GLORIES STILL TO COME

Haggai 2:9 NKJV The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

My lovely pot of pansies was now looking bedraggled, and although there was a bit of life in them, they needed replacing. As I pulled them out I noticed the seed heads had popped and now some time later, lo and behold, tiny plants have popped up in amongst the new red geraniums! Hurray! Free pansies to come.😊

Sometimes our lives can feel a bit like those bedraggled pansies were, but we hang on to the familiar and don’t like to dig it up because there’s still a bit of life in it! But God has new seeds coming up and we need to give them room to grow, to recognise the new season when it presents itself and not just make room for it, but to welcome it, because it will be beautiful in its own way too. 

The best years of our lives can still be ahead of us if we’ll believe for it. Jesus said all things are possible to those who believe. Let’s be believers!😊

The old days may have been glorious but God says the glory and peace of the days still to come, our latter days, will exceed the glory of the former days. How encouraging that is!

Philippians 1:6 NKJV 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.

Even if your life is looking a bit bedraggled right now, God wants you to take heart, it’s not the end of your story! He still has glories to unfold in all our lives and the seeds God has planted in us in days gone by are about to spring up and bear new growth, new fruit, new harvests, as long as we water them with the water of faith and have expectant hearts.😊

2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

There are new glories still to come! Believe it and receive it today. Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

Photo: Shelley Johnson on Unsplash.

COMPANY OF A FRIEND

1 Corinthians 1:9 AMPC God is faithful (reliable, trustworthy, and therefore ever true to His promise, and He can be depended on); by Him you were called into companionship and participation with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Do you ever meet up with a friend? Maybe you go shopping together, or you invite them to go out for a coffee, or to go for a walk? You want to have their companionship because you enjoy their company.😊

Our verse talks about companionship with Jesus. In Revelation He speaks of standing and knocking on the door of our hearts and if we’ll open the door to Him He will come in and dine with us. He wants our companionship which is a lovely thought. He wants to share His plans and thoughts with us but we have to spend time together for us to hear what they are.

Next time when we’re waiting for a bus, or waiting for the red traffic light to change, or at any moment of the day, we can be aware of Jesus keeping us company in that moment. I know it’s always good to have time set aside specifically to read His word and listen to Him but we can be doing it no matter where we are or what we’re doing.😊

God never leaves us, He is in us and we can lean into Him at any time and be aware of His companionship. We can talk to Him when we go to the beach, when we walk in the woods, when we go to the supermarket. 

John 15:15 NLT I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. Jesus is the friend who sticks closer than a brother, through thick and thin. He wants to confide in us like good friends do, and He has all wisdom at His fingertips ready to counsel and help us when we confide in Him. He’s the best friend of all, who loves us and never criticises us but who guides and directs our footsteps.

2 Corinthians 13:14 NIV May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

So next time we sit down for a cuppa, or we go for a walk, it’s actually a golden opportunity to invite Jesus’ Holy Spirit to keep us company like good friends do, and just enjoy His companionship and His friendship.😊 Amen.

Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash

DO WHAT YOU KNOW

John 15:14 AMPC You are My friends if you keep on doing the things which I command you to do.

We all have questions in life and I heard someone say this recently, “Don’t let what you don’t know stop you from doing what you do know!”, and it really struck me! There are lots of things we probably don’t know or understand in the spiritual realm but it doesn’t need to stop us from obeying God’s instructions and leaving the outcome to Him.😊

I know some reasons why our healing is hindered but others I don’t understand yet, but it doesn’t stop me from praying for people or from taking authority over the devil and resisting him in my own life. It doesn’t stop me telling him to take his lying symptoms with him and to take his hands off me because I belong to God, and because by Jesus’ wounds I was healed (1 Peter 2:24). I know to do that much, so I do it!😊

We don’t need to know everything! We just need to know the One who does, and we have Him living on the inside of us if we belong to Jesus. God has told us to ask for wisdom and He will give it to us, but to ask in faith. (James 1:5-6) 

In Luke 6:38 Jesus told us to “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” I don’t know how or why that works, but I do know if I do it, it will happen!

We may not know why we’re told to declare we’re strong when we feel weak (Joel 3:10), but I do it because we’re told to do it. If we wait till we understand everything we will do absolutely nothing, but if we go with the little bit we do know, when we just obey, God will make up the difference.😊

As long as we remember we are dealing with spiritual things and that we are to walk in the Spirit, not our mind, or our flesh (Galations 5:16) we will allow the Holy Spirit to work through us for our benefit and others.

So be encouraged to just do what scripture tells us, and “Don’t let what you don’t know, stop you from doing what you do know.” 😊 Amen.

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NOT FORGOTTEN

Isaiah 49:15 NLT “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you!

How often has someone said to us, or we’ve said to them “I won’t forget you” but with the best will in the world, we have forgotten. We all move on, life becomes busy and memories fade.😊

But God tells us that there is no possibility of Him ever forgetting us, that our names are written on the palm of His hand so He can’t forget. In fact Psalm 139 reminds us that He’s actually thinking about us all the time and that He cares deeply about everything going on in our lives.

