THE UPS AND DOWNS

2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Each season of life has its different challenges and we increasingly realise how much we need the Holy Spirit’s guidance, His comfort and His help for each new day, to enjoy the ups and overcome the downs. The secret is not to allow negative experiences or emotions to dampen our faith but to trust God with our day to day.😊 

Our verse reminds us we’ve not to walk by what we see, or what happened to someone else or according to our past experience, not by how we ‘feel’, but we’re to walk by faith, keeping our eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). It’s the only way to start the day, to navigate our emotional ups and downs, and to hear His Spirit remind us we are loved beyond measure.

There are days when the enemy comes to tell us we’re not doing very well, that we could do better but it doesn’t change the fact that we are forgiven, and God sees us as holy and righteous because we are in Jesus and He is perfect. It’s not what we do, it’s what Jesus has done for us and we are a work in progress.😊

The next time you have a fit of the ‘not doing too wells’ just remember you are called and chosen by God because of His great love for you and that He still has good plans for your life to prosper you and not to harm you. Keep looking up!

God knew what He was getting when He chose us, and He loves us when we get it right and even when we don’t! We can be encouraged because He has promised to sustain us, uphold, strengthen and help us, not just now and again or whenever He remembers, but every second of the day and night.

He says He will never let us go, that nothing can snatch us out of His hand and He has made us more than conquerors through Christ who strengthens us. 

So don’t look down, and don’t look inwards, but keep looking up and know as you do He will lift you up too.

Thank You Lord, we choose to keep looking up to You. In Jesus name. Amen.

Photo by Todd Trapani on Unsplash

ANGELS

 Psalm 34:7 NIV The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

The other day as I thought about our surprise robin visitors, it reminded me of other surprise visitors we might have, of a more powerful nature! Hebrews 13:2 NIV Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. The thought of entertaining angels unawares has always fascinated me because I think I’d like to know!😊

Hebrews 1:14 NIV Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? That’s us! God has given us angels sent to serve and help us every day which is wonderful.😊

Psalm 91:11-12 NIV For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. They’re assigned for our protection as well and I’m sure they have rescued us out of dire situations we may never have even been aware of!

Psalm 103:20 NIV Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. When angels hear God’s word coming out of our mouths they’re assigned to go and make it happen. They obey His word which is a huge encouragement to us to believe and speak God’s word!

Daniel 10 reminds us they are sent in response to our prayers. And if we’re allowed to see an angel, it says in 1 John 4:2-3 to check if they are from the Lord, and not Satan disguising himself as one. Ask them if they acknowledge Jesus came in the flesh as a man. If they say yes then we know they are of God. If they don’t, they’re not!

So while Paul reminded us in Colossians 2:18 we’re not to worship angels, there’s definitely more to them than we think, especially when we read one angel wiped out 185,000 of Israel’s enemies in one night (2 Kings 19:35). How wonderful these powerful beings are, sent to minister to you and me!😊 Amen.

Photo by Duncan Sanchez on Unsplash

LOOK AT THE H’S!

Psalm 33:20-22 NLT We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.

As I was reading these verses I noticed there are lots of God’s ‘H’ words - Hope, Help, Him, Hearts, and Holy! 

I like that the first one starts us off and ends with ‘Hope’ because our faith won’t work unless we’ve allowed ourselves to keep hoping! So just in case you’ve given up on hope this is a little nudge, to dig it up again and put it back firmly in place.😊

‘Help’ is next and we all need the daily help of the Holy Spirit who is our Helper around the clock. No matter what is happening, or where we are, or how often we may have tried and failed, we can try again with His help.

In ‘Him’, that is Christ, we live and move and have our being. We’re reminded we can only live our Christian life successfully when the Spirit of God is living on the inside of us because in’Him’, in Christ, we are forgiven and made righteous in God’s sight.

Which brings us to our ‘Hearts’. Scripture reminds us, whatever else we do, to guard our hearts above all things because all the issues of life come from there. When our heart is right with God we can rejoice, and Romans 5:5 tells us the Holy Spirit has filled our hearts with His love. What a wonderful thought!😊

Last of all is ‘Holy’. Our God is holy, His name is holy, and so are we! Ephesians 1:4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. How astounding is that!

So as we go about our week, remember the ‘H’ words in scripture and I pray they will be an encouragement to you.  In Jesus name. Amen.

MOOD SHIFTERS

Colossians 3:14 NLT Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

What we wear can sometimes affects our mood and we wouldn’t wear scruffy gardening clothes to a wedding or we’d feel out of place! Very often when we wear something we like and we know it suits us, we may feel more confident, but maybe it doesn’t bother you one way or the other!😊

What we wear spiritually can majorly affect our mood as well. Are we wearing the right clothes, have we put our armour on?

