Reflections

Reflections and current thoughts on life with my Heavenly Father

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A Sheer Gift

“Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him.  Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way.  Then you’ll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want.”  (1 Peter 4:1-2)

 When suffering comes your way, and inevitably it will for all of us, more often than we would like, how do you react? Do you complain and whine to your fellow man and God, or do you accept it as a part of life and maybe even a good thing?

 The Bible talks so much about this thing called suffering.  It is something none of us can escape.  The Word promises, “In this world you will have tribulation.”  We live in a messed up, sinful world, therefore messed up things will happen. Dirt will hit the fan.

 Knowing that we cannot escape it, we must learn to look at it differently.  We need to see suffering as Jesus did.  He endured it because He knew the joy waiting for Him on the other side of the pain.

 I love how the Message says this.  “Think of your suffering as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way.”  How true this is.  Isn’t that really the root of our frustration and anger when things don’t go our way?

 Suffering shows us we’re not in control, God is.  Suffering changes us for the better, making us more patient and more aware of others.   Suffering draws us closer to the heart of the Father, because it is in those times that we realize our desperate need of Him.

 But those sufferings will only change us, for the better as we put our trust in God’s goodness and His plan for our lives, even in the difficult times.  We must believe, “He always has a plan for good.”

 If you allow those difficulties to have their way in your life, never taking your eyes off of the Lord, they will turn around for your good.

“You will be enabled to live out your life free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want.”

 I don’t know about you, but I often feel tyrannized by what I want. I want comfort.  I want to live pain free.  I want everything to go my way, and it’s because of these desires, that I often miss out on all the great things God has for me.

 So, “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all side … Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.”  (James 1:2-4 The Message)

 #suffering #asheergift #purejoy

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Known By Love

“God is love.  When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us.” (1 John 4:16 The Message)

 If we claim to be children of God, the main thing that should set us apart from the world is not our lack of sin, but the way that we love others. First and foremost, that is who God is – a lover.  The entire gospel can be summed up in “for God so loved.”  That is why He did what He did in sending His son to this earth to die for us, as messed up as we are.  Why else would he suffer so, except that He loves us so desperately?

 If we claim to belong to Him, then that is how we must live – as a lover, loving Him and loving others.  Do you remember the song from the eighties?  They will know we are Christians by our love.  It really is true.  God says to us, “If anyone boasts, ‘I love God,’ and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar.  If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see?”  (1 John 4:20 The Message)

 Those are strong words.  If we truly belong to Him, His love should fill us and flow through us. And yet, I know, we sometimes struggle with this.  It’s not always easy to love people.  Most of us have someone in our lives that rubs us the wrong way.  We may not necessarily hate them, but we have a hard time liking them.  We may find ourselves becoming easily irritated with them or speaking negatively about them to others.  

 How can we overcome?  How can we become ones who are known by love?  How do we take up permanent residence in a life of love?  How do we go from being easily irritated by others to a place where “love covers a multitude of sins?”  

As I’ve said many times before, what we really need, more than any other thing, is a revelation of His love.  We must “know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you might be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19 NIV) If we are struggling in the area of loving others, it probably comes down to the fact that we really don’t have a full revelation of His great love for us.

 We need to think on His love often.  We need to ask Him to give us awareness and an understanding of His love. We need to look at our own brokenness and sin, which God willingly and fully pardoned.  When you think about it, His love is incredible.  That He could love me, as sinful as I am, amazes me.  

 When we realize how much we are loved, how much God has forgiven us, it’s much easier to love others.  When we realize the worth God the Father put on us, by sending His son to die for us, we come to see that all are precious in His sight.  He died for all.  He loved all – the entire world.  Everyone is unique, loved and created in His image.

 I believe it hurts God when we come against those whom He created. Kris Vallotton shared some wisdom on Facebook, some things He has learned in His time working with Bill Johnson.  He says, “Look for the good in people and focus on their goodness, not their flaws. Never speak negatively of anyone. Honor and celebrate all different kinds of people, regardless if you agree with them or not.”  These two statements really convicted me.

It’s very easy to look at people’s flaws. It’s easy to speak negatively of others. It’s easy to get irritated by others who are different from us.  That is because God created us all unique.  We are not the same.  We don’t think the same.  We don’t act the same.  We were all raised differently.  I guess that’s what makes life interesting.

 We must not expect everyone to be or think like us, instead we need to celebrate each other’s differences.  We need to focus on the good in others, not the flaws. Believe me, I need to be reminded of this as much as anyone.  This is something I struggle with, as I’m sure most of us do.

