust You. You break the yoke of bondage from my neck, and You tear off the chains of oppression from me through the mighty shed blood of Jesus. Thank You Lord.”

What a statement of faith! Let’s believe it and remind the enemy Jesus has totally defeated him and set us free by shedding His blood, and whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Glory to God. Amen.

Have a very blessed weekend.x😊

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NEVER FORGET!

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

I thought you’d like to meet the latest arrival to the ‘cuddly’ family in our house. He is so cute! and they say elephants never forget. So today we’re looking at what God also wants us to ‘never forget’.😊

Isaiah 49:15 NIV “…Though she may forget, I will not forget you! There may be moments in life when we feel like God has forgotten us but He assures us He will not forget us. Psalms 139 says we can’t even count the number of times He thinks about us, they are so many!😊

Psalm 103:2 NLT Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. Sometimes it’s good to just take a few minutes and not forget it was God who woke us up this morning, who loves us with an everlasting love. He’s forgiven us, protected us and healed us more times than we will ever know, along with a million other things He is doing all the time for each one of us, and just say a heart felt “Thank You”.

Proverbs 4:5 NLT Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them. It’s always helpful when we remember God’s promises and speak them out especially when Satan is putting pressure on us to say the opposite! 

Proverbs 4:20-22 NIV My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. 21 Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 22 for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. He’s saying again, never forget God’s words, keep looking at them and listening to them!

We could think of loads more things, but I like the one at the top, which reminds us that with God all things are possible. Let’s never forget it!😊 Amen.

HOLDING US STEADY

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.

With the pressures of Christmas, or just generally, we may sometimes feel like we’re doing a balancing act, fitting everything in. Then there are days when everything seems to happen at once and we’re very aware we need the Lord to hold us steady till things calm down, however long they take.😊

The important thing is to remember we’re being held by the One who holds the universe together just by His powerful word, and words are important to us too. When situations are thrown at us we’re often tempted to say the wrong thing, or say what’s happening, instead of what we want to happen! It happened to me a couple of days ago!

We have to do our part and if we can just remember to declare what God has said it will help us stay steady, but the more we voice our fears the more they cause us to wobble and draw them to us.😊 

For instance, when things come against us we can declare the Lord is our strength and shield, that He is our protection day and night (Psalm 121), that His angels have charge over us to protect us from all harm (Psalm 91), that no weapon formed against us will succeed (Isaiah 54:17).

When finances are under threat, we declare the Lord is our Provider, and as we sow the seed He gives us, He will bring a harvest (2 Cor.9:10). As we give, so it will be given to us shaken together, pressed down and flowing over (Luke 6:38), And also (Philippians 4:19).

If it’s our health, as we keep His word before our eyes, so it is health to all our flesh,(Proverbs 4:20-22), that by Jesus’ wounds we are healed,(1 Peter 2:24) that He has sent His word and healed us (Psalm 107:20) and we receive it all and overcome by faith. (1 John 5:4-5)

So next time we feel like we’re on the edge, let’s get our scriptures out and get into agreement with what God has said. Start speaking them and prophesying them into our own future and know the Lord is holding us up, He’s strengthening us and actively helping us.😊

Thank You Lord, right at this moment You are holding each one of us steady. In Jesus name. Amen.

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NOBODY’S PERFECT!

Psalm 119:96 AMP I have seen that all [human] perfection has its limits [no matter how grand and perfect and noble];

Psalm 119:96 CEV Nothing is completely perfect, except your teachings.

I wonder if you’re one of those people who strive for perfection and feel upset when you can’t make things as perfect as you’d like, or when other people do things in a less than perfect way and it drives you up the wall?😊

The difficulty is everyone’s standard can be different and only God is perfect! Our verse says our human perfection has its limits and when we recognise that, it can set us free. It’s something I’m still learning, and when we, or someone else, does something that falls short of our standard we have to show grace, because we, or they, have done it as best they can and that’s all we can ask.

