HOLD TIGHT!

Deuteronomy 11:22 NLT Be careful to obey all these commands I am giving you. Show love to the Lord your God by walking in his ways and holding tightly to him.

Have you ever been on a fairground ride which was hair raising? If so, you’ll know it feels like you have to hang on for dear life!😊 You’re tossed this way and that, the G force makes your face go out of shape and you feel the exhilaration of the speed and thrill of the ride, but you have to hang on tight!😊

Our verse today talks about holding on tightly to our God. When the fairground ride of life is tossing us to and fro, or when the enemy forces are coming against us, God wants us to know the thrill and exhilaration of knowing our God is holding us securely and safely, no matter what’s going on around us! When we hold tightly to Him we won’t be thrown off course.😊

Can I ask what we’re holding tightly to today? Are we holding tightly to the Lord our God? Maybe we’re holding tightly to our bank balance, or to our loved ones, or maybe we’re holding tightly to our jobs or to the security and comforts of home?

All of those things are good and go to make up the fabric of our lives but our verse shows us God doesn’t want us to hold on to any of them more tightly than we are holding on to Him!😊

Scripture tells us to never forget God is our bedrock, He is our security, our Saviour, our Provider, our everything, not our family or finances or anything else.

We know every good thing we have has come to us because of God’s goodness and generosity, so let’s show our love to the Lord our God this week by walking in His ways and holding very tightly to Him every day, knowing He has us safe in the palm of His hand.😊Amen.

BRING YOUR SUITCASE

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

I have a friend who texted me the following after reading one of the Blogs last week…

“I've felt weighed down with lots of things recently, and the Lord reminded me last night of a picture He gave me  a while ago. 

I'm trying to push a big boulder up a hill, but it's too heavy and I can't do it so it rolls back down to the bottom again. So I try again and down it comes again. Then I realise every time I try it feels heavier, not bcos it is heavier but I’m getting more tired and weaker. I've got to stop trying and lay it all down and let him take care of them. What a relief!🥵

I just wish I could remember to leave them there and stop trying again! He carried all our weaknesses and it was our sorrows that weighed him down Isaiah 53v4. But we still keep trying to carry them. Will I ever learn!”

My friend gave permission to share her testimony because there are times we may all feel like we’re pushing that boulder up a hill! Sometimes it’s a case of casting the care back on to the Lord every two minutes because we keep going back and lifting it up again!

Our God is the burden bearer, Jesus has indeed finished the work at the Cross and it included taking every weight, every anxious thought, every moment of weariness and fatigue, everything that pulls us down or makes us sad. Whatever is causing us grief or distress, Jesus has already taken it on to Himself but He is waiting for us to release it to Him.😊

Why not let today be the day you bring every bit of it to Him and let Him take it away? Not just one thing, but all of it! Why not put it all in one big suitcase and put it all at the foot of the Cross and leave it there?

‘You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, for you are his personal concern.’ (J B Phillips Translation)

The invitation is always there, but He doesn’t force us, so as we go into this special Easter week, let’s choose to do something about it. Give Him all our cares and anxieties and let Him exchange them for His peace of mind and His joy, knowing He is far more able to deal with them than we are.😊 Amen.

Photo by Mark Olsen on Unsplash

OUR GOD IS MIGHTIER

Psalm 93:1-4 ESV

The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty;

the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.

Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.

2 Your throne is established from of old;

you are from everlasting.

3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord,

the floods have lifted up their voice;

the floods lift up their roaring.

4 Mightier than the thunders of many waters,

mightier than the waves of the sea,

the Lord on high is mighty!

On Palm Sunday we remember Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey but now we see Him triumphant, crowned King of Kings seated on the throne in Heaven!

The Lord reigns! The Lord is mighty! How reassuring that is in the middle of all we hear and see going on in the world. How important it is to keep our eyes on the Lord and on what He has declared in His word because we know His word is truth and it is incorruptible.

Verse 1 says, “he has put on strength as His belt” which reminded me we are to put on the belt of truth, His truth, and if we’ll keep that belt in place then we will be kept safe in Him.😊

Those times when situations seem to pile up like the waves of the sea, when we hear the voices of the flood roaring, we can come back to these verses again “Mightier than the thunders of many waters…the Lord on high is mighty.”  

We can have the peace that Jesus promised us in the midst of the turmoil, when we know our God is mightier than anything that is going on, either in our own lives, or on the world stage. 

We can worship the Lord our God who reigns forevermore and see Him high and lifted up today, robed in majesty, girded with strength and power, and remember He has declared the world is established, that it shall not be moved. 

We have a glorious King, so we can give all the glory to God, to the Mighty One, to the Lord who reigns, but who loves each one of us with an everlasting love.😊 

Thank You Lord. Amen.

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BIGGER THAN THAT

Psalm 18:29 NLT 29 In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.

