Psalm 95

"Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; 
   let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
   and extol him with music and song. 
For the Lord is the great God, 
   the great King above all gods. 
In his hand are the depths of the earth,
   and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it, 
   and his hands formed the dry land. 
Come, let us bow down in worship, 
   let us kneel before the Lord our maker;
For he is our God
   and we are the people of his pasture,
   the flock under his care." (Psalm 95:1-7)


Sometimes it's good just to praise the Lord for all He is and for all He does. In praising Him we need to remember that He is higher than all. Today, I just felt the need to praise Him.

Thankful for: Him

I'm thankful for God for He made me and He guides me in my life. He is greater than all else. 
 

Strangers vs. Members

"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household." (Ephesians 2:19)

Do you remember when you were the "new" person somewhere, where nobody knew you and you knew nobody? It's not easy being the new person, the "foreigner or stranger". It often makes us feel shy, timid, unsure of ourselves. We begin to question whether we are in the right place, if we belong and will look for ways in which we can change to become a part of this new environment.

When we step into God's kingdom there is no need to feel like a stranger. We are accepted immediately as we are. We don't need to do anything except be the person God wants us to be. It's a much better feeling to feel needed, wanted and a part of something, than it does to feel like a stranger. 

How do you treat new people who come into your world? Do you treat them as a stranger, or do you welcome them openly. It's important we welcome them and make them feel like one with us. We are all God's children and should be treated this way. By welcoming even non-believers into our lives as fellow citizens, it will show them love they may have never experienced before, and may also begin to question what makes you the way you are, planting seeds and bringing them one step closer to knowing God themselves. 

Thankful for: Helping Hands

We had rehearsal tonight for our academy concert which is coming up in a couple of weeks. We had a couple of volunteers helping with sound even though they did not have much knowledge of the sound desk. These helping hands were a great blessing to our rehearsal, so I am very thankful for them. 

How Different Would The Day Be?

I was just thinking today that a simple day could be so different without the love of God in it, and without faith. 

I woke up yesterdayfeeling sick again with a cold. My nose has been running constantly for almost 2 days now and I find it rather annoying... but what does that have to do with the love of God and faith. Many people would wake up and feel horrible and depressed and would find myself closed up and in the dark. Instead, I have gone about my day at home as usual, and have been positive. I know that the illness will pass and I can pray that it goes away quickly and trust that God will do that for me. There is no need to feel down or depressed about something so silly. 

There was also a moment where my friend was having a bad day and was feeling stressed out. With my faith, I was able to respond positively and again told her I was able to pray and believe that everything would all work out. Without faith, I probably would have just acknowledged her feelings but would not have been able to offer anything to help her out. 

It makes me think about how many other moments we come across in our every day lives that would be different without God. The way we respond to questions, the way we show love, the things we watch and listen to, all this can be influenced by our faith. Life for me now is so much different to how it was 5 years ago before I became Christian. 

Thankful for: Vicks VapoRub

I love the stuff. It smells good and makes me feel better. It also helps to clear my nose and throat, especially when I am unwell!

Let The Seeds Fall

^{Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernal of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. but if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life." (John 12:23-25)} 

^{God just led me to this passage in the Bible. I love when He takes you somewhere and you get something from it straight away. I don't know much about farming, and I don't know much about growing wheat, but I do know about Jesus, about sharing His love and how we come to be saved.} 

^{In this passage I feel like God is just reminding me that in order to see more people saved I need to die to myself. Just as the wheat does. When it dies and falls to the ground, more wheat can then be grown. If we didn't want to grow any more wheat we would take the kernals before they were to die so no more can grow. But if we do this, that kernal is not going to last long. If we let it die and fall and produce more then we are able to harvest more. As I said, I don't really know much about wheat or farming so I'm not sure that I can make much sense of it.}

^{By itself, a grain of wheat remains simply just one grain, but when it drops into the earth, nature multiplies that grain. Out of death comes life. By allowing ourselves to die to self, we create opportunities for further life for others. A harvest starts with a grain. Without that grain, we cannot produce anything.} 

^{Do you produce grain in your own life... or do you chop it down? Do you think of yourself and put yourself first, not allowing yourself to die to the things of the earth so that you may save others?} 

^{Thankful for: Tissues}

^{I woke up today feeling quite unwell. My nose has not stopped running all day so I am thankful that I have tissues. Without them, I would feel quite unclean and gross. And if I used toilet paper or something else not as soft as tissues, my nose would feel a lot sorer than it is.} 

 

 

Serving With Your Gifts

What a long day!!!

I spent 12 hours today at the church. I left home at 9am, taught a dance class, did my usual every day work, choreographed a dance for our upcoming concert, helped prepare food for our mens event tonight, took another dance class for an ill teacher, took part in a ballet class, looked after a couple of kids while their parents were busy and then helped tidy up after the mens event... LONG DAY!

It made me think more about "serving" God. A majority of what I did today I did for the church. I was serving God with the gifts that He has given me. It made me think again about how many people have gifts but don't use them. God gifted me with the ability to dance, and the ability to bake and to be hospitable. Who am I to keep these to myself? Sometimes these gifts require us to put in some hard work, they require time but when we use the gifts God has given us we are blessing others and sharing His love. 

After spending 12 hours at the church, I am not worn out, my feet are sore from standing up so much but I still feel like I could continue doing it. This is how it is when we do God's work. He gives us all the strength we need so we do not feel tired, He helps us get through it all no matter how hard or long we are working. 

Thankful for: Gifts

I don't been physical gifts and presents, but the gifts God has given us. We all have them, some are more easily determined than others but they are there. These gifts help us to be the people we were meant to be.

