Wednesday 30 November 2011

I am useful.

"In a large house there are vessels not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. 21 Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.  22 Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
2 Timothy 2:20-22 
 
Gold & silver or wood & clay...I know which one i'd rather pick.

Vessels are objects designed for the purpose of holding, or containing something. Here, in 2 Timothy, Paul uses an illustration of vessels in a house. I know that my house contains many vessels. For example, a vase to put flowers in, a glass to put a drink in, I even have a penguin hot water bottle to put hot water in. But along with all of those there is also the toilet that all the waste goes in, the rubbish bin where all our rubbish goes, and the sock bin with a multitude of odd socks (pet hate)! So even in my own home, I see that some vessels are for honorable use and some are for dishonorable use.

God has chosen us to be His living vessels. But, because He loves us, He will never force us to be used by Him. He has given us the choice. As vessels, we are designed to be filled. It is up to us what we fill ourselves with. We can either choose for God to fill us by His Holy Spirit and be used for noble purposes or we can choose to be filled with the ways of the world and used for ignoble purposes. The choice is as simple as that.
Ask yourself this; what are you storing in yourself? We are constantly inputting into ourselves - through our eyes and ears. So to fill ourselves with Him we are to read our bibles and fill ourselves with the Word. We are to be in fellowship with God and learn how to have His heart and mind.
However, it's important that we are first clean. As a dirty bowl would contaminate any food put in it, we will contaminate any good thing God wants to use us for if we are not first clean and holy. We do this by getting rid of the 'self'. We die to ourselves and let Christ live in us because the blood of Jesus cleanses us of all unrighteousness. By denying ourselves every day and choosing to be filled with Him we are preparing ourselves to be filled and used by God whenever he wants to use us.

So it all comes down to this; do you want to be a vase or a toilet?
The only thing that makes them what they are is what goes in them. So cleanse yourself from all unrighteousness so that you can be a useful vessel of honour for the purposes of God.

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Overcomer

I've noticed that some people have this image of Christians being the people who are untouchable. They are always happy because nothing bad could ever happen to them. They could never be depressed because they have the joy of the Lord. They could never be in need because God provides. They can never have a problem to deal with because God loves them and causes them to be successful in all they do.

Well, it's true - God is and does all of those things. But being a Christian doesn't make us immune to what the world has to throw at us. Jesus tells us that we will face trials.
This false image of being a Christian puts a lot of pressure on a person who is facing a trial in their life. People feel that they have somehow messed up if they are unhappy or they have a problem area. They struggle through by themselves because they dont want to be seen as 'the bad Christian'.

So, i'll share a secret with you. One of the biggest lessons I had to learn growing up, was that sometimes, it's ok to not be ok. I used to be that person who would walk around with a smile on my face yet behind closed doors I was battleing depression. I didn't let anyone in because I didn't want to be the one who was always throwing the pity party. I wanted people to see me as the girl who's always happy and never has a complaint about anything because thats what being a Christian is all about, right? Wrong.

I wasn't going to beat depression by positive thinking and trying to cover it up. The first thing I had to do was recognise that everything was not ok. But, I would be pretty miserable if I just stopped there. The next step was to find the BUT in the situation. This is where it comes in handy to know who Jesus has made me to be. For example, everything is not ok BUT I am an overcomer, I have the Joy of the Lord. I am a child of the King - therefore, I am royalty. And the list goes on. The revelation of who we are in Christ has the power to set us free from every stronghold. You see, it is ok not to be ok aslong as you don't set up camp there. I learnt the power of confession. I learnt to speak life and truth over my life instead of feeding the negative thoughts and situation.

Sometimes we can pray and pray until the cows come home that God will change a situation in our life, but sometimes, I believe that God wants to teach us something through every situation. He doesn't want to just bail us out whenever things get hard. He wants us to learn how to overcome. 1 John 5:4 says "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world." and therefore I have chosen to believe that there is never a bad situation in my life, but simply an opporunity to overcome and step into more of who God has made me to be.


Tough Love.

"I love you and there's nothing you can do about it."

I heard this quoted on Scrubs today and it made me laugh. It was said by a gospel preacher in a lighthearted, fun way (of course, it was scrubs) to a congregation of people, but it was said with a confidence that it was the truth. He had a big grin on his face that made you believe that whatever you did, no matter how much you rejected him, no matter how much you might hurt him, he'd still stand there with that same grin, loving you, until you relent and give him a big hug - and he'll just carry on loving you.
*This is just how it played out in my head*
But this is how God loves us.

God loves you and there's nothing you can do about it.

The amazing thing about Gods love for us is that it is unconditional. That means he loves us without condition. There is nothing that we have to do or can do to earn His love. Not only does he love us unconditionally, His love is relentless. His love never fails and never gives up. So no matter how many times we may fail or dissapoint, reject Him or give up on Him, He'll never give up on us, He'll never stop loving us. Some of us need to realise that it is not actually possible for God to stop loving us. If God were do anything other than love us, he would have to go against His very nature and give up being God. Rest assured, He'll never do that.
Equally, some of us need to understand that this isn't a love that we can walk all over. God is far from a push over - you can't pull the wool over His eyes. If we have a real understanding of His love for us, we can't help but love Him back! Imagine someone telling you they love you and that they'd give everything for you - would you turn your back on them? Thats all He wants - a people that He can love and who will love and obey Him in return.
This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the LORD.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts
.

I will be their God,
and they will be my people."
Jeremiah 31:33
He'll never force us to love Him, he won't put pressure on us or manipulate our hearts. He desires a genuine love from His children and so He will love us until we can't do anything but love Him back.