I expect we’ve all been faced with situations and decisions that can seem overwhelming and we may want to shrink back or not want to deal with things head on. But then the Lord reminds us that we have the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Greater One on the inside and He is more than enough to deal with any person or situation we have to deal with.

It all ties in with remembering who we are, in keeping the overcoming attitude in our minds all the time, and not allowing fear or defeat or inadequacy to gain the upper hand. On our own we can’t do it but with His Spirit we can!😊

It’s about remembering we are a child of the Most High God and nothing is impossible for Him or with Him, and if He’s allowed us to be in the situation then He has promised the wherewithal to overcome it, not just put up with it!😊

God has placed His own Spirit within us so that with Him we know we are bigger than the enemy that tries to  block us, hurt us, intimidate or harm us. Jesus has already won the victory for us and He says with God on our side we can bring down giants, with God we are a majority, with God we can scale a wall regardless of whether it’s a wall of disease, finance or family matters!

Next time we have to sort something out, or face a tricky situation, let’s remember we’re not on our own doing life, we have the Holy Spirit who is our Counsellor, we have His wisdom to tap into, His angels ministering to help us, and God Himself is guiding us along the right path, and showing us what to do.

So don’t forget, with God on the inside you are bigger than the offence, bigger than the mistake, bigger than the trial or temptation, bigger than the challenge you’re facing. God is with you and has already gone ahead of you into your day. What a great thought!😊

Thank You Lord. Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x 😊

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LIFE IS LIKE MAKING CAKES

Isaiah 64:8 NIV Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.

Life is a bit like making cakes! We throw all the ingredients in the bowl, then they’re beaten together and the mixture looks all lumpy and messy to begin with, but then it all begins to come together as we smooth it out and put it in the oven, and the end result is a delicious cake we can all enjoy!

In the same way we may feel like we’re sometimes in the lumpy messy stage, feeling all beaten up, when one thing after another is thrown in the bowl at us. But we need to know God’s hand is on us and the end result will be something so delicious and worth waiting for we’ll stand back and be amazed at what God has done in us and through us. (Job 12:10 NLT For the life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being.)

So don’t be tempted to open the oven door before the situation is resolved and wonder why it’s not ready yet, otherwise it might fall flat! It just takes time!😊

God wants us to trust His timing and His process. If He’s not changing our circumstances He’s changing us! God is working in the background resolving situations but He’s also making us into something special at the same time.

So, be encouraged today to not give up, no matter how hot the oven gets or what stage the cake is at! God knows what He is doing and He’s promised us His strength and His help because He’s in it all with us to hold us together and make us rise! 

Just imagine - You’re being made into an amazing gateau!😊 Thank You Lord. Amen.

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WAKE UP TO THE POWER IN YOUR BOAT

Mark 4:38 NLT Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

We’ve probably all had to try to wake someone up in the morning when they’re sound asleep or experienced it ourselves.😊 But here the disciples are desperate and they know they need to wake Jesus up to help them. 

Psalm 121 tells us that God never sleeps or slumbers. In other words He doesn’t doze off for two minutes!😊 But what occurred to me is that we can sometimes forget Jesus is even in our boat when the pressure is on and circumstances feel like they’re ganging up on us, or even when the mundanity of life is just jogging along quietly.

We can become complacent doing things in our own way, in our own strength and in a sense we’ve allowed our awareness of Jesus and His power to go to sleep in the back of our boat. We may have allowed His power to become dormant in our lives! If so, I’m here today to wake us up to the fact that the living God is alive in us and wanting to be active in our daily lives.😊

God wants us to wake up to the power within us! Recognise that the same power that brought healing to all who were sick lives in us. The same power that raises the dead lives in us. The same power that holds the universe together lives in us! Jesus wants us to wake up and use His power, release it by faith, by speaking His words, His promises, into our lives.

The disciples said, “Who is this man? Even the wind and the waves obey Him?” We know who He is - the Lord, strong and mighty and He is in us by the power of His Holy Spirit!😊 Glory to God!

Can you feel the Holy Spirit giving us a nudge? Jesus is wide awake but we need to wake up and go to the back of the boat where we may have left Him, and allow Him to be released into our lives, into our storms, our daily routine, in order to bring us His love and peace, His joy, His presence and His life changing power.😊In Jesus name. Amen.

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HEAR AND ACCEPT

Mark 4:20 NLT And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

I have a Camellia bush which used to flower like this picture but it’s now looking very poorly and has no flowers. The cause is probably the soil being poor and I need to move it or feed it! 

In the same way, the soil of our lives is very important and Jesus told us how to produce a good harvest and what prevents it. None of us would like to be thought of as stony, thorny or poor soil so there are times when we need to do a soil check!😊

He gives us the secret to having good soil in our lives when He tells us they are the people with believing hearts who hear and accept God’s word, who want to produce a good harvest by obeying it. The key is not just hearing, because we can all do that, but it’s in the accepting what He says by doing it!😊

Sometimes we find ourselves standing in poor soil when we’re depressed or discouraged because we forgot to hear and accept what God has said about us, or to us. We’ve listened to the wrong voice or become distracted with other things which fill our lives with thorns and thistles that choke His word!