We don’t have to send Him a text to give Him a nudge that we’re still here and even though He may be silent for a time it doesn’t mean He’s wandered off and forgotten all about us.

I’ve heard it said that if God had a wallet our photo would be front and centre, so let’s take encouragement from the certain knowledge that God is thinking about us even when we don’t feel Him or see Him at work. 

Psalm 44:1 NKJV reminds us that God chose us, He formed us in the womb, He will help us and that we’ve not to fear. Verse 3 He goes on to say He will pour out His Spirit on our descendants, and His blessing on our offspring. How wonderful it is that God’s care goes beyond us to the next generations. He won’t forget them either!😊

Nor does God forget our efforts. Hebrews 6:10 For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.

We can rest on His promises, and believe His declaration that He will not forget us. What reassurance there is in that for each one of us. So no matter what is happening in your life take comfort - you are not forgotten!

Thank You Lord. Amen.

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NOISY GONGS!

1 Corinthians 16:14 NLT And do everything with love.

I heard this said in church last Sunday, “We may not all do great things, but we can all do small things with great love.” What a profound quote!😊

Maybe you have dreams of doing great things for the Lord and you may well do, but until then we all know we can at least attempt small things and do them with His great love as our motivation.

Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 13:1 NLT If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. None of us want to be a noisy gong! It implies that if we can’t do something with love we’re better not doing it, we’re wasting our time!

I wonder how often people do things for the wrong reasons, or because it’s their duty, or they’ve been doing it for 20 years and now the joy has gone out of it but they carry on anyway? If the love has gone we can either ask the Lord to rekindle it if He wants us to carry on, or ask Him if it’s time to stop and do something different.

It can be a bit like pushing a boulder up a hill, when the love has gone out of it, it’s just hard slog. But equally we can do the smallest service for somebody, speak a little word of encouragement and if we’re doing it in love it will have wonderful repercussions for them and for us. I believe God counts those things as great things.😊

So this is a little nudge as we go about our day, to just see if the things we’re doing are motivated by love and if not, to ask the Lord to help us tap into His love, no matter what we find to do, so we don’t have a lot of noisy gongs going on!😊 Amen.

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GOD’S SURPRISES

1 Corinthians 2:9 ERV But as the Scriptures say, “No one has ever seen, no one has ever heard, no one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

Have you ever come to a drawer or cupboard and it’s been so rammed with stuff that there’s just no space to put anything else? It’s when we realise we might need some help clearing out to make room for something else!😊

I read this the other day. “Make room for God to surprise you.” What a lovely thought and just as we need to make room for things in our cupboards, we also need to make room for God to have His way in our lives. Room for His thoughts which are so much higher than ours, room for the things He has prepared for us, when we can make life so organised there’s no room for God to move!

It’s a time to reflect and acknowledge God maybe needs more room in our lives, because He has things in our future that can’t unfold until we choose to make room for them. Does that make sense to you? Our calendars can be so filled that there’s no room for God’s surprises and maybe this is a nudge to ask Him for help to make it possible.😊

Perhaps there are activities in your life that started out as necessary but have become a habit and maybe God is saying to let something go because He has something more interesting, more beneficial for you? Sometimes we have to be willing to let go of the good, in order for God to give us something better.

Maybe it’s time for us all to make some room for God to surprise us? Maybe He has joy to give us but are we so care worn there’s no room for it? Maybe He has a bucketload of peace He wants to pour into our lives but until we let go of the worries we can’t enjoy it. Maybe He has organised a new opportunity but we’re too busy to push the door and see where it leads.

Whatever it is He wants to give us it will be for our benefit, for our blessing so why not sit and have a think over the summer holidays, “Where do I need to make more room for God in my life, so He can surprise me?” I know He will show you.😊 Amen.

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AS LONG AS I LIVE

Psalm 104:33-35 NLT 

33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.

I will praise my God to my last breath!

34 May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,

for I rejoice in the Lord.

35 Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth;

let the wicked disappear forever.

Let all that I am praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!

Praise God we’re still breathing … that’s all of us or we wouldn’t be reading these words! Yesterday we looked at what we can still do if we’re still breathing and the Psalmist says a similar thing today in these verses.

He’s so thrilled with God he just wants to praise Him all the time, even to his last breath. God wants us to finish well and this is how we want to do it when our time comes - with the praises of God on our lips. But until then, we have the opportunity to praise Him now, in our present circumstances.😊

We’re encouraged to think thoughts that will please God and some of those thoughts will be to rejoice in the Lord. To rejoice in who He is and all He has done for us, for His promises which are yes and amen in Christ Jesus, for the gift of His Holy Spirit to counsel, comfort and guide us each day. We can praise Him for the authority He has delegated to us over all the works of the enemy and the sheer joy of our salvation, of belonging to God, of being one of His beloved children.