So what if you already know all this and I'm just preaching to the choir?
Well, how about being like that gospel preacher on scrubs?
How many people could you stand infront of and say;
"I love you and there's nothing you can do about it?"
We're called to love as God loves. We love because He first loved us.
There is not a single person in this world who is worthy of Gods love, yet He's made us worthy by choosing to see us through the blood of Jesus. So we can't ever stand infront of any person and deam them unworthy of Gods love because we've all fallen short. It is simply by God's grace that we are able to know such a love. Therefore, there is not a point when someone can do something so awful that God would stop loving them and why should we do any different? If we want the world to know and see Gods love, we need to love with Gods unconditional, relentless love.

There is nothing you can do that will make me stop loving you. 


Tuesday 27 September 2011

I Promise.

A couple of weeks ago during a time of worship I was challenged and encouraged to truely believe in what God has spoken over my life. Here's what happened;
As we were worshipping I had my hands raised and the song we were singing came to an end but we carried on singing in the Spirit. My arms started to ache. Naturally, I would put my hands down but this time I felt that I should keep them up.  But as I kept it up, my hand started to throb. It felt like it was swelling or it was on fire or something and in my head I was like, "what does this mean? should i go pray for someone or something?" But I knew it was the presence of God and therefore I didn't want to loose that feeling. By this time my arm was aching really bad but I didnt want to loose that feeling and the more I focused on what God was doing, the less attention I paid to my aching arm. As I asked God what this feeling meant He said "There will be times when you'll feel like you need to give up but remember what you've seen and that is what will hold you there." This spoke into a situation in my life where I felt like giving up. But His word has proven true. The more I remember words God has spoken to me and remember what I have seen and what I know of God, the easier it is to face every situation and not only 'face it' but completely turn it around for His glory.


Hebrews 10:23 says "Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise." One thing i've noticed is that one of the simplest yet most powerful attacks of the devil is sowing doubt. He causes Christians to doubt what they have heard or what has been promised to them, causing them to question themselves and God. But this verse tells us that we need to hold tightly to the promises of God - without wavering - sure of what we hope for, certain of what we don't see. (Hebrews 11:1) When God speaks to us, we can be sure that what He has spoken is true and will come to pass because of what is said in Isaiah 55:11; "so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." It is impossible for God to speak without something happening and it is impossible for His word and promises to be unfruitful. This truth alone should get rid of any doubt that we may have.

So... In conclusion, i'm learning to trust in the promises of God, to trust my judgement and back myself. All from an attitude of faith, not doubt. After all, It is men and women of God who stand firm on the promises of God, showing intergrity in all they do, that will forcefully advance His Kingdom.

Sunday 25 September 2011

Timeline

My good friend, Joshua Sargent, has shared an amazing truth, that I believe everyone should hear, on his blog.
Take a look!


http://sargie93.blogspot.com/2011/09/timeline.html

Friday 16 September 2011

Heartache.

A few days ago a group of us were praying. Someone started to pray for the church to rise up and I suddenly felt as if I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. There was a very real weight on me that was pushing me down as I began to think of the huge calling that the church has to fulfil. In that moment God reminded me of Matthew 11:29-30
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
The weight I felt on my shoulders then changed to an ache in my heart. God was reminding me that He had taken all of my burdens upon Himself and exchanged them for His. He only has one, and that is to love. The ache in my heart was a love for the world, for my brothers and sisters, even for my enemies. It was the love that only God Himself can give.
I am constantly being reminded that, since I made Jesus Lord of my life and He paid the price for all of my sins, I only have one debt to pay, and that is the debt of love. Romans 13:8 describes it as "the continuing debt to love one another". Not only is it a debt to pay but Jesus gives one commandment... to "love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." John 13:34 Why? Because this is how the world will know us, by our love. When we love our enemies instead of seeking revenge or when we love our brother when he gets on our nerves or love the outcast when everyone else has turned away - this is when the world will stop and see that love never fails.
I've also been challenged by this because I find it can be easy to show love to a complete stranger or a distant friend by going out of my way to do something nice for them every once in a while. The real challenge is having this same attitude of love with those a little closer to home. I got a little snappy with my younger brother a few days ago and walked away feeling convicted that nothing about our conversation brought love. You see, I'm learning that there are no exceptions when it comes to loving eachother. Even in the ordinary circumstances of every day, i'm called to love. Not just when I feel like it, not just when people can see, but it is a command and a debt I have to every single person. Not in my own strength with a love that can't satisfy, but with an eternal love that nevers runs out, never fails. A love that I can only have because HE first loved me. (1 John 4:19) In the words of Joshua Scaife "To love eachother is the natural response to having received love. It is the overflow."
Therefore, if we are living by the Holy Spirit, we are doing nothing outside of love. Love isn't just a characteristic of God, God IS love. He doesn't operate outside of love, but everything He does is out of love. Let every conversation, action, attitude, everything you do, be from the basis of love. 

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Sunday 14 August 2011

Freedom

True Freedom...
Romans 6:15 -23

"So, since we're out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we're free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it's your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you've let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you've started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!
I'm using this freedom language because it's easy to picture. You can readily recall, can't you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like doing—not caring about others, not caring about God—the worse your life became and the less freedom you had? And how much different is it now as you live in God's freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness?
 As long as you did what you felt like doing, ignoring God, you didn't have to bother with right thinking or right living, or right anything for that matter. But do you call that a free life? What did you get out of it? Nothing you're proud of now. Where did it get you? A dead end.
But now that you've found you don't have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way!

Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God's gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master. "



Tuesday 9 August 2011

A time to pray.

A few nights ago I went to bed feeling like I had a million things I could pray for after reading a few chapters of "The Heavenly Man". I was really stirred to pray for the nations but it was really late and I was super tired so I prayed for a few minutes... then fell asleep. That night, I was woken up every hour on the dot by my own voice. Each hour I woke up praying for a different nation. I still somehow woke up the next morning feeling completely refreshed and accomplished. See, the Holy Spirit stirred my heart for a reason and He wasn't going to let my sleeping patterns inturupt that. I firmly believe that my prayers did something that night but this doesn't mean I can stop praying. God taught me something that night about being persistant in prayer.
Ephesians 6:18 says "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."  and Matthew 7:7 says "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you."
Both of these scriptures tell us to keep on praying because when we pray, something happens.
Right now, it's time to pray for our nation. It's time to pray for the peace, love and joy of Christ to reign in our cities instead of this violence and disruption. It's time to pray for a strength and boldness in Christs body to be the answer our nation needs. It's time to pray for the church to rise up and be Christ to the ones who need Him. Above all, it's time to pray "your Kingdom come and your will be done" as it is His Kingdom that is everlasting.

Christ interceded for us on the cross when He prayed “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” now it's our turn to intercede for our nation and devote ourselves to prayer.


You were born for such a time as this.

Friday 29 July 2011

Furious love.

This week was the week that everyone in the Ministries Without Borders circle looks forward to all year round. It was the week where churches from all over the UK come together to celebrate Jesus and equip ourselves in our walk with Him. It's a week where we're able to have amazing fellowship with our brothers and sisters and hear about all the incredible things that God is doing all over the world. Yes, Bible Week has come and gone and once again it was amazing. We were reminded of God's everlasting, overwhelming love for us and our calling to the world.


...But if i've learnt anything this week, it's that the love of God doesn't allow us to be passive.
To be passive can be defined as;  "Accepting or allowing what happens or what others do, without active response or resistance." Passivity is the opposite of activity. It is a lack of feeling and desire...Generally lukewarmness or laziness. This doesn't sound like the God I know.
This week we were told more than once that God loves people and it is because of this that He sent Jesus to the world and it is why Jesus has sent us. It is Gods love for the world that caused Jesus to act. In John 5:19 Jesus says that He only does what He sees His father do. This meant that whenever He saw a need, he was moved into action because the fathers heart is for His people... He loves us and doesnt want to see us in need.
It's encouraged me to spend more time with God because the more time I spend with the father the more His heart will become my heart.

Richard Anniss made the point that it is our relationship with God that sends us. We can't be sent without having a relationship and we can't have the relationship without being sent. They come hand in hand, you can't have one without the other. Our relationship with God is what sends us to the need in the world. The need may have been right infront of us the whole time but because we have spent more time with Him, we have become more like Him and where we may have ignored the need before, for whatever reason, we now see the need and want to see Gods love come through because we are moved by Gods heart.
It reminded me of something I read in one of Joyce Meyers books. She was referring to Christians who are so ruled by their emotions that an absence of feeling stops them from doing what they've been taught to do. She said "They praise if they feel like it, give if they feel like it, keep their word if they feel like it - and if they don't feel like it, they don't." This is exactly what I mean by 'passive'.  God doesn't just love if he 'feels like it'. God IS love - it's impossible for Him to do anything outside of love. Which is why it is so important for us to live by the Spirit and not by our emotions because to love people as God does is impossible for us to do in our own strength. We'll find ourselves getting burnt out and giving up. But when we "Let go and let God" it is no longer us trying to love, but it is God's love through us and it is God's love that will impact this world.

Gods love isn't passive. It is furious and it will be shown through us.


"Its not about what people think of me, it's about what Jesus thinks of them... and He loves them." Arne Skagen

Wednesday 20 July 2011

Understanding.

My favourite verse in the bible is Proverbs 3:5. It says;
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

I don't know about you, but when I read this verse it takes alot of pressure off. Alot of the time we try to wrap our head around something and get frustrated when we don't understand. But here we're told not to lean on our own understanding, but instead, trust in the Lord.
We try to condense the gospel to be understood by the human mind. But the truth is, the gospel is powerful. Far too powerful for our minds to comprehend. When we find that our understanding fails us, all we can do is marvel at the goodness of God and trust that He knows what He is doing.
When we water down the gospel so much there's no freedom left to just sit in wonder at the feet of Jesus. Once you think you know it all, you haven't understood. The love of Jesus is far beyond understanding and the ways of God are far above ours. The moment we claim to know it all, we've put a limit on God. This excites me because it means that there is always more! More of Gods goodness, love and mercy.

If we are to mature in our understanding we have to let go and let God. Let go of trying to understand the hows and whys and trust God with all your heart.

"Natural wisdom is not the key to Spiritual understanding." Bryn Jones





Honesty

Every breath seems heavier than the last.
Every tear comes with a little more sadness.
Each good thought pushed through with a little extra effort.

Things were looking good, you were doing so well.
Until life threw its punches and gave its best shot.

It's not so easy when life gives you reason to give up.
"You're not good enough.
You don't understand.
No one understands.
Whats the point in trying?"
But
He has made you good enough.
He gives you understanding by His Spirit.
He is all you need.

I will learn the art of trusting in you, leaning on you, depending on you.
*
I will learn to stand firm in the truth you have given, even when the world reaches out to pull me down.
*
I will be reminded of the joy you have set in me that gives me strength and I will forever be thankful for it.
*
I will run this race with perseverence. Not by my strength, but by your Spirit, Lord.



