There is one thing in my Christian walk that I regularly struggle with. That's prayer. I know prayer is important but it's the one thing I worry about, that I'm saying the wrong thing. Or I just don't know who to ask for things. I'm not sure what it is exactly, all I know is that I struggle with it.
Prayer allows us to communicate our inner most feelings with our Father. It allows us to thank Him for all He has done, it allows us to ask for the biggest desires of our hearts. So why do I find it so difficult?
I think sometimes I struggle to know what it is I want myself. If I don't know what I want then how can I ask for it? Or sometimes I think that what I want is too difficult or too much to ask for. Nothing is ever too much to ask for or too difficult for God. I guess, I just need to remember that He hears me no matter what the request is. And He will know whether I need it or not. If it doesn't come about then I know that He has much bigger and better plans but if I don't ask, I'll never know.
Basically... I need to pray more!
Saturday, 17 November 2012
Thursday, 15 November 2012
Psalm 100
"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are His, we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations" (Psalm 100)'
I'm not sure if I've mentioned this Psalm before. It was brought up in conversation last night at our worship team meeting and I decided to go back to it today and have a look. There is one part that stood out to me...
"It is He who made us"
He made us. The word "made" got me thinking. Made means there was effort, we don't just make something without a plan. And we generally don't make something without a purpose. Sometimes, we may think we are doing it simply because but even then the purpose possibly just to give you something to do. Not a great purpose, but still it's a purpose. Each of us was made. Each of us was planned and made with a purpose. We may not feel that the purpose we have is great but to Him it is! It's funny that sometimes the smallest things are what make the biggest difference in our lives, it's the smile we get from someone that makes our day. It's not a big thing... but it can make the biggest difference in our life for that day. Maybe that's what your purpose is like. It may not seem like a big thing, but it could make a difference to someone's life.
I guess what I'm thinking now is that we shouldn't go about our day to day lives thinking that there is nothing we can do. If we listen to God, He will show us what our purpose is and how we can make a difference!
Thankful for: Forgiveness
I'm thankful for forgiveness simply because I felt like I had disappeared and walked away almost, but God forgave me and opened His arms up lovingly like nothing had ever happened. It's this forgiveness that makes His unconditional love real to me!
I'm not sure if I've mentioned this Psalm before. It was brought up in conversation last night at our worship team meeting and I decided to go back to it today and have a look. There is one part that stood out to me...
"It is He who made us"
He made us. The word "made" got me thinking. Made means there was effort, we don't just make something without a plan. And we generally don't make something without a purpose. Sometimes, we may think we are doing it simply because but even then the purpose possibly just to give you something to do. Not a great purpose, but still it's a purpose. Each of us was made. Each of us was planned and made with a purpose. We may not feel that the purpose we have is great but to Him it is! It's funny that sometimes the smallest things are what make the biggest difference in our lives, it's the smile we get from someone that makes our day. It's not a big thing... but it can make the biggest difference in our life for that day. Maybe that's what your purpose is like. It may not seem like a big thing, but it could make a difference to someone's life.
I guess what I'm thinking now is that we shouldn't go about our day to day lives thinking that there is nothing we can do. If we listen to God, He will show us what our purpose is and how we can make a difference!
Thankful for: Forgiveness
I'm thankful for forgiveness simply because I felt like I had disappeared and walked away almost, but God forgave me and opened His arms up lovingly like nothing had ever happened. It's this forgiveness that makes His unconditional love real to me!
Wednesday, 14 November 2012
Distraction
It's so easy to get distracted these days. It's been a while since I posted... because I got distracted!
I went away on holidays to visit my family. And for three weeks I spent a lot of time with non-Christians. There is nothing wrong with this but I found myself distracted and almost forgetting about Jesus and what He has done for me. It was almost like I pushed Him to the back of my mind for the three weeks which is the complete opposite of what I should have done. It's not that I changed who I was, I was still the same person, didn't go completely off track but, I just didn't acknowledge Jesus in my life as much as I should have. This then extended and for the past 2 weeks that I have been back from my holidays, I have almost remained in this state. I decided it's time I get back to my serious walk with God. Tomorrow will be a day of prayer and fasting to get me back on track and get my mind back on God and not on what I want for myself.
I went away on holidays to visit my family. And for three weeks I spent a lot of time with non-Christians. There is nothing wrong with this but I found myself distracted and almost forgetting about Jesus and what He has done for me. It was almost like I pushed Him to the back of my mind for the three weeks which is the complete opposite of what I should have done. It's not that I changed who I was, I was still the same person, didn't go completely off track but, I just didn't acknowledge Jesus in my life as much as I should have. This then extended and for the past 2 weeks that I have been back from my holidays, I have almost remained in this state. I decided it's time I get back to my serious walk with God. Tomorrow will be a day of prayer and fasting to get me back on track and get my mind back on God and not on what I want for myself.
Sunday, 21 October 2012
Rooftops - Jesus Culture
Rooftops - Jesus Culture
Here I am before You, falling in love and seeking Your truth
Knowing that Your perfect grace has brought me to this place
Because of You I freely live, my life to You, oh God, I give
So I stand before You, God
I lift my voice cause You set me free
So I shout out Your name, from the rooftops I proclaim
That I am Yours, I am Yours
All the good You've done for me, I lift up my hands for all to see
You're the only one who brings me to my knees
To share this love across the earth, the beauty of Your holy worth
So I kneel before You, God
I lift my hands cause You set me free
So I shout out Your name, from the rooftops I proclaim
That I am Yours, I am Yours
All that I am, I place into Your loving hands
And I am Yours, I am Yours
Here I am, I stand, with arms wide open
To the One, the Son, the Everlasting God
I love this song, and it's message is simple... I am His. No matter what. I am His.
Thankful for: Food
A very obvious thing to be thankful for again. Food, we need it to survive. I just had a bbq with the family, and the food was great but I know there are people who didn't get to eat tonight so it makes me more thankful for the food that I am able to eat.
Friday, 19 October 2012
Don't Cut The Cord
I've been watching some Grey's Anatomy today and the episode that I was watching had a man with a giant tumour being fed by some sort of cord or something which they at one point believed they would need to cut to remove the tumour however, this would paralise the man. (I'm not a doctor so I'm not sure exactly what the situation was)
It made me start thinking about my relationship with Jesus. If Jesus were the tumour and I cut the cord, I would be paralised, I would pretty much die. But what does it mean to cut the cord to the tumour, or cut the cord to Jesus? Cutting the cord would mean cutting Him out of my life and not looking to Him for anything. Without Him in my life, my life would have no purpose or meaning, I would have paralised my life.
Sometimes we may find things difficult but if we cut the cord to Jesus we lose the chance of finding our way through it. The good thing is this cord can be connected again. All we need to do is choose to have Him be a part of our lives.
Thankful for: Animals
I have a pet dog, he is a rather funny dog. Strange really. But he brightens the day sometimes. God created the animals and they are such great entertainment for us. I love it!
It made me start thinking about my relationship with Jesus. If Jesus were the tumour and I cut the cord, I would be paralised, I would pretty much die. But what does it mean to cut the cord to the tumour, or cut the cord to Jesus? Cutting the cord would mean cutting Him out of my life and not looking to Him for anything. Without Him in my life, my life would have no purpose or meaning, I would have paralised my life.
Sometimes we may find things difficult but if we cut the cord to Jesus we lose the chance of finding our way through it. The good thing is this cord can be connected again. All we need to do is choose to have Him be a part of our lives.
Thankful for: Animals
I have a pet dog, he is a rather funny dog. Strange really. But he brightens the day sometimes. God created the animals and they are such great entertainment for us. I love it!
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Fitting In
Have you ever felt like you don't fit in? I know it may sound crazy but that's often how I feel when I come home to visit the family. I live a different life to them, I have different values, different ideas about everything. I use up the hours in my day differently, I often feel misunderstood like they don't get me and I don't belong. The funny thing is though... that I do belong, I do fit in because it doesn't matter what our differences are... WE ARE FAMILY!
It's the same in my church family. We are all so different, but we are family! And no matter how different we are, how much we feel like we don't fit in, the truth is we do fit in, because we have been made to fit. God made us different for a reason, and the only reason we would feel like we don't fit in would be because the devil is making us feel that way.