It truly is His breath in our lungs so let’s lift our voices and sing to the Lord today and rejoice in Him knowing we are His beloved, the child whom Jesus loves. In Jesus name. Amen.

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FREE INDEED!

John 8:31-32 NKJV Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 

V.36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

I don’t know about you but there’s something about waking up to sunshine streaming in the window that lifts our spirits. When we remember the long, wet, cold days of winter, of wearing multiple layers of jumpers and woolly hats and coats, it’s glorious to have the freedom sunshine and warmth bring!😊

Jesus came to give us freedom. Freedom from the rule of Satan and his kingdom, freedom from sin and guilt, and the hold it had over us, but sometimes we forget we have been set free and maybe don’t appropriate it the way we should.

Jesus reminded us that the enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy and if that is happening in any shape or form in our lives then we know the enemy is at work. But the glorious good news is Jesus also said He came to give us life, to the full, till it overflows! That is still His intention for each one of us today and He went to the cross to achieve it for us, to give us the freedom to use His authority over all the works of the enemy. He wants us to use it!😊

Even if you don’t have sunshine where you live today, you can know the wonderful freedom Jesus came to give us. May we learn to enter into all He has planned for us more and more, whether we’re young or older because God is still working to bring to completion the work He began in each one of us. What an uplifting thought that is, God’s not finished with any of us yet!

If we’re still breathing there’s still someone to pray for, something to learn, praise and thanks to be given to God and to others, and people to love. There are still opportunities to use our faith and trust God more.

Whether it’s summer or winter, there are still ‘Son’ filled days ahead, days filled with the knowledge of all Jesus has done for us, and is doing for us, in setting us free from whatever is trying to hold us back, because whom the Lord sets free is free indeed.😊 Thank You Lord. Amen.

2 Corinthians 3:17 NLT For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Have a very blessed weekend.x

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SAFE IN GOD’S HANDS

Psalm 31:15 NKJV My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me.

Whose hands are our times in? King David went through fiery trial after trial and yet He had complete confidence in his God and trusted his times into God’s hand, no matter what happened. 

If we belong to Jesus then our times are in His nail pierced hands. Our times are in the hands of the One who flung stars and worlds into space, and yet He knows everything about our personal small lives. He knows when we sit down and rise up, He knows what we’ll say before we say it!

Our times are in the hands of the One whose thoughts about us are more than the sand on the seashore. Our times are not in the hands of a fickle fate, not in the hands of a horoscope or a fortune teller. God forbid! Our times are held in the hands of the One who is concerned about everything that concerns us, who has promised to work all things out for our good when we love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.😊

The word ‘times’ in the original refers to our experiences, the seasons of our lives, all the different things that happen each day. All those ‘times’ are in God’s loving sovereign, powerful hands. We can be glad we’re not in the hands or the whims of a government, or any other powers.

No matter what happens today, let’s commit it into the hands of the One who knows us intimately, who we can trust implicitly, and know that He will be watching over our going out and our coming in, to sustain and help us around the clock.

And one day His loving hand will reach down and take us home to be with Him forever so our eternity is secured as well, but until then we can rest in the certain wonderful knowledge that our times (and our eternity) are safe in His loving hands. In Jesus name. Amen.😊

THE GOD WHO DELIVERS US

Esther 5:16 NLT So Haman’s wife, Zeresh, and all his friends suggested, “Set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall, and in the morning ask the king to impale Mordecai on it. When this is done, you can go on your merry way to the banquet with the king.” This pleased Haman, and he ordered the pole set up.

Have you ever been in a situation where the more you prayed the worse it seemed to get? If so, be encouraged today by Esther’s story!

Esther was in the situation where the whole Jewish race, in the land where she lived, were to be annihilated on a certain day. Mordecai had refused to bow down to Haman, the king’s man, and his hatred of Mordecai led to a decree to wipe out all the Jews. Mordecai challenged Esther to not keep quiet, to use her position as queen to appeal to the king, but she knew if she did she could be executed, so she asked her people to pray and fast for three days.

She was a brave lady and put her life on the line to ask the king for a favour. All seemed to be going well and she was to meet up again with the King and the evil perpetrator Haman the next day, but in the night Haman’s family incited him to have a gallows made on which to hang Mordecai the following morning! Overnight the situation went from bad to worse! It looked hopeless! Ever been there?

So often we only see half a picture, we only have half the story, and we can’t see the end result that God has planned. As the story unfolds we see God at work and at the eleventh hour His delivering hand intervenes to change the course of history. We’re reminded God is in control of our lives, even when things look like they couldn’t get any worse, but if we do as He says His plans are worked out.😊

So if you’ve been praying, don’t give up, even if things look like they’ve only grown worse. Know that God is working things out that we know nothing about, and He can turn situations around when all seems lost and it looks impossible. 

