TIME TO GET YOUR BUCKET!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo by Pavlo Semeniuk on Unsplash

WHAT ARE WE HOARDING?

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

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

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

God says in His word that His words are Spirit and life, that they are health to all our flesh, and that they direct our paths. The Holy Spirit goes on to say, 2 Timothy 3:16 NLT All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

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

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

Photo by Abdullah Raafat on Unsplash

I AM A CHILD OF GOD

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

I read this yesterday…

I am loved

I am known

I am precious

I am His

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HOW IS YOUR HEART?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

TIME FOR AN UPLIFT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DANCING STRAWBERRIES!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

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KINDNESS IS FREE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“No act of kindness is too small.”

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

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

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

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

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

OUT OF THE FISH

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WALK, SIT, STAND

2 Corinthians 6:16 NIV …As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

What a promise to take with us into each day! The God who raises the dead, who flung stars into space, the majestic King of Heaven, our Abba Father who loves us, He is walking with us wherever we go! He’s watching over us, keeping us on the straight and narrow, when our eyes are on Him. 

Sometimes when we go for a walk and the path narrows we follow the person in front and walk in their footsteps. In the same way God walks with us, but He also goes ahead of us, so we can follow where He leads. Isn’t that reassuring? He leads us in paths of righteousness, beside still waters and He lets us rest and feed in green pastures. Thank You Lord.😊

Ephesians 2:6 NLT For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.

Then Paul reminds us we’re no longer earth bound but citizens of heaven, taken out of the kingdom of darkness and put in the kingdom of light of God’s dear Son. We are sitting with Jesus,  at the right hand of God. Our bodies may be experiencing earth, but our inner spirit is joined with Jesus so we can experience heaven as well. In one sense we are already there! Lord give us deeper revelation of being seated with Christ in heavenly places, seated in a place of victory.

2 Corinthians 1:24 NIV Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.

Now because God is walking with us, because He has sat us down beside His throne with Jesus in a place of all authority and power, we can stand by faith in all that God has done for us in Jesus. We can stand on His promises because not one of them has failed. We can stand in the victory Jesus has won for us, and having done all stand with our armour on knowing who we are and whose we are. Hallelujah. 

Just in case we forget, wherever we go and whatever we have to do today, God is reminding us we are walking, sitting and standing with God each day. What a thought!😊 Thank You Jesus. Amen.

JUST ENOUGH OR MORE THAN ENOUGH?

Ezekiel 34:26 NIV I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.

Can I ask you something? Is your concept of God one that He gives us ‘just enough’ to get by? When someone asks how much milk you want in your drink and you show them your thumb and finger close together to say a little bit, just enough? Are we the same with God? Just enough money to pay the bills Lord, just enough health to get through the day? Lord, if you could just ….?

Or is your image of God one where His arms are thrown wide open and you know He is the God of ‘more than enough’ and that His heart is to shower you with His blessings, not because we deserve them but because of His great love for us. Ephesians 1:8-9 NIV says God lavished His grace and favour on us. Lavish is an over the top word because our God is actually an over the top God!😊

Our perception of God will determine how much we can receive from Him and if we think He’s holding back on us then we maybe haven’t quite believed this verse…

Romans 8:32 NLT Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?

The enemy always tries to make us doubt God’s promises, to make us think they were for a different time, or for someone else, but if we belong to God then all His promises, ALL of them, are yes and Amen in Jesus.

God is wanting us to take the limits off Him, to believe His word where He says His heart is to prosper us and not to harm us, to prosper everything we set our hands to, to walk in the abundant life Jesus died to give us. 