Do you ever wake up on a Monday a bit grumpy or lazy and don’t feel like getting dressed, when you just feel like doing not very much?😊 Scripture says to put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness so we can rise above the wearies, the moany groanies, the ‘can’t be bothereds’, and the ‘don’t want to’s!

Praise shifts the atmosphere around us and lifts our spirits. It lifts our eyes off ourselves and back on to our loving God, onto the thought that things can change and be turned round for good.

Colossians 3:12 NLT Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. It doesn’t say God will, it says you must! Did we put the right clothes on when we woke up today, or did we not even think about it?

If we put our armour on and if we put on the Tshirt of thankfulness, the jacket of kindness and patience, humility and gentleness as well, then when somebody or something really ruffles our feathers at some point, we can remember we’re not wearing the coat of criticism or the scarf of complaining or offence, we’re wearing the jumper of patience, the shoes of peace, the bulletproof vest of righteousness and the overalls of love, which stop us retaliating.😊

So if your mood needs a bit of a shift, put your thankful Tshirt on! And as you go into this new week, or next time you wake up, remember to put all the right clothes on, and with God’s help you’ll be ready for anything.😊 Amen.

Photo by Lucas Lenzi on Unsplash

GOD IS OUR LAMP, OUR SHIELD, OUR FORTRESS

2 Samuel 22:29-33 AMPC

For You, O Lord, are my Lamp; 

the Lord lightens my darkness.

For by You I run through a troop; 

by my God I leap over a wall.

As for God, His way is perfect; 

the word of the Lord is tried. 

He is a Shield to all those who trust 

and take refuge in Him.

For who is God but the Lord? 

And who is a Rock except our God?

God is my strong Fortress; 

He guides the blameless in His way 

and sets him free.

These verses are part of David’s song when the Lord delivered him from his enemies and as I read about the Lord being our Lamp I remembered one of our lamps broke the other day and we had to buy another one. We all need light!

There is only one source of true light for us and it’s not the media, or self help gurus, but the Living God, Jesus Himself, the Light of the world and His Word. I love the fact David makes God personal - he says God is my lamp, my light. He’s yours too!😊

Now we may not feel like leaping over walls or overcoming armies but nevertheless, whatever we have to face or overcome God says we can do it each day with His help and His strength, because He gives us His ability, His courage to overcome the obstacles we have to deal with. With God we can!

v. 31 says God is our Shield and Psalm 5:12 reminds us that God surrounds us with His love and favour like a shield. When we go out into our day we need to know that, and see it in our mind’s eye so we don’t feel vulnerable, but protected and invincible! 

We need to remember to say God is my strong fortress, it’s personal, and we’re in Him and He is in us wherever we go. It’s only when we forget it, or don’t believe it, that fear has a way in and makes us wobbly! But before we go out the door remember we are assigned powerful angels to protect us on all sides and the enemy is beneath our feet, so fear won’t gain a foothold.😊

And don’t forget we are blameless in God’s sight because Jesus has given us His righteousness so God guides us on our way and whatever has tied us down, or bound us up He sets us free from it.

We are so blessed so let’s release our praise for our awe inspiring God with all our hearts today.😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

Photo by Ingmar on Unsplash

SURPRISE VISITOR

John 2:7-8 NLT Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled,  he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions..

In our front porch we had hung a small straw bird house which was only meant for decoration. Lo and behold, we noticed the roof had been pulled up all askew and the hole had been filled in with twigs and leaves! 

Sure enough we peeked inside and there was a nest! It turns out our local robin has rented our bird house for the season and we think there’s only one fledgling in there as his little open beak pops up when he hears our voices. What an unexpected and lovely surprise!😊

God loves to surprise us and we see it when Jesus was at the wedding in Cana of Galilee when he surprised everyone by turning water into wine - gallons of it, not just a bottle or two, but more than they dreamed! 

Or the time when Peter and the disciples had been out fishing all night with no success, they were dog tired but Jesus said to cast the nets out again, and surprise, surprise they had an overload catch of fish! More than enough! Jesus showed them, when we do as He says, He will bring more blessing than we thought possible! Is He telling you to cast out your net again?😊 (Ephesians 3:20)

The heart of God is to surprise us with the little things as well as the big things, to put a smile on our faces with a little nest, to lift our spirits with unexpected blessings. It’s part of His amazing grace, His goodness towards us. 

