GOD’S WORD NEVER FAILS

1 Kings 8:56 NKJV …There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.

There are moments in life when we would all admit we’ve sometimes failed, when we’ve said or done things in the heat of the moment we’ve regretted afterwards. Thank God for the grace and mercy of God through our Lord Jesus and His forgiveness!

The wonderful news is that God does not, and cannot fail.😊 He is perfect in all of His ways and yet Jesus knew what it was like to be tempted just as we are so He sympathises with our weaknesses, and came to die so we could be forgiven and move forward in His gift of righteousness.

All of God’s promises are yes and amen to us in Jesus and we can read them and claim them with confidence because they will not fail and because Jesus didn’t fail either. 

Psalm 89:34 NKJV My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips. God has made a covenant written in Jesus blood that cannot be broken or changed. We can stand on His words, on His covenant, on His promises in the face of the storms.

Psalm 91 reminds us of our part and what we too can say - He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” 

Maybe we have a bit of trust in the Lord, a bit of trust in the world and a bit of trust in ourselves, but that doesn’t work very well! Better by far to ask the Lord for His help to put all of our trust in the Lord knowing His Word cannot and will not fail.😊Thank You Lord. Amen.

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

PEACE WITH OURSELVES

John 14:27 NLT “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

Last week we looked briefly at pursuing peace but sometimes the hardest person to be at peace with is ourselves! Maybe we’ve made mistakes, even little mistakes but we’re hard on ourselves for not doing better, or for forgetting to do something we should have done.

Last week I bought a little chopping machine and paid at the self service till, but I forgot to get a receipt in case it goes wrong. I had no peace about it so I had to go all the way back to the shop and find a service lady to go back into the till to find the transaction, to print the receipt. She was lovely but I was really kicking myself for something I felt I should have done in the first place! Does anyone identify?🙂

Maybe we’ve said something that wasn’t helpful, or had a bad attitude towards others and we’ve known in our spirit that we were in the wrong, so we lose our peace. Well, the good news is that our loving Heavenly Father forgives us and we don’t have to carry any guilt around with us because we have an advocate in the Lord Jesus so we can be forgiven.

Maybe you blew it in a big way and you’re still carrying the weight of it all, but God has made it possible for us to be forgiven of all our sins, all our failures and weaknesses. It’s what the gospel is all about - forgiveness with God, forgiving others and ourselves as well. 

God wants us to be at peace, and to have His peace that passes understanding every day of our lives, to receive His peace as the gift it is and hold on tightly to it, knowing He has declared us righteous in His sight. Jesus who is our Prince of Peace, paid a high price for us to have it.😊

God never asked us to be so hard on ourselves, or to beat ourselves up. He asked us to repent of our wrong actions, but once we have done that God forgets it, so we can do the same. It’s done and dusted, paid for so we don’t need to be in turmoil any longer. 

1 Peter 3:11 NIV They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. 

The Holy Spirit says it’s time to pursue peace and hang on to it and not allow the enemy’s lies to steal it from us anymore; to be at peace with ourselves. 😊 Amen.

THE BEAUTY AROUND US

Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV He has made everything beautiful in its time…

Last week we went a walk and at the bottom of our road were these gorgeous leaves which were absolutely stunning in colour. I just had to take a photo so I wouldn’t forget, and I wanted to share them with you all. Sadly the leaves are all dropping off now and the moment was short lived. The lovely thing was we saw them while they were there and they lifted our spirits. We stopped and noticed how beautiful they were before they were gone for another year!😊

James 1:17 NIV Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights... There are blessings all around us that we will miss unless we take the time to notice them. The ladybird on the leaves, the stark beauty of the outline of the trees in winter against the blue sky. Maybe it’s the giggle of a toddler that makes you giggle too. Or perhaps it’s the blessing of being inside a warm house when the wind is howling and the rain is pouring down.

Maybe it’s knowing there’s a favourite treat in the cupboard waiting for you to enjoy it, or having an unexpected phone call with a loved one. For you it might just be having a lie in on a Saturday morning.

Proverbs 3:6 NKJV In all your ways acknowledge Him …. The joy and happiness is in noticing the hand of God in all our lives, those moments are little gifts He has prepared sometimes just for your benefit and yours alone. I think sometimes God puts things in our way just to see if we will notice them and acknowledge His hand of goodness in that moment.😊

As we go into another week let’s not be too busy to be a people who see the good in things, the little joys that bubble up if we take the time to look, and listen for the hidden things, that others maybe don’t notice so much, and just simply acknowledge it and say, “Thank You Lord. I do appreciate it.” 😊 Amen.

SUDDEN EXPLOSIVE BLESSINGS

Psalm 5:12 NKJV For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

Bonfire Night was 5th November here in the UK and we’re having a family firework party later today. As I was thinking about the fireworks and how they explode into colour and shooting stars as they light up the night sky, God reminded me that some of His blessings are like that. If we’ll believe for them He will give us explosive blessings!😊

Now that got my attention! Who wouldn’t like those kind of blessings, that release the power of God? The kind that bring sudden breakthrough, that light up our future and our day to day routines, that make us go “Oooh” or “Ahh!” when they suddenly appear?

God has all sorts of blessings waiting in the wings and the good news is they’re a result of His grace, not depending on our performance. It’s just the goodness of our God when He wants to bless His children.

I don’t know about you but I’m going to believe Him for some explosive blessings in the coming days and give Him all the glory. I don’t know what they will be, but they will have His fingerprints all over them so we won’t be able to think they’re coincidence, but the hand of God. 