In order to do that we have to have a sense of bible expectation, of  hope based on His word, of faith that sees the unseen, to know God has given us the ability to call forth what we’re believing for by faith, because of His promises. If we can see it already in front of us then we don’t need faith, but we do need it for the things we can only see with our spiritual eyes.😊

Jesus turned 120 gallons of water into wine, He gave thanks and a few fish and rolls fed 5,000 people with 12 big baskets of left overs. God split the sea for Moses, fed 2-3 million people for 40 years in a desert! So is it just possible we’ve been insulting God by only asking Him for ‘just enough’ health, just enough strength, just enough money, etc., instead of believing our God is the God of ‘more than enough” and it blesses Him when we ask for more than enough of the ‘everything’ He wants us to have!😊

Lord, open our eyes so that truth sinks right down into our spirits to see You as You really are - our wonderful God of more than enough who wants to pours out Your blessings on us if we’ll receive them. Amen.

Photo by Daniel J. Schwarz on Unsplash

YOU CAN DO THIS!

Philippians 4:13 (Weymouth Translation) I have strength for anything through Him who gives me power.

Do you ever have days where things seem such an effort? It’s like when the insurance comes up for renewal and it’s a challenge to find the best deal! I have to remind myself, “I can do this!” The Holy Spirit is our Helper, the One who comes alongside, and that includes helping us with mundane tasks that have to be done.😊 

But what about the big things? Maybe you have a dream of being well, a big project that you know God is calling you to do, but it seems daunting or you can’t see how it can happen, or you’ve been waiting for it for so long you’ve become discouraged? Well I want to tell you with God’s help, “YOU CAN DO THIS”, whatever it is! You can believe and not give up!

The waiting time is very often the most difficult when we’re going from the seed of the idea being planted, to ‘There it is!’, when we’re standing in the full harvest of what we’ve believed for. God designed things to be on the principle of Seed Time, and Harvest, but the tricky bit is the bit in the middle, the long drawn out ‘Time’ bit where the enemy tempts us all to give up on the promise or the dream!

Can I tell you God never gives up on the dream He has given us; if He made a promise or told us to do  something then He will bring it to pass.😊

We often pray for God to change our circumstances but God will use our circumstances to change us in the waiting, and we don’t always want to hear that! It’s not that He is putting bad stuff on us but He will turn it round for our good. He’s teaching us to trust Him in the silence, in the delay, knowing His timing is always spot on.

God is encouraging each one of us, as we go through the new week, no matter what we’re needing to do, or wanting to do, no matter how small it is or how big it is, how impossible it looks, the Holy Spirit is reminding us today with His help, “YOU CAN DO THIS!”😊

Thank You Lord, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, who gives me the power to be an overcomer.” In Jesus name. Amen.

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FOR OUR ENJOYMENT

1 Timothy 6:17 NIV Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

I wonder if you’ve stopped to smell the roses lately? When I walk into our village I pass a garden which is absolutely full of roses and I like to lean over their wall to smell them as they’re just too beautiful to ignore!😊

Earlier this week we were in Belper, Derbyshire and we took our own coffee and scones with home made jam, and sat in the sunshine in the park where we’d never sat before, and enjoyed a very yummy, happy moment or two.😊 

The park itself had big African marigolds so I rescued some of the dead seed heads and brought them home to hopefully plant for next year which will be a lovely reminder of a happy morning. Even on the way to the park we came across this beautiful display of clematis flowers which I photographed for you all to see, it was just so stunning.😊

So why am I telling you all that? It’s just a little reminder once again that there are blessings the Lord is constantly pouring out on us but we have to recognise them and take the time to enjoy them, to appreciate His goodness and kindness to us, to acknowledge they are all from Him, not just a coincidence. 

One day this week our daughter sent an odd text at 9 a.m. saying, “Can I have a piece of toast?” I texted back “Yes”, thinking she was joking, but she then texted, “I’m standing outside your front door!” What a lovely surprise! No warning, just a spur of the moment idea she’d had and it blessed me so much!😊

Why not give someone else a surprise moment, lift their spirits, send them a card or a text or leave a surprise parcel on their doorstep. Stop on your walk and just breathe in the joy of being able to walk anywhere, to look in someone’s garden and enjoy the fruit of their labours. Watch the little ladybirds when they appear and count their spots. Whatever the moment brings let’s practice enjoying and living in that moment, and give God all the glory!