Pursuit - Daniel Bashta & Kim Walker-Smith

 

Strip everything away 'till all I have is you

Undo the veils so all I have is you

I will pursue you, I will pursue your presence

I will pursue you, I will pursue your presence

Open my eyes, search me inside

I can't live without your presence

I can't live without your presence

I'm pressing into you, so do not pass me by

I'm breaking through the boundaries, I will not be denied

I will pursue, I will pursue, I will pursue, I will pursue you

I will pursue, I will pursue, I will pursue

Do you pursue God? Do you want only Him? Are you willing to allow Him to search your heart? I think that regardless of what's going on and how we feel, pursuing God should always be on our minds. We should never let anything stop us from pursuing Him. It is only Him that we need and when we go after Him we need to allow Him to search our hearts. It is through the searching of our hearts that He can show us where we need healing and can help us heal. He will show us where we are sinning and He will help us to overcome this sin. 

I will continually be in pursuit of God because I know that my life is better with Him in it. I know that my life is easier with Him. I know that He is all I need. 

Thankful for: Clothing

I am thankful for clothing because they provide warmth and protection from the sun, and that is pretty awesome!

Serving Him

This morning I received a message from one of the women at church asking me to cover her tomorrow night as producer. Originally, I had mixed feelings about doing it. A part of me didn't want to do it but without having a reason to not do it I felt the need to say yes anyway. I was going to be at the service, so why not help out where I can. The only difference made to my day would be getting to church an hour earlier in the afternoon. Other than that, my day would be the same.

After thinking about my reaction, I started thinking about exactly I was saying yes or no to. As I thought about it I realised, as producer at the church I am serving the church, and by serving within the church, I am serving God. And serving is another way of worship. So why would I say no to that?

This doesn't mean that every time someone asks me to do something I am going to say yes, especially if I have other plans already. However, if someone asks me to help out, I should be completely willing to do so. Not only will this allow me to serve God in a different way, but it will also allow me to show love.

Thankful for: Science

I know this may be a strange thing for someone to be thankful for but, science has helped to find cures and medications for a number of illnesses. I know a number of people who have had lives extended thanks to the medications given to them.

Do You Realise How Powerful Your Testimony Is?

I made a last minute decision to go along to our Friday night youth service at church today. I haven't been in a while but, as I considered putting on my pajamas tonight, something stopped me and instead I put on jeans and got myself ready to go out. God wanted me to go o this service, I knew I had to obey. I realised there was obviously something that He wanted me to hear.

The youth pastor at church is an amazing woman of God and has such an annointing to reach the younger generation. She really knows how to speak a message that can be easily understood and still extremely powerful.

She spoke today of the story in Acts 3 - 4. Peter and John healed a begger who had been lame from birth. This miracle story then captured the attention of many people who then became to be believers of Christ.

Our stories may not include miraculous healings but they can still be just as powerful. Our testimony's are not just fun little stories to keep to ourselves or to save for our kids. They are stories to be shared. Even the things that seem small to you may be an amazing realisation for others. For me and my testimony, I find myself thinking about where I would be if I did not find Jesus. I know that there are many other places I could have ended up, if I was even still alive. I could have been homeless, completely depressed, suicidal, drug dependant.... and those are just a few things that come to mind. Thanks to God I am none of those things. He really did save me. So, I may not have had a healing of sickness in my life, but what He has done for my life, what He has done for me is still miraculous.

Everyone has a story worth sharing, you just never know how many people may be brought closer to God by simply hearing yours.]

Thankful for: Compassion

Showing compassion is showing love. I don't have a particular story about it but, I am thankful that there is compassion in the world. It is something that I know a lot of people need.  

Selfishness

Something that I thought a lot about today...

Something I didn't think much about today...

Without even knowing it, I allow myself to be completely focused on myself all day. If we sat down and counted how many times we would think about "ourselves" every day and then counted how often we thought about "others", we would probably be quite shocked at ourselves. I know when I thought about it I was. I haven't counted the times I thought about myself, but here's a few thoughts that have most likely gone through not only my mind, but many others too...  "What shall I wear? What will I eat? What work do I need to do? When should I go to the shop? What do I need from the shop? How much exercise will I do? Should I do my washing today? Will I get rained on if I go outside?" These may all seem little nothing thoughts but they are purely focused on us. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but I think realising the inward focus that we have for ourselves is the first step in looking to put our thoughts towards others. We do still need to make choices about what we will wear and what we will eat, I don't think we can stop these thoughts, but I think what we need to realise is the fact that we have that choice to make. There are many others out there that don't get to choose what to wear, because all they've got is one sack. They don't get to choose what to eat, because they simply have no food. They don't get to choose whether they will go outside when it may possibly rain, because they don't have adequate shelter to stay inside and keep dry.

I think, for myself, that I need to start remembering others more often. I live in luxury compared to what some people live with, yet I don't see it and I still think about myself more. Instead, I need to start thinking about others and what I can do to help them rather than what I can do to help me. Even in my own neighbourhood there are people in need, and a lot of the time I don't "see" them because I am focused on the things that I need to do or where I need to be. Sometimes I have ignored them because I don't believe I can help them and again, I've got my own things to do. It's a selfish way of living and not the way God had intended for us to live. If we see a need, God wants us to reach out and to help in any way we can. If we can't fix it, the least we can do is pray! Prayer will show a person love which is what God wants us to do. 

It's like the story of the good Samaritan in the Bible in Luke 10:25-37. A priest and a Levite saw a man in need and ignored them, most likely going along and doing things that they felt they needed to do, but the Samaritan stopped what he was doing to take care of this man. Do you ever stop what you're doing to help someone else? If you were walking somewhere and came across a little old lady struggling with shopping bags, would you stop to help her home? Most of the time, it can be a simple little thing that can bring the greatest help and love to others. I'm going to be more conscious of how much I think about myself from now on and try to think more of others. 

Thankful for: Community Services

We have a bunch of people in our church that run the local "community services". They provide a range of different services to the community to help those in need. They help those with financial issue, family issues and drug problems. They run an opshop and give to the homeless. They provide food to families when they have no money and a family to feed. They are an amazing bunch of people and their hearts are always growing. So I am thankful that we have people like this in our community. 