 “Lord we ask you for a greater revelation of Your love for us.  We desperately desire to know its height, depth, width and length.  We long to be so filled with Your love that we can’t help but love others.  We yearn to be known as ones who love.  We want to bring Your love to everyone we meet and everyone we live with, day in and day out.  May Your great love be shed abroad in our hearts.”

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Simply Love

 “The whole point of what we’re urging is simply love – love uncontaminated by self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God.” (1 Timothy 5:7 The Message)

In this verse Paul is talking to Timothy about men coming into the church and teaching false doctrines.  These men were speaking about myths and genealogies that had no basis in the Word. Paul said all this does is promote controversies and arguments.  And that, my friend, is not the heart of God.

 He said, “Yes, what you believe is important, but really the gospel comes down to one thing, ultimately, and that is love – “simply love.” 

 We need to get back to the simplicity of the gospel.

 My daughter, Amy, had a speaker who spoke at her YWAM.  He said to them this same thing.  “The gospel, Christianity, is all about love.  Love God, love yourself and love others.”  He said, “That’s all you need to know.  You can pack your bags, get your money back and go home.  Just love. Be loved and give love.  Simple.”

 Without love, the Bible says, everything we do for God and others, no matter how great, is meaningless.  Yes, we need to know what we believe.  I’m not negating that.  But let’s not make it all about that.  Let’s not get into arguments with one another about what we believe.  Let’s be a church – unified.  One body.  One Spirit. One heart.  Full of love for God and our fellow man.

 If love is the foundation, I assure you, everything else will fall into place.  Every doctrine, every thing in the Word, will be seen through the lens of love.

 If you know you are loved by God, you will love Him in return and you will love those around you.  That love is what will “draw all men” to Him and give you the opportunity to share the “reason for the hope that is in you.”

 I love how this verse states, “love uncontaminated by self-interest.” Love is not love that thinks of what “I” can get out of it.  Love is unconditional on the person receiving it or their response to it.

 Paul also describes it as “love uncontaminated by counterfeit faith.” Love is not something you can fake. Love is received and given by faith in God’s great love for you.  Sometimes we cannot see it or feel it, but we must still believe, by faith, that we have it, according to what He’s done for us.  

 As you think on all He’s done for you, you cannot help but be filled with His love.  I could go on and on about the love of God, and I’ve talked about this subject many times, but let’s just say – His love is so wide, so high, so long and so deep. It’s beyond human comprehension. That’s how big it is.  His love in unconditional on what I do or don’t do. His love is amazing!  Someone should make a song about that!

 That’s what it’s all about!  May we know that we are loved, so we can be filled with His love, so that we can give that love away.  That’s the gospel right there, pure and simple.  Simply love!

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Where My Strength Comes From

“Your strength comes from God’s grace, not from rules ...” (Hebrews 13:9 NLT)

Many see Christianity as a religion of dos and don’ts, but that is not how God sees it.  We are not better persons, in God’s eyes, by keeping rules and laws. That is not the thing that makes us strong.

Christianity is not about what we do, but about what He did.  It’s about His grace. His love was and is poured out on a world that in no way deserves it.  Not even one.  And yet He loves us so much that He freely and willingly gave up everything for us.  He poured out His grace at the cross and continues to pour it out.  

His love is beyond human understanding.  The glorious fact that He loves me as I am, in my sin, in my failure, in my weakness, is an amazing truth!  That’s where my strength comes from.  That is where my ability to love Him, serve Him and live for others comes from.

Trying to live by rules does not work.  We’ve all tried that and know that it does not work.  We can only live as we were meant to live by His incredible grace.  We are meant to be filled by Him so that “our cup runneth over.”  We are meant to know His love “so that we might be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Unless we are fully filled by His love and grace, than it will be an “impossibility” to live as we ought.  We don’t have the strength.  We don’t have what it takes.

We desperately need Him.

The beautiful thing is that God is eagerly ready and waiting to pour it out on us. His amazing grace!  It’s free.  We just have to receive it!

Lord would you give us a revelation of Your incredible grace.  May we not take it for granted. Enable us to see your grace at work every day and every moment of our lives, so that we would be strengthened to be all you’ve called us to be.  Thank you for Your amazing love.

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If You Can

“But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “If you can?” said Jesus.  “Everything is possible for one who believes.”  Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.”  (Mark 9:22-24)

 Do you believe?  The HE can?  The HE can heal you?  That HE has the solution for whatever you are going through?  That HE is with you?  That HE is for you?  That there is hope – when you look to HIM?

The great I AM.

Let’s be honest.  Sometimes it’s hard to believe – to have faith.  When we look at the world around us - the sickness, the pain and the lack.  When it seems like our prayers bounce of off Heaven’s gates.  When we see loved ones, God’s own children, struggling under the oppression of the enemy.

