WALK IN THE LIGHT

John 8:12 NKJV Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

Sometimes we feel like we’re groping around in the dark and can’t see our way forward. We know we need more light on the situation!😊 So I asked the Lord, in view of our verse today, how to have more light. 

He reminded me of the verse Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” In other words the more Word we have in us, the more light we will have to see the way ahead. Scripture says Jesus is the Word, so the more Word we have, the more Jesus we have, the more light we will have. 

Now we may think there are no specific verses about our particular situation but the Word brings light to our spirit so the Holy Spirit can use it to speak into our situations through the days ahead. The Word is supernatural because it is God’s inspired words to mankind, so it follows that how it works will be supernatural as well.😊

God doesn’t necessarily give us the hows and whys, He just asks us to trust Him and obey what He says, so our part is to read His word and meditate on it and then He will do the rest.

Joshua 1:8 NKJV This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success.

We know meditate just means to keep thinking about it, ponder over it in our minds, not just read it and forget all about it! I heard one bible teacher say to choose a verse and write it down, read it out loud in the morning, so it starts the day off right, then come back to it and read it out loud again at lunchtime and then again last thing at night, so it’s in our subconscious throughout the day and night. 

So if you feel like you’re in the dark, let me encourage you to let God’s word be a light to your path and meditate in it, speak it every day and do what it says, then we are promised good success. I like the sound of that, don’t you, because it’s not rocket science and we’re all able to do it.😊Amen.

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FOCUS ON OUR PEACE GIVER

Isaiah 26:3-4 NLT You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.

I walked beside the river in Matlock recently and there was a flood level indicator which showed how high the water had risen in the past, and it was almost unbelievable! Then I started thinking about our peace level and wondering how high is our peace level today?

Our verse reminds us that we will have a high level of peace if we’re focused on the Lord, but if we’re focusing on our troubles and problems, if all we can see are our circumstances and ‘situations’, then we shall lose our peace. Instead we will have a flood of anxiety, which can close the road ahead, but thankfully we get to choose what we focus on!😊

Our focus will determine our peace! So can I encourage us all to lift our eyes upwards and focus on Jesus and His word because He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. If the enemy has distracted you with anything and everything, just stop for a minute and realign yourself with the Word of God and hear Jesus speak to your heart…

John 14:1 NKJV Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God believe also in Me. V.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.

1 Peter 5:7 reminds us to cast all our cares on to God, not just the big issues, but all of them, even the little ones, because He’s the only one who can sort them out and turn them round. 

The devil comes and tells us we can’t help worrying, that we’ve always done it, so we always will. But the devil is a liar because Jesus says we can ‘not let’ our hearts be troubled! Now who is telling the truth? Who are we believing? God wants us to trust Jesus and do as He says, to thank Him for His gift of peace, and for giving us the Holy Spirit to help us overcome worry and anxiety which never come from God.😊

Let’s pull the plug on the flood of anxiety and focus on our Prince of Peace instead and receive His peace that passes understanding today. In Jesus name. Amen.

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IT’S GOOD NEWS

Romans 1:16 NIV For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

We all like good news! When we hear someone is doing well, when we learn that someone has been healed, when a baby is born safely, all kinds of things lift our spirits and encourage us in our walk of faith.😊

Well, I have good news today that we can take with us through our coming week and it’s the news of the gospel but not half a gospel but the whole gospel! Maybe we think the gospel is just the forgiveness of sins and a home in heaven when we die, which is wonderful, but it’s far more than that!

God’s word tells us that He not only forgives all our sins and gives us His gift of right standing with Himself so that we’re saved from His wrath, but He also heals all our diseases, He restores our health to us, He restores our souls, He sets us free from bondages and addictions. Jesus has redeemed us from the curse of the Law and translated us out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light.😊

All of that is something to shout about, but I have even more good news because in church I was reminded yesterday that Jesus’ victory is now our victory, that Jesus’ glory is now our glory. Whatever Jesus now has, He has given to us as joint heirs with Him as our inheritance in Him, and it’s all ours now, not in the sweet by and by!

If ever you feel down in the dumps this week let me encourage you to read the Good News we’ve just looked at, again and again, and let it sink down into your spirit. The Holy Spirit wants us all to have a deeper revelation of all Jesus has won for us, not just part of it, so none of it is wasted.😊

I believe God is saying if we take a different one of those truths with us each day this week and remind ourselves of it throughout our day we will all be transformed in some way as the Holy Spirit sets us free by the truth He reveals to us. 

I hope you’re smiling because that is Good News my friends. Let’s believe it, receive it and declare it by faith, in Jesus name. Amen.😊

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LOVE THAT LASTS FOREVER

Psalm 89:1-2/8 NLT 

I will sing of the Lord’s unfailing love forever! 

 Young and old will hear of your faithfulness.

2 Your unfailing love will last forever.

Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens.

8 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies!

Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O Lord?

You are entirely faithful.

Whether we’ve had a good, bad or average week it’s always good to take our eyes off ourselves, and off our circumstances, and put them back on our God.