Have a blessed weekend everybody, and I pray you find some moments to enjoy.x😊

PRESSING THE RIGHT BUTTONS

Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live.

I have a pen which has 4 colours in it. If you press the red panel then you write in red, if you press the green panel you obviously write in green, etc. Whatever you press disables the other colours temporarily. 

As I was using it I had this thought - if we press the kindness button in our spirit, then kindness will flow out and the unkind feelings will be disabled. If we press the forgiveness button then all the unforgiveness, the offence and all that goes with it can’t come out. We get to choose which button we press. God has given us free choice and the ability to choose what we want to flow out of us, what we want to write in our book of life.😊

My question is, are we choosing to press the right buttons? Are we pressing the green button of jealousy and envy, or the green button of the green light which says move forward into green pastures? 

Are we pressing the red button of  worry, panic and fear, or the red button of the blood of Jesus which delivers us from all fear and condemnation, and the ultimate fear of death?

Are we pressing the blue button of depression, doom and gloom, or are we pressing the blue button of positive faith and favour, of blue skies and the windows of heaven opened over us so the blessings of God can pour out? 

Are we pressing the black button of confusion and darkness on our path? Or are we pressing the black button which writes God’s word in our hearts so His promises can light up our way so our path gets brighter and brighter as He promises?

Next time we choose what is being written in our book of life, let’s stop and think a minute and choose to press the right buttons.😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

BE A GOOD EGG AND SMILE

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.”

You may be having a great week, or you may be having a challenging week, but what we could all probably do with is an infusion of joy.😊 Jesus warned us we would have difficulties but He never left us on a downer, He then went on to say, “But cheer up, I’ve overcome the world.” 

He was saying it’s ok to put a smile on our faces, regardless of what is going on, because He’s made us to be overcomers whether we feel like it or not. He was reminding us that His joy is our strength to face the day, to deal with the difficulties. 

A smile releases all good chemicals into our brains that lowers blood pressure, and reduces stress. Smiling is healthy! So smile by faith!😊 When we smile we use roughly 26 muscles, but when we frown we use about 52 muscles so don’t wear yourself out - smile!😊 Why can we smile? Because Jesus has already won the victory over the devil, over every principality and power and that includes the victory over the doom and glooms, over whatever the enemy is whispering in our ears.

Who are we choosing to listen to today? When we feel lost, when we don’t know which way to turn, can I encourage you to turn to the Word of God and let Him minister His joy to your heart. Google the joy scriptures, shift your focus to the fruit of joy that’s in your spirit, to remember God loves you, He’s for you and He’s with you.😊

Let’s listen to the words of Jesus in John 14:1 & 27, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in me…Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Jesus said twice to not let our hearts be troubled, because He was giving us His own peace which gives us joy. We have a lot going for us! 

God never asks us to do something we aren’t capable of doing, so let’s cheer up today. Let’s put a smile on our faces by faith, let’s not let our hearts be troubled but let’s remember who holds us in the palm of His powerful and loving hands - and cheer up.😊 

We’re on the winning side, there are glories to come we know nothing about, victories to be celebrated already written in our book. So keep smiling because we do have a lot to smile about in Jesus.😊 Amen.

P.S. Someone just sent me this, “I may be hanging by a thread right now, but that thread is attached to the hem of His garment. I’m gonna be all right.” And you are too.😊

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GRACE AND PEACE

2 Corinthians 1:2 NKJV Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Did you catch that? Grace and peace! Would you like some grace and peace that you can’t buy or earn today? God is offering it freely to each one of us for the taking and receiving, but if we don’t take it by faith we won’t walk in it.😊

It’s like if I give you a birthday present but if you don’t take it when I offer it to you, then you will never enjoy it. We read God’s words but tend to gloss over them sometimes, and they float over our heads and remain in the ether because we don’t mix them with faith and benefit from them.

