BE ENCOURAGED

Isaiah 59:1 NLT Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.

God wants to encourage us all today no matter where we’re at, or what we’re facing, or what has happened. He knows the end from the beginning and nothing takes Him by surprise. God has told us He has good plans to prosper us and not to harm us, a future and a hope, but it requires us to take up our shield of faith to grab a hold of that promise so the enemy can’t steal it from us.

Scripture is full of what God has promised us and He doesn’t lie, so we can have confidence to stand on His word in the face of whatever the enemy is trying to put on us. We can be so grateful that our God is supernatural and He is not limited in any way, shape or form, by our present reality. 

Jesus told Jairus's daughter who had actually died, to get up, and she did. He told lepers to be made whole and they were. Their present reality had to bow to God’s supernatural reality. How encouraging that is.😊 Jesus never said, “How awful, what are we going to do!” No, He knew He’d been sent to heal the sick, make blind eyes see, etc. so He did, and He is the same yesterday, today and forever!

Jesus faced earthly reality on a daily basis but He brought God’s heavenly reality, which is higher and more powerful than ours, into every situation because He knew His Father’s heart was to heal, restore, provide and turn things around for peoples’ good. I can personally testify to that.😊 

3 John 2 NKJV Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. I love this verse because it reminds me of what God’s will is for His children, so I don’t need to wonder.

Let’s stand together in faith for all that God has promised us and believe what Isaiah said that God will listen to our prayers and He will save us. He will save you. In Jesus name. Amen.

DON’T FORGET!

Colossians 3:15 NLT And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Do you ever find you need reminding of things? You may have good intentions but then you forget to do what you’re supposed to do! It’s not even an ‘age’ thing because I was like it years ago but I have learned to write notes to myself and pin them where I’ll see them to remind me! Maybe you do the same?😊

In the same way I think we might need reminding of some of the things the Holy Spirit said through Paul in Colossians 3 (NLT). If you’ve not read it lately have a little look with me: 

10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

12…you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 

13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 

Maybe it would be good to write them down and pin them up around the house because it’s easy to forget, whether we’re 4 or 94!😊 Earlier in the chapter Paul talks about taking off things like being greedy, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, anger, rage, spiteful behaviour, etc. but he tells us to put on our new nature.

If we’re honest, our new nature is much nicer so why do we want to hang on to any of the other stuff like unforgiveness and offence anyway? It only makes us miserable in the end! It’s time to let some things go, to take them off like an old worn out coat and put on our shining armour of righteousness which we’ve been given as a free gift instead. When we do we’ll find peace will come as a result. As Paul says…15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. And always be thankful. 

Why not have a read of Colossians 3 again and be blessed and maybe get your pen and paper notes out?🤣 Amen.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

WE HAVE A GOOD REPORT

Proverbs 15:30 NKJV The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, And a good report makes the bones healthy.

When we were at school we wanted to take home a good report to make our parents smile.😊 Now we constantly receive doctor’s reports, maybe job reports, or bank reports and some of them can be disturbing. But I have good news because we have a good report every day that should make us smile and it’s the Word of God which supersedes them all!

Our report says this:

God loves us with an everlasting love and nothing can separate us from His love.✔️

Our sins have been forgiven and cast away as far as the east is from the west, and God remembers them no more.✔️

God has given us His grace and righteousness as a gift so we can reign in life.✔️

Now everything Jesus has is ours as Joint Heirs with Him!✔️

By Jesus wounds we are forgiven and also healed.✔️

Our God is merciful and faithful and He will never abandon us or leave us without support.✔️

Our God will provide all our needs according to His riches in heaven by Christ Jesus.✔️

He has made us Over-comers, more than conquerors through Jesus.✔️

We are anointed and equipped and can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.✔️

We have the Spirit of the Living God, who raises the dead, dwelling on the inside of us.✔️

Jesus is coming again to receive us to Himself.✔️

Our outstanding report comes from God’s word and it goes on and on. You can read it for yourselves, but even this little bit of our report is wonderful beyond our imagination and you know what a good report does? Our verse says it makes our bones healthy and strong when we believe it! 

Let’s keep reading our report every day and find out what the rest of it says, till it sinks down into our bones, till it transforms our minds, and if we receive a bad report from anywhere else we can say with total confidence, “Ah, but I have a better and a higher report and even though I may not see it all yet I receive it by faith.”😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

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WHEN GOD MULTITASKS

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].

I read this Snoopy quote yesterday and it made me smile: “I’m multitasking. I can listen, ignore and forget all at the same time.” I wonder if any of us do that, whether intentionally, or not!?😊

Thankfully, God is not like that because when God multitasks He always listens, He never ignores us and He never forgets what we’ve been saying. God cares about us more than anything we can imagine and His love never ends so when we go to His throne room we know He’s always available and ready to give us mercy and help, no matter what the circumstance, or how alone we may feel.

There are times we can be afraid to confide in someone because we think they’ll judge us or dismiss our concerns as silly or trivial, or too big to handle, but God already knows us inside out so nothing we tell Him will come as a surprise. God already knew what He was getting when He called and chose us, so we can trust Him to understand where we’re coming from.😊

Psalm 139 reminds us God knows what we’re going to say before we say it and He knows when we sit down or rise up, so no matter what we’ve done, or should have done, or how bad it was, or whatever worries us, God already knows before we tell Him, and He’s just waiting for us to admit it and let Him forgive us and put it right.