Thankful for: Flowers
It's a part of God's creation. The flowers give us something pretty to look at and something beautiful to smell. His creation is amazing.
It's the same in my church family. We are all so different, but we are family! And no matter how different we are, how much we feel like we don't fit in, the truth is we do fit in, because we have been made to fit. God made us different for a reason, and the only reason we would feel like we don't fit in would be because the devil is making us feel that way.
Thankful for: Flowers
It's a part of God's creation. The flowers give us something pretty to look at and something beautiful to smell. His creation is amazing.
Monday, 15 October 2012
New Day - Worship Central
Your love has opened my eyes,
In You I have come alive,
A new day, has come.
Your grace has turned me around,
Set my feet on solid ground,
A new day, has come.
It's a new day, it's a new life,
It's a new start for every heart that's found You,
Jesus we found You.
New hope, full of Your joy,
Iit's a new start for every heart that's found You,
Jesus we found you.
We have been healed and restored,
Everything we are is Yours,
We'll shine, for You.
We'll sing it loud, sing it strong,
Telling of the Fathers love,
We'll shine, for You.
Light the way, You lead me in Your perfect ways,
I'm not afraid, You're with me.
Light the way, with You in it's a brighter day.
I'm not afraid, You're with me.
It's a new day, it's a new life,
It's a new start for every heart that's found You,
Jesus we found You.
In You I have come alive,
A new day, has come.
Your grace has turned me around,
Set my feet on solid ground,
A new day, has come.
It's a new day, it's a new life,
It's a new start for every heart that's found You,
Jesus we found You.
New hope, full of Your joy,
Iit's a new start for every heart that's found You,
Jesus we found you.
We have been healed and restored,
Everything we are is Yours,
We'll shine, for You.
We'll sing it loud, sing it strong,
Telling of the Fathers love,
We'll shine, for You.
Light the way, You lead me in Your perfect ways,
I'm not afraid, You're with me.
Light the way, with You in it's a brighter day.
I'm not afraid, You're with me.
It's a new day, it's a new life,
It's a new start for every heart that's found You,
Jesus we found You.
When we find Jesus, we are given a new life. We can live a new day, we no longer have to hold on to the past, we can let go and look towards the future with a new joy. We shouldn't keep this to ourselves, we need to spread the word, share His love and shine His light for Him!
Thankful for: A New Life
After that song I just couldn't be thankful for anything any more than I am thankful for the new life Jesus has given me. I have grown a lot since becoming Christian, I have leart a lot about myself and about the mistakes I have made and through having a new life, I am learning to be a better person for God.
Friday, 12 October 2012
Sunset
When you go outside it doesn't take long to notice all the amazing the tags God has placed in the world. I went to the beach the other day to watch the sun set and it was beautiful! I am just going to let the pictures do the talking... I'm not a photographer but they still show God's handy work!
Thankful for: Brains
God put a lot of effort into making us. All our organs work together to help us live. I'm thankful for the brain which is one very important organ. Without it, it would be impossible to live.
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
Acceptance
Last night the family all came and had dinner with me yesterday and so today I was thinking about the way that a family works.
When you are part of a family, it doesn't matter how often you see them or how different you are, they still love you, they still accept you and nothing will ever stop that. I find that when I spend time with my family, I realise how different I am to most of them. I am the only completely devoted Christian in the family so my beliefs and ideals can be quite different from my brothers but this doesn't stop them from accepting me as part of the family.
I believe this is how we as Christians should behave. No matter what a person believes or how different they tare, we need to be accepting of anyone regardless of their differences. This is how God is with us. No matter how different we are, He loves us and He accepts us.
Thankful for: The Sun
The sun is important in so many ways! I'm thankful for the light that it gives us, and the warmth. Without the sun the world wouldn't be the place we know it to be.
When you are part of a family, it doesn't matter how often you see them or how different you are, they still love you, they still accept you and nothing will ever stop that. I find that when I spend time with my family, I realise how different I am to most of them. I am the only completely devoted Christian in the family so my beliefs and ideals can be quite different from my brothers but this doesn't stop them from accepting me as part of the family.
I believe this is how we as Christians should behave. No matter what a person believes or how different they tare, we need to be accepting of anyone regardless of their differences. This is how God is with us. No matter how different we are, He loves us and He accepts us.
Thankful for: The Sun
The sun is important in so many ways! I'm thankful for the light that it gives us, and the warmth. Without the sun the world wouldn't be the place we know it to be.
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
God's Excitement
Have you ever wondered how excited God is when you come back to Him?
As I mentioned before, I'm currently visiting my family in WA and I arrived today. Now, most of my family greeted me as they always do... a smile and a hello. It's how my familly is... it's not much but it's enough. But then there is one member of my family that greets me very differently. My dog.
When I walk through the door, my dog goes crazy! He jumps up and down, his tail wags so much I think it's going to fall off, he barks when I don't acknowledge him, he follows me around for hours. That's a lot of excitement for a little dog. I imagine that Gods excitement when we come back to Him would be similar. I don't expect that He is going to wag a tail or bark but I do believe that He gets excited for us more than we can imagine.
In the story of the prodigals son, Luke 15:11-32, we read about how the father greeted his son when he returned. He gave him a whole lot of attention, and gave him all that was his, he also decided to throw a great celebration. God wants to celebrate our return to Him. Don't think that it's not a big deal... because it is to Him!
Thankful for: Family
My first day back with my family was today and they great. They're a crazy bunch, but they're my family, and I love them!
As I mentioned before, I'm currently visiting my family in WA and I arrived today. Now, most of my family greeted me as they always do... a smile and a hello. It's how my familly is... it's not much but it's enough. But then there is one member of my family that greets me very differently. My dog.
When I walk through the door, my dog goes crazy! He jumps up and down, his tail wags so much I think it's going to fall off, he barks when I don't acknowledge him, he follows me around for hours. That's a lot of excitement for a little dog. I imagine that Gods excitement when we come back to Him would be similar. I don't expect that He is going to wag a tail or bark but I do believe that He gets excited for us more than we can imagine.
In the story of the prodigals son, Luke 15:11-32, we read about how the father greeted his son when he returned. He gave him a whole lot of attention, and gave him all that was his, he also decided to throw a great celebration. God wants to celebrate our return to Him. Don't think that it's not a big deal... because it is to Him!
Thankful for: Family
My first day back with my family was today and they great. They're a crazy bunch, but they're my family, and I love them!
Monday, 8 October 2012
Rollercoaster Future
So... I'm going on holidays tomorrow. I leave early in the morning and am going to visit the family for 3 weeks and watching my little brother getting married.
Packing for a three week trip is difficult! I don't know what I'm going to want to wear in three weeks. I don't know what the weather will be like. I don't know where I'll be going or what I'll be doing for a large portion of the time there. There are so many variables of what could happen. Packing, was quite a big task!
It got me thinking about the future. We don't know what the future holds, three weeks is difficult... how do we know whats coming in the years to come! GOD KNOWS!
Now I'm not really talking about holidays and asking God what to pack, but just our lives. When we don't know what's ahead of us, God knows what is waiting. He knows what the weather is going to be like for us, and He will help us prepare for that. You hear it said all the time, that life is a rollercoaster. The good thing is that God knows where this roller coaster is going, He knows exactly what you can take. I guess He is a little bit like the restraints that hold you in and keep you safe when you are on the rollercoaster.
Roller coasters go up, down and around... and they go fast! Life is like this sometimes, it goes by so fast, one minute its on the way up, then it's going down, then it feels like we're going around in circles. The truth is... we probably never know exactly where it's going... but as I said. God knows! We need to put all our trust in Him and know that He will give us all that we need. He will walk us through the ups, and the downs. He will help us be prepared for these moments. When we listen to Him, the roller coaster ride will seem less bumpy!
Thankful for: Choices
We all have choices in life, even as a Christian, God has still blessed me with the ability to choose. And when I make the wrong decision, He will forgive me, He will still love me, and He will help me to choose the right decision next time.
Packing for a three week trip is difficult! I don't know what I'm going to want to wear in three weeks. I don't know what the weather will be like. I don't know where I'll be going or what I'll be doing for a large portion of the time there. There are so many variables of what could happen. Packing, was quite a big task!