God’s grace includes His enabling strength, His blessings and favour throughout our day in every situation that we walk into, whether it’s an opportunity for a bargain in a shop, a job interview, or a difficult conversation with someone. If we’ve received and thanked God for His grace and His favour, then we can enjoy it and expect it to open doors for us, to help us overcome tricky situations. God says His grace is more than enough for whatever comes each day. I think we’d all like some of that!😊

How about some heaven sent peace? Could you do with a dose of peace right now? Peace is knowing we’re right first of all with God Himself, that He accepts and approves us because we’re in Jesus, that’s the foundation for our peace. 

Peace is trusting God to work things out when we don’t know how, to trust He has a way where we can’t see one, to know He has our back and He’s watching over us. Peace is resting in the One who holds the stars in place, who brings the sun up each morning. Peace is knowing God is looking after us and He’s with us, no matter what! It’s knowing when our thoughts are in turmoil we can stop and receive yet more of His peace. Would you like some today? God is giving it to us all but we have to receive it.😊

Lord, we lift our hands out in faith to You to thank You for your grace and peace today. We receive them so gladly and we’re so grateful for them. In Jesus name. Amen.

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WAKE UP!

Romans 13:11 NLT This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

Wake up sleepy head! We all know how hard it can be to not just wake up but to actually get out of bed when the bed is warm and cozy but on Sunday I was reminded how important it is for us to wake up spiritually because God is on the move and He wants us to be part of it.😊

Jesus didn’t just come for you and me, He came for as many as would believe in Him and I was challenged as to what I’m doing to help that happen. God has opportunities and things for us to do that we may not have considered, which might be outside of our ‘box’ but if we’ll follow where He leads then He can flow through us to others to bring them to Himself.

There is a sense of going into a new season for many of us and God wants us to make the most of the season we’re going into, not to minimise it or find excuses why we can’t do things. Rather He wants us to lean into Him for His strength and empowering to see what He will do in and through us, to have a sense of expectation.😊

Too often we see the risk, the difficulty, we see the giant in the land instead of remembering that because God is for us, then who can be against us? No one! Our God is mighty and He has given us spiritual weapons of warfare to pull down those strongholds of unbelief, of inadequacy, of lack of confidence and declare we are chosen, called, equipped and anointed by God to do whatever He asks of us.

We need a faith response! We don’t need a doubt or an unbelief response! God is with us! His resources are for us! He has given us His authority and remember God loves to surprise us so if things unfold in a ‘different’ way to what we imagined then that’s good too! 

Don’t let’s try to keep God in our little box but let Him take us out of our box into His land of endless possibilities, of opportunities, of His favour and every good thing He has planned for us.😊 In Jesus name let it be so! Amen.

Photo by Drazen Nesic on Unsplash

LIFE CHANGING

2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.

We sometimes hear of people who have life changing experiences where they maybe had an accident, or an illness occurred, and their lives changed. But when we read the gospels we meet Jesus who changed peoples’ lives wherever He went, for the better.😊

The people who came to Him and the ones He sought out, the ones who were sceptical at first, and those who fell in worship at His feet, once they encountered Jesus one on one, their lives were never the same again. It’s the same for us today, knowing Jesus changes our past, our present and our destiny.

He is the central figure in all of history and if we have given our lives to Jesus, if we’re spending time with Him, remembering His goodness, His faithfulness, lifting our eyes off your circumstances and looking at how great our God is, we will be changing all the time, from one degree of glory to another, to become more like Him.😊 

God wants us to have an encounter with Him on a daily moment by moment basis because of His great love for us. His plan hasn’t changed. He wants us to know Him intimately, to have ongoing revelation of who He is, how He thinks and what He wants to do for us and in us, so we can be changed for the better and reach others with His love, so we can experience the plans He has for us.

Hebrews tells us God rewards those who diligently seek Him, whose hearts are turned towards Him and He is inviting us to stop and seek Him today and allow His love to flow into us and receive His mercy and grace to change our lives for the better throughout each day, moment by moment, as we navigate our new week.😊 Amen.

ASKING FOR MORE

James 4:2 NKJV …Yet you do not have because you do not ask.