No wonder we can draw near to God when we know He’s like that towards us, that He’s not condemning us but His heart is to care for us and the things that trouble us. His heart is to lift us up and let us know that nothing can stop Him loving us. What a wonderful blessing that is!

Psalm 34:17 NLT The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.

So next time we need someone to listen to us, who won’t ignore us, but who really cares about everything that’s going on in our lives, let’s go to Jesus, our wonderful High Priest who sympathises with our weaknesses and has done something about them, and leave all those cares with Him, knowing He won’t condemn us, or forget us or any one of our concerns.😊 (Hebrews 4:15-16)

Thank You Lord. Amen.

Illustration by Ahmed Hossam on Unsplash

ONE OF THOSE DAYS!

Hebrews 13:6 AMPC So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?

I expect we all have ‘one of those days’ from time to time and I had one the other day when I broke a tooth! I was given an emergency appointment at the dentist for the next day, but the next morning I was told it had been cancelled and no new appointments till next year! The lady was most unhelpful and I was somewhat ruffled!

A few minutes later I was hanging the washing out on the clothes line, muttering under my breath, when the line collapsed on the wet grass! It was at that point I knew the enemy was having a go and everything in the garden was not rosey!

None of us likes those times and it’s when we need to call on the Holy Spirit to give us grace to handle what’s happening. I certainly needed it at that moment!😊

It’s a bit like when we need to press the F1 button on a computer when we need help. We have a heavenly F1 button and we can call on F for Father, 1 for first. Who do you go to first for help? The Holy Spirit is within us and He is our Helper no matter what is happening. So I asked Him for help.😊 

Amazingly the first dentist I rang was miraculously taking new NHS patients and could see me next day! What a turn around! I ended up with a much better dentist than I had before.

Life gets to us all sometimes and finds our weak spots, but God is so gracious and forgiving and He still loves us even when we get seriously wound up! We may learn some areas we need to let the Holy Spirit work on in our lives, as I know I did.

So as we go into our new week, if you find yourself having ‘one of those days’, take a deep breath, press your inner F1 button for help and allow the Holy Spirit to step in and bring back some calm and peace and wisdom! He’s more than able to turn things around for us if we ask. Amen.😊

WHATEVER HAPPENS

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.

As I was reading about Paul rejoicing as he was writing to the Philippian church I asked myself what am I rejoicing in today because, I don’t know about you, but we can get so caught up in the nitty gritty of our day that we forget to rejoice. Maybe you don’t feel like rejoicing, and you may think there’s not much to rejoice about because of the state of the world, or because of health or family issues.

But God wants to bring us up higher today to remember all the things we can rejoice about no matter what happens around us.😊

We can rejoice because God has forgiven us, because He has accepted us and called us righteous in His sight. Those things, all on their own, are a cause for huge rejoicing! But what’s next? 

We can rejoice in God’s provision and His wonderful care of us; in God’s protection and how He watches over us, and most of all we can rejoice because in His presence is fullness of joy. We all know it’s much easier to enjoy the ones we love when we actually spend time with them and interact with them. It’s the same with God.😊

In 1 Thessalonians 5:23 NIV God reminds us we are spirit beings, who have a soul, and we happen to live in a body, but the spirit is where our real life is, it’s the real ‘us’, and God’s Holy Spirit is joined to our spirit. That is where and how Paul could rejoice in the midst of prison, in shipwrecks, in beatings. He just had such an awareness in his spirit of who he was in Christ and all that Christ had done for him he couldn’t seem to not rejoice.😊

We may not be at that point yet (I know I have a way to go) but as Paul says, we leave those things which are behind, we press forward and we rejoice in all Jesus has done for us as we go.

Psalm 33:1 NKJV Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful.

When things are tough in life, let’s remember we can still rejoice in God’s presence, in His provision, and in His protection and so much more! What a wonderful Saviour, and I hope it has helped you rejoice today.😊 Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

Photo by Nico Smit on Unsplash

STEADY THE KNEES!

Isaiah 35:3-4 NIV Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance with divine retribution he will come to save you.”

I read a sign which said, ‘Life without cake is possible but pointless.’ which made me chuckle.😊

Life without faith is also possible but pointless. We all look at situations and think some can change and others look impossible. We find all the reasons why they won’t or can’t be done, but that is when we are walking by sight! God calls us to walk by faith because it’s our faith that overcomes the world, not our doubts or human reasonings, because Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith.😊

God says we're on the victory side, that we are above only and not beneath, that all things are possible to him who believes! Matthew 19:26 NIV Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” When we look at the circumstances we can listen to our doubts, bow in defeat and say things will never change, or we can choose to believe Jesus and thank Him for the victory by faith.😊

The Lord is standing beside each one of us encouraging us to stand up, to put our armour on yet again and declare the victory Jesus has already won for us. No matter how we feel, I’m so glad we can say by faith that we are strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, because it depends on what Jesus has already done, not on how we feel or what things look like.

