OUR GOOD SHEPHERD

Psalm 100:3 NKJV Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

I was sent the following letter recently from Joseph Prince Ministries and thought I would share it as it applies to all of us who belong to the Good Shepherd.😊

“Dwell in the Care of Your Good Shepherd.

I’m sure you’ve experienced this before…

Life has a way of wearing us down without us even noticing. Day by day, you show up, do your best, and keep going. You might not even notice how much you’re carrying until your soul starts feeling constantly tired, you fall ill, or you’re just plagued by a nagging sense of blah.

Let me tell you this: you weren’t made to live this way.

The Bible gives us many pictures of who we are as believers—eagles that soar and lions that stand bold. But do you know which picture shows up most?

Sheep.

Psalm 100:3 describes it beautifully, “We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.”

Sheep aren’t built to fend for themselves. They don’t find their own food or fight off predators. When they’re lost, they don’t find their way back. They simply cry out.

That might sound like a weakness. But it’s not. It’s a reflection of how the Lord sees us and the relationship He wants to have with us.

As sheep, we were made to follow a shepherd. And not just any shepherd, the Good Shepherd.

Psalm 23 begins with these words: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

He’s the One who leads, provides, protects, and restores.

When flies torment the sheep, the shepherd anoints their heads with oil. When a sheep gets flipped over and stuck on its back, he lifts it up and sets it on its feet again. When one goes missing, the Good Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine and goes after the one.

That’s our Lord Jesus.

He doesn’t scold. He doesn’t shame. He finds, He carries, and He brings you home. And as His sheep, you don’t have to fight or try to earn your way back. All you have to do is simply consent to be carried.

Maybe that’s what you need today. Not more self-help ideas or motivational advice, but to just say to your Shepherd, “Lord, I need You. Carry me.”

You don’t have to do life on your own. You were never meant to.”

I pray that blesses you as much as it blessed me. Have a blessed weekend.😊x

Photo by Sandra-Beatrice Molnar on Unsplash

WE HAVE ACCESS 24/7

Hebrews 4:16 NIV Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

There is a story of a soldier in the American Civil War who went to the White House to see the President, Abraham Lincoln, to ask for compassionate leave to help his mother after his brother and father died at Gettysburg, but he wasn’t allowed an audience. He left totally disheartened but a little boy saw him and asked him what was wrong. The boy then told him he was the President’s only son and took his hand and said, ‘Come with me.’ The little boy walked straight past all the guards, through all the corridors into the room where his father was and told his father this soldier needed to talk to him, and of course he did.😊

It’s a picture of what Jesus has done for us, the Father’s only Son, who has made the way open for us to have access to our Heavenly Father any time of day or night. Through Jesus He has made us sons and daughters of the Living God. Just think about that for a minute. We have access to the most powerful, most loving Being in the universe and He has given us an open invitation to come and talk with Him, about anything and everything on our hearts.

Have you something on your heart today that’s bothering you; it may be small or it may be breaking your heart, that needs His attention? Then know you can come into the presence of the King with confidence, because you are His child, and ask Him for help and He has promised to provide it, whatever it takes. 

Hebrews 7:25 NIV Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Jesus is our great High Priest and He is interceding on our behalf around the clock, declaring His blood has been shed and it covers every sin, every disease, every need that will ever be known to man or woman who trust in Him. 

Romans 4:20-21 NIV Yet he (Abraham) did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 

So Jesus is asking us to trust Him because He has already overcome whatever is giving us grief. Our part, like Abraham, is to believe and receive it because our God loves us and He never lies.😊 Amen.

A LIFELONG JOURNEY

Judges 18:6 NLT “Go in peace,” the priest replied. “For the Lord is watching over your journey.”

When we get in the car, we intend going somewhere because we know where we’re going.  In the same way God is driving our car and He knows where we are leaving from and He knows our amazing destination!😊

He takes us from death to life. Ephesians 2:4-5 NLT But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead… Not just that but look what’s next…

From darkness to light.  Colossians 1:13 NLT For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,… We’ve been transferred from Satan’s kingdom where it’s all darkness, fear and confusion into the kingdom of God’s Son where there’s love, light and purpose. Jesus is the Light.😊

From faith to faith. He doesn’t just give us faith to believe. He says we can exercise our faith muscle so it expands and believes for greater things, the more we use it! Romans 1: 17 NKJV …the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

From weakness to strength. God knows our frailty and that’s why He promises this…

Isaiah 40:30-31 NIV Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (That’s for all of us).😊

From glory to glory. God has big plans for each one of us. He wants us to be glorious.

2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

So first He takes us from death to life and darkness to light. That’s all done and dusted. But once we’re in His kingdom then He takes us on a journey from faith to faith, from weakness to strength and from glory to glory. Amazing!😊

I hope His word has inspired us to remember the miserable state God has taken us from, and the glorious wonder of where He has already placed us, taking us on a lifelong journey, which isn’t over yet, from one degree of His goodness and grace to another. 

Thank You Lord! 😊Amen.

Photo by Dinuka Lankaloka on Unsplash

GOD CAN FIX IT

Mark 5:22-23 GNT Jairus, … when he saw Jesus, he threw himself down at his feet and begged him earnestly, “My little daughter is very sick. Please come and place your hands on her, so that she will get well and live!”

We all need things fixing from time to time and I heard this the other day and it stuck with me… “If you will pray God can fix it.” It doesn’t have to be long or eloquent prayers, it doesn’t matter how far gone things look, it just needs us to believe God can fix it.😊

During Jesus’ ministry we often find people coming to Him with urgent needs. There was no half heartedness with them. They needed Jesus to do something for them and they needed it now, like the man who came asking for help for his son who had seizures.