There is a famous quote from Charles Dickens’ novel, where the boy Oliver asks for more and as I sat the other morning I felt the Lord say, “You can always ask for more!” I’m already asking for a lot but He said ask for more!😊 Whatever it is you need, whether it’s more grace, more strength, family to be saved, more money, a better job, more wisdom, more health, for your marriage to be sweeter, for a spouse, whatever you need, God says we can ask for more!

I hope that encourages you to get your faith out today, to brush it off and look at what you’ve been asking God for so far. The bible tells us repeatedly to ask God for things, so He means what He says and wants to grab our attention! 

How is your asking lately? Have you been asking for anything at all or has your asking been too small? What vision/dream have you written down for your life? Remember, where there is no vision the people perish!😊

God wants our ‘ask’ to grow with our faith, to believe He can do the impossible. To not just ask for the possible but to stretch our faith and ask for the impossible.😊 Stretch our faith to see ourselves doing whatever is in our heart, no matter how far out of reach it is at the minute. Stretch our faith to see ourselves going to the places God has given us a desire to go, to see ourselves growing in our relationship with God where we know Him more deeply.

God is not fazed by how big our ‘Ask’ is!  The command is to ask, and God said to David at one point, ‘I would have given you more if you had asked!’ Are we asking? See it in your mind and ask for it!

God wants us to know Him, to trust Him and to believe Him for great things. We may be praying for a family member to be saved, God says He will give us nations! You may be praying for money to pay the rent or the monthly mortgage. God says to ask for it to be paid off in full! God wants us to expand our thinking, expand our asking, but also to expand our receiving.

We may have a choke hold on so that it’s hard to receive because we don’t feel we deserve it, or we have false humility, or small thinking. God says to take the choke hold off!

Let His Spirit do what He wants to do for you, and in you, and simply ‘Ask for more!”, ask for something that only He can do, that let’s others see our God is awesome!😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

SIMPLY ME- SIMPLY YOU

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

Sometimes we can get all knotted up about who we’re meant to be, who God wants us to be. The thing is, we know we’re all a work in progress and God tells us He gives us a completely new identity in Christ when we get saved and ask Jesus to be the Lord of our lives.

Scripture tells us the old ‘me’ was crucified with Christ, buried with Christ and the new creation ‘me’ rose again with Jesus from the dead. The same goes for you if Jesus is your Saviour, but the trouble is we forget and still have the mentality of the ‘old’ me. That is why Romans 12:2 tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. If we don’t take the trouble to renew our minds according to what God says about us we will be trying to live the Christian life with the ‘old’ identity which doesn’t work, which accounts for why we feel frustrated sometimes!😊

God has written all the days of our lives in His book and nowhere does He ask us to be like someone else, or to compare ourselves to anyone else. He calls us to run our own race and not try to run in someone else’s lane!  He hasn’t called us to compete, but to be complete. He says we are complete in Christ. (Colossians 2:10 NKJV and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.)

In other words He calls me to be simply me; the complete ‘me’ He has already created me to be in my spirit, the me He is continually making me to be in my soul, and the complete you He has made you and is making you to be.😊 The new me, the new you, is anointed by God, seated in heavenly places in Christ at the right hand of God far above principalities and powers. We are filled with the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. We are joint heirs with Christ and He won’t withhold any good thing from us. He has given us His authority, the same authority Jesus had when He walked on the earth.

We are all of the above and so much more, if we’ll study and find out what God says we have and are, because that’s who we simply are! Simply ‘me’ is all of the above. Simply you is all of the above! 😊

Father, please give us revelation of our new identity in Christ, of who we really are and help us to simply be who You have already created us to be in Christ. Amen.

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BEARING LOVELY FRUIT

Proverbs 12:14 NIV From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward.

It’s the season of fruitfulness with blackberries, plums and apples on the local trees and bushes all for free, so we’ve been busy bees and now have a cupboard full of plum jam, blackberry jelly and apple and pear chutney! Lovely treats to come.😊

Our verse though is talking about the fruit of our lips and the things we are saying will produce a harvest one way or another. If our words are negative, complaining and grumbling we will draw more of the same things to ourselves and we really don’t want that! 