Sometimes we set the bar so high for ourselves, we make a rod for our own backs, and we can cause ourselves stress because we were taught that perfection was the only way. I remember hanging wallpaper once in my bathroom and I’d worked so hard all day to get it perfect but when I stood back I realised one panel was upside down and the flowers were growing down, not up! I learned that day to go easy on myself and get things into perspective, so I left it and it became a talking point!😊

I know God wants us to ask the Holy Spirit to help us with all we do, and to do the best we can, but not to the detriment of our health or to make others feel inadequate. 

So maybe this word is for someone today, to lighten up on ourselves, or maybe on others, and be a bit more flexible, to realise only God is perfect. We none of us get it right all the time and we all have our limits, so let’s just enjoy life when it’s perfect, and especially when it’s not.😊 

Can anybody say ‘Amen’? 

PARCELS OF PRAYER

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

Well I’ve sent off my last parcel full of love and Christmas gifts for those who receive them far away, and hope they like them.😊 As I was posting my parcels I felt the Lord was saying our faith filled prayers for people are like parcels. They go out packed with God’s anointing to change their lives, to give them hope and bring about His purposes.

What a great thought and it encourages me to pray more when I imagine them like parcels the people will receive, even if they never know we prayed for them! Some prayers are like secret parcels that we send out in faith, knowing our God is faithful and He answers our prayers. 

We sometimes write ‘Fragile’ or ‘Handle with care’ on the outside of a box and God knows about our fragile situations, and we can trust Him to always handle our parcels of prayer with care. Even when they’re quick ‘envelope’ prayers, our verse says they’re all effective.😊

Sometimes we join with others to believe together for the parcel to be received with great joy when the answers come quickly, but have you ever had a parcel get lost in the post? It can be stressful, waiting for the postman to find it and make sure it’s delivered! In the same way we sometimes feel like our prayers have been lost somewhere in the postal department of heaven but actually they haven’t, they’re just being processed!

So next time you pray for someone, whether they’re secret parcels or not, big or small, let’s do it with faith in our hearts. We know our God hears every prayer of faith and He will answer them in His good time with His great power packed in the box to make them happen, so we can have great expectation for wonderful results.😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

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HE GOT UP AND WENT THE WRONG WAY!

Jonah 1:3 NLT But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord…

Last week we looked at the thought God wants us to ‘Get Up” because He has restoration for us, but in today’s verse we read how the Lord told Jonah to ‘Get up’ and go to a town that needed rescuing. Unfortunately, Jonah didn’t want to do it and he ran!

Maybe that rings a bell with some of us, when we’ve been challenged by the Lord about something and we’ve felt like burying our head in the sand, or just ignored what God was saying. It’s a bit like Jonah running in the opposite direction to get away from what the Lord said.😊

You may even have already gone in the opposite direction, or just done nothing by default, thinking you could escape the challenge, but Psalm 139 reminds us there is nowhere we can go that God doesn’t know where we are. The wonderful thing about it all is God’s love and mercy are vast and they’re for you and me.

I’m so grateful God gives us second and multiple chances. It’s our choice, but when we read Jonah’s story we realise he affected other people and put them in jeopardy by going the wrong way. 

God is obviously not letting this go, and whatever He is saying to each one of us, whether it’s personal or for the benefit of others, if we’ve been running from it, or we feel like we’re drowning like Jonah did, today is a good day to turn around and allow God’s mercy and grace to minister to us and believe the Lord only has good plans for our lives, to bless us and not to harm us. God only wants the best for us.😊

So this week, as we keep walking towards Christmas, may we all decide to get up and go in the right direction, not the wrong one, and do whatever He has said, that will not only bless ourselves, but those around us as well.😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

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GOD’S GREAT JOY

Jude 1:24-25 NLT 

Now all glory to God, 

who is able to keep you from falling away 

and will bring you with great joy 

into his glorious presence 

without a single fault.