Do You Sin and Not Realise?

Today I was led to Leviticus 5:2-5. I often find it difficult to get much out of some of the books of the bible as they talk about offering up animals and I find it hard to relate to it. This is one of those scriptures. It talks about laws and sin offerings. But I do believe that every part of the Bible is there for a reason therefore, there is something to learn from everything. 

"If anyone becomes aware that they are guilty - if they unwittingly touch anything ceremonially unclean (whether the carcass of an unclean animal, wild or domestic, or of any unclean creature that moves along the ground) and they are unaware that they have become unclean, but then they come to realize their guild; or if they touch human uncleanness (anything that would make them unclean) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt' or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt - when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned." (Leviticus 5:2-5)

Sometimes we can sin but not realise it at the time. We may not realise that something small that we had done has led to sin, and we may realise later as it has escalated. If we become aware that we have sinned but go on to ignore it, it will give the devil ground in our lives. It's important that as we become aware of the sins we have done, that we repent of them so God can forgive us and make us complete and whole, not allowing the devil to use our sin against us. Another thing that we sometimes don't realise that we do is make vows. Sometimes we can make vows which go against what God wants for us or the person that God needs us to be. At the time it may not seem like much but it can lead to terrible things occuring in the future and problems in life. Again, if we realise that we have made vows it is important that we repent of them and have them removed from our lives so that God can continue to do a work in us. 

There are a lot of things we do without putting much thought into it first, which is why it is so important for us to be in constant communication with God. When we talk to Him, He will show us where it is we need to pray for forgiveness and what we have done so we know to let it go and not allow the devil a hold in our lives. 

Thankful for: Silence

We had a moment of silence during our prayer meeting today and it just reminded me of how important it is sometimes to have a moment of silence. It allows God to just enter in and show you things or just fill you with peace.  

Freedom Through Love

A bunch of us sat around tonight talking about the Word that was spoken on Sunday about freedom and love.

The three main points that were spoken about were: 

1. Freedom comes when we love others despite not feeling loved ourselves. 

2. Freedom comes from loving others when we are feeling the love. 

3. Freedom comes when we love others because it's the very nature of God. 

The biggest point that really got me thinking was the first. The idea that freedom comes when we choose to love others even when we are not feeling it ourselves. Love is not a feeling, it's a choice and an action. When we just rely on love being a feeling, it becomes easily lost. When we choose to love, and when we make it an action, it encourages us to love more. 

Have you ever noticed that when you do something nice for someone else, you feel better in yourself? It's the same with love. When you choose to love someone and show them love, you actually begin to feel loved yourself. This can then bring freedom, but how? When we share love and feel love, it frees us from the devils lies, it frees us from negativity, it frees us from the lonliness that we may feel. Love brings freedom, but only when we allow it to flow from us. We cannot expect others to show us love if we are not willing to show it ourselves. Doing this again is going to keep us contained in our own little space, it does not give us freedom. When we choose to love, we give ourselves freedom to express that love. 

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." (Galatians 6:7-10)

This bible verse tells us that what we sow we reap. If we sow love, we will reap love. It also tells us not to grow wearing in doing good, and if we don't give up we will reap a harvest. So.... we need to continue to show love and never give up in showing love, and we will soon reap the harvest of not only feeling and receiving love ourselves, but we should also start to see more and more salvations.

Thankful for: Prayer

Prayer is an amazing thing. It lifts the Spirits, when you feel down or don't feel like praying, sometimes just doing it can put you back in a happier place. The longer we stay away from prayer, the easier it becomes to be pulled away forever, but a simple small prayer can sometimes snap us back into it faster than before. 

Follow Up Since Fasting

I spent a week praying and fasting a couple of weeks ago to help me get further understanding of a word that was given to me and to help me let go of an addiction that was possibly holding me back from what God wanted me to do. 

Since that week, I have found myself battling only once with the temptation to fall back on my addiction. I'm not expecting that the temptation will never be there again, but I found that when it was stronger than it had been, I had the strength to say no and since then, it has been really easy and I haven't even thought about it much. I think that sometimes we just need to say no to temptation once, and it makes all the other times much easier. The more we say "no" the easier it becomes. 

As for getting further understanding about the Word and knowing where God needs me to be.... I'm still praying about that. I'm not 100% sure I know exactly what I need to do and where I need to be, but it's something that I know I can continue to pray about. There are things that are coming up in my life, things that I know can have a big affect on the things that I do within the church I call my home and it's possible God is preparing me for these changes. It's possible this is what he was calling me to do and maybe now is the time that it's going to take off. 

A lot of this probably doesn't make sense because I know right now it's not making a whole lot of sense in my head, but I'm sure that I'll eventually figure it all out. 

For now, I will continue to pray for clarity and for closer communication with God so that I know I am continuing along the right path. 

Thankful for: Answered prayer

I don't have a recent answered prayer that I am necessarily thankful for but I am thankful for answered prayer because I know there are so many out there, and that gives me faith to continue to pray for things myself. 

What The Lord Has Done In Me - Hillsong

Let the weak say, "I am strong"
Let the poor say, "I am rich"
Let the blind say, "I can see"
It's what the Lord has done in me

Let the weak say, "I am strong"
Let the poor say, "I am rich"
Let the blind say, "I can see"
It's what the Lord has done in me

To the river I will wade
There my sins are washed away
From the heavens' mercy streams
Of the Savior's love for me

I will rise from waters deep
Into the saving arms of God
I will sing salvation songs
Jesus Christ has set me free

Hosanna, hosanna
To the Lamb that was slain
Hosanna, hosanna
Jesus died and rose again

This is an older song but the words are simply amazing! No matter what we were, the Lord has done a miracle in making us what we are today. He is a God of miracles, and He will make the lame walk and the blind see. We can rise from the place where we felt buried and drowned and know that we are safe in His arms. As I highlighted in the lyrics, "Jesus Christ has set me free". He's not only set me free, but He can set you free too!