When that happens we have to make a decision once again to listen, to really hear what God is saying in His word and accept it; not argue with it, reason it out, find out everyone else’s viewpoint, or phone a friend!

No, we’re told to simply hear His word and accept it - end of!

So next time we hear something, let’s check it against God’s word and if it contradicts it, then dig it up and accept and believe what God says instead. If we do that Jesus said we will receive a rich harvest, and remember to keep digging up the weeds of doubt and distraction as we go along.😊 Amen.

COMPLETELY AMAZED

Mark 7:37 NLT They were completely amazed and said again and again, “Everything he does is wonderful….”

“Everything He does is wonderful.” What a statement of truth! There is no one else we can say that about, only Jesus! The AMPC says, “And they were overwhelmingly astonished, saying, He has done everything excellently… NIV says,“He has done everything well,”...

Now we know Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, so we can have such confidence that whatever He does in our lives it will be wonderful, and He will do it so well we’ll be completely amazed!  Are you believing for that? If not, let this verse encourage you to believe!😊

God wants us to know this Jesus, the Jesus who astonishes us, the Jesus who does everything so well that we’re overwhelmed with His goodness and ability. We’re called to ‘know’ Jesus and He is showing us a part of Himself that we need to get to know and believe in, in our own personal lives!

Does Jesus seem distant sometimes? Well let’s invite Him to reveal this side of Himself to us and get our faith out there to believe once again that He can and will do exceedingly, abundantly above all we could ask, think or imagine according to the power at work in us. (Ephesians 3:20).

Listen, the power of God is at work in us, the Spirit of Jesus is inside us, the same Jesus who did all things well is in us!

When we pray, know things are changing. When we touch people, know His healing is flowing. When we love people, know it’s His love that’s hugging them.

As we go about our week let’s believe Him to do something completely amazing, something wonderful, in us, for us and through us each day. Why? Because His name is ‘Wonderful’ and everything Jesus does is Wonderful and we are ‘in’ Him! Hallelujah! 😊Amen.

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OUR FUTURE IS IN GOD’S HANDS

Psalm 31:14-15 NLT But I am trusting you, O Lord, saying, “You are my God!” My future is in your hands….

How comforting that is! Our future isn’t in the government’s hands, or the surgeon’s hands or our family’s hands, not even in our own hands, and we can be so grateful for that! God has dealt with our past, and our future couldn’t be in safer, more loving hands, than the hands of God, and we can find infinite rest in that reassurance.😊

David goes further and then says this, v.19 NLT How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world.

I had just read that verse yesterday and thanked God for it, when I received a text with some lovely news about something very unexpected that’s going to happen later in the year and I immediately thought how it was part of the great goodness God was talking about that He had stored up for us! 

God knew all about it long ago and He has so much more goodness stored up for each one of us that we don’t know anything about yet. Now don’t think it’s for someone else! Believe it for yourself!😊

We can praise and thank the Lord now, by faith, for His stored up goodness, and believe for breakthroughs, for unexpected blessings, for His plan for our lives to unfold. Why? Because He has promised us a future and a hope, and our future is in His hands! Glory to God. Don’t you think that’s exciting?

I hope we let these verses resonate with all our hearts today, and allow them to put a smile on our faces as we go into our new week, because God is asking us to come on board, to receive them by faith, to rejoice in them and embrace them, regardless of our present circumstances or what others may say or do! Read them again! Our God is on our side, He is for us, not against us, and He loves us.😊

Thank You Lord for the great goodness you have stored up for each one of us. In Jesus name. Amen.

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BOAST IN THE LORD

Psalm 34:1–7 NLT

I will praise the Lord at all times.

I will constantly speak his praises.

2 I will boast only in the Lord;

let all who are helpless take heart.

3 Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;

let us exalt his name together.

These verses speak to us all because we’ve probably all felt helpless at some time or another and we’ve known God’s deliverance. Those times when we’re up against it are the very times we need to encourage each other to praise God in the trouble as well as in the good times. 

When we boast in the Lord we’re reminding ourselves of how secure we are in Him and how great our God is, how able He is to deliver us once again, to come to our rescue, to turn things around for good.

The more we exalt His name together the more we’re shifting something in the spirit realms that defeats the devil’s forces and renders them powerless. When we complain we’ve forgotten the Lord’s greatness and power to deliver us, and we’ve stopped releasing our faith for God to move. But hallelujah, when we praise it releases and allows God’s promises and purposes to unfold.😊

4 I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.

He freed me from all my fears.

5 Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;

no shadow of shame will darken their faces.

6 In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;

he saved me from all my troubles.

Take heart today, our God is still the same delivering God He always has been. Let’s praise and boast in the Lord together and exalt the name of the Lord Jesus who deserves all our praise and worship, who reigns forevermore.😊 Amen.