The writer of the Psalms knew how to cry out to God for help and God answered him. Psalm 34:6 KJV "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles."

When Peter stepped out of the boat and found he was sinking, he called out, “Lord save me” and Jesus reached out His hand and ‘they’ walked back to the boat together. When we call out to God for help, then together with God we can overcome the storms. He is in them with us bringing us through to the other side.

There used to be a saying, “Why worry when you can pray?” not “Why pray when you can worry?” Scripture says God hears every one of our prayers when we come in faith and He is answering them as He knows best.

We can be encouraged because God wants us to stand on His promises and pray them back to Him because not one of His good promises has ever failed. (Joshua 21:45) So let’s keep praying and thanking God He can fix it, whatever it is, and the answers are on the way. Amen.😊

Photo by Arseny Togulev on Unsplash

JOY IN THE HOUSE

Psalm 16:11 NKJV You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Could you do with some joy today? Well, the phrase ‘Joy In The House’ just kept going through my mind, and I found myself praying for everyone who reads this blog to have such a sense of joy in their house, in their hearts, totally inexplicable but supernatural joy that comes straight from the throne of heaven, but is down in our hearts. The sort of joy that may even have us doubled up with laughter, maybe even holy laughter, but I’m believing for a release of the joy of the Lord into all our lives. Could anyone do with some of that? I know I could, all the time!😊

The secret is to believe for it and take a few minutes out with the Lord. I’ve put a link below to a song, written in 2024, which blesses me every time I hear it or sing it and I encourage you to have a listen. It will lift your spirits and fill you with joy.😊

And afterwards just declare to yourself, ‘The joy of the Lord is my strength and His joy is bubbling up in me. I receive it, and I expect it to rise up on the inside of me like bubbles, a life giving stream throughout my day! I will not be moved by what I see, or hear, or how I feel about things. I am a child of God therefore I have His fruit of joy down in my spirit and I call it out and praise You for it Lord.”

Jesus said we can have what we believe for, so I’m here today to ask us to believe for the spirit of joy, to have a different perspective, to even look for the funny side of things when we can, to know God has us safe in His hands which is something that will drive the frowns from our faces, and the worry from our minds, and help us relax and rest in Him.😊 

It says in His presence is fullness of joy, not fullness of condemnation, or blame, or sad expectations, or judgement, or doom and gloom. No, in God’s presence there is overflowing joy and He has placed it deep down in our hearts just waiting for us to stir it up and thank Him for it. So friends, let’s accept and be strengthened by His Joy today. Amen.

I hope you can have a listen to the link below through to the end when he reads Isaiah 61:1-3.😊

https://youtu.be/mEIa_BPa6Uw?si=nvY4zTgM6FeLt3AV

FOR THE TIME BEING…

Psalm 31:15 My times are in Your hands.

This text fell out of my bible the other day and the Lord was bringing it to my attention to remind me not to be concerned about delays because my times (and yours) are in His hands.😊

If you’re waiting for something it’s good to remember God knows all the ins and outs of our lives in great detail and He can see the big picture. As we trust Him and just follow His instructions, and not mind His silences when there are no new instructions, then He will bring us to the place He wants us to be in every sphere of life.

Philippians 1:6 says ‘being confident of this very thing that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” In other words, God’s good plans for us will happen if we do as He says.😊

Waiting can be the hardest part in any experience whether we’re waiting for results of an exam, or medical results, or just waiting for our offspring to ring us up! But waiting is part of our growing in our trust of the Lord, to believe all the affairs of our lives are safe in His hands, and that He is working everything out for the good of all in the background, that all will be well.

Psalm 23 reminds us that our Good Shepherd leads us, but we’re tempted sometimes to run on ahead in our thinking with the ‘what ifs’ which is not a good idea! Isaiah 40:31 NKJV says, “But those who wait on the Lord, Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.” In this verse to wait means to attach and bind ourselves to the Lord with an eager expectation of good, and take His promises by faith, then the rest will follow.😊

Isaiah 49:23 NKJV …For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.” 

Let’s be encouraged in our waiting as we go into our new week, knowing God’s goodness is on the way which means we can relax knowing ‘our times are in His hands.’ 😊

Thank You Lord. Amen.

LIFT OUR SPIRITS

Philippians 4:8 NIV Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

A bear with bunny ears is not normally what you expect to see and it makes me smile. I believe God has things for all of us that are not what we normally expect in our daily routine lives; things that, if we’re on the look out for them, will make us smile and lift our spirits too.😊

Too often we hear on the media of all the sad things that pull us down but there are good things happening each day as well, we just normally don’t hear about them.

For instance I discovered there are several Good News websites anyone can tap into to read about the good things that are happening round the world.

The Evangelical Alliance reported this: “Ministry analysts and church data trackers indicate that Gen Z is leading a sudden turnaround in young adult church attendance, reversing multi-decade patterns of decline. Many young people report that a search for authentic community and absolute truth in a "post-truth" culture is drawing them to faith.” How encouraging that is.😊

At a local level, Chris was talking with an acquaintance who had recently been made homeless, through no fault of his own, and had been living in a tent, then in a friend’s caravan, but has now been given a permanent home. 

Last week someone had abandoned a beautiful big bouquet of expensive roses on the pavement nearby, so Chris rescued them and brought them home for us to enjoy. We have no idea why they were there and it was something one wouldn’t normally expect, but such a lovely surprise!😊

It’s easy to dwell on all the hard things that are going on in the world, the things that can make us sad, but I believe God wants to lift our spirits each day, to look for the good things, the unexpected, to pass on good news if we hear some, to encourage one another. We can’t solve all the problems of the world but we can celebrate the joy of one person being given a home, or when we hear of one person feeling stronger or better than they did before, of young people seeking God, or of an unexpected gift.