It got me thinking about the future. We don't know what the future holds, three weeks is difficult... how do we know whats coming in the years to come! GOD KNOWS!
Now I'm not really talking about holidays and asking God what to pack, but just our lives. When we don't know what's ahead of us, God knows what is waiting. He knows what the weather is going to be like for us, and He will help us prepare for that. You hear it said all the time, that life is a rollercoaster. The good thing is that God knows where this roller coaster is going, He knows exactly what you can take. I guess He is a little bit like the restraints that hold you in and keep you safe when you are on the rollercoaster.
Thankful for: Choices
We all have choices in life, even as a Christian, God has still blessed me with the ability to choose. And when I make the wrong decision, He will forgive me, He will still love me, and He will help me to choose the right decision next time.
Sunday, 7 October 2012
Exalted One
Exalted One - Elevation Worship
In the midst of the darkness,
You're the light that guides me through.
Our eyes are on You.
You are near to the broken,
The weak find their strength in You.
Our eyes are on You.
When I'm lost in the madness,
Your peace, it calms my soul.
Our eyes are on You.
You bring hope to the hopeless,
Your the love that won't let go.
Our eyes are on You.
We lift our eyes to You,
Where our help comes from.
Our hope is found in You,
Jesus, Lord of all.
We lift our eyes to You,
Exalted One, Exalted One.
You're the light that guides me through.
Our eyes are on You.
You are near to the broken,
The weak find their strength in You.
Our eyes are on You.
When I'm lost in the madness,
Your peace, it calms my soul.
Our eyes are on You.
You bring hope to the hopeless,
Your the love that won't let go.
Our eyes are on You.
We lift our eyes to You,
Where our help comes from.
Our hope is found in You,
Jesus, Lord of all.
We lift our eyes to You,
Exalted One, Exalted One.
Your promise stands
Your love Endures,
Nothing can shake us standing on Your word
We're not afraid,
We're full of hope
You'll never leave; You'll never let us go.
We lift our eyes to You,
Where our help comes from.
Our hope is found in You,
Jesus, Lord of all.
We lift our eyes to You,
Exalted One, Exalted One
Your love Endures,
Nothing can shake us standing on Your word
We're not afraid,
We're full of hope
You'll never leave; You'll never let us go.
We lift our eyes to You,
Where our help comes from.
Our hope is found in You,
Jesus, Lord of all.
We lift our eyes to You,
Exalted One, Exalted One
This is another song with some great lyrics. Just the first two lines are filled with truth. "In the midst of the darkness,
You're the light that guides me through."
We all face dark moments in our lives, troubles are ahead of all of us, but when we have Jesus, when God is a part of our lives. He lights up those moments and gives us a reason and a hope to go on! Do you put all yoru hope in Christ? Do you look to Him in all you do? He is the one that guides us through the storm, He is the light that leads us. He is our help!
Thankful for: Support
Imagine living life without the support of those around you. Support of family, support of friends, support from teachers and peers. It would make things quite difficult. The biggest of all supporters in our lives is God.
Saturday, 6 October 2012
Trust, Faith and Love
Have you ever thought of trust being the same as faith? I hadn't really thought about it until just now. I was thinking about the idea of trust and I realised... trusting in something is having faith in something. Believing in what we don't see. Believing that someone will come through for us even when we are not sure about it ourselves.
So thinking about it, when we say we have faith in God, we are saying that we trust that He will look out for us. We trust that He knows what's best for us. We trust that He will never leave us. Trust is faith. Faith is trust. And with faith and trust comes love.
When we love someone we develop a trust in them. We trust that they wont hurt us. Sometimes we can love someone so much that, even when they do hurt us, the love remains and the trust also stays. This is how God sees us. He loves us so much that He trusts that we wont hurt Him, but as the humans of the world that we are, and sinners, we probably hurt Him more than we realised. But does that stop Him from loving us. No! God loves us no matter what. He trusts us. Not only do we have faith in Him, but He has faith and trust in us.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
The Bible tells us to trust the Lord with everything that we have. Love Him, and trust Him and know that He will show you the best path to follow.
Thankful for: Houses
It's raining outside and I am safely inside. I'm thankful for the shelter that I have. Thankful for the house that I am able to live in. Thankful for the home that I have.
So thinking about it, when we say we have faith in God, we are saying that we trust that He will look out for us. We trust that He knows what's best for us. We trust that He will never leave us. Trust is faith. Faith is trust. And with faith and trust comes love.
When we love someone we develop a trust in them. We trust that they wont hurt us. Sometimes we can love someone so much that, even when they do hurt us, the love remains and the trust also stays. This is how God sees us. He loves us so much that He trusts that we wont hurt Him, but as the humans of the world that we are, and sinners, we probably hurt Him more than we realised. But does that stop Him from loving us. No! God loves us no matter what. He trusts us. Not only do we have faith in Him, but He has faith and trust in us.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
The Bible tells us to trust the Lord with everything that we have. Love Him, and trust Him and know that He will show you the best path to follow.
Thankful for: Houses
It's raining outside and I am safely inside. I'm thankful for the shelter that I have. Thankful for the house that I am able to live in. Thankful for the home that I have.
Friday, 5 October 2012
Fruits of the Spirit - Self-Control
Each of the fruits of the Spirit should be big in our lives, but for me right now this is the one that speaks to me the most. The one that I often need to look to God to ask for more. I find there are times in my life where I need more self-control but then I give up too easily.
Self-Control is the ability to exercise restraint or control over our feelings, emotions and reactions.
Everything that we do in life required a level of self control. Sometimes it's in the small choices we make, sometimes the large. The choice whether to buy chocolate or not can come down to whether you have self-control. I caved today, I knew I didn't need it, but I bought it anyway. But there are much bigger choices in life where we need to exercise our self control. There are choices that need to be made that can affect our future.
An example of where we need to use our self-control or ask God to help us with our self-control is maybe when we are meeting up with a person of the opposite sex. If we are interested in them it can take a lot of self-control not to do anything stupid. If we made the wrong move, or let go of our self-control we could find ourselves in an awkward situation or making mistakes that we cannot take back.
I know there are areas in my own life where I need to exercise self-control more. My problem a lot of the time is that I don't turn to God for help until afterwards... and then it's too late to change the choice that has been made. It's important to seek God's wisdom and ask for the control before making any decision or making moves.
"Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control" (Proverbs 25:28) When we have no self-control there is no stopping things from breaking through. There is no stopping things from coming into our lives that do not belong.
Thankful for: Fans
It has been quite hot the past couple of days, so I'm thankful for having a fan that keeps me cool at night. Without it, I would probably be too hot to get to sleep, and without sleep, I get very emotional.
Self-Control is the ability to exercise restraint or control over our feelings, emotions and reactions.
Everything that we do in life required a level of self control. Sometimes it's in the small choices we make, sometimes the large. The choice whether to buy chocolate or not can come down to whether you have self-control. I caved today, I knew I didn't need it, but I bought it anyway. But there are much bigger choices in life where we need to exercise our self control. There are choices that need to be made that can affect our future.
An example of where we need to use our self-control or ask God to help us with our self-control is maybe when we are meeting up with a person of the opposite sex. If we are interested in them it can take a lot of self-control not to do anything stupid. If we made the wrong move, or let go of our self-control we could find ourselves in an awkward situation or making mistakes that we cannot take back.
I know there are areas in my own life where I need to exercise self-control more. My problem a lot of the time is that I don't turn to God for help until afterwards... and then it's too late to change the choice that has been made. It's important to seek God's wisdom and ask for the control before making any decision or making moves.
"Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control" (Proverbs 25:28) When we have no self-control there is no stopping things from breaking through. There is no stopping things from coming into our lives that do not belong.
Thankful for: Fans
It has been quite hot the past couple of days, so I'm thankful for having a fan that keeps me cool at night. Without it, I would probably be too hot to get to sleep, and without sleep, I get very emotional.
Thursday, 4 October 2012
Fruits of the Spirit - Gentleness
Gentleness is another fruit of the Spirit. To be gentle is to be kind. Again, this is a fruit that doesn't go without another.
I guess gentleness can be seen as the way that we deal with situations. In a case where we could be harsh, the Holy Spirit will guide us to being gentle.