Our lives are constantly changing but our God does not change for which we can be truly thankful! We may grumble sometimes and wonder why things are the way they are, but at the end of the day we know our God is good, He is faithful, full of lovingkindness and we know His love for us will never fail. Nothing is going to change that so even if we’ve had a difficult week we can still be glad.😊

So let me encourage you to remember our God is the powerful God who said “Light Be!” and it came in at 186,000 miles per second! He’s the One who still upholds the universe by the power of His word, and He is also upholding you and me whether we realise it or not. 

He only wants the best for us and always goes before us into our week to protect and watch over our lives. He is our rearguard but He has also commissioned mighty angels to minister to us even though we can’t see them.(Hebrews 1:14/Psalm 34:7)

There is nothing too hard or impossible for Him, He’s all wise, present everywhere, and yet He chooses to live in you and me because He chose us to be His sons and daughters which is an amazing privilege.

So no matter what is happening in your life, I hope that lifts your spirit and puts a smile on your face. But I also hope it makes us all want to praise Him today and give Him our thanks because He is an awesome God, worthy of all our praise and because His love for us will last forever. 😊

Thank You Jesus for making it all possible. Amen.

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GOD RESHAPES US

Psalm 23:3 AMP He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Have you ever looked at yourself and wished you were a different shape? Or do you have days where you feel like you’re all bent out of shape because circumstances have upset your equilibrium or not gone according to plan? One concerns our body, the other concerns our souls. So what do we do about it?

We go to the Word of God for His wisdom, for His perspective on our lives.

As years go by we realise we have a tendency to change shape and time is writing wrinkles on our faces. We can either be bothered about it or we can choose to be thankful we’ve lived long enough to produce them! One old lady I spoke to many years ago said to ask God to make us beautiful on the inside so it would show on our faces on the outside, and as long as we make sure we have a smile in amongst the wrinkles we can still be a blessing.😊

The encouraging thing is God says He restores our souls. Those days when we do get bent out of shape we can go to our loving Heavenly Father and ask Him to reshape us, to refresh our thinking, to have His perspective, His forgiveness and help us forgive those who’ve upset us.

Our soul won’t heal itself  but we do have the Restorer living inside us if we’ll turn to Him. He has us on His potter’s wheel and He’s not finished with us yet, so we know we’re in the process of being restored which is so reassuring.😊

Maybe you need a restoration job today, a rebalancing of thoughts and attitudes? Well the good news is when we woke up this morning God’s new mercies and grace were all available to each one of us, so let’s grab a hold of them and allow God to restore and reshape our souls and get back on His track if we’ve wandered off. In Jesus name. Amen. 

Have a blessed weekend.😊x

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OUR COMPASSIONATE GOD

John 13:37-38 NLT “But why can’t I come now, Lord?” he asked. “I’m ready to die for you. Jesus answered, “Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter—before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.

Our God is a God of great compassion and we can be so thankful for that. Peter was all fired up, but Jesus knew him better than he knew himself. When Peter said he was willing to die for Jesus, the Lord told him what would really happen - Peter would deny him, not just once or twice, but three times before the sun came up! What a shocking thing to say!

But we can all take heart from this account because the Lord later on shows us His heart of compassion and understanding. Psalm 139 reminds us God knows what we’re thinking, what we’re going to say before we say it, He knows where we’re at, when we don’t want to talk to Him, and yet He never leaves us or throws His hands up in the air and says. “Well just get on with it then, I give up on you!” No!

God doesn’t go off in the huff, never abandons us. He doesn’t berate us when things go wrong, sometimes through no fault of our own, but He comes instead to tell us what He told Peter, that He still loves us. He told him three times just so Peter couldn’t misunderstand!

God loves us, when we get it right or when we get it wrong, even when things fall apart. God loves us and He’s not going anywhere, He’s staying right there with us, in the thick of it.

When the enemy comes to accuse us, let’s remember we have such a compassionate God who understands us so much better than we understand ourselves and He is not condemning us because Jesus took all our condemnation. 

His compassion goes even further because He still has a plan and purpose for our lives. It may be to pray for others, it may be to be a witness for Him at home or in our workplace to bring His grace and mercy, and His love to someone or to many.

Wherever we are at in our walk with God today, just remember He is a God of great compassion, and He loves each one of us to the Cross and back. He hasn’t given up on us and one day He will come and fetch us to be with Him forever because He loves us. 😊 Amen.

Lamentations 3:22-23 NKJV Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

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THE GOD WHO BENDS DOWN

Psalm 116:1-2 NLT I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!

If we’ve ever had anything to do with children we know we have to bend down to listen to what they’re saying, so we don’t miss anything.😊

Our loving Heavenly Father is the same with us. He too bends down to listen to our every prayer, our every sigh. He sees every tear and He knows the heartache, the struggle we sometimes experience and yet He also sees when we hang on in faith when the reports are not good, or when we can’t see a way forward.

We know our God is bigger than anything that we have to deal with, more powerful than death itself because Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. 