 It’s hard to understand.

 It’s hard to believe.

 Yes I know.  We BELIEVE God can do it.

 But do we believe, He wants to do i?  He wills to do it?  For us?  For our loved ones?

 When the man came to Jesus and said, “If you can help us, please do.”  Jesus response was, “If you can?  Everything is possible for one who believes.” 

Jesus was saying, “Of course I can, but you must believe.”

 May the Lord help us overcome our unbelief.

 Let’s declare afresh our trust in Almighty God.

 “Lord we believe.  That You are able.  You are powerful.  You are willing and You are good.  We trust you to reach down into our circumstance today, to bring healing, deliverance, hope and life.  We will continue to stand firm in believing, no matter what the circumstance may look like. We will trust in You.  We will believe.”

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Holding on to Hope

 “I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”  (Psalm 40:1,2)

There was a time in my life where I went through a period of hopelessness and anxiety.  It seemed like a pit I would never pull out of.  I struggled off and on with this for four years.  Four years of fear and never knowing when I would be hit with a panic attack.

Over and over, I cried out to God for intervention.  People all over were praying for me.  My husband was trying to encourage me, but nothing seemed to work.  I couldn’t seem to get out of the pit I was in.

 It wasn’t until my point of absolute desperation that God came through.  But He did!  God allowed me to go through that and brought me out a much stronger person for it.  

I was at the place where I was ready to try anti-depressants to cope, but then God opened the door for me to receive healing through prayer and counsel. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying anti-depressants are bad, but I am thankful that God brought healing before that point.

 He is so good!  I can tell you that no matter what you are going through, it is not forever!  Breakthrough is coming if you will continue to cry out to God and look to Him!  He is the one who heals.  He is the one who delivers!

 Don’t give up.  He hears every cry, every prayer.  Your prayers are powerful and at the perfect time, He will come through for you.  He will not forsake you.  He has not forsaken you.

This is His promise to us:

“Weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.”  (Psalm 30:5)

 Believe it or not, God knows when enough is enough.  He knows what you can handle.  He promised to not give us more than we can handle.  We must grab hold of that promise and remember that those struggles are producing in us “perseverance, character and hope.” (Romans 5:4)

 I would encourage you, in the midst of your struggles, to fix your eyes on Him.  Keep trusting, keep hoping and keep believing.  Think on those things He has done for you in the past. Recall the miracles.  Remember how he has always provided for you, protected you and been with you.   Think on His goodness, His faithfulness, His compassion, His love.

 Do not allow the enemy to tell you there is no hope.  I’m here to tell you, “There is.  There is always hope.  In Him,”

 He is faithful to the end and He will never ever forsake you.  Your breakthrough is coming.  In His perfect time.

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Cease Striving

“Cease striving and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. “ (Psalm 46:10 NASB)

 We all strive for things in life.  We strive to fit in, to be loved, to be liked.  We strive for things, for possessions, which we think will bring us happiness.  As believers, we even strive to be accepted by our Heavenly Father.  We strive to be the kind of persons we think will please Him.

 We all long to be accepted, to be loved and well spoken of. That is an innate desire in every one of us.  That is something that God has put in us.  It’s a God given desire and is in truth a good thing.

 The problem is that, most often, we strive for the wrong things and the wrong persons.  People and things will never satisfy.  They will never really bring us what we truly need and long for.  This kind of striving only leaves us empty.  Ironically, even striving for God’s approval and love will leave us wanting and frustrated.  We were not made for striving. We were made for rest.

 Most of us have heard Psalm 46:10 translated as “Be still and know that I am God.”  But recently I read it translated in the NASB version, “Cease striving and know that I am God.”  This was such a revelation for me.

 So often we strive to see the promises of God fulfilled in our lives, thinking that if we would just pray more or do more or be more, that God would give us what we desire and need, when the truth is that God is already expectantly waiting to freely give us those things.

 If truth be told, we don’t receive from God because we’re good enough, but because He is good!!

 Our problem is not that of not trying hard enough or reaching far enough, but instead, it is that of not believing, not waiting and not trusting that we don’t have to do anything but believe.  It’s our faith that moves the mountains.  It’s our faith that moves His hands.

 “Who through faith and patience inherit the promises of God.” (Hebrews 6:12)

 We receive His promises through faith, but patience is also extremely important - waiting, resting and believing for our Due Time, our Suddenly, His perfect timing.  It will come, in His way and in His time, but we must stop striving for it.  We must believe.  We must “Be still and know that He is God.”  