Thankful for: Generosity

There are people in m life that are just gifted with generosity. They are amazing people that just continue to give. Not just in financial giving, but with time and good works. Yesterday I had people around for a party and a number of people turned up early asking if they could help in any way, and then had others that helped tidy up. It's generous people like this that make life easier.

Am I lonely?... Or Is It Just In My Head?

Do you ever have those days where you think that you have no one in your life? 

I used to have those days all the time. Even after I met Jesus and accepted Him into my life I still struggled to accept that there were people in my life that loved and cared for me. I still had a number of moments where I felt alone. 

Today, I celebrate my anniversary of my move from Western Australia to New South Wales and it really has opened my eyes to the number of great people who I have in my life. I haven't had those lonely moments over the past few months which is great. I'm finally able to accept that I have friends that love and care for me. I have found myself wondering though, what is it that made me think all that time that I had no one. 

Sometimes things happen in our past that can affect the way we view ourselves. As a child growing up, I never had a large number of friends. I had taken on the belief that I would never have any meaningful friendships or relationships and without realising I took this with me everywhere I went. Even when people were right there, I neglected to see it. I had been blinded to what was right in front of me. 

The devil can do this to us so much in our lives and it's important we get to know what it is so we can deal with it and move on from it. I'm so thankful that God had brought this to my attention so that over the past 6 months or so I have been able to alter my thinking. When the devil places something in my mind that I know is not true, I can replace it with God's truth and love. 

Thankful for: Friends

I'm just about to celebrate my journey with some great friends, so I am thankful that I have them all in my life. 

 

His Love For Me

Have you ever wondered how much God loves you?

It's probably not a question we can answer, not because we don't know but because we cannot measure the love He has for us. We cannot put words to it. It is never ending and ever lasting. 

The house that I live in has a hallway which I consider to be long, but seriously compare that to the street and it's quite short.  But then compare my street with the main street that runs from my suburb to the next and it's nothing. Compare that main street with the highway connecting me with the city and again, it's nothing. And it continues, there is always something bigger, except God's love. There is nothing that could possibly be measured as bigger. It's so large that it's impossible to measure. 

I think about the love I have for my friends and I know that God's love is bigger. I think about the love I have for my family but God's love is even bigger than that. If I think about anyone of my friends of family members getting hurt and it hurts me, I would do anything to help them. God is like that with every one of us. Imagine looking down on your loved ones, loving them this much, but knowing that they either don't know you or refuse to love you back. Would you continue to reach for them every day? God does! Even when I was far from Him, even when I didn't know Him, and when I refused to acknowledge His existence, He still loved me. It seems like craziness... but it's true, and it's what He does for all of His children. 

Some days it's just important to sit back and realise the size of His love for us and just take it all in. I don't think there is anything that could be better than knowing He loves me!

Thankful for: His Love

I just need to be thankful for His love today. It's so overwhelming. His love fills my life with a joy and peace that no other could bring. 

Blessing

I was lead to the book of Ruth today and although people have tole me to read the story before, I still have never gotten much out of it. I'm not sure if it's because I'm not reading it properly or if I'm not paying enough attention to it. So today I thought if I was lead there again, there must be a reason for it.

So I read the book of Ruth asking God what it was he wanted to show me.

Ruth left her family and everything she knew to go back with Naomi to Judah. This move brought great change in her life and she was blessed. This is where I related to it. I had left my family and everything I knew when I moved away from WA. I wasn't following my mother-in-law like Ruth had been, the move for me was a move on my own but I think what God is trying to show me is that a move like that, has brought me closer to Him just as it did for Ruth. And that this will bring blessing to my life. I have already had such a blessing but there is more in store for me.

Before the move Ruth had lost her husband and her and Naomi had very little, but by the end of the story Ruth had been blessed with a new husband who was not unwealthy and was able to take care of her. Now, I don't think God is trying to give me a lesson on marriage here, but simply that following the path He has set for me, following the move that I have made will bring great blessing. When I left WA, I had very little, but now I have gained so much in my life, not money but love, kindness and belonging. And this is only the beginning.

Thankful for: Creativity

Today I am thankful for creativity. As a dancer, this is very handy! The number of dances I have choreographed in the years I have been choreographing would be rather boring if I didn't have any creativity. I am not the greatest choreographer but I know how to put something together and I'm just thankful for that gifting.

My Friend's Leaving

So.... the devil has been trying to attack me the past few days and I thought I'd share what has come out of it. 

I'll start from the beginning. Last week I was given some new that one of my closest friends (who is more like family) is moving away. And not just to the next suburb, but almost 6 hours away. It could be worse, it could be to another country but knowing that they are not going to be right there is difficult. I was okay for the first few days when I thought I had another 4 months to get used to the idea that she's leaving, but then her plans changed, something came up and she is now moving in about 6 weeks. It suddenly hit me when I realised how little time I had with her still here, and if I was honest I'm pretty sure I could have filled a bucket more than once with the amount of tears that I've cried over it. But that's not how the devil is attacking me. A friend moving is not an attack from the devil, that is simply my friend responding to God's plan and wishes, and I'm excited for her at the same time as being sad that she is leaving. 

The attack came from the devil as I sat on my own thinking about her leaving, and then going back in my past and realising that I have lost all of my greatest friends. There are no friends of my own age, I have in my life that I have remained close with for more than 4 years, and it has been that way my whole life. I hear stories of people who have been best friends since primary school. I remember I had two great friends through primary school. One who lived next door to me for a while, but somehow we drifted apart, the other I went to a different high school and then our friendship was just never the same after that. Through high school I had one great friend at one point, and we also danced together out of school. But I had to change schools after 18 months and she left dancing not long after and again, we drifted apart. I don't keep in touch with anyone from school, and those that I danced with all drifted away as well. 

