Archive for January, 2007
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30
Jan
2007
Holding Hands
Have you ever held someone by the hand, i’m not talking about marital posture, but rather about holding hands with someone in need, someone without hope, someone who feels they have no future. Today I want to encourage to look out for someone in need, someone who needs a friend, someone who you can influence and help and see brought closer to God. God is looking for people who will carry people to Him, today my question is simple who are you holding hands with or carrying to God?
I hope and pray your answer is not ‘No-One’
29
Jan
2007
Free as a Kite!
I had a great weekend away with Amy, the kids and a good crowd of close friends! It was Great just to get time away with the people that we love the most, I enjoyed the fact that we had set aside a weekend to go away but we had no plans or programs to fulfil, so walking, drinking coffee, playing games, lighting fires and lazing about was the general agenda every day.
January has been a Very Busy month, pretty stressful at times, but I feel refreshed and feel ready to take on another month (in fact maybe even the whole year), and to be honest I feel totally clear headed looking into February. My goal for the weekend was to create space, to empty out the stress and to soak in God, and I think I did a good job at accomplishing that.
On Saturday I enjoyed watching some of the guys fly kites on the beach, as I watched the kites blow to and fro, without ant sense of direction I began to see God show me the importance for me not to depend on direction and security but rather on the source. The Kite blows because its source is the wind, but it doesn’t depend on a direction or a secure path and while in life these things are good, I was Glad to grasp that truth, as I’ve needed to hear wisdom like that for a while, today if You feel your life is going everywhere or maybe nowhere, don’t worry, as long as Your source is God, everything will be ok! (By ok I mean God will be in control and when He’s in control He can do the worrying)
Later on we went on the journey to find a chippy as the kids were getting hungry, I learned yet again that depending on signposts for direction can get you lost (especially in Donegal) So an unnamed friend and me spend a good hour Lost (and we didn’t even have our mobile phones), we weren’t worried that we were lost (unfortunately those at home were) but in a way it sort of proved my Learning from the kites that the direction and security aren’t always the most important thing, its just knowing that the source You depend on will get you through your trial. Today Let God Control Your Life,
Let Go and Be Free!
25
Jan
2007
One of you shall betray me…
In matthew ch.26 we read about the passover that is now known as the Last Passover – the one prior to Jesus arrest, Jesus Spreads the word for the disciples to come together for His time is at hand. This feast is hours after Judas got paid 30 pieces of Silver to deliver Jesus into the hands of the high priests. Jesus at the passover said that ‘One of you shall betray me’, as if that weren’t enough to make it hard for the disciples to swallow their food, Jesus then said “Woe unto that man through whom the son of Man is betrayed! Good were it for that man if He had not been born“
Those are pretty Scary words to be said, especially at a passover meal, In Matthews account Judas asked was it Him to which Jesus Agreed.
Today I’m thinking about ways that I/We Betray Jesus, ok I don’t take money to give him to the high priests, but what about the things I do that displease God, the times when something is more important than God, the times when God is put on the shelf, the times when earning an extra few quid means that God doesn’t get the time He requires to build relationship with Him.
Lets Look deep into our lives today and make sure there no signs in our lives of things that we do that could be betraying our saviour! Things that may cause you to fall, commit sin, things or areas of your life were satan is winning the battle, God Wants Whole Living Sacrifices, so lets Give Him exactly that.
24
Jan
2007
A Religion of Rumour
I have recently heard of the term that christianity has been labeled the ‘Religion of Rumour’. Do you spend more time listening to Fellow Believers talking about God?, or do you spend more time in that intimate place – one on one with God?
God desires to know us, He already Knows all about us, all the facts and the figures but thats not what God wants, desires and longs for, He Wants Relationship, He wants ‘special time’ with You. Is your belief second hand? I remember and thank God for my upbringing in a christian home, but the one big thing that I struggled with in the first 5-10 years of being a christian was getting it into my head that this relationship with God had to be ingnited by me, that I couldn’t depend on my parents relationship with God for mine to be a good one, but I had to invest my own time, my own energy into this relationship, I had to come to a point of realising that this relationship was personal, that it was intimate and that it was a relationship that I had a major role in maintaining, You see While God desires relationship with us, He doesn’t force it upon us!
Ben is a scream at the minute, so many questions about God, Its class just to be able to sit beside him in the evenings and try to answer His questions, to listen to Him pray, while often He asks for instruction I’m trying to make it as simple as possible by telling him that its very important that Ben gets to know God and that He needs to talk to God and pray by himself, just like Daddy needs to. Ben Loves to spend special time with amy and me on different nights, whether it be playing a game, watching a dvd, reading a story or building a jigsaw, but thats just a picture of How God wants us to create the space in our life to let God work and move and to let Him get to know us, and for us to Get to know God.
Today I hope your relationship is not dependant on your pastor, or cell leader, your wife, husband or friends etc, My prayer is that You have found God for Yourself, that your beliefs are not second hand but rather, that they have been found in the pages of scripture for yourself.
23
Jan
2007
Ignite your Faith Seed!
We serve a Great God! There are so many things about God that amaze me, and there are so many things I have yet to learn about God that I know will continue to amaze me, when Jesus was on earth He created many amazing moments, many that we read in the pages of scripture, and I’m sure there are some that weren’t recorded.
When Jesus was leaving His disciples To return to Heaven He told His disciples that He was sending the Holy Spirit, a Great Power that would work through every believer that acknowledged and received it. So I and those reading this that Believe in God have a ‘Greater Power’ in our lives, we have a storehouse of Power that will help set people free, see people made healthy, and to see the devil defeated in areas of our lives and our friends lives, But it is the Mustard Seed of faith that is required to ignite the Power of the Holy Spirit.
When Faith and Belief Come together, God will move By his Holy Spirit. The Problem comes for me when we pray the line ‘Not my will, but thine be done’.
How do we know the will of God?
How do we know what to pray for and dare I say what not to pray for?
Sorry I don’t have all the answers but I know that Moses had a part to play in stopping God destroying His people, I know that prayer is heard by God, I believe Gods Will is best whatever it is, I know that God stats are 100% for Healings of Believers, (they will either be healed on earth or in Heaven).
Jesus used a few terms to quantify the faith of people,
1.No faith,
2.mustard seed faith,
3.little faith,
4.much faith
5.full of faith
Jesus said in His word that mustard seed faith is enough to move mountains, did you know that mustard seed is the smallest seed that exists, I think Here Jesus is trying to get across that no matter how much faith you have, any faith in God can change situations, circumstances and can change Gods mind. Today as you pray for friends, families maybe even yourself, let faith and belief come together and ignite God wondrous Working Power of the Holy Spirit!
And don’t be suprised when Miracles happen, because they will! : )