1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

We know God has unimagined blessings for us in the hereafter, but they are also for the here and now as the wedding guests and the fishermen testified. 

It may be the joy of a robin’s nest or an unexpected family visit from across the world, but whatever it is, God is in it all, and He will surprise you too and show you His great kindness because He loves you.😊

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

                                                                      Photo by Allan Cox on Unsplash
                                                                                                               

A FIT OF THE ‘ME’S!

2 Samuel 19:4 The king covered his face and cried aloud, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!”

There had been a big battle and David’s son Absalom was killed, along with many others who had died while his faithful people had won a great victory. They had given their lives to fight the enemy, but all David could see was the death of his own estranged son, who had even tried to take his father’s throne off him not long before!

He had a right to grieve but Joab told him he was showing his people he couldn’t care less about their grief or their victory, couldn’t have cared if they had all died if only his son Absalom had lived! They’d all crept home as though they’d done something wrong. Straight talking!

You see David was having a fit of the ‘me’s! What about me Lord! What about what I prayed for, what I wanted! Why didn’t it happen the way I wanted? I’m upset, I’m disappointed, I’m hurt, I, I, I, me, me, me! Have you ever been there? I know I certainly have!

Sometimes we need someone like Joab to help us see it’s not all about us, it’s about the bigger picture. It’s about what God is doing in all our lives, His purposes being worked out for the good of all, not only us.

God hears all our prayers, His heart is always to bless us but because He sees the end from the beginning and He always knows what is best for us, things sometimes unfold that we don’t understand or like! But it comes back to trusting our loving Father to do what’s best for us all.😊

In vs 7-8 we see David still had to be king and behave like one, he had to get over himself and God helped him to arise and go and sit in the gate so all the people could see he was still king. 

In the same way, God helps all of us to get over our fit of the me’s and gives us the grace to move on, to let go of whatever we were so upset about and believe for the next step to fulfil whatever God has planned for us. 

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Lord, help us do our part, to be willing to get over ourselves, to change our perspective. Even when we don’t understand help us to trust You, to be an Overcomer, and do like David and arise and go on to win many battles in the future with Your help and for Your glory. Amen.

TIME FOR UPDATES

John 15:1-2 NLT “ “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.

I was in the middle of reading my What’sApp messages when it suddenly popped up that I needed to update it as this version was stopping in a few days! If I wanted to continue I needed to update!

I think our Christian life is a bit like that. If we want to continue walking by faith and not by sight, to follow the Good Shepherd and allow Him to lead us along the paths He wants us to go, and to produce fruit, then you and I need constant updates.😊

Jesus said it this way, ‘He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.’ You could say God updates us so we bear more fruit.

John 15:4 NLT Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. When we don’t stay connected to Him we wither and dry up and we struggle, but God says even in old age we will be green and full of sap, if we stay connected! 

God gets glory when we bear fruit and as long as we abide in Him we shall be like Isaiah 58:11 NLT The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. In other words, He will update and refresh us!😊

God wants His love and joy and peace to fill us up which is what abiding looks like. He wants us to have regular updates so His power can flow.

So where do we go to be updated? We go to the water of the Word, which nourishes and keeps us strong and vibrant. We go to the throne of grace every day for mercy and grace. 

Updates protect our computer equipment from viruses and bugs and we need updates for the same reason, so we don’t become infected by the world or bugged by the enemy! 

So if you’re feeling a bit sluggish and dry lately, let me encourage you get reconnected and go for your update today.😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

ACCEPTING GOD’S PROMISES

2 Samuel 7:28-29 NLT For you are God, O Sovereign Lord. Your words are truth, and you have promised these good things to your servant. 29 And now, may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you have spoken, and when you grant a blessing to your servant, O Sovereign Lord, it is an eternal blessing!”

Have you ever had someone tell you something but it seemed too good to be true and you found it hard to believe? A bit like being told you’ve inherited a vast estate! Well, God’s promises to us are just like that but they’re true!😊

In Chapter 7 we find Nathan the prophet went to David with a message from God saying He would build him a dynasty, a place for God’s people of their very own, that there would always be one of his descendants on the throne. For a former shepherd boy that must have sounded astounding but he accepted it by faith and what was the result? Jesus Himself is of the line of David and He is the King of Kings!

No wonder David was a man after God’s own heart because he believed the promise and came into agreement with it all, thanking God for it. He had the promise, and we also have thousands of promises in scripture, but David showed us the principle of agreeing with the promise and accepting it, in order for it to show up.😊

We can know all the promises but they’ll still do us no good unless we believe them and say, “Yes Lord, I receive it!” In verse 29 David was saying in effect, ‘Let it be so, bring on the promised blessings because they are forever Lord.’