God still fulfils His word and He’s still bending down to hear what we’re saying, but He wants us to hear what He is saying too. He says He will restore health to us, that He delivers our lives from destruction, that He has plans to prosper us and not to harm us, that no weapon can succeed (whatever it’s called), if we stay in faith and declare the promises of God over our own lives so He can fulfil them.

So may I encourage you to keep speaking His promises over your life, several times a day if need be, because Proverbs 4:20-22 NKJV reminds us that God’s word is health to our flesh and Jesus said His words are life giving. God is bending down and He sees and hears your faith and your words and with Him all things are possible.😊 Amen.

(It may be that you need healing in some area so I’ve put a link below to a video of some healing scriptures which I’ve found helpful and thought they would encourage your faith too.)🙏

 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HRFIljXWRqw&pp=ugUEEgJlbg%3D%3D

CONFIDENCE BUILDING

1 Samuel 10:6-7 NKJV Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you.

If ever we need confidence it’s good to read those five words: for God is with you.😊 We know when we’re born again we become a new man or woman, we become new creations and given the Holy Spirit to live in us and through us. Now Saul couldn’t experience the new birth, but he did experience the Holy Spirit coming on him when he was anointed to be king.

He was told he could do as the occasion demanded because God was with him. Now that is what you call confidence building! And God says the same to you and me because we have been given His Holy Spirit!😊 

You may be facing some situations and you’re not sure what to do about them but take heart because God is not only with you but He is also in you. He is letting us know that whatever the occasion demands He will be with us to help us deal with it and overcome it if necessary.

We can get bogged down sometimes and forget we are children of God, filled with His Spirit, anointed and appointed for whatever crosses our path each day.  We are wherever we are, for such a time as this. We have the Creator of the universe within us, we are joint heirs with His Son and we have the mind of Christ to guide us throughout our day. Just imagine that!

So be encouraged to know that yes, you can do whatever the occasion demands of you because greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world. We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus and the enemy is beneath our feet. We are above only and not beneath, so the Holy Sprit can help us to do and say whatever He directs, for the glory of God. Now that’s confidence building, don’t you think?😊 Amen.

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THE GOD KIND OF LIFE IS OUR LIFE

2 Corinthians 5:7-8 NLT For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord

We all know some things, but sometimes knowing isn’t enough! I know my plants need water but it isn’t till I step in and care enough to water them that anything changes and they’re kept alive.😊 Knowing has to lead to action of some kind! God knows about us, but just knowing doesn’t change anything!

Thankfully, God not only knows about us but He cares about us as well. He cares enough to give us the water of life, He cared enough to do something that made a difference. Jesus gave His life so we can have His life to transform ours, and like my plants respond to water, we respond to the life He gives us. His resurrection life is flowing in us and through us to others. 

It might help to stop and just think about that for a minute. If you know Jesus as your Saviour then the resurrection life of God Himself is flowing in your veins right now! So what difference does that make?

It means that the ‘Zoe’, God kind of life that is eternal, that gives us everlasting life, is now in our spirit. It means when we die we only die physically, because we’ve been made alive spiritually already. It means when we leave this body behind we will just change our address and we will go immediately to be with Christ to live in His presence at home with Him forever.😊 

But it also means we have God’s resurrection life in our physical bodies right now, flowing in our veins, to heal our diseases, to renew our youth like the eagles (Psalm 103/Isaiah 53:4-5). 

All of the above requires faith to receive it, but the amazing thing is, it’s the God kind of faith, and He has already given us that as well so we don’t have to manufacture it ourselves! (Ephesians 2:8-9)

God has thought of everything and provided everything, so let’s rejoice in Jesus, who is the Resurrection and the Life and He is in us right this minute. His life is bringing healing and wholeness, and renewing cells and bones. Glory to God. I hope that lifts your spirits today.😊 Amen.

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GOD HAS PREPARED SOMETHING FOR YOU

Psalm 31:19 NKJV Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men!

I love this verse because it talks about the goodness God has already prepared for you and me, which means there are a whole lot of blessings He has lined up ready for us to walk into in the coming days, and Ephesians 3:20 says they go even beyond what we can think or imagine!😊 

The good news is they’re not depending on our performance but on what Jesus has already done which takes the pressure off us. He gives us blessings we don’t even deserve but that is the nature and grace of our amazing God. And if we need extra grace today then we can come and receive it, just for the asking. How awesome is that! So don’t forget to ask!😊

No matter what you intend to do today you are under the blessing of God, when you go out and when you come back in and everything in between. In fact why not just go ahead and thank God in advance by faith for the blessings and favour He has lined up for you today.

Just knowing God is walking by our side every moment is a blessing because we’re not going to do anything in our own strength but with His strength, His power, His wisdom, His help so we’re on the winning side. We have the advantage.😊

What a lovely way to begin the week, knowing we have the God who is all sufficient for anything and everything on the inside of us, and He’s anointed and equipped us for today. It doesn’t come much better than that, so go out in confidence in Him, knowing you are a child of God, approved and blessed by Him and you’re ready for anything. Glory to God. In Jesus name.😊Amen.

Psalm 31:19 NLT How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world.