As the Holy Spirit said through Paul, think about those things which are noble and praiseworthy, which are lovely, and let’s give God all the praise and glory while we’re at it.😊

Have a blessed weekend.x

IS YOUR LIGHT TURNED ON?

John 8:12 I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

I was walking up the hallway yesterday morning when I noticed a light shining on my dressing gown and thought it was sunlight reflecting through the window but whichever way I turned the light still glowed and for a moment I couldn’t figure out where the light was coming from! It just shows how dippy I can be because I suddenly realised my tiny torch in my pocket had turned itself on accidentally and was glowing from inside my pocket! I hope you’re laughing with me! What a ninny!🤣

Anyway, it made me think that, as Christians, we all have a light coming from the inside of us because Jesus is the Light and He lives in us by His Spirit. The trouble is we don’t always seem to have our inner light turned on, do we? The troubles and problems of our day are a bit like a dimmer switch and they tend to turn down our Light which is the wrong way round!

Jesus wants to shine His light on those troubles so the troubles become dim and His light shines brighter but it depends on us as to whether we’re turned on to Him to shine through us or not.😊 We know darkness can’t extinguish light and when we choose to trust Him in our difficult times we’re turning on His light, when we choose to put more faith in our fears, than we do in God’s Word, then we dim the Light.

Psalms 18:28 ESV For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness. 

1 Thessalonians 5:5 ESV For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.

Matthew 5:16 NIV In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

1 John 1:7 NKJV But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

I hope you’ve had a chuckle today but more than anything I hope you choose to turn your inner Light on as you keep looking to Jesus, and let your inner glow shine out for everyone to see.😊 Amen.

Photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash

SO WHAT IS PROSPERITY?

Psalm 35:27 NKJV Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

I have good news today. God is pleased when we prosper.😊 But what does prosper mean in God’s eyes? I thought we’d have a look because it means more than we might think.

Strong’s Concordance (7965) for prosperity in this verse - Shalom: well, happy, healthy, prosperity, peace, friendly, complete, whole, welfare.

I hope that gladdens your heart because it did mine. It’s not God’s desire for us to be sick but He is pleased when we’re healthy and thriving, when we’re at peace when all is well and whole with a sense of welfare, when we thrive in every area of life, and that includes Him wanting our finances to prosper too. So we know it’s His will for us to have all of those.

Some people have thought God wants them poor or sick but it’s not what scripture says. Jesus spent a great part of His time healing and delivering people. We’re told it was God who blessed Abraham so much that he had tremendous riches! Paul writes that we have inherited the blessings of Abraham and I wonder if we’ve realised the implications of that? (Galations 3:13-14).

The world says if we have money and ‘things’ then we’re prosperous, but God says it’s far more than that because God takes pleasure when we thrive in every aspect of our lives. For instance it probably wouldn’t be much use to be a millionaire but not able to enjoy it because of illness!

God’s heart and His desire is for us to prosper and thrive in everything so we’re not only able to be blessed but to be a blessing to others, to bring glory to His name. 

So we need never wonder if it’s God’s will for us to be prosperous, or to be healthy and have more than enough, because He says it is, and if we’re struggling in any of those areas then we know we can go to Him with confidence knowing He’s willing and wants to put it right. That’s good news.😊 Amen.

SETBACKS OR SET UPS

Psalm 100:5 NIV For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Our circumstances may change from day to day, but thankfully our God does not. We need to always be reminding ourselves of that otherwise we might be tempted to listen to the enemy’s doubts and fears because of things that happen!

Sometimes we have what looks like setbacks but in God’s hands they become setups for Him to show up in a greater way in our lives. Joseph was a great example of constant setbacks in his life which seemed so unfair and would have messed most people up, but he remained faithful to God even when he was rejected by family, sold as a slave and later put in prison for something he didn’t do. The hardships and humiliation he must have endured can only be imagined but his God constantly showed him favour even in the worst of circumstances.

We read how the favour of God was on him and we read the same thing about us, that the favour of God is on us because of Jesus, even in our setbacks. It’s because God always has the last word if we keep our trust and focus on Him. When we say, “I don’t understand why these things have happened, but I trust you Lord”, we are opening ourselves up for Him to set us up for restoration and blessing.😊

So be encouraged today to know that when God is turning things around, which He has promised to do,  it’s always for our good, and we can rest in that truth whether it’s the middle of a dark night when we can’t sleep, or we’re in the thick of a difficult day.

God is a good God and He is faithful to us because He loves us beyond measure and nothing can change that wonderful truth. Thank You Lord. Amen.😊

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

WELL STIRRED

2 Timothy 1:6-7 NKJV Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Every Christmas around this time of year we had a tradition of making our own cake and then each member of the family would help to stir up the mixture to make sure it was well and truly stirred. Happy days!😊

The Apostle Paul in this verse though is talking to Timothy and reminding him to stir up the gift that was in him and I used to think it meant a particular gift he had been given but discovered the Greek says, to stir up the ‘grace’ of God. 