*

Monday 11 July 2011

Pilgrim Heart

"Grant me, Lord, a pilgrim heart
In this world, but set apart
On you alone I fix my eyes
Your dwelling place I make my prize
Guide me in the path I take
All distractions I forsake,
The greatest treasure earth awards
Is dust compared to you my Lord"


We have to be OK with change. We have to be in a place where we're ready to leave all that is 'comfortable' and follow Jesus, wherever that may take us. When Jesus called His disciples to follow Him it required them to leave everything. Not just their material things and their daily routines but their whole way of thinking. Following Jesus is a pilgrimage. A journey  that requires sacrifice. I look at the way we live now and try to imagine how we should be living and it's going to take alot more than changing programmes and objectives. The changes we need are not merely cosmetic. They must go right down to the core. We should expect to cause disruption and be drastic in our way of thinking because thats the kind of change we need. The moment we become comfortable we must challenge our thinking...are we in a position to say yes to the calling of Christ at any given moment or are we comfortable where we are?

Jesus said that 'in the last days' he will 'shake all things' until only the unshakeable is left... the Kingdom of God. Our world is being shaken and yet we are still wanting things to remain as they have always been. We have to stop thinking of ways to keep the church as it is or even get it back to how it was as the early church and instead, keep moving forward in the vision and purpose God has for His bride. We must be like the men and women of faith that we read about in Hebrews 11 who maintained a pioneering attitude and refused to become 'settlers'. They had their hearts set on the land God had promised them and this caused them to live a life of pilgrimage. Always ready to move and be used.

Reading about these men and women has challenged me to think of how willing and ready I am to change, but it's time to stop just thinking of the change we need to see and instead start by changing our thinking and in time, see the change we seek. We need to stop relying on others to bring about this change and take it upon ourselves to be the change we long for by setting our hearts on pilgrimage.

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

Friday 8 July 2011

"Big shots are only little shots who keep shooting."

So, I was playing Kung Fu Panda on the Xbox the other day and the aim of the game was to shoot down the targets. I figured if I aimed really well and took my time, I would get it in one shot. However, by the time i'd aimed right, my amazing friend James Carr had already shot it down. The difference was, I thought we had a limited amount of bullets and so I tried to get it right the first time and when I didn't, I gave up. James, however, was aware that he wasn't going to run out of bullets and that if he shot repetitively he would end up hitting the target with at least one of his bullets... and he did.

So why am I sharing this story? Well, it occurred to me that, in life, if we don't get something right on our first try we often give up because our pride has been hurt. We're very quick to brush things off as a fail and use it as an excuse not to try again. But doing this is like having an unlimited supply of bullets and only using one... & where is the sense in that? I'm not saying we shouldn't always aim to get it right the first time around. But what I am saying is that we shouldn't let it stop us if we don't. We learn from our mistakes, get up, and try again. 

In order to get somewhere it requires us to take one step at a time. It makes no sense for us to give up after one step because we didn't reach our destination. But in the journey there, every single step is important because it gets us that much closer. The moment we stop moving, we've lost the race. 
"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) It's those who put their trust in God with every step who will find themselves at the finish line saying "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
(2 Timothy 4:7)

Monday 4 July 2011

A renewed mind - Part 2

Jesus said; “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12). 
...
He also said; “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” (Ephesians 4:8).
Not only were we in darkness, but we ourselves were darkness. Now, having received Jesus, we not only live in the light but we are the light to the world. This is because when we become a Christian, we are given the 'mind of Christ' (1 Corinthians 2:16). We no longer look with a world-view, instead we have the ability to see and understand from a heavenly perspective. However, this doesn't happen in an instant, its a process. Romans 12:2 says; “Do not conform any longer to the pattern 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.” Our minds are affected by sin which has limited our understanding of the Spiritual things of God. The renewing of the mind is the process of adopting the mind of Christ so that we no longer think independently of God but instead we're submitting the mind to the Spirit. This is the key to unlocking the mysteries of the Kingdom as Jesus told us that it is the Spirit who will “guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13) Therefore, by allowing the Spirit to rule over our minds, we are allowing Him to transform us into the likeness of Christ. It is with the mind that we exercise our will and therefore if we are adopting the mind of Christ, it will be His will that we exercise and His will is to see His Kingdom reign on earth as it is in heaven. 
The Kingdom of God is a new Spiritual reality that we need to grow accustomed to. It requires us to mature. Paul tells us to do this by putting off our old self and be made new in the attitude of our minds and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24). This means having nothing to do with “the fruitful deeds of darkness”(Eph 5:11), but instead bringing them into the light because “everything exposed by the light becomes visible”(Eph 5:13). This then tells us that we have an obligation to expose any dark and evil deed in order to advance the Kingdom because although the Kingdom of God is within us (Luke 17:21), it is still yet to come (John 18:36). The Kingdom is present on the earth through people who are filled and ruled by the Spirit of God as ambassadors of His Kingdom. The Kingdom will come in fullness when the knowledge of the glory of God fills the earth and Christ returns in power to take back His full creation. This gives us a responsibility to make His gospel known.
"For you are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16) 

Monday 27 June 2011

A renewed mind.

It struck me today that anything we've ever done has been the result of a thought that we had first. We will never find ourselves doing something that we haven't at some point given a moment to thinking about.
Which is why we're told to take our thoughts captive in 2 Corinthians 10:5. If everything starts as a thought, we must learn to distinguish the right type of thinking from the bad and take every thought captive and bring it under the authority of Christ. If we master this, our actions will follow.