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ABUNDANTLY SATISFIED

Psalm 36:7-9 NKJV 

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!

Therefore the children of men put their trust 

under the shadow of Your wings.

 They are abundantly satisfied 

with the fullness of Your house,

And You give them drink 

from the river of Your pleasures.

 For with You is the fountain of life;

In Your light we see light.

We probably all have precious things in our lives but none is as precious as the lovingkindness of God! Without that we have no comfort for our souls, no hope, no meaning to our lives, but with it, we have all of that and far more, we are blessed indeed!😊

No wonder the psalmist goes on and says God’s lovingkindness is the reason why we can shelter under His wings. We know that when we do He is always there to protect, provide and guide us throughout everyday of our lives. We will be abundantly satisfied!😊

The Message translation puts it like this : How exquisite your love, O God! How eager we are to run under your wings,To eat our fill at the banquet you spread as you fill our tankards with Eden spring water. You’re a fountain of cascading light, and you open our eyes to light.

God provides a banquet for us at His table, and for us that’s the Lord’s table of the bread and wine. When we partake of the Lord’s supper we’re remembering we have access to all God’s riches because of what Jesus did for us at the Cross. 

At His table is the fountain of life, His cascading light for the dark days, His strength for the battles, His joy to fill our hearts, His healing and forgiveness. 

The analogy of being under our Father’s wings is something we can all picture and it gives us such a sense of security, of being loved and cared for. Whenever we feel afraid or unsettled or insecure we know we can always run to Him to hide us under His wings.😊 (Psalm 17: 8 NKJV Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,)

We can praise the Lord with all our hearts today because He has us safely tucked under His wings and His lovingkindness, His life and light are for each one of us that know Jesus as Saviour.😊

Thank You Lord. Amen.

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RECEIVE GOD’S HUG

Isaiah 40:11 NLT He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arm holding them close to his heart.…

I expect most of us would say they like a big hug and you might feel you could do with one right now!😊 When someone who cares for you gives you a hug you lean in to it and hug them back. You might even linger in it for a moment and allow their love to wrap you around and give your love in return. It’s almost instinctive unless you don’t know the person, then we tend to hold back.

But God wants to give us a hug because it’s His love reaching down to us at any given moment, or in the middle of whatever is going on.  He is whispering in our ear that He loves us beyond anything we can imagine, so we don’t need to be upset, He has us in the palm of His hand and He is in control of our lives. 

Isaiah 40:11 TM Like a shepherd, he will care for his flock, gathering the lambs in his arms, Hugging them as he carries them,….

The Holy Spirit is giving us a picture of God picking us up, of wrapping His loving arms around us and holding us there. He doesn’t withdraw His arms when we make a mistake, we’re being held close to His chest where no one can snatch us away. He is breathing His love into our body, soul and spirit, into our situations.😊

Will you allow Him to do that for you? He is our Good Shepherd who also wants to lead you to good pasture. 

We can come to the throne to receive His immense mercy and grace, His favour and love and let Him care for us, while our hearts can respond with worship and praise.

Why not just take a minute or two to sit with Him and let Him wrap you in His arms and lean your head on His shoulders, knowing He cares for you personally. In Jesus name. Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

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SET FREE

Isaiah 10:27 NKJV It shall come to pass in that day That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, And his yoke from your neck, And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.

Have you ever seen a team of husky dogs pulling a sled together? If so, you will have seen how they are yoked together and cannot pull apart. They have to go where the yoke is being directed by their driver.

Just like those dogs we may still have some yokes on our necks which take us in directions we don’t really want to go without realising it. 

It’s like when there is a yoke of sickness or ill health, or a yoke of some wrong attitude handed down to us from a previous generation. It may be a yoke of a poverty mentality where we’re afraid to give financially into God’s kingdom because we think we can’t afford it.

But God reminds us that when Jesus went to the Cross He took all our sins and shortcomings into Himself, and every yoke was destroyed because of the anointing oil. Apparently that word ‘destroyed’ means crushed to a powder so it can’t come back on us.😊

1 John 2:20 NIV But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.

Psalm 23:5 NKJV You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.

When we belong to Jesus we have His anointing and it has destroyed the power of any yoke and broken it off our necks but we need to know the truth for it to set us free. So if the enemy is trying to put something on you, remind him he can’t!

Tell the enemy we’re not yoked to him anymore because his yoke has been ground to a powder, powerless to hold us. We have been set free by Jesus’ shed blood.😊

Instead, Jesus reminds us He doesn’t force His yoke on us but we have to take His yoke on us…Matthew 11:29 NKJV Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Thank You Lord for breaking every yoke of the enemy off our necks and destroying them. Lord we take Your yoke willingly by faith and thank You for setting us free. Amen.

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GOD’S WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMME

Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

‘Nothing is depending on you!” The Lord dropped that thought in my head the other day. Maybe you think everything is depending on you, that there is no one else who can do it! We sometimes see it in the world of work. People think they’re the only ones who can do their job but when they leave suddenly, someone always steps in to fill the gap and life goes on.😊

The enemy wants us to feel weighed down with the thought we have to do, or be something, and if we try to live life in our own strength we become stressed and distressed. But God is telling us that we don’t have to do life in our own strength because He has given us His Holy Spirit to help us walk through each day.