Remember the feeding of the 5,000 and the baskets of left overs because there was more than enough? Remember the catch of fish that nearly sank Peter’s boat? Or Jairus’s daughter who was dead but she suddenly sat up? God’s explosive blessings cover every area of our lives and I can’t wait to see what they are for us too!😊

How about you? Will you join with me and say, “Thank You Lord for the explosive blessings You have prepared for me. I receive them by faith, and praise and thank You for them in advance. In Jesus name. Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

LOTS OF THINGS TO PURSUE

1 Timothy 6:11 NLT But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.

Do you ever stop and ask yourself questions, not about other people or what’s going on in the world, but about yourself? When I read our verse, the question popped into my head, “What are we pursuing, what are we running after?”

Pursue means to chase, or make a sustained effort to obtain, or carry out something over time. The Holy Spirit gives us several things He wants us to pursue! So whatever else we might be pursuing at the minute, let’s give them second place and pursue what God considers most important.😊

He says pursue righteousness, knowing it’s all ours only through Jesus. Righteousness is a gift but it’s good to acknowledge and receive it everyday to remind ourselves we are still righteous in God’s eyes, even when we’ve made mistakes.

Pursue a godly life which is loving reverence for God and living a Christlike life, which is only doable with the help of the Holy Spirit! We can’t do it on our own.😊

Pursue faith which comes by hearing the word of God and putting it into practice. Sometimes we let our faith slip when we’re faced with seeming impossibilities but that is when we need it most, to hear our faith declare, ‘With God all things are possible.’

Pursue perseverance. It’s not giving up in any way but to put our whole trust in God and know He is holding us steady and will bring to completion what He has started in us.

Pursue gentleness. I know my responses are not always gentle which means I need to pursue it more, to allow the Holy Spirit to help me be more like Jesus because He is gentle with us. Maybe you feel the same?

2 Timothy 2:22 NKJV …but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Here Paul adds love and peace to our pursue list, so we may need to do more pursuing than we have been but the good news is the Holy Spirit is within us to help us in every way enabling us to pursue the right things.🙂 Thank You Lord. Amen.

Photo by Jenny Hill on Unsplash

WE’RE ALL DIFFERENT!

Matthew 4:4 NLT But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

It never fails to amaze me how different we all are and how we appreciate different things. Some people love abstract art while it leaves others scratching their heads! Some things we can learn to like, while others just disturb us, but we can all agree to differ and not feel bad because we don’t like what someone else obviously does.😊

When it comes to scripture though we’re so blessed in our day and age to have the bible in so many different translations so we can all learn to tune into it and feed off it in words we can understand. 

Proverbs 4:20-22 NKJV 20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. God tells us His words are life to our spirit and health to all our flesh, that it supernaturally brings life and healing with it because Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life and that Jesus Himself is the Word. When we read it we’re tuning into Jesus, as His Holy Spirit opens it up to us.

Back in 1536 William Tyndale was burned at the stake because he became the first person to print the New Testament in English directly from the original Greek, and parts of the Old Testament from the original Hebrew text into English. How grateful we can be for his courage and sacrifice so we can have the Words of Life in our own hands, but it’s so easy to forget and take it for granted.😊

God reminds us we were never meant to live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. I have to ask myself am I/we just having quick snacks on the Word or do we sit down with the Word and digest a proper meal so we can grow?

Lord may Your Word come alive as we read it, may it transform us and fill us with faith and hope knowing it is the truth just as Jesus is the Truth. May it become our ‘go to’ for wisdom, our lifeline, our bread of life, more and more, and learn to go from the milk of the word to the meat of the word. In Jesus name. Amen.

Photo: Aaron Burden on Unsplash

HOPE IS OUR ANCHOR

Hebrews 6:18-19 CEV God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed. We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us. This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls. In fact, hope reaches behind the curtain and into the most holy place.

When ships sail into a safe harbour they put their anchors down so they remain steady. I wonder, is your anchor down or has it been pulled up because of circumstances and now you feel like you’re floating around, tossed by the waves? When that happens we can feel very vulnerable but God doesn’t want us to feel like that, in fact He has done something so we won’t need to.

He has told us we can run to Him for safety and His promises are there for us to grab a hold of to give us such hope that no storm can shake it. When we have our anchor hooked into His promises He will hold us steady and we won’t drift off.

Sometimes we need to be reminded we are a people who have hope, we have a loving, caring Heavenly Father who has made provision for everything in life we shall ever need through giving us His Son. 2 Peter 1:3-4  tells us that it comes through knowing Him and His precious promises and all He asks us to do is believe them.😊

Jesus told us to come as a little child with simple trust and not try to work everything out ourselves beforehand, which for some of us is not easy! But God already has it all worked out so we don’t need to, which is why He tells us to give Him our worries instead of carrying them ourselves because they can wear down our faith. 

We may even think we don’t have enough faith but there’s nothing wrong with our faith, because God gave us the measure of faith. (Romans 12:3 KJV) It’s not a baby faith but the same faith the apostles had. It’s a fruit of the Spirit which He produces in us. It’s just our unbelief that gets in the way!😊

So let’s ask the Lord for His help, to hold us steady, to simply trust His vow to bless and multiply us, to trust His promises to provide, restore and heal us, and allow Him to be the great I AM in our lives today and every day as we keep our eyes fixed on Him. In Jesus name. Amen.