I'm not actually sure that I have a lot to say about gentleness, so I've found some more bible verses.
"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." (Philippians 4:5)
We shouldn't hide the fruits of the Spirit from others. He gives us these gifts for us to show others His power and love.
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" (Colossians 3:12)
"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect," (1 Peter 3:15)
I don't have a lot to say about gentleness, but I know I will be thinking more about whether I am showing gentleness in my everyday life.
Thankful for: Transportation
Imagine if we had no way of getting anywhere except for on our feet. I know there was a time when we didn't have the same transportation as we do now so I'm thankful for the transportation that we have now. Even though it can often be expensive, it's great to know that we can go from place to place in a number of ways.
I guess gentleness can be seen as the way that we deal with situations. In a case where we could be harsh, the Holy Spirit will guide us to being gentle.
I'm not actually sure that I have a lot to say about gentleness, so I've found some more bible verses.
"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." (Philippians 4:5)
We shouldn't hide the fruits of the Spirit from others. He gives us these gifts for us to show others His power and love.
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" (Colossians 3:12)
"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect," (1 Peter 3:15)
I don't have a lot to say about gentleness, but I know I will be thinking more about whether I am showing gentleness in my everyday life.
Thankful for: Transportation
Imagine if we had no way of getting anywhere except for on our feet. I know there was a time when we didn't have the same transportation as we do now so I'm thankful for the transportation that we have now. Even though it can often be expensive, it's great to know that we can go from place to place in a number of ways.
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Fruits of the Spirit - Faithfulness
Faith is a belief in something, and faithfulness is staying true to this belief.
Faithfulness is another fruit of the Holy Spirit. The ability to be faithful is given to us from God. Thinking about it, it would be difficult to be faithful if you've got nothing to be faithful for. My belief in God is what makes me have faith and it's what makes me faithful. Without God, I would have no faithfulness.
"Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord; may your love and faithfulness always protect me" (Psalm 40:11)
Faithfulness is not just a fruit we show but it can also be a gift that God gives to us in the way that He is faithful to us. He never lets us down.
Thankful for: New Beginnings
I have a friend who is leaving tomorrow to live 6 hours away which is why I'm thankful for new beginnings. She is starting a new life, not that there was anything wrong with her current life, but now she is starting a new journey with her family. She will be going to share the love of God with new people and sharing her story with new friends. It's a great opportunity, and I'm thankful for the new beginnings we are all given in life.
Faithfulness is another fruit of the Holy Spirit. The ability to be faithful is given to us from God. Thinking about it, it would be difficult to be faithful if you've got nothing to be faithful for. My belief in God is what makes me have faith and it's what makes me faithful. Without God, I would have no faithfulness.
"Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord; may your love and faithfulness always protect me" (Psalm 40:11)
Faithfulness is not just a fruit we show but it can also be a gift that God gives to us in the way that He is faithful to us. He never lets us down.
Thankful for: New Beginnings
I have a friend who is leaving tomorrow to live 6 hours away which is why I'm thankful for new beginnings. She is starting a new life, not that there was anything wrong with her current life, but now she is starting a new journey with her family. She will be going to share the love of God with new people and sharing her story with new friends. It's a great opportunity, and I'm thankful for the new beginnings we are all given in life.
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
Fruits of the Spirit - Goodness
I've always been a little bit unsure about exactly what "goodness" is. I know good and evil, but is goodness just meaning the "good"? Is goodness from the Holy Spirit just the idea of all the good things in life?
The dictionary defines "goodness" as the following:
1. the state or quality of being good.
2. moral excellence; virtue.
3. kindly feeling; kindness; generosity.
4. excellence of quality; goodness of workmanship.
5. the best part of anything; essence; strength.
I believe the goodness that is the gift of the Holy Spirit is the good that we can see in people. The good that comes out showing love and kindness and all of the other great things that we are given. I'm not sure that goodness can really be shown without showing any of the other gifts of the Holy Spirit with it.
I also thought I would look at some other Bible verses that contain the word goodness to see if I could find anything further on the subject.
Psalm 69:16 says, "Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me." Of course if the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of goodness, He must possess this goodness. And here we see that the Lord goodness in love. Goodness is shown through love.
"And the Lord said, 'I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion'." (Exodus 33:19) The Lord doesn't just show goodness through love. He shows it through mercy and compassion. This is how it passes onto us, and we can pass His goodness onto others.
"...make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;" (2 Peter 1:4-6) Goodness is definitely not something we can have on it's own, we need to grow in our goodness and help it to become more becoming more and more like Christ.
Thankful for: Education
I just spent the evening with some friends and for some of the time was feeling a little bit stupid. I don't have the biggest vocabulary, I like to keep things simple so sometimes when people use words I don't understand I feel a little dumb around them. But I soon realise that although I do not use big words, I am intelligent in other ways. I'm thankful for the education that I was able to receive. I know that if I had not had this education, there are a lot of things I would not be able to do. Reading the Bible would be a difficult task if I had never learnt to read.
The dictionary defines "goodness" as the following:
1. the state or quality of being good.
2. moral excellence; virtue.
3. kindly feeling; kindness; generosity.
4. excellence of quality; goodness of workmanship.
5. the best part of anything; essence; strength.
I believe the goodness that is the gift of the Holy Spirit is the good that we can see in people. The good that comes out showing love and kindness and all of the other great things that we are given. I'm not sure that goodness can really be shown without showing any of the other gifts of the Holy Spirit with it.
I also thought I would look at some other Bible verses that contain the word goodness to see if I could find anything further on the subject.
Psalm 69:16 says, "Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me." Of course if the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of goodness, He must possess this goodness. And here we see that the Lord goodness in love. Goodness is shown through love.
"And the Lord said, 'I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion'." (Exodus 33:19) The Lord doesn't just show goodness through love. He shows it through mercy and compassion. This is how it passes onto us, and we can pass His goodness onto others.
"...make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;" (2 Peter 1:4-6) Goodness is definitely not something we can have on it's own, we need to grow in our goodness and help it to become more becoming more and more like Christ.
Thankful for: Education
I just spent the evening with some friends and for some of the time was feeling a little bit stupid. I don't have the biggest vocabulary, I like to keep things simple so sometimes when people use words I don't understand I feel a little dumb around them. But I soon realise that although I do not use big words, I am intelligent in other ways. I'm thankful for the education that I was able to receive. I know that if I had not had this education, there are a lot of things I would not be able to do. Reading the Bible would be a difficult task if I had never learnt to read.
Monday, 1 October 2012
Fruits of the Spirit - Kindness
It's interesting to think that kindness is a fruit of the spirit. So many people today would think that kindness is just something that we have. Even those who do not believe in Christ or the Holy Spirit can be kind. And yes, that is true... so what does it mean to have the kindness from the Holy Spirit?
This is just my thoughts on it, I may not be correct, but I believe that the kindness from the Holy Spirit is the kindness that comes no matter how we are feeling. When we allow our emotions to take control of us, it can become difficult for some people to remain kind. We find that we take all our emotions out on others and find ourselves being rude or hurtful. I believe that when we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with His kindness, when we are upset about something someone has done to us, we are still able to respond to them, and to all those around us, with kindness.
Thinking of times in my life, I know there was a time where I had a friend who was extremely horrible to me, and had said some nasty things. Without the Holy Spirit to guide me I responded with horrible and nasty words myself. I wanted revenge and I responded with anger. This then transfered onto the people around me, I wasn't able to respond with kindness because I wasn't letting the kindness in.
I guess its a lesson that we are all continually learning from. And we will be tested in it from time to time. We are not going to go through life without being hurt or let down, but when we are we need to remember to allow the gifts of the Holy Spirit into our heart. We shouldn't block off our hearts to the gift of kindness because someone has been unkind to us.
"But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you" (Luke 6:27-31)
Thankful for: Days of restorations
It was a public holiday today, and I was able to use this as a day of restoration. I seriously spent the entire day on my bed watching tv... Was that lazy? Maybe it was.... but sometimes we need these days just to recover from the busy-ness that can come into our lives. It's nice to put everything aside and put everything into perspective.