Take heart, because Jesus knows our tendency to get weighed down which is why He said, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” God has a weight loss programme but have we joined it? Are we coming to Him moment by moment for Him to lift the weight off?

He doesn’t say, “I know you’ve got a lot on at the minute, but here, take this extra load, here’s something more to worry about, you’ll be all right!” No! He says He offers us rest if we’ll take it! He offers to bear the load with us if we’re willing to be yoked to Him and not to the situation! 

Maybe you feel yoked to your situation at the minute, and if you do, then ask Jesus to carry the responsibility instead of you. When we realise that everything is depending on God and nothing is depending on us, it allows Him to carry the weight. 

Let’s not take on God’s job, but see ourselves as co-workers, remembering He is leading and guiding, He’s walking with us and we’re yoked to Him. 

Maybe we could all do with that kind of weight loss!😊 Amen.

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DO IT NOW

Deuteronomy 2:3 AMP And the Lord spoke to me, saying, ‘You have circled this mountain long enough; …

I wonder if you are a do it now person or an indecisive, can’t make your mind up person? When decisions are life changing it’s not easy to bite the bullet and just do it, but there are times when enough is enough and the Holy Spirit is saying, “Do it now. You’ve put it off long enough!”

Sometimes it can feel like we’ve gone round the same mountain so many times! The Israelites had done the same thing and Moses told them the Lord was saying it was time to move forward. They’d gone round in circles long enough!

If they hadn’t obeyed they’d still be going round the same mountain and never have reached the promised land! So this is a word for us all today, if the Lord is telling us to do something, let’s step out in faith and just get on with it!😊 

That doesn’t mean God wants us to pursue something that just seems like a ‘good’ idea, but if  we’ve heard from the Holy Spirit then it’s a ‘God’ idea and it will prosper. His promise to lead and guide us is still working, so if we take one step He will not only show us the next one when we need it, but He will help us do it.

It may be something small like eating less chocolate biscuits😊, or taking more exercise, or asking for help, or changing our jobs, or moving house! 

But whatever it is, let’s be sensitive to our inner voice and give the Holy Spirit room to speak to our hearts and if He says do it now, then let’s do it now!😊 Amen.

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OPEN DOORS

John 6:20-21 NKJV But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.

Have you ever been on a journey and someone in the car says, “Are we nearly there yet?”  They’re growing tired of the journey and they want to arrive at where they’re going!😊

Life is a bit like that when we have thoughts and plans of where we want to go but the journey is taking longer than we thought to get there. But this passage reassures our hearts because as long as we have invited Jesus into our boat, as long as we know it’s a journey He’s planned and not just something we’ve decided we want to do, then He will get us there as quickly as is necessary.

God says He will direct our paths, that He will make crooked paths straight, that all things work together for the good of those who love Him. We may not realise it at the time but closed doors we may have had can be just as important and helpful as open doors, and we can thank God for them. 

We all know that God’s timing is never wrong and He has moments of favour all lined up for us to walk into, when everything starts to fall into place, and the grace of God is on it which gives us His confidence to know we’re on the right path.😊

Isaiah 30:21 NLT Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.

The Holy Spirit wants you to know this, at the right time God will open the door that’s right for you and He will take you through it quicker than you thought possible, just like the disciples ‘immediately’ arrived at their destination! Be encouraged God is directing your path and it will be blessed. Amen.😊

Photo by Maksim Tarasov on Unsplash

FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS

2 Peter 1:5-7 CEV Do your best to improve your faith by adding goodness, understanding, self-control, patience, devotion to God, concern for others, and love.

There are instructions with everything and if we do as they say, whether it’s putting a piece of furniture together or cooking a new recipe, we will have the desired result. In the same way the Bible is God’s instruction manual for life and if we’ll follow the Maker’s instructions we will have the good result God wants us to have.😊

For instance, when we follow His instructions for peace which we find in Philippians 4:4-8 then peace will follow but if we’re not prepared to do as He says we sabotage ourselves without realising it.

God never tells us to do something for the fun of it but for our own benefit, and when He says to cast down imaginations (2 Corinthians 10:5), He means for us to stop imagining bad scenarios that steal our peace, that disagree with what God says. When demons come to torment us with the ‘what ifs’ we need to obey God’s instruction and cast them down!

The secret is in putting something different in our minds, to deliberately think of something that lifts our spirit. Maybe you’re upset about a family member and how they’re behaving, so start seeing that person the way you would like them to be. Speak the promises of God over them by faith and ask Him to turn them around and thank Him for a good outcome because the Lord is able to do the impossible.

If your work place is difficult, bring it to the Lord and ask Him to bless it and the people in it so much that the whole atmosphere of the place changes for the better. Speak joy, peace and prosperity into it.😊

And if we’re struggling with depressing, fearful thoughts, bring them to the Prince of Peace and ask Him to make you strong in your spirit to resist those demons and dismiss them. Declare what God says, that you are more than a conqueror, a victor not a victim, that you have the mind of Christ and He is not depressed or afraid!