The Holy Spirit is right there, right now, to steady your knees that might feel wobbly, to encourage you to know you are strong in the Lord! He will rise up within you so you can walk by faith! Let’s poke the enemy in the eye together as we join our shields of faith and say we will overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony, by the power of the Spirit of God inside us, because with His help He says we can! Amen.😊

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WEARING THE RIGHT BELT

Ephesians 6:14 NIV Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place…

Have you ever bought one of those belts that says it’s real leather but you discover it’s fake when you’ve used it for a little while? It begins to fall apart and it’s so disappointing!😊

God commands us to make sure we’re wearing the right belt each day because what we wear to hold our spiritual clothes up is important. He says to wear the belt of His truth and not some look alike, some fake truth someone has told us.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus tells us His words are truth and that the truth will set us free. My question is, are we wearing the truth of God’s word to hold everything together in our lives? Is the truth we’re standing on straight from the word of God, or is it from man’s traditions, or man’s experience or from a report we have been told?

God wants His word to be the first and last word in our lives. If God says it then that’s it! If we don’t live by His truth our clothes will fall down round our ankles!😊 We often look at facts, or at what our experience has been so far, and we go by those so called ‘truths’. But God’s Word, His truth, is far more powerful than anything else we know. It changes lives and circumstances when we decide to believe it, and only it, because it is supernatural!

The truth is God loves us with an everlasting love, and has good plans for our lives regardless of what has gone before. The truth is God is as much our God in the valleys as on the mountaintops and His power is as real in one as in another. 

If we’re in a pit of despair God’s truth says He will lift us up and out, and put our feet in a broad safe place. (Psalm 18:18-19 NKJV They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the Lord was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.) 

If we feel like nothing’s working or we’ve made too many mistakes, the truth is we are blessed going out and coming in, that we are surrounded by the favour of God wherever we go!

If we’re in financial difficulty the truth says God will provide all our needs. If our relationships are messed up, the truth is God can turn any situation around for our good. The truth is - nothing is impossible with God! 😊

Now, my question is, “Whose truth have we got belted around our waist today?” If we find we’re wearing a fake leather belt, let’s take it off and put on the real deal! Let’s deliberately make sure we’re wearing God’s belt of truth and know it will hold us safe, steady and secure through every circumstance of life. In Jesus name. Amen.

HOW TO DO THINGS

Isaiah 28:29 NKJV This also comes from the Lord of hosts, Who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance.

We’ve probably all wished we were as wise as an owl at some point, but apparently they’re not as clever as ravens and crows, they just look wise!😊 

In verses 23-29, Isaiah has been talking about the wisdom of the way seed is sown and then harvested, and goes on to explain how it’s God who teaches the farmer.

What struck me is that God will come alongside us in our workplace, in our homes or wherever we are, to give us the wisdom we need, to teach us how to do the everyday things that need to be done. Even when things go wrong, if we’re listening for His nudge, we can ask Him to give us the right ideas as to how to make things work.

It’s like when we have to repair something at home, we know it’s good to pray first and ask the Holy Spirit for the best way to do it, or to lead us to the information that will give us the know how. We’ve often done that and suddenly things fall into place or God has led us to the information we needed. I’ve even laid hands on the fridge freezer and told it to stop making some weird noise and it’s stopped! 😊

God wants us to know He knows and cares about everything in our lives, whether it’s people or inanimate objects we have to work with. Jesus spoke to trees, He told Peter to go fishing and find their tax money in its mouth! He made extra wine for a wedding, He provided a picnic for 5,000 people when they were having time off to listen to  Him.

Whatever it is, relaxation, celebration, paying the bills, overcoming mountains, Jesus wants us to know and to see He can and will give us the counsel and wisdom we need for daily living. Isn’t that wonderful? We’re not muddling along on our own, we have Wisdom Himself living on the inside of us and He tells us to ask for wisdom and we can have it. (James 1:5)

I know I’ve probably missed it many times but God is merciful, and the important thing is to not give up but to keep asking and listening and we will have the victory. Let’s take advantage of His wisdom today. Amen.

TIME TO CHANGE OUR SHOES!

Philipppians 3:12-14 NIV  … but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Do you ever feel like you’ve got glue under your shoes? You just feel stuck! You want to move forward but for some reason it seems like you’re standing still or going backwards? If we feel like that then it’s time to change our shoes! By that I mean we have to change how we think and how we do things. 

As a person thinks in his heart, so is he.(Proverbs 23:7) If we think and say we’re stuck, we shall remain stuck, but if we ‘see’ ourselves as God sees us moving forward, growing in faith, then we shall.😊

God wants us all to advance, to go forward in every area of our lives. Romans 12:2 says to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. If we don’t change our minds about some things, to come into agreement with what God says in His word, then we shall stay stuck. What are we willing to change to go forward?

What we say about ourselves will determine the path ahead. When we speak God’s words into our future we are sowing great seeds to bring the harvest we want. But when we speak negative words we will just have more of the same stuckness!

Mark 11:23 NKJV For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.(Italics and underlining mine) This says we can have what we say, so what are we saying, what are we speaking into our tomorrows? If we want to advance inwardly, outwardly and upwardly, then we need to be speaking God’s word over our lives because the way we release our faith is by our words, followed by our actions.

When we speak Deuteronomy 28:12 we are speaking out an open heaven, that the Lord will bless all the work of our hands. We are changing our inward vision and it will show up outwardly, because we are saying what God says.😊 

When we also declare we are righteous in God’s eyes, that we are surrounded by His favour like a shield, that we have authority over all the works of the enemy, and so on, we are advancing into what God’s vision is for us.