Photo by REGINE THOLEN on Unsplash

WHO GOD IS TO US

Exodus 3:14 NIV God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

I don’t know where you go to sit and think, but as I was sitting thinking about God the other day, and who He is to us, a whole lot of phrases started popping into my mind which reminded me of how much God means to each one of us.😊

Our God is the great I AM who has no beginning and no ending. Nothing existed before Him and He holds all things together by His Word. He is outside of time and space so He is not limited by either one.

Our God is the Uplifter of our heads, the only One who lifts us out of the miry clay and puts our feet on the rock of Jesus, who gives us an eternal hope.

He is the Restorer of our souls. Maybe your soul has taken a bashing this past year, well take heart because our God is in the business of restoring our souls, moment by moment as we turn to Him.

Our God is our Healer, who came to heal not only the broken hearted but the broken bodied as well, and Jesus went about healing all who were sick declaring that, ‘as you have seen Me so you have seen the Father’ (John 14:9)

Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever and His love for us will never wane, never grow cold and He is forever faithful to us, so we are never alone.

Our God is the One who directs our paths, who goes before us to prepare the way and who is our rearguard so we don’t have to watch our backs because He is doing it for us. 

Our God has provided all our needs through Christ Jesus even before the world was made by Him, and He has given us access to His presence at all times to ask for His mercy and His great grace.

Our God is the God who answers our prayers. We can come to Him with a thankful heart knowing He sees and hears us.

I know we could add so much more to this short list but it’s good to stop and ask ourselves sometimes who God is to us personally, and are we allowing Him to be I AM to us in our present circumstances.😊

The Holy Spirit is encouraging us to just stop and think for a minute, to remember we have the God of Heaven, the Maker and Sustainer of all things on our side, in our lives. He is the great I AM and He loves you, and me, beyond measure! Praise His wonderful name. Amen.

ONE OF A KIND

Psalm 139:14 NIV I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

We were in Ikea the other day with our daughter when we came across a big bin of bears all jumbled together, so we had a totally silly moment and propped them all on the edge so they could all see out and it just looked so funny. If security cameras had been watching us they’d have wondered what on earth we were doing as they kept falling off! It’s good to be silly sometimes!🤣  From a distance they all looked the same but up close each one’s face was slightly different. 

In the same way we may feel like we’re all jumbled up with everybody else and nobody sees us or hears us but God made us as individuals with different gifts and abilities for a reason, and He definitely sees us and hears us because we matter to Him far more than we realise.

He says we’re precious in His sight, that He made us unique, so no two people have the same fingerprints or personality. You are one of His ‘wonderful’ works, and He chose you before the world was made!(Ephesians 1:4) He made us to have relationship with Him, to be blessed and to be a blessing to those around us. We may be part of a crowd at any given time, but God knows where we are, what is happening, and that we’re fearfully and wonderfully made for His good plan and purpose. How reassuring that is.😊

Isn’t it amazing that He calls us His special treasure and as such He decided we were worth dying for so we could belong to Him forever? What a wonderful thought that is!

As the new week unfolds, whenever you feel as though you’ve been tossed in the big bin of life with everybody else, remember to look up because you are one of a kind. You are not mediocre or average, you are a child of the Most High God, called and chosen by Him. He loves you with an everlasting love and He is with you, He has anointed you and is strengthening you to meet whatever the demands of your day may be.😊 Thank You Lord. Amen.

OUR GOOD SHEPHERD

Psalm 100:3 NKJV Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

I was sent the following letter recently from Joseph Prince Ministries and thought I would share it as it applies to all of us who belong to the Good Shepherd.😊

“Dwell in the Care of Your Good Shepherd.

I’m sure you’ve experienced this before…

Life has a way of wearing us down without us even noticing. Day by day, you show up, do your best, and keep going. You might not even notice how much you’re carrying until your soul starts feeling constantly tired, you fall ill, or you’re just plagued by a nagging sense of blah.

Let me tell you this: you weren’t made to live this way.

The Bible gives us many pictures of who we are as believers—eagles that soar and lions that stand bold. But do you know which picture shows up most?

Sheep.

Psalm 100:3 describes it beautifully, “We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.”

Sheep aren’t built to fend for themselves. They don’t find their own food or fight off predators. When they’re lost, they don’t find their way back. They simply cry out.

That might sound like a weakness. But it’s not. It’s a reflection of how the Lord sees us and the relationship He wants to have with us.

As sheep, we were made to follow a shepherd. And not just any shepherd, the Good Shepherd.

Psalm 23 begins with these words: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

He’s the One who leads, provides, protects, and restores.

When flies torment the sheep, the shepherd anoints their heads with oil. When a sheep gets flipped over and stuck on its back, he lifts it up and sets it on its feet again. When one goes missing, the Good Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine and goes after the one.

That’s our Lord Jesus.

He doesn’t scold. He doesn’t shame. He finds, He carries, and He brings you home. And as His sheep, you don’t have to fight or try to earn your way back. All you have to do is simply consent to be carried.

Maybe that’s what you need today. Not more self-help ideas or motivational advice, but to just say to your Shepherd, “Lord, I need You. Carry me.”

You don’t have to do life on your own. You were never meant to.”

I pray that blesses you as much as it blessed me. Have a blessed weekend.😊x

Photo by Sandra-Beatrice Molnar on Unsplash

WE HAVE ACCESS 24/7

Hebrews 4:16 NIV 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.