 He is the great I AM.  Everything we need is found in Him.  He is the Good Father, who delights in giving us good things.  He is our protector, our provider, our healer, our everything. Absolutely everything we need is found in Him – the Fountain of Life.

 So may we wait on Him.

May we cease our strivings

May we know, that we know, that we know,

That He is God!

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God is calling

I don’t care who you are. God the Father is calling you.  He is calling you into a relationship of love. He is calling you to see His goodness, His love and His faithfulness to humanity.  

 Many look at the state of the world and think that God must not care. Many look at the hurts of life and think God must be indifferent.  Sometimes it may seem that way, but the truth is the exact opposite.  God cares more about you than you could ever fathom.

 He cares what goes on in this world.  He sees the hurt, the turmoil and the pain – and His heart hurts. He grieves at where humanity is heading. He is saddened by our pain.

 He cares!  He really does.  He reached out to us, to lift us out of the mess we’ve made.  He sent His Son to die for every pain, every sin and every sorrow. He longs to take hold of us to bring us life, hope and a future.

 But God will not force Himself on us.  He offers everyone on the earth this free gift of life and love, but He will not coerce us to take it.  It’s a gift – a gift of grace, one that we must take.  

 He is calling all of us.  Do you hear him?  He speaks loud and clear.  The Bible says that none of us are without excuse.  He speaks through creation, through the wind, through the stars and the galaxies, through the complexities of the human body, through the way the world is held together.  All of creation cries out His name.  All of creation declares that there is a God.

 How do I know that God loves us?  Because He didn’t leave us in the mess we are in.  He could have left humanity to its own devices.  He could have said, “Sorry, you messed up.  You disobeyed me and now you will have to suffer the consequences.  Tough luck.”

 Yes, there are consequences for our sin.  And that is what we see in the world now.  That is why things are so screwed up.  All the evil, the sin and the sickness is the result of a world that has said “No” to God.  We don’t want you.  We don’t need you. We’re fine without you. We don’t even believe you exist.

 And yet when things go wrong, the first person people want to blame is God.  It’s so ironic.  People say God is not real and yet at the same time want to blame him for the mess we are in.

 The mess we are in is not God’s fault.  It’s our fault for not letting Him be a part of our lives; for allowing the Enemy -the Devil, to have his way.  When we don’t allow God to have His way, we are virtually allowing the devil to have his.

 What is the devil’s way?  His way is sin, sorrow, pain, sickness and evil.  The enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy.  But God comes to bring life and life abundant.  Every good thing in our lives comes from God.  He is a good Father and He wants to bless us with life and hope and peace.

 Who will you choose?  What will you choose?  Will you say yes to God?  Yes to life and hope?  No, God won’t fix everything for you.  Having God in your life does not mean you will have no pain.  But He will be with you in the pain.

 He does promise that in the end all will be made right - If not in this life, then in the life to come.  He gives us a hope and a future!  I am so thankful for that.  Honestly, with where the world is right now, I would be so stressed without God.  He gives me hope.  He really does.  

 He speaks to me.  He comforts me.  He blesses me.  His presence goes with me.  He gives me something to look forward to.  I am so thankful for His great love.

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.” (John 3:16 The Message)

Do I really believer this stuff?  Yes I do.  A resounding yes!

 I have experienced God.  I have seen Him move.  I have seen Him change lives.  I have seen Him do miracles.  I have heard His voice.  He is real. So real.  Whether you believe it or not, “He is coming soon and His reward is with Him.”

 Will you say yes to Him, before it’s too late?  He is calling you.

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The People Who Know Their God

“The people who know their God shall be strong and do exploits.”  (Daniel 11:32)

 Who of us does not desire to be strong and do exploits?  We all have a longing inside of us to make a difference, to live for greatness.  We were made for more than this.  We were made for greater works.

 We were not made to just get through day by day, go to work, come home, watch TV, check our smart phones, go to bed and do it all over again. And yet, that is how many live.  

 Living like this does not satisfy.  We will not be satisfied until our lives are making a difference, until we are doing what we were created for.

 We talk about it, dream about it, but never seem to do anything about it.  We procrastinate and think, “I’ll do something tomorrow.  I’ll do something when I’m sure I have everything inside of me to do it.  I’ll wait till I hear God speak audibly to me and so on.”  Excuse after excuse.

 I’m no different.  Believe me. I have my fears, my doubts and my excuses.  

 But at some point, if we want to walk in the joy and fulfillment for which God created us to walk in, we have to act.  

 How do we do that?  How do get past the excuses, the procrastination, and the feelings of inadequacy, the fears and doubts?

 The key is to “Know our God.”  

