Now is the time for……
Gratitude

In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

One of my lasting childhood memories is of receiving a 5 shilling note in a birthday card every year from my great aunt in England. It was regular every year and it was fun to receive it. The only drawback was that every year I had to sit down and write a thank you letter; just like I had to write letters to my grandmother.

The letters always started like this….. “Dear Auntie and Uncle, I hope you are well as I am at present…”, I would thank them for the gift and then try, with my mother’s help, to write something meaningful and finally, with great relief I would sign off. It was always a chore. As I look back I am thankful for the discipline of learning to say thank you, but I am sad that I found it such a chore. I am sure my Auntie didn’t find it a chore to remember me. Now I love writing thank you notes!

One of the disciplines of my spiritual life is to be thankful. God’s word tells us that we should be thankful. I believe it is good for us to be thankful to God because it makes us mindful of all his many blessings to us. It is not a chore for God to bless us, he is a loving Father, and it is his great delight to bless us with every good and perfect gift.

It cost my aunt time, energy and money to send me that gift every year on my birthday. It was only right that I thank her. It cost God so much more to bless us with salvation through the gift of his son, Jesus Christ. Do you thank him for that? He is always ready and waiting to hear our prayers? Do you thank him for that? He is always more than willing to generously give wisdom when we ask? Do you thank him for that? The list could go on but you get the picture.

Having a thankful heart, an attitude of gratitude is something to be prized. We can be thankful for the good things that come our way, but can we also be thankful when things go wrong, when we don’t get our own way? This is the test of a trusting grateful heart. Our verse today says “In everything…”, it doesn’t say ‘for everything’. There is quite a difference. Unpleasant, even downright awful, things may come our way. We don’t need to be thankful for them, but we can be thankful that in everything that comes, God is there for us to strengthen us, help us and guide us through. Our character is most tested and developed in the tough times, we need them so let’s be thankful for the tests and trust God to bring us safely through them.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for all that you have done for me in showing your love by sending Jesus Christ to die for me. Thank you that though life situations may change and become unstable, you are the strong, unshakeable foundation of my life; you are always there for me. Amen

Caught On A Curve


When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God …… Isaiah 43:2-3

For those of you who have done any country driving, you will no doubt have come across those curves in the road which look harmless enough as you approach, but which need concentration and care to negotiate safely. Most of them have signage to warn of the recommended safe speed and it pays to heed the warning, but sometimes it is easy to get caught on a curve traveling a little too fast and then wishing that there was a way of escape. The only thing we can do is concentrate, hold the wheel steady and complete the manoeuvre. Sometimes that bend will almost take us in a full circle if we are in hilly country. Sometimes I have wondered if the bend will ever end.

In life we can get caught on such curves. Situations arise – perhaps sickness, misfortune, family problems, or challenges with our children. Suddenly we find ourselves in uncomfortable territory and like those curves in the road, all we can do is “hang onto the wheel”, concentrate (i.e. pray and press into God), and “drive” through it. Yes, we wish there was an exit ramp by which we could escape, but there rarely is. We just have to go through it.

I like 1 Thessalonians 5:8 (NLT) which says that we can be protected by the body armour of faith and love, and wear as a helmet the confidence of our salvation. This reminds me of professional racing car drivers who deliberately, for the sake of sport, put themselves into “tight curve” situations. They put on “body armour” of fireproof suits, they wear helmets to protect their heads and they strap themselves firmly into their vehicles.

Keeping ourselves protected by the “armour” of faith and love will stop us from “crashing and burning” in the curves that life throws at us. Wearing the helmet of salvation – which is about knowing who we are in Christ and keeping our minds filled with God’s truth and His promises - will protect our thought life from taking us off course.

If you are caught on a curve of life right now, take courage, concentrate and hold that wheel tight and steer through it. You have a faithful co-driver beside you. Stay in constant communication with Him and together you will negotiate the curve safely.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you that you do not leave me alone in the curves of life. You are right there with me and you promise that you will keep me safe. Help me to hold tight to you and trust you through this time. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Sunbathing

God is light and in him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5

December is a lovely temperature in Hong Kong. The humidity and the heat of summer have left for a few months and a little coolness in the air makes sunbathing pleasant. Today my kind of sunbathing was not lying in a swimsuit on the beach but sitting fully clothed on the newly formed promenade overlooking our little bay and its golden sand.

As I drank my coffee and munched on a muffin I was glad that I had made a conscious decision to bask in the sunshine rather than sit inside. It is so easy for me to get so focused on tasks that I let these beautiful days and the opportunity to sit outside in comfort pass me by. There is such a healing and strengthening power in the sun.

We are told that people, who live in the Arctic Circle where winter days are very short and the night hours long, suffer from what is sometimes called ‘cabin fever’. They have been without sunlight so much that their body lacks vitamins and they get depressed.

As Christians we have to learn to “Son-bathe” – to bask in our Saviour’s presence. Just to be still with Him and allow the healing balm of his love to flow over us is very life-giving. We need never be lacking for health-giving light because time with him dispels our darkness. Taking time to be in His presence daily will keep us spiritually strong and healthy.

Just as our perspective on life changes as we take time to sit and enjoy the sunshine and soak up its life-giving rays, so too will our perspective change as we spend time with God. Our darkness will become light and our mourning will be turned to joy, our tears will be wiped away and what has previously seemed impossible will now seem very possible – because nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 1:37).

Do you need new perspective today? Take time to bathe in God’s presence – worship His Son. Bathing in our Saviour’s light is very beneficial.

Prayer: Lord of light I worship you and praise you that you are always there for me. Help me to take time to bathe in your glorious light and receive your life-giving strength and joy. Amen

Open Door


Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me………… “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after these things.”
Revelation 4:1

Every new year is like an open door. It would be nice to hear the Lord speak to us as he did to the Apostle John saying “Come up here and I will show you….” Most of us would probably like to know what this year will bring, though some of us may be fearful to know what lies ahead, and so are happy to wait and see. My attention was caught as I read this scripture in which John was invited to “Come up here”.

These words started me thinking; thinking that the Lord is always wanting us to ‘come up here’; nearer to him. As we do so we begin to see more from his perspective and less from our own narrow view, as John was about to see. It takes a step on our part; a stepping out of our comfort zone and into the unfamiliar. John Ortberg wrote a book called “If You Want to Walk on Water You Have to Step Out of the Boat.” How many of us want to step out of the boat?

To fulfil our dreams and aspirations we have to take steps, sometimes leaps, of faith. We have to step into the unknown. Perhaps it is a change of jobs, as it will be for my husband; perhaps it is to undertake a training course that has long been a heart’s desire for you. Perhaps it’s to finally publish your writing as I am doing, or even something like joining a voluntary organisation. Whatever it is, the opportunity that a new year brings seems to offer the chance to “step out of the boat”. That’s why people make New Year’s Resolutions!

As this year begins we have the opportunity to forget the failures (or successes) of the past and look forward to what lies ahead (Philippians 3:13). In reality every new day is the opportunity of a fresh start with God. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23). What a blessing that is!

Consider too the wisdom of Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NLT) which warns, “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.” Don’t wait for your own perfection either! If you feel the prompting of the Holy Spirit to “come up here” as you begin this new year, then do it, take the plunge and see what will happen. You can trust that underneath are the everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 3:27).

As Peter stepped out of the boat (Matthew 14:25-31), he was all right so long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. When he looked at his surroundings he began to sink. As you step out remember to keep your eyes on Jesus and stay in close fellowship with him. Then you are safe.

Prayer: Faithful and merciful Father, I thank you for this new year. May I heed your promptings and take courage as I look at you to support and encourage me as I step out into whatever you call me to do this year. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

A Full Life


I have come that you might have life in all its fullness. John 10:10

After 12 years of living high rise apartments, we recently moved to a ground floor flat with a small garden. We were really happy in the high rise apartment with our lovely view down Hong Kong harbour which I was reluctant to leave, but I didn’t realise what I was missing in other ways. I now enjoy being able to walk out into the garden and water my plants and feel my bare feet in the grass. To sit and listen to the birds in the trees is just wonderful.

It is like that for people who don’t know what it is to find freedom in Christ. They are happy and comfortable in their lives, they don’t see a need to change until they take that step of faith and enter the new life in Christ. The difference is like night and day. They didn’t know what they were missing.

Like me with my garden, I didn’t realise that I missed being able to just walk outside without waiting for the elevator to take me down 8 floors, take a walk across the road and into the park. It isn’t that I was unhappy in my high rise living, it was good for that season of our life and it served a purpose as well as providing me an illustration for me to write about!

Not everyone feels the need to be set free from their current lifestyle. Some are living “the good life”. For them it is difficult to see that there could be more or something better for them. For people in hopeless circumstances it is easier to desire more to life, but we all need more because we are created as eternal beings. We need the spiritual life to be awakened within us in such a way that will enable us to begin a new kind of life that will take us safely through death to eternal life with God. That takes an active shift – a decision to move from one place to another. Jesus called it being ‘born again’ of the Spirit. Like me with my house move, we don’t get to appreciate the difference until we make the move by faith. It is only once the spirit within us is awakened that we experience the joy of abundant life which brings a growing freedom that we never knew before.

I hope that this has been your experience but if it hasn’t I invite you, even urge you to pray the following prayer which will make that shift for you.

Prayer: Dear God, I want to move into that dimension of full life that the Bible speaks about. Thank you for Jesus who died so that my sins could be forgiven. Please forgive me and come into my heart, waken my spirit. Help me to walk in relationship with you so that I can find freedom from the things that spoil my life. Change my heart Lord God I pray. In Jesus’ name. Amen

A Work in Progress

And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again. Philippians 1:6

Do you ever get disappointed in your actions or reactions to trials, tests and temptations? I know I do. I so much want to ‘be perfect as my Father in heaven is perfect’ (Matthew 5:48) but it just doesn’t happen. I have lovely times where everything is wonderful but then something happens and I take a tumble and get disappointed with myself. In times past I used to stay discouraged for days – one time even for a month! It was miserable. I’m learning that it’s okay to fall but I need to get up quickly, give it to God and walk on.

I heard Bible teacher, Joyce Meyer say that we are not to fellowship with our sin – we are fellowship with God. We are not to keep thinking about what happened and how badly we failed. That only serves to keep us down and out. When we are discouraged we are pretty useless for any ‘good work’.

I was meditating on some challenging scriptures recently (Luke 6:27-36) and realising how far short I fall when I measure myself by God's standards. During this time the Holy Spirit brought to mind this very encouraging scripture from Philippians. Yes, He (God) who began a good work in me is able and will bring it to completion. That’s good news.

Yes, it is a good work that He has begun in me and He will continue to work with me to break down old mindsets, habits, unhealthy attitudes and unholy behaviour. Yes I need to cooperate with Him in this but I need to keep my eyes, not on what I can do, but on what He is doing. I need to run with patience the race that is set before me and so do you!

Leave those sins at the cross and move on in the joy of knowing His forgiveness and acceptance, knowing that there is a work to be done in you but He’s working on you. Rest in His love and be thankful that it’s not yours to worry and fret about. Hallelujah!

Prayer: Thank you dear Lord that you are the one who called me into this life of faith and you and the one who is going to complete a good work in me. Help me to enjoy the journey. Amen.

Falling Leaves


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 apart from me. John 15:4

There was an interesting little piece at the end of the news recently. It told us that leaves don’t just fall off trees in the autumn (fall), they are pushed! How so?

A botanist explained how the tree makes a channel of cells between itself and each leaf. This channel actually becomes a block to prevent life-giving sap from passing to the tree, thus the leaf withers, dies and falls off the tree. To prove the point, the reporter had broken a green leafy twig off a tree and left it to dry out. He then turned a fan full force on the leaves and they all stayed firmly attached to the twig. Interesting!

I have thought about many different ways this can apply to our lives. The obvious one is what Jesus talks about in John 15. He tells us that we need to stay in close fellowship (abide) with Him. You can be sure if you do that, He will not push you away. But there is another application that quickly comes to mind. It is very easy for us to be the “tree” that makes that channel between ourselves and others and causes broken relationships – it happens in marriages, families and friendships.

The ‘channel’ is caused when we decide to hold onto our hurt, bitterness, unforgiveness or anger. We literally cut our hearts off from the ones who hurt us and create an impassable obstacle. So long as we don’t allow a flow of love, communication or fellowship between us, the relationship cannot survive. We are actually causing it to die by our refusal to love and forgive. When we do this we also become a victim of our own actions because Jesus says very plainly that if we will not forgive others then they sin against us, our heavenly Father cannot forgive us (Matthew 6:14-15). This means that we will be like the branch that bears no good fruit which is cut off and thrown into the fire. Ouch!

Is the satisfaction you are getting from withholding love and forgiveness from the one who hurt you worth losing your loving relationship with God for? It will be hurting you more than the one you are offended with. Settle it today. God can help you do what you feel is impossible.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I need your forgiveness so much each day but sometimes I find it hard to forgive those who hurt me. Please help me to forgive so that I can receive the forgiveness from you that I so desperately need. Amen.

Childlikeness

I have stilled and quieted myself, just as a small child is quiet with its mother. Yes, like a small child is my soul within me. Psalm 131:2

There is a wonderful simplicity and lack of pretension about a small child. They don’t name-drop – except to say “MY Dad is the best!” or “MY Dad knows everything!” To them their father is the greatest and can do no wrong….. then they become teenagers! When I became a teenager I knew that I knew better than my Dad! Little children usually trust their father, look up to him and rely on him for protection. Above all, they believe that what he tells them is the truth.

When the disciples tried to turn the children away from ‘bothering’ Jesus, he stopped them. He brought them near and blessed them, reminding the disciples that the kingdom of heaven belongs “to such as these” (Matthew 19:14). What did he mean?

In Matthew 18:1-6 we find the disciples vying for position, yes, competitiveness was ‘alive and well’ in their lives. They wanted to know who was going to be greatest in the kingdom. Jesus again used a little child as an example of those who would enter the kingdom of heaven. He said that a childlike humility was required for greatness in his kingdom, not a degree in theology, a fantastic CV, or great power and wisdom.

As adults we often get educated out of our simplicity and lose the ability to retain or maintain a childlikeness which is attractive to God. Childlikeness is different to childishness. Childishness is not attractive in a grown person and it usually shows a presence of bad traits, for instance selfishness, meanness, jealousy and greed. I thought about the traits of a small child that God looks for. There is a willingness to change (turn from our sin, verse 3), there is a simple trust that what father says is true. How precious are these ways to God and, for that matter, to any father.

A child looks to his father to solve his problems, help him fix things, comfort his sadness and supply all his needs. A child does not worry or question whether the father can do these things, he has an inbuilt knowledge of and trust in his father’s love for him which causes him to expect all these benefits to be there for him. I tend to believe that this is what God wants us to be like, so let’s try and make childlikeness our aim.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to understand the importance of childlike simplicity. Deliver me from childishness but help me to have the simple trust of a child. Amen

Mindset

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. Psalm 84:5

At the time of writing this I am trying to decide whether or not to embark upon a course of study which could take 2 years or more to complete. The difficulty for me is knowing whether or not I will be serious enough about it to complete the course. In other words, I am counting the cost and weighing things up before I am willing to commit. Jesus said a wise man will consider whether or not he has the means to complete a building before he begins to build (Luke 14:28-30).

The verse we are considering today refers to those who set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem as they used to do in Old Testament days. For believers today it is the equivalent of setting our minds to follow Christ. We should not enter lightly into this journey. The Bible warns us that it is costly to follow our Lord. We have to literally give up our old ways to follow the new and better way.

The most difficult part of taking any course of action is first to make the decision to do it. Whether it be diet, study, marriage or lifestyle changes, it is easier once the decision to ‘just do it’ is made. For us Christians we have an advantage in that once we have decided to followed Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit as our Helper to strengthen us along the way…. God’s grace to help us. Look again at this verse….blessed are those whose strength is in you… Isn’t that great! God calls us into this life but then he gives us the strength to make the journey.

In making other decisions in life Christians also have the added blessing of being able to consult with the One who sees the end from the beginning – our God. He invites us in many verses of scripture to seek His wisdom. The book of Proverbs gives much wisdom for life; it begins like this – “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair;”.

God is interested in the whole of our life, not just our Christian life. Yes, our mindset needs to be to follow Him but that is to cover every aspect of our lives. We don’t need to be afraid of what He may show us or the way He might take us. Jesus came that we might have abundant life (John 10:10), that means life in all its fullness. He wants the best for us, his children.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help me to have my mind set on following you with my whole heart. Please strengthen me and teach me your ways. Amen.

Praising to Peace


Why are you so downcast O my soul, why are you disturbed within me, hope in God for I shall yet praise Him. Psalm 42:5

Remember the movie “The King and I” ? Anna taught the children a song that went like this…. “whenever I feel afraid, I hold my head up high and whistle a happy tune so no one will suspect….I’m afraid.” I remember flying with my husband in a small single-engined aircraft over the mountains of Papua New Guinea many years ago and I was feeling very nervous. My fears were quelled when my husband, who was flying the plane, started whistling a happy tune. I thought everything must be okay so I relaxed. It was only much later that I found out that when things were a bit difficult he would whistle so his passengers would not be nervous! Well, it worked for me…… at least until I found out his strategy!

David had learned to praise the Lord when he was fearful or disturbed. Right in the midst of his fearfulness he made a choice to praise the Lord. He spoke out a positive statement of fact. He admitted that he was disturbed, perhaps depressed or fearful. He also spoke out a decision to do something about it – he would get through it knowing that he would one day feel like praising the Lord again. In the meantime he would ‘hope in God’. When we make statements like that it has a positive effect on us. It brings a stability to us and a confidence. “But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.” (Psalm 59:16)

Many things can happen to cause us to fear and when fear takes over it always takes us on a downward spiral which can end in hopelessness and despair. This is the time to make a decision to stand against fear. We can choose to praise God and ‘whistle a happy tune’. Put on some music and let your heart be lifted. Set your eyes on the One who is able to deliver you from fear and take you back into the realm of faith once again. We can praise ourselves to peace but it will take determination and perseverance on our part.

God’s word holds many promises of deliverance, hide His word in your heart so that when the difficult times or times of fear come you have something stronger to put your trust in than in your circumstances.

Prayer: Almighty and wonderful God, I choose to praise you and trust you because you have promised that you will never leave me nor forsake me. You have told me in your word that your plans for me are good. Thank you that you give me peace. Amen

Dad-Can-I?


Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

I remember being very amused at comedian Bill Cosby’s words in an interview I watched. He said “My kids have a special name for me – it’s "Dad-Can-I". Whenever they want something they come and say ‘Dad-Can-I?’.” In other words he was saying that they only seemed to come to him when they wanted something. He was joking, but sometimes parents do feel that way.

Many times I think that I treat God in the same way. Today I heard Him speak to my heart “Worship Me for who I am, the One who loves you dearly, not just for what I can do for you.” How very easy it is to slip into the prayer mode of asking and just treating God as a ‘spiritual cheque book’ so to speak, just giving him a list of prayer requests to answer.

When the disciples observed Jesus’ prayer life they asked him to teach them to pray (Matthew 6, Luke 11). Jesus didn’t teach them to rush in with their ‘list’, but first to honour and praise God for who He is – our wonderful creator whose name should be honoured. Then the first request was for God’s kingdom to come to earth and for His will to be done here just as it is in heaven. If our first concern is with bringing His kingdom to earth and seeing people learning to please God and walk in Kingdom principles, then our other requests will take their proper place.

Yes, God wants to hear our prayer requests and He wants to answer our prayers, but most of all He wants that loving father/child relationship with him. Remember the psalmist’s words about delighting in the Lord. I think this is what he was talking about; enjoying God for who He is, not for what He can do for me. If we delight ourselves in Him our hearts will be tuned in to His Kingdom and His desires, and hopefully we will avoid the trap of ‘Dad-Can-I? prayers’.

Prayer: Abba Father, please help me to worship you in spirit and in truth, seeking to see Your kingdom come and praying that Your will be done in my life. Keep me from the trap of just bringing my prayer list before I honour You and bring you my heartfelt praise. May I truly learn to delight myself in you. Amen

Dancing Dragonflies


….they delight in doing everything the Lord wants; day and night they think about his law. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season without fail. Their leaves never wither, and in all they do, they prosper. Psalm 1:2-3

I have heard it said in Hong Kong that when there are many dragonflies around it is a sign that there is a typhoon (tropical storm) in the area. I don’t know if that is true but an abundance of these large insects – happily they are harmless – does often seem to coincide with pre-typhoon conditions. When my sister-in-law was visiting recently she was fascinated with our dragonflies, but it was the weekend after they left that we had the most amazing display from them.

Colin and I sat one morning and watched them with fascination. Possibly a dozen or so of them did their aerial dance over our glass-topped patio table. The attraction for them seemed to be little pools of water on the table top which had been left by the overnight showers. They danced and dipped, danced and dipped; again and again dipping to drink of the water. We got tired of watching them long before they finished drinking.

This reminded me of how the Christian life should be for us. There is much ‘dancing’ to be done with ministry responsibilities and opportunities constantly knocking at our doors, but we need to remember to drink of the life-giving water from God’s well. Just as the human body needs water to function effectively, so our spirits need God’s refreshing from His word and from being in His presence often.

I know that camels can store up much water and go for long distances without water and sometimes we may find ourselves in a position where we need to work hard with little time to draw deeply from God, but that should be the exception rather than the rule. What we are doing in life, whether secular or spiritual is all part of our life with God and we need to involve Him in it. This is a relationship with a person, it is not religion where we do our duty and go on our merry way to ‘do our own thing’. Our lives need to be in constant communion and communication with God.

We will be much more productive and effective if we constantly draw on the Spirit of God for strength and refreshing. That is what Jesus meant when he spoke about abiding in the vine. If we learn to do that then there is a constant ‘water’ supply. Much better than traveling through a parched desert desperately looking for an oasis!

Prayer: Dear Father, help me to abide in you and draw water from your wells of life-giving water. Amen.

Listening


……Today you must listen to his voice. Don’t harden your hearts against him as Israel did when they rebelled…. Hebrews 3:7-8

How often do we hear parents complain to their children, “You are not listening to me.” ? Or it may be your spouse, your parent, your employer, your friend who has the same complaint. We all want people to listen; not just to hear our words but to understand what we are wanting our words to convey. To really listen to someone thoughtfully is to give them a sense of value.

The writer of Hebrews reiterates in this verse, and again in verse 15, the importance of our listening to God. He uses the example of the children of Israel in their travels from slavery in Egypt to freedom. God wanted to give them a land of blessing, but it was going to cost them some faith and some effort. Because they did not listen to God’s promises to them and believe Him, all of that faithless generation missed out on tremendous blessing. They left Egypt and died in the wilderness never seeing the fulfillment of God’s promise because of their unbelief.

There were two exceptions however; Joshua and Caleb were amongst the twelve spies sent to check out the land of their inheritance and they were the only two who believed that God could help them conquer the giants in the land and obtain their inheritance. The other ten spies told Moses, “It’s too hard for us to do. We’ll never conquer the giants.” They had their eyes on what they could do and not on what God could do with them. Sadly the people voted with the ten and refused to listen to God’s promises. They missed a lifetime of blessing as a result of their unbelief.

How about you? Are you listening to God and really believing His promises to you? What is your heart telling you? Is it stirred with the hope of adventures with Him? Are you thinking, “Yes, I can do this with your help, God.” Or are the voices of doubt and fear speaking louder to you and causing you to not hear the heart of God, which is to do you good all the days of your life?

This doesn’t mean life will not have challenges. The children of Israel had giants they needed to face and fight. Your giants will be different ones but God will still be with you as you face them in faith. The psalmist got it right when he wrote “for with our God we shall do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies.” (Psalm 60:12). He knew that it was not he who was going to conquer, but God WITH HIM. There is a world of difference! When faced with our giants or our challenges to faith, let’s not forget to listen to God speaking His promises to us, for above everything else He is faithful.

Prayer: Lord God, faithful One, forgive the times I have doubted your ability to see me through the challenges of life. Help me to allow you to walk with me into my battles and then I know together we will be more than conquerors. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Money Matters


If you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own? Luke 16:12

One of the most difficult topics for pastors, teachers and preachers to speak about today is the one that deals with money. The hearers will invariably think that the speaker has a hidden agenda; they think that he is asking for money, so they ‘shut him down’ before he has begun. Sadly this has robbed Christians from much blessing because they have not heard that God wants to bless them and release them to be a blessing, but first they have to be taught how this can happen.

Jesus spoke about money on numerous occasions, and he spoke without apology. (About half of the parables he taught were about money.) He spoke to the rich; he spoke to the poor, and to everyone in between. He taught that if we knew how to handle our money correctly we could receive “good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over” (Luke 6:38). If we want confirmation of this we only need to look back into the Old Testament to see the pattern of God’s promises and the conditions for blessing His people. Deuteronomy 28 and Malachi 3:10 are just two of many passages you could read.

In the life of the first patriarch, Abraham, we can see how God blessed Abraham and his descendants after him. They were not afraid of material wealth; they attributed their blessings to God. Sometimes Christians today equate poverty and lack with godliness. They point to Jesus’ life on earth as an example. However we don’t see him lacking anything. People were glad to meet his needs. His coat that they cast lots for at the cross must have been worth having. It was no ordinary coat, it was seamless – scholars tell us it was an expensive piece of clothing. He was obviously not ashamed to wear it!

One time when I was struggling through some of these issues I ‘just happened’ upon a verse which says ‘You know how full of love and kindness our Lord Jesus Christ was. Though he was very rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich’. (2 Corinthians 8:9). I thought that this meant spiritually rich but when I dug deeper I discovered that the word ‘rich’ which had been used literally meant “to be made wealthy or be increased with goods”. It made sense to me in the light of the Old Testament teachings.

Jesus told us that we would always have the poor with us; he also taught that we should not ignore the needs of our brothers and sisters and he taught us to give to Caesar (the government) what belonged to them (taxes) and to give to God what belonged to God.

What we do with our money matters a lot to God. We are blessed to be a blessing to in this world. “It is possible to give freely and become more wealthy, but those who are stingy will lose everything.” Proverbs 11:24 NLT. The sure way to have enough for your needs with more left over to bless others is to give (2 Corinthians 9:6-11). I take this very seriously, it is God’s promise. God wants us to be faithful with what He gives us. Giving to him is the first thing we should do with our money. In that way we store up treasure in heaven and ensure that our own many needs will be met. God is no man’s debtor.

It is truly more blessed to give than to receive but God wants us to be able to receive from Him too. That’s why He wants us to know how to give. Sowing and reaping is one of his ‘laws of the universe’.

Prayer: Dear God, giver of every good and perfect gift. Help me to be faithful with what you give me so that you can entrust me with more. Help me to get my giving in line with your word and make me a blessing in the Kingdom of God. Amen.

Focus


They looked to Him and were radiant. Psalm 34:5 NKJ

I find that it is very easy for me to get disheartened and discouraged with ministry if I look for ‘people support’ rather than looking to please God. When God calls us to do something, no matter what it is, our focus needs to be on how well we are pleasing Him and not on how much support we are getting in what we are doing.

Recently I heard a story about a missionary in South America who had many years of faithful, but unfruitful service. He regularly wrote home to report on the work he was doing but he had no victory stories to tell his supporters. After some years God called this man to stop his ‘works’ and just spend time in prayer and in reading the Bible. He was to do only this for a whole year!

In obedience to God he began to do it but his supporters got upset with him because he was not doing the work as they thought it should be done. As the man remained focussed on God and prayed and soaked himself in God’s word for a whole year, suddenly things began to happen. Breakthrough came, which brought a great revival.

I’m sure it was difficult for this man to continue to obey God. I’m sure that he also felt that he was accomplishing even less than he had been doing before but you see, he was accomplishing something in the realm of the spirit where God works. So often our religious busyness covers a great dryness in our spirit. We are afraid to sit still and be confronted with our own deep need of intimacy with God. To do this takes great courage but we can comfort ourselves with Jesus’ words of affirmation for Mary who sat at His feet while Martha got frazzled in the kitchen and ended up in an angry outburst to Jesus.

In the midst of our lives, whether in big trials or small irritations, if we can stay focussed on God, trusting Him and doing what He tells us to, we can expect to be at peace and have a radiance that comes from the joy of knowing His approval and His support. This is, after all, the most important thing.

Psalm 81:13-14says this, “But oh that my people would listen to me….and walk in my paths. How quickly I would subdue their enemies.”
Yes, sometimes God’s hands are tied, as it were, because we will not take time to listen and obey Him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help me to take time to focus on you every day so that I can learn to walk in your ways and know your blessings on my life. Amen