There is a story of a soldier in the American Civil War who went to the White House to see the President, Abraham Lincoln, to ask for compassionate leave to help his mother after his brother and father died at Gettysburg, but he wasn’t allowed an audience. He left totally disheartened but a little boy saw him and asked him what was wrong. The boy then told him he was the President’s only son and took his hand and said, ‘Come with me.’ The little boy walked straight past all the guards, through all the corridors into the room where his father was and told his father this soldier needed to talk to him, and of course he did.😊

It’s a picture of what Jesus has done for us, the Father’s only Son, who has made the way open for us to have access to our Heavenly Father any time of day or night. Through Jesus He has made us sons and daughters of the Living God. Just think about that for a minute. We have access to the most powerful, most loving Being in the universe and He has given us an open invitation to come and talk with Him, about anything and everything on our hearts.

Have you something on your heart today that’s bothering you; it may be small or it may be breaking your heart, that needs His attention? Then know you can come into the presence of the King with confidence, because you are His child, and ask Him for help and He has promised to provide it, whatever it takes. 

Hebrews 7:25 NIV Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Jesus is our great High Priest and He is interceding on our behalf around the clock, declaring His blood has been shed and it covers every sin, every disease, every need that will ever be known to man or woman who trust in Him. 

Romans 4:20-21 NIV Yet he (Abraham) did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 

So Jesus is asking us to trust Him because He has already overcome whatever is giving us grief. Our part, like Abraham, is to believe and receive it because our God loves us and He never lies.😊 Amen.

A LIFELONG JOURNEY

Judges 18:6 NLT “Go in peace,” the priest replied. “For the Lord is watching over your journey.”

When we get in the car, we intend going somewhere because we know where we’re going.  In the same way God is driving our car and He knows where we are leaving from and He knows our amazing destination!😊

He takes us from death to life. Ephesians 2:4-5 NLT But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead… Not just that but look what’s next…

From darkness to light.  Colossians 1:13 NLT For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,… We’ve been transferred from Satan’s kingdom where it’s all darkness, fear and confusion into the kingdom of God’s Son where there’s love, light and purpose. Jesus is the Light.😊

From faith to faith. He doesn’t just give us faith to believe. He says we can exercise our faith muscle so it expands and believes for greater things, the more we use it! Romans 1: 17 NKJV …the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

From weakness to strength. God knows our frailty and that’s why He promises this…

Isaiah 40:30-31 NIV Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (That’s for all of us).😊

From glory to glory. God has big plans for each one of us. He wants us to be glorious.

2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

So first He takes us from death to life and darkness to light. That’s all done and dusted. But once we’re in His kingdom then He takes us on a journey from faith to faith, from weakness to strength and from glory to glory. Amazing!😊

I hope His word has inspired us to remember the miserable state God has taken us from, and the glorious wonder of where He has already placed us, taking us on a lifelong journey, which isn’t over yet, from one degree of His goodness and grace to another. 

Thank You Lord! 😊Amen.

Photo by Dinuka Lankaloka on Unsplash

GOD CAN FIX IT

Mark 5:22-23 GNT Jairus, … when he saw Jesus, he threw himself down at his feet and begged him earnestly, “My little daughter is very sick. Please come and place your hands on her, so that she will get well and live!”

We all need things fixing from time to time and I heard this the other day and it stuck with me… “If you will pray God can fix it.” It doesn’t have to be long or eloquent prayers, it doesn’t matter how far gone things look, it just needs us to believe God can fix it.😊

During Jesus’ ministry we often find people coming to Him with urgent needs. There was no half heartedness with them. They needed Jesus to do something for them and they needed it now, like the man who came asking for help for his son who had seizures.

The writer of the Psalms knew how to cry out to God for help and God answered him. Psalm 34:6 KJV "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles."

When Peter stepped out of the boat and found he was sinking, he called out, “Lord save me” and Jesus reached out His hand and ‘they’ walked back to the boat together. When we call out to God for help, then together with God we can overcome the storms. He is in them with us bringing us through to the other side.

There used to be a saying, “Why worry when you can pray?” not “Why pray when you can worry?” Scripture says God hears every one of our prayers when we come in faith and He is answering them as He knows best.

We can be encouraged because God wants us to stand on His promises and pray them back to Him because not one of His good promises has ever failed. (Joshua 21:45) So let’s keep praying and thanking God He can fix it, whatever it is, and the answers are on the way. Amen.😊

Photo by Arseny Togulev on Unsplash

JOY IN THE HOUSE

Psalm 16:11 NKJV You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Could you do with some joy today? Well, the phrase ‘Joy In The House’ just kept going through my mind, and I found myself praying for everyone who reads this blog to have such a sense of joy in their house, in their hearts, totally inexplicable but supernatural joy that comes straight from the throne of heaven, but is down in our hearts. The sort of joy that may even have us doubled up with laughter, maybe even holy laughter, but I’m believing for a release of the joy of the Lord into all our lives. Could anyone do with some of that? I know I could, all the time!😊

The secret is to believe for it and take a few minutes out with the Lord. I’ve put a link below to a song, written in 2024, which blesses me every time I hear it or sing it and I encourage you to have a listen. It will lift your spirits and fill you with joy.😊

And afterwards just declare to yourself, ‘The joy of the Lord is my strength and His joy is bubbling up in me. I receive it, and I expect it to rise up on the inside of me like bubbles, a life giving stream throughout my day! I will not be moved by what I see, or hear, or how I feel about things. I am a child of God therefore I have His fruit of joy down in my spirit and I call it out and praise You for it Lord.”