Photo: James Coleman on Unsplash

HERE AND NOW

Psalm 18:24 NCV This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad today!

I read this recently, “Don’t take now for granted” and it really struck me because we are all writing our ‘Here And Now Story Book’!😊

I wonder how often we spend our time looking forward to the weekend, or to a holiday, but forget to enjoy our now moments? Every day is full of ‘now’ moments that will never come back.The smell of dinner cooking, a walk in the sunshine, holding a hot cup of tea/coffee in the morning, or hearing the voice of our friend or family.

Just think, we can see where we’re going, we have arms to hug somebody, and we enjoy comforts we may take for granted, when we recall how during Covid we couldn’t buy toilet paper or hug people!😊

When children are testing our patience, let’s remember there will be a time when they’re no longer around and we will wish they were, and appreciate them while we have them.

We may be tired, but let’s not be too tired to listen to our family members or friends, to our children, to our spouse. They are all a gift from God and they need us to be present in the moment. They need our thoughts, our input. They need our encouragement, they just might need a hug, for them to know you know they are there, and that you care!

Those memories we are making will one day be so precious, so let’s be present in our now and not be always wanting the next thing and wishing our lives away. Not dreading what may or may not happen, and missing what’s under our noses, not being so focused on what we’re doing that we miss what they’re trying to tell us or show us!😊

God wants us to remember He is in our now, engaged with whatever we’re doing, so let’s do the same for the people in our lives, and not give them half an ear, or half our attention. Let’s appreciate and enjoy the details of our daily lives, the people we rub shoulders with, and not take them for granted because this ‘now’ moment won’t come again. 😊 Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

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ACCORDING TO…

2 Corinthians 4:18 NKJV while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Have you ever heard someone say, “Well, according to so and so, this is going to happen,” and they’ve believed them! Sometimes we hear ourselves saying, “According to the doctor I’ve got this and my prognosis is that.” Very often we go by how we feel at the time and think, “Well according to my symptoms and how I feel I must be pretty sick!”

But Jesus said in Matthew 9:29 “…According to your faith, be it done to you.”. Not according to your feelings, not according to your past experience, not even according to the doctor’s report, or the bank’s report, or the media’s report, but according to your faith in the mighty God to whom nothing is impossible!😊

Everything we can see is subject to change, it’s temporary, but the truth of God’s word does not change, it is eternal, and it is incorruptible. 

We may well have the facts in front of us, but God reminds us that those facts are all able to be changed, which is good news.😊

Jesus raised people from the dead, so no situation is too far gone if we’ll just get our mustard seed of faith out of its bag and plant it, by declaring what God says.  1Peter 2:24 By Jesus wounds we were healed. Isaiah 49:25 I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save. Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 

Faith doesn’t go by what it sees or feels, it believes what God says in the Word of God.

We’re called to walk by faith, not by our feelings because they go up and down like a yo-yo, and even though our faith is tiny, if we’ll plant it by speaking out what God says, our faith will grow and we shall see His promises manifest. 

So, how are we going to live the next 24 hours, this next week, this year? According to what we hear, see and feel, or according to the Word of God that cannot lie? 

I pray we put our armour on and hold our shield of faith up, stand on the word of God, resist the enemy, tell him to go, and live according to the power at work within each one of us!😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

PEACE IN HIS PRESENCE

John 14:27 NIV Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

A lovely friend gave me a booklet called ‘Night-Time Peace’ because she knows I have some struggles with sleeping!😊 

As I was thinking about peace at night time I realised afresh that Jesus also gives us peace in the day time, peace when we’re upset, peace in the troubles, even peace in our mistakes when we hand them over to Him. He wants us to have His peace in every moment of our day and night, regardless of the circumstances or the time.

His presence is what brings His peace and even when we don’t ‘feel’ His presence, by faith we know He is there. We can thank Him He’s with us just because He has promised to be! He is actually there in that moment, and how loving and powerful He is. He never leaves us and as we acknowledge Him, His peace will be released in a greater measure.😊

When things pile in on us and we’re distracted, He tells us it’s going to be all right because He’s with us in the difficulty regardless of what the outcome is. We can still be at peace knowing He is holding on to us, steadying us when we feel wobbly. He is the solid rock beneath us when we’re fearful, no matter what is trying to shake our faith. He is the All Sufficient One who will never let us down and will show us the way forward.

When we’re tempted to be in turmoil and lose our peace we need to remember that nothing is going to happen that together with God we can’t handle. He has promised His grace will be sufficient to  deal with it, His wisdom will be there to know what to do and how to pray, and if we don’t have peace about doing something, it’s the Holy Spirit telling us not to do it!

We are so privileged because we know and have the Prince of Peace in our lives, every single moment. Don’t let’s forget, but find peace in His presence each moment.😊 Amen.

OUT OF OUR MIND

Mark 3:21 NLT When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.