For a lot of children Christmas is all about the excitement and the joy of Christmas presents, and I enjoy that side of it myself so I’m still a bit of a kid at heart! How about you?😊

For Christians though, we think about Joy at Christmas for its true meaning, the joy of Jesus coming the first time into the world bringing reconciliation and peace with God. We remember the joyful song of the angels on that quiet night, out in the fields, to announce Jesus’ arrival to some shepherds working the night shift.

Our verse today though talks about God’s great joy and how He’s looking forward to the wonderful event of Jesus bringing each one of us who love Him, into His glorious presence. The amazing thing is the last statement - He’s going to do it without us having a single fault!   

When we look at our many short comings in the flesh, when we’ve sinned and missed the mark, it’s wonderful to know that He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins when we repent, and that in our spirit we have already been made righteous in God’s sight because we’ve been given Jesus’ righteousness. 

When you really stop and think about that it’s mind boggling and should make us give a shout of joy, whether it’s Christmas or not.😊 I hope the joy of Christmas, the joy of being righteous, of having peace with God, make us jump with joy each day (even if it’s only on the inside if we can’t manage it on the outside😊). 

Perhaps today we can stop and take some time with the Lord to thank Him for the joy He has given us by giving us Jesus as our Saviour, and bring Him great joy as we celebrate His gift of righteousness as we thank and praise Him that one day He will welcome us into His glorious presence without a single fault. What a glorious thought!😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

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GET UP!

Acts 3:6 NLT But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”

We all probably have people in our lives who either bring the best out in us and unfortunately, some who bring the worst out in us! There are those who lift us up and encourage us to believe for the best possible outcome or those who climb into the pit of despair or discouragement with us, and agree with how terrible things are, or they forget to tell us how well we’re doing and end up discouraging us even more!

But one day Peter saw this crippled man begging and knew God wanted to lift him up to where he could walk again. He told him he had no money for him but he said, ‘In the name of Jesus, get up and walk’. Nothing happened until Peter reached out and took the man’s hand and lifted him up. When he did that the man received his miracle and he jumped up and started walking! He was lifted up!

Sometimes we need a friend who loves us enough to not encourage our self pity but says, “Get up! You may have been disappointed but God has beauty for the ashes” 

Maybe you’re down, struggling with finances. “Get up! God is opening the windows of heaven over you” Or perhaps you’ve been single for many years - “Get up! God has someone special for you on the way.” Or you’ve been sick or depressed for years, “Get up! God is restoring you.”

Whatever has us downhearted or stuck in some way, I’m here to encourage us all to “Get up!” because God is well able to turn things around and He still has great plans and purposes for each one of us. God wants to lift us all up to a new level, so we can be the friend who lifts other people out of whatever pit they’ve fallen in, and tell them God is not finished with them yet - there’s greater things still to come. 

So this weekend, “Get up!”😊 Be lifted up and go and grab someone else’s hand and tell them “Get up! God has more for you in the name of Jesus.” If they’ve been knocked down, “Get up and walk again in Jesus name.” Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

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THE FIRST TIME AND LAST TIME

1 Peter 1:20 NIV He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

Christmas is fast approaching and we’re all probably up to our ears in plans or wrapping paper!😊 But none of it would be happening if God hadn’t had a plan back before the world was made to send us a Saviour to rescue us and give Him a family.

It was prophesied over and over for hundreds of years that God was sending a Saviour and on the first Christmas Jesus arrived on a quiet night in Bethlehem. His death and resurrection were also prophesied and sure enough He did what God said.

Just as He came quietly that first Christmas, scripture tells us when He comes again it won’t be quiet, it will be very loud with the shout of the archangel and the sound of trumpets! Scholars tell us His second coming was prophesied many, many more times than His first coming. It is a certainty, whether people believe it or not. God always does what He says!

So, what is God saying to us as we remember Jesus’ first coming in a short while? Just as we prepare and get ready for Christmas He wants us to prepare and be ready for His Second Coming! We may or may not look forward to Christmas but if we know Jesus as our Saviour we can look forward with great joy to the day when He comes back for us.