I hear stories of how people often don't find their true friends until they leave school. I had a great bunch of friends at one point. One always said to me she would always be there, but soon enough she began to despise me for reasons I still don't know and she stopped wanting anything to do with me, taking a couple of other good friends with her. I'm not sure what happened, and I doubt I'll ever know. Then there was another friend that I was great friends with for a few years, and then she decided to move to the country 6 hours away. We are still good friends, but we are not close and don't talk often. Now, I have this other friend leaving. So this was where the devil attacked. I started feeling like it was my fault, that I wasn't a good person, that I'm driving them away, that I'm not a good enough friend to them. I had all sorts of lies going through my head, which was possibly the reason for all the tears.

It's crazy to think that the reason for all of that was me. As a Christian, I believe that we each have a purpose and that is the reason for all that has happened, and why people have moved away. The last friend that moved to the country and this friend that is moving up the coast are following God's plan for the their lives. They have fulfilled their purpose here and it's time they moved on. Allowing myself to believe the things the devil had been saying to me was putting myself in the centre, rather than God. It is still difficult to say goodbye and I imagine there will be a number of moments over the next few weeks where I'll notice something that I'm going to miss. Like tonight, as I was showing her a dance I had choreographed, I realised that this could be the last dance I'll have her input on. In the months after she's left I know there will be times where I will miss her presence, but I can't let the devil start to take over my mind. I need to remember God's plan and purpose. Who knows what He has in store for me in the coming years. It could be me leaving next time. I've done it once, when I left my home town. (I now know how hard it must have been for my family to see me go) So over the coming months, I'm going to have to continually remind myself that it's not about me, as soon as I start thinking it is, it gives the devil an open freeway into my life and I don't want him bringing any negativity or horrible thoughts in. 

As I sat in tears last night I heard God speak to me, he simply said "This is not your fault". That's all I needed to hear and I knew that I had allowed the devil into my head. I do not need this friend to hold my life together and to walk me through life because I have the Holy Spirit to do that. And really, it's not the end of the world. I can easily visit during holidays, and speak to her on the phone and online.

 Thankful for: Communication

After talking about that, Im thankful that there are a number of ways to communicate these days. Online, phones, letters, and in person... without communication there are a number of people I would not be able to talk to.

My Overactive Head

I had a question on my mind today. What does it mean when a guy notices that you are not somewhere you used to be? The story behind this is that I was at church on Sunday and someone came up to me and mentioned that they had gone to the youth service on Friday and noticed that I wasn't there. Suddenly, as many girls do, my head went to the idea that he must have been looking for me there, or he wouldn't have noticed that I wasn't there... and then that thought leads to many other misleading thoughts. 

The truth of the matter is... there probably was nothing to it at all. I think I'm often quite loud and so people know when I'm around, and when he was last at youth I was still going every week, so it would have been easy for him to simply notice that I wasn't there without actually looking for me. 

So I'm not sure any of that really made sense to anyone but me but hopefully you get the idea. 

As women we often allow our minds to go places they do not need to go. We over think situations, and we read into things more than we should. I know I am terrible for this, I often think more of things than I should. This can often become a problem though. As Christians, we are told to love and encourage one another, but due to my overactive and over thoughtful mind, I worry that if I say something to a guy to encourage them, that I'm going to give him the wrong idea... so I don't. But a guy who's mind does not work the same way as mine will most probably just see it as simple encouragement. 

How do we solve this? Well I don't think it's a quick fix, nothing really ever is. But I think we just need to trust God. If he tells us to encourage fellow believers we should do it, there's no need to hold back. If you do think that someone has taken something the wrong way, you just need to simply ask God how to deal with the situation correctly and He will help you. 

Then there's the times where guys will come and encourage me, or give me a compliment. Again, it's important not to let my mind take me away from the encouragement and start thinking of the "reason" behind it. It's often simply encouragement and I should focus on what it is they are saying not try and discover why they say it. 

So that's just some random thoughts really 

Thankful for: Humour

I've had a bit of a tough few days after receiving some shocking news, and sometimes the smallest bit of humour can just put you in that happy, joyful place you want to be in. 

Faith

After posting the song yesterday "What Faith Can Do" by Kutlass, it made me just really start thinking about one thing... FAITH. 

What is faith? 

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1) 

Faith is not something we do, it's not something we can see, it's a belief and a confidence. It's knowing that even when things are impossible that God can still succeed. It's knowing that when something seems so far away, God can bring it closer. It's knowing the when a mountain looks much too high to climb over, God will lift us over. 

There are a number of stories of great faith in the Bible, both in the new and old testament. In Luke 8 we read about a sick woman. "And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. "Who touched me?" Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing agains you." But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me." Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."" (Luke 8:43-49)

This woman took a leap of faith. She had been unwell for many years, she shouldn't have been amongst the people and could have faced great punishment. However, she had faith and she believed that although no one else could heal her, although there was nothing she could possibly do to help herself, Jesus would be able to help her. She had such a faith that she pushed all doubt aside and just went for it. 

I often find myself asking, do I have that type of faith? I think it's something that I am continually working on. There are times where faith has played a big part in choices I've made and things that I've done, but then there are times where I have walked away unsure that I could succeed even though God would have helped me through. 

I don't think that once we've got faith that we can never lose it. We always need to exercising our faith. I wish I knew how to do this simply, but it's difficult to really put in words for me at the moment. How do we exercise our faith? I guess part of it is obedience. If God speaks to us, we need to be obedient, we can exercise our faith in knowing that God has asked us to do something, and no matter how crazy or impossible it seems, He will help us through it.