Have you ever been so busy you didn’t have time to eat?  Well, Jesus and his disciples were in that situation because the crowds were so great, demanding to see Jesus. So much so that His family decided to take matters into their own hands and wanted to take Him out of there because they thought He was out of His mind!

Sometimes when we do the things God asks of us it will look like we’re out of our minds to those who haven’t heard God’s instruction to us. Proverbs 3:5 tells us not to lean on our own understanding and there are times when we have to step out in faith and do what God says rather than what worldly reasoning is telling us.😊

We have to get ‘out of our minds’ into God’s mind, into His way of doing things. God says to love those who hate us when our ‘mind’ wants to retaliate! He says overcome evil with good.

Are there some things in your mind at the minute that you need to get out of? Maybe the Lord is wanting you to get out of your mind and into His Word instead, to see what He is saying.

When your mind tells you that you can’t do something that He has told you to do, it’s time to get out of your mind and believe God’s declaration that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

When your mind says you’re sick and you’ll always be that way, get out of your mind and declare, “God You said, You would restore health unto me, that with long life you would satisfy me, that as my days are so will my strength be.” It doesn’t say as my days are so will my weakness be!!😊

1 Corinthians 2:16 NLT For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ. 

Be encouraged today to know you have been given the mind of Christ who has been made wisdom for us so let’s seek His wisdom in all we do.😊 Amen.

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ONLY BELIEVE

Mark 5:36 NKJV As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”

When Jesus stopped to talk to the lady with the issue of blood it looked like he’d helped her at the expense of Jairus’s daughter who had died while Jesus delayed. Things looked bad but Jesus told him to not be afraid but to keep his faith working even though he’d had a bad report!

I wonder if we sometimes think someone else has had our blessing or our healing, or whatever we’re believing for, and so there’s none left for us, and our faith feels like it’s taken a bashing? When Jesus fed the 5,000 it taught us there is more than enough of whatever we’re believing for, for however many are in the crowd!😊

In the same way, God wants to remind us that whether there are delays along the way, whether it looks like someone else has had their healing and we still haven’t received ours, or someone else has had a blessing we’ve been waiting for, no matter what the enemy is whispering in our ears today, if we’ll not be afraid and just have a grain of faith, we will see God work out His best solution for our lives. 

Jesus is still in the restoring of health business, still in the providing all our needs business, and when we decide to not doubt His ability to turn things around, when we focus more on the promises and not on the problems, we release His power and His outcome.😊

This is to encourage us all that it’s never too late, no one and nothing is too far gone that God can’t turn it around. If your faith is a bit battered, listen to God’s words “Do not be afraid or discouraged… I will help you, strengthen you, uphold you.” If your healing has been delayed for some reason hear Jesus words, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.” If your need is provision, “ My God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus …” 

Whatever your need, God says don’t be dismayed, don’t be afraid, and as your week unfolds stay in faith and keep believing.😊 Amen.

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UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS

Ephesians 3:20 NKJV Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

A couple of years ago our pastor gave us all a list of 31 declarations to declare over our lives, one each day of the month, and I've been doing that ever since on most days. One of them says this, 

“I declare God is opening the windows of heaven over my life and I am experiencing the abundant life Jesus came to give me. Unexpected blessings are coming my way.”

Well I just wanted to testify to God’s faithfulness to His word because an unexpected blessing came my way this last week. I have been given a huge blessing of an amazing computer to replace my very out of date desktop. I was needing to go and buy a new one, but now God has given me this brilliant model to do what I need to do! 😊

It’s one of those ‘above and beyond all I could expect or imagine’ blessings, something I would never have gone out and bought for myself. It came at just the right moment, and yes, I’ll have to learn how to use it, and I admit it’s very challenging, but with God all things are possible!🤣

 I just wanted to encourage anyone reading this to not give up on God’s promises, to declare them over your life, day in and day out, to persevere and know that God is faithful to His word. Jesus said all things are possible to him who believes. Keep believing!😊

Can I ask what promises are you standing on and declaring over your own life? If you’ve let them slip, get those promises out again, declare them daily over your circumstances, believe what God says and trust Him to bring them to pass in your life. God is never late, His timing is always spot on!

2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

As we go into our new week let me encourage you to speak this blessing over your own life, 

“ God is opening the windows of heaven over my life and I am experiencing the abundant life Jesus came to give me. Unexpected blessings are coming my way.”  

Believe it and receive it, and remember we walk by faith, and not by what we see at this moment!😊 In Jesus name. Amen. 

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GOD UNDERSTANDS US

                                                                      Isaiah 40:27-28 NLT 

O Jacob, how can you say 

the Lord does not see your troubles?

O Israel, how can you say 

God ignores your rights?

Have you never heard?

Have you never understood?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of all the earth.

He never grows weak or weary.

No one can measure the depths of his understanding.

If ever you feel like God is looking the other way, and doesn’t understand,  just read these verses!😊 God knows exactly what’s going on with each one of us (Psalm 139). He is for us, and He wants you and me to understand that!