The thoughts we have will even determind how we react in situations... think about it...We sow what we reap right? So if we're sowing bad/negative/rubbish thoughts, all we're going to reap are bad/negative/rubbish actions. If we sow good/pleasing/Christ-like thoughts, all we're going to reap are good/pleasing/Christ-like actions. Seems simple enough really.

Proverbs 23:7 says that we become what we think about. So if you're trying to break the habit of speaking negatively, start by not thinking negatively. Every time a negative thought comes into your head replace it with something positive, but more than that, replace it with the word of God.

We can't develop 'right thinking' unless we first know what it is to think right. Colossians 3:2 tells us to set our minds on things above, not on earthly things. And we learn what these things are through reading the word and letting it dwell in us. Philippians 4:8 says "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." It's easy to think about lovely things when everything is going our way but it's when things get tough that our thinking is tested. How many of us can say that when someone offends or upsets us our first thought is 100% pure, noble, right, lovely and even admirable? (That's ok if it's not, but now it's time to change. =D) Sometimes we can feel like we have a right to feel upset or offended and that we are owed something if we are wronged. But it all comes down to a choice. Only we can choose to pick up an offence or to have a bad attitude. Therefore we can choose to respond in love. Train yourself to think about the things of God and the more you do the more change you'll see in your siituations and your everyday walk with Him. :)

Friday 24 June 2011

Dream Big

"Clear lots of ground for your tents!
   Make your tents large. Spread out!
Think big!Use plenty of rope,
   drive the tent pegs deep.
You're going to need lots of elbow room
   for your growing family.
You're going to take over whole nations;
   you're going to resettle abandoned cities.
Don't be afraid—you're not going to be embarrassed.
   Don't hold back—you're not going to come up short.
You'll forget all about the humiliations of your youth,
   and the indignities of being a widow will fade from memory.
For your Maker is your bridegroom,
   his name, God-of-the-Angel-Armies!
Your Redeemer is The Holy of Israel,
   known as God of the whole earth." Isaiah 54


Dream big.
There's no place for small dreams. Too many people loose sight of the dreams they once had because they're bored of waiting or downsize because they think they got carried away in the moment. Just look at the promises of God!  "Don't be afraid—you're not going to be embarrassed." It's time to dream again and put in the work to see it happen without fear of failure. Without a dream or a vision, we're going no where. Take time to think about you're dreams and ambitions and don't be afraid to believe for more.

Thursday 23 June 2011

Time for a work out.

“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work." (John 4:34)

When we think about food we think about the consumption of things that are edible. We need food to keep us alive, it sustains our bodies, giving us energy and the right nutrients and vitimins we need to live. Without food we would slowly wither away. Just as we need food to sustain our physical bodies, we need something to sustain us Spiritually. That something is Jesus, Gods living word. Matthew 4:4 says “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” Here, Jesus is telling us that we need to feed on Gods word in order to live.

Diet
We're all fully aware that a bad diet leads to alot of health issues. Likewise, if we're feeding the soul with anything other than Gods word (the perfect diet set out for us) then we're only damaging ourselves. For example, if we spend all our time watching bad tv shows or hanging out with the wrong type of people we're feeding ourselves junk. It may 'taste' good at the time but we know it's bad for us in the long run. Also, we shouldn't just be nibbling or snacking on Gods word when we feel like it. We should be completely devouring it. There's nothing better than a good meal with good company, so what could be better than feeding on Gods word whilst in fellowship with God Himself? Why wouldn't we want to get stuck in?

Anyway, as important is this is, it isn't my main point for now...no matter how much we eat, if we're not implementing my next point, we're at a huge loss.

Exercise
If all we do is eat, eat and eat some more then we're going to get fat. Jesus said that His food is to do the will of God who sent Him to accomplish His work. I'm sure Gods will wasn't for Jesus to remain constantly full and do nothing about it. No. If we eat but don't work it off, it soon becomes fat. Likewise, if we hear (eat) the word of God and don't act on it, it's just going to become fat, extra weight, useless. Just like we exercise to keep ourselves looking good, we act on Gods word allowing ourselves to be changed/matured into the likeness of Christ. For example, the church can meet every Sunday and be taught on the same topic week after week but until it is applied/acted on by each individual, it remains head knowledge and can quickly become dead religion. God's word is living and active so it's time to work out. It takes hard work, effort and discipline but the results are well worth it. Your 'muscles' are going to ache but you know you've worked hard when you can feel it. If you stop exercising it's going to be just as painful when you start again and it may seem easier and less painful to just give up but this is when we have to persevere to see the breakthrough.

Discipline yourself to eat right and keep moving and let His word be life to you.


Wednesday 15 June 2011

Feelings.

Act out of who you are, not how you feel.

Sometimes is easy to act out of an emotion. For example, I could send someone an agressive message out of a moment of anger or frustration, or I could change my facebook status to something negative because I've had a rough day so i'm feeling down and upset. Or I could sit in a room of people with my arms folded and a frown on my face because I don't feel like being sociable today. However, all of these things are a result of what I am feeling and go totally against who I am.
How do I know who I am?
"Feelings are an insufficient guide to who you are...the Bible is the mirror that tells you what you're like." (Andrew Caughey) So quite simply, if I want to know who I am, I look to what Gods word says about who I am and then my actions should fall into line with what it says. For example, If it says I am an overcomer, my confession will always be that of an overcomer. And it is a choice that I have to make. I can either choose to allow myself to be ruled by my emotions, or I can bring my emotions in to line with who God says I am. Even when we find ourselves in situations that don't seem to have any positives, we can choose to stand on Gods word and allow our actions and our words to reflect who we are instead of how we may be feeling at that moment in time. Feelings always change but Gods word is unchanging.