 Daniel, who was a man who most definitely knew his God, told us that this is what will enable us to do great exploits.  Daniel was a man of wisdom, a man who heard the voice of God and a man of prayer.  

 Because he knew his God he continued to pray even though that meant death. He was not afraid of the lion’s den because he knew that God was with him and would rescue him.  He had this confidence because he had an intimate relationship with God.

 “People who know God have the courage and strength to do his will even thought the whole world be against them and everybody around them be giving into sin.” (Bible.org)

 I love this.  O how we desperately need this as a people of God in this day and age.  There is a lot of sin going on around us and we need to have courage to stand against it and not be intimidated into silence.  

 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego also knew God.  Because of this they had the courage to stand firm and not bow down to the gods of their day.  Even in the face of death, they stood their ground.  They knew that God was worth it, that He was with them and could easily deliver them from death.  

 “They knew an all-powerful God who was able to deliver them.” (Bible.org)

 And yet they said, even if God does not deliver us from death, we will still obey Him.  We would rather be thrown into a fiery furnace than deny our God.  Wow!  That’s faith. That’s devotion.

Hosea 6:3 says, “Let us press on to know the Lord.”  We must press on.  What does this mean?  It means don’t give up, don’t give up, do not give up.  Keep pursuing God. Keep in His word.  Keep in His presence.

 The more you know Him and the more you know His love and His heart, the more courage you will have to step out like Daniel, like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

 “People today who truly know God have the same degree of courage and strength.  They stand for righteousness, oppose wickedness, endure persecution when necessary, triumph through suffering and accomplish great things for God’s glory.” (Bible.org)

 So let us press on.  Let us press on to know the Lord.  

 I want to know you Lord, who you are, what you’re about, your thoughts, your heart and your ways.  I press on to know you.

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Relentless Pursuit

Jesus is and was relentless in His pursuit of the Bride. He gave up absolutely everything for us, even His very life. The Bible says, “He emptied Himself and became a servant," serving us, healing us and loving us unconditionally. Jesus did all that for us, knowing that most would reject Him. He loved us while we were unlovely. He loved us while we were mired in sin. He loved us, not because we deserved it in anyway, but because He loves us. It’s that simple! God loves us! He created us, He fashioned us into His very image and He thinks we are lovely. His very act of laying down His life shows the worth He gives to us, the desire He has to enter into relationship with us.

It’s so frustrating to hear people say that God is not good. If God is so good then why do so many bad things happen in the world? Why does He not intervene? The truth is, He did. Two thousand years ago. He intervened so that we could have life and have it abundantly. He intervened so that we could have the hope of eternal life and He freely and generously offers this gift of eternal life to “ALL” who will take it.

So don’t say that God is not good. He is. More than you can ever imagine. He has such incredible things in store for those who will receive it. It’s that simple. As simple as saying, “Yes Lord, I give you my life and I receive your free offer of salvation.” In exchange He gives to us life abundant, hope for the future and joy unspeakable.

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

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Audience of One

“You will stand before the Audience of One,” Marcus said.  “Man’s opinions of you will not matter to you then. Knowing that, why do they matter so much to you now?” (Edge of Eternity by Randy Alcorn)

Recently I read this novel called Edge of Eternity.  It’s an allegory about the journey of life – the choosing between an eternity with God or an eternity without Him.  At one point, in the book, the main character meets a man on the path who doesn’t know the way to Charis (Heaven), and who is going the wrong way. Just as we often do, he makes excuses in his mind about why he won’t come right out and tell him how to get on the right path.

 “What would Bluecoat think of me if I questioned his direction? Would he be insulted as some other had been?  Would he think me a fanatic?  Perhaps just by being friendly I could be a good example.  I might dispel any of his negative impressions of chasm-crossers.”

 Does this sound familiar?  If it doesn’t, that’s awesome, but I know for me, this is all too familiar thinking.  I want to tell people about the great gift offered them by the Creator of the world. I want to speak of His amazing love. I want to share with them the way to the path of life.  But often, excuses hold me back.  Fear of man gets in the way.  And when you think about it, it’s truly silly and sad at the same time.

When we stand before the Father, what He thinks will be the only thing that matters.

So many are heading to an eternity without hope and life. So many, are headed towards destruction.  And we know the “secret.”  We know the way.  And yet, most of us, myself included, are afraid to tell them.  We’re afraid of what they will think.

O God, help us.  Change our mindsets.  Help us to see people as You see them.  Help us to love.  Help us to care more for your opinion, than the opinions of the world.  Give us perspective.  Let us see that we have the greatest gift ever given at our disposal. Let us not be afraid or ashamed in any way to share this great news with the people who so desperately need it.