If we read the two verses before these we’ll discover that God has no equal, that He flung the stars into space and knows each one by name. How much more does He know us by name, His own sons and daughters, who His Son died for? (John 10:3 NKJV … and he calls his own sheep by name …)

What grabs me is the last line of our passage where it reminds us that absolutely nobody can measure how deep God’s understanding really is. He understands us completely. He knows what makes us tick, and what ticks us off! He understands when we feel weak, because Jesus knew what it was to feel weak as He walked to the cross. 

He understands when we’re let down or betrayed, when we’re disappointed or discouraged. He understands pain and sickness because He bore all of ours on the cross, so we don’t need to! In fact whatever we face, Jesus experienced in some form, and He is our great High Priest now because He understands us so well.

Hebrews 4:1 NIV For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.

I hope that reassures us today, to know we can come to the One who has no equal, and know He totally understands how we feel and where we’re coming from. But He goes way beyond that because He is also the God who comforts us, who restores us and who has great plans to bless us and give us a future.😊

Let’s come to Him today to worship, praise and thank Him for His understanding, for His patience, and for His great love He lavishes on each one of us each day. In Jesus name. Amen.

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UNDISCOVERED BLESSINGS

Proverbs 10:6 NKJV Blessings are on the head of the righteous, …

The other day, buried under our hedge, we discovered this pot of bulbs we’d put there last year when they had gone over, but we’d forgotten they were there! They were hidden from sight, merrily blooming while we weren’t looking, but we hadn’t realised! Now they’re in full view and we can enjoy their flowers.😊

It made me wonder how many other blessings we have in our lives that we might have either forgotten, like our bulbs, or just not recognised they were there?

Psalm 103:1-6 lists some of  the enormous blessings, God has already provided us with but have we forgotten them? Have we put them under the hedge and not realised they’re blooming, waiting for us to enjoy them? Why not have a read of them again?😊

As we acknowledge and thank God for all our blessings, whether they’re big or small, I do believe they’re multiplied to us.  So let’s thank God for things in the moment, as we experience them, and when we come to the end of our day have a think and see if a blessing has come our way that we missed.😊

Was someone kind to you in a shop this week, or you tried a new recipe, or have the blessing of a good digestion to enjoy your food? Maybe you had more energy than before or you’re thankful for hot showers and sanitation?

Thank God you kept your job when someone else has lost theirs, for the health you do have. Maybe you had someone visit you, or phone you, or they encouraged you? 

What about the blessings of God protecting us from accidents that we didn’t know about, or stopping us being scammed, or the blessing of knowing He will never abandon us and always care for us?

Psalms 150:6 NKJV Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! 

Let’s look for the blessings, especially the hidden ones, and the ones we take for granted, and thank our generous God for every one of them today. Amen.😊

Have a “blessed” weekend! x😊

PUT THE BIN OUT

Psalm 51:10 NCV Create in me a pure heart, God, and make my spirit right again.

We have a sign on our cupboard door saying, “Bins Go Out Wednesday Night”. Every week we all need to remember to put our bins out to be collected if we want to be rid of our rubbish!😊

Our spiritual lives are the same! We all accumulate rubbish every day as we rub shoulders with the world, and some of their wrong thinking can stick to us if we’re not careful. When we hear the same wrong attitudes and opinions day in and out in the books we read, the programmes we see, or just in an advert on a bus, the world is rubbing off on us without realising it, and it often doesn’t agree with God’s Word!

God says to read and be washed by the Word, because His Word cleanses our spirits, but if we don’t wash we won’t get clean!😊 There’s a lot of wrong thinking out there and we have to keep going back to His Word to remind us of His truth, His instructions, His design for relationships between men and women, His thoughts on finances, on everything.

At the end of each day, maybe it would be good to take any thoughts, attitudes or ideas we’ve picked up, which we know the Holy Spirit didn’t like, and put them in the waste basket in our imagination, press the delete button! Let’s get rid of them and start each day afresh.

They might be thoughts of unforgiveness, or offence, or having seen or read something immoral, whether deliberately or unintentionally. Whatever has crept in, let’s not forget to put the bin out and get rid of it all every day so we wake up, and have made room, ready for the new download of mercy and blessings God has for us each morning.😊 

Hebrews 12:1 NLT  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

Lord, create in us a pure heart and make our spirit right again. In Jesus name. Amen.

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TREASURE WITHIN

2 Corinthians 4:7 NIV But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

In stories, when we read about a treasure box, everyone wants to open it up to see what’s inside! Will it change the life of the person who found it forever because it’s worth so much?😊

Paul tells us here that when we belong to God He has placed inside each one of us the greatest treasure of all, the Lord Jesus Himself, in the person of the Holy Spirit. There is no greater treasure because in Jesus are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). 

I read this the other day from Joseph Prince,“We are like earthen vessels carrying a treasure, the Lord Himself. And it’s this treasure that keeps us from crumbling under the weight of life’s pressures.” 