But if our words are positive, full of faith in our God, full of praise and thanks, prophesying good into our futures we will have the fruit of our lips, we will have the things we say.😊 Mark 11:24 NKJV …but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. What a promise!

I’ve heard it said that where we are now is a result of words we have spoken in the past. In other words if our words have been doom and gloom, declaring things never work out for us, that things always go wrong, I’ve had this illness for ever, I always worry, and nothing good ever happens to me, then we will reap what we sow. Those kinds of words are not what God says about us!

Instead we can be declaring by faith that the path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter so our future is going to be bright. We can say that no weapon formed against us will prosper, that the Lord is watching over us to protect us so we have no need to worry. We can declare that everything we put our hand to is going to succeed, that we are anointed and empowered by the Holy Spirit to rise to whatever He calls us to do. That we are above the circumstances, not beneath them, that we have the joy of the Lord and His peace in our hearts so we will go out with a smile on our faces and bring joy to those we meet. All of that is in scripture and we will have the fruit of what we say! That inspires me to say the right thing! It’s called walking by faith, not by what we see and feel.😊

Next time you want to say something negative, zip it up because you don’t want to have a bad harvest!  

Let’s deliberately think of something to be thankful for, declare that God says Jesus came to give us an abundant life, full of health, all our needs met, and we believe and receive it by faith, and say it’s what our lives are going to be like.😊 

Proverbs 13:3 NIV Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin. 

Lord help us to guard our mouths, so we only bring forth lovely fruit. In Jesus name. Amen.

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GOD’S RECIPE FOR THE ABUNDANT LIFE

Proverbs 3:1-2 NKJV My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; For length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.

Long life and peace sounds like Spock on Star Trek saying, ‘Live long and prosper.’ I guess the author had been reading Proverbs 3 verses and had the idea from there!😊

They’re really simple instructions to follow though: Don’t forget God’s word, in other words keep His promises in our hearts and in the forefront of our minds, and do as His word says. As James 1:22 says, “Be a doer of the word and not a hearer only.”  It promises long life, and length of days. There is a difference. A long life in scripture means a full, satisfying life worth living, whereas length of days can mean the amount of time being extended.

Proverbs 3:3-4 goes on to say to make sure we’re kind and loyal and show people mercy. Then it says to write God’s words deep in our hearts, or you could say memorise them, and if we do that God promises we will find favour with God and men and have a good reputation.

The benefits go on and on, and as we read further in Proverbs 3 we find out how to let God guide us, how to have healthy bodies and strong bones and how to have more than enough! Proverbs 3:9-10 NLT Honour the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine. 

Talk about being given good instructions for an abundant life, this is it! Long satisfying life, favour with God and men, a good reputation, God’s direction, how to have healthy bodies and strong bones and how to prosper financially! 

Why not have a read of Proverbs 3 again and let the Lord bless your heart as He reveals His method for an abundant life, and may we ask Him to help us follow His instructions.😊 Amen.

AUTOMATIC REPLENISHMENT

Romans 12:2 NLT Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

‘If we do not fill our mind with prayer, it will fill itself with anxieties, worries, temptations, resentments, and unwelcome memories.’ (Scott Hahn) I read that quote the other day and it made me stop and think about automatic replenishment.😊

What are our minds automatically refilling with? What are we watering them with? Are we positively minded and we fill up on God’s promises, on giving Him praise, on thankfulness for all our blessings, on being grateful for what we have? Or are we dwelling on the what might have been, on what we don’t have, how sick we feel, etc.

I heard someone say that where our attention goes, is where our energy flows. If our attention is on the size of our problem then we need to remind our inner selves of how big and powerful our God is, and He will re-energise us. If we focus on what we’re missing, we’re missing what we have, and our energy will drain away. We might not have all we want, but if God is all we have, then we have all we need.

All of that to say we would do well to be mindful of what we’re allowing to automatically replenish our minds. God gave us the authority to choose life, to choose to dwell on the promises of God, not the threats of the enemy. He advised us to choose life, to choose to think about our blessings, about what is working, what we can do, not about what’s wrong.