  

^{Thankful for: Joy}

^{Joy is such a great thing in our lives. I've had an interesting day today, I found out recently that one of my closest friends is moving away. She's done so much for me in the past 5 years, it's going to be sad to see her go. I spent time today in tears just thinking about it, and I realise, I'm not crying because I'm sad to see her go. I was crying because she brought so much joy to my life that I am just so thankful for. God had filled her with such joy that just overflowed into my own life and I'll always be thankful for that.}    

What Faith Can Do - Kutlass

What Faith Can Do - Kutlass

Everybody falls sometimes
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes
And make a new beginning

Anyone can feel the ache
You think it's more than you can take
But you're stronger
Stronger than you know

Don't you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining

I've seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn't ever end
Even when the sky is falling
I've seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That's what faith can do

It doesn't matter what you've heard
Impossible is not a word
It's just a reason
For someone not to try

Everybody's scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water
It'll be alright

Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing

I've seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn't ever end
Even when the sky is falling
I've seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That's what faith can do

Overcome the odds
You don't have a chance
(That's what faith can do)
When the world says you can't
It'll tell you that you can

I've seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn't ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I've seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That's what faith can do
That's what faith can do

Even if you fall sometimes
You will have the strength to rise

I heard this song for the first time a few years ago, and the words immediately jumped out at me. We all face struggles and we all face trials, but there is one thing that can help us to see us through these things.... Faith! Faith is a belief in things we can't see, and is such a powerful thing. When we have faith in God to see Him do things that are impossible for us to do on our own, we can see miracles happen. There are things in my own life that I know I couldn't have done without faith. Struggles I have overcome that I didn't think was possible. Faith does not mean that we aren't going to struggle, it does not mean that we are never going to face hard times, it does not mean that everything we want will be easy and it does not mean everything will go our way. It's simply believing that it's possible. However, we still need to remember that even when we have the greatest amount of faith, God is still in control, and if what we want is not in His plans, or in our best interests, we may not see it come to fruition. Although if this is the case, I do believe that God would speak to you so you do not feel let down. 

Thankful for: Home

I'm thankful that I always have a home I can go back to. There's not much more to say other than that. :) 

 

Unity!

I've spent the last few hours sitting down with a couple of friends watching the Olympic games, and looking at all the different nations together in one spot made me think about the idea of unity. 

I love how during these games everyone is supportive of everyone no matter where they are from or what they do. Of course, each country supports their own tem members and cheers them on, but they also cheer on the others. We watched the walkers as they ended their 50km walk and saw the Chinese and the English cheering on the man from Russia as he made his way down the final stretch of the race. It's amazing to think that there can be such unity within the world, and I start to wonder what it is that then stops us from being like this more often. 

I started thinking this in the way of religious beliefs, even within Christianity there is such a difference in beliefs that can often lead to disagreements and disunity. Each olympic team has differences but they have one thing in common and that is the sport which they play. In the same way, there are many hen why can't we as Christians differences in beliefs between the Catholics, Anglicans, Pentecostals and other Christians, the one thing we all have in common is God. I think we need to focus more on what we have in common than the differences in beliefs. I don't believe that everyone has a issue, but I know that there are some people that do. I guess it's just important to remember that no matter what "rules" we follow, it is the belief in Jesus as our Saviour that makes us Christians, nothing else. 

Thankful for: The Weekend

After a busy week this week, I am just thankful for the weekend. A couple of days without work, where I am able to just rest and relax. 

What Makes A Christian?

Just a simple short blog tonight: Have you ever thought about what it is that makes you a Christian? I read this quote today:

"Going to church does not make you a Christian any more than going to the garage makes you a car" (Laurence J Peter)

Many people believe that to be a Christian you need to go to church, and others may believe that simply going to church makes you a Christian. Going to church is not a bad thing, however, going to church does not make us Christian nor does it make us a better Christian. 

What is it then that makes you a Christian? It's the acceptance of Christ into your life. If you go to church but have not accepted Christ in you heart and live the rest the of week seperate from Him, then you are no different really from those who do not go to church. If you have accepted Christ and continually live side by side with Him and walking by His ways, but don't go to church, you are neither a better or worse Christian than others. The truth is... Jesus is what makes us Christian. All we need to do is believe and confess!

Thankful for: Light

I walked down my pitch black hallway tonight, and had no idea where the door to my bedroom was and it make me realise how much I am thankful for light, and not only light but my sight. Light and sight allow me to know where I am going easily. Without both of these I would probably end up with a lot of injuries.

Do You Know Your Weaknesses?

As I was going about my day to day business today, I found myself asking, "Do I know my weaknesses and am I aware of where temptations lie?

When the devil wants to attack, he is most likely going to attack us in our weaknesses, where he thinks that he is going to get through. But if we are aware of our weaknesses and we are aware of how we may be tempted, it makes it easier for us to say no and the devil does not win. Also, when we are aware of the temptations that may be thrown at us we can be better prepared for them. 

Something came up in my life today and I was confronted with a temptation that I have often struggled to battle with. Some days I find this battle harder than other days, today was a rather difficult struggle and I think in previous situations, I have given in and said yes to the temptation which I know is not good for me. Today, I held strong, I prayed, and I saw the other end of temptation which resulted in the devil losing. However, I know that he is only going to come back and try again, and he'll try harder next time which is why it's important for me to be ready for him and to be prepared. How do I do that? 

Well, when you know your weaknesses and what usually tempts you, you should know what encourages that temptation or what brings on that temptation. If it's something you watch or read that leads you towards temptation... then you should stop reading or watching whatever it is. If something leads you to stray it cannot be good for you or your life. As part of saying no to the one addiction that has become a part of my life, I have actually had to say no to a number of other things, some of which are not so bad on their own. But I know that one thing, will then lead me to another which in the end leads to sin. Our brains make pathways, and because I have linked things together previously a number of times, my brain immediately links them together now. But because I know that doing one thing eventually leads to sin, I can stop myself at the beginning. And slowly but surely I can start to make new pathways in my brain. It's a long process but, it's an important one. 