In 1 Timothy 4:14 he uses the same word for gift which is also the ‘grace’ of God. We’re also being told to stir up the grace of God inside us.😊

We have all been given the grace of God in order for us to be saved and we need it every day of our lives to walk in all God is wanting to give us. We know His grace is undeserved favour, it’s all of God’s riches given to us because of Jesus’ sacrifice, and we can’t do anything to earn it but we receive it by faith. Romans 5:17 (NKJV) reminds us that those who receive the abundance of His grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life. I think we’d all like to do that, don’t you?😊

Now we may, or may not have received the laying on of hands but we have all been given His grace and one of the benefits of His grace is knowing God has not given us a spirit of fear, but He did give us His spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind, but we have to receive it all by faith. We accept it as an accomplished fact. It’s ours, it’s yours and it’s in abundance. The enemy will try to tell us differently but we don’t have to listen to him any more. Jesus set us free from his lies and tyranny of fear.

So, I’m here today to encourage you to stir up the gift of grace, of God’s favour, in your life. Declare it out loud to yourself wherever you are throughout the day, grab a hold of it, and start stirring yourself up knowing it is a gift of God already placed in you.😊

We have it, so we can put it to work and agree with God’s word that we are a child of God saved by grace through faith; we refuse the spirit of fear and we stir up the grace of power, of love and a sound mind already inside of us. It’s all ours in Jesus name. Thank You Lord. Amen.

Photo: Annie Spratt on Unsplash

TURN THE PAGE

Psalm 46:1 NLT God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

Well it’s another new week and some are on half term and some are not. Whatever we’re doing this week we can know that we walk through it with Almighty God, the One who watches over us and helps us to navigate whatever is going on.

Yesterday in church the preacher reminded us how with God there is always hope, because our God is greater than anything we’re being asked to deal with. God promises to be a very present help in our time of trouble and it makes no difference what kind of trouble it might be.😊

We can’t go by other people’s experiences because we’re not walking their walk, we’re walking our own and it will be different in each case. God does tell us all though to walk by faith and not by what we see or hear in the natural. He reminds us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, not yet seen. In other words those unseen things we’re hoping and looking for are still on the way, God is still working things out but they may take time.

Can I encourage us all to lift up our eyes to Jesus and His promises once again, otherwise we’ll get so bogged down with our circumstances we won’t be able to think and say what God wants us to. We’ll be tempted to speak negatively which is what the enemy wants!

Part of walking in the peace that Jesus came to give us, is to turn our eyes from our present reality, not ignoring it, but remembering that God can change our realities when we have faith. Even when our faith is at a low ebb we can always call on God for His faith because one of His promises is that He will provide all our needs according to Christ Jesus.😊

Whatever your story is at the moment, remember to turn the page, because God has written a lot more in your book which is yet to unfold and He has good plans for you.😊 Don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking anything different because we know he is the father of all lies!

Let’s never forget God is for us and I pray the certain knowledge of that truth will sustain and strengthen us each day of the week to be the overcomers in Christ He has made us to be. Amen.😊

HOPE AND A FUTURE

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

When we receive news that we didn’t want to hear it’s good to remember that God knew all about it before we did and although we don’t know the whys and wherefores, we do know our loving Father holds us in the palm of His hand and He will never leave us alone.😊

When the three young men were thrown in the fiery furnace they found that Jesus came to them in the heat of the fire and broke off the chains that bound them and kept them safe . That’s a strong encouragement from God that He will be with us in the heat of our circumstances and keep us safe too because we’re His children and He holds us close to His heart. 

God says over and over again that He is our strength and shield, that in Him we can be strong to face whatever we’re being called to face. He reminds us that with His help we can take courage when we feel fearful because God is with us wherever we go. 

There will never be a day when we have to deal with things on our own, never be a day when God hasn’t gone ahead of us to smooth the crooked paths. There will never be a day when God is too busy to be involved in every intricate detail of our lives.  

Psalm 139 reminds us He sees us when we sit down and rise up. He knows when we feel upset and when we’re distressed by fears, and He encourages our faith to lift our eyes back up to Jesus who is our great High Priest who understands everything we’re dealing with, He is our very present help in trouble.

Yesterday we saw that whatever we have to go through, God is bringing us out the other side. He is holding us steady, and His plans for us have not changed but they’re always to give us a future and a hope, and not to harm us. Thank You Lord. Amen. 

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

NO FEAR IN THE VALLEY

Psalm 23:4 NIV Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

I have an old bookmark in my bible which says: 

‘The Lord is my Shepherd I need not fear the valley.’

Fear comes knocking on everybody’s door at some point and David had more opportunities to fear than most of us but he learned, through walking with the Lord, that he didn’t need to.

Why was that? He’d learned that no matter what giant he faced, no matter how many battles he had to fight, his God was with him and he had a covenant with Almighty God that covered it, that conquered it and that held him steady and secure. And we do too.😊

His God and ours is El Shaddai the One who is more than enough. More than enough to strengthen and help us overcome in every situation when our eyes are on Him. 

David ran toward Goliath, and told him he’d take his head off not because he’d already overcome a lion and a bear, but because of his God who was with him and His power. 

We have the Holy Spirit who raised Christ from the dead actually living in us, and we have a greater covenant with God than David had. How much more can we run toward our giants and tell them we don’t need to fear them, we won’t be intimidated, we will overcome them in the strength of the Lord, and with God’s help we will take their heads off and and they will be rendered powerless to hurt us.

Our fears may try to fill our minds but God says Jesus has put those enemies beneath our feet and we need to keep them there until they’re totally kicked out! Move them from our head to under our heel.😊

God is telling us we need not fear in any valley we’re going through, because He Himself is with us and He is all we need. His rod and staff are His Holy Spirit and His Word and their assignment is to comfort, strengthen and uphold us. We don’t set up camp in the valley because God not only brings us through, but He brings us out the other side. We are not victims. We are Victors through Jesus. Can somebody shout Amen today!😊

Lord we thank and praise You for being with us. You are bringing us out of whatever we are going through, and give You all the glory. In Jesus name. Amen.