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The Fruit Of Our Lips

“From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things,” (Proverbs 12:14a)

 Do you desire to have good things in your life?  Things such as favour, blessing, provision, health, strength and so on?  Of course you do!  Don’t we all?

 God, our Father longs to give us these good things.  In fact, every good thing in our life comes from the hand of God.  He is a good Father and He has so much to give us.

 In Psalm 103, David encourages us to not forget His benefits.  He is the God “who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems you life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

 Are you seeing the fruit of God’s goodness in your life?  Are you walking in the fullness of the benefits He’s holding out to you?  Are you living a life of blessing and favour and strength?

 If not, then you must ask yourself why?  Why does life seem like such a struggle?  Why do I have no peace?  Why do “bad” things seem to keep happening to me on a regular basis?

 This verse in Proverbs 12:14 gives us good insight into this.  Our words are important.  “It is by the fruit of our lips that we are filled with good things.”  God longs to bless us and pour good things in to our lives, but if we are constantly speaking out negative declarations, than those blessings have a difficult time getting to us.

 The Bible says we reap what we sow.  This is true, in every area of our life.  Our words are extremely powerful, and we reap what we sow with our words.  If we constantly speak negative things, than I believe we will reap a harvest of negativity.  The more negativity we sow, the greater the harvest.

 If we speak life-giving words – blessing, encouragement, the promises of God, then we will begin to see the harvest of those things in our life.  We may not see those things immediately, but we will see them. 

 You know that when you plant a seed in the ground, there is a time of waiting for the harvest to come.  There is a season where no fruit can be seen.  But as that seed is watered by faith, as we patiently wait, we will eventually see the harvest.

 “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Hebrews 6:12)

 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

 If you have been living a life of negativity and you want things to change, begin to speak life.  Refuse to allow words of negativity to come from your mouth, instead speak the truth of God’s word.  Declare the promises of God over your life, and hang on.  Things may not turn around immediately, but they will.  I promise you.

 As you continue to persevere in this and not give up, you will see the harvest come.  You will see God pour out His blessing, His goodness, His provision, His strength and His healing on your life. 

 Let us refuse to agree with the negative things the enemy offers us.  By faith lets us take hold of the promises of God and begin to speak those over our lives, until we see the fruit of those words. 

 “We need your help in this Lord.  It is just so easy to speak out negative things constantly.  It is easier to speak words of worry, sickness, lack and anger, than it is to speak the promises of your Word.  Your word is truth.  Help us to know your truth and speak it out in the trials of life, so that we can live a life of breakthrough.”

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Our Greatest Need

Last night, I was having a time of seeking God’s face and I was crying out desperately for more of Him, for more of His Spirit.  So often I feel like there’s more - something that I am missing.  I read of the lives of great revivalists and their stories of being baptized in the Spirit and I think, “Wow, I’ve never encountered God like that.  (The encounters that they had with God were extreme.) I need more.”

 I often think in order to move out into the things God has called me to, which can seem overwhelming, that I just need more.  I need to encounter Him first, hear Him speak, whatever that looks like. (Not that I haven’t encountered Him, but I just felt like there is so much more.)

 But God stopped me in my tracks and asked me to lay that down.  To surrender to Him my need of that.  To serve Him even if I never experience that.  In fact, He said that even if I didn’t feel anything, that doesn’t mean He is not there.  He said that everything I need is inside of me.

 He brought me to the verse, Ephesians 3:19 which says, May you “know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

 God showed me, while I was crying out for more of His Spirit, that what I really needed – what we all need – is, not more power or anointing (first and foremost), but a “revelation of His great love for us.”  For it is through this “revelation” that we are “filled to the measure” of “all the fullness of God.”

 Do you want all of God?  Do you desire to walk in the fullness of all He’s called you to?  Do you long to be like Him in every way?  Then what you need, what I need, is to “know His love.”

 Yes, according to His word, this love is beyond human understanding, but God would not have told us to seek it and know it if were not possible to comprehend it.  We cannot understand it with human thoughts, but through our spirits.

 He longs to make His love known to us, for He desires all to be “filled to the measure of His fullness.”  That is what will change us and as a result, change the world around us. 

 When we are filled to the measure it means there is room for nothing else – not sin, not pride, not selfishness, not lust, not anger or fear.  Are these things you struggle with?  I know I do.  That is why we need a revelation of His love in our lives.  If we are so filled with His love, those things will have no place in us.

 “Perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4:18)  (Among other things.) 

 When we are filled with His love, we have ALL of Him - the fullness of God!