When we try to do life in our own strength we soon run out of steam and God never asked us to do that. He gave us Jesus, for us to draw on His grace for each day, to draw on His wisdom to know the things we should do, and those we should say no to. It’s OK to say ‘no’!😊

Some things are good and helpful but they may not be what God has asked us to do and then we go into overload. It’s so important for us to ask the Holy Spirit first what God has asked of us, not what man is wanting, so we don’t run out of strength.

I wonder sometimes if we’re too stubborn, thinking our way is the only way, when Jesus has something different to say that would help us be more balanced.😊

If it feels like we’re crumbling under the pressure of life let’s just take a breath for a minute and be like Mary, and not Martha, always bustling about. Sit at the Lord’s feet for a little while and let Him give us the treasure of His wisdom for our lives, be willing to change our minds, and actually do what He says!😊 Amen.

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JESUS OUR HEALER

Mark 2: 30-31 NLT Now Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. They told Jesus about her right away. So he went to her bedside, took her by the hand, and helped her sit up. Then the fever left her, and she prepared a meal for them.

When Peter’s mum in law fell sick they all knew what to do. They told Jesus about it immediately! They knew and believed Jesus could and would do something about it and so they had no hesitation in asking for His help. Jesus wants us to go to Him first as well, before we do anything else.😊

I love the confidence the disciples had in Jesus. They knew a big part of His ministry was to heal the sick and we only read of Him not doing miracles when they were so hard hearted that they refused to believe He could or would do it. (Mark 6:5-6) How sad!

The trouble is we can become hard hearted or discouraged as well. We want Jesus to snap His fingers and make things go away immediately, but sometimes we have a faith fight on our hands and have to stand on His word despite what we see or feel, and put our faith into gear when doubts and cynicism are banging on our door.

As she lay there, Peter’s mum in law must have looked up into the loving eyes of Jesus and heard the kindness in His voice as He took hold of her hand and helped her sit up. She would have seen His compassion and known He loved her and felt His power flowing into her body, dispelling the sickness.😊

When we ask for healing, we probably all want a quick fix, but do we take the time to look into Jesus’ eyes to see His love for us, to spend time with him, to know He’s holding our hand and gently picking us up and releasing His power to heal us? 

Galations 5:6 says faith works through love. God has given us His love and His faith, so the next time we don’t feel well or need His healing in some area, let’s do what the disciples did and go to Jesus first. Invite Him into our room, take time to look into His eyes and see the love and compassion He has for us, and allow Him to help us trust Him more and receive the healing we need.😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

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WRINKLES OR SPOTS

Ephesians 5:25-27 NLT … He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.

When we’re younger, we often look in the mirror and see some spot has popped up out of nowhere. Then as we grow older and look in the mirror, we can see wrinkles! All of which are disturbing for a time, but God says if we’ll look in the mirror of His Word we will see a different picture altogether.😊

2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 

He says the more we look in the Word we’ll see we’re being transformed into His likeness because it will reflect back to us who God says we are and how He now sees us. It doesn’t happen overnight, but we’re being cleansed by God’s word each time we read it. The secret is to read it and allow it to transform us!😊

As born again believers we’re all part of God’s worldwide church and we know we don’t always get it right, but praise God, we are all a work in progress being changed from one degree of glory to another. Even when we feel we have a long way to go, we can still see how far we’ve come, and God has made us this promise of being changed into His glorious image so we can rest in it and on it.

As Jesus said, “I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.” So we can be encouraged, because whether we have physical wrinkles and spots or not doesn’t really matter, because we are assured we are being changed into His likeness for His glory as we’re washed by the cleansing of His Word.😊 My question to myself is, am I allowing myself to be washed? How about you?

Thank You Lord. Amen.

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CLEAR THE ROAD

Mark 1:3 NLT He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’

When a famous person, or royalty come to visit the district, they sometimes make the decision to clear the road and everything and everybody out of the area as they prepare for his or her arrival.

I just felt the Lord was reminding us again of our need to clear the road for Him each day. To be prepared to put some other things aside so we can be ready for Him to speak into our day, and into our situations, not just for two minutes, squeezed in here or there, but to properly clear some time for Him.😊 

When life is pressing in on us, the ‘traffic’ of life can be very loud! It becomes so congested with the ‘stuff’ of life, that it makes it hard to hear His voice telling us of His love, or encouraging us on, or warning us of something to come. John the Baptist was chosen to clear the way for the Messiah and we are the one who has to clear the way, to make the time, for Jesus in our own lives. Nobody else can do it!😊

The wonderful truth is, Jesus went to the Cross so we could have a clear pathway to His Father and even if we blow it and repent, He is faithful and just to forgive us. In fact, praise God, He has done already! There is no blockage His end!😊

Jesus cleared the road for us to come, now He’s waiting for us to clear the road our end and do the coming. Let the Holy Spirit encourage us today, to put the traffic cones up, to clear the road, so the King of Glory can come in and spend some time with Him each day because He really wants to spend time with us. What a lovely thought to start the week.😊 Amen.