CHANGE OUR LIVES

Romans 4:17 NKJV 17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;

Have you ever had a downer on yourself? I can’t do this! I’ve put on weight, I’m not good in company, I keep saying the wrong thing, I’m shy, I’m tired all the time! We’re talking ourselves down and drawing all those negative things to us.

Instead God wants us to think and speak what He says about us. “I’m strong in the Lord, He is renewing my strength so I can overcome. I have God’s wisdom, I’m healthy and filled with God’s joy and peace.”

Now we may not feel any of those things at that moment, but scripture tells us to call those things which are not, as though they were.(Romans 4:17) It’s about talking faith because faith doesn’t go by what we can see, it goes by what is not seen yet. We actually call those things into being by our faith filled words.😊 Faith is the evidence of things we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1)

We can change our circumstances, our lives, by the words we speak when they line up with God’s word. One church I know of regularly speak these words over themselves:

“I am Blessed, Prosperous, Redeemed, Forgiven, Healed, Talented, Creative, Confident, Secure, Disciplined, Focused, Prepared, Qualified, Motivated, Valuable, Free, Determined, Equipped, Empowered, Anointed, Accepted, Approved, Not Average, Not mediocre. I am a child of the Most High God.
I will become all He’s created me to be. In Jesus Name.”

We may not feel like half of those things, and so often we want to call things like they are and say they’ll never change, but if we choose to do it God’s way we will speak His words out our mouths regardless of what we see in front of us or what we feel. 

What we keep hearing ourselves consistently say goes down into our spirit and changes us. It’s amazing how just speaking even a few of those words out loud over ourselves throughout the day lifts our spirits. I tried it! Let’s pin them up and keep speaking them so the enemy can’t feed us anything else!😊

When we do, we’re giving God the opening to change us from one degree of glory to another. I think we’d all like that, don’t you? Amen.😊

Photo by Eyestetix Studio on Unsplash

DO YOURSELF NO HARM

Acts 16:28 NKJV But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, ….

Paul and Silas were in prison with their backs beaten raw but they were still praising God when God broke the prison doors open with an earthquake! The terrified jailer was about to draw his sword to end his life, and bring disaster on his family, when Paul shouted out, “Do yourself no harm …” 

I was reminded in church recently to do ourselves no harm because Jesus is here to rescue us from whatever situation we’re in. We tend to think of self harming when people cut or starve themselves but it’s possible to harm ourselves with eating unhealthily or by being addicted to wrong things, even too many hours on the internet.😊

It’s also possible to harm ourselves with negative thinking which undermines our confidence or eats away at our faith in God’s promises. We may be tempted to think we can’t do something, which harms our future or stops us being all God has anointed us to be. We harm ourselves when we believe the enemy’s lies instead of God’s infallible word!

Perhaps we’ve all harmed ourselves at some point without realising it or recognising it, but today God is drawing it to our attention; to stop sticking swords in ourselves when He has provided us with a Saviour who delivers us from anything and everything that has the potential to harm us. He reminds us we are no longer condemned, no longer guilty or shamed, but declared righteous in Christ, no longer unwanted but loved and accepted by Him.😊

The jailer found that out when he went on to ask how he could be saved, and what started as two beaten up guys praising God in a prison cell, ended up with a whole family being wonderfully saved! Hallelujah!😊

So Lord Jesus we ask You to rescue us from anything that would cause us to harm ourselves today and bring us into that place of total peace and rest in You. Amen.

THE GLORY OF SUNRISE

Romans 8:32 NIV He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?                                                                                         

My friend sent me some glorious pictures of yesterday’s sunrise up in Inverness. They went from the first peak of the sun, setting the sky on fire, to a steady revealing of its light as it reflected off the clouds, and the fields and trees began to glow. We don’t always get to see sunrises as spectacular as that, but it doesn’t mean they’re not happening.😊

In the same way God is doing things in all our lives when His light begins to rise over our circumstances. At first it’s so dark and we can’t see things ever being any different, but our God is the God of all hope and comfort. He is the God who brings light in our darkness and just as He gives us glorious sunrises He is doing the same thing in our lives.

As I looked at the series of photos she sent, I realised we don’t always recognise what’s going on in the background but it doesn’t mean it’s not happening! God paints the sky every morning with colour and beauty which is totally breathtaking, whether we see it or not. Why would He not do the same in our lives? …how will he not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?

Let’s lift our eyes upwards again today and thank God for all He is doing on our behalf, even though we may not be able to see it yet. He is painting something into your life and mine which will be breathtaking if we’ll take our faith and the time to believe Him for it and look for it.😊

What kind of beauty is it? It’s the beauty of loving relationships, of caring friendships, the wonder of peace in our hearts that’s beyond our understanding, it’s the deep security of knowing we’re accepted and loved by the One who paints the sky every single day with His breathtaking glory of colour and wonder, and it’s the miracle of His generous provision and protection every day of our lives.

Most of all it’s the beauty of being able to have a personal close relationship with the One who hung on a Cross for our sakes, to be one spirit with Him. Sometimes we forget, but today God is reminding us Jesus His Son, and the wonder of all He gives us, are rising and being revealed in our lives too.

Thank You Lord. Amen.😊

Photos: Courtesy of W.Girling 

GENTLE REMINDERS

Proverbs 4:5 NIV Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them.

I always enjoy reading helpful wise quotes so I thought I’d pass on some more I came across as we move into our week.