 Recently I watched the movie Raggamuffin,which is about the life of Rich Mullins. (What an inspiring movie!)  In that movie, Brennan Manning says, “I am utterly convinced that on judgment day, the Lord Jesus will ask one question and only one question: Did you believe that I loved you?”

 At first I didn’t know what to think of this.  But God is giving me this revelation of my desperate need to know His love.  Without it, I am just going through the motions.  Without it, I will have no true impact.  Without it, I will continue to struggle with sin, lack of joy and fear.

 “His love is better than life.” (Psalm 63:3)

 There is so much more I could say, but I’ll end with this quote.  I don’t think it can be said any better than this.

 Brennan Manning said, in His book – Abba’s Child, “Define yourself radically as one loved by God.  This is the true self.  Every other identity is illusion.”

 “God, would you give us a revelation of your love, that we might be filled, fully and completely by you?  We know that this is our deepest need and the only thing that will truly cause us to be all you’ve called us to be. We are desperate for it.  Come Lord and make your love known.”

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My Exceedingly Great Reward

“Lord, save me by your power from those whose reward in in this life.”  (Psalm 17:14 NCV)

How many of us in the church live as if our reward is in this life?  Unfortunately, many of us do.  If we live primarily for the rewards of this earth, then we will miss out on so much.  If we strive for the praise of men, then we will miss out on the praise of Heaven.  If we live solely for the riches of earth, we will miss out on the treasures of Heaven.

 Jesus said we can either store up our treasures on earth, which will one day be destroyed and forgotten, or we can live to store up treasures in heaven. 

 How do we do that?

 We do everything we do, word and deed, for Him, working with all our might, knowing that “from the Lord we will receive our reward.” (Colossians 3:23)  

We look not to man or money for reward or praise, but to the Lord Himself. 

 The Lord said to Abraham, “I am your exceedingly great reward.”  Not just “your” reward or “a” reward, but “your exceedingly great reward!”

  The Lord called Abraham to give up his home, his family and possessions and follow him to a place unknown.  Abraham did so willingly, for he knew that God truly was his “exceedingly great reward.”  He knew that as long as He had the Lord, he had “everything.”

 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for my sake and the gospel’s sake but that he will receive a hundred times more.”  (Mark 10:29-30) 

 What are you “willing” to give up for His sake and for the sake of the gospel?  If he asked you, like Abraham, to leave everything and everyone behind and follow Him to a place of uncertainty, would you go? 

 Is He your “exceedingly great reward?”  Does your heart beat for Him and His ways or do you get way more excited about possessions, clothes, cars, food, hockey, football, vacations, entertainment or pleasure?

 I just read an article about Facebook and how much time we spend on it, in comparison to how much time we spend in the Word and pursuit of God.  Social media has taken over our lives.  We need to get our priorities and hearts back to the right place.  We must see Him for the treasure He is.

 Paul said, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:8 NIV) 

Paul was saying, “Nothing else even comes close, not the greatest treasure this world could offer, to The treasure, The prize, The exceeding great reward of Christ Himself.” 

 He is the one we press on for.  He is the reason we live.  All glory, honour and praise belong to Him and Him alone.  When we have Him, we have everything.  He is worth giving all for; leaving all for. 

 Let us press on for the prize that awaits those who have fully given their hearts and lives to Him. 

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Unshakable Faith

In an interview, Bill Johnson was posed the question, “Do you ever have doubts about God’s nature or existence?”  I love his response.  He says, “Those are things I don’t deal with any more.  The reality of God in my life is so strong that if I doubted his existence I’d have to doubt mine.  It would make no sense.  It’s a foolish thought to entertain.”

 I know that many, Christians included, cannot make such a statement.  Many struggle at times with doubts about the existence of God.  In the midst of difficulties, when it seems as if God is vacant, it’s easy to doubt.  It the midst of our cries for His help, when it seems all of heaven is silent, we can easily doubt that He really cares.  In the midst of the wilderness, where we struggle to hear His voice or connect with His heart, we can often wonder if He is really there.

 When we cannot see something with our physical eyes, as humans, we tend to doubt it.  But God has called us to live a life of faith.  Faith means believing in something that we cannot see in the natural.  It is to believe and trust, beyond a shadow of a doubt, in something beyond fleshly sight. 

 Faith in the unseen.  This is the kind of faith we are called to.  Most of us will never see God with our outward eyes until He calls us to Heaven.  Most of us will never hear the audible voice of God until that day we, hopefully, hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  But having said that, I believe God wants to encounter us so much more than we realize.  He wants us to encounter Him - His presence, His love, His goodness and His voice.  There is so much He longs to give us.  It’s being offered to everyone of us. 