Jesus said we can have what we believe for, so I’m here today to ask us to believe for the spirit of joy, to have a different perspective, to even look for the funny side of things when we can, to know God has us safe in His hands which is something that will drive the frowns from our faces, and the worry from our minds, and help us relax and rest in Him.😊 

It says in His presence is fullness of joy, not fullness of condemnation, or blame, or sad expectations, or judgement, or doom and gloom. No, in God’s presence there is overflowing joy and He has placed it deep down in our hearts just waiting for us to stir it up and thank Him for it. So friends, let’s accept and be strengthened by His Joy today. Amen.

I hope you can have a listen to the link below through to the end when he reads Isaiah 61:1-3.😊

https://youtu.be/mEIa_BPa6Uw?si=nvY4zTgM6FeLt3AV

FOR THE TIME BEING…

Psalm 31:15 My times are in Your hands.

This text fell out of my bible the other day and the Lord was bringing it to my attention to remind me not to be concerned about delays because my times (and yours) are in His hands.😊

If you’re waiting for something it’s good to remember God knows all the ins and outs of our lives in great detail and He can see the big picture. As we trust Him and just follow His instructions, and not mind His silences when there are no new instructions, then He will bring us to the place He wants us to be in every sphere of life.

Philippians 1:6 says ‘being confident of this very thing that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” In other words, God’s good plans for us will happen if we do as He says.😊

Waiting can be the hardest part in any experience whether we’re waiting for results of an exam, or medical results, or just waiting for our offspring to ring us up! But waiting is part of our growing in our trust of the Lord, to believe all the affairs of our lives are safe in His hands, and that He is working everything out for the good of all in the background, that all will be well.

Psalm 23 reminds us that our Good Shepherd leads us, but we’re tempted sometimes to run on ahead in our thinking with the ‘what ifs’ which is not a good idea! Isaiah 40:31 NKJV says, “But those who wait on the Lord, Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.” In this verse to wait means to attach and bind ourselves to the Lord with an eager expectation of good, and take His promises by faith, then the rest will follow.😊

Isaiah 49:23 NKJV …For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.” 

Let’s be encouraged in our waiting as we go into our new week, knowing God’s goodness is on the way which means we can relax knowing ‘our times are in His hands.’ 😊

Thank You Lord. Amen.

LIFT OUR SPIRITS

Philippians 4:8 NIV Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

A bear with bunny ears is not normally what you expect to see and it makes me smile. I believe God has things for all of us that are not what we normally expect in our daily routine lives; things that, if we’re on the look out for them, will make us smile and lift our spirits too.😊

Too often we hear on the media of all the sad things that pull us down but there are good things happening each day as well, we just normally don’t hear about them.

For instance I discovered there are several Good News websites anyone can tap into to read about the good things that are happening round the world.

The Evangelical Alliance reported this: “Ministry analysts and church data trackers indicate that Gen Z is leading a sudden turnaround in young adult church attendance, reversing multi-decade patterns of decline. Many young people report that a search for authentic community and absolute truth in a "post-truth" culture is drawing them to faith.” How encouraging that is.😊

At a local level, Chris was talking with an acquaintance who had recently been made homeless, through no fault of his own, and had been living in a tent, then in a friend’s caravan, but has now been given a permanent home. 

Last week someone had abandoned a beautiful big bouquet of expensive roses on the pavement nearby, so Chris rescued them and brought them home for us to enjoy. We have no idea why they were there and it was something one wouldn’t normally expect, but such a lovely surprise!😊

It’s easy to dwell on all the hard things that are going on in the world, the things that can make us sad, but I believe God wants to lift our spirits each day, to look for the good things, the unexpected, to pass on good news if we hear some, to encourage one another. We can’t solve all the problems of the world but we can celebrate the joy of one person being given a home, or when we hear of one person feeling stronger or better than they did before, of young people seeking God, or of an unexpected gift.

As the Holy Spirit said through Paul, think about those things which are noble and praiseworthy, which are lovely, and let’s give God all the praise and glory while we’re at it.😊

Have a blessed weekend.x

IS YOUR LIGHT TURNED ON?

John 8:12 I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

I was walking up the hallway yesterday morning when I noticed a light shining on my dressing gown and thought it was sunlight reflecting through the window but whichever way I turned the light still glowed and for a moment I couldn’t figure out where the light was coming from! It just shows how dippy I can be because I suddenly realised my tiny torch in my pocket had turned itself on accidentally and was glowing from inside my pocket! I hope you’re laughing with me! What a ninny!🤣

Anyway, it made me think that, as Christians, we all have a light coming from the inside of us because Jesus is the Light and He lives in us by His Spirit. The trouble is we don’t always seem to have our inner light turned on, do we? The troubles and problems of our day are a bit like a dimmer switch and they tend to turn down our Light which is the wrong way round!

Jesus wants to shine His light on those troubles so the troubles become dim and His light shines brighter but it depends on us as to whether we’re turned on to Him to shine through us or not.😊 We know darkness can’t extinguish light and when we choose to trust Him in our difficult times we’re turning on His light, when we choose to put more faith in our fears, than we do in God’s Word, then we dim the Light.

Psalms 18:28 ESV For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness. 

1 Thessalonians 5:5 ESV For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.

Matthew 5:16 NIV In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

1 John 1:7 NKJV But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

I hope you’ve had a chuckle today but more than anything I hope you choose to turn your inner Light on as you keep looking to Jesus, and let your inner glow shine out for everyone to see.😊 Amen.

Photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash

SO WHAT IS PROSPERITY?

Psalm 35:27 NKJV Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

I have good news today. God is pleased when we prosper.😊 But what does prosper mean in God’s eyes? I thought we’d have a look because it means more than we might think.

