Christ

P 2806 Healing.

/ DVH

“…you will lay your hands on the sick and they will get well…”I’ve checked out these verses in Matthew, personally, in my own life and here’s my point for today —  sometimes when I prayed for people who were sick, and sometimes they got well, and sometimes … they died. To be fair, the ones who died were terribly sick, and they definitely died happier than they were before they were prayed for — but that was not the result ANYONE was hoping for in the first place.

Praying for sick people involves us taking a risk. When we love them dearly, that risk for them, and for those who love them and us, is HUGE. Sometimes we could think that the answer relies on us – or maybe we think that we won’t pray correctly? Loving compassion and obedience are our part, because prayer for the sick relies upon the Word of God. Meanwhile nobody likes ‘no’ for an answer.  

Plus, at the same time, we may have to … “wait.” Sometimes, there is a space between our prayer and His answer. We need to always pray and not give up and that is a painful place to have to live! In the meantime, the bible says: waiting upon the Lord renews our strength. That waiting is ghastly for the sick person, who is trying trying trying to believe and get well – and horrible for their loved ones at the same time – but keep right on praying. Jesus dismissed people telling Him that a child had died and a bigger miracle occurred.

I am comforted by the fact that the Lord’s disciples walked with Jesus, they themselves saw all kinds of miracles when they prayed for others, and they watched Him bless people with astonishing miracles. BUT at other times they prayed for people and nothing happened. His disciples were unable to minister to an epileptic person, or deliver a demonised child. These men were blessed to have Jesus walking with them, in Person, and He stepped in and healed the sick one. The Lord pointed out to the disciples that their faith was too small. We must point our faith at God Himself, His nature, His loving kindness – not just at an illness or even healing. 

I’ve learnt some stuff along the way. I am not God and I’m not perfect! In my passion for others I can easily promise things I can’t deliver. Meanwhile, I don’t know everything either! I am His representative, not the answer. My part in this process is to keep praying and not give up, because somebody’s well-being is at stake, even if my own faith is being shaken. The reality is:  failure can lead very quickly to disappointment for everyone. Particularly if the person concerned is someone special, and you love them. This is the place where our faith can atrophy and grow weary. Even when we don’t feel like fighting we must continue to fight. 

If you have ever prayed for someone for healing and they got sicker or they died, you may have noticed that shortly afterward … disappointment rushes at you like a freight train, coupled with incredible grief. Jesus said this to Peter in Luke 22:32:“… but I have prayed [especially] for you [Peter], that your faith [and confidence in Me] may not fail; and you, once you have turned back again [to Me], strengthen and support your brothers [in the faith].”   Jesus prayed for Peter before his testing time ever happened. He is praying for us, right now, too.

We are so programmed for positive results, that when the answer to our prayers is negative, logic takes over. Well why wouldn’t anyone grieve after a terrible loss? The thing is… the bible exhorts us not to grieve without hope. 1 Thessalonians 4:13b “…so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.”  There’s a reason for that exhortation – our faith can falter when it appears to be unfulfilled.

Even in times of deep despair and sorrow we must ask the Holy Spirit to