Sunday, 30 September 2012
I Want To Know You
I Want To Know You - Jesus Culture
I stand before You, Awed by Your Majesty
Covered by Your mercy, Your blood has made me free
Draw me to You, and set my heart on fire
I want to Know,
Your my one desire
I give you my worship
All of my Passion
I give you my whole heart
All my devotion
Grace never ending, Your hands they carry me
Your body is broken for all the world to see
My heart is held by love so unconditional
You captivate me
Your the lover of my soul
I give you my worship
All of my Passion
I give you my whole heart
All my devotion
Here I will bow down
Say that I need You
Here I will worship
Say that I love you
Oh how I love you
Covered by Your mercy, Your blood has made me free
Draw me to You, and set my heart on fire
I want to Know,
Your my one desire
I give you my worship
All of my Passion
I give you my whole heart
All my devotion
Grace never ending, Your hands they carry me
Your body is broken for all the world to see
My heart is held by love so unconditional
You captivate me
Your the lover of my soul
I give you my worship
All of my Passion
I give you my whole heart
All my devotion
Here I will bow down
Say that I need You
Here I will worship
Say that I love you
Oh how I love you
I want to know You
Let Your Spirit overwhelm me
Let Your Presence overtake my heart
Let Your Spirit overwhelm me
Let Your Presence overtake my heart
Have you ever wanted something so much you just continually asked for it? Like when you're a child and you really want that candy bar. That's how I feel about God's presence. I crave it, and I just really really want to be a part of it! This song gives words to how I feel about His presence. It gives words to how I want to know Him more and more. I worship Him, I give Him all that I am. I just want to know Him more. I honestly don't think I could ever know enough about Him!
Thankful for: Sunscreen
I got burnt today... oops! I'm thankful for sunscreen that I should have used to prevent the burn. I now know that sometime in the next couple of weeks, I will most likely be peeling which is not cool! Sunscreen is a great thing, I should learn to use it more.
Saturday, 29 September 2012
Fruits of the Spirit - Patience
Patience. I think this is one of the fruits of the Spirit that I need to work on accepting and using.
To be honest... patience is something that I struggle with. There have been times in my life where I have needed to show patience to people but I have not. I have let my own desires come before anything else and got angry or irritated at people for not being faster. I have sometimes struggled to tolerate certain behaviours when all someone may have needed was for someone to show a little understanding and patience to them to help them through struggles.
I was waiting on a couple of teenagers the other week to take them home and they thought it would be fun to have a bit of a play around and took their time getting ready to leave, and then hid from me. I had no patience at this stage of the day and I just got very irritated at them, I couldn't tolerate their behaviour. After taking them home I realised that some of these girls didn't have the greatest family lives and having that little bit of fun with them, and joking around with them, and just being more patient could have showed them love they don't receive at home.
Patience is one thing that I know I am going to need a lot more of in the coming weeks as I take on more responsibility within our church dance team and kids creative team. I know however, that God will give me all I need if I ask.
"The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride" (Ecclesiastes 7:8)
Thankful for: Love
Love is such an important thing in one's life. As I celebrated my birthday today, I had hoped that I would receive phone calls from my family members to show love, but sadly, out of 7 family members, I received only one phone call. It's amazing how much of a difference one phone call can make. For a while, I felt like they I wasn't loved. When you don't feel loved, you begin to feel down. I know that my family loves me and that God loves me so I will get through it, but it just really made me realise how important love is and just how thankful I am for it.
Friday, 28 September 2012
Fruits of the Spirit - Peace
Each of the fruits of the Spirit are amazing, but I have to say that I do really love the idea of having peace everywhere I go. To be in a state of inner harmony and to not be at war is an amazing ability in us.
We can so often go through our lives feeling so busy, so crazy that everything within us seems to be at war. Decisions that need to be made can rip us apart if we allow them, bu then when the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of peace everything seems to silence around us. All the craziness and the busy-ness goes away, the decisions are made eaiser.
The question I find myself asking is... how do we share this peace? I guess it's not something that we are necessarily able to share, but we can show the peace that the Holy Spirit has given us in the way that we act. We can show the peace that is inside our lives when we react calmly to what would normally be a stressful situation. When someone comes up to us in a completely lost, crazy and confused state, when we react with the Holy Spirit guidance, we can react with peace and again demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit working through us.
"I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid..." (Leviticus 26:6)
Peace allows us to not be afraid, to let go of any fears and doubts and just go forward with God's will!
Thankful for: Friends
I have a great bunch of friends! I don't have anything particular to say about them, only that I am thankful for them.
We can so often go through our lives feeling so busy, so crazy that everything within us seems to be at war. Decisions that need to be made can rip us apart if we allow them, bu then when the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of peace everything seems to silence around us. All the craziness and the busy-ness goes away, the decisions are made eaiser.
The question I find myself asking is... how do we share this peace? I guess it's not something that we are necessarily able to share, but we can show the peace that the Holy Spirit has given us in the way that we act. We can show the peace that is inside our lives when we react calmly to what would normally be a stressful situation. When someone comes up to us in a completely lost, crazy and confused state, when we react with the Holy Spirit guidance, we can react with peace and again demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit working through us.
"I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid..." (Leviticus 26:6)
Peace allows us to not be afraid, to let go of any fears and doubts and just go forward with God's will!
Thankful for: Friends
I have a great bunch of friends! I don't have anything particular to say about them, only that I am thankful for them.
Thursday, 27 September 2012
Fruits of the Spirit - Joy
Joy... what is joy?
Joy is the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying. Joy isn't just a short burst of a feeling, it is something that grows within us. We can often mistake happiness or laughter as being a sign of joy, and this may sometimes be true. However, this is not always the case. Simply laughing is not necessarily meaning that you are filled with joy. When a person tells a joke or makes fun of someone, this may bring us a short moment of laughter, but this isn't the joy of the Holy Spirit. The joy of the Holy Spirit never leaves us. It's what gets us through the hard times, when things seem down, it's the joy inside us that can lift our spirits.
It's a joy that can fill us to overfilling that runs out of us and onto others, but it's always refilled. It's kind of like the way God loves us. It's never ending. The Holy Spirits joy is never ending!
We don't just share our joy with those around us, we can share our joy with God. He gives it to us so that we may be joyful and sing to Him.
"Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!" (Psalms 47:1)
Thankful for: Sight
Have you ever walked around in pitch black? I did it the other day and realised how difficult it was. So I'm thankful for the gift of sight, being able to see the beauty of everything around me is amazing!
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
Fruits of the Spirit - Love
I have decided to do a bit of a study on the fruits of the spirit focusing on one a day.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23)
The first of the fruits of the spirits is love.
So what is love? The dictionary has a number of definitions, here are just a couple of them:
1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child or friend.
It's interesting to note that the definition in the dictionary doesn't seem to explain the love that I think God wants for us to show others. Love according to the dictionary is a feeling, but God doesn't just see love as a feeling but a choice and an action. So then I ask myself, if God is an action.... how is it a fruit of the Spirit?
I think the ability to feel love and to show love is a gift. If we were unable to feel love, we would be unable to show love because we wouldn't understand love. Being able to feel love brings joy to our lives, and showing love brings joy to not only us but others. So how do we show love to others? We treat them as God would treat them. We believe in them, we encourage, we do things for them, we show them the Jesus in us. And all of this is done with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Love is something that not everyone can express and some people don't see it. It's important the we work on it. I know there have been times in my life where I should have shown love but didn't. I had not allowed the Holy Spirit to work through me. When you're not sure how you can show love, just look to the Holy Spirit and ask Him for guidance. It's a gift He has for us.
Thankful for: Humour
Humour is great for entertainment. We just have to be very aware of the type of humour we laugh at. Humour which is upsetting to someone or makes fun of someone may seem funny at the time, but may not be funny to the other person. But in saying that, I'm thankful that we have humour when it is not hurtful towards anyone. It can brighten up your day and put a smile on your face.
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
A Letter To My Future Husband
I've been reading a book recently which is about praying for your future husband. It teaches what to pray about as a single girl even before meeting who this man may be and speaks about writing letters to them. So, I thought I would write a letter myself...