God’s heart is to see us all advance, to walk in all Jesus died for us to have. So if we want to not be stuck anymore, let’s change our shoes by changing what we’re thinking and saying, and declare God is moving us forward till we receive the upward call. Amen.😊

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GODFIDENCE!

Ephesians 3:12 NLT Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.

Have you ever gone into a situation and not felt very confident because you weren’t sure of your welcome, or of the outcome? Maybe when we’ve gone for job interviews and felt inadequate? Or we have to deal with a situation, but feel wobbly like this pile of stones? Life is full of challenges and confidence is needed to help us deal with them. 

God first of all wants us to know without a shadow of a doubt today, that He wants us to come with confidence into His presence and know He will welcome us because we’re His child, to know we will find His loving mercy is waiting for us, to know His help is available around the clock. What a wonderful invitation He gives us!😊

He wants us to remember who we are in Christ so we then have confidence to go out into any situation with our head held high, not because of who we are in ourselves, but because we have the Greater One living in us to strengthen us. We are united with Christ Himself, and He has made us the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath. (Deuteronomy 28:13)

We could call it Godfidence because it is God who has given it to us.😊 God who has said we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. God who has declared us to be His masterpiece, His treasure and told us we’re precious in His sight. God who has declared us to be righteous in His sight because we’re trusting in Jesus’ shed blood for forgiveness of all our sins. It’s God who has said Jesus has taken away all our guilt and shame so we don’t need to hang our heads down anymore. God has said He accepts and has approved us.

Hebrews 4:15-16 NIV For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

As we go into our new week God is reminding us we are always welcome at His throne of grace so we can all come with confidence and talk to God today and receive whatever we need. It’s an open invitation, so let’s accept it with great joy and know God is giving us His confidence to go into our world, our situations, knowing we shall overcome through Jesus, because He’s helping us, strengthening us and upholding us. In Jesus name. Amen.

HIDDEN TREASURES

Isaiah 45:3 NLT And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness - secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.

We all have things that lift our spirits, that bring a smile to our faces. For me it’s when I look at this little bunny with three buds that broke off a posy of flowers and would have been thrown away, but here they sit making me smile every time I look at them.😊 For you it will be something entirely different because we’re all unique and that’s the way God intended it.

God is never boring and when He designed you and me He imagined good things for each one of us. He has placed hidden treasures in us we may not even know about yet! He gives one person an appreciation for the everyday things, and in another the ability to reach for the stars but they all can bring us joy and make us smile.😊

They might be treasures of being able to create lovely things, or to be known for your kindness. It might be how to clean a house so it shines for Jesus. It might be your smile is your greatest treasure because it lifts other people’s spirits. 

Maybe your treasure is to encourage others or to share a verse that may change the course of their day, to have a word of knowledge or wisdom, a prophetic word that speaks into someone’s life when they most need it. Maybe your treasure is to just love people, to see the best in them and draw it out. What a lovely treasure that is!😊

God wants us to be uplifted to know that the treasure He gives us or He has placed in us is for our enjoyment and to benefit others. Just appreciating going for a walk among the trees can be a memory to treasure. Going for a coffee with friends can give us the boost we need, but whatever it is, let’s enjoy each treasured moment and not miss it because we’re too busy thinking about the ‘next’ thing.

So today let’s live and enjoy our moments, whether it’s eating a hot sausage roll, a broken off flower in a vase or time with the family. Whatever it is for you, remember Jesus is present with you in that moment and share it with Him, like you would a friend, and fill up on His enjoyment with you. 

And those treasures we have inside us - let’s share them with others so they can be uplifted and bring a smile to them today too. Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

THE VICTORY OF OUR FAITH

1 John 5:4-5 NLT For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Do you find there are some people you talk to, who only want to tell you how awful things are in the world? They’ve watched the media till all the bad reports pour out of their hearts, but all that does is give glory to the devil and undermine our faith. It encourages doubt and fears to enter in!

God told us that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, but if we’re listening to the world more than the Word it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing the wrong thing without realising it!😊

We all want victory in our lives, so something has to shift. Our focus has to be more on what God says than on what anyone else says. Some of the things we hear and see are undeniably facts, but the truth of God’s word can change the facts! Glory to God!

We are not helpless, or hopeless. We have all been given the measure of faith and the more we use it the stronger it will become. Even if we have faith as small as a mustard seed God says we can move mountains with it! 

Sometimes it’s good to stop and ask ourselves, “Who am I believing - my own reasoning, my own excuses, what the world says, or am I believing the Word of the Living God?” 

When we remember God has given us His name, His word, and the blood of Jesus to overcome the world, why do we listen to the lies of the enemy? It’s probably because we focus on the wrong thing, on what we see and feel, on past experience, instead of on what God has done through Jesus and what He has said in His Word.

Lack of faith is not our problem, but maybe unbelief is!😊

God says we can all have victory, so this is just to encourage us to use the faith He has given us, tell unbelief to shut up, and do some overcoming in the name of Jesus (and I’m speaking very much to myself first!) 😊 Amen.  