‘Be you.’ Sometimes we wish we were somebody else with their gifts or looks, but God made us the way we are, each one unique for a reason. God doesn’t make mistakes so let’s learn to enjoy all our quirky ways and ask God to use them for His glory.😊

‘Choose kindness.’ One of the best choices we can make each day is to be kind, not just to others but to be kind to ourselves, to not find fault all the time but remember we’re all a work in progress and precious to God.

‘Smile.’ We know one of the gifts of the Spirit is joy but sometimes we forget to unbox it and let it show in our smiles. When we do, it can lift up those we pass by or meet in a shop or workplace. Just smile!😊

‘Take time to make your soul happy.’ God tells us to rest for the simple reason that He didn’t design us to keep going without drawing breath. Let’s give ourselves permission to unwind and do something we enjoy.

‘Don’t overthink.’ This is easier said than done but it’s connected to the verse, ‘Be anxious for nothing, but in all your prayers make your requests known to God with thanksgiving.’ Lord help us do that!😊

‘Enjoy life.’ When life goes through tough seasons sometimes we have to stop and count our blessings and ask God to help us have a new perspective so we can enjoy the life He gives us, the little joys.

‘Collect beautiful moments.’ Have you had anything happen that made you smile, or lifted your spirits, or made you glad? Why not write it down and put it in a jar to open up at the end of the month to remind yourself of those beautiful moments. They’re so easily forgotten.😊

‘Good things take time.’ Next time we feel frustration creeping in because the thing we’re waiting for is taking longer than we thought, remember in Ecclesiastes it said everything happens in God’s timing and just rest in that.

‘Enjoy a mug of hot chocolate.’ Sometimes we just need some gentle reminders, and if any have struck a cord with us maybe we could find time today to enjoy a mug of hot chocolate. As we sit with our hands around a hot mug, let’s breathe in the lovely aroma and remember most of all God loves us and Jesus’ invitation to come to Him and find rest for our souls. Enjoy a few minutes with the Lord to unwind and thank Him for all His goodness and blessings in our lives.😊 Amen.

SMILING MAKES ME THIN

1 Thessalonians 5:16 AMPC Be happy (in your faith) and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always);

I saw this sign and it made me chuckle “Smiling makes me thin!” I think anyone who has tried to lose weight at any time would wish that statement was true, and there would be a lot of smiling people going around!😊

But we all know smiling helps us physically as well as emotionally, and our verse encourages us today to ‘always be glad hearted’. But how do we do that when things come against us or we’re sad about something?

Being glad hearted or rejoicing doesn’t depend on our outward circumstances being wonderful, but it’s an inner peace and contentment. It’s an inside job of having joy in our spirit despite what’s going on around us.

Every one of us who knows Jesus as Lord has His Spirit on the inside of us and He puts His joy, His peace and love within us when He comes. We can then choose to tap into those things when the pressure is on us to be miserable or depressed. Our verse reminds us to be happy in our faith and that’s because it’s our faith that overcomes the world, and whatever seeks to pull us down. (1 John 5:4). 

If we take our eyes off Jesus and all He has done for us we can find ourselves sliding down a slippery slope of despair but when we remember we are still a deeply loved child of God, forgiven and chosen by Him to be His special treasure, then we will be able to still rejoice and always be glad hearted because those truths have not changed one bit and they will last forever, through every up or down.

So next time something tries to steal our smile, let’s remember to tap into our inner joy and all that God has done for us in Jesus, and even if our circumstances are difficult or they haven’t changed, let’s choose to give Him thanks with a grateful, glad heart for all the blessings we do have.😊 Amen.

Have a blessed weekend, a glad heart, and keep smiling.x😊

Photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash

GOD IS THE MASTER PLANNER

Isaiah 64:4 NLT For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!

When birthdays and Christmas are coming up a lot of people prepare all sorts of lovely surprises for their loved ones. It might be a box of small presents that make them smile or a bigger present they’ve been hoping for all year. It may be the preparation of a scrumptious meal but these things all take planning and preparation.

God is the Master Planner and we know His main plan has always been our salvation through the Lord Jesus coming to earth to be the sacrifice for our sins, for our healing, for our restoration and reconciliation to our Heavenly Father. What a glorious plan!

Psalm 31:19 NLT How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. God doesn’t stop there though, because He also has plans for our every day lives, to bless us here and now because our verse says it will be before the watching world! He’s talking in our lifetime not in the sweet by and by. The CEV translation says it this way: You are wonderful, and while everyone watches, you store up blessings for all who honor and trust you.

God wants us to have a sense of expectancy, to stir our spirits up to look forward to seeing not just His goodness but His great goodness. It says He lavishes it on us because that is the heart of our God. He is generous to the enth degree but we have to honour Him and come to Him trusting in His promises, not second guessing them or thinking they’re for somebody else. When our trust is in God alone then they are for us, right now.😊

I hope that has stirred our faith today to know and believe God is actively working in the background of our lives, not only saving our souls for eternity which is huge, but to bring us into all He has planned and prepared for us at this time, from before the world was made, which is quite a thought!😊 Thank You Lord. Amen.

Photo by Andrey Soldatov on Unsplash

THANK YOU FOR THE VICTORY

Romans 8:31-32 NIV What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

When I woke up a bit bleary eyed this morning I had these five words going over in my mind, “THANK YOU FOR THE VICTORY” so I started speaking them out, over and over and over and over again. I had gone to bed asking the Lord to help me with my faith to overcome my doubts and fears over a certain situation because, as we know, we can’t overcome in our own strength.😊 The more I declared and thanked Him for the victory for a good outcome, even though I couldn’t see anything yet, the more my faith increased.