He wants us to be like the five wise virgins who were prepared and waiting for their Lord to arrive, walking in faith, not distracted by a million other things.😊

So as we wrap up presents and listen to our Christmas music, let’s not forget that the Lord is coming again and He wants us to be looking for Him and ready when He comes.😊 Amen.

Titus 2:13 KJV Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

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REMEMBER!

Psalm 103:1-2 NKJV Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:

‘Remember, 

His goodness never fails, 

His mercy never ends, 

and His power has no limits.’

I read those words this week and made them into a picture, and because they encouraged me so much, I wanted to share them.😊 They’re describing our God, His character, and His ability which are awesome!

When you think about it, it’s crazy that we keep being anxious about anything when we know our God is able to do all of the above and that He is for us not against us. 

Yes, we make mistakes and fail sometimes, but His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting. There is never a day goes by when His mercy isn’t available to us to forgive us and put us back on the right path.

2 Chronicles 16:9 AMP For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth so that He may support those whose heart is completely His. God is actively seeking loyal people! The ball is in our court and He wants to pour His goodness out on us, to strengthen us.😊

And as for the thought that God can’t do anything about our problem - that just doesn’t make sense. God’s power is limitless, beyond our imagination and that’s the trouble, we probably haven’t given our thinking free rein to imagine all God can do. We’re maybe limiting Him by our small aspirations, our small believing!

Let’s ask God for the dreams and visions He wants us to have, think bigger, and then release our faith for them and we shall see His limitless power at work. 

And whatever you do today, and wherever you go, remember, “God’s goodness never fails, His mercy never ends, and His power has no limits.” 😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

REDEMPTION OVERFLOWS

Psalm 130:7 NLT O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is unfailing love. His redemption overflows.

When a river overflows it’s so full it can’t contain itself but has to flow out to everything around it. The psalmist talks of God’s love and His redemption like that and it’s a wonderful picture to see ourselves overflowing with God’s love and His grace and favour.😊

We may have been taught that God only gives to those who deserve it, but none of us deserve it, so we all qualify for His grace. It is amazing but true and we owe it all to Jesus.

One commentary said this, ‘Redemption offers complete salvation and restoration from sin and failure. God's saving grace, forgiveness, and deliverance are incredibly generous, and more than sufficient, flowing out lavishly to cover all sin and offer complete restoration, not just a little bit, but an overflowing, plentiful supply of new life and wholeness.’  Wow! I love redemption, don’t you?😊

Whatever happens this week or in the coming days, let’s keep declaring today’s verse over our lives. Instead of ‘O Israel…’ insert your own name.😊

Remember God’s love for us will never fail and that whatever we need, God has a limitless supply which He wants us to have and enjoy. He wants our lives to be whole and fulfilling. Jesus said, “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].” (John 10:10 AMP) There’s the overflow again!

I hope we’re beginning to see His picture that He wants us to see. It’s one of restoration, of more than enough in every area, of overflow, of exceedingly above and beyond all we can imagine, ask or think!

No matter what your picture was before, why not let the Holy Spirit give you a new vision for your life and paint a new picture on your mind today. It’s His picture of overflowing redemption.😊

Thank You Lord. We receive it by faith in Jesus name. Amen.

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RUNNING OUR OWN RACE

Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith….

Scripture talks about our lives as being like a race which we are all running in, and sometimes we make the mistake of thinking we ought to run our race the way others do. If we don’t pray or read scripture like they do, the enemy will try to make us feel guilty, but God has given each of us the grace to run our own race, not someone else's.😊

Some people’s lives are filled to the brim with activities, but that may not be the way God wants your life or mine to be. He has made us all unique with different temperaments, different strengths and abilities and we should never feel less than, just because we’re not like someone else.

God made us all to be originals, with a purpose specifically designed for our own lives so we need never bow to the pressure to be somebody we were not made to be by God. We can be at peace in our own skin and know that if we have God’s approval then that’s all we need.