Jesus told us that nothing is impossible for God and if we trust Him and His timing, He will work all things together for our good. Esther faced execution for going to see the king, Mordecai faced the gallows because he wouldn’t bow to man. God delivered them both, and the whole Jewish population who faced annihilation. God doesn’t do half  a job, He rescued them all!😊

Our God is the same God who delivers us, so be encouraged today that whatever you are facing, God is still our delivering God. In Jesus name. Amen.😊

Photo: Ben White on Unsplash

STRESSED?

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.    

I read this comment recently which made me chuckle. It said “The reason we eat ice cream, chocolate and cakes when we’re stressed, is because ‘stressed’ spelt backwards says, ‘desserts’!  That explains everything!🤣

Seriously though, when we’re stressed the answer isn’t comfort eating, tempting though it is, but there has to be a better antidote and there is!

God’s stress busters come in different shapes and one of them is His supernatural peace which we don’t go to the chemist to buy, it’s available as a free gift and we don’t even have to queue up to receive it. God has already placed it inside us as one of the fruit of the Spirit and it’s in there for us to tap in to at any time, but when we’re under pressure we tend to forget Jesus said, “My peace I leave with you…” We have it, so let’s use it and put it to work!😊

Other stress busters are God’s promises. When we worry about paying bills, we need to remind ourselves God has promised to provide all our needs by Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19). When we’re stressed with fear, and panic wants to set in, we remember God is for us, that He is the Almighty who is in us, beside us, holding us up and nothing can separate us from His love. God is for us so who can successfully be against us? No one!

Our verse above reminds us to pray about everything and anything with a thankful heart, so whatever is trying to stress us out, we can take a deep breath and talk to our heavenly Dad who loves us and ask for His calm to fill us.

And let’s remember we can call on the name of Jesus our Champion, who defeated every devil in hell, who is interceding on our behalf with the Father. When we call out ‘Jesus’ He is right there with us and angels are assigned to rush to our aid. 

So next time we’re stressed out, don’t let’s go to the cake tin, but call instead on the Holy Spirit to help us overcome whatever it is trying to stress us out in that moment, and then when we’ve overcome maybe we can have a cake to celebrate our victory.🤣 Amen.

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WHEN LIFE HAS US PUZZLED

James 1:5-6 NLT If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.

I saw this photo of two jigsaw puzzle pieces and thought they’re a bit like life when we feel ‘puzzled’ or when we can’t seem to work things out.😊 

We all have times when things don’t appear to want to come together, when we have more questions than we do answers. So what do we do then?

Well there’s only one Person who knows all the answers so we go to Him. The Holy Spirit is our Counsellor and our Helper and He tells us what to do in the verses above. Divided loyalty is when we ask every Tom, Dick and Harry for their input and we become confused. It’s only God’s input we want!

The trouble is, do we ask but then forget to stop and listen for the answer? Do we dash off to do the next thing? Maybe we could all do with learning to give God the courtesy of sitting and listening long enough to receive the answer. It’s a bit like ringing the doctor and asking for advise and then putting the phone down before he draws breath to reply! Or listening to the answer then ignoring the advice!

Have we ever asked God but already decided what we want to do before hand? Or we didn’t like the answer so we delayed doing it?  Jesus said the Holy Spirit would show us things to come, that He would give us wise counsel but He doesn’t always answer on our time table! I heard of one lady who asked the Holy Spirit to speak to her and she waited and waited and had no response so she fell asleep waiting. Later that night the Lord woke her right up, and what she heard changed her life.😊

God does answer us but it may not come when we expect, it may come as an impression to do something, or a verse of scripture or through some other way, but He has promised to answer us, so this is to encourage us to make sure we’re still listening and willing to do as He says, even if it’s not always what we wanted to hear!😊 Amen.

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DAY AND NIGHT

Psalm 74:16 NLT Both day and night belong to you; you made the starlight and the sun.

Have you ever heard anyone say,”I woke in the middle of the night and everything seemed so much better!”? Probably not!😊 We usually hear people say things seemed to feel so much worse in the night but when the morning came they saw things in a different light.

This verse reminds us of how powerful our God is because He made the night, with the moon and stars, He made the day with the sun, and He knows what’s going on throughout the earth whatever time it is. God is with us in the depths of the night, or in the brightness of the day, and He remains the same, He doesn’t change like we do.😊

Psalm 139:12 NLT but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.

So what difference does that make to us? It gives us confidence that whatever time of day or night, if we’re anxious, if we’re suffering illness or pain, whatever our condition, God is right there with us to strengthen and uphold us. He’s there to comfort and give us His peace, His assurance that we can trust Him to bring us through and out the other side of our troubles. 

Our feelings change but God is constantly good and faithful to us. He’ll never let us go and He has us in the palm of His hand. So be encouraged whether the moon is out or the sun is shining, God is there with you and take heart from these words…

Psalm 139:17-18 NLT How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!
I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! 