Strong’s Concordance (7965) for prosperity in this verse - Shalom: well, happy, healthy, prosperity, peace, friendly, complete, whole, welfare.

I hope that gladdens your heart because it did mine. It’s not God’s desire for us to be sick but He is pleased when we’re healthy and thriving, when we’re at peace when all is well and whole with a sense of welfare, when we thrive in every area of life, and that includes Him wanting our finances to prosper too. So we know it’s His will for us to have all of those.

Some people have thought God wants them poor or sick but it’s not what scripture says. Jesus spent a great part of His time healing and delivering people. We’re told it was God who blessed Abraham so much that he had tremendous riches! Paul writes that we have inherited the blessings of Abraham and I wonder if we’ve realised the implications of that? (Galations 3:13-14).

The world says if we have money and ‘things’ then we’re prosperous, but God says it’s far more than that because God takes pleasure when we thrive in every aspect of our lives. For instance it probably wouldn’t be much use to be a millionaire but not able to enjoy it because of illness!

God’s heart and His desire is for us to prosper and thrive in everything so we’re not only able to be blessed but to be a blessing to others, to bring glory to His name. 

So we need never wonder if it’s God’s will for us to be prosperous, or to be healthy and have more than enough, because He says it is, and if we’re struggling in any of those areas then we know we can go to Him with confidence knowing He’s willing and wants to put it right. That’s good news.😊 Amen.

SETBACKS OR SET UPS

Psalm 100:5 NIV For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Our circumstances may change from day to day, but thankfully our God does not. We need to always be reminding ourselves of that otherwise we might be tempted to listen to the enemy’s doubts and fears because of things that happen!

Sometimes we have what looks like setbacks but in God’s hands they become setups for Him to show up in a greater way in our lives. Joseph was a great example of constant setbacks in his life which seemed so unfair and would have messed most people up, but he remained faithful to God even when he was rejected by family, sold as a slave and later put in prison for something he didn’t do. The hardships and humiliation he must have endured can only be imagined but his God constantly showed him favour even in the worst of circumstances.

We read how the favour of God was on him and we read the same thing about us, that the favour of God is on us because of Jesus, even in our setbacks. It’s because God always has the last word if we keep our trust and focus on Him. When we say, “I don’t understand why these things have happened, but I trust you Lord”, we are opening ourselves up for Him to set us up for restoration and blessing.😊

So be encouraged today to know that when God is turning things around, which He has promised to do,  it’s always for our good, and we can rest in that truth whether it’s the middle of a dark night when we can’t sleep, or we’re in the thick of a difficult day.

God is a good God and He is faithful to us because He loves us beyond measure and nothing can change that wonderful truth. Thank You Lord. Amen.😊

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

WELL STIRRED

2 Timothy 1:6-7 NKJV Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Every Christmas around this time of year we had a tradition of making our own cake and then each member of the family would help to stir up the mixture to make sure it was well and truly stirred. Happy days!😊

The Apostle Paul in this verse though is talking to Timothy and reminding him to stir up the gift that was in him and I used to think it meant a particular gift he had been given but discovered the Greek says, to stir up the ‘grace’ of God. 

In 1 Timothy 4:14 he uses the same word for gift which is also the ‘grace’ of God. We’re also being told to stir up the grace of God inside us.😊

We have all been given the grace of God in order for us to be saved and we need it every day of our lives to walk in all God is wanting to give us. We know His grace is undeserved favour, it’s all of God’s riches given to us because of Jesus’ sacrifice, and we can’t do anything to earn it but we receive it by faith. Romans 5:17 (NKJV) reminds us that those who receive the abundance of His grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life. I think we’d all like to do that, don’t you?😊

Now we may, or may not have received the laying on of hands but we have all been given His grace and one of the benefits of His grace is knowing God has not given us a spirit of fear, but He did give us His spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind, but we have to receive it all by faith. We accept it as an accomplished fact. It’s ours, it’s yours and it’s in abundance. The enemy will try to tell us differently but we don’t have to listen to him any more. Jesus set us free from his lies and tyranny of fear.

So, I’m here today to encourage you to stir up the gift of grace, of God’s favour, in your life. Declare it out loud to yourself wherever you are throughout the day, grab a hold of it, and start stirring yourself up knowing it is a gift of God already placed in you.😊

We have it, so we can put it to work and agree with God’s word that we are a child of God saved by grace through faith; we refuse the spirit of fear and we stir up the grace of power, of love and a sound mind already inside of us. It’s all ours in Jesus name. Thank You Lord. Amen.

Photo: Annie Spratt on Unsplash

TURN THE PAGE

Psalm 46:1 NLT God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

Well it’s another new week and some are on half term and some are not. Whatever we’re doing this week we can know that we walk through it with Almighty God, the One who watches over us and helps us to navigate whatever is going on.

Yesterday in church the preacher reminded us how with God there is always hope, because our God is greater than anything we’re being asked to deal with. God promises to be a very present help in our time of trouble and it makes no difference what kind of trouble it might be.😊

We can’t go by other people’s experiences because we’re not walking their walk, we’re walking our own and it will be different in each case. God does tell us all though to walk by faith and not by what we see or hear in the natural. He reminds us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, not yet seen. In other words those unseen things we’re hoping and looking for are still on the way, God is still working things out but they may take time.

Can I encourage us all to lift up our eyes to Jesus and His promises once again, otherwise we’ll get so bogged down with our circumstances we won’t be able to think and say what God wants us to. We’ll be tempted to speak negatively which is what the enemy wants!