Sunday 12 June 2011

Growing Pains.

"Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity..." (Hebrews 6:1)

Ever considered that maybe 'going on to maturity' requires growth and change? And that that growth and change may result in some kind of discomfort or effort?
Lately I've found that maturing in Christ is alot like growing up in the natural. An active, growing child is likely to experience growing pains - all their muscles and joints are telling them that their body is going through a change.
You will find that an active Christian will experience something similar. Not in their physical bodies but in their character. I say 'active' because it is easy for a Christian to hear the word of God but not act on it. The first step to maturity is putting your faith into action by applying it to your every day life. When we start applying the word of God to our lives we will experience change. We may go through seasons where these changes are more obvious than others and it is undenyable that these changes will be accompanied by the odd 'growing pain'.
I like to define growing pains as the lead up to the result. Sometimes the lead up can seem like it's lasting forever and it would seem easier to give up but Romans 5:3&4 tells us that suffering produces perseverance and perseverance produces character and character produces hope. However, the reality of it is, is that suffering produces moans and grumbles and moans and grumbles produce bad character and bad character produces hopelessness. But in Romans 5, Paul isn't talking about the common experience. He's coming from the view point of being justified by faith and it is by faith that we can persevere. If we are to become mature sons, we must persevere. This morning, Nick Matheson preached about a faith that perseveres and he was spot on when he said "Perseverance is the difference between children and mature sons." The only thing that will stop us from reaching maturity is giving up. And it really is as simple as that... never give up.

So, "let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." (Hebrews 12:1)



Friday 20 May 2011

Love.

So I was going for the theme of faith, hope and love because 1 Corinthains 13:13 says "and now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

In my other posts I've talked about how our hope allows us to overcome anything thrown at us because of our future promise but to keep our hope alive we have faith which is believing in something that we don't see and requires us to be active. It means stepping out of the norm in boldness because we are sure of what we hope for and certain of what we don't see. The next one then is love and 1 Cor 13 tells us that this is the greatest of the 3.

Now, the natural perception of love is a matter of feelings. It's that little flutter in the pit of your stomach when your eyes meet from across the room and you know that it was 'love at first sight'. Or it's that romance thats portrayed in every chick flick or novel when they live happily ever after. But its that type of 'love' that gets thrown around and becomes meaningless. It's easily broken and has the tendancy to leave you disatisfied.
However, the bible tells us about a love that never fails.

This is love;
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (1 Cor 13:4-8)

1 John 4:16 says "God is love." and therefore God is, by very nature, everything you just read about love. He is patient, He is Kind, He does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. He is not rude, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. He does not delight in evil but He rejoices with the truth! He always protects, always trusts, always perseveres. He never fails. That is such an amazing truth. To know that God loves each of us with that kind of love, that his love for us is that which perseveres, He never gives up on us. It is impossible for God do go against who He is and if He IS love then He does EVERYTHING in love.

Jesus tells us that we are to love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34).
If we are showing this love, then we are showing the very nature of God. Jesus went on to say to His disciples that people will know that they were His disciples by the way they love one another because it wouldnt be a love that the world knew, it would be the love that God showed by sending His Son to die for us. It is because we have His Spirit living in us that we are able to do everything in love and we can be like Jesus in the way we love eachother.
The bible even goes as far to say that if we do something without love, we are nothing. Which means that, as Jesus did, we are to do everything in love.

The world will know us by our love.


Monday 16 May 2011

Faith

After writing my last post, my brilliant brother popped up on facebook to tell me that although it's good to have hope, if you only have hope, you soon become hopeless. We need faith to keep our hope alive.

What is faith? Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we don't see. It isn't merely a way of thinking...Faith is an action word. James 2:26 says that faith without deeds is dead.  We are required to put our faith into action. In James 2:14 he asks the question, "what good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?" The basis of his question was this; That even the devil believes in God in that way, but it won't save him from God's judgement. It's not enough to just believe, our actions need to mirror what we believe. Faith expresses itself through obedience and therefore true faith will show in the way we live our lives. This doesn't mean living according to a set of rules and regulations, we are justified by faith, not by the law and therefore we live by faith. This requires us to believe in what we don't see, and live each moment by the power of the Spirit (cool!) and not by our own human effort. Our faith has to be in Jesus and not in our good deeds or our striving to please God by living by the law. It means that when God speaks, we move. When God asks, we obey.

In Luke 18:8 Jesus asks "when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"
To have faith is to carry on, sure of what we hope for, without giving in. Even when we're not seeing the immediate results, we see the ultimate end where our hope is anchored and that is how we can live by faith.

So when Jesus returns, will he have a people who have given up hope or a people who say an almighty "YES LORD" when he speaks?

Will he find faith?

Saturday 2 April 2011

Hope

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:4)
I find it's easy to just brush over the word 'hope' when reading or using it in an every day sentence and I think we can often undermine the meaning of it. What is hope? What do we hope for? What good is it to hope for something?
Well, as my wonderful friend Jess Emmett put it "Jesus hope is different to world hope." Its easy to hope for something. For example, I could hope I pass bible school at the end of this month. But what good is that? My hope to pass isn't going to do anything. My hope has to be in something greater, something unchanging and certain - Jesus.
It's impossible to have faith without hope. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. (Heb 11:4) But we are to put our hope in things that are unseen which requires faith. As George Iles puts it; "Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark". How can we have faith in something more than what we know and experience now if we don't first have hope? Our hope comes from Jesus who made a way for us to have life.
If I have hope in Jesus, who I know will never fail me, my perspective is completely different. What can bring us down if we're always in hope for something greater? How can we be pulled down by a situation we're facing and stay there if we're certain of our hope? If our hope is always in something better than ourselves, we're always moving forward.