Let’s change our focus if we need to, and automatically replenish our thinking with God’s thoughts that we find in His word and speak them out over our lives. Words like ‘I can do whatever I have to do today through Christ who strengthens me. I can overcome through Jesus. God has put His peace in my heart, Jesus said He overcame so I can smile, my God will supply all of my needs, the Holy Spirit is helping me, and so on.😊 

Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to water our thinking with His word, and transform us by renewing our minds today.😊 in Jesus name. Amen.

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GOD SEES OUR POTENTIAL

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;

When I was beach-coming on a Somerset beach some time ago I brought home a lumpy bit of driftwood which looked really boring but I thought I could do something with it. I eventually painted big daisies growing up it’s sides and now it’s used as a door stop. At least it looks more interesting and is more useful than it was!😊

On another level altogether Michelangelo looked at a piece of marble and thought he could do something with it too and ended up producing the world famous sculpture called ‘David’. He looked at a ceiling and with his God given genius he painted the Sistine Chapel. He saw the amazing potential within them!😊

I just felt the Lord saying He looked at you and me and thought to Himself, I can do something with them. No matter how unimpressive we feel we are, with His own genius God can make something wonderful with our lives if we offer them to Him to work with.

As we look back, we can see how God has been chipping a bit off us here, a bit off there, just like Michelangelo when he took a piece of marble, because he could see the treasure hidden inside. God looks at us and sees the treasure He has hidden in us too. So don’t let’s complain when He puts us on the potter’s wheel to reshape us. Let’s be glad He wants to, and that He has something wonderful in mind.😊

After all, God says we are His masterpiece, His special treasure, that we are precious to Him. In fact, you may not feel like it, but you are a work of art in God’s studio and you will be absolutely priceless when He’s finished. What a happy thought to go into our new week and all for the glory of God!😊 Amen.

WE HAVE HOPE

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 NIV Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

Psalm 34:18 NIV The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

When a loved one passes away, God knows the right thing to say and He speaks into our lives through these verses and many others. 

I’m so thankful for them because they let us know He understands and how very close He is to those who are broken hearted, which we all experience at some point when a loved one leaves us.

Scripture reminds us that our God is never distant from us, that He is right there in the thick of our experience, our emotions and our grief but He doesn’t leave us there. He reminds us He is the God of all comfort and hope because Jesus rose from the dead and He will come again one day for us all to be with Him together. Thank You Lord.😊

Psalm 116:15 NCV The death of one that belongs to the Lord is precious in his sight.

The Holy Spirit helps us know that God understands and knows us so intimately as individuals, that He meets us at our deepest need, at our lowest point, to remind us that He cares deeply too, that His love is steadfast and He will never leave us alone, not for one second. Even in our sorrow He promises joy to come so we’re never left without hope.

Lord, thank You for always being our Strong Tower, our hiding place, our refuge and our strength in all circumstances, and we can always turn to You knowing You will help us and lift us up. In Jesus name. Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

WHATEVER YOU DO!

Colossians 3:17 NLT And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Whatever you do! Wow! That covers everything!😊 We all have ‘things’ to do each day, busy bees, some days being busier than others. But what if we stopped for a moment and just remembered we’re Christ’s ambassadors wherever we go, or even if we’re at home alone where no one might see us, but God does! It’s quite a thought and it might just help us to not say what we were going to say, or do what we had planned because we know it’s not the best idea!😊

For instance, when we want to have our 12th cup of coffee, or yet more cake, or another hour screen watching, if we stopped and remembered that whatever we do it should bring glory to God, would we carry on, or would we recognise that we need to put the brakes on? I know I exaggerate but you see what I mean! That warning, still small voice in your head is not your mother, it’s the Holy Spirit telling you and me to stop!😊

The Holy Spirit is our Helper and our Counsellor, but if we don’t listen to the nudges He gives us to hold our tongues, to not watch this or that, to contact someone, or to spend some more time listening to Him, then we’re not going to bring glory to God, we’re going to go our own, not so sweet way! We can sometimes forget that we are not our own, that we have been bought at a great price and we belong to God now.