Lord as we go into our new week, whether it’s the middle of the night or during the day, we thank You, You’re always with us. You are our God, our strong tower, our refuge and our fortress and we trust You Lord. Amen.

GOD GIVES US LIFE

Nehemiah 9:5-7 NIV

“Stand up and praise the Lord your God, 

who is from everlasting to everlasting.”

“Blessed be your glorious name, 

and may it be exalted 

above all blessing and praise.

6 You alone are the Lord. 

You made the heavens,

 even the highest heavens, 

and all their starry host, 

the earth and all that is on it, 

the seas and all that is in them. 

You give life to everything, 

and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

7 You have kept your promise because you are righteous.

These verses say it all and if we’re still breathing then it’s because God has given us the breath to breathe and it means we can praise the Lord for all His goodness to us.

We know the earth will one day be folded up and a new heaven and a new earth will come in it’s place but until then we can thank the Lord for the wonders of this one, that every morning and evening He paints the sky with a glorious new sunrise and sunset and give Him all the glory.

So let’s join together with the multitudes of heaven and fellow believers across the earth today as we lift high the name of Jesus and remember He is the God who always keeps His promises from everlasting to everlasting. How reassuring that is.😊 Thank You Lord. Amen.

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WHEN WE DON’T KNOW WHY

Psalm 37:5-6 NLT Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.

Have you ever been asked a question and as you scratched your head you’ve had to admit, “I don’t know”. There is so much we don’t know in this life even if we have a degree, or we’ve travelled the world, or had multiple experiences, there will always be things we don’t know!😊

There will come a time in all our lives when things happen, either to us, or to others around us, and we won’t know why. We’ve probably all asked the Lord the age old question “Why?” We’ve been confused, frustrated or just worn out trying to figure it out. But a better question would be  “How will I react, not having the reason, if I never know why?” 

One of the greatest tests of our faith is when we don’t know why, and we have a choice to make. If we’re wise we’ll decide to say, “I’m going to trust You Lord because you know why and You are a good God and I don’t need to know why. I trust you Lord because You are righteous and fair and You loved us enough to go to the cross and you’ve promised not to withhold anything good from us so I’m going to trust You, no matter what. Till I breathe my last breath I’m going to trust You, even though I don’t know why things are the way they are, or why they haven’t resolved the way I wanted. I trust You.”

When we do that, the enemy is defeated and he has no power over us. Scripture reminds us what will happen when we choose to trust God. Isaiah 26:3 NIV You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.  Jeremiah 17:7 NIV But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

It doesn’t say we’ll be blessed when we shake our fist at God and wail and moan! It says we’ll stay in peace and be blessed and be shown what to do next, when we trust Him.😊

So this is a gentle nudge, next time we want to ask “Why?”, to decide to simply tell God we’re going to trust Him, no matter what, even though we never know why. In Jesus name. Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x

MINDFUL OF THE RIGHT THINGS

Nehemiah 9:17 (NKJV) They refused to obey, And they were not mindful of Your wonders That You did among them. (NIV) They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them,

I wonder what your mind is full of at the minute? Perhaps it’s full of Sport, or full of everything you have to cram into your day? Maybe it’s full of confusion or worry, or you’re angry with a situation or even angry with God? Or maybe your mind is full of the holidays to come and all your lovely plans; full of gratefulness for being alive and mindful you’re loved by God?

Whatever it is our mind is full of, God wants it to be full of acknowledging His presence in our lives, of the goodness and kindness He has poured out on us, of the wonders of His world around us, full of the knowledge that He will never forsake us, and of His loving care.

When our minds are full of all the right things we have peace in our spirit, we have the deep down joy that comes from knowing who we are in Christ. We can remember we’re beloved and accepted and approved by God because of Jesus, that we have been given the name of Jesus, which is above every other name, and He has given us His authority to use it to bring down strongholds in our lives.

Society is big on ‘Mindfulness’ at the minute - it’s fashionable! But God’s mindfulness is not fashionable, it’s essential for our walk of faith in Christ. When we’re mindful of all the blessings of God, when we give thanks, when we rehearse His goodness in our lives, then our mindfulness will produce the fruit of peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.😊

God is reminding us to be mindful of Him today, so let’s ask for His help to clear our minds of the things that distract us and aren’t helpful, and instead let’s choose to fill our minds in the coming days with the goodness and kindness of our God, with the wonders of His grace, the amazing gift of His righteousness and who He has made us to be in Jesus.😊 Amen.

Photo by Léonard Cotte on Unsplash

A BAG OF POTATOES

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

Have you tried lifting a big bag of potatoes lately? If you have you’ll know how heavy it is, especially if you have to carry it very far, as a friend of mine shared with me recently!😊

In the same way, life can feel like we’re carrying a very heavy bag, not of potatoes, but of burdens and cares that are just too heavy for us. They may be worries about family situations, or big health issues, perhaps they’re financial burdens and all of them seem to weigh us down, growing heavier and heavier the longer we hold on to them. When something happens that’s ‘another’ thing to worry about, it can feel like it’s the last straw that breaks the camel’s back!