"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
What a great reality to live in! Hope is the anchor to the attitude in which we face every situation. When our hope is in Jesus, who is already ruling and reigning in heaven, how can we get bogged down with worries and uncertainties? How can we grow weary or faint? The hope we've been given through Jesus means we can 'soar on wings like eagles', carry on running when things get hard and walk with boldness through every situation we face. Once you choose hope, anything is possible.
More wise words of Jess... "Hope is looking forward in certainty to something greater that is coming." Whats coming? The knowledge of the glory of God filling the earth, His Kingdom reign in every nation, a life worshipping Jesus free of sickness, pain and suffering. 



My hope is in Jesus. What is hope to you?


When the world says, "Give up,"Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."

Thursday 24 March 2011

Hosanna,



Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart from what breaks yours,
Everything i am for your Kingdoms cause,
As i walk from nothing to...
 e t e r n i t y.





Sunday 20 March 2011

Getting to know Jesus

Who am i? Who is Jesus?

 
In one of my other posts I said it was important to know who we are, but in order to know who we are, we need to know who Jesus is.
Why? Because we were created for nothing less than to become like Jesus Christ. This has been Gods plan for us right from the beginning!
“Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.” Genesis 1:26
Gods plan was always to fill the earth with people just like His son - for His glory. Therefore Jesus wasn't 'plan B' to make up for the fall of Adam. The plan was always Jesus. You can read right through the bible and see something of Jesus on every page. It really is all about Him.
In Matthew 16:13-19 Jesus asks his disciples "Who do you say I am?" and Simon Peter replies "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." What Jesus says next is the key. He replied "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church." Firstly, it wasn't until Simon Peter acknowledged who Jesus was that he was given the identity of Peter (once he knew who Jesus was, he knew who he was.) Also, Jesus tells him that it is on the revelation of who he is, the Christ - Son of the living God, that He will build His church. Knowing who Jesus is, is the very foundation of our faith. Which is why, in order to be saved, you must; "confess with your mouth "Jesus is Lord" and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead" (Romans 10:9)

So now i've said a little about why we need to know who Jesus is I want to touch on one aspect of who He is. The one aspect that is fundamental in His identity. Jesus Christ.
Funnily enough, 'Christ' wasn't Jesus' last name - it's not just there to sound cool or roll off the tongue better. Christ means 'anointed one'.
Many people just see Jesus as the one who saved us from our sins or as the one who wants a nice relationship with us or who comforts us on our bad days. All of these are completely true, but if we focus on just one of these, we are missing the bigger picture! Jesus didn't come just to save us - if that were true He might as well have taken us up to heaven already! We're here for a purpose and Jesus came to allow us to live out that purpose.
Jesus is more than a prophet. He is more than a teacher. He is more than a good person. He is more than an apostle or a priest. He is more than a pastor or a shepherd.
Jesus is the Christ. Anointed one.
Jesus did everything under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, knowing who had sent Him and what He was sent to do. Luke 4:14-19 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Jesus' calling and anointing were the very centre/core of His identity. You don't read about Jesus having an identity crisis because He knew who He was and He knew what He was here to do. John the baptist told 2 messages about Jesus. (John 1:29-34)
1) "He is the one who takes away the sin of the world." Hallelujah! This is the best news because it was our sin that was preventing us from representing Him fully! But now He has taken away our sins!! However. Too many people stop here. Here is the 2nd message...
2) "He's the one who will baptise you in the Holy Spirit." HALLELUJAH! He didn't just come to deal with sin - He dealt with sin SO THAT He could anoint His people!! Now we can represent Him!

Get what i'm saying? Gods plan is that everyone is under that same anointing - seperated and called out for a special purpose. Everyone anointed to represent Him. Lack of anointing means we don't have the power to represent Him. Jesus was anointed to represent the Father. Jesus has anointed us to represent Him - CHRISTians. Anointed ones.

He knew who He was because He knew who sent Him. We can know who we are because we know who sent us. Get to know Jesus.


"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
2 Corinthians 3:18

Thursday 10 March 2011

Kingdom Living!

I have come to the realisation that applying the Kingdom of God to my life is kind of like organising my wardrobe. This sounds weird so just give me a chance to explain why :)

I have a lot of clothes. So many, that my drawers seem to be breaking from the weight. My clothes get all creased because I have to squash them in. I can rarely be bothered to hang my clothes up once I've tried every item on before leaving the house in the morning, resulting in a pile of clean, creased, unworn clothes at the bottom of my wardrobe. There's no special way that I organise my clothes... which often means that I'll just wear whatever is at the top of the draw. Today, I decided to organise my drawers. So I pulled everything out to fold them neatly and place them nicely in their allocated spaces. It was great! I found clothes that I forgot I even had. They were hidden away in the back of my drawers. I decided to sort my clothes into seasons. Clothes I was likely to wear in the next couple of months (remembering I'm in cold, snowy Canada) were brought to the front of my drawers, and summery clothes were put to the back.
So now I have a tidy chest of drawers and a very nice looking wardrobe. (Could still do with a little more space but it'll do for now.)