But when we do listen, and we do as the Holy Spirit is telling us we’ll walk in the light of God, we’ll bring honour to His name, we’ll have a lightness in our spirit that fills us with His joy and peace that nothing else can do. God says, ‘When you are willing and obedient you will eat the good of the land.’ (Isaiah 1:19) Notice the ‘willing’ part. We can all do things begrudgingly but the reward comes when we obey willingly.😊

It’s good to stop and ask ourselves sometimes if we’re doing things because God asked us to, or just because we want to!

So Lord help us to listen to Your nudges and to be willing to obey, to be so grateful to You and so thankful for all Your blessings that we just naturally want to do everything we do to bring glory to Your name, to be good ambassadors for You. In Jesus name. Amen.

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EXAMPLES FOR US

Exodus 17: 7 NLT because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord here with us or not?”

1 Corinthians 10:9-11 9 NLT Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. 10 And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. 11 These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.

One of the reasons why it’s good to read scripture is because it gives us advice and warnings about how to behave and how not to behave and to know what not to say!😊

Paul reminds us that the Old Testament records are there to be examples for us to avoid or to follow. If we don’t pay attention then we can’t really complain if we suffer the natural consequences. It’s a bit like telling a child not to touch a hot oven and then they wonder why they hurt if they do!

Have we ever thought, “Where is God in all of this? Is the Lord here with us or not?” That’s exactly the mistake the Israelites made and we have even more reason than they did not to doubt God’s presence with us because He tells us in Hebrews 13:5 AMP “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!”

Now we have a choice to make. Will we believe our feelings, our circumstances, or our God who cannot lie! Maybe we forget how deeply God loves us, and the lengths He went to in giving us Jesus to die for us. How could He possibly leave us or forget us and or be the cause of our suffering? 

Let’s ask the Holy Spirit for fresh revelation of just how much God loves and cares for us and ask for forgiveness when we doubt His presence. Rather, let’s declare by faith, 

“God is with me every second of my day and night. He’s with me right now in this moment and He’s supporting and strengthening me. He is my Helper, the lifter of my head, the restorer of my soul. 

Thank You Lord for promising to never leave me, abandon me or leave me without support. In Jesus name. Amen.”

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GOING AFTER WHAT HAS BEEN LOST

2 Kings 8:5-6 NKJV Now it happened, as he was telling the king how he had restored the dead to life, that there was the woman whose son he had restored to life, appealing to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.” And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed a certain officer for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, and all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the land until now.”

Going after what has been lost! Have you lost anything at any time? Your hearing? Clarity of sight? Money? Relationships? Peace of mind? Strength? Health? Memory? Confidence? Maybe you’re losing your hair? We’ve probably all lost something!😊

In Luke 15 we read about a lady who lost a valuable silver coin - she lost money. We read of a shepherd who lost one of his sheep - loss of earnings and loss of peace of mind till he found it. We read on and find the prodigal son lost his self respect, he lost his brother’s love, his fortune, he lost his position and authority as a son of the house. All gone but the good news is they weren’t lost forever. Jesus tells us they were all restored!

I hope that encourages us all to know that whatever we have lost or had stolen from us, we can ask God to either restore it or replace it with something better. He can even restore lost time. He can restore all.

This lady in 2 Kings 8:6 was in the palace to ask for the return of her lands after being away for years. At the exact moment she arrived Gehazi was telling the King about her. The king not only restored her lands but all the income she would have had if she hadn’t gone away! Over the top blessing! Isn’t God’s timing and restoration wonderful?😊

So, whatever you have lost, name it, and keep declaring this promise, “God is restoring all to me”, as I am doing in my own life. Ask and believe the Lord is restoring it all to you, and giving you something even more than you lost! Start ‘seeing’ it restored in your mind’s eye. Write what you’re believing for in your vision book. Go after what has been lost!😊 Amen.

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