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GLORY TO GOD

Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV 

Now may the God of peace, 

who through the blood of the eternal covenant 

brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, 

that great Shepherd of the sheep, 

equip you with everything good 

for doing his will, 

and may he work in us 

what is pleasing to him, 

through Jesus Christ,

 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

What a prayer! He focuses on, and starts off, with God being the Author, the source of our peace. If we just stop there we will have something to chew on! When we’ve lost our peace let’s go back to its source and receive His gift of peace that passes understanding, it’s so powerful.

He calls us to remember His enormous power that it took to raise the Lord Jesus from the dead and to know it’s available for us to tap into inside ourselves through the power of the Holy Spirit. What a thought!

Then he says to know we have the Great Shepherd, the only One who was willing to sacrifice His own life in place of ours, as our own Shepherd. We’re not lost, we’re found, and we belong to the Good Shepherd who leads us beside still waters, and along paths of righteousness. How wonderful that is.😊

Notice we’re not being equipped with a few, inferior or used tools, but with everything good! God has a plan and purpose for each of our lives to do His will so He can work in us, through Jesus, whatever He has planned. He’s reminding us our goal is to please Him, just in case we’ve forgotten or been side tracked!😊

And who gets all the glory forever and ever? Jesus Christ, our Great Shepherd because He shed His blood to cut a new covenant for us with His Father so we could live and reign with Him forever.

The Holy Spirit has given us this amazing prayer to pray over ourselves, so let’s praise and thank our God today for it all. In Jesus name. Amen.

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SILLY MOMENTS

1 Timothy 6:17 NIV …but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

Do you ever have ‘silly’ moments? I did the other day when I sat and bounced up and down on the bed like a kid because it just felt bouncy!🤣 There is no age limit on it! Or maybe find a pot of bubbles and blow them for the fun of it!

Sometimes it does us good to just be a bit silly because life can be so serious and intense and God gave us a sense of humour to lighten our moment!

God has given us permission to enjoy life, and for you, that will look different to me, but nevertheless God has given us all things to enjoy - so let’s not forget to enjoy it or feel guilty when we do!😊

When life is hard we have to remember the joy of the Lord is our strength. So let’s stir the joy up and sing in the shower at the tops of our voices, or just laugh at nothing at all because we’re still alive and Jesus loves us.

Today let’s look for the funny side of life, and have a sense of the ridiculous. Watch raindrops chasing each other down the window pane or enjoy the birds bathing in a puddle of water. We have several dishes in the garden which we fill with water and it’s funny watching the birds choose which one they will bathe in today. Some like it deep, some like it shallow and others fuss with each other waiting to have a go!😊

They are little joys which God gives us which make us smile if we recognise them. It’s even good to laugh at ourselves when we do something daft! So, how about you? Can you put a dish out for a bird bath or blow some bubbles, or maybe make and toss some pancakes in the air, or say ‘Boo’ to someone, or tell a joke and make them smile? 

Whatever you do, tap into the joy of the Lord today and find His joy in your everyday. If nothing else, you can laugh at me bouncing on the bed!😊

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

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JESUS NOTICES

Mark 3:1 NLT Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand.

Do you ever walk down the street and not notice one of your friends who you walked past? It wasn’t done deliberately, you just didn’t notice because your mind was preoccupied! There again many people are so focused on their phones these days that they don’t notice the things around them anymore. They miss the smile of the person who passes by, or the blossom in the trees.

But Jesus didn’t have a phone and even if He did have one He would still have noticed what was going on around Him!😊 We can take great heart from our verse today because when Jesus was in a crowded room in the synagogue He still noticed this man straight away. He focused in on him and picked him out of the crowd to meet his need, regardless of the critical Pharisees watching nearby.

The next time you’re in a crowded room and feel all alone, just know Jesus notices you and is right there with you.😊

We don’t ever need to feel insignificant, or not noticed by our God. He focuses in on us every moment, He thinks about us all the time, and He has set His purpose to meet our needs as well. The thing is, are we noticing Him? If that man with the deformed hand hadn’t noticed Jesus was calling to him he might have walked out the side door and missed his miracle! If the blind men hadn’t noticed Jesus was passing by and asked for mercy, they would have missed their miracle.

This is just an encouragement to us all, to know God notices everything about us, and He’s waiting for us to notice Him and respond to His instructions, whatever they might be - even if it means standing up front in a crowded room, like this man. 

God only wants the best for us, for the end result to not only bless us but bring Him glory so others will be brought to Him. Be encouraged, God notices you right now, wherever you happen to be. He knows how you feel, He knows the desires of your heart, He cares about it all and He has good plans for you to walk into. 😊

Thank You Lord for always noticing me. Please help me to always notice You. In Jesus name. Amen.

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