So how exactly does this have anything to do with the Kingdom of God?
Firstly, when I talk about the Kingdom of God, i'm talking about the active rule and reign of God – the Kingdom of God is where ever His will is being done. Therefore when I talk about applying the Kingdom of God to my life, I'm applying the principles of His kingdom to every area of my life- allowing Him to reign in me – living by His will, not mine.
We're told in Luke 12:31 and Matthew 6:33 to "seek first the kingdom of God" and Jesus spent his last days with his disciples teaching them about the Kingdom of God - for forty days!! This makes me think that it's pretty important...

So when I was sorting out my wardrobe God spoke to me about some of His kingdom principles that we should work out in our daily lives.

Firstly, we need to get rid of any limits and restrictions. We need to have a greater capacity for more of Him. He always has more for us to grab hold of – just like I can never have enough clothes, we can never have enough of God. As humans, there is only so much our minds can understand. How can we expect to understand the full existence of God in all His glory? We can't. God is revealed to us when our mind stops and the Spirit takes over. The mysteries of the Kingdom are so precious and no matter how much is revealed to us – there is always more to discover!

Secondly, he spoke to me about 'different outfits for different seasons'. God has put deposits in us, gifts and teachings and experiences, that maybe we have forgotten about and pushed to the back of the draw. But at the right time they will be drawn out and brought back to our remembrance. It wouldn't do me any good if I wore my summer clothes in the middle of winter – just like it wouldn't be very effective if I was working with what I have outside of the will of God. The right thing at the wrong time is still the wrong thing. We need to be wise with what we have – attentive to Gods will but at the same time, not neglecting what we do have. Which leads me onto the third thing.

Keeping our clothes in good condition. Matthew 13:1-23 talks about how the word of God is received. It describes seed that is sown in bad soil and good soil. The seed sown in the good soil speaks of “the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”(Matt 13:23) This is how we should be. Not just accepting the word and then neglecting it. But receiving it and understanding it, working it out in our lives – so that when it comes to a season where it's needed, we won't be embarrassed by creased, stained clothes – we can wear what we have with a confidence that it is the best quality.

So to sum up...
  1. Expand your capacity so God can give you more! More of His goodness, more of His love, more of His joy... there is always more!
  2. Have wisdom in knowing what God requires of you now – when we give everything over to Him, he will show us what is right for the right time. Leave it in His hands.
  3. Cultivate the seed you have been given. Don't neglect the wonderful treasures God has given you – spend time exploring them and as you allow the seed to grow, watch it become beautiful, strong and unshakeable.

Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven!

Amen!

Saturday 5 March 2011

Generation Advancing.

Its so exciting to see a generation of young men and women stepping into their true identity, taking hold of whats theres and advancing the Kingdom of God! A generation that were born for such a time as this!
I've only just left youth and already I can see people younger than me overtaking me. This is a generation thats going to surpass any other generation and take the world for Jesus!

"The devil tries to rob us of our identities because he knows that the moment we know who we are, we're unstoppable."

 I can't remember who I got this quote from but it's always stuck with me because it's SO true! Knowing who we are is so important. In Cardiff church they have a phrase; "Its who we are, its what we do." What you do in life is a result of who you are and when you're a child of God life is all the more exciting! So I thought I would put out a list of who God says we are. Maybe after reading it you'll understand why we're "unstoppable" and why the devil has nothing on us.


God has a plan for my life - Jeremiah 29:11
God chose me to be fruitful for Him – John 15:16
Everything – even disaster – can work for good – Romans 8:28
God will guide my steps if I surrender to Him – Proverbs 3:6
God has promised to speak to me – John 10:27
The Holy Spirit will guide me and show me God’s will - John16:13-15
God has promised to complete His plan for my life – Philippians 1:6
I am to be salt on the earth - Mt 5:13
I am to be light in the world - Mt 5:14
I have been given the mind of Christ - 1 Cor 2:16
I'm chosen and appointed to bear fruit - Jn 15:16
I have been crucified with Christ - Gal 2:20
I am called to do the works of Christ - Jn 14:12
I am a new creation - 2 Cor 5:17
I am to do what Christ commanded His disciples - Mt 28:20
I have been made alive with Christ - Eph 2:5
I have been given spiritual authority - Lk 10:19
I am God's workmanship - Eph 2:10
Signs should accompany my work - Mk 16:17-20
I have received fullness in Christ - Col 2:10
I am a minister of a new covenant - 2 Cor 3:6
I am a minister of reconciliation - 2 Cor 5:18,19
I am to be an expression of life in Christ - Col 3:4
I am connected to the true vine - Jn 15:1,5
I am a partaker of a heavenly calling - Heb 3:1
I'm a willing slave of righeousness - Rom 6:18,22
I am a temple of God - 1 Cor 3:16; 6:19
I am one spirit with the Lord - 1 Cor 6:17
I am a member of Christ's body - 1 Cor 12:27

...yeah. and this is only a taster. Read the bible for yourself, there's plenty more in there! We really are the greatest people in the world. If you've made Jesus Lord of your life then this is all about you!

and it's all to glorify God!
Did you know that when God created the earth and everything in it He said it was "good". But when he created man He said it was "very good!" This amazes me because when I think of how much the trees and the sun and the moon and stars and the whole of creation magnify God's glory and then God tells me that I am "very good" - it blows my mind! Your life reveals the glory of GOD better than any other creation!

Take hold of these scriptures and make them your own. Speak them to yourself every day and let 'who you are' become 'what you do'.