Part of walking in the peace that Jesus came to give us, is to turn our eyes from our present reality, not ignoring it, but remembering that God can change our realities when we have faith. Even when our faith is at a low ebb we can always call on God for His faith because one of His promises is that He will provide all our needs according to Christ Jesus.😊

Whatever your story is at the moment, remember to turn the page, because God has written a lot more in your book which is yet to unfold and He has good plans for you.😊 Don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking anything different because we know he is the father of all lies!

Let’s never forget God is for us and I pray the certain knowledge of that truth will sustain and strengthen us each day of the week to be the overcomers in Christ He has made us to be. Amen.😊

HOPE AND A FUTURE

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

When we receive news that we didn’t want to hear it’s good to remember that God knew all about it before we did and although we don’t know the whys and wherefores, we do know our loving Father holds us in the palm of His hand and He will never leave us alone.😊

When the three young men were thrown in the fiery furnace they found that Jesus came to them in the heat of the fire and broke off the chains that bound them and kept them safe . That’s a strong encouragement from God that He will be with us in the heat of our circumstances and keep us safe too because we’re His children and He holds us close to His heart. 

God says over and over again that He is our strength and shield, that in Him we can be strong to face whatever we’re being called to face. He reminds us that with His help we can take courage when we feel fearful because God is with us wherever we go. 

There will never be a day when we have to deal with things on our own, never be a day when God hasn’t gone ahead of us to smooth the crooked paths. There will never be a day when God is too busy to be involved in every intricate detail of our lives.  

Psalm 139 reminds us He sees us when we sit down and rise up. He knows when we feel upset and when we’re distressed by fears, and He encourages our faith to lift our eyes back up to Jesus who is our great High Priest who understands everything we’re dealing with, He is our very present help in trouble.

Yesterday we saw that whatever we have to go through, God is bringing us out the other side. He is holding us steady, and His plans for us have not changed but they’re always to give us a future and a hope, and not to harm us. Thank You Lord. Amen. 

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

NO FEAR IN THE VALLEY

Psalm 23:4 NIV Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

I have an old bookmark in my bible which says: 

‘The Lord is my Shepherd I need not fear the valley.’

Fear comes knocking on everybody’s door at some point and David had more opportunities to fear than most of us but he learned, through walking with the Lord, that he didn’t need to.

Why was that? He’d learned that no matter what giant he faced, no matter how many battles he had to fight, his God was with him and he had a covenant with Almighty God that covered it, that conquered it and that held him steady and secure. And we do too.😊

His God and ours is El Shaddai the One who is more than enough. More than enough to strengthen and help us overcome in every situation when our eyes are on Him. 

David ran toward Goliath, and told him he’d take his head off not because he’d already overcome a lion and a bear, but because of his God who was with him and His power. 

We have the Holy Spirit who raised Christ from the dead actually living in us, and we have a greater covenant with God than David had. How much more can we run toward our giants and tell them we don’t need to fear them, we won’t be intimidated, we will overcome them in the strength of the Lord, and with God’s help we will take their heads off and and they will be rendered powerless to hurt us.

Our fears may try to fill our minds but God says Jesus has put those enemies beneath our feet and we need to keep them there until they’re totally kicked out! Move them from our head to under our heel.😊

God is telling us we need not fear in any valley we’re going through, because He Himself is with us and He is all we need. His rod and staff are His Holy Spirit and His Word and their assignment is to comfort, strengthen and uphold us. We don’t set up camp in the valley because God not only brings us through, but He brings us out the other side. We are not victims. We are Victors through Jesus. Can somebody shout Amen today!😊

Lord we thank and praise You for being with us. You are bringing us out of whatever we are going through, and give You all the glory. In Jesus name. Amen.

CHANGE OUR LIVES

Romans 4:17 NKJV 17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;

Have you ever had a downer on yourself? I can’t do this! I’ve put on weight, I’m not good in company, I keep saying the wrong thing, I’m shy, I’m tired all the time! We’re talking ourselves down and drawing all those negative things to us.

Instead God wants us to think and speak what He says about us. “I’m strong in the Lord, He is renewing my strength so I can overcome. I have God’s wisdom, I’m healthy and filled with God’s joy and peace.”

Now we may not feel any of those things at that moment, but scripture tells us to call those things which are not, as though they were.(Romans 4:17) It’s about talking faith because faith doesn’t go by what we can see, it goes by what is not seen yet. We actually call those things into being by our faith filled words.😊 Faith is the evidence of things we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1)

We can change our circumstances, our lives, by the words we speak when they line up with God’s word. One church I know of regularly speak these words over themselves:

“I am Blessed, Prosperous, Redeemed, Forgiven, Healed, Talented, Creative, Confident, Secure, Disciplined, Focused, Prepared, Qualified, Motivated, Valuable, Free, Determined, Equipped, Empowered, Anointed, Accepted, Approved, Not Average, Not mediocre. I am a child of the Most High God.
I will become all He’s created me to be. In Jesus Name.”

We may not feel like half of those things, and so often we want to call things like they are and say they’ll never change, but if we choose to do it God’s way we will speak His words out our mouths regardless of what we see in front of us or what we feel. 

What we keep hearing ourselves consistently say goes down into our spirit and changes us. It’s amazing how just speaking even a few of those words out loud over ourselves throughout the day lifts our spirits. I tried it! Let’s pin them up and keep speaking them so the enemy can’t feed us anything else!😊

When we do, we’re giving God the opening to change us from one degree of glory to another. I think we’d all like that, don’t you? Amen.😊

Photo by Eyestetix Studio on Unsplash

DO YOURSELF NO HARM

Acts 16:28 NKJV But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, ….