A TOUCH OF HEAVEN

Ephesians 5:30 KJV For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

I wonder if we’ve done any flying like an eagle lately, or do we feel like we’re still stuck in the chicken coup? Just recently I wrote about the eagle who suddenly realised who he really was and he began to soar on the thermals far above the chicken coup he’d had been raised in. In the same way God wants us to realise more and more who we really are in Christ.

Our verse says we are one with Jesus as He is now, seated with all authority and all power at the right hand of God’s throne, and everything has to bow to His name. Because He is in us, His anointing is also inside us, able to flow through us to others, but we need to believe it, for us to be able to fly like an eagle!😊

 In order to believe it we have to agree with God’s word and speak it out because our faith is released through words. “I am one with Jesus and I carry His anointing to do the things He tells me to do. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”    

1 Corinthians 6:17 AMP But the one who is united and joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 

I was reading how that means we are permanently and deeply connected in our innermost being with Jesus and that is how God wants us to see ourselves. Our spirit is just like Jesus because His Spirit is joined with our spirit, we are one with Him!😊

When Jesus healed the sick or washed His disciples feet He knew who He was, the Son of God Most High. He was totally secure and so He was able to do the miraculous but also the mundane to serve others, knowing His Father loved Him and He carried His anointing. Wherever He went He brought something of Heaven with Him and often said the Kingdom of Heaven is near.

God is reminding us we are one with Jesus Christ, that we are anointed and equipped with His anointing to go out each day and bring a touch of Heaven to those around us whether we’re standing at the kitchen sink, doing the shopping , going to work or going out for coffee with friends. It’s so His will can be done on earth as it is in heaven. God wants us to ‘see’ ourselves doing the things Jesus did. What did Jesus do? He says we are one with Him and can do the same.

What an amazing, mind boggling thought!😊

Lord give us deeper revelation and understanding of who we really are in Jesus and what You tell us we can do. Amen.

Photo by Johnathan Palmour on Unsplash

GOD’S GOODNESS AND MERCY

Psalm 136:1 NKJV Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

When everything is going well it’s easy to praise God, but even when they’re not we still have many reasons why we can. Here are just two reasons  - because He is good and because His mercy endures forever. When we lose sight of either of those two truths we may struggle.😊

When we keep going over the traumas and looking at the troubles, and we question God’s ways or the truth of His Word, we’re in danger of exalting our own thoughts and our own reasoning over our Creator, which is not good!

I expect we have all had times when we’ve questioned God and asked why He had allowed a situation, why are things the way they are, but when we do that we are leaning on human reasoning instead of leaning on God Himself. We are questioning His integrity, His wisdom and it’s a slippery slope from there to confusion and upset.

In the Garden of Eden, Eve fell into that trap and we all know the result! Instead, let’s declare the goodness of God and remember how patient and full of loving kindness He is towards us. Remember He has promised us a future and a hope, to work things out for our good despite our circumstances or our failures. Remember He has never failed to uphold us and help us, to be always present in our troubles.

Let’s remember His mercy endures forever, that even when we fail He is full of mercy. He remembers we are dust, that the blood of Jesus has washed away all our sins. Never let us forget that without Jesus we would be lost and heading for judgement, but with Jesus we are headed for a glorious eternity with our Maker, the One who loves us.😊

No matter how many pressures and troubles there are in our lives, let’s refocus and put our eyes back on Jesus, our Saviour, our Redeemer and praise Him because He is worthy of all our praise. He was tortured, He was beaten, He was whipped and crucified for our sake. He accepted the punishment for every one of our sins at the Cross, so lets bow the knee to the only One who loves us with the kind of love we may never fully understand, but stand lost in wonder at it.

Even on our down days when we’ve allowed ourselves to look at our circumstances instead of our Saviour, our God is good and His mercy endures forever. May we ever declare it and never forget it, and give Him all the praise and thanks He deserves. In Jesus name. Amen.

WHAT ARE YOU CARRYING?

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

I wonder if you’re like me and try to figure everything out before hand? We add up the figures, we imagine how it could be done, we rerun conversations in our heads and try to think how to make things work out. Then we second guess ourselves and go round in circles! Anyone identify or is it just me?😊 

Or maybe you’re still carrying a burden of shame or guilt about something and forget Jesus has already carried it for you and it’s time to let it go.

Jesus knows us all so very well and He’s always miles ahead of us but He told us what to do when we feel worn down with our problems or situations. He invites us to come to Him, to cast all those cares over on to Him because He has all the answers and He knows the big picture. God’s purposes will come to pass when we believe His promises!

So often we can only see a small bit of the path ahead and things can seem impossible, so unlikely, and life may appear so unpredictable, but not with God. When we feel harassed or anxious we need to come back to that place of rest, of knowing we’re in the palm of God’s hand and He is in control of our lives when we put our trust in Him.

If our heart is to follow Him, to please Him, then He will make our crooked paths straight, He will go ahead of us and surround us with His favour so that we meet the people we should meet, and be in the right place at the right time, so that His plans can come to pass in our lives. Closed doors are just as much a blessing as open ones sometimes!

If we’re feeling weary or weighed down with our burdens, or the burdens of others, then we’re carrying burdens we weren’t meant to carry! We’re meant to pass them over to God  in prayer so He can take care of them.😊

God is reminding us it’s time to come back to Matthew 11:28-30 and sit there for a while with Him, and do what it says; give it all to Him, and let God do what only He can do in His own time. Amen.