Let’s follow the Maker’s instructions this week and commit it to Him, believing His promise to surround us with His favour, and rest in His steadfast love for us because it’s all about you and Jesus doing it together.😊 Amen.

Photo: Marion Cervela on Unsplash

BLESS THE LORD

Psalm 34:1-3 CEB 

I will bless the Lord at all times; 

his praise will always be in my mouth. 

I praise the Lord—let the suffering listen and rejoice. 

Magnify the Lord with me! 

Together let us lift his name up high!

I don’t know if you’ve read Psalm 34 recently but try reading it in different versions like The Message or CEV and others, it’s so encouraging.😊 It’s written by David who we know had experienced every kind of stress and distress imaginable but had remained steadfast in his faith in his God. 

When we find ourselves under pressure, or things seem to be all wrong, we may have a tendency to complain or mutter and even ask God where He is in it all! But God hasn’t gone anywhere, He’s right in the thick of it with us!😊

David discovered the secret of praising God when life was hard, even when his life was threatened, because he knew his God would not just hear his prayers, but would come to his rescue. He had proved it time and time again and he constantly reminded himself of what God had already done for Him and how mighty He is to deliver. We can do the same and remind ourselves of when God has come through for us before, when He forgave us, delivered us and never gave up on us.

David chose to bless God, to thank and praise Him because of who He is and because he knew his God would not let him down. His praise came out of a trusting, thankful heart, regardless of what was happening around him.

He wanted us to know praise defeats the enemy. Satan can’t stand being around people who are praising God for His goodness, faithfulness and loving kindness especially when we know we don’t deserve it, or things are going pear shaped!

So let’s be encouraged today to release our praise and bless the Lord, our wonderful Saviour, for all His goodness, for always hearing our prayers, and coming to our rescue.😊

Psalm 103:1 NKJV Bless the Lord O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Amen.

Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash

DON’T OVERTHINK IT!

Matthew 6:34 NIV Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I wonder if you're like me because I can overthink a bus ticket! My daughter will sometimes say to me “You’re overthinking it mum!” and I’m glad she does because it helps me realise what I’m doing.😊

The trouble with overthinking is it takes us places we really didn’t need to go, where we weren’t supposed to go! For some reason we think we know what other people are thinking about us, when they’re probably not even thinking about us in the first place!😊

God reminds us to cast all our cares on Him, not to lean on our own understanding, not try to work everything out in advance. At the end of the day we can’t do anything about other people’s reactions or actions and they are God’s responsibility not ours.

Then there are the times when we overthink and try to do what only God can do and it’s so freeing to know God actually wants us to take our hands off and let Him do things His way without our so called ‘help’!😊

God has promised us grace for each day, for every situation. Maybe right now you ‘think’ you need to be involved or ‘think’ you should be helping in some way, but God will let us know if He wants us to do something and if He doesn’t then we can mind our own business because we probably all have enough things in our own lives to handle anyway!😊

So next time you catch yourself overthinking what you said and did, or what they said and did or what might or might not happen, or what you should be doing, or not doing, just take a breath and stop for a minute to remember we’re in God’s loving hands. Our God is merciful and if we’ll give it all to Him, He can sort everything out if we’ll only let Him!

So, maybe this is a good moment to commit our thoughts to the Lord and ask Him to help us stop overthinking everything, don’t you think!?😊 Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

Photo by Alazar Ferrazzini on Unsplash

NOTHING IS LOST

John 6:12 NKJV So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.”

We all lose things from time to time and it’s usually my phone I can’t find! For others though it can feel like we’ve lost so much. It might be our health, our life companion, our job, even our hair, or maybe you lost your temper!😊

But Jesus is showing us something here in the feeding of the 5,000 which is worth another look. He didn’t want anything to be lost, nothing to be wasted, nothing left behind. He is saying to us today that every fragment of our lives is important to Him, every memory, every experience whether good or bad, every detail is not lost in His panorama of our lives because He sees the end from the beginning. Nothing has taken Him by surprise and if it matters to us then it’s important in God’s eyes too.

Maybe your life feels fragmented or like you’ve been left behind but know this, God has every bit of your life in the palm of His hand and when the time is right He will bring it all together in a way that will bless you and others.

There are countless testimonies of people who have seemingly lost so much but God gave them new purpose and He used their experiences to help others.😊 

Notice Jesus told His disciples to gather up the fragments that remained, and so He’s saying bring all the fragments, all the pieces of your life, no matter how they may appear to you, and ask Him to make sense out of them and use them for His glory, to bring something worthwhile out of them. 

Be encouraged today because He’s the God who restores our soul and who makes us whole. All the fragments of our lives matter, so don’t feel like any of it has been wasted because God doesn’t waste anything. Instead, gather them up and give them to Jesus and know He still has a purpose for them all, so that ‘nothing is lost’. In Jesus name. Amen.😊

Photo: Chuttersnap on Unsplash

JESUS BRINGS LIFE AND TRUTH

John 10:10 AMPC The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

We all enjoy it when someone brings us a lovely surprise and it makes us feel good. Sometimes though we receive things from people we didn’t want - like bad news, or discouragement or unkind words.