A bag of potatoes is full of individual potatoes but when they’re all together they seem much heavier. Maybe your worries are not all big. Perhaps you think you can handle some of them on your own but God never intended us to carry any of them, regardless of how big or small they may be! He said to cast all our cares!😊

I read some good advice a long time ago, where it said to write down each ‘worry’ on a piece of paper. Then see yourself hand it over to our loving Father because He loves us so deeply and He’s the only One with shoulders big enough to carry it all. Then rip the piece of paper up into pieces and put it in the waste bin. You’ve handed them over!

It means they are now in God’s ‘IN’ box, they’re no longer in our bag of cares, no longer our burden but His, and we can have confidence knowing He is dealing with each and every one of them in His time and in His way and He will help us with our part in it all. When the enemy comes and whispers in our ear, “What about so and so”, we can tell him we’ve handed that care over to God and it’s not our burden any more.

Let’s read it again - 1 Peter 5:7 AMP casting all your cares (all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all) on Him, for He cares about you (with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully).    

If your cares are weighing you down and maybe you can’t sleep, then the Holy Spirit is encouraging us all to know it’s time to hand those things over to our Good Shepherd and trust Him to sort them out, and as we do, allow His peace to fill our souls and enter the rest Jesus bought and paid for, for us.😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

Photo by Mads Eneqvist on Unsplash

PREPARE OUR HEARTS

2 Chronicles 12:14 NKJV And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord.

When we prepare a meal we first have to think about what we want to make, what would be best for all concerned. We assemble the ingredients, turn on the oven, etc. and (in my case), we hope it turns out all right!🤣

In the same way we’re willing to take time to prepare a meal, we need to be willing to take time to prepare our hearts to seek the Lord because if we don’t we may be like King Rehoboam and fall into doing something we shouldn’t be doing, or starting on a distracting road which pulls us away from God.

So how do we prepare our hearts? It helps when we shift our focus from all the daily routine, from the distractions of the digital world, from the pressure of other people’s expectations, and set aside some time to focus our attention instead on reading God’s word, seeking to know Him and His way of doing things, listening for His inner voice or an impression, if He wants us to change the way we do things, or think differently.

Maybe you think you don’t have time, you’re too busy? If so, then maybe the Lord is trying to get your attention to prioritise what is important, to remind us spending time with Him is what we need most!😊

God wants our attention because He loves us and He is always seeking to bring us into His good plans, but if we don’t spend time with Him how will we know what they are? Think of the good things we might miss! Think of the warnings God might be trying to give us to prevent us being harmed. 

God says He rewards those who diligently seek Him, so I hope that encourages us to shift our focus for a while, to prepare our hearts and find out what the Lord is saying to us in the coming days.😊 Amen.

Photo by Babs Gorniak on Unsplash

ROBIN WITH NO TAIL

Philippians 4:13 NKJV I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

The other day we noticed a little robin hopping about in the grass and he had no tail feathers. We don’t know if they never grew in from when he was fledged or if something has pulled them out, but he definitely hasn’t got any! Despite his lack, he still manages to fly and do what other robins do!😊

Maybe you feel like you’ve had some of your tail feathers pulled out recently or you’re lacking something which you feel could put you at a disadvantage, but I felt God was saying it won’t stop you from flying either!

2 Corinthians 12:9 AMP but He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.”Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.

God says His grace will be sufficient for each day, that His mercies are new every morning and that He will supply whatever we need. So even though we may feel like we’re missing something, God will fill the gap if we keep our eyes on Him and focus on what we do have and not on what we don’t have.😊

Maybe you don’t have what you used to have and you feel like something has messed you up. Mephibosheth felt like that and yet when David gave him the benefit of his covenant he had his father’s lands and servants restored to him, he had all the help he needed, and he ate like a king at the kings table!

Whether we’ve had something taken away or not, or we’re feeling a sense of loss, God is reminding us we’re in covenant relationship with Him and He will provide whatever it is we’re going to need in the days ahead. So don’t let the enemy make you think you’ll just have to hop about in the grass, but look up and know God says He’ll make sure you can still fly anyway!😊 Amen.

Photo by Chris on Unsplash

PAY NO ATTENTION

1 Corinthians 13:5 AMPC It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

Have you ever been riled up by what someone has said or done? Ever recounted an ‘episode’ when someone offended you? I think we can all put our hands up at some time when we’ve done it. We may think we’re justified in our indignation at the time, and yet the Holy Spirit is teaching us it’s not the best way!😊

The whole of this passage from verses 4-8 is about the quality of love and we often hear it read at weddings. Maybe it would help us if we read it every morning before we bounced out of bed! It might just put the brakes on some of our more unloving thoughts, whether it’s towards a person, or the government!