So... I've learnt today that it's important to know where your weaknesses are because that is where temptation will be, and when we know where these are we can be prepared to go to battle with the devil. And we can be sure Jesus is coming to battle with us. When we are fighting against the devil, Jesus is on our side!

Thankful for: Socks

When your feet are as cold as mine were about five minutes ago, the first thing you'd be thankful for are socks. Seriously, whoever came up with the idea of putting socks on our feet is a genious. I'm thankful that God created them! 

Cry Out To The Lord!

"To You, Lord, I call; You are my Rock, do not turn a deaf ear to me.

For if you remain silent, I will be like those who go down to the pit. 

Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, 

as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place"  

(Psalm 28:1-2)

How do you cry out to the Lord? This is the beginning of a psalm written by David. I just read it and it spoke to me, it made me start thinking about how I cry out to the Lord. When I need Him, how do I speak to Him... do I even try to speak to Him. Do I do it thinking purely of myself? 

We can see in this case, David is desperate for the Lord to hear His cry, but He doesn't just say "Lord I need You. Hear me now!" He is crying out for His rock! He acknowledges that God is His anchor and the only one who can get Him through. He acknowledges that He needs to hear God's voice, and that he needs His help. He acknowledges that God is Most Holy. I know when I start praying to God, I often think only of what I need and I forgot to acknowledge that He is Holy and He is all I need. And I go straight to the "God I'd really like you to do this for me" part of my prayer. I'm thinking more of myself than anything else when I do this, and selfishness is not something that comes from God. 

If someone asked something of us, we feel better when we have been acknowledged and recognised. I think God would feel the same. He loves us to recognise who He is and what He can do. He doesn't just want us to cry out to Him because we don't have anywhere else to go, He wants us to cry out to Him because we know He is really the only one to go to. 

Prayer is great, but I think a thoughtful prayer is even better. Take the time to acknowledge God, lift Him up and He will lift you up with Him. 

Thankful for: Random Stories

I love random stories. They often just make you laugh, and bring happiness into what could be a dull day. I had a great evening with some friends and we had a few random stories mentioned and they just helped make my day brighter. 

 

My Fast So Far

The other day I mentioned that I received a word from a friend and that I felt like I need to spend some time praying and fasting to get clarification of what it was God needed me to let go of. 

Well.. I've now past the half way mark on my fast with 3 days to go so I thought I would share how it's going. 

To begin with, previously I have found fasting difficult, I have tried it many times, but I think each time I've done it before I have never had a clear understanding of why I was doing it and I didn't really have as close a relationship with God as I do now, so this time round, I'm finding it much easier and I'm not struggling with temptation so much. So that for one is great, and demonstrates to me how much stronger in my faith I have become. 

But I guess what I really wanted to get out of the fast was an understanding of what the "hand brake" was that I had on in my life. I am pretty certain I now know what that is. It's a kind of addiction almost that I've had for a few years, that I've tried to give up many times, but have never lasted long. I have often made excuses for myself thinking it's nothing serious, it's not that bad, I can stop whenever I want but, the truth is... God has been talking to me about it for a while, and I've continued to go against Him, which makes it a sin, and sin seperates me from Him. I find myself asking for forgiveness each time I've done it which means I know in myself that I've done wrong... but I always found myself going back to it. 

I believe that this is holding me back. This is what is stopping me from getting further in relationships and in my walk with Him. Until I completely let go of it, and give it all to Him and trust that He has it in control, I am not going to be able to continue going forwards. 

So, now that I have discovered what this hand brake is, it's time to take it off, and remove it from my life. This is not going to be an easy task, as I said, I've tried stopping many times before, but I've always gone back to it. I guess one of the biggest things to remember is that when we are giving something up, it is a daily decision. It's not something I can say 'no' to today and then think that I'll never be tempted again. I have to choose to say 'no' every day. Some days will be more difficult than others, but as the days go by, saying no will become easier, and the temptation will go away. It's also going to require prayer from myself. For the strength to say no and for the faith to believe that I can get through it, and that He will help me through it. I have actually started saying no already this week and I plan to never say yes to it again. 

Thankful for: His voice

I'm thankful for His voice, that He speaks to us, that He tells us how much He loves us. I can't imagine going back to my life before I heard Him speak to me. My ears are forever open to hear His voice now. 

His Presence

I love it when I get a vision from God.... and I got one yesterday. 

We were in prayer meeting at church before the service and saw a picture of our auditorium, in darkness, but then light came upon the front of the auditorium, and it spread across to the back, but it didn't stop there. The light went out the door and then the picture I saw in my head spanned out to the entire building, which was being filled with light, and then the streets around. The light just kept spilling through. 

So what was this vision saying to me? It was all about the presence of God. 

Many people think that Gods presence resides only in the church, and they can only be in His presence on Sunday during a church service. But they could not be further from the truth. God's presence extends past the doors of the church, it extends past the church buildings, it goes into the streets and into the community. God's presence cannot be contained, it is everywhere! I felt like God was sending a reminder that we live in His presence every day and we shouldn't think that when we are not at church that we are missing out because this simply isn't true! God can be everywhere and He is everywhere. Nothing can stop His presence from entering a community. It's up to us however, to acknowledge His presence and to dwell in it. We can dwell in His presence anywhere. 

We also need to remember that His presence dwells in us so when we go out to our communities we carry Him with us. We never need to think that we are alone because He is there always, He is our guide through life no matter where we are, no matter what we do. 

Thankful for: Determination

There are times when things just seem too hard, and we could easily give up... but with a bit of determination we can get through it. Determination doesn't mean we get through it without God, it just means that we will keep trying... knowing that He will get us through in the end.