Photo by Mahendra Putra on Unsplash

THE POSITIVE GAME

Mark 11:23-24 NKJV For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

I wonder if you remember the story of a little girl called Pollyanna who played the “Glad Game’, where she had to think of something to be glad about, even when things had gone wrong? As we were out walking yesterday, the thought popped in my head to make it the ‘Positive Game’, where we have to think of something positive that God has said or promised, and declare it over our lives. I realised I was needing to inject some lightheartedness into things and as I started speaking positively I began to feel brighter!😊

When circumstances look negative, or when things are not working out the way we thought, we have to start taking our faith out and polishing it up! On purpose we need to declare things over our lives that will lift our spirits, believing we can have what we say based on God’s word, just like Jesus said.

For instance we can say, ‘I declare that my future is bright because God promised not to harm me but to give me a future and a hope to bless me. I declare that my faith is going to make a difference to my decisions this week and expect the best not the worst case scenario! I declare that all things are going to work out for our good according to God’s promise. I declare God’s goodness and mercy are overtaking me, so it will be a good day. I declare I’m surrounded by the amazing favour of God wherever I go this week.”

I hope you’re entering into this.😊 Try bouncing off somebody with it. Challenge them to think of something positive to counteract the doom and glooms, to lift the atmosphere in order to deliberately put some lightness into it, so hope rises up again instead of defeat.😊

Jesus told us to cheer up because He has overcome the world and what is it that overcomes the world? - our faith, which is fired up by positive God inspired thoughts and words. Woohoo! Come on, stir it up!

As you begin this new week, I challenge you to think of something positive that makes you feel better, based on a promise of God, write it down, pin it up on the fridge if it helps, but speak it out to somebody, or text it! Go on - whether you’re by yourself or with someone - be a faith person! Don’t say anything negative for quarter of an hour (or longer if you can) but keep coming back to saying something positive, agree with God and see what happens!😊Amen.

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IT SHALL BE WELL WITH THEM

Isaiah 3:10 NIV Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.

If you’ve ever played the card game of ‘Patience’ (also known as Solitaire in America) you will know it sometimes works out well and sometimes it doesn’t! It tries our patience!😊

God is not like that because when He says things will work out well He’s looking at the long term picture, the end result and we’ve not to judge things by where we’re at just at this moment because He hasn’t finished unfolding our story.😊

So often we look at our circumstances and think, “This isn’t going well and it looks like it will get worse.” Those are the times we have to stand on God’s promises and trust His word because it will not fail us. We have to declare by faith, “All will be well for the righteous, and God has declared I am righteous in Christ so all is going to be well for me.” We’re not saying it through gritted teeth, we’re saying it because we know who holds our future, because He is faithful to His promises and we trust Him.

In Psalm 23 David wrote about going from green pastures to the valley of the shadow of death but ended up with his cup overflowing and eating from the Lord’s table even in his enemies’ presence! He didn’t go by where he was at the moment. He was sure God’s goodness and mercy would hunt him down and overtake him every day!

We can be the same way if we’ll focus on all Jesus has done for us and tell the doubts and fears to shut up! Hebrews 12:2 NKJV looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…

Where are we looking? If we’re looking at situations that seem hopeless may I encourage us to look at God’s promises and know that as we speak them out we are declaring life over those things, and not death, we are releasing the goodness and favour of God into them. We are releasing the ‘All is well” into our circumstances.😊

Thank You Lord. Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

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TIME TO GET YOUR BUCKET!

Isaiah 12:2-3 NIV Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

As I was reading this verse I imagined lowering a bucket down into a deep well and then hauling it back up to appreciate the joy of tasting the sweet cool water. It occurred to me we wouldn’t go with a teaspoon or a mug to the well, we’d need a big bucket to draw out as much water as we could and on a hot day we’d want to pour some over our heads to cool down.

There are days when we need the cool refreshing water of the Word, of the Spirit of God Himself to pour into us and over us to refresh our weary souls. When life has knocked us about, when fears and doubts bother us, those are the times we need to go to our well of salvation and draw out whatever we have need of, to draw out His peace, His joy, His strength and let His love pour over us, to keep things in perspective.

It’s similar to the picture in Psalm 23 when David reminds us the Lord has spread a table before us and on that table is everything abundantly provided for our blessing and welfare. It’s the table where our cup is brimming over and overflowing with all God wants us to have, but we have to do something.😊

We need to come to the table by faith to receive God’s blessings, to take off the table the desires of our hearts, to experience the overflowing cup of blessing. We need to go to the well of our salvation and make the effort to let down our bucket so we can draw out from it all the good things wrapped up in our salvation through Jesus.

We may all need some refreshing today (I know I do), so let me encourage you to sit with the Lord for a little while and with joy know you can draw out some refreshing water, and don’t go with a teaspoon or a mug, go with a big bucket and let Him fill it up.😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

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WHAT ARE WE HOARDING?

John 1:1-4 NLT In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.