To my future husband,
From today, I put God before anything else in my life. I choose to follow Him and allow Him to do a work in me so that I may be the woman of God that you need me to be. I will allow God to fulfill the desires of my heart rather than going to worldly things. I will do all I can to keep myself pure for you. I have made mistakes before but I choose to let go of these errors and not let them hold me back anymore from my relationship with God or with you. I choose to forgive myself for these mistakes I have made and will continually pray for strength to not make these same mistakes again. I will continue to pray for your journey, your heart, your protection and your faith in Jesus Christ. I will pray that God is also doing a work in you so that you may be the man of God He needs you to be. When we meet I will not let my eyes stray and think immorally of any men and will keep my thoughts pure for you. I will encourage you in your walk and will be with you every step of the way. We will raise an amazing family and I believe with God working through us, we can make a difference in our future community.
Thankful for: Kindness
Kindness is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and it really makes a difference in the world. The world without kindness would be a very different place.
To my future husband,
From today, I put God before anything else in my life. I choose to follow Him and allow Him to do a work in me so that I may be the woman of God that you need me to be. I will allow God to fulfill the desires of my heart rather than going to worldly things. I will do all I can to keep myself pure for you. I have made mistakes before but I choose to let go of these errors and not let them hold me back anymore from my relationship with God or with you. I choose to forgive myself for these mistakes I have made and will continually pray for strength to not make these same mistakes again. I will continue to pray for your journey, your heart, your protection and your faith in Jesus Christ. I will pray that God is also doing a work in you so that you may be the man of God He needs you to be. When we meet I will not let my eyes stray and think immorally of any men and will keep my thoughts pure for you. I will encourage you in your walk and will be with you every step of the way. We will raise an amazing family and I believe with God working through us, we can make a difference in our future community.
Thankful for: Kindness
Kindness is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and it really makes a difference in the world. The world without kindness would be a very different place.
Monday, 24 September 2012
Weekend Testimony
So I mentioned that I had gone on a weekend away with some women of the church and I have shared some of my testimony in more detail.
On the first night, we were asked to picture Jesus in the same room as us and take note of where He was. When I did a similar exercise about 18 months ago, the picture I saw was me in a chair in a dark room while Jesus was standing in the door way with bright light behind him, but something was holding me to the chair and I was unable to move. I think back then I was still so unsure about where I was, there were things in my life that were holding me back from everything that God had for me. Something was holding me back from being close to Jesus. I believe that I was not ready to accept the love that Jesus had for me, and I was stopping myself from getting close. However, this time when I did the same thing I had a completely different picture appear. This time we were in a lit up room and he had me in a great embrace telling me how much He loved me and how much He was proud of who I was.
This was a great beginning to the weekend and was a sign of just how far I had come in my walk with God. I think a lot of this has to do with the last 3 months, which is when I made the choice to be in this 100%. I have dealt with a lot of things as they have come up, I have been more accepting of what God has for me and have been learning more and more about how much He loves me.
During the Saturday we had a number of sessions to deal with issues about people we considered heroes in our lives, self-image, family hurts, unforgiveness and our own purity. Each session was amazing and things came up in my life that I had not yet dealt with. Memories of things that were said to me that had made me think things of myself that were not true and people that I had not forgiven that I didn't even realise had hurt me as much as they had. I received healing for these and the truths were reinforced in my life.
The greatest thing about the weekend was that at all different moments during the day, God gave me more and more visions of me and Jesus confirming His love for me. There was a number of different visions I received:
1. Jesus put me on His shoulders and proceeded to spin around in circles.
2. Jesus took hold of me and started to spin me around and around.
3. Jesus and I danced toghether in the middle of a room.
4. Jesus and I skipped around hand in hand.
5. Jesus and I were dressed in karate outfits ready to take on whatever came at us.
I found each vision to show a very close relationship and often things one would do with their father. Well... Jesus is God, and God is my Heavenly Father.
Before going on this weekend, I had doubts about His love, I had doubts about what He thought of me and I really wasn't sure I was on the right path. After this weekend, I know that He loves me, I know that He is proud of me, I know that He thinks I am great... I am perfect in His eyes and nothing will stop me from serving Him!
In the final session on Saturday night, I heard the words "joy" and "discipleship". I feel like God had filled me with a new joy, a joy that I could take into my life and into my community and share with others. This new joy is going to help in my discipleship of others. When people see the joy in my life from God, they may be drawn to it giving me the opportunity to share where my joy comes from.
Thankful for: His joy!
I'm thankful for the joy He has given me, the feeling that nothing can bring me down and knowing that even in the hard times Jesus is with me and He has the joy I need. It's a great feeling!
Sunday, 23 September 2012
Beneath The Waters (I Will Rise) - Hillsong
Well, now that the Connect Weekend is over, I will go back to my usual posting of a video on Sunday. I will give a final account of my weekend revelations tomorrow. For now I leave you with the song "Beneath The Waters (I Will Rise)" by Hillsong.
This is my revelation
Christ Jesus crucified
Salvation through repentance
At the cross on which He died
Now hear my absolution
Forgiveness for my sin
And I sink beneath the waters
That Christ was buried in
I stand a new creation
Baptized in blood and fire
No fear of condemnation
By faith I'm justified
I will rise, I will rise
As Christ was raised to life
Now in Him, now in Him
I live
I rise as You are risen
Declare Your rule and reign
My life confess Your Lordship
And glorify Your Name
Your Word it stands eternal
Your Kingdom knows no end
Your praise goes on forever
An on and on again
No power can stand against You
No curse assault Your throne
No one can steal Your glory
For it is Yours alone
I stand to sing Your praises
I stand to testify
For I was dead in my sin
Christ Jesus crucified
Salvation through repentance
At the cross on which He died
Now hear my absolution
Forgiveness for my sin
And I sink beneath the waters
That Christ was buried in
I stand a new creation
Baptized in blood and fire
No fear of condemnation
By faith I'm justified
I will rise, I will rise
As Christ was raised to life
Now in Him, now in Him
I live
I rise as You are risen
Declare Your rule and reign
My life confess Your Lordship
And glorify Your Name
Your Word it stands eternal
Your Kingdom knows no end
Your praise goes on forever
An on and on again
No power can stand against You
No curse assault Your throne
No one can steal Your glory
For it is Yours alone
I stand to sing Your praises
I stand to testify
For I was dead in my sin
This song has such powerful lyrics, particularly in the bridge. "Your Word it stands eternal, Your Kingdom knows no end", "No power can stand against You, no curse assault Your throne". That truly is just how powerful God is. He is everlasting, ever powerful, nothing can come against Him, no evil can overpower Him. The question is... Will You rise to meet Him? Or will you stay hidden away, hiding from all your life could be. I'm going to rise! I'm living my life with Him!
Thankful for: My Bed
After not having my bed over the past 2 nights, it's nice to have my own bed back, so I'm thankful for my bed! I know that it may not be a very thoughtful or spiritual thankfulness, but it's just what I feel right now as I just feel like I need to sleep!
Saturday, 22 September 2012
Connect Ministry
Today we completed a full day of ministry. These are always extremely exciting however, somewhat emotional days. We dealt with a range of things that could have affected how we live and our relationship with God. Throughout the day a range of things were brought up which I dealt with but each time I had a vision of myself and Jesus back in the room again. At one stage He was spinning me round, another time I was dancing with Him, we skipped down around hand in hand and then the final thing I saw before major ministry was us doing karate ready to take on anything that came at us! It really just regally confirmed the love that I had discovered with Him and the growth that I have had over the past few months. Jesus is awesome!! And I no longer have any doubt in my mind that He is real and He is there and present in everything we do and He loves us more than we could ever know!
Friday, 21 September 2012
Connect
So tonight is the first night of our connect weekend, and due to the weekend away, my next couple of posts will probably be short ones. We were asked to picture Jesus in the room and to see where He was. Often when people do this He is distant from them, and I know that when I've done it before He has been at the entrance but tonight He was giving me a hug, which was amazing. It just re instilled the idea that I was loved and He was right there. I heard Him say to me that He lies where I am and is proud that I am who I am. I'm looking forward to seeing what more comes from this weekend as we deal with our past.
Thursday, 20 September 2012
Search me, Oh God!
"You have searched me, Lord, and You know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue You, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before, and You lay Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I feel from Your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
Even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"
Even the darkness will not be dark to You' the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You.
For you creted my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your words are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are Your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand - when I awake, I am still with you.