Next time we read or hear a promise of God let’s be like David and come into agreement with it, embrace it, believe it, and say, “All the promises are yes and amen in Jesus so the promise God has just given me in His word for healing, provision, protection, or whatever, is a promised blessing for me, it’s true, I accept it. It will be so. Thank You Lord.” Amen.

Photo: Ben White on Unsplash

MUCH MORE

2 Samuel 12:8 NKJV I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more!

Once upon a time someone wanted more - they wanted to fly, and as a result we can now fly all over the world! Some are content with what they have, while others make things happen by self will, or by sheer hard work, or maybe by manipulation (like David). But God has a different way!😊 

We may think we shouldn’t ask for more, but there is a lesson to be learned from King David after he took Bathsheba and had her husband killed in battle. God rebuked David for what he did and remonstrated with him. He told him if he’d wanted more he only had to ask, and God would have given him much more! What a gracious God we serve. 

Jesus Himself told us to ask, seek and knock. He went on and told us to give and it would be given to us, good measure, pressed down and flowing over, which is God’s way and sounds like much more.😊

Do we spend hours trying to work out how to make things happen, working long hours, when God is telling us to ask Him for our heart’s desire? He will show us how to achieve it His way and not our way. Proverbs 10:22 NKJV says The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it. In other words, He makes it possible without the angst!

God didn’t say He would give him a little bit more, or just enough to get by. No, He said, “I would have given you so much more!” God wants us to ask, so let’s stop and think for a minute. Are we thinking we shouldn’t ask at all, are we asking big enough, or are we trying to do things by our own efforts?

Instead, let’s ask our loving Heavenly Father, and allow Him to give us so much more than we thought possible, more than we’re asking for, and His way of doing it, in His own time and for His glory.😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

Photo: Natali Quinjano on Unsplash

HEAR GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU

Psalm 143:8 NLT Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. 

I wonder what you hear first thing in the morning? Is it the radio, the TV, the birds singing outside, or just your own thoughts? There again, what would you like to hear?

The psalmist David asked God to let him hear God’s unfailing love each morning and I thought what a great start to our day, to our week that would be. So, let’s do that today as we hear God speak to us through His word.😊

God shows us His love. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 NLT

God’s love draws us to Himself.  … “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself. Jeremiah 31:3 NLT

God’s love supports us. I cried out, “I am slipping!” but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. Psalm 94:18 NLT

We can’t be separated from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:39 NLT

God’s love can be trusted. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. 1 John 4:16 NLT

So whatever you have to do today, or wherever you have to go this week, be assured that you are surrounded by God’s unfailing love and He is supporting you in all you do. And not only that, you can share His love with someone else as well. 

What a lovely way to begin the week knowing we are enveloped in His love.😊 Amen.

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UNASHAMEDLY EXUBERANT!

Psalm 150 NLT 

1 Praise the Lord!

Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty heaven!

2 Praise him for his mighty works;

praise his unequaled greatness!

3 Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn;

praise him with the lyre and harp!

4 Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;

praise him with strings and flutes!

5 Praise him with a clash of cymbals;

praise him with loud clanging cymbals.

6 Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

Isn’t it wonderful to know God’s greatness is unequalled? We’ll never wake up one morning and suddenly discover there’s someone more powerful! Our God always was, and always will be, the majestic, Lord of All who reigns supreme for evermore, and yet with loving kindness and mercy He stooped down to draw us to Himself. Hallelujah!

The psalmist is encouraging us to praise God wherever we happen to be, in church, or out of it. Praise Him with whatever we have to hand and if it’s just to clap our hands in praise, then let’s do it for His honour and glory.

As the writer goes on he’s making a point that it needs to not be quiet or reserved but unashamedly exuberant and if it means banging two saucepan lids together to make a joyful noise to the Lord, then let’s do it.😊

However you want to praise God today, let’s do it whole heartedly to honour the Lord of Lords, the Redeemer of our souls, our soon coming King. Let’s shout out our praises whether we’re in the sanctuary or in the kitchen and let our loving Father know we love Him and we’re so, so thankful He is our great God.😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

Photo: W. Girling

NOW DO IT!