I read a Snoopy quote the other day and it said this, “I’m not a hoarder, I’m a ‘This Might Be Useful Later’ Specialist.” That made me chuckle because I am a bit of a hoarder, and when I do finally throw something away, I soon discover I should have kept it after all because I need it! I wonder if that happens to you too?😊

There is something though which we should be hoarding in our hearts, and that is the word of God. When we store it inside us the Holy Spirit can then bring it back to our minds when we need it, when we’re maybe in a tricky situation, or we need to encourage someone else.

God says in His word that His words are Spirit and life, that they are health to all our flesh, and that they direct our paths. The Holy Spirit goes on to say, 2 Timothy 3:16 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.

Scripture also reminds us that death and life are in the power of the tongue and that what is in our hearts will come out of our mouths, so if we have hoarded God’s word in our hearts guess what will come out? It’s like when you squeeze an orange, the juice squirts out.😊 If somebody squeezes you and me I wonder what comes out? If I’m honest it’s not always the right thing!

So this is to encourage us all to remember how important it is to hoard and store up the right things, good memories, good thoughts, good attitudes, but most importantly the Word of God itself because Jesus is The Word and the more Word we have, the more of Jesus we have. I like that, don’t you?😊 Amen.

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I AM A CHILD OF GOD

1 John 3:1 NIV See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

I read this yesterday…

I am loved

I am known

I am precious

I am His

Sometimes it’s good to just stop and take a breath, to remember how much we are loved by God, that we are known by God and that we are so precious to God and all because we belong to Him. We are His child if Jesus is our Saviour. If we do that we will gain a different perspective on everything else because those statements are not only true but the enemy has no way of changing them!😊 

When the enemy maybe whispers that no one cares about you or loves you, you can tell Him God loved you to the Cross and back and His love will never fail you. 

On those days when you feel like you’re a nobody, that you’re invisible and the enemy tries to make you feel less than, just remind him that the Creator of the Universe, the Almighty God knows you by name and your name is engraved on the palm of His hand, and you can go to His throne for an audience at any moment!

The next time you feel a bit rubbish and the enemy tries to tell you you’re not worth bothering with, that you’re not worthy of anything good happening, or that you’ve made too many mistakes so you don’t deserve anything, just remind him you are God’s special treasure, that you are His masterpiece and that He says you are precious in His sight.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

You see what we believe about ourselves changes how we view the world, and God wants us to see ourselves as new creations in Christ, made in His image, made righteous and accepted in Christ, being transformed daily by His Holy Spirit to become more and more like Jesus Himself, because that’s how God sees us.

Put on your ‘Child of God’ spectacles today and view the world through them from now on and don’t ever take them off because you are who God says you are, you can have what He says you can have, and you can do all that He says you can do and all for the glory of God. Hallelujah!😊 Amen.

HOW IS YOUR HEART?

Proverbs 15:13 NLT A glad heart makes a happy face …

Proverbs 15:15 NLT For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.

So often the heart is depicted in the media as romantic emotion, or the medical profession major on keeping our hearts healthy by exercise etc. They’re all different aspects of thinking about the heart but scripture talks about our heart as being our inner selves, our inner spirit.

It reminds us that when our hearts are cheerful then it will show up on our faces. Have you ever caught your reflection in a shop window and realised you looked a bit glum, that your smile has disappeared? Scripture says that if we have a merry heart, a happy heart, life is a continual feast! We might not feel like that all the time but a heart resting in God can be that way because it’s feasting on all He has given us in Jesus.😊

Does the heart affect the way we speak? Proverbs 15:28 NLT The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking; ... Jesus said whatever is in our hearts will come out of our mouths, so we need to give our hearts a check up and see what’s in there so we can remove it if we don’t want it to come out at inappropriate moments!😊

What about the things we read or watch? Proverbs 15:14 NIV The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly. Another version says the fool feeds on trash! What is our heart feeding on, is it seeking knowledge or is it feeding on trash? 

Scripture says there’s a lot the heart tells us about ourselves and God wants our hearts to be seeking after Him. He wants our hearts to be full of His love and kindness so that what pops out of our mouths builds people up and doesn’t tear them down; to be full of His joy and peace so we can smile and not look miserable as we go about our day. In fact, just knowing God loves us does our hearts good, so we can smile!😊 Amen.

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TIME FOR AN UPLIFT

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

On the days when you look in the mirror and think you could do with a face lift why not turn your thoughts to something that gives you peace, that makes you smile and you’ll have an instant facelift.😊

I love positive input, those words and thoughts that lift our spirits and help us see things from a better perspective. It’s always good to counteract the things that pull us down with God’s thoughts because God is never depressed or scratching His head wondering how it will all turn out. We serve a God who knows the end from the beginning, who promises us a future and a hope when our trust is in Jesus.

So I thought I’d pass on some encouraging, uplifting thoughts:

It’s good to take it one day at a time. Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow because God knows what you need and promised to provide it.

You’re doing better than you think. God loves you. He says you are His masterpiece, so you are amazing.

Better days are coming because God knows the plans He has for you which are to prosper you and not to harm you.

Every small step forward brings you closer to all God has for you.You have come further than you realise.

You’ve survived 100% of your bad days with God’s help and He will make all things work together for good to those who love Him.

It’s ok to be yourself because God made you and He says you are His special treasure, you’re precious in His sight and you matter.

You are stronger than you think so keep going and God promises to hold you up and help you as He takes you into the next season because His heart is to bless you.

You are who God says you are, you can have all God says you can have, and you can do all God says you can do.

