Hand it over

Just recently I was chatting to a friend of mine and we both agreed that so often we take our eyes off the goal. We know how important it is in life to have goals and to set our boundaries. Being in Human resources I found it particularly essential that we had goals to work to; to achieve and to maintain.

But further to our conversation:- we both agreed as Christians we so often take our eyes off the BIG picture, which is our future with Jesus and that's when we flounder and try to do things on our own.

Many many times we just won't hand things over to Jesus - the very person who gave everything for us and has asked us just to bring it to Him in prayer.

We discussed why and how do we let this happen? Don't know about you, but I reckon I am probably one of the THE most easily distracted people I know - I'm so easily distracted by what is going on around me that I can be quickly become un-focused and start the thinking process on anything but the topic on hand.

But as a CHRISTian, taking out eyes off Jesus is one of the most dangerous things we can do and probably when you take time to think about it probably one of the easiest.

I have come to the conclusion that I must 'love' worrying and letting past hurts, mistakes and troubles keep surfacing in my life. WHY? I really have no idea. All I can say is that since becoming a CHRISTian I have found that my old nature actually 'conspires' against my efforts to keep my eyes solely on my Saviour JESUS.

I figure I must love wandering off to pursue my own desires and get carried away with cares and troubles. So it  REALLY was good to talk to my friend and we both found out that we pretty much were 'singing from the same page' in our walk with CHRIST.

Our ultimate prize is JESUS and in Him we find comfort and rest; In Him we find solace and peace in times of troubles and strife: In Him we find the reason for living and breathing and being here in the first place.

We both decided to ask God, even before setting feet to the ground in the mornings, to infill us with His Spirit for the day ahead, that we would indeed walk in His footsteps and be led by His Spirit and not be swayed by our own human nature which so often has only brought us misery and worry.

When you look at the life of JESUS and just what He endured and for what? The big picture! ~ the JOY that was set before Him - (Hebrew 12:2). That's what we have to look forward to as well  ~ not the trials from here.

So what has my friend and I learned lately? ~ To hand things over to God on a moment by moment basis! That's right when things overwhelm us we say to ourselves "Hand it over" ~ I have found myself saying that many times throughout my day.

Will it make it go away ~ probably not but it is a great reminder just who has control of your life and who is looking out for you.

Handing it over to God can release you from the worry that so often besets us. God is so much bigger than our worries and trials that every one of us suffers.

So here we go ~ how about taking one step at a time ~ Praying for the in-filling of the Holy Spirit to guide us ~  read or listen to His word, learning 'fighter verses' that we can meditate on when crisis' try to flatten us.

So maybe 'handing things over' to Jesus may be simply submitting to Him in our day-to-day living and asking Him to in-fill us moment by moment throughout our day.

God bless you this week as you 'hand it over' to God, whatever it is in your life. Keep focused on Him and that way you will be ready when troubles explode and trials suddenly pop into you life as they most certainly will.

He's still out there

Appalling news from Nigeria. This week while worshipping their Lord, hundreds of people were killed when the roof collapsed in their half built church.

When I heard of this horrible tragedy, I couldn't help but think back to the ancient book of Job in the old testament. Poor old Job had more than his fair share of tragedies in his family. Among the many horrible things to happen to him was that a roof collapsed and killed all of his seven children.

Satan is alive and well and, I feel, starting to get desperate in trying to dissuade God's people to turn from Him and rely on the world to save them and give them lasting happiness (which is exactly what everyone is hoping to find.)

Once we have given our lives to Christ ~ repented of our sins ~ accepted His gift of forgiveness and started our walk with Him on a daily basis, then deep seated and lasting joy and yes even happiness can be ours.

Of course God has never promised as a trouble-free life. On the contrary, He said whoever comes to Him must be prepared to 'take up his/her cross and follow Him.' This obviously involves putting ourselves out there in the world ~ acknowledging that we are now Christs and obeying Him no matter what.

Once we have made that commitment, then in lots of ways, all hell will break loose in our lives. As sure as there is God in Heaven, there is satan here on earth, just waiting for us to let our guards down so that temptation and disaster can come our way. In lots of ways we become even more vulnerable to all sorts of trials when we stick it out with Jesus and become His.

But on saying all of that, there is still that contentedness and peace in our souls deep down because underneath off all the tragedy that life throws at us we know that God will never leave us ~ He will never let us down to the point of no return to Him. He has promised us that even when the very worst things happen to us, He will be there to guide us and set us back on the way with Him.

Satan loves to throw us curved balls and temps us constantly in areas which he knows are our weaknesses ~ he seems to hone in on them especially when you feel confident, in your heart,  that God and you have conquered this and just when your heart feels free ~ Whammo! he strikes.

Many many Christians have unfortunately given up on their walk with Christ due to this very reason -~ exactly what satan wants to achieve.  My last blog was centred around this very point ~ don't give up ~ keep walking with God no matter how many times you fail ~ Grab hold of God's promises and keep stepping out boldly with Him.

There was an episode in my own family where a very close relative was so hurt that they weren't invited to an event, that their hurt manifested itself in the extreme. As the years went by the hurt turned to anger and resentment.

Anyone from the 'offending' family daring to contradict or communicate in any way to the offended was quickly 'shot down in flames' and was secluded. Satan used this time to whisper, cajole, accuse and lie to the detriment of all concerned, Finally the offended person decided to believe the lies and went about isolating the family from the rest of the siblings. A horrible and degrading time and one where satan wallowed in his success and continues to turn family members against each other.

Yes! satan is still out there roaming around as a roaring lion seeking who to devour next (1 Peter 5:8).

Looking at the world today, you would have to be totally immune to satan and his wiles not to recognise his schemes and activities. They are all around us and today more than ever we need to be forever watchful ~ forever aware of the nearness of God and our even mounting need of Him. We cannot achieve living here in satan's domain if we take our eyes of Jesus ~ even for a fleeting moment.

I personally have been so blessed by social media ~ it was during one of my lowest times that I turned to twitter to see what I, just maybe, could glean from other Christians. Surely there were others that were struggling with what I was struggling ~ surely others going through the same times of testings and doubts.

That was when God directed me to TweetingGodsLove.com and I was led to a very special family of which I am now totally indebted and one where I have been truly blessed. Just yesterday during one of our many Bible chats we talked about the many many ways satan gets us to move away from God and doubt His amazing saving grace.

My beautiful friend Christie tweeted this and I quote
" One tactic of the devil is to twist Scripture to confuse us. We battle that with knowing the Word ourselves"

Christie points out to us that satan even uses Scripture to confuse and bewilder us into disbelieving His Word.

And then this quote from Cheri, again which confirms that satan is everywhere and attacks us when we are weak and have taken our minds and wills off God.

"Satan is a liar, he prowls to attack us when we are weak or builds us up so we think we don't need God"

WOW! So here Cheri reminds us that he actually can build us up ~ giving us self-confidence in ourselves. A very slippery slope indeed.

While out jogging today I heard this song from Mercy Me and it sort of says it all for us Christians ~ we HAVE to keep moving on with Him, singing and praising God no matter what is happening in our lives. We can't let satan dictate to us and start believing his lies. He is the master of deceit ~ the master of lies and the master of implanting doubts in our minds.

God bless you all this week as we take up the armour of God and surround ourselves with the promises and grace of Jesus.



Mercy Me ~ Keep Singing lyrics:-

Another rainy day
I can't recall having sunshine on my face
All I feel is pain
Al I want to do is walk out of this place.

But when I am stuck and I can't move
When I don't know what I should do
When I wonder if I'll ever make it through
I gotta keep singing
I gotta keep praising Your name

Your the one that's keeps my heart beating
I gotta keep singing
I gotta keep praising your name
That's the only way that I'll find healing

Can I climb in your lap
I don't want to leave
Jesus sing over me
I gotta keep singing

Oh you're everything I need

It's not over yet

Oh! I wonder just how many times I have struggled with me myself and I saying to me myself and I that "You won't get past this one?" - "You have done it now" - "You have gone beyond that line in the sand that you know you couldn't cross and yet you crossed it anyway" - "You won't win any freedom from sin now - you have muffed it, stuffed it and gone beyond the pale"

Well, I am writing this to all of you who have felt exactly the same way as I have - those of you, who like me never seem to be able to walk in a straight line - always deviating either to the right or to the left - putting a brand new "I wouldn't do anything wrong" face yet crucifying yourself because of your own stupid waywardness.

You know God knows all about us - our wantonness, our sinfulness, our stupidity and a straight out waywardness. So let's, you and me, not throw in the towel just yet. Let's not quit because you know it's just NOT over!! - Not yet - Not until God says it is.

It may appear to the likes of you and me that all hope is gone we have completely and utterly hit the limit of God's patience with us - we have gone to that place where we just know we shouldn't have gone again and again and again and each time we come crawling back and asking for forgiveness, repenting only to fall again.

These voices inside our heads telling us to give it all up and just go on your way - drag your heavy heart out the door - you are beaten, defeated so just accept it and go.

We have to keep on fighting out of our dark places into God's amazing light where there is His hope - His life - His truth - His grace and His eternal faithfulness.

He will never let us go - His promise not mine (John 10:28) so even if you think "my time has come" please don't despair and PLEASE never give up. God has us covered no matter how we are feeling. It's more than time to forget your past and claim the future that God has in store for us. Jesus died that we might have this eternal life with Him - Our past is dead and buried with Him and we have risen to a new life once we have come to Him and repented of our sins and asked forgiveness.

So whatever is bangin' on your door, lust, jealousy, self pity, victimisation, worry, bullying, deceit whatever it is if you know immediately when you have sinned and need to do something about it that's so great IF it leads you to repentance but feeling sorry for your sins can be bad if it doesn't help you to turn away from them. Being 'sorry' is so different from being 'repentant'.

Repentance is turning away from sin, trusting that God has forgiven us and reminding ourselves constantly that he has. In 2 Corinthians 7:10 we read:- "Godly sorrow brings REPENTANCE that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, BUT worldly sorrow brings death"

So what do we do with our on-going sins - those things that bring us to the point of believing that God just can't forgive us this time? We lay them and us at the foot of the cross - we let them and us be washed clean AGAIN by the blood of Jesus - he died so that we can live anew in Him.

We will go through hard times - it IS a part of life that no-one can avoid - and hard times in life are different for most people BUT the trick is please PLEASE don't let these times blind you and let them define your mind into thinking that is exactly who you are because Jesus death and your repentance and forgiveness have decreed otherwise.

My profile name on Face Book and Twitter is "Itsbygracealone" and when we have truly asked God to forgive us and come again to the cross, laying it at His feet then that amazing GRACE comes again rushing into us like a flood!

Remember that you ARE forgiven - you ARE a brand new person! We don't give into the lie that we are somehow disqualified from His presence - like demerit points on your drivers licence - 9 points and your lost for eternity! NO Way - no matter what we have done that's not who we are - Through Jesus Christ and the very GRACE and MERCY of God, He has promised to finish what He started in us to make us that brand new person he promised we would be.

Keep looking to Jesus, keep stepping out with Him, even if it's 'baby steps' keep following Him - praying that he will forgive your sins, but please don't 'wallow' in the past - they have gone, paid for and forgotten. But as you find yourself falling each day, keep asking God to renew you until you become more like Jesus.

Please take heart that it is not over yet and that there are a lot of Christians out there going through the very same situation as you and me - be encouraged in your walk with Jesus in helping you to say a big fat 'NO' to sin whatever that sin is. There IS hope to carry on - Our God IS able to do abundantly more than we ever thought possible.

Love this verse in Philippians 1:6

"Being confident in this, that he who began a good work in you WILL carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

 In closing:- Remember YOU ARE FORGIVEN! and IT'S NOT OVER YET!

And as my tennis obsessive beautiful wife says:- "It's game, set,  match!"
You're forgiven and your sin is now in the past. Write 'game, set, match' over them and welcome that GRACE that comes in like a flood, washing us clean for a new day with Him.

Many blessings to you this week.

My God is MIGHTY

What does it mean when people go on about How MIGHTY God is? I know what mighty means but really what does it mean to say My GOD is MIGHTY?

When we just stop for a moment and try to grasp the sheer enormity of just how MIGHTY God is, we can't help but be thunderstruck by the fact that He is indeed an AWESOME God - and I mean AWESOME in the real sense of the word.

God is so mighty that sometimes His very presence can be terrifying indeed. We stand in awe and wonder as to just how mighty and majestic He is!

The very mighty power that raised Jesus from the dead and conquered the very forces of evil and vanquished satan to wallow here on earth trying desperately to convince man just how sinful and dreadful are his sins, is the very mighty power that saved you  - that changed you!

When we grow in Christ the changes in our lives become more and more evident - where once we condoned even loved to sin now we are intolerant even hating sinning, cheating and whatever else comes between our saviour God and us.

All this is through the mighty saving power of Jesus - the very one who plucked us out of the filthy pit we dug ourselves and enjoyed being in. There is no such power greater and more consistent and faithful than the power of God.

God's very majesty and power are so evident - you just have to step outside in the middle of a storm and feel the rain against your face or watch the thunderclouds gather and see the lightening. He is MIGHTY indeed! When you think as you stand there in wonder that there is nothing really between God and you - you can almost just get a glimpse of His might, His power and even His face - He is that close.

God controls everything in this world and these natural marvels are a vivid reminder of God's awesome majesty, might and power. When I take the time to watch an incredible sunset - or see HUGE waves crash onto the shore - I am overwhelmed by the sheer force of His might. That couldn't possibly have just happened or evolved! God's creative power at work!

God could have made this world a purely functional place but instead He filled it with marvellous beauty which in turn mirrors His majesty and MIGHT!

His might brought the world into existence - His love and might saved our souls through His grace. The fact that God loves us anyway, even though we have nothing really we can offer back to Him is amazing and worthy of praise.

Another thought while we are thinking of His mightiness is that He is so mighty and awesome that he is worshipped by the multitudes in heaven itself! The heavenly hosts praise Him - giving Him honour and glory for all that He has created - If the very beings in heaven fall before His throne in awe and wonder then how much more should we also fall before Him in worship?

Just think back over your life for a few minutes. Reflect on the ways that God has cared for you, protected you and blessed you. He showed mercy when we rebelled - He forgave us when we often couldn't forgive ourselves!

He has genuinely given us unconditional love and blessings!

Our God is a MIGHTY God: Our God is a glorious God - Turn to Him now - accept Him into your life - give Him one hundred percent: Give Him the praise and worship that he deserves.

abandonment

Did you ever experience being lost as a child or left at a pre-school or kindergarten without your Mum - horrible feeling isn't it. Separation anxiety is a real problem - a feeling of abandonment or rejection. Do you remember that feeling of absolute aloneness?

Can you recall the horror of being totally abandoned and out of control with these overwhelming feeling of utter hopelessness. - David wrote Psalm 27 when he was suffering the same fate.

He explains that his enemies wanted to kill him but even so he was convinced that he would be physically safe in battle. He had a strong sense of God's plans for his life - after all hadn't he been kept safe with the  Goliath incident and look at how God kept him safe throughout the years that Saul had been out to get him?

Rather than panicking over being abandoned by his friends and loved ones, David turned to the only true constant he knew - his Creator and Lord, the one who would never abandon him.

David found comfort and security that he needed - an incredibly beautiful thing to remember next time you are alone. God is your light and salvation. You're never lost with Him.

There are so many of us today facing abandonment and rejection - my mind travels to the many many orphans and single mums devastated through war and loss of homes and loved ones - it must be absolute horror to go through this. Many others have faced rejection and abuse throughout their own childhood and have grown  up carrying unresolved wounds.

These unresolved wounds caused through abandoned and rejection cause a multitude of emotional problems. Abandonment and rejection ranks among the most distressing of events that we as humans can experience. We are all created to co-exist with our fellow beings - to love and share - to give and take freely and lovingly.

Rejection/abandonment by anyone, but especially a loved one or a close family member, can have devastating effects. A romantic relationship, bullying stigmatisation, family breakdown even job redundancy can compromise our situation to the extent that we can't seem to operate throughout the day - Abandonment or rejection can cause insomnia and sudden drops in any positive emotions.

This act of abandonment or rejection by others can cause depression, anxiety and phobias.

So what do we do when we have no-one to turn to -  no-one to cling to? We do what David did in Psalm 27 - we turn to our ROCK, our Saviour, our own Jesus. Only he is our constant when things go wrong - when others abandon us - when we are bullied and alone - when we are separated from our peers and loved ones and no-one understands.

God is our ROCK. By describing God as our ROCK, David means our Creator is a place of safety. Just like a rock offers shade and cover, so God offers protection to his people.

Just as a rock is good to build on, so God is our solid foundation. Like a rock, God is immovable - our safe place where we can go when all else have rejected us - where we have been abandoned and alone.

We have talked about BEING abandoned but how about you? Are you taking care of what is yours?

Our society makes it so easy to abandon our responsibilities!  Our society today says:- are you tired of your spouse?  then get a divorce. Up to your neck in debt? Declare bankruptcy. Feeling tied down in your job? walk away - easy!

The problem is that abandoning your responsibilities doesn't make them disappear. If you don't take care of what is yours, someone else will pay the price.

I have been so convicted lately of just how much damage a 'ME FIRST' attitude can have. The Bible is choc-a-bloc full of stories that help us recognise the damage of what a ME FIRST attitude can do - to others and to ourselves.

So if being abandoned and rejected is truly horrible and inexplicable then how about being the one who abandons and rejects? We have to take responsibility for our actions and how those actions can have a HUGE impact on the lives of other people.

So there we have it - whatever side of the wall you are at the moment - abandoned, or even planning to abandon, then take a leaf out Psalm 27; written all those years ago by David who knew what it was like to be on both sides of the wall at the same time.

Rejection is horrible and nasty no matter from what angle you look at it; it really has no 'nice' bits at all. It can devastate the innocent and cause untold damage often irreparable. Families smashed and hearts broken forever.

Look to Jesus no matter where you are on the 'abandonment/rejection scale'.  He has the answer to all of your rejection problems - He will never leave us: he will never abandon us (Deut 31:6) is his promise to us regardless of what is happening in your life.

God bless you this week as you come to terms with your feelings of rejection.

If you are thinking of abandoning your responsibilities then please take responsibility for them instead. Then the guilt and shame that comes from abandonment won't be shared.  Matthew 18: 15-17 commands us to put it right and make it right and be reconciled.

Pride

WOW!! what is pride? Took a good look at some dictionaries and here's what I reckon is the best definition I came across:-

"High or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit or superiority whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct etc"

So in other words a great opinion of oneself either in the words, deeds or thoughts.

If you've had some enviable successes in your life, you've probably tempted to replay them in your mind from time to time. Resist the urge!

Nothing will cause you to lose your way faster than looking behind you.

If however, you insist in rehearsing your accomplishments, make sure you give credit where credit is due. Apart from God, you could have done nothing. Apart from you, God can still do anything.

If you still want to show thankfulness to Him then go ahead - knock yourself out. BUT if you are just looking for a little bit of praise - don't bother - just get over it.

There is certainly a big difference in the pride of self where we can can get so consumed with ourselves we have utterly no room for God at all and say for instance the pride in your family or a job well completed.

In Psalm 10 it says "In his pride the wicked man does not seek God, in all his thoughts there is no room for Him". God is after a spirit of humility not pride! Pride tells us that we are capable of anything - that we can be the master of our own destiny - our very spirituality depends wholly and solely on us.

On the other hand the humility of what God speaks makes us recognise that we are so spiritually poor that there is absolutely no way to come to Him except through His grace - His eternal grace. Nothing lasts in this world - not our fortunes or our pride - nothing! Except the very grace of God by which we are saved through the sacrifice of Jesus.

The proud are just full of their own importance; they believe that somehow they deserve his acceptance.

We hear a lot of D.I.Y these days - everything seems to come in flat packs and so often you need an engineering degree to assemble it. BUT D.I.Y isn't an option for those who come to Christ - at least not where their spiritual life is concerned.

God is the source of our strength. Without Him, we are helpless. Anyone who refuses to acknowledge that fact has allowed pride and ego to block their view of the truth. And they may have to learn the hard way just how dependent they are on God.

Read and ponder John 3: 20-21. Swallow your pride and be willing to come into the light of God's Word. Be willing to open your entire heart to God and let him continue to change you.

Remember that God wants all of your life; your job, your spouse, your money, your dreams, your next two minutes, your next two years. You can't have Jesus simply sand down your rough edges, rather, the crucified carpenter wants to shape your life and make it into a different piece of wood entirely.

Pride has kept many people from accepting the saving grace of Jesus. 2 Corinthians says we are not to boast about what we do but if we must boast then we should boast in God's work in us. Pride is sinful because it is giving ourselves credit for something that God has accomplished. Pride is self-worship!

We can't keep our pride and our relationship with God. He won't allow it. In fact, I reckon, God abhors our pride - Jesus died to do away with our pride and if we make a point to grab the attention and praise for ourselves then we are guilty of taking something that belongs to him. We are robbing God of His glory and he won't stand for that.

It's so important to scan our lives regularly for signs of harmful self-regard and ask our heavenly Father to forgive us, to rid us of self so that we can see Him and His amazing plans for us.

God bless you this week as we together lay our prideful selves at the foot of the cross and pick up the grace of God freely given for all of us.

Temptation

Satan is a pro's pro when it comes to temptation. Look at the strategy against Jesus.

Remember, Jesus hadn't eaten for 40 days. So Satan attacked what he assumed would be Jesus vulnerable area. He tempted Jesus to turn rocks into bread to feed himself.

The question I would ask you as I ask myself is:- How might Satan tempt you?

What is your most vulnerable area? Are you susceptible to saving and hanging on tightly to your 'hard earned'?  Maybe you are a sitting duck for destructive angry impulses. Are you susceptible to sexual temptation, perhaps at work or on-line porn. Do you struggle with the urge to lie so that you can look good?

As a wise warrior for Jesus we have to get to know our vulnerable areas and take the necessary steps to shore up our defences.

On saying that, If we don't stand for something, we'll fall for anything. That goes for all of us. No matter how 'seasoned' or 'street-wise' we may think we are!

No one is ever immune to temptation - Satan loves to hood-wink us into thinking that all is well with our spiritual lives, then when we are really settled, out of the blue comes along our 'old favourite' - that good old temptation that we thought was dead and buried - and yet there it is staring us in the face once more and sadly often we fall for it over and over again.

Once we stop making decisions based on reason and God-given wisdom, we become susceptible to just about anything the evil one can throw at us - we become putty in his hands.

Sexual temptations can scramble our brain waves; greed can drive us into all sorts of amazing and sordid ways to make and keep our dollars and 'things'; unforgiveness can harden our hearts to the point where we are carrying around in our bodies a lump of rock so hard that Superman would find it hard to break; anger can alienate the strongest human ties - families and marriages.

Apart from our Lord and Saviour, he who died for us and gave us the pure gift of the Holy Spirit, I believe all of us could benefit greatly with a rock-solid Christian advisor in our lives.

I feel our Spirituality would continue to grow if we find someone we can share everything with and depend on to give us Godly advice, without us having to 'take over the show'. Let this person, whoever he or she may be, serve as an extra guard against allowing us to be manipulated by Satan and in turn fall again for the 'temptation carrot'.

Most personal consequences of our temptations that lead to sin, come to us when we are alone and our 'falling' is easy to deal with - no one knows and we can live our lives as if nothing has happened - we continue to step out in life putting up with our inner torments of guilt but keeping our pride and reputations in tact.

Sooner or later, though, most sin makes it way out into public - then  all manner of consequences 'hit the fan'. For some it may mean being caught in an affair. For someone else the tax department may come knocking, and we know what happens to tax cheats!. For others it may mean someone discovering their stash of computer pornography.

Way back in Ezekiel 39, God used public revelation as part of his plan in dealing with the sin of the Israelites. Who are we to to imagine that God wouldn't use the same method in dealing with us?

Maybe we should keep this in mind next time we are tempted and encouraged by Satan to sin and disobey. Those times when Satan whispers in our ears "Go on, do it, no-one can see and no-one ever will - you are safe".

Let's guard ourselves from shame and run  from temptation! If we don't we can find ourselves in BIG trouble if we let temptation/sin get a foothold in our lives. No matter how strong and or self-controlled we think we are, we need to do what King David did after his affair with Bathsheba and subsequent murder of her husband. We need to call on God for help!

God won't magically remove temptation from our lives. That's not how he operates at all. But he will give us the resources we need to fight it.

Those resources may include anything from friends who hold us accountable to a change of location  to help us escape some long-standing temptations.

God is absolutely committed to the ultimate destruction of anything and everything hostile to his eternal plan (which includes plans for your life - see my last blog).  This is exactly what the Bible teaches us and promises!

God will one day crush Satan, our great enemy. By calling on God's promises today, especially the moral power to say NO to temptation, you hasten the demise of Satan from your life.

When we resist the devil, he has no choice but to retreat (James 4:7)

God bless you this week as you fight, with God's mighty hand there with you, the urge to sin and may you be victorious in this battle in which we are all so susceptible.

Plans

Have you ever realised that God has a plan for your life? Yes you!

Our great God the Creator of the universe - the one who hung stars in space and surrounded our magnificent world with all sorts of incredible beauty (which we have since tried desperately to destroy) has a special plan just for you.

Unlikely as it sounds we puny humans are so loved by this amazing God that it is so very hard to even take in let alone realise that this awesome (in the true sense of the word) God of our's love is so deep that He has individual plans for us all springing out of his deep deep love for us.

People parrot the phrase "God is Love" in a superficial way. Divine affection isn't some sappy, sentimental slop. God's love Risks, It suffers. In fact, it is always marked by wrenching sacrifice.

The Bible goes to great pains to urge those who have experienced God's lavish love to turn around and become courageous lovers themselves.

God's great love for us should be played out in our lives by showing that great love to others. In this way God's plans for us can be fulfilled BUT if we aren't growing more Christ-like every day then these amazing plans for us can't possibly take root in our lives and bring a magnificent harvest to our God and King.

So where are you situated at the moment in God's plan for you? Is there something holding you back from being in the centre of His will for your life?

Do you show kindness and compassion to the undeserving? To cheats and liars? Backstabbers and betrayers? To rude and hateful and cruel people?

As imperfect people none of us have such love in ourselves. What we do have, however, is Jesus Christ living in us and impacting our actions and attitudes and that is more than enough for God to show His mighty plans to us and change our lives forever. Oh! if we only let Him.

We may never really understand it BUT God has a plan for each of us as individuals, as well as complex plans for each civilisation across the globe. But regardless of whether we understand these plans or not, we still need to be obedient to God and accept that His ways are far exceeding ours and to accept His will for our lives.

God's plan for our lives involves us to be faithful to Him in everything we do regardless of what that involves. THE BIG plan for our lives is just trusting Him completely, obeying Him and walking closely to Him every day.

If we can do that then His plans for us will unfold before us, often in surprising ways.

So you can be absolutely certain that God has a plan mapped out for you but only if we let Him work His wonders - only if we are obedient - only if we are trusting Him daily to work in our lives.

It just makes so much sense that we would be created to accomplish what God wants for our lives.

God also calls the shots when it comes to His plans for civilisation itself. They rise and fall. World leaders come and go and all of it, the Bible tells us is according to the will of God.

He is in control and as his children we can trust His goodness and wisdom. So we should prayerfully and carefully make our daily/weekly plans but do so with a joyful willingness to let God alter our agendas to fit His bigger purpose and perfect will.

In lots of ways the lives of us Christians, the Redeemed, if you like, could read like an action adventure. We have been given a mission from the Almighty God of the universe. This mission will expose us to all kinds of risks. We have people, our fellow believers depending on us to carry out our mission. Then on the other hand we have our age-old enemy who will stop at nothing to prevent us from completing it.

So how will your story end? Will you be able to say "mission accomplished" at the end of your life? Or will your enemy celebrate your incomplete, abandoned and thwarted mission.

Let's decide today to be a HUGE threat to satan. Don't let him write us off as a non-threat.

God bless each of us as we obey our Father and seek His perfect plan for our lives this week.

resting in purity

Do you ever wrestle with feelings of guilt and unworthiness? I know I have.

Have you made mistakes from which you can never seem to recover? Are there blemishes on your record that just won't go away no matter how hard you try to erase them?

Have you done things that people won't ever forgive?

Every one of us has sinned and as we are probably aware the result of that sin is going to be eternal separation from God and an eternity of torment.

Every one of us has done things of which we are thoroughly ashamed and often our past comes back to haunt us again and again. The result of sin brings with it guilt - and I mean guilt with a  capital "G".

In lots of ways we can be very thankful for guilty feelings because without them we wouldn't be driven to get these feelings forgiven and forgotten. So maybe our guilty feelings can be the catalyst to a real and ever rewarding walk with Jesus through this topsy turvy life of ours.

When we ask for forgiveness and truly repent of our sins even the most heinous ones can be slaughtered at His cross - they can be blotted out forever.

Admitting that you're wrong can never be easy but it is essential if we come to Jesus to have our sins forgiven - we have "all sinned and come short of His glory" Romans 3:23.

As far as God is concerned, nothing is more extreme than sin. That's why He requires us to admit our guilt in order to receive his forgiveness.

We can't have our cake and eat it too. we need to give up our illusions and perpetual 'rightness' and acknowledge our need for him to make us right.

Just think about what Jesus did on that cross. He took your guilt, your shame, your mistakes, your blemishes on Himself - and destroyed them forever.

Sadly a lot of Christians wallow in their past sins always remembering their former selves. Memories which should have been forgotten but strangely cannot be. Are you like this?

Corinthians chapter 2 tells us the "The old has gone the new has come" - we are new creations in Jesus - what he did for us that terrible day was amazing and ultimate - He took our sins and buried them forever. Part of our 'old' life which Jesus killed for us was the remembrance of sins - that is now gone - Jesus has forgiven us and he has forgotten our past.

I feel one of the biggest; No! HUGEST reasons so many of us Christians are living defeated lives is because of guilt.

Guilt makes us feel dirty and worthless - it robs us of confidence in God and if we let it, it will even rob us of our faith.

Guilt can thrive and grow if we continually bring up the past to ourselves - thinking about how we messed up - where we went that led us on a path that we will always regret - who we went with and how that person/s life and fate intertwined with ours and could so easily have had disastrous consequences.

The enemy loves to trip us up and set the traps he knows will cause us to stumble. We have to learn from our past and not let our past define us for the future. We can learn from our past the areas where satan loves to call his stronghold and so stop him dead in his tracks.

Although we rarely admit to needing it, God's mercy is available to us on a daily basis. God abounds in mercy, and he loves to share it with us.

Many Christians present a facade that says "Hey everything is Ok" They like to walk tall and pretend they don't need anything from anyone. However, if the truth be told, all of us have doubts and fears, including unresolved guilt and feelings of self-condemnation for past mistakes.

God longs for you to bring these innermost wounds to him; his mercy extends beyond what you might expect. God will NEVER turn away a repentant heart.

So whats the point of all this?

If you are Christian, in God's eyes  you are perfect. Spotless. White as snow. Don't let your feelings of guilt drag you down. rest in the purity that has been given to you.

Wolves in sheep's clothing

In our Aussie chat through Twitter on a Wednesday night we have been studying "The Sermon on the Mount" and we have all learnt/learning so much - God is speaking in very real and amazing ways to us.

My last blog on 'Worrying' was inspired by Matthew chapter 6 and today's effort comes straight from Matthew 7 from verse 13 where I read from my Living Bible:-

"Heaven can be entered only through the narrow gate! The highway to hell is broad and its gate is wide enough for all the multitudes who choose its easy way. But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.
Beware of false teachers who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are wolves and will tear you apart. You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by it fruit. You need never confuse grapevines with thorn bushes or figs with thistles. Different kinds of  fruit trees can quickly be identified by examining their fruit. A variety that produces delicious fruit never produces and inedible kind. And a tree producing an inedible kind can't produce what is good. So the trees having the inedible fruit are chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, the only way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit produced.
Not all who sound religious are really good people. they may refer to me as 'Lord,' but still won't get to heaven. For the decisive question is whether they obey my Father in heaven. At the judgement, many will tell me 'Lord Lord we told others about you and used your name to cast out demons and to do many other great miracles. But I will reply, 'you have never been mine. Go away for your deeds are evil.'

So who are these 'false teachers' that Jesus is talking about here and what is their role/aim in today's church?

Well I'm afraid they can be just about anyone - Jesus tells us that many 'religious' type people are actually false in their teaching and if we don't watch them they will lead us astray and sadly I feel many have been led astray already in this old world of ours.

Jesus also tells us that many of these 'false teachers' will stand out among us due to their "fruits" or what comes out of their mouths or what doesn't - NOW we have to be a tad careful here that we don't start "judging" we have to draw a line where discerning and not judging comes into this analysis.

Discerning what is false is, according to Jesus, obvious - These 'teachers' will tell us exactly what we want to hear and certainly not about God's judgement and what it will mean to the unbeliever. They won't want to get into unpleasant subjects such as these - no way! They would much rather talk about how and why we can relieve pressure form our lives in today's world. Human concern is their catchcry and it seemingly is beautiful and it is, but they deny that working of Christ in people's lives and the leading of God's Holy Spirit. Even denying entirely the sacrifice of Jesus on that terrible yet beautiful day over 2000 years ago.

These people are usually prideful with a life totally consumed by themselves. Denying the very authority of God that they spruke of so widely and vehemently that they delight in. 2 Peter 2:10 says (again in my Living Bible)

"He (God) is especially hard on those who follow their own evil, lustful thoughts, and those who are proud and willful, daring even to scoff at the Glorious Ones without so much as trembling"

Luke 6:39 says that "A blind man cannot lead another blind man can he? They will both end up falling into a pit"

That's exactly how it is when false teachers invade our homes, churches even our workplaces - they deceive us and then both of us will end up in hell for eternity! Their whole aim is to lead us happily traipsing along behind them singing as we go to the very beautiful and wide gate which ultimately leads to destruction - just like Jesus said.

So how are you feeling about your own Christian walk with Jesus? If you are truly following Jesus as one of his own, are you trusting Him daily?
Have you got evidence of the Holy Spirit living inside of you as Jesus promised you would have on accepting Him? (see Galations 5: 22-23)
Has your very nature changed? Jesus said we would be 'new' creatures upon accepting Him - Can others see a change in you?
Do you love others as Jesus has loved you? Now that's a biggie  - Jesus said by their love you will know them (John 13:35)
Are you being obedient to Jesus? Do you feel like you are becoming more like Him in every way.

These are 'signposts' if you like, pointing you to God the Father and knowing that you are secure in His love, mercy, grace and forgiveness.

So how should we react to others who are masquerading as sheep but are actually wolves prowling around seeing you they can deceive?

"Live and let live" is a popular cultural philosophy. If someone believes in something that you disagree with, the socially acceptable thing to say is  "whatever works for you is okay with me."

But that's not an option where God's truth is concerned. If you hear someone misrepresenting Christianity or the Bible, you are scripturally bound to speak up. God expects His redeemed people to be just as zealous as he is in defending His truth.

We mustn't let our lack of theology hold us back . It takes courage and boldness to be a follower of Jesus and sometimes we need both to confront a false teacher or a misdirected believer.

I pray this week that we will ask the Holy Spirit to guide our words and help others to understand God's truths.

Worrying

Corrie ten Boom wrote the following in her "Clippings from my Notebook". A journal she kept.
Corrie and her sister were imprisoned by the Nazi's for hiding Jewish people from the inevitable slaughter in World War 11.

"Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength - carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of ts strength."

Pretty simple but powerful words especially when put into the light of today's world with everything going haywire and topsy turvy.

Jesus, too, was pretty emphatic when He talked about WORRY in the Sermon on the Mount recorded for us in Matthew 6: 28-34. In our Australian Bible study on twitter on a Wednesday night we have been slowly going through the whole of Jesus' teaching on these passages and the whole 'sermon on the mount' is just so relevant to today.

What is worry anyway? Well before we go into that just lets say that worry is an exercise in futility - it achieves nothing, zero, nada! Worry refers to the negatives in life - it is images of what 'could be' and dwells on the emotions like nothing else can. Worry drives people to suicide, marriage breakups and the ruination of family and friends.

As we have progressed through our Aussie study we have looked at what Jesus actually says about worry and how he warns us of the sheer futility of it.

Jesus says in Mathew 6:25 that worry is wrong - He tells us not to worry about things here on earth - and not to be worry about our life and how we will survive not to worry about our clothes or our food because He has promised to meet our basic material needs.

That's fine I hear you say but you have no idea what we are going through at the moment or what lies ahead of any of us. I truly appreciate what you are saying and just let me add this. Not so long when our Granddaughter was born we noticed she had a very slight turn in her eye - as it turned out the slight turn in her eye was far more serious than any of us first thought. Since then we have discovered that she is almost blind in that eye and has numerous operations to remove tumours growing behind her eye and down through the nasal passage.

Were we worried?  Through this time we threw ourselves into the arms of our lord - and just let me say this - WORRY DOESN'T MEAN NOT TO BE CONCERNED! Of course we were concerned and we continue to be concerned as the outcome is certainly not cut and dried and it won't be for many many years to come.

But does worry help at all in a situation like this? - No definitely not - all the worry we do doesn't help one iota in the outcome of such uncertainty. There is a difference in concern and worry.

Concern drives us to prayer, and helping as much as we can - thinking outside of the box and being creative in ways to help carry the burdens - Worry on the other hand drives us to hand-wringing and heart wrenching - isolation and despair with no possible good outcome. If we let worry run it's course it will cause anxiety and eventually depression.

Worry is involved solely in the ME while concern is involved in the WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?

Worry is actually a sin - it's because we have stopped focusing on God as ruler of our lives and throned ourselves there instead - We have become the MOST important person. - Worry is all about ME.

Worry has no end - its is a continuum - it is everlasting - we can't actually analyse worry - there is no answer - no final end - its like a big fat blanket thrown over our heads so that we can't escape  - so different to concern.

So here is the thing - if you are a worrier.  Each day is a gift, a real gift from God. In Matthew 6 Jesus says
1) Don't worry about tomorrow because tomorrow will take care of itself.
2) Each day has enough trouble of it's own.
Pretty astounding words really.

If we worry and stew about tomorrow - where will it end? We have endless tomorrows - Jesus is saying here each day brings it's own set of crisis and if we start to think about tomorrow's crisis and the next day and the next day it will only add burden after burden to today.

Take each day as real gift from God and care for today's problems today - care about tomorrow's problems then not now. Leave tomorrow where it is - Tomorrow! God has promised to see us through and he will.

Sure, there are going to be horrible things happen: I remember so well when SueAnn was diagnosed with cancer - would have been so easy to have thrown in the towel - curl up in foetal position and 'will' the world away - becoming depressed and isolated in our own little world of sorrow. Would all the worrying in the world have helped us through this crisis? Definitely NO!

Of course we were concerned and we fell to our knees amid tears and heartbreak - but not worry! Concern and REAL concern was our cry - regardless of the outcome we had to pass through it and not make it a lifestyle.

So where are you on the 'worry scale'? Don't let worry define your life - God and he alone gives you the strength you need when you need it. He will give us all the strength we need to face each day - Live as God ordained each day - one after the other. let's not bound ahead, who knows what is just around the corner.

Denying what is Plainly Evident

Going through our bookshelves this week I came across the Family Bible and once again sat intrigued by the history of it all - the underlined passages by people long gone the little notes in the margins as 'prompts' for us to consider, grow and learn.

I was amazed as I turned the fragile pages just how loved this old weather-worn book has been over all these years. As my tears spilled onto the old pages I was taken back again to my childhood and the lessons learned from my Mum who has since gone to meet Her Lord on the 14th June, 2000.

She was an amazing and wonderful lady - full to the brim with grace, love and mercy - Her undying love for Jesus was and will continue to be a signpost and a lighthouse hopefully to my family and certainly to both Sue and me.

As I continued to turn the frail yet poignant pages to my surprise out fell two sheets of yellowing pages - one a poem written by my Dad in his old age - His spidery and shaky hand writing worsened by a series of strokes yet still able to delineate his words to get the full impact of what he was trying to say.

He had written a poem to his three Daughters-In-law and drew a comparison between them and Ruth of Old testament fame - His words were so moving and so so true. I was gobsmacked by their simplicity, their truthfulness and their sheer honesty.

The other sheet was written by my Mum - and as I sat there - her words rang so true to me that I could barely speak - Her tenacity in never letting go of God, no matter what, always made me tremble - her faith never wavered and she always spoke the truth. Never worrying what people would say or think.

Here is what she wrote just before her death and speaks volumes of the way she saw her Lord and how she felt about creation bursting all around her.

She entitles it from Psalm 14 verse 1

The fool has said in his heart there is no God! 

By Hilda May Mewett.

"All space is thronged with the witnesses that speak His holy name - All beauty in it's myriad forms - the stars and worlds that flame - that stream in ordered courses through illimitable space - the ant, the bee, the butterfly, the fine spun spangled face of spring, the harvest time; the miracle of birth; the instinct of the birds assembling ready to migrate.

How should they know the time, the place - the date?

Blind worms that work their purposes with tireless energy; the strength of roots - the surge of sap - and life beneath the sea!

And in the midst of all these things; a little foolish man stands up and cries "there is no God!"

What matter? For the plan of life goes on, in spite of fools - the seasons come and go - the trees put forth their leaves in spring - birds sing and flowers grow" 

In just these few paragraphs my Mum captured something that has a profound truth that nobody can deny - the truth that only God can create - only He could knit everything together in such a complex, amazing and incomparable way.

My Mum's thoughts resonated deeply within me - Why, the very existence of the universe screams to us that there MUST be a Creator God. The very design of the animals and birds, insects and mankind proves beyond any measure that the Creator God - just has to be a 'designer' God as well!

What does amaze me more and more as I get older is that this very God is a relational God - A God who wants to have a REAL and PERSONAL relationship with you and me - astounding and true!

Psalm 14: 1 points out dramatically that a person who denies the very existence of God is a fool - a very harsh word indeed but then what else would you call someone who goes out of their way to deny what is so very obvious from the very depths of the deep to the tiniest tiniest microbe, all there to prove that God is real and alive.

When you let your mind just stop and try to capture the enormity of it all is the very picture Hilda May was trying desperately to capture in her pointed words and practical solutions.  To believe in this amazing and real God of hers who had obviously changed her life so dramatically.

In Psalms 19:1 it says "The very heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork"

In Romans 1 Paul bursts forth with " For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made - SO THEY HAVE NO EXCUSE!"

God's existence is all around us screaming out to us that the God of the universe is our God too.

My Mum's amazing testimony about the very existence of God came home to me once again that our God, the Creator God is alive and still wanting to create! He wants to create a new life for you and me - a life filled with His spirit - A life of deep-down peace and joy - of forgiveness for others no matter what they have done to you or said about you.

Turn to Jesus today - Truly God and truly man - Accept His offer of forgiveness and start to live the life that He planned out for you originally.

My Mum's faith was amazing - so simple yet so true - The very same faith we can have by turning to Jesus today.

A new look at STRUGGLES

I hate struggling - I just wish life would go along so smoothly and that everything just fell into line like it should and there was no real problems to face - no one being hurt - no family breakups - no money worries - no job losses.

Often it seems to me that we lurch from one crisis to another in this world and we no sooner solve or seemingly solve one problem that another one looms on the horizon only to knock us down once again - so I hate struggles.

I hate it when my children and grandchildren are heartbroken over something that overwhelms them - I hate that we can't solve all the problems that come our way and I hate that I can't make our problems disappear entirely for everyone.

Struggles!! They overwhelm us so often that we can so easily give up the struggle. - We feel our life is just not worth carrying on, that our life really is just worthless

Often struggles are due to people. People who oppose our ideas. People who put us down, who dislike what we stand for and try all sorts of different ways to control or manipulate us.

Our very own negative emotions can dictate to us how we struggle with life and what the outcome can be in our walk here on earth.

If we give into these negative emotions and let them consume us and tell us that we are indeed worthless then we will eventually believe them and start to react accordingly. We give up on our struggles and let them destroy our families and our well being

In Philippians 1 Paul tells of his struggles and says that we mustn't be worried or afraid of any opponents that cause us to struggle because in the end it is they who will be destroyed not us.

It's a pretty comforting chapter really because it doesn't matter who or what opposes you and causes you to struggle it is actually a sign to them that they will be destroyed BUT you will be saved.

WOW!! So we shouldn't be intimidated by our struggles, or by those people or things that cause our struggles. Why? because it is a very BIG sign that you will indeed be saved through your very struggles.

Satan tries so hard to bring us down though our struggles. Our struggles which we take as so very hard and are eventually going to destroy us is actually a good thing because through them we know for sure that we will be delivered.

The struggles we thought were going to destroy us will eventually deliver us. If Satan was going to destroy us through our struggles he would have succeeded by now BUT NO! we are still here. Yes we may be struggling and Yes we may be wondering and doubting but Satan has no control over us not even through our struggles.

We need to move forward with God through our struggles no matter what they are.  Remembering that our struggles are sign that we are indeed fighting against a real power, an evil power in this world and through our struggles we gain our fitness to move forward with Jesus.

Through our struggles God will lead us to a greater level of faith and through that faith to an amazing hope a hope that brings us to the very feet of Jesus to claim victory over of the very struggles that are pulling us down at this moment.

So where are you with your struggles? Are they pulling you down and ready to destroy you. Or are you rejoicing in your struggles realising that they are a sure sign that you are fighting the good fight, prepared and ready for the battle?

God is preparing a great victory for us if we can fight to the end. The enemy is defeated! If he hadn't been then we would surely have fallen by this time but NO we are still here fighting on in the name of the one who saved us.

Let's take heart in our struggles and recognise them for what they are,  a sign that we are indeed in the great battle of the King.

follow your convictions

Feel like a failure?  Ashamed to follow Christ?

The accuser is Satan - he is the one who not only tempts us but he accusers us night and day.

Praise God for the Holy Spirit - the advocate who is like the defender of a court case who takes the defence for us.

The Prosecutor Satan keeps bringing up your shame and drags it in front of you constantly accusing you and letting you know just how deep is your sin.

When we first come to Christ we realise through the working of the amazing Holy Spirit that we are indeed sinners in need of repentance and when we come acknowledging our sin, then He washes us clean through His sacrifice on Calvary.

That is our GUILT is washed away - God sees us a righteous because when He looks at us He sees what Jesus did to make us that way.

But SHAME is entirely different. SHAME is reliving our past - going back to it time and time again and if we keep doing this then we can pull apart our very faith that brought us to Jesus in the first place.

Many people have forgone the delight in Jesus to live a life of burdens and shame, unable to forgive themselves and thinking that they are 'just too bad' to be saved  at all. It's such a tragedy and so so wrong. God's amazing gift of salvation is free and holy and Satan wants to drag our faces in the dirt and mud of this world. He would do and does anything to distract us from the truth that God loves us with an all-consuming love.

Satan loves to do this, He loves to get our mind off the sin itself, which is freely forgiven if we repent, and keep our minds dwelling on ourselves and the shame. The longer we allow ourselves to wallow in our (forgiven) sin then the quicker we are to turn that (forgiven) sin into shame. And shame is what drives a wedge between us and God - jeopardising and endangering our faith.

If we dwell constantly on our shame we will eventually believe Satan's lie that we are failures and have travelled the sin path far too long to be saved. This is completely the exact opposite of what God intended for us when we accepted His free gift of salvation and repented of our sin in the first place.

God on the other hand will convict you of your sin. If you let Him deal with it then He will forgive you - if you let your sin shame you then your faith will suffer and you will wander away from the very one who gave His life to save you.

Conviction is the greatest gift that God can give you - its the time when he singles you out and sets your thoughts, aims and eventually your will.

Conviction is when God speaks to you. It's that very special time when you and God are in close contact. Satan has a very good reason to make us 'drop the ball' of our faith. He wants us to lose our confidence in coming to God in prayer and trust.

Jesus died so that we can do just that - He died so that we can boldly come to God - so that we can confidently know that God loves us regardless of what we have done or where we have been in our past lives.

If we trust God He will guide us through His Spirit on how to overcome our struggles. How?  By ceasing to focus on our pasts because what has been forgiven by God has been forgotten. We have been spun a HUGE lie by Satan that our past is still attached to us. Focus instead on the wondrous and incredible solution to the our sin crisis. JESUS!

Discover the strength that God can give us. Don't let Satan  try to convince us that we are defined by what we did or when we fell in our past which is actually shame - Guilt doesn't make us what we are but shame can make us believe that what we did is what we are,

You are not defined by your struggles - its in your struggles that God speaks to us. We can grow through struggles - God can make us free and when He frees us we are free indeed. Take heart and let's build on our past not wallow in it.

It's all in the Game

Facing opposition? Facing temptations right at this moment?  Feeling frustrated because you have fallen yet again? Aggravated with yourself because you have once again let God down?

You know Jesus has been there before you - He has struggled with opposition and He faced temptations just like you and me - Only difference is that He never gave into His temptations. We do and we do it ad nauseum over and over again.

Jesus understands where we are coming from - only He understands our frustration and aggravation when we fall. When we face opposition and everything seems to build up and overflow in our lives well guess what? The outcome is assured! It doesn't matter who or what is opposing us because we already know the outcome.

When we are in the middle of some acute attack on us it is so hard to realise that the end has already been written - again the outcome is assured if you have given your life to Christ.

When we are struggling with problems a lot of the time our very struggles are brought on by our insecurities and a lot of our insecurities are brought on by our desire to be 'liked' by the world. Our internal insecurities!

Through our life there are going to be tears. We are never promised an easy ride through life - we are going to be let down by others often by the people we love the most  - we are going to come up against huge opposition - BUT the outcome of it all is already written.

Paul writes in Philippians 1:28-30 says
"Without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved - and that by God. For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me."

So if you are struggling with whatever in your life please be assured that this is a good sign that God isn't finished with you yet. Struggling is all part of the life we have been given here - it's all in the game of life - a game that will give us joy and certainly pain.

So why do we have to go through so much pain and fall so many times in temptation knowing it is wrong and so hurtful to God? Well because it gives ground to relate to others so well. An empathy that can bring others to Christ.

Remember you aren't the only one in this 'game of life' who struggles with all sorts of sin and strife - Jesus struggled, Paul struggled and and through the examples of their struggles we can relate to our own. Jesus said "when the world hates you - well they hate me too." We can share in His struggles because He has shown us how.

Following Jesus makes us stronger - we may not think so because we still seem to fall for the same things over and over again - our vulnerability to sin always seems to be here with us. yet we are getting stronger in Jesus. How about this for a thought; that God allows us to struggle with opposition, struggle with continuing sin, struggle with our motivations and insecurities our doubts and depressions because all the while He is making us stronger in Him.

Is the game of life getting you down - grinding you into the ground - are you facing huge obstacles in the game? Are you just about to give up and hand it back?  Do your struggles seem insurmountable? Are you feeling defeated and alone? God has promised we are not alone - none of us. He has strength for the weary and deep down peace and joy for the faithful.

We ALL struggle with varying things - be it doubt, temper, insecurities etc etc. The great news is God's strength is available to all BUT you have to receive it. If you haven't done it already, ask him into your life right now, ask Him to take control and surrender all to Him.

His strength can you see you through the saddest and darkest of times. Jesus Himself went through probably THE most darkest of times when He took your sins and mine and dragged then up that dark hill and died horribly on the terrible/wonderful day at Calvary. So He knows what you are going through. He knows our struggles and our doubts.

Give them to Jesus; claim His promise and His strength to get you through.

When everything seems like it is failing

When life throws us out and makes us feel like everything we have done has been so worthless.
When all around us is failing and we are losing our friends, our confidence and our security.
When we feel like God has abandoned us and we keep asking WHY?
When we feel like we can't go on - not even for another moment.

It's those very moments when we have nothing to rely on; when we come face to face with the big question

What do I really and truly believe?

Where in the name of goodness is God in all of this mess.

Feeling like this is not something new - not for you and certainly not for me.

Life can be so disconcerting it makes my head spin sometimes! Maybe when you have paid so much attention into building a life worthy of what you believe - maybe when you have put so much energy in training your kids and trying with all your might to give them a secure and encouraging future - maybe when you have given your all to your marriage and worked tirelessly to bring about successful and happy union yet it all falls in a heap - suddenly and inexplicably. WHY?

At special times like this we are NOT alone - God is never going to leave you alone NOT ever - so lift your head - break the chains that are holding your down and lean on Jesus.

Satan is trying so hard to destroy that very foundation of your life as you see it right at this moment - the evil one is using that very thing to come between you and God - BUT God may be able to use that very thing to make you and bring you into the place where He can use you even more and bless you even greater.

You may think that God has abandoned you but the good news is that He hasn't and He never will  - Although it is us that could abandon Him!! This is satan's plan all along to drive that wedge deeper and deeper into that little crevice of doubt and ill feeling to eventually try to separate you from the one who loves you the most and will be there for you through thick and thin.

God has never promised us an easy ride - He has never promised that we will be able to have everything our hearts desire and make every dream come true. It is us that places that pressure on our very beings not God.

We don't know the future - we never can - and we never will. Just when we think we are going along OK it is usually then that something tragic may happen that throws us into turmoil and confusion.

Hang onto God no matter what - that's why He has given us the beautiful gift of prayer - where we can pour our hearts out Him - He will refresh us and enable us to lift our hearts and heads to Him.

What an amazing couple of verses are these - let's not despair but give God the glory -  no matter what is thrown at us - or who has abandoned us. Let's worship God and lift our hands in praise to Him. Let's spend quality time with Him alone no matter what we are feeling and what we are going through.

Psalm 143:4-6 "So I am ready to give up; I am in deep despair. I remember the days gone by; I think about all you have done, I bring to mind all your deeds. I lift up my hands to you in prayer; like dry ground my soul is thirsty for you"

God bless you no matter what you are going through this week- remember we are all carrying burdens - the thing is, are we ready to give that burden to Jesus? Are we ready to share it with Him?

Will giving it to Jesus make our burdens disappear? NO! But he has promised to see us through to the very end.

Grab His promises today.

Suddenly

Suddenly things can change
Suddenly life can throw us a curved ball

Suddenly our life as we know it can be over!

I didn't realise just how suddenly life can end until this very week when our neighbour and friend for 44 long years died so suddenly that really none of us could believe it.

living near this beautiful person was indeed a privilege and over the years we became even much more than neighbours we became good friends and travelling companions. Their house was ours and vice versa which I suppose was a good thing in the end because we were able to access the house when there were no signs of everyday life.

Yes! It has indeed been hard week for all concerned. Us as friends and neighbours and of course the family who are and will be for quite some time shocked beyond belief and suffering the on-going pangs of grief and sadness.

So where does that leave us? Well, it came home to us in a very real way that life is indeed transient. There were photographs of our dear friend taken just hours before they died, enjoying life and friendships completely unaware that their life would be taken in just a couple of hours time.

The death of someone we love and respect is just heartbreaking - each bereavement is set in their own context and emotions. There is the death of losing someone who has suffered for years with a terminal illness and there is, like our dear friend, a sudden and shocking unexpected and early death which immobilises us with sorrow and grief.

Love sort of pins us to wall sometimes - we are stricken with an emotion that we can't really explain when that person we love is suddenly taken from us and we become so vulnerable to sorrow and grief.

So what do we do - and what does God say about our grief, our loneliness and whether we should in fact hold off loving people because of the hurt we may one day feel when that person is ripped away from us?

When our loved ones die we can often beat ourselves up thinking we could have done this or said that and I wish I had only been there maybe I could have helped! But I really feel that God in His love doesn't want anyone to punish themselves over the death of anyone.

The Bible tells us a lot of times about joy and peace that is deep within those of us who have given our lives to Christ. God wants us to repent of our sins and start trusting in Him. Then when life overwhelms us and the waves crash around us then we can tap into the ever embracing arms of our Lord who is always there for us all of the time. He is waiting earnestly for us to call on His name.

Life for the Christian certainly doesn't mean living in a bed of roses or a nice little chocolate box type home. Life for us followers of Jesus is often hard and filled with the normal trials and tribulations of everyone else. The grief we feel is just as real, the hurts, frustrations and emotions are just as strong.

God did not spare His only Son but watched Him die a horrible and excruciating death for us and why? Because His love and mercy and not wanting any of us to perish but to go on living eternally with Him - the very Creator of our universe.

2 Peter 3: 9 says:- 'The Lord is not slow in keeping His promises, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you. not wanting ANYONE to perish but everyone to come to repentance"

God does not want any of us to die not knowing Him and asking him into our lives to lead us. His plan for all of us is to come to a realisation of Him and get to know Him personally. We can accept his offer of forgiveness and love or we can reject Him entirely. The  outcome for us is exactly the same in  regards to death. We are all headed in that same direction. Unfortunately death waits for all of us.

Like our friend and neighbour death can come on us all quite unexpectedly and so suddenly that our friends and family are literally bowled over. The difference of course is that we have to make very sure as to where we are going after death and are we prepared for it to hit us at any time?

How do we do that? By asking Christ into our lives - being one hundred percent committed to Him. making sure that there is absolutely nothing that is gong to prevent you from being able to commit your life to Him. Maybe asking forgiveness for that someone who has been wronged or has wronged you.

Life is short! VERY short. None of us have any idea when our lives could be asked of us. Are you ready? Are you sure? Make it your priority to give your life to Jesus right now.

The idol of 'ME"

I used to think that I was so rid of idols in my life!

Or so I thought!!!

What is an idol anyway - I have heard it explained that an idol can be anything! In fact an idol can be anything that gets in the way of God and you - that takes precedence in your life - that can be something/someone you just can't live without.

Some idols can be our addictions or our pastimes - they can also be our homes, our jobs, our hobbies even our families.

So where do we go from here? Well personally I have prayed and considered idols in my own life for quite a while now and I figured I had it all pretty much worked out. I realised that my idols can come between God and me and my wonderful God who loves me so much is a jealous God (if I can use that word in all sincerity) and He wants my total life often in all of its wretchedness and wants nothing to come between us.

I read with all honesty Colossians 3 and prayed that God would enable me to put aside all of these things that could come between Him and me.

"So put to death the sinful, earthly things, lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust and shameful desires. don't be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry. God's terrible anger will come upon those who do such things"

I realised that to follow God I would have to put aside all things that came between Him and me so I tried not to be greedy for the so-called 'good' things in life.

So all these things I faithfully tried to out aside and worship Him alone.

It was just recently that I have realised that I have left ONE big idol out of my cleansing and that BIG idol is ME!

"ME" probably the biggest idol of all - talk about not seeing the elephant in the room!!

The idol of "ME" can be so so deceptive. "Me" can creep up on us often without our even knowing it.

"ME" likes to control our own will and whatever else we can grab hold of. I found I liked responsibility and being noticed - I liked to influence others - I liked to be in control of every situation I found myself.

When I look back on my life I can see just a few instances where I have not been in control and master of my destiny - taking responsibility of my choices and decisions.

The moment I came to the ultimate conclusion that having "ME" in my life was a real problem and such a huge idol I am astounded as the patience of God that He never gave up on me.

What is so hard is letting go of control and letting God take it. Handing over the reigns as it were to Him can be so hard and scary because for years that is all I have ever known - "ME" in control of ALL situations that impinge on my life.

It's really scary letting go and learning to live again in Jesus - handing everything over to Him and obeying Him to the utmost degree and learning afresh what it means to actually REALLY live by faith.

I have finally come to the very same conclusion as to what God has been saying to me over all of these years to remove "ME" that wretched idol sitting there brazenly on the throne of life and putting God in His rightful place as Lord of my entire being.

So how do we remove "ME" the idol? Well can I say it is not going to be easy. "ME" will not willingly give up the throne - he may have to be dragged screaming, biting and punching but with God's real help he WILL be removed.

It will get easier, for once we have named and identified "ME" as the BIG idol in our lives then when we do falter God's amazing Holy Spirit will encourage and support us.

"ME" is not hidden any more - I have identified him and know his little tricks to ursurp the rightful King and re-gain his control. God is the ever faithful Warrior and He is there beside us helping us to press on to victory.

So how are you with idols - Have you identified any at all? Who do you give glory to?

Are you like me with a BIG "ME" idol lurking there in the middle of the room yet unseen by you?

We need to be willing to hand everything over to God - even  your own personal "ME"