I think for the most part, the problem is that we are not taking the time to listen or to wait in His presence.  We are so sidetracked by the distractions of the world around us that it has become difficult to hear His voice, feel His presence or see His goodness.

I believe if we will just look - we will see and we will hear.  We need to set aside the distractions around us, and take the time to be with Him, reading His word, praying and listening to His heart.  He has something to say.  He is longing to spend time with us and show us “great and mighty things.”

 His evidence is all around us.  Everywhere  We just need to look.  His evidence is in creation, in how He meets our needs, how He blesses us each and everyday, in how He gives us wisdom and strength. 

If we would make a daily effort to live a life of gratefulness, to look and see where He is working and to take the time to be with Him to hear what He is saying, to wait in His presence, then I believe we too, will be able to say, “The reality of God is so strong in my life, that if I doubted His existence, I would have to doubt mine.”

 Even with the struggles, the pain, the times of wilderness and the seemingly unanswered prayers, while we wait for the “perfect timing” of God, we can put our trust in Him.  We can be in the place that we never doubt His existence, because He is so real to us. 

 Lord, would you give us that kind of faith?  The kind of faith that does not doubt your existence or your goodness.  May we encounter your presence, your voice and your love every day of our lives.  May we take the time to look, to keep our eyes on you and to see you at work, both in our lives and in the world around us.

 For those who do not know you as Lord and Saviour, may they this day encounter you.  Show them that you are real, that you are good and that you have great things in store for them as they put their life in your hands. 

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Safe in The Father’s Hand

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”  (John 10:28-29)

 I believe that we can know that we have eternal life.  The Word of God says so.  We can rest in God’s ability to keep us firmly rooted in Him until the end.  “For I know whom I have believed in and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed to Him against that day.”

 Our salvation begins by putting our faith and trust in what Jesus did for us on the cross.  Salvation does not come by works.  Being good enough or doing good things all our life will not get us into Heaven.  Going to church, being born in a Christian home will not insure us eternal life.

 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no man can boast.”  (Ephesians 2:89)

 It’s because of His grace that we are saved.  He offers us this way to pass from death to life.  He offers us abundant life, hope and the assurance of a home with Him forever.  It’s a gift.  Freely offered to all who will receive it.

 We cannot earn it.  We will never deserve it.  We will never be good enough for it.  And yet, God freely offers it.  His desire is that all will receive this gift by turning from their sin to the forgiveness and life He offers.  God gave up his most prized possession so we could take hold of this eternal life, His very Son.

 I know some believe we can lose our salvation, but I have a really difficult time with that.  I believe that if you truly put your trust in Him, if you truly received His forgiveness and put your life in His hands, then you will firmly stay in that place.  His word says that we belong to Him and “nothing can pluck us from His hands.”

 We know that when we put our trust in Christ for salvation, then we become a child of God.  We are adopted into His family.  We are “born again.”  Can one who is born be unborn?  As a parent, can your child ever stop being your child?  No, in fact, even if they were to go through a season of total rejection to you as a parent, they would never cease to be your child.

 Salvation, as I stated, comes through grace, not works, so why would we think that after we are saved that our works could still save us or our lack of works or obedience could cause him to disown us?  What kind of salvation would that be?

 Our salvation is not dependent upon us and never will be.  Thank goodness or none of us would make it to heaven.  It is His blood that covers our sin and makes us right before the Father in heaven.    I am trusting in His ability to keep me.

 I am so thankful for His grace.  “He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever.  He does not treat us as our sins deserve.” (Psalm 103:8-10)  Having said that though, His grace is not an excuse to live however we please, knowing that He’s going to forgive us anyways.

 God wants us to live holy lives.  He said, “The sacrifices He requires are that of a broken and a contrite spirit.” (Psalm 51:17)  We must live in a place of sensitivity to sin, a place of repentance and confession and of keeping our hearts right with Him at all times.

 His grace and His great love and mercy should be motivation to keep us in that place.  We cannot do this on our own.  We need Him desperately.  We need to continually be filled with the Spirit of God.  He is the one who convicts us of sin and gives us the strength to do what is right. 

 He is also the one who communes with our spirits and gives us the assurance that we belong to Him, causing our hearts to cry out, “ABBA FATHER.”  We can have that confidence that we are one of His.  His precious child held safe and secure in His powerful, mighty and loving hands!  Enabled to boldly approach the throne of the most high God to find grace and help in time of need. 

(I know that this is a bit of a controversial subject and I am not trying to create controversy.  This is just a strong conviction for me and anyone has the right to disagree with me on this subject.)