Paul and Silas were in prison with their backs beaten raw but they were still praising God when God broke the prison doors open with an earthquake! The terrified jailer was about to draw his sword to end his life, and bring disaster on his family, when Paul shouted out, “Do yourself no harm …” 

I was reminded in church recently to do ourselves no harm because Jesus is here to rescue us from whatever situation we’re in. We tend to think of self harming when people cut or starve themselves but it’s possible to harm ourselves with eating unhealthily or by being addicted to wrong things, even too many hours on the internet.😊

It’s also possible to harm ourselves with negative thinking which undermines our confidence or eats away at our faith in God’s promises. We may be tempted to think we can’t do something, which harms our future or stops us being all God has anointed us to be. We harm ourselves when we believe the enemy’s lies instead of God’s infallible word!

Perhaps we’ve all harmed ourselves at some point without realising it or recognising it, but today God is drawing it to our attention; to stop sticking swords in ourselves when He has provided us with a Saviour who delivers us from anything and everything that has the potential to harm us. He reminds us we are no longer condemned, no longer guilty or shamed, but declared righteous in Christ, no longer unwanted but loved and accepted by Him.😊

The jailer found that out when he went on to ask how he could be saved, and what started as two beaten up guys praising God in a prison cell, ended up with a whole family being wonderfully saved! Hallelujah!😊

So Lord Jesus we ask You to rescue us from anything that would cause us to harm ourselves today and bring us into that place of total peace and rest in You. Amen.

THE GLORY OF SUNRISE

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

My friend sent me some glorious pictures of yesterday’s sunrise up in Inverness. They went from the first peak of the sun, setting the sky on fire, to a steady revealing of its light as it reflected off the clouds, and the fields and trees began to glow. We don’t always get to see sunrises as spectacular as that, but it doesn’t mean they’re not happening.😊

In the same way God is doing things in all our lives when His light begins to rise over our circumstances. At first it’s so dark and we can’t see things ever being any different, but our God is the God of all hope and comfort. He is the God who brings light in our darkness and just as He gives us glorious sunrises He is doing the same thing in our lives.

As I looked at the series of photos she sent, I realised we don’t always recognise what’s going on in the background but it doesn’t mean it’s not happening! God paints the sky every morning with colour and beauty which is totally breathtaking, whether we see it or not. Why would He not do the same in our lives? …how will he not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?

Let’s lift our eyes upwards again today and thank God for all He is doing on our behalf, even though we may not be able to see it yet. He is painting something into your life and mine which will be breathtaking if we’ll take our faith and the time to believe Him for it and look for it.😊

What kind of beauty is it? It’s the beauty of loving relationships, of caring friendships, the wonder of peace in our hearts that’s beyond our understanding, it’s the deep security of knowing we’re accepted and loved by the One who paints the sky every single day with His breathtaking glory of colour and wonder, and it’s the miracle of His generous provision and protection every day of our lives.

Most of all it’s the beauty of being able to have a personal close relationship with the One who hung on a Cross for our sakes, to be one spirit with Him. Sometimes we forget, but today God is reminding us Jesus His Son, and the wonder of all He gives us, are rising and being revealed in our lives too.

Thank You Lord. Amen.😊

Photos: Courtesy of W.Girling 

GENTLE REMINDERS

Proverbs 4:5 NIV Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them.

I always enjoy reading helpful wise quotes so I thought I’d pass on some more I came across as we move into our week.

‘Be you.’ Sometimes we wish we were somebody else with their gifts or looks, but God made us the way we are, each one unique for a reason. God doesn’t make mistakes so let’s learn to enjoy all our quirky ways and ask God to use them for His glory.😊

‘Choose kindness.’ One of the best choices we can make each day is to be kind, not just to others but to be kind to ourselves, to not find fault all the time but remember we’re all a work in progress and precious to God.

‘Smile.’ We know one of the gifts of the Spirit is joy but sometimes we forget to unbox it and let it show in our smiles. When we do, it can lift up those we pass by or meet in a shop or workplace. Just smile!😊

‘Take time to make your soul happy.’ God tells us to rest for the simple reason that He didn’t design us to keep going without drawing breath. Let’s give ourselves permission to unwind and do something we enjoy.

‘Don’t overthink.’ This is easier said than done but it’s connected to the verse, ‘Be anxious for nothing, but in all your prayers make your requests known to God with thanksgiving.’ Lord help us do that!😊

‘Enjoy life.’ When life goes through tough seasons sometimes we have to stop and count our blessings and ask God to help us have a new perspective so we can enjoy the life He gives us, the little joys.

‘Collect beautiful moments.’ Have you had anything happen that made you smile, or lifted your spirits, or made you glad? Why not write it down and put it in a jar to open up at the end of the month to remind yourself of those beautiful moments. They’re so easily forgotten.😊

‘Good things take time.’ Next time we feel frustration creeping in because the thing we’re waiting for is taking longer than we thought, remember in Ecclesiastes it said everything happens in God’s timing and just rest in that.

‘Enjoy a mug of hot chocolate.’ Sometimes we just need some gentle reminders, and if any have struck a cord with us maybe we could find time today to enjoy a mug of hot chocolate. As we sit with our hands around a hot mug, let’s breathe in the lovely aroma and remember most of all God loves us and Jesus’ invitation to come to Him and find rest for our souls. Enjoy a few minutes with the Lord to unwind and thank Him for all His goodness and blessings in our lives.😊 Amen.