It says to pay no attention to a suffered wrong. That’s not easy is it? And yet it’s the life God has called us to and the only way to live it is to let God’s love, which the Holy Spirit has already put in our hearts, have more say in our lives. When we want to bite back, when we want to have the last word, it’s when we have a choice to make. Will I surrender to God’s love, let it have it’s way and have a gentle answer, or will I go with the flesh!?

It’s a bit like parking where we’re not supposed to. We’re not supposed to stay parked on an offence or there will be a fine to pay! 

Galations 5:6 reminds us that our faith will only work through love and if we’re finding our faith is struggling and things don’t seem to be working, then maybe it’s worth doing a ‘love’ check and see if we’re holding on to an offence or to an evil done to us or someone else.

As we go into a fresh week, God is saying to each one of us, it’ s time to pay no attention to those offences anymore, let them go, take no more account of them. God has forgiven us so much, now it’s our turn to forgive others, and let His love flow again. In Jesus name. Amen. 😊

Photo by J Dean on Unsplash

SHOUT JOYFUL PRAISES

1

Psalm 66:1-5, 8-9 NLT

Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth! 

2 Sing about the glory of his name!

Tell the world how glorious he is.

3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!

Your enemies cringe before your mighty power.

4 Everything on earth will worship you;

they will sing your praises,

shouting your name in glorious songs.” Interlude

5 Come and see what our God has done,

what awesome miracles he performs for people!

8 Let the whole world bless our God

and loudly sing his praises.

9 Our lives are in his hands,

and he keeps our feet from stumbling.

The lovely thing about praising God is that it takes our eyes off ourselves and our problems and it lifts our eyes to the only One who has all the answers. He has the solutions before we have the problems so we can know we’re in good hands.😊

Verse 9 reminds us that our whole lives are in His hands, not just our work, or the family, or our finances. Absolutely everything is in His hands, and that includes our emotions, our struggles and every aspect of life. There’s nothing too big or too small that we can’t come and talk to God about it and know He’s already put things in place for our deliverance and provision. What a wonderful God we serve!

We know David stumbled morally and yet he was saying God kept him from stumbling, He kept him spiritually anchored despite his failure and when he repented God forgave his sin. Maybe we think, because we’ve sinned, or wandered off, that God has given up on us, but He still has a strong hold on us to keep us from falling away, and gives us grace even when we fail and make mistakes. 

What a merciful God He is and it’s no wonder the Psalmist wants us to tell the world how glorious He is. God loves us, He is for us, He is fighting our battles and wants us to be fruitful and successful. What more could we want? 

Let’s give Him all our joyful praise today and lift His name on high. The Psalmist says to do it loudly, to shout it out, not timidly or half heartedly but with all we’ve got, wherever we happen to be. In Jesus mighty name. Amen.

Photo by James Coleman on Unsplash

THE THREE CHEERS

Do you need cheering up today? Has life been wearing you down a bit lately? If so, I thought we’d look at the three cheers of Jesus and hopefully they will do what He intended them to do and cheer us up too.😊

Matthew 9:2 NKJV Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”

1ST CHEER - The Power of God to forgive sins and the power to heal. Jesus says, “Cheer up!”  Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever and so what He said then still applies to us now.😊

                                                                                ***

Matthew 14:27 NKJV But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

2ND CHEER - the Presence of God. We can cheer up because Jesus is with us in the person of the Holy Spirit. He’s always with us and He will never abandon us! (Hebrews 13:5) No matter what we face, or what we’re afraid of, we’re never on our own. God is right there with us in the trouble.😊

                                                                                ***

John 16:33 NKJV These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

3RD CHEER - the Promise of God. We have the promise of peace in the trouble and the ability to overcome it through Jesus. 

                                                                                ***

Jesus has forgiven us our sins and paid for our healing, we have His presence at all times no matter what the trouble, and such a wonderful promise of peace and overcoming ability.

The Power, the Presence, and the Promise of God. Jesus has given us three reasons to cheer up, now can I encourage us all to give Him everything that’s pulled us down, and just believe what He says and let Him cheer us up too. Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

FROM SUNRISE TO SUNSET

Psalm 113:3 AMP From the rising of the sun to its setting The name of the Lord is to be praised [with awe-inspired reverence].

Just at the moment we are experiencing our second heat wave in the UK in the past few weeks, and many of us do struggle to cope with the heat because we’re not used to it. Although it’s lovely to wake up and see a sunny sky instead of a cold, wet, grey dismal one! Yesterday it was around 36 degrees!

So often when we read this verse we think of the old song “From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same”, and it can become a bit too familiar. But the Psalmist reminds us that every moment of our day, whether it’s sunny or otherwise, we can be praising our God with awe inspired reverence.

I don’t know where the sun rises at your house but it rises at the front of ours and gradually moves around to set at the back. Because we’re all so focused on the sun at the minute wouldn’t it be good to turn it into focusing on our God and recognising how wonderfully powerful He is and how amazing that He knows each one of us by name. He knows how many hairs are on our heads and He’s even aware of when we sit down or stand up.😊

Wherever we happen to be today, even if we’re feeling the heat, let’s praise the Lord for His goodness and kindness to us which never changes regardless of the weather.