I Need You More - Bethel / Kim Walker-Smith

I Need You More - Bethel / Kim Walker-Smith

I need You more, more than yesterday

I need You more, more than words can say,

I need You more than ever before, 

I need You Lord, I need You Lord

More than the air I breathe, 

More than the song I sing,

More than the next heartbeat, 

More than anything

Lord, as time goes by, 

I'll be by Your side,

'coz I never want to go back

to my old life

The moment I first heard this song it spoke to me and I found myself in tears. We all go through struggles and times where we are in need. What we need to remember is that the Lord is all we need and He will provide everything. This song is a cry out to God. When we have nothing left in ourselves, when we don't know where we are going, when we are lost and don't know which way out, this is a song we can sing to Him. It does not give us answers, but when we don't know what else to say, this song says it all. 

It's also a song of worship to Him, telling Him that there is nothing more than Him. That He is our number one, and we need Him in our lives. 

It's really one of those worship songs you can play in any situation. 

Thankful for: His Understanding

We all make mistakes and I know that I have made a great number of them but I am thankful for His understanding, which then leads to His forgivness. He understands the evil in the world that leads us to sin, but He also knows that He can overcome that evil if we let Him. So I'm thankful for His understanding.  

Can A Person Really Change?

I just went down memory lane in my head, not a good memory lane really, but back to some of the silly mistakes that I've made. I realised that a lot has changed in the past decade. The person that I was at one point has long gone, althought it took me quite some time to accept and believe it. 

There was a time in my life I didn't think a person could change. I was quite judgemental to some peoople thinking that if they've done something terrible once, they'll keep doing it and they'll never stop. I used to judge people so much. I used to think low of people who used to drink so much alcohol they would feel shady the entire next day and I used to think people that cheat once, will do it again. I didn't think for a second that a person could become a better person than they already are. And then I turned into that person. The person that drunk so much they felt sick the entire following day and the person that cheated. 

I'm sure there are many people out there that were just like me. People who have made mistakes and then due to their own silly belief that a person is who they are and they cannot change... have ended up more messed up than they needed to be. I held on to these mistakes for a few years after making them, and although they did not become constant happenings in my life, they held me back from the life I was supposed to be living. After making mistakes and not believing I could change, I decided to stop living. I shut myself in my room, not trusting myself to leave because I knew the type of person I was. For years, I did not trust myself enough to allow myself to have a drink, because 'the person that I was' wouldn't stop at just one. I did not trust myself to become friends with guys because 'the person that I was' would want more from them. I really didn't think I could change. Change was impossible!

But I was wrong. Almost 10 years later, I am now a completely changed person. I am not the kind of person who goes out and gets drunk and I am not the person that cheats at any chance she gets. But what was it that allowed this change in me? It took a while, but part of it was about trust and belief. I had to learn to trust myself and to believe that change was possible. The biggest part of the change was through Jesus. When I had finally allowed Him into my life, He did all the changing that was necessary. He helped me understand my mistakes and to move on from them, He helped me realise that I wasn't the person that I thought I was. 

So now I sit and think.... Can a person really change? YES! A person can definitely change. I think however, that for a great change to happen, and for the change to not go back, a person needs to find Jesus. Trying to change without Him can be difficult, without Him the devil still has a hold on your life and he will continue to try and bring you down. When Jesus is a part of the change, Jesus is stronger than the devil and He will give you the truth of who you are. Sometimes change can be a long process, for others, they can do it quickly, it depends how much of a hold the devil has on you, but everyone can change!

Thankful for: Joy

Apart from saying that joy is awesome what else really is there to say? I'm thankful for the joy that is in my life, for the fun and adventure, for the smiles and the laughter. It is amazing how much of a different to life,  just a little bit of joy can make.

Holy Spirit & Revelation

"I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?" (Galatians 3:2)

I asked God today to point me to a scripture... and that's where He took me. Galatians 3:2 and straight away, I was getting things straight away from just one verse. 

I was baptised in the Holy Spirit a few years ago now, I don't know an exact date, but it was probably a year after I became Christian that I began speaking in tongues. When I read this scripture I was taken back to that day, to the memory of when I first spoke in tongues and I thought about what it was that helped me receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It was not because I had done anything particular, I hadn't followed any 5 step process, I wasn't the perfect Christian at the time, I was probably far from it. All it took was a step of faith and a belief that the Holy Spirit was in me. It was an interesting day really when it happened, I knew that I had people praying for me for weeks before hand, people would encourage me to step out and just give it a go, but I kept holding back. When I finally spoke in tongues the first time I was laying in bed, I was desperate for Him and I knew that I needed to just step out. It started off as just a little bit, I was letting go of the insecurity and beginning to believe the Holy Spirit was within me, but once I started it grew and grew and soon it became so easy. These days I don't even think twice about speaking in tongues, I just do it. Sometimes at very strange moments. I may be driving along in my car when I feel the need to pray in tongues, so I do. 

I was then reminded of the word that was given to me yesterday about letting go of the hand brake. That is exactly what I did when I received the Holy Spirit. I let go of the hand brake, the hand brake being my insecurity, and I just went for it and soon the wheels were spinning. So... maybe this "hand brake" in my life is more insecurity that I'm not fully aware of. I have overcome so much in the past few days but what if there is still something more, something that I am still holding on to. I know that once I pin point what that is, the devil is going to do everything he can to stop me from overcoming it. So... I think the next week I will be going into a time of spiritual war fare! It's time to fast and pray. I'm going to fast and pray for a revealing of what's holding me back, to be freed from any insecurity, for further vision for my future and anything else that comes my way. It's amazing what fasting and prayer can do so I look forward to seeing the change that is going to start happening in my life this week. In the past 2 months I have grown so much, but I know that there is a lot more to come! 

Thankful for: His provision

I was thankful for this the other day but I'm going to be thankful again. Today, I had some extra money in my account, I had been refunded some money, and when I asked about it, someone had blessed me by paying my dance fees as an anonymous gift. I can only put this down to God. He knows all my needs, and although I am not struggling with my finances, He knows that I have a debt that I want to pay off, and it is only through Him that this is possible. Not only is He finding me more work but He is providing me with finance that I never expected. God is great!