If we try to please all the people all the time we’ll find ourselves going round in circles, and becoming exhausted in the process. We never read about Jesus being in a hurry and yet He accomplished everything God sent Him to do. He wasn’t a people pleaser, He was a God pleaser and we are called to imitate Jesus.

There is freedom in knowing that, and it helps when we extend to one another the kindness of letting other people run their own race and be who God designed them to be and enjoy one another’s differences. We’re not called to be like everyone else, and the only mould we’re to fit in, is the one to be like Jesus.😊

We are God’s unique masterpieces, created in His image to bring Him glory. So let’s enjoy the race we’ve been called to run, strengthen our weak knees when we feel wobbly, and run it to the very best of our ability with our eyes fixed on Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith.😊 Amen.

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NEVER DOUBT GOD CARES

1 Peter 5:7 AMP casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].

Don't you care! Maybe you’ve felt like saying that to God at some time? It’s a cry from the human heart when it feels ignored or unloved, or invisible. But the thought occurred to me that God could also ask us that question when we live as though He’s not listening, as though He doesn’t love us, and we become weighed down with care, worried and anxious.

God knows us all so well and Jesus himself must have been tempted to feel that way because He was tempted in every way we are. In fact, on the Cross, Jesus cried out from the depth of His soul, “My God, My God. Why have you forsaken me?” But He was forsaken so that we never will be, to give us a future and a hope. What a thought!

Jesus experienced all we do and far far more, because Isaiah 53 tells us He was acquainted with deepest grief, that He bore all our griefs and sorrows so we wouldn’t have to carry the weight of them any more. But the thing is, we have to give them to Him.😊

God cares. He knows what’s happening. Hosea 14:8 NLT … I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you. It really doesn’t come any clearer than that, so if ever the enemy comes and tries to tell us God doesn’t care, just read that verse over and over again!

We can come to His throne of grace and know God’s loving arms are reaching out to comfort us, to tell us He’s working everything out for our good if we’ll keep trusting Him and remember what He started in our lives He will bring to completion, so be encouraged.

As we begin another week God assures us we can know beyond a shadow of a doubt: God loves us, He cares for us and He cares about us and as we stay in faith He will unfold His good plans for us all.😊 Praise His name. Amen.

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EMMANUEL - GOD IS WITH US

 Psalm 23:4 NIV 

…I will fear no evil for you are with me…

Can I ask you to read that again? In fact, maybe it would be good to read it out loud to ourselves over and over again before we go into each day, until the wonderful truth of it soaks into our spirit and brings the peace we so need in our everyday world.😊

It’s only ten words but they speak volumes. God is reminding us that He - the One who flung stars into space, who speaks worlds into being, who upholds the universe, including you and me, by the power of His word, who sent His Son into our world to die in our place, the One whose love never fails - He is with us. 

The God of Hope is with us. The God of Joy, of Love and Peace is with us. It makes no difference where we go, or who else we’re with, or whether we’re alone, we can know God is with us. 

Just knowing that makes all the difference in the world because we have the most wonderful, most powerful, most loving Being by our side and actually in us, so we’re never ever alone.

Let’s enter His presence with thanksgiving in our hearts, let’s enter His courts with praise today because as long as He is with us we don’t need to be afraid. God’s love casts out all fear because He’s our Strong Tower, our security. How blessed we are.😊

So just take a minute and read that verse again and as we walk towards Christmas, let it quiet your spirit today and every day. Emmanuel - God with us. God loves us. Thank You Lord. Amen.

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YOUR CONCERNS MATTER TO GOD

Psalm 138:8 NKJV The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; ...

When something disappointing happens we often turn to somebody and say, “Ah well, it doesn’t matter.” But there are times when it does matter and God knows how we really feel because He knows all our hearts.

We know we need to keep things in perspective so we don’t get out of balance over an issue, or see it as a mountain instead of the molehill it might possibly be, but whatever concerns us, whether it’s big or small, God wants us to know that it matters very much to Him too. We matter to Him!😊

He said He will perfect that which concerns us, and even if it doesn’t look like anything is happening at the minute, we know we can depend on His promise because it stands forever.