As we go into our new week I hope something in those God thoughts will lift us up to help us remember we are a wonderful work in progress and even on hard days we can still know the inner joy of God being with us no matter what comes, and that our faith in Jesus and all He’s done overcomes the world each day. Amen. 😊

DANCING STRAWBERRIES!

Isaiah 30:18 AMPC And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you… Blessed…are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!

While choosing which strawberries to buy the other day, as I turned the punnet upside down to check there were no bad ones underneath, suddenly the unexpected happened and the strawberries all started to fall out and dance across the supermarket floor! I hadn’t realised the cellophane lid wasn’t sealed properly and we had strawberry chaos on our hands! It was like a sketch from a comedy show as we dashed to capture them before they disappeared below the cabinets. Honestly, the things that happen!🤣

Things do happen unexpectedly though and they may be funny but embarrassing, like my strawberries, or they may be one of God’s blessed interventions when He steps in to surprise us in a lovely way. 

Our verse describes how God lifts Himself off His throne in order to bless us. He has surprises lined up for us we know nothing about. Those times when He puts us in the way of a big discount on a bill which happened to us last week, very unexpectedly! Or when we suddenly feel much better and we can’t explain why, or He connects us with someone who will be a blessing to us. They are unexpected wonderful God blessings and surprises.😊

It says God is expecting to do those good things for us, not because we deserve them, but just because that is His nature and He loves us. It’s like when someone gives you a surprise present. It shows they care, that they’ve been thinking about you, that they want to bless you.😊

Psalm 23:6 NET Surely your goodness and faithfulness will pursue me all my days,… 

God wants us to believe for that because it’s God’s heart for us today and every day, so be expectant - not for the strawberries to do a dance on the floor, but to be able to see the funny side of things, to expect people to be good to you because the favour of God surrounds you like a shield. 

It has nothing to do with whether we deserve it or not, it’s all to do with the wonderful grace of God who is lifting Himself up today to do unexpected lovely things in your life too. In Jesus name. Amen.😊

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

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KINDNESS IS FREE

Galations 5:22-23 NLT But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

We all know kindness is a fruit of the Spirit and as I was reading a whole lot of sayings about kindness I thought I’d pass them on to remind us how lovely and important kindness can be whether we’re receiving it, or giving it to others.😊

Ephesians 4:32 NLT Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

“Kindness: (noun) Loaning someone your strength instead of reminding them of their weakness.”

“Kindness doesn’t cost a thing, but its impact echoes forever. One smile, one gentle word, one moment of kindness can turn someone’s whole day around - including our own.”

“Kindness is more than deeds. It is an attitude, an expression, a look, a touch. It is anything that lifts another person.” (Plato)

“Every act of kindness is a piece of love we leave behind.” (Paul Williams).

“Your unassuming act of kindness might become someone’s memory of a lifetime.”

“No act of kindness is too small.”

“Everywhere you go leave a glitter trail of kindness behind you. Someone who needs it may just pick it up.”

“Little mouse asked Big Bear, “Why should we be kind?” Big Bear replied, “Because kindness is the one gift everyone can afford to give.”

I just thought they were some lovely thoughts about being kind to others that we can take into our day.😊

In the words of the Apostle Paul: Ephesians 4:29 NLT … Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Lord, we thank You for Your loving kindness and that You are reproducing it in us so we can pass it on to others wherever we go. Amen.

OUT OF THE FISH

Jonah 1:17 NLT Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

We all know fish can be very smelly and when we cook them the smell permeates the whole house!😊 

Jonah was thrown into the sea and ended up in a big fish, but we can be so focused on the big ‘fish’ we pass over the fact that what he was actually in, was rebellion! That fish’s insides stank, he would have been swilling around with all kinds of mush, and rebellion is the same for us. It takes us lower and deeper than we want to go. It stinks in God’s nostrils and it makes us smell bad too!

When we don’t understand or when we don’t want to understand, when we think we know better, when we don’t trust God and question His integrity, then we can slip into rebellion without even realising it. But Jonah was outright, deliberately rebelling and he chose to run away.

He ended up nearly destroying the lives of those around him and that is what rebellion does. It’s a prideful attitude that wants to do what it wants to do regardless of how many lives might be messed up along the way. 1 Samuel 15:23 NLT Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols… That is a strong statement and I know I’ve been rebellious and stubborn sometimes!

When we rebel we’re just not realising God wants the best for us and for others. He has a plan He wants us to be part of, so we can be a blessing and be blessed and He knows the best way to go about it.

Jonah didn’t think the wicked people of Nineveh deserved forgiveness. He thought he knew better than God. Ever felt like that? Rebellion doesn’t bless God it upsets Him. Faith in Him is what pleases Him, when we trust He knows best because He knows the end from the beginning.

Are you rebelling about anything? Have you been inside the fish for a while, because we’ve probably all been there at some point?!😊 Has God asked you to do something, to go somewhere but you’ve stubbornly dug your heels in and for whatever reason you’ve found excuses, or said outright no, or you’re running away? 

If so, be encouraged because it’s time for you to get out of the fish where there is no future, where it stinks, and let God bring you into His glorious plan and purpose for your life. Turn around and call out to the Lord and He will rescue you, just like He did with Jonah, because He loves you.😊 Amen.