His sun has risen and gone down on generations before us and whether it’s shining or not, we know our God is always providing and caring for us, no matter what season we’re in.

So next time we feel somewhat overwhelmed with the heat, maybe we can turn it around, grab a tall cold glass of water, and praise our God today with the awe inspired reverence He is due.😊 Amen.

Photo: Bobby on Unsplash

GOD IS FIGHTING OUR BATTLES

2 Chronicles 32:7-8 NLT  “Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side! He may have a great army, but they are merely men. We have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!” Hezekiah’s words greatly encouraged the people.

We all have battles of one kind or another. Some are bigger than others but whatever size they are God doesn’t want us to fight them on our own! He goes as far as to say we can be strong and courageous even when we’re not very brave in our own selves, because we have the Greater One inside us to call on.

The Holy Spirit is with us around the clock and He reminds us that God is our strong tower, God is helping us and fighting our battles, and God is for us not against us! The trouble is we tend to forget!

So what battles are you fighting today? Are you battling fear or lack of finances, battling health issues or family troubles? Maybe you’re battling with doubts? Whatever it is, God wants us to know we don’t have to face those battles in our own strength because we have the Creator of the universe living on the inside of us and He does the impossible, He brings our enemies to their knees and wipes them out, He delivers us and sets us on high.

If we focus on the battle, on our enemy, we become discouraged because we know in ourselves we can’t win, but when we focus on who our God is and how He is helping us fight our battles the whole ball game changes! We are on the winning side, we are coming from a place of victory, so we’re going out to win! That’s the mindset God wants us to have.😊

Let’s be like King Hezekiah who encouraged his people, and encourage one another to remember we have the Holy Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead, living inside us! Remember He is our Helper, our Counsellor, our Comforter, our Standby. We’re not alone in it all, we have a Champion on our side and His name is Jesus and He always wins! Praise His name. Amen.😊

Photo: Nghia Le on Unsplash

THE POWER OF ONE

John 1: 40-42 NLT Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”). Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus….

The power of one. One what you may ask? The power of one person who can tell someone else about Jesus.😊

When Andrew heard Jesus, he realised he had found the Messiah and he immediately went to find his brother Simon Peter to bring him to hear Jesus for himself. We don’t hear a lot about Andrew but he did a wonderful thing in that one act because Peter then went on to speak and literally thousands were saved  - because of one person, Andrew, doing his part first.

So often we think, “I’m only one person, what can I do?” The truth is we can be used by the Holy Spirit to speak a word about Jesus, a word about what He has done for us, and that word can help another person come to know Jesus for themselves.

One word from God can change a person’s life for eternity. One touch from God can put them on a new path that leads to life and we can be the one person who gives them that word from God. It may only take one smile, one kind act that opens someone’s heart, and we can make ourselves available to God for Him to use us at any moment.

It only takes one person to plant a seed so faith can grow. One person to speak a word of encouragement when people are low. One person to tell someone they can have a new beginning, a new hope, a way forward out of the mess, because of Jesus.

At some point some ‘one’ spoke to us about Jesus, about His love and forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit gave us the opportunity to come to know God as our Father, to have our sins washed away, and our future was changed forever. 

Lord, give us the courage to be available to be the ‘one’ who does the same thing for someone else. Amen.😊

Photo by Miguel Ángel Padriñán Alba on Unsplash

KEEP TRUSTING

Psalm 56:3 CEV 3 but even when I am afraid, I keep on trusting you.

The Bible is full of stories of peoples’ lives who have stepped out in faith to believe for something, or to do what God told them to do, but then things happen to set them back. Joseph is a classic example. He had big dreams where others would bow down to him but then he ended up in a pit. Things go from bad to worse and he finds himself a slave for 13 years and sent to prison for something he didn’t even do. He waited and waited while time was ticking by!

Do we read that he gave up? Do we discover that he became bitter? No. Actually we read how he tried to help someone else get out of the prison even when he was afraid he would never get out himself. We read that he forgave his brothers for causing all his grief in the first place and He kept trusting His God, regardless of his setbacks, regardless of the time it took!😊

Maybe circumstances have ganged up on you and you feel like you’re struggling to keep going, the answers are taking too long, or you’re afraid for the future, of what might happen, and how will it all work out? Maybe a friend or a family member has put some doubts in your mind about the step of faith you have taken and it has discouraged you? Perhaps things have gone from bad to worse and you wonder where it will all end?

If so, God wants to inject some encouragement into each one of us today because He reminds us again: Galations 6:9 TLB And let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up.

Don’t give up trusting! God is always working behind the scenes and He knows what He is doing and where we’re at. His timing is always spot on, and He’s saying even when we’re afraid, for whatever reason, keep trusting Him and don’t be discouraged because His plans will be worked out at the right time. Amen.😊