We probably all have things that matter to us at any given moment but we can take heart because God knows all about them. However long it takes, we can know the Holy Spirit is here to help us overcome them or know how to deal with whatever they are, because His amazing grace is available to us as often as we need it.

So let’s thank Him in advance because we know He is working in the background and He’s certainly not forgotten about us in any way.😊 Thank You Lord. Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash. 

DON’T BE WEIGHED DOWN BY TIME

Philippians 1:6 NIV being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Back in October we looked at the things that weigh us down (link below) but yesterday the Lord was speaking to me about not being weighed down by time. 

He doesn’t want our past to dictate our futures, no matter how far back or how recent. None of us can change what our parents, or others, did or didn’t do, where or how we were raised, or what we did or didn’t have. God has brought us this far and He won’t abandon us now and we have so much for which to be thankful. 😊

Then I felt Him say not to be weighed down with our present, no matter how hard the people or circumstances may be. God is reminding us that we belong to Him and He has promised to provide our emotional stability, our spiritual stability and our physical needs as well. He is our very ‘present’ help in trouble. Right now, right here. He says as we draw near to Him so He draws near to us in our present, to be all we need Him to be, whatever that may be.😊

Then He said not to be weighed down with the thought of our futures either. It could be easy to be fearful concerning the way things are going. Will I have enough money, what if I struggle in my health? What if I’m all alone? God knows all the thoughts that go through our minds, and He’s constantly telling us not to be afraid because He is watching over us now and forever. In other words He has already gone ahead into our futures and provided for us.

God is reminding us to stay close to Him, to enter His rest, that place of trusting Him because our past is forgiven, our present is wrapped in His love and our futures are all known and provided for by our loving Father. 

So let’s give Him our past, our present, and our futures and say with Paul…

2 Timothy 1:12 NIV I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. 

Thank You Lord. Amen.

Link to October 3rd:  https://myberrythoughts.blogspot.com/2025/10/whats-weighing-you-down.html

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

VICTORY IS IN OUR FUTURE

Psalm 29:10 NLT The Lord rules over the floodwaters. The Lord reigns as king forever. The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.

Over the course of our lives we’ve probably all experienced things coming against us, one thing after another. Sometimes it looks like the enemy seems to come in like a flood but even when he does that, we don’t need to bow to him, because God says that the Lord rules over the floodwaters. What a statement! God rules, not the enemy!😊

God had Noah prepare an ark so he could ride out the storm with his family. They floated on top, they were held safe and if He did it for Noah, He will do it for us. God is not phased by floods.

Vs.3-4 AMP The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; The God of glory thunders; The Lord is over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

When we focus on the glory, power and majesty of our God, the more we will be able to ride out the storms because we know that same God is inside each one of us. He divided the waters for Moses, He dried up the river for Joshua, He floated Noah on top. Whatever it takes, our God will not let the floods overwhelm us because He says He has made us Overcomers, not sinkers!

He wants to fire us up today to tell the enemy that our God reigns, and that He is giving us His strength to overcome.

So if you’re going through some floods at the minute, remember our verse tells us He does more than give us strength, He also blesses us with peace. Peace in the flood, peace in the storms when we remember our enemy is defeated and that it’s our God who reigns in our circumstances. 

Praise the Lord. Victory is in our future.😊 Amen.

Photo: Joe Deutscher on Unsplash

FIT OF THE PRICKLIES!

2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” …

Do you ever have days where you feel all prickly? You’re not even sure why, but it may have been something someone said or did, or what you heard on the news. It may be you just woke up on the wrong side of the bed and the enemy gave you a thought which you should have thrown out immediately but instead you let it grow. We’ve probably all been there and done that!😊

So what do we do with the pricklies when they come? There’s only one thing we can do and it’s to take them to the Holy Spirit and ask Him for His help to pull them out or let them go.