If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
They speak of You with evil intent; Your adversaries misuse Your name.
Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
(Psalm 139)
The final day before our "connect weekend". We are encouraged to meditate on this scripture.
I want God to take all of my heart, and for me to no longer hold anything back. That is my prayer.
God made me. He knows me. He loves me. He loves me as I am. He is always with me. He is always near. He will never leave me. He is my guide. I pray that I will not let any evil into my life or my heart. When I allow God to take His rightful place in every part of my life and every part of my heart, there is no evil that can get through.
Thankful for: My house
So, I got a call from my housemate as I was on the way home from a singing lesson and she said the house smelt like gas. We had a new oven installed and somehow in the rush to leave, myself and the guy installing it forgot to double check everything was turned off, and one of the stove top gas switches had been left slightly on for almost an hour while no one was home. I'm thankful that I still have a house to come home to and that we didn't lose it in a fire.
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
Great Expections
Today is all about hope, faith and expectations.
"For nothing is impossible with God." (Luke 1:37)
We all face situations that at times seem completely impossible to get through. In these times, we can often lose hope, and we feel that our circumstance is too much for God to take control of. But the bible has a number of great messages of hope.
"No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame..." (Psalms 25:3)
"There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off." (Proverbs 23:18)
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" (Jeremiah 29:11)
"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:31)
Hope is a powerful tool in any Christians life. It's stronger than you can imagine. Just a little bit of hope and faith is all you need to over come any mountain. Matthew 17:20-21 says all you need is faith as little as a mustard seed. That's not very big at all, but it's all you need to see big movement in your life.
Thankful for: The moon
The moon is a great part of the universe. Not only does it help the Earth do what it's supposed to do (I'm not really sure on all the sciency stuff, but I know it's there) but it also can just look pretty! Sometimes at the end of the night, it's nice to just look up at the stars and the moon and know that God created it all!
"For nothing is impossible with God." (Luke 1:37)
We all face situations that at times seem completely impossible to get through. In these times, we can often lose hope, and we feel that our circumstance is too much for God to take control of. But the bible has a number of great messages of hope.
"No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame..." (Psalms 25:3)
"There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off." (Proverbs 23:18)
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" (Jeremiah 29:11)
"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:31)
Hope is a powerful tool in any Christians life. It's stronger than you can imagine. Just a little bit of hope and faith is all you need to over come any mountain. Matthew 17:20-21 says all you need is faith as little as a mustard seed. That's not very big at all, but it's all you need to see big movement in your life.
Thankful for: The moon
The moon is a great part of the universe. Not only does it help the Earth do what it's supposed to do (I'm not really sure on all the sciency stuff, but I know it's there) but it also can just look pretty! Sometimes at the end of the night, it's nice to just look up at the stars and the moon and know that God created it all!
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
A New Reality
Only 3 days to go until the ladies weekend away. Today's journal entry focus is looking at "a new reality".
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)
When we have Jesus in our lives, every day in Him is a brand new start, His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23)
With Jesus in our lives we put away our old self. Our old self has been corrupted by deceitful desires. Now, we have a new self. A self which was created to be like God, righteous and Holy. We need to be actively involved in stepping away from the old and walking into the new. There are often things that keep us identifying with the old. These may be thought patterns, behaviours, relationships, fears, grievances. We need to let go of all these and replace them with something new.
Thankful for: Community
We just spent some time talking about the people in our community and what we are doing within our community to help share God's love. I realised that it's important to be thankful for the many communities that we have, and the communities within a community that will work together to bring love and peace to others.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)
When we have Jesus in our lives, every day in Him is a brand new start, His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23)
With Jesus in our lives we put away our old self. Our old self has been corrupted by deceitful desires. Now, we have a new self. A self which was created to be like God, righteous and Holy. We need to be actively involved in stepping away from the old and walking into the new. There are often things that keep us identifying with the old. These may be thought patterns, behaviours, relationships, fears, grievances. We need to let go of all these and replace them with something new.
Thankful for: Community
We just spent some time talking about the people in our community and what we are doing within our community to help share God's love. I realised that it's important to be thankful for the many communities that we have, and the communities within a community that will work together to bring love and peace to others.
Monday, 17 September 2012
Spirit, Soul and Body - The Body
Well, I am up to day 11 of 14. The weekend is getting closer!
Today the journal focuses on the body.
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship." (Romans 12:1)
Our bodies were made in God's image. They were meant to serve our souls, which in turn serve our spirits.
Our bodies can carry a lot of pain and suffering, but Jesus is able to help us. Hebrews 2:18 tells us that Jesus was tempted and He suffered Himself. He knows what we go through which gives Him the ability to help us through temptation.
Our physical condition is also very important to Jesus. He spent a lot of His time healing the sick and instructed us to continue to do so in His name. "By His wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4-5). When Jesus dies on the cross He took away our sickness, He healed us by taking our errors and our sicknesses onto the cross with Him.
Not only does he care about our pain, suffering and physical condition. He cares about our poverty. In 2 Corinthians 8:9 it tells us that He became poor so that we might become rich. He gave all He had, so that we would not have to live in poverty, so that we had the opportunity to be set free from slavery.
Thankful for: Toilet Paper
Yes, laugh... I know I did. I was just thinking about what I could be thankful for... and that's what came to my head. Maybe it has something to do with noticing there was an empty toilet roll that has somehow made it into my room, I don't know. Sometimes it's important to be thankful for the crazy little things, we don't realise how much it brings to life... but imagine life without it and you'd soon be thankful for it too!
Today the journal focuses on the body.
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship." (Romans 12:1)
Our bodies were made in God's image. They were meant to serve our souls, which in turn serve our spirits.
Our bodies can carry a lot of pain and suffering, but Jesus is able to help us. Hebrews 2:18 tells us that Jesus was tempted and He suffered Himself. He knows what we go through which gives Him the ability to help us through temptation.
Our physical condition is also very important to Jesus. He spent a lot of His time healing the sick and instructed us to continue to do so in His name. "By His wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4-5). When Jesus dies on the cross He took away our sickness, He healed us by taking our errors and our sicknesses onto the cross with Him.
Not only does he care about our pain, suffering and physical condition. He cares about our poverty. In 2 Corinthians 8:9 it tells us that He became poor so that we might become rich. He gave all He had, so that we would not have to live in poverty, so that we had the opportunity to be set free from slavery.
Thankful for: Toilet Paper
Yes, laugh... I know I did. I was just thinking about what I could be thankful for... and that's what came to my head. Maybe it has something to do with noticing there was an empty toilet roll that has somehow made it into my room, I don't know. Sometimes it's important to be thankful for the crazy little things, we don't realise how much it brings to life... but imagine life without it and you'd soon be thankful for it too!
Sunday, 16 September 2012
Spirit, Soul and Body - The Soul
Our soul is the part of us that includes our mind, our will and our emotions. It gives us personality and character. Salavation is an instant awakening of our spirits but, our souls need to work out our salvation daily.
"Do not conform to the patter of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2)
We are transformed by the renewing of our minds. Our thinking, feelings and decisions should reflect our nature in Christ. Jesus came to bring healing to our emotions. He heals the broken hearted, he brings comfort to those who mourn, he provided for those who are lost. The Holy Spirit also helps our souls by bringing His character to operate in us. The Holy Spirit brings gifts to our life. He brings love, joy peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (Galatians 5:22-23). He speaks to our soul and helps us to become the character God created us to be.
Thankful for: Colour
Strange thing to be thankful for, but imagine a world without colour. A world in black and white only, it would be a little dull I imagine. So I'm thankful for the colours that God created when He created the world.
Saturday, 15 September 2012
Spirit, Soul & Body - The Spirit
The next 3 days are about the spirit, soul and body. Today in the journal we are asked to focus on the Spirit.
The Bible tells us that we were once dead but once we believe in Jesus we are alive again. The death was not a literal death of our body, or in our soul, but it was in our spirits. Sin brought death upon our Spirit but when Jesus died, He took our place so we no longer have to bear the punishment. When we are saved, our Spirits are awakened and we are born again to live.
Awakening the Spirit within us gives us a direct line to God. We have a new sensitivity to hear from God and a new understanding of who we are as a child of God.