Our verse tells us the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, he brings deceit, fear and lies, but Jesus brings life to the full, till it overflows. He brings integrity, love and truth.😊 The enemy brings confusion. Jesus brings clarity. Satan wants to distract us from our goal. Jesus guides us to it. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Satan is the wrong way, the con, the liar and deceiver.

It’s good to check we’re listening to the right voice and when we hear that things are getting worse, do we tend to despair or do we counteract it? 

We can say “The path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter, if God be for me then no one can be against me, no weapon formed against me will succeed, goodness and mercy are overtaking me.”

We can learn to react to situations or given facts, with faith not fear. The important thing is that any facts we are given can all be changed!😊 Listen to what God says in His word:

Jeremiah 32:17 Nothing is too hard for God. Luke 1:37 With God all things are possible. 

Genesis 18:14 Is anything too hard for the Lord?  Job 42:2 I know that You can do all things. 

His Word says God forgives all our sins and heals all our diseases (Psalm 103), He heals the brokenhearted, He restores our souls, that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, that God has promised to uphold, strengthen and help us. 

Those are only a few of the truths, the rock on which we stand! If the enemy has told you, you are helpless or hopeless, remember Jesus says we are more than conquerors. Let’s listen to Jesus who tells the truth!😊

Heavenly Father, No prayer is too big for You, no problem is beyond Your power, and You are working things out for the good. Thank You Jesus is bringing His truth and life, His integrity and His love into our lives. Amen.

 

Photo: Fuu J on Unsplash

IF YOU ONLY KNEW

John 4:10: Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”

I expect we’ve all looked back on life and said to ourselves at some point, “If I only knew then, what I know now!” They say experience teaches us all, but it can be unpleasant sometimes. Thank God there is another way because 2 Timothy 3:16 says God’s word will teach us what to do if we’ll obey it.😊

God has given us the Holy Spirit who has all wisdom and, as we saw yesterday, if we’d only ask Him first about everything, we’d save ourselves some heartache! Do we ever find ourselves having knee jerk reactions to situations especially when we’re tired? Or worse, we don’t even want to ask and then suffer the consequences, or maybe we do ask but don’t like God’s answer and think we know better!

Jesus is saying to each one of us every day. “If you only knew the great love I have for you, how much My heart is to bless you, if you only knew how much I have already placed inside you for you to call on, if you only knew and believed My great love casts out all fear, if you only knew the good plans, the mercy and compassion, the favour your Father has for you.”

Jesus didn’t tell the lady she would never know, so tough luck! He said “If you only knew what I have for you, you would ask and I would give you ….” God is still saying the same thing to us.

So let’s do whatever scripture is instructing us to do. Do the asking, seeking and knocking, and do it in faith, not in doubt or desperation, and even if it’s not the answer we thought we wanted, it will be right! May our expectation be one of good because it says to taste and see that the Lord is good, not mean or stingy or hard hearted!😊

Ephesians 1:18-19 NIV I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe…

God wants us to know and believe what He has stored up for us, so be encouraged and ask so we can receive all the good He has prepared for each one of us, and thank Him for it.😊 In Jesus’ name. Amen.

WHO ARE WE CONSULTING?

Joshua 9:14 NLT So the Israelites examined their food but they did not consult the Lord.

Some people consult their horoscopes, others consult a friend, many are waiting to consult their doctors, while others consult AI or Google! But if we’re wise, the person to consult first about anything and everything is God Himself!😊

When Joshua had won mighty victories over two kings in the land, the Gibeonites pretended to have travelled many miles in order to deceive Joshua and his people into thinking they were not a threat, so they wouldn’t kill them all! 

Unfortunately Joshua and the Israelites consulted the evidence before their eyes, of stale bread and worn out sandals, but didn’t consult the Lord, and they signed a covenant to protect the Gibeonites which was a big mistake because they actually lived near by! They were conned!

When we read that story we realise how important it is to consult the Lord first in our lives about our decisions, about what we’re ‘allowing’ to infiltrate our territory. So often it’s tempting to look at what we can see physically rather than what God says in His word!

For instance, when God tells us to do something, we’ll often look at our bank balance first to see if we can afford it! When an infection or sickness hits us, do we look at the evidence of the doctor’s report or how we feel, and just accept it, or do we ask the Lord to help us fight it off and resist the thing, standing on His promises?

Our culture teaches us to accept a lot of things, when in reality God has equipped us for every battle, whether it’s financial, emotional, physical or relational and promises us the victory.

God tells us we’re strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, so let’s always consult Him first about everything, so we’re not deceived by the enemy and not give him even an inch in our lives. As God keeps reminding us, we are more than conquerors, let’s believe it! Amen.😊

Photo by Medienstürmer on Unsplash

JUST SUPPOSING

Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Do you ever find yourself thinking the worst instead of the best? When the enemy gives you the thought, “Just supposing I lose my job” or “Supposing prices keep increasing and I can’t pay the bills”, or “Supposing I lose my health or I don’t get better”, or some other negative scenario, what do we do with those thoughts? 