God has grace for each day, for each prickle and He tells us His grace is sufficient, more than enough. One meaning of sufficient is that it ‘lifts off’ whatever is bugging us. But we have to go to the throne of grace to receive it by faith. It’s no good harbouring the prickles or excusing them. We have to want His grace and humble ourselves to ask for it.😊

God says He is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34), that He will treat us all the same. So if He helps and forgives one, then He will do it for us all. His grace is free and for all who will receive it, but we have to receive it!

Can I encourage us all, next time we have a fit of the pricklies, let’s just find a quiet spot and talk to the Lord about it and ask for His amazing grace to let go of whatever has upset or disturbed our peace. Allow His peace that passes understanding to flow into all the prickly corners as His love and kindness and care of us wash them all away.😊

It helps to remember that Jesus Himself is interceding for us before His Father around the clock and the Holy Spirit is our Helper and Advocate as well. We’re not on our own, His grace is available to us all and it’s more than enough. Praise God. In Jesus name Amen.

Photo: Feey-Beedd on Unsplash

GOD IS NEVER TOO BUSY

Psalm 120:1 NLT I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.

How often have we tried to ring someone and there was no answer, or all we could hear was the engaged tone? They were busy! Well I have good news today, because God’s phone line is never engaged, never too busy. As the Psalmist says, “He is always listening to our every cry.”

Scripture says to call to Him and He will hear, that when we seek Him with all our heart we will find Him, that when we humble ourselves and submit to Him He will exalt us in due course. It even says He will answer before we’ve ever asked!

We all know no one likes it when their child comes with a whining, moaning attitude and God is the same. We can all come to Him through Jesus and He doesn’t mind how big our prayer requests are as long as we ask with grateful thanks for all He’s done for us already. We have so much to praise and thank God for every single day.😊

So no matter what’s happening in our lives, let’s be so grateful that God is never too busy for us, that He is constantly watching over us and that He is standing beside us, keeping us from all harm. Psalm 121:8 NLT The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever. 

So we can bring all our cares, all our requests to Him today because Jesus made it possible for us to do it, but we can also come with faith to believe He is saving us out of all our troubles, that He is listening and He will fulfil His word to us no matter what it looks like! 

He has promised to lead, guide, provide, heal, restore, and save us to the uttermost. Now our part is to trust Him and receive it all by faith. Glory to God. I hope that helps you sing today.😊 Amen.

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WEARING THE RIGHT COAT

Romans 5:17 NIV For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

Just recently we went to see the Saltmine Theatre’s production of Cinderella. In it the Prince was constantly changing his coat according to how he saw himself, so if he wore his ‘Panic’ coat he panicked and didn’t know what to do. If he took it off and called for his ‘Man of Action’ coat he immediately became decisive and in control of the situation.😊

How we see ourselves is so important which is why God tells us to read His Word because it tells us how He sees us, how He has made us to be new creations in Christ Jesus. If we don’t know, or when we forget who we are, we can start to fall back into old behaviour patterns.

It can be easy to put on the wrong coat and start to panic when things suddenly go wrong, like when illness hits or an accident happens. But God has put His Holy Spirit inside us to hold us steady, to give us wise counsel, to help us deal with whatever comes. 

We need to keep reminding ourselves that nothing is going to happen to us today that, together with the Holy Spirit, we can’t handle. God has given us eagle’s wings to rise above the trials but sometimes we forget and stay in the chicken coup of self pity or hopelessness. Instead God wants us to rise up on wings of faith and hope, and believe Him to turn things around for our good, believing He can do the impossible.😊

As we go into our new week let’s make sure we’ve remembered to put our armour on, that we’re wearing the right coat - our robe of righteousness which causes us to reign in life! 

It’s the coat which proclaims we are forgiven, we are children of the Most High God, that God is our own Heavenly Dad, the most powerful Being in the universe, and that He is looking after us. So we don’t need to be afraid or dismayed because our God is for us and He loves us.😊 Thank You Lord. Amen.

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