2 Samuel 3:18 NKJV Now do it! For the Lord promised David, ‘By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.’”

Now do it! They’d put it off long enough. Abner said, “Now is the time”, it was a now moment, and he set things in motion for the  Israelites to make David their king, to just get on with it, to make it happen!😊

I wonder how often we feel the Lord has been asking us to do something but we’ve kept putting it off for one reason or another? Maybe human reasoning kicked in and told us it’s too hard, too costly, too tired, too something! But God tells us not to lean on our own understanding but to acknowledge God in all our ways and He’ll lead and guide us. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Acknowledging God involves obeying what He says and maybe He’s told you to take a break, to ask for help, or to apologise to somebody, or to forgive the offence and stop hanging on to it, or help someone. It may involve giving financially into the kingdom but we use the excuse of ‘I can’t afford to’. But God reminds us that as we give so it will be given to us, good measure, pressed down and flowing over; that includes giving our time, our finances - whatever we give.😊

It all comes back to not leaning on our own understanding again. Maybe this is the nudge from the Lord you’ve been waiting for, to ‘Now Do It!” Take the first step, make the phone call, enrol for the course you’ve been thinking about, start a bible reading plan, drink more water, take exercise!😊 Whatever it is, now is the time to do it. Not next week, not in six months, not when you can afford it, not when you’ve got more time, not when you retire - NOW!

Proverbs 3:6 says He will direct our paths. The margin of my bible says it means He will make smooth or straight your paths. So we can do it now knowing God will make it possible, He will smooth the way, but it still comes back to us taking the first step of obedience and doing it now! Amen.

Have a blessed weekend as you do it now!x😊

THE WONDERFUL EVERYDAY

Psalms 27:13 NKJV I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.

I was sent an email by a big company and below their name were the words “The Wonderful Everyday”. They were saying if we buy their products our everyday will be wonderful!😊 What confidence!

But our confidence is not in things, but in God Himself, and in the words of Psalm 23 “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life”. Jesus said in John 10:10, “I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” 

The good news is, everyday is a fresh start and has the potential to have something wonderful in it, and if we’re on the lookout we’ll see God’s fingerprints everywhere. 😊

Perhaps you may be thinking you’re not seeing the goodness, the mercy, the abundance right now but they are there in the things we sometimes take for granted, the little blessings as well as the big ones. The very fact that God is with us every moment of every day is a mercy. His abundance lies in His grace which is more than enough for today’s events. His goodness is all around us.

If our day is not looking wonderful at the minute, we can just start with thanking God He loves us and we have His assurance He’s working out everything for our good.😊

It also helps to confess what God’s word says to release it, “Jesus You made me righteous and my path, my day, gets brighter and brighter. I am blessed going out and coming in. The blessing of the Lord makes me rich and He adds no sorrow with it. The Lord is restoring health to me.”

We could go on forever but the supernaturalness of God’s word will work for us when we believe it and declare it by faith before we see it. And the result? David gives us the answer…

Psalm 23:5b You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. May we learn to come up higher and walk in the wonderfulness of God’s everyday and see the goodness of God in the land of the living.😊 In Jesus name. Amen.

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JUST SO WE KNOW

John 8:32 NKJV And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

I always thought roosters crowed because they sensed the sun was coming up but the other day I discovered it’s because they have an inbuilt biological alarm clock and they will crow at exactly the same time every morning even in a pitch black coup!😊

Sometimes we hear people say, “It’s on a need to know basis” and there are lots of things we need to know in the scriptures that are so important and unchangeable, just like the clock God has put inside a rooster! So here are a few to help us remember:

Job 19:25: NIV I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.

Romans 8:28: ESV And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

John 17:3 NKJV Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

1 John 4:13 NIV This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.

Ephesians 1:18 CEV I pray also that you will have greater understanding in your heart so you will know the hope to which he has called us and that you will know how rich and glorious are the blessings God has promised his holy people.

Psalm 46:10 NKJV Be still, and know that I am God…

1 John 3:16 NIV This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us…

1 John 4:16 NKJV And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

Know and believe!😊 There’s lots to know and so much more, but it’s just so encouraging as we go about our week, that we can know and believe all these truths that set us free, and know they are the rock solid foundation on which we stand. 
Why not read them again and let them minister to your heart?😊 Amen.

Photo by Sarah Halliday on Unsplash

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  Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.John 17:3

WALK IN THE LIGHT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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FOCUS ON OUR PEACE GIVER

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

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

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

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

John 14:1 NKJV Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God believe also in Me. V.27 NLT I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

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

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

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

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IT’S GOOD NEWS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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LOVE THAT LASTS FOREVER

Psalm 89:1-2/8 NLT 

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

 Young and old will hear of your faithfulness.

2 Your unfailing love will last forever.

Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens.

8 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies!

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

You are entirely faithful.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank You Jesus for making it all possible. Amen.

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GOD RESHAPES US

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a blessed weekend.😊x

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OUR COMPASSIONATE GOD

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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