We can remind ourselves God has good plans for us, to prosper us and not to harm us, and believe it!  Know that even when storms do come He has promised us His grace will be sufficient for each day. We can declare God is on our side, no weapon formed against us will prosper, and He has promised to restore health back to us, and give us a satisfying long life, that He will meet our needs as we trust Him. 

We can turn the negatives round, “Just supposing I walk in extra energy and strength today. Supposing I have so much I can go and be a blessing to someone who’s struggling. Just supposing my family have a change of heart and come to know Jesus this year. Supposing I get a job that is way beyond anything I thought possible or have a home that’s better than I even imagined” You see it can work both ways! It’s our choice and it’s called faith based on God’s word. Believing for good not bad!😊

The enemy will tempt us to give in to his negative thoughts through worry, which tends to draw negative things towards us, but when we walk by faith we’ll have the right thinking, the right ‘Just Supposings’. 

Proverbs 23:7 NKJV reminds us that what is in our hearts will come out of our mouths unless we ask God to renew our hearts and our thinking. Are we asking?

As we begin another week let’s choose to believe and declare what God says and have the right ‘Just Supposings’’. Believe for the best day, the best week, that whatever we put our hand to will prosper, that He is restoring our strength and health, and that we‘re going to see God’s favour all over our lives.😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

Photo: Brett Jordan on Unsplash

FAITHFUL ONE

Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT 

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! 

His mercies never cease. 

Great is his faithfulness; 

his mercies begin afresh each morning.

I had the song running through my head "Faithful One, So Unchanging", written in 1989, but it’s still relevant today.

Our God is unchanging, so faithful to us all, and His love and mercy never fail, which is so reassuring in a changing world where nothing seems to stay the same for very long at all! He’s the same to you and me as He was with the disciples, with Moses and King David!😊

He is the only One who we know will never leave us or forsake us, who will never let us down. He’s the One who hears our every heart cry, who understands us when we don’t understand ourselves, and the song says, ‘He is our Rock of Peace, the Anchor who holds us steady in the storms.’

2 Timothy 2:13 NKJV If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. I wonder if we’ve thanked Him today for being so faithful to each one of us, for not giving up on us when we maybe wander off, when we doubt His promises are for us, and forget we owe everything to Him.

God tells us to depend wholly on Him for everything, not to lean on our own understanding or performance. It’s all about what Jesus has done and I was reminded recently that when we feel discouraged with ourselves, we have been trusting in ourselves instead of trusting in God! That really struck home!  

1 Corinthians 1:9 NKJV God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Just in case we’ve been ‘trying to do’ anything relying on our performance, let’s go back to the Faithful One and put all our dependance back on Jesus and know He is our Rock of Peace and we can call out to Him again and again, knowing He is our Faithful God. Thank You Jesus. Amen.

Here’s the link to ‘Faithful One’ if you’d like to listen😊:

https://youtu.be/8lhLiLXS5qQ?si=kM3LoIn1YKsVeOk9

Photo: Regine Tholen on Unsplash

A GOOD DAY TO HAVE A GOOD DAY

Psalm 118:24 NCV This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad today!

I saw this plate in a gift shop and it says, “Today is a good day to have a good day”. I like that thought, don’t you?😊 Maybe you woke up this morning and thought about all you have to do and wanted to crawl back under the duvet! But the psalmist reminds us to rejoice in the Lord because He made today and we can choose to be glad in it, not sad in it!

Two of the many reasons why we can do that is because God loves us, and we are surrounded by His favour when we belong to Him.😊 Jeremiah 31:3 says God has loved us with an everlasting love and He draws us to Himself, David says we are surrounded by God’s favour like a shield (Psalm 5:12 NKJV). So what difference does knowing that make to our day?

Let me put it like this, when you woke up this morning God was waiting for you to open your eyes because He has favour all lined up to pour out on whatever you need to do today so that you’re at the right place at the right time to receive His blessings, to help you with your tasks.

When the enemy comes to accuse us of our short comings, he’s trying to make us think God is not pleased with us, but nothing could be further from the truth! It’s a lie! God calls us precious in His eyes (Isaiah 43:4 ESV) and there is now no condemnation for those in Christ (Romans 8:1). He’s not mad at us about anything because He sees us in Jesus. Remember His love is everlasting and His favour is now all over us, but we need to believe it and receive it.😊 

When we go for interviews have the mindset which says “Thank You Father I have your favour on me for this job.” When we go to the shops, “Thank You Lord I will be at the right place at the right time for bargains today because I have Your favour.” When you go about your routines at home or in the workplace, “Thank You Lord Your favour is helping me do things well today.”

If we keep confessing we have God’s favour (because He says we do), we shall be able to rejoice and be glad and know ‘today is a good day to have a good day’, whatever day it is, because God is in it with us, and His favour and love are all over us because of Jesus. 😊Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x😊