"The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace." (Romans 8:6)
The mind of a sinful man is dead, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is alive.
Thankful for: My Housemate
She is amazing! So helpful and fun to talk to. We don't really spend a lot of time at home together, but when we do it is always fun. We don't get in each others way and know when we need quiet. Seriously, best house mate ever!
The Bible tells us that we were once dead but once we believe in Jesus we are alive again. The death was not a literal death of our body, or in our soul, but it was in our spirits. Sin brought death upon our Spirit but when Jesus died, He took our place so we no longer have to bear the punishment. When we are saved, our Spirits are awakened and we are born again to live.
Awakening the Spirit within us gives us a direct line to God. We have a new sensitivity to hear from God and a new understanding of who we are as a child of God.
"The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace." (Romans 8:6)
The mind of a sinful man is dead, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is alive.
Thankful for: My Housemate
She is amazing! So helpful and fun to talk to. We don't really spend a lot of time at home together, but when we do it is always fun. We don't get in each others way and know when we need quiet. Seriously, best house mate ever!
Friday, 14 September 2012
The Reality of the Supernatural Realm
In believing in Jesus, we also take on the belief that there is a very true enemy who Jesus says is the father of lies in John 8:44. There is no truth in him.
Satan has one aim in life, and that is to see us to destruction. He does this by using a bunch of lies and deception to deceive us and rob us of our peace. He puts in our hearts fear and confusion in our minds. This only leads to us being broken, bound up and confused.
But, there is good news! Jesus came to destroy all these works. "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work" (1 John 3:8)
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour" (Luke 4:18-19)
Jesus came to set us free and to heal us from sickness and disease. He came to save us from the devil's power and took us back to our father.
Thankful for: Warmth
I was cold last night, and I hadn't been in a while, but thankfully I am able to just put on more clothing, blankets or socks. I'm thankful for the warmth that I am able to create for myself. I know that there are many people who do not have the luxury of sleeping with even one blanket for themselves. There is so much that I have that I know others don't and sometimes I forget when it's most important.
Thursday, 13 September 2012
The Power and Authority of the Word of God
I am now one week into my pre-connect journal. Today was about the power and authority of the Word of God.
It's amazing to think that there is so much in the bible. There are 66 books written by about 40 authors from various periods of time. The Scriptures are divinely inspired and, when applied to our lives, bring great wisdom and direction.
Matthew 7:24-27 tells us not to ignore the words we hear. When we hear the word we must put what we hear into practice. "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine ad puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the windso blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (Matthew 7:24-27) We need to ensure we are not the foolish man who ignores the word of God and who builds his house on the sand. We need to hear what God is speaking to us, and act upon it. When we do this we are building on a strong foundation. One which cannot be torn apart or blown down.
When we hold on to what Jesus has taught us, we will know the truth. This truth will set us free.
Gods word is alive and "sharper than any double-edged sword" (Hebrews 4:12). Nothing is stronger than His Word. When we have His Word in our lives, nothing can defeat us. We need to know His Word, and really believe and understand the power and authority of it. When we do this, we can overcome the devil.
Thankful for: Confidence
Today I had to meet up with a client for the first time. I had only done this once before and I sat silently throughout the meeting. Today, I was on my own and it was meeting about something that I had never done before which made it quite difficult and I was a little worried. However, thanks to a little bit of confidence, which came from knowing that God would be there, even with something as trivial as a work meeting, I made it through the meeting and I think it all went well.
Wednesday, 12 September 2012
Being Willing To Receive Ministry
Day 6 of our journal before our Womens weekend is about being willing to receive ministry.
We need to learn to humble ourselves to Him, and to allow Him to do the work that He wants us to do. In Acts 9 we read about Saul becoming the man that God needed him to be. Saul was a proud man but His encounter with Jesus brough him to a humble position where he was in need of the help of another.
Pride can stand in the way of us receiving from God, it is important that we do not let it take way in our lives.
"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18)
When we allow pride to lead the way, it will lead us to destruction, it will lead us to falling apart. When we are humble however, we will live in the ways of the Lord and our lives will be exalted.
Willingness to let go of all our pride and just to simple be humble opens ourselves up for great ministry. And in this ministry we can have great and powerful breakthrough. Let go of what ever it is that is holding you back, let go of pride and let God do a work in you.
Thankful for: Self-Control
Some days I don't have a lot of this, others I do. I'm praying that I can continue to work on it and become a stronger individual and say no when I know I need to. I'm thankful however, for the ability to grow my self control. Without self control, life could quite easily become very different and very mixed up.
We need to learn to humble ourselves to Him, and to allow Him to do the work that He wants us to do. In Acts 9 we read about Saul becoming the man that God needed him to be. Saul was a proud man but His encounter with Jesus brough him to a humble position where he was in need of the help of another.
Pride can stand in the way of us receiving from God, it is important that we do not let it take way in our lives.
"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18)
When we allow pride to lead the way, it will lead us to destruction, it will lead us to falling apart. When we are humble however, we will live in the ways of the Lord and our lives will be exalted.
Willingness to let go of all our pride and just to simple be humble opens ourselves up for great ministry. And in this ministry we can have great and powerful breakthrough. Let go of what ever it is that is holding you back, let go of pride and let God do a work in you.
Thankful for: Self-Control
Some days I don't have a lot of this, others I do. I'm praying that I can continue to work on it and become a stronger individual and say no when I know I need to. I'm thankful however, for the ability to grow my self control. Without self control, life could quite easily become very different and very mixed up.
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
The Power of Obedience
In Acts 9 we read the story of Saul's life changing experience which changed him from being a man who once destroyed Christians and after his experience went on to write a large portion of the new testament.
This story is not just just about Saul however, it also includes a man named Ananais who was instructed to go and help restore Saul's vision. This wouldn't have been an easy task for Ananais to accept as a christian knowing that Saul destroyed people like him. However, Ananais went and did what God asked.
The story tells of great obedience, and shows just how miraculous He can be when we obey Him. Saul obeyed God's instruction when He told him to go to the city, and Ananais obeyed when God told him to go and meet Saul. Thanks to the great obedience of both of these men, we saw a man changed and go on to lead many more to Christ.
How much can happen when you are obedient to God? When we are obedience God can fulfil the miraculous in our lives. As part of our journal we are asked to talk to God about areas we struggle to trust Him with. Part of being obedient to Him, is trusting in Him. We will not obey when we do not trust. I know that for myself I struggle sometimes with my finance and relationships. I sometimes try to do things my own way and not His way. I know that I have to trust Him completely and follow His ways with thse things, however, at times, this can be difficult. It's something that I am working on and hopefully will have breakthrough with over the next coming weeks and with our womens connect event coming up.
Thankful for: Wisdom
I have spent the night with a few people, one who has quite a lot of wisdom when it comes to "the beginning of the earth". I'm thankful for wisdom because without it, life could be very confusing! I don't know everything myself, but I know there are others who are wise around me who can help me where I get lost.
This story is not just just about Saul however, it also includes a man named Ananais who was instructed to go and help restore Saul's vision. This wouldn't have been an easy task for Ananais to accept as a christian knowing that Saul destroyed people like him. However, Ananais went and did what God asked.
The story tells of great obedience, and shows just how miraculous He can be when we obey Him. Saul obeyed God's instruction when He told him to go to the city, and Ananais obeyed when God told him to go and meet Saul. Thanks to the great obedience of both of these men, we saw a man changed and go on to lead many more to Christ.
How much can happen when you are obedient to God? When we are obedience God can fulfil the miraculous in our lives. As part of our journal we are asked to talk to God about areas we struggle to trust Him with. Part of being obedient to Him, is trusting in Him. We will not obey when we do not trust. I know that for myself I struggle sometimes with my finance and relationships. I sometimes try to do things my own way and not His way. I know that I have to trust Him completely and follow His ways with thse things, however, at times, this can be difficult. It's something that I am working on and hopefully will have breakthrough with over the next coming weeks and with our womens connect event coming up.
Thankful for: Wisdom
I have spent the night with a few people, one who has quite a lot of wisdom when it comes to "the beginning of the earth". I'm thankful for wisdom because without it, life could be very confusing! I don't know everything myself, but I know there are others who are wise around me who can help me where I get lost.
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