King Jehoshaphat was facing three enemy armies and you may be facing several enemies today as well. Enemies of doubt and fear, enemies of discouragement, overworked in your job, discord in your family, fears for the future, battling with loneliness or sickness, we all have different enemies we face.

But I have good news on every count because we have a Risen Saviour and Jesus has already won the greatest victory in history. Praise His name!😊The Holy Spirit reminds us that it’s our faith in Jesus that overcomes the world because Jesus defeated all our enemies at the Cross for us. He has declared we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. (Romans 8)

2 Chronicles 20:5-25 Jehoshaphat didn’t know what to do but he told God their eyes were on Him, because their trust was in Him. God told him He would fight the battle for him and not to be afraid or dismayed.Then Jehoshaphat told the worship singers to go out in front of his army as they prepared for the battle and we know the story, as they praised God, the enemy fought amongst themselves and were totally destroyed! Read the story.😊

God wants to encourage us all, whatever doubts and fears we have, whatever our past experience has been, this is a new day and God is for us not against us. He is reminding us He is fighting the battle for us. He only wants the best for us and as we put our whole trust in Him and thank Him for the victory in our situation, in advance, so we release His power, His angels, to fight for us to bring His victory into everything we’re dealing with.😊

Lord, we THANK YOU FOR THE VICTORY in every situation in our lives today and we give you all the praise because Your mercy endures forever and ever and we belong to You. Praise the name of Jesus. Amen.

HEAVY SUITCASES

Psalm 68:19 AMPC Blessed be the Lord, Who bears our burdens and carries us day by day, even the God Who is our salvation! Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

If you’ve ever had to carry a suitcase up a flight of steps at the railway station, and then down again the other side to reach the other platform, you’ll know how heavy it can be and you’re glad to put it down!

In the same way we all carry suitcases through life jammed with burdens we were never designed to carry. I wonder what your suitcase is full of? Is it heavy with memories that burden you down, maybe it is full of regrets or hurts or unforgiveness? Maybe it’s full of family troubles or health problems, or how to pay the bills?

Whatever is in it, God wants to remind us He is our burden bearer. Are we trying to carry, or stubbornly holding on to what we need to let go of? Why not release the handle of your suitcase to Him and let Him have the full weight of it?😊

Our verse says He carries us day by day. It never says He carries us every now and again when He feels like it or when He sees we can’t manage. No, He carries us every single day but are we allowing Him to take the weight? If not, it’s like getting on the train but still carrying the suitcase!

When we worry and are anxious all the time it lets us see we’re not really trusting God to sort things out, that we’re still trying to be God in our own lives. We seem to think He’s not on the job so we feel we have to be! How silly can we be? As though worrying can change anything anyway!

1 Peter 5:7 AMPC Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. Did you notice the ‘all’ bit? Sometimes we do give God the cares but after a few minutes we grab the handle of the suitcase back again! 

It’s tempting to say we can’t help it, but that’s not true or God would be unjust to tell us to do it! God says to ask the Holy Spirit to help us with everything, so next time we catch ourselves carrying the heavy suitcase let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us let go and allow Him to carry it instead.😊 Amen.

Photo by Kin Wai Cheung on Unsplash

YOUR HEART’S DESIRE

Psalm 20:4-5 NLT May he grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed. May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory and raise a victory banner in the name of our God.
May the Lord answer all your prayers.

When someone says something to us twice we know they’re trying to get our attention and we should be listening!😊 Well in the past few days I have been given Psalm 20 twice and I had the same thought, “I need to listen!” So what is God saying to us because His word is for all of us, not just for the odd one or two! 

We all have heart’s desires, things we are praying for, whether it’s for relations to be saved, health issues, family situations to be turned around or maybe as in our case for moving house, but they are all the desires of our hearts and God knows every one of them.😊

It’s interesting the psalmist prays that God won’t just give them their heart’s desire, but will also make all their plans succeed. That implies we need to have some specific plans in place before God can bring them about! Are they His plans or our plans? God is not vague, in fact when He gave Moses the design plans for the tabernacle they were incredibly specific.

We know we’re called to be imitators of God so what are our specific plans and desires? Have we written them down like it says to do in Habakkuk 2:2-3(NKJV), so we know exactly what we’re believing for, what our heart’s desire is? 

If we’re sick, our heart’s desire will be for total restoration, not a half hearted job. We need to ‘see’ ourselves well, with maybe a photo of us when we were healthy so we know what we’re aiming for. “Thank You Lord, You want me whole and well and Your word says by Jesus wounds I was healed. Thank You it’s manifesting moment by moment, even when I can’t see or feel it yet.”😊

If we are dealing with family upsets, we need a picture in our head of them all getting on well, not just ‘O God, help my family”. I believe the Lord wants us to be specific, to speak positive words over them.“Thank You Lord You are bringing restoration and reconciliation to the family. Thank You Lord You are healing the hurts and building bridges. You’re bringing the desires of my heart.” 

When we do that we’re showing God our faith, that we’re trusting Him to fulfil His promises and give us the desires of our hearts knowing He wants us to prosper and be in health even as our soul prospers. Thank You Lord. Amen.😊

Photo by Mohamed Marey on Unsplash

 

GOD DOESN’T MAKE MISTAKES

Hebrews 12:2 NLT We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

I was looking for some information and came across a comment underneath the answer - ‘AI responses may include mistakes.’ I’m so glad they admitted it because AI doesn’t always get it right!😊 

As I was thinking on that I realised afresh that our God does not make mistakes which is so reassuring. We all make mistakes from time to time including doctors and politicians, but not God!😊 

When God made you and me He didn’t make a mistake. When He chose you and called you He didn’t make a mistake. When Jesus died for us all He didn’t make a mistake either because He was looking forward to the joy set before Him. He saw the end result of His suffering which would be for each one of us who have chosen to put our trust in Him to be forgiven and brought into God’s family. Thank God!

God thought each one of us was worth dying for, and though we may make some mistakes His grace is so powerful that it’s strong enough to turn them around for our good when we love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28). What a wonderful God is our God! 

Jesus dying on the Cross probably looked like a mistake to those watching and the enemy thought he’d destroyed Him but scripture tells us not to go by what things look like! The end result was a glorious victory for our God and even though we may be tempted to look at some things in our lives and think God has maybe made a mistake, take heart because God knows the end from the beginning and He has a glorious victory for us on its way.😊

So as we go into our new week let’s keep our eyes on Jesus, no matter what is going on, or not going on in our lives at the moment. Be encouraged to know God’s ways and thoughts are not like ours but they’re far higher, far reaching, and they are totally motivated by His love for us and He doesn’t make mistakes.😊

Thank You Lord. Amen.

Photo: Immo Wegmann on Unsplash

KEEP GOING - DON’T GIVE UP!

Joshua 1:9 NLT This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Keep going. Don’t give up! How often we need to hear those words when life wears us down and we feel like we’ve had enough! Perhaps you feel like that at the minute? Maybe life has ganged up on you, or you’ve had more bad news and you don’t feel very inspired to do much. It might not even be that, but it’s just the treadmill of doing the same thing over and over again that has worn you down.

Whatever it is that has discouraged you God is constantly encouraging us through scripture to keep going, to know He is by our side telling us to be of good courage, to believe for the best, to know He is strengthening and upholding us.😊

In 1 Samuel 30:1-6 David and his men had faced a life changing defeat and the men were wanting to stone David, which was enough to discourage anybody, but David had learned to encourage himself in the Lord. He knew His God had not abandoned him and if he’d just keep going that God would come through for him. It was only 2-3 days later that he experienced an enormous victory and they reclaimed all that was lost and more.😊

Sometimes when we’re under attack and being pressured to give up, whether it’s giving up on a job or a project or on a relationship, pressured to give up on believing for our healing or something else that is taking a long time to happen, it’s the very time we need to hang in there. It could be only 2-3 days to our greatest victory but we’d never know if we gave in to the pressure and gave up believing for what God has promised.😊

Be encouraged to keep going, no matter what! God is fighting our battles for us but He does tell us to be strong and of good courage, to not be afraid, nor be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you. 

So strengthen the weak knees because you can do this with the help of the Holy Spirit. Keep going and whatever you do, don’t give up because God always leads us in victory.😊Amen.

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

Photo by Alexas_Fotos on Unsplash

BE ENCOURAGED

Isaiah 59:1 NLT Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.

God wants to encourage us all today no matter where we’re at, or what we’re facing, or what has happened. He knows the end from the beginning and nothing takes Him by surprise. God has told us He has good plans to prosper us and not to harm us, a future and a hope, but it requires us to take up our shield of faith to grab a hold of that promise so the enemy can’t steal it from us.

Scripture is full of what God has promised us and He doesn’t lie, so we can have confidence to stand on His word in the face of whatever the enemy is trying to put on us. We can be so grateful that our God is supernatural and He is not limited in any way, shape or form, by our present reality. 

Jesus told Jairus's daughter who had actually died, to get up, and she did. He told lepers to be made whole and they were. Their present reality had to bow to God’s supernatural reality. How encouraging that is.😊 Jesus never said, “How awful, what are we going to do!” No, He knew He’d been sent to heal the sick, make blind eyes see, etc. so He did, and He is the same yesterday, today and forever!

Jesus faced earthly reality on a daily basis but He brought God’s heavenly reality, which is higher and more powerful than ours, into every situation because He knew His Father’s heart was to heal, restore, provide and turn things around for peoples’ good. I can personally testify to that.😊 

3 John 2 NKJV Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. I love this verse because it reminds me of what God’s will is for His children, so I don’t need to wonder.

Let’s stand together in faith for all that God has promised us and believe what Isaiah said that God will listen to our prayers and He will save us. He will save you. In Jesus name. Amen.

DON’T FORGET!

Colossians 3:15 NLT And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Do you ever find you need reminding of things? You may have good intentions but then you forget to do what you’re supposed to do! It’s not even an ‘age’ thing because I was like it years ago but I have learned to write notes to myself and pin them where I’ll see them to remind me! Maybe you do the same?😊

In the same way I think we might need reminding of some of the things the Holy Spirit said through Paul in Colossians 3 (NLT). If you’ve not read it lately have a little look with me: 

10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

12…you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 

13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

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

Maybe it would be good to write them down and pin them up around the house because it’s easy to forget, whether we’re 4 or 94!😊 Earlier in the chapter Paul talks about taking off things like being greedy, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, anger, rage, spiteful behaviour, etc. but he tells us to put on our new nature.

If we’re honest, our new nature is much nicer so why do we want to hang on to any of the other stuff like unforgiveness and offence anyway? It only makes us miserable in the end! It’s time to let some things go, to take them off like an old worn out coat and put on our shining armour of righteousness which we’ve been given as a free gift instead. When we do we’ll find peace will come as a result. As Paul says…15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. And always be thankful. 

Why not have a read of Colossians 3 again and be blessed and maybe get your pen and paper notes out?🤣 Amen.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash