God1meover

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Tuesday 31 December 2013

Happy New Year to you all.

The dawn of a New Year.

May 2014 be a holy year for you and your families. 
May God bless you all abundantly and pour His mercy upon you.
May you find time for God and treasure His time with you.
May you be God's image and show compassion to His people.
May His Holy Spirit ignite you with a Holy Fire. 
And may you be the light that shines in the darkness for His many sons and daughters who are seeking Him.

Praise this new year, praise our God who calls us to live it.

God bless you all.


Each day is a new beginning

Every day is a new beginning. From the moment we wake up to the rest of night. 

Every moment is a new beginning. From the moment we say something, to the action we decide to make. 

Everything we do can be in the presence of God or in the presence of the world. We make decisions so often that we are unable to count each instance. Be watchful of your tongue, actions, thoughts and decisions and make the right choices during your day. 

James 3:13-18 says:

If you are wise and understand God's way, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don't cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthy, unspiritual, and demonic. For whenever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield t others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

Our lives are books, may those who read them understand the Source of your Inspiration and lead the reader to God's Kingdom. 

Each day is a new beginning, a new chapter, I pray that God is the author of your life. Happy New Year, happy new beginnings. 

God bless


Sunday 29 December 2013

You are the light of the world (Matt 5:14-16)

Matthew 5:14-16

You are the light of the world - like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden, No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

The Council where I live has decided to turn of the street lamps at night! It is pitch black outside and no one can see a thing. The only lights that are visible are the ones from the houses where the occupants are in and any cars that come down the cul-de-sac. It is obvious if a house is empty as it fades into the darkness.

Are we houses that fade into the darkness, or can our lights be seen by passerby's? Does anyone know that our light shines for Jesus? In your street, how many lights during this season were around a stable on the outside of a house? There were plenty Father Christmas', Snowmen, etc. A point to ponder!

We as Christians are all lights, but how bright is the light that you shine? 

Do we cry like the psalmist? 

psalm 43:3-4

Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where  you live. there I will go to the altar of God, to God - the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God.

Do we cry for God to be our light, the source of all light? Are we lights in this world? Do we take our light from His Light? Shine my friends, do not be afraid to be the brightest of lights. Let the world know that you are centered in God's light.

God bless.





Saturday 28 December 2013

Out of pain comes beauty

A pearl is a natural jewel made from a foreign object irritating the mantle. This irritation is a bit like having a splinter. However the splinter does not produce anything other than a pain, a pain that we would rather not have so we get the tweezers and remove it. The oyster however is unable to get rid of its foreign object and instead produces a naturally beautiful jewel. 

Heaven is a natural beautiful realm, created by Love, through Love for Love. There, there will be no pain, just Love. 

In our lives there are thorns, thorns like the crown that Jesus wore. Their pain pressing into our life, causing us discord. Unlike an oyster its irritation develops into something precious. So often we view our thorns as inconveniences. However, thorns can be God's way of telling us we need to change. They are irritants that can become pearls. That can lead us to His Heaven within us. To His Love.

We are God's pearls, and this is evidenced in the parable in Matthew 13:45-46. "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it."

This is exactly what Jesus did, he left everything for the pearls of God's making and through his sacrifice bought us so that we could dwell with Him in His Kingdom. We have been bought at a great price, 1 Corinthians 6:20  "for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body." 

And how can we honour God with our body, we can use our senses to discover God, by digging into His Word, by reading, chewing and savouring His Word, by showing through our actions that we are different, when an irritant rubs us giving it to God to heal and change us. By being transformed through and by the Word. As God was willing to give us His Great Pearl, we must be willing to return to Him our own pearl, bright and glorious, tested and proven by the pains of life.  

Out of pain comes beauty. From Jesus on the Cross, naked with a destroyed body, came Jesus in his Resurrection glory. Let your pain become God's glory through the Holy Spirit.

God bless.



Tuesday 24 December 2013

We may celebrate Jesus' birth on Christmas day, but it is important to celebrate His birth in us everyday. 

Happy Christmas

Sunday 22 December 2013

Where is the Messiah?

God has given us many clues as to His coming, ministry and death, so let us have ears to hear and eyes to see those clues.

God revealed his plan in the Old Testament to His people on numerous occasions. Lets look at some of those revelations:

Old Testament. Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth, and will call him Immanuel.

New Testament. Matthew 1:23 The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel. 

Old Testament. Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a child is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

New Testament. Luke 2:10-11 But the angel said to them "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

Old Testament. Micah 5:2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. 

New Testament. Luke 2:4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 

Old Testament. Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 

New Testament. Matthew 21:7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.

Old Testament. Psalm 22:16-18 Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over  me. They divide my clothes among them and cost lots for my garment.

New Testament. Matthew 27:35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.  

The Old Testament prophecies the coming of the Messiah, the New Testament fulfills it. 

Isaiah 53:3-7 says it all. Jesus is the Son of God who lived this prophecy.

He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
I can only kneel before my God and say thank you and try to live my life through the Holy Spirit in gratitude for what He has done for me. 

God bless.

Saturday 21 December 2013

Weeping

Heart felt weeping when it comes from the very depths of our being is an overwhelming feeling. Those moments of helplessness, hopelessness and feeling lost as the situation burdens us and gushes forth through gut wrenching tears.  

We are in good company when this happens as Jesus too wept from his very depths. "Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Matt 23:37 When Jesus "approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it" Luke 19:41. However, even our most hopeless tears can never equal Jesus' tears for His people.

We weep for the moment at hand, Jesus wept for what he knew would happen to Jerusalem if they did not align their lives with God. Even his sacrifice would not be enough for the minds of future generations whose stubbornness would blind them from the truth. 

His tears are for those who do not believe, but His promise is, (Jesus told her) "I am the Resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying." John 11:25.

God knows our grief, he truly feels it. He will help us through those times of tears. He will wipe away our tears with his handkerchief of Grace. Praise God for understanding our needs. 

God bless.




Thursday 19 December 2013

Talk to God regularly, include him in everything - he wants to hear from us.

In the beginning God made the heavens and the earth. (Gen 1:1) 

With all this beauty in place God created man in his own image. (Gen 1:27)

It is clear that God wanted to converse with man and woman right from the beginning. He delighted in his creation. 

God delights in us and He wants to know what we think. He longs for us to talk to Him. He has all the time in the world for us and He understands our busy lives. 

Psalm 55:16 As for me I shall call upon God and the Lord shall save me. 

Your child has disrespected you, call upon God, ask Him to help you. Your child has done something lovely for you, call upon God and thank him for this moment. 

Your husband has bought you flowers, call upon God to bless your partner for his kindness. Your husband has been thoughtless, call upon God to heal the hurt that has come from that act. 

You are constantly being interrupted from your task in hand, call on God and thank Him for the disruption, it might be something important that He wants you to deal with or pray to him about. 

The list goes on and in each case if we do it straight away, we can use the moment to engage with God. His line is always open. 

All things are calls from God to connect with him. No matter how big or little the situation is. How often do we use our mobiles, ipads, facebook, blogger, tumblr, twitter etc to connect with others or to answer their call/conversation. We can now with contact people all over the world at any time of the day. 

God deserves the same connection. His Son is our direct line, we do not need to ring or make an appointment, or wait for Him to be online. 

In an instance, thanking God is a prayer, 'Jesus help me' is a prayer. 

Thessalonians 5:16 Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.  

God is constantly knocking Rev 3:20 Look I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne. Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

What a promise, if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. This is communion of a very personal kind. Those who are victorious will sit with  me on my throne, wow another amazing promise. With these two promises our lives ought be overflowing with prayer and praise, if we take each instance, use it as a prayer we will be communing with God. Our lives are churches, we must listen to the Spirit, allow Him access to our every moments and bring worship into everything. 

Tall order, if we break it down, it is possible, and the benefits are incredible. Too busy to pray, make it your business to pray. Everything can be a prayer. 

Hope this has been helpful.

God bless.



Wednesday 18 December 2013

Hope is God led

Hope is God led, it is the final dot on the 'i' in our lives. Without Hope we cannot see the intricate path God has led us on to His answer to our imperfect lives. 

If you have asked the question, 'Why is my life like this?' it is usually a response to a situation that we are in. And why are we in that situation? Perhaps it is because of the decisions we have made. Whether they were right or wrong they are all part of the rich tapestry of our own personal journey. 

So we are not in a good place. Everything seems hopeless. Looking at the moment here and now there seems no answer. But our Hope is in the Lord as the psalmist says "In you Lord God I put my trust. I trust in you." (Ps 25:1-2) 

How often do we say that and then complain that our prayers have not been answered. The fact of the matter is, we often want our answers now, but God is usually working on them and can be years ahead of us in the completion of that answer. But of course in Heaven there is no time, so God's answer is complete, he has answered already, but on earth the reality because it is time led means that the last pieces of the jigsaw might be in the near or distant future having traveled from the past on many winding journeys to get to that point. 

I find it awesome to look at some of the pictures God has made with my life. The detail is incredible. But when I look really closely I see that it is in fact a jigsaw puzzle, but the lines are so fine that it is hard to see the joins. 

An answer to pray may have started ten years ago, when we decided on a job, marriage, course, vocation etc. When we look back in hindsight from the fulfilled answer we can see the many people, actions, reactions, responses from all sorts of circumstances, that had a domino effect and went into God bringing about the solution that was made in Heaven for us. That is why Hope is God led. 

Imagine if you are old enough, an old telephone switchboard system where you had hundreds of wires attached to a large board in front of you. Every scenario has a wire and if we walked down one road the outcome would be a nice straight line. However our life isn't like that and the large board in front of you probably looks more like Spaghetti Junction but a hundred times over and more. Now imagine that every one of those wires has a beginning and end and thousands of stops points in between and each of these stop points has a beginning and end. Am I getting you confused? Life is complicated! We make it complicated, often by trying to answer our own prayer. Okay well that is the sort of thing God has to do to get you to reach the point where you see the light of your prayer being answered. 

If I have lost you in the above paragraph then just look at an event in your life and write down a list of how many people, and things/events there were in the fulfillment of that journey. Then you will see God's hand in putting those people and events together. That is why we can have hope, because when we look backwards we see the finished picture for that event. So we do not need to be afraid, we can see why our life was the way it was and how God led you to the answer. With that in mind we can with confidence the next time we say 'Why is my life like this?' trust that God has already answered the question, we just need to trust Him as we walk with Him to its conclusion. We can have Hope in God, we can stand on his Truths, because God has already answered our prayer in Heaven. 

I hope this is helpful.

God bless.


Tuesday 17 December 2013

Moan or bless

How often has someone's moaning put you off them? Yes I apologize. Every time you see them there is always something wrong. Nothing ever seems to please them or bring joy into their life. It is almost as if their full time occupation is to be miserable and find fault with the world and its people. 

Sometimes when I see a lady with this unhappy demeanor I look around to find an escape root. I know this is not charitable but the constant downward look of her eyes and the 'woe is me' conversation drags me down too. I suspect this poor woman knows my attempted rushing away is connected with her imminent presence, but she just cant help herself, as she remembers the time I took listening to all her worries before and homes in on me whenever she can. It isn't that I don't want to listen to her accounts of a sad life and the continuing drama with her son, rather it is the fact that nothing ever changes. The story stays the same, 'poor me, what am I going to do. The situation seems hopeless and I feel helpless' continues to drag on year after year. On your own you are hopeless and helpless that is why we are told  "In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (Thessalonians 5:18) That means me too, thanking God for this poor lady and her woes. Note to self, don't teach it if you can't live it. So instead of shooting off to a non existent appointment it would be more helpful if I asked God to bless the lady and pray with her to help her release her troubles to the Lord. 

Sometimes I feel like this when I enter a church. The dowdiness of the service, the uninspiring sermon that makes me want to yell 'where is your joy, where is your Saviour?' I can definitely say that I have looked for an escape root on more than one occasion when confronted with this scenario. I have dared raise my hands and clapped to the music, smiled and greeted curious glances with a hello. The reply to my exuberance? Frowns that said we don't worship like that here, we are reverent. But I was being reverent but in an enthusiastic way. I felt like I wanted to moan to the person in charge, but instead I blessed the congregation and asked God to come in person to each of the parishioners so that they would know about the singing that goes on in Heaven. "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing." (Rev 5:11-12) Wow, they must have made a magnificent chorus. 


Churches bring many people through their doors, to the 'special place' as stated in Deuteronomy 12:11. In this special place we are told to be "filled with joy there in the sight of the Lord your God. Your children should also be joyful." (Deut 12:12) There you have it, we are called to be joyful in our worship. That means in our prayers as well as in our service. 

So if we are meant to be joyful in our worship our faith can help us be joyful in hope. Worship that is hope less and joy less will feed hopelessness and joylessness. It will make us feel that our situation is hopeless and helpless. Why was Paul able to say "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer?" (Romans 12:12) Because his faith was anchored and rooted in God's own promises. He knew that God lives in us, that God is master of our path and that in all things God has the victory. Therefore our worries, moanings and endless fretting about our life and the lives of our loved ones are useless. We cannot change a single thing about them through these actions. On the other hand God wants to be glorified in our lives. So when difficulties arise and we feel hope less (a feeling that the devil loves to twist and stir) we need to hand the situations over to God so that when we talk about our concerns they become challenges filled with the hope that God is in control. He has a detailed plan for each and every one of us. He knows the full story. 

We are no longer hope less because God has redeemed us. His son Jesus Christ shed His blood for us so that we no longer need to be afraid. We have been bought and paid for, so we belong to Him. So be bold, be confident, bless God and your situation as He knows all your needs. Don't let doubt enter your mind, do not listen to the 'what if's', 'What if God has turned his back on them' 'What if my son gives up his faith' 'What if he never finds another job' these doubts come from the devil and need to be stamped on. God never turns his back, even if your son gives up his faith. God will never give up on him. God will show him what He wants your son to do.  Trust and have faith in God's Covenant. 

God will never let us down. "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not  much more valuable than they?" Matt 6:26 Believe in the promises.

God bless.




Monday 16 December 2013

Forgiveness the key of peace

I love to observe people, especially in a shopping mall. This Christmas of course the malls have been hectic and tempers have fried by the disappointment of a perfume being sold out or the oh so important present that seems illusive. Husbands and wives have heated conversations over what Aunty Dot does or doesn't like. Boyfriend and girlfriend disagree over the colour of scarf that they want to buy for the girlfriend's mother. A small child is creating havoc with a display because they are fed up and want something to eat. The mother pulling her hair out as she tries to disengage her son from the jewelry that is hanging close by to his pushchair. 

You've seen it all, the noise, the chaos, the mess, the stress, the anger, the frustration, the walking off. And when you get home you open a Christmas card that says, 'Hope you have a happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.' Yeah right!

You think that it cant get worse and then you receive a phone call. The mother-in-law is coming and you haven't spoken to  her in years. The last time was when she criticized your burnt roast potatoes, over cooked turkey and watery gravy. This after you had bent over backwards being nice and accommodating for several days already as she had came early to visit.  You are egging your husband on to say 'no' but of course he doesn't. Your heart drops, and you feel that that is the end of Christmas. 

It could be. But there is an alternate solution. No it is not to go on holiday away from the family! Maybe the impending arrival of the mother-in-law however upsetting is an opportunity to put Grace into action, and not any Grace, but God's Grace through Forgiveness. Firstly those hurtful words, the ungrateful taking without giving, the judgement that you felt burning into your every actions. 

So your adversary is coming. Time to start actively praying. 

1. Thank God for this person, because God loves them.

2. Bless the life of this person.

3. Pray into the visit. eg ask God to take over and to create an hospitable environment for both of you.

4. Pray for a break through with both of your personalities. 

5. Pray that words, spoken and unspoken will be encouraging and all embracing. 

6. Pray for God to bless the visit and to help you cope with whatever happens.

7. Pray that you will not allow your feelings to take control. 

8. Pray for forgiveness, for yourself that you can forgive your mother-in-law (or who ever you are at odds with) for her treatment of you, and for yourself because you allowed it to take away your peace. If you think that you cannot do this then ask God to help you to forgive the person.

When they are staying with you, each morning and evening bless and thank God for them, no matter what has happened during the day. 

If a criticism is thrown at you, place the Cross of Christ between you and the criticism. You can imagine the Cross and stand behind it. Pray, eg Father I thank you for (name) protect me from their words and give me the strength not to take them on board. Please heal the lies that are being spoken. I do not accept this criticism into my life. Father restore me and give me Your peace. 

I  hope that this is helpful. 
God bless.




Sunday 15 December 2013

Alignment with God

Prayers are wonderfully powerful but sometimes people believe that their prayers go unanswered. God knows our prayers even before we pray them. He doesn't ignore them, but He does ask us to align ourselves with Him when we pray. Our prayer then needs to be 'Father what is it that You want of/from/for me?' This prayer allows the Father to enter our prayer and provide us with what we need. God bless.





Good and bad days

Some days I cant help smiling and I am overwhelmed with joy because I know that I am walking with God and He is  holding my hand.

Some days I cant smile and feel overwhelmed but I know that I am still walking with God and He is with me holding my hand. 

Saturday 14 December 2013

Saviour or realist

Having read an article on the many vicars, pastors and ministers taking their own lives as depression finally leads them to doubt their effectiveness, perhaps we need to look at the reason why this is happening to our Shepherds.

Perhaps as Christians we think we can help, solve and make better other people's lives. Perhaps we do in big and little ways. Unfortunately this is a deep hole and you can get sucked into it if you have a Saviour mentality. 

For whatever reason someone has been called to the Service of others, being a Saviour is not a good idea. It takes a Divine Person to be a Saviour. Man is not a Saviour, his or her shoulders are not big enough to handle the vastness of this vocation. There are wonderful leaders in our churches, house groups, prayer groups to name a few, but these Godly men and woman in order to survive the onslaught of neediness, need to be realists. They can not do the Saviours job. Their door if always open will end up permanently closed due to the stress piled on by the never ending needs of others. 

There is so much we can endure, until our body says stop. It is such a shame that the stop often comes from a medical condition. Then people are forced to take time out. Is that what God wants? Does He require us to keep going until we fall foul of illness related to exhaustion and stress. If people don't know when to stop, their engine will eventually stall, and they will become useless in their ministries, and may become a burden to others who have to care for them. For those who have no one to care for them, taking their own life might feel like the only way out. 

The burden of the sheepfold is God's responsibility. The Shepherds are there to facilitate God's plan, not to burn out. If people are not realistic as to what they can do and can not do and do not put limits on their time and efforts by delegating to others to protect their needs then they will need saving. 

Pride can also be a downfall. Belief that only you can do the job and others wont do as good a job as you, is sometimes true, but if you look at whom God chose to be his Shepherds, perhaps we need to be a little humble  in this area. God's world wont be taken over by the devil if you need time off, because God already has the Victory. This is true from the church cleaner to the finance manager. 

There will always be a needy world, all the time you have those with and those without. It is a never ending circle, ministers, be gentle on yourself, look after yourself and above all note that there is only one Saviour and His name is Jesus Christ.

God bless







Friday 13 December 2013

Being merciful and gracious to ourselves.

We are made in the image and likeness of God, so if we beat ourselves up then we are beating up that image of God that He has made. 

In the Kingdom the Creator formed us, he decided which genes we would receive from the parents He has chosen for us. 

Do you wonder about the parents He chose for you and the genes he decided you should inherit? There are times when maybe you feel He made a mistake especially when life has not been that pleasant for you. Or perhaps the genes you inherited, when they are challenging and make life hard. 

God created us for a reason, with the parents we had/have, and with the genes we may or may not like. Why?

Perhaps the parable of the talents is our best guide to the answer to this question. 
Matt 25:14-15 (NLT)

"Again the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last - dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip."

God determines what he gives us and then allows us to use the money/talents in the way we feel best suited to during our life. Our experience of life right from the moment of conception will depend on our parents example ie the money/talents they were given by God. So you may have a parent(s) who was given five bags of silver and they may have earned five more, thus showing that they were/are capable of great and greater responsibility. Or you may have a parent(s) who were given the two bags of silver and they earned two more, showing that they were capable of handling a small amount and for their efforts were/are given greater responsibilities. But perhaps you were given a parent(s) who was given one bag of silver and they buried it out of fear. 

No matter which parents are chosen for us by God our journey is still our own. We still have to decide what we do with the bag or bags of silver that God gives us. This is the crunch of the matter. There comes a time when we have to choose. If our experience has not been a helpful one in our earlier days, we can change that by being merciful and gracious to ourselves. Accepting that our times of trials have made us who we are and deciding that we can still invest in ourselves no matter how many bag(s) of silver we were given. 

Remember God made us, he gave us our genealogy. He knows what we are capable of and He is there to make up for all the deficiencies we might have. He knows where we are at and He takes us from there. He reminds us of our talents not our inefficiencies. He wants us to be merciful and gracious to ourselves and not to burden ourselves with what we haven't got. He has given us what He knows we need, five bags, two bags or one bag, it doesn't matter, it is what we do with them that is important. We could have had a rotten start to life, but by believing that you are made in the image and likeness of God opens the door to salvation. Nothing matters up to the point of joining God's side. All of that we have done is forgotten, left at the foot of the Cross. Forgiven and forgotten. When I return to God's Kingdom I hope that I have used all my talents for His honour and glory and He will say "Let's celebrate together."

God bless




Thursday 12 December 2013

God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right Matt 5:10

It takes courage to speak up for what is right. 

Jesus was often at the center of controversy. He shattered peoples ideas and traditions, he challenged their lifestyle and told them that they had to begin again. "Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God" John 3:5. Wow that must have hurt those thinking they were on the right track with their religion! Jesus turned their world upside down and they were mad, so mad that they crucified Him. 

And this continues today. There might not be crucifixions but there are certainly those that are put to death for their faith. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right.

Lets look at the definition of persecution: it is a systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. In other words it can be called bullying on a day to day level. God blesses those who are bullied for doing right. How often have you seen that? Persecutors come in all shapes and sizes. They pick on the weak, those that seem different, those that challenge them in certain ways that makes them feel small so they have to do something to make themselves big in the eyes of others. Persecution is about control. When an individual or group feel threatened then they start to bully. 

When a child tries hard at his school work and does well, the student who has not bothered and feels threatened may decide to make the other person the subject of his displeasure. The child has done nothing wrong apart from doing his best. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right. 

A single parent trying to bring up her children on her own on a council estate, attempts to steer her offspring away from the wrong kind of people and she is afraid of the intimidation that is all around her. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right. 

A teacher who stands up for the right to be heard in a classroom of disruptive students who are engaged in wrecking his/her lesson for the other youngsters. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right. 

Each day victories are won on a moment to moment basis. Each day we are blessed when we make a stand for what is right. And it is so important to acknowledge those victories. We may not be persecuted for our faith, or have to cope with terrible situations of life and death in our every day existence, but we can obtain God's blessing if we do what is right, if we live of water and of the Holy Spirit. Because God's promise was as stated above:  "Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God" John 3:5.

God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 










Tuesday 10 December 2013

The privilege of being used by God.

When I had to give up my job I didn't know what God was doing. But my questions of what He was doing in my life needed to be answered and they couldn't be while I was too busy doing other things. It was not easy giving up work as I felt I was loosing my independence and the contribution to the family income. I also wrongly thought that my value was in the position I had in my employment. 

With the distraction of work gone God stepped up and was able to start work on the areas of my life that needed changing for his honour and glory. I can honestly say that my life has changed enormously since opening my life completely to God's will for me. I have had the privilege of seeing his healing working through me and then being used by God to heal others. Seeing many wounded sons and daughters of the King and praying with them for healing has been awesome. The breakthrough has always been when we have prayed for forgiveness, forgiveness for believing the devil's lies, forgiveness for not listening to God's truths and forgiveness for those who have hurt us, praying for them and thanking God for them even though they have damaged us. With the holy spirit taking control of our lives and the darkness exposed, released and sent to hell for all eternity God totally changes our life. The light literally glows in those who accept this opportunity to change. I am so privileged to be part of His plan to bring this healing message to others. God is so awesome and I a fragmented vessel whom He has chosen to use like the disciples, ordinary men, to be the hands of the Father. I know I am not worthy, but He has made me worthy through His sacrifice. Working for the King is so much more fulfilling than for my former employer. I may not have any money, title or statue in the world of work, but that does not matter anymore as I am doing what God wants me to do. 

Deep longing

When we know that our hearts are longing for a breakthrough it is then that our healing can be accomplished. That deep longing to see things differently, or patch things up starts when we say enough, I need to change. Releasing the 'I' instead of the 'U' allows God to enter our longing and bring peace. It is I that needs to change not U. My perceptions, my blinkered thoughts, my wants and needs, my opinions, and my need to have the last word, my selfish ways. Father in all things help me to seek You, to long for your vision and heal my I.   

Monday 9 December 2013

Rest in you - Hillsong

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMTND0AUjCs

Come Lord Jesus

Jesus I am awaiting your coming this Christmas. I long for your breathe so that I can breath you in and breath you out to all those who I meet. You are the greatest present anyone could want. Be my love, be my strength, and be my inspiration. Thank you for your gift.

Friday 6 December 2013

Blessed are those who work for peace Matt 5:9

How apt that this verse is my meditation for today, the day when Nelson Mandela died. 

"No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background or his religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more  naturally to the human heart than its opposite." Nelson Mandela RIP. 

This great man understood that we must strive to teach love where there is conflict so that peace can be the champion of our soul, heart and ultimately our life. If we are at peace with those around us and can accept their differences then they will learn from our conviction that everyone is worth loving. When we shake hands with our enemies we start the process of healing, rebuilding and overcoming prejudice. That starts with us and the ripple effect that occurs through our families and friends, strangers and haters will change our society.

The true grounding for this work of peace is God. God is Love therefore he is the source of peace as in him there is no conflict. Three persons in one, in unity with the Greater Glory. God is our example. He is our Peace. 

Blessed are those who work for Peace. 

The work of peace begins with ourselves, if we are in conflict then we are unable to portray unity. Take the example of a family. My family has five members, two adults and three children, each with their own likes, dislikes, talents and stumbles, calm and explosive personalities, laid back and stressed. All are required to work for peace in their environment. Well you can imagine what happens. A word out of place, a joke taken the wrong way, teasing gone too far, jealousy over a gift, a good dead that goes wrong or is interpreted with an ulterior motive, that last word that must be the ultimate one, strong convictions and half hearted don't knows, shy and gregarious, I wants and it's alright it doesn't matter, the list is endless because of the characters. So the peace is broken and there is the silent treatment or rage erupts like a volcano. And this is only on a family level, the world wide level is pronominal! 

This why it is important to look to the Prince of Peace and pray for His help. If we cant manage to work for peace and to live together peaceably in the family, where it is safe to explore our emotions and thoughts, then going out into the world and expecting peace to flow like a river in the corrupt and war zones of human nature that have been damaged by the disease of hate no matter it roots, is like trying to throw a bucket of water in a volcano and expecting it to cease its outbursts. 

That is why our work for peace needs to be firmly embedded in Christ. If we teach love, forgiveness, and tolerance in the smallest environment called family, we will be better equipped to share it with others. Sometimes family is not the best place to learn it from, especially when it is full of hurt and disrespect for another person's mental, physical or sexual nature. That hurt can only be enfolded in love when the person leaves that situation and seeks in time healing and acceptance from the True Source of Peace and Love - God. And that is not an easy journey and I admire those people who are on that path and also those who work for the peace of those troubled souls.  

Blessed are those who work for peace for they will be called the children of God. 

Are we children of God? 

Colossians 4:13-15

"Make allowances for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace and always be thankful."

The last two words 'be thankful' have been the key for me in breaking through the battles that happen on a daily basis. When one of the family is unkind or provocative, I say quietly 'thank you Lord for (name) and bless them because you loved them first'. By thanking God for one of my off-springs,  husband or myself when things are not peaceful I am asking God to intervene in a place I am not able to. This gives the glory to God, he has the victory and not the sin. This is what he calls us to do in the next verse of Colossians:

Colossians 4:16-17

"Let the  message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Blessed are those who work for peace for they will be called the children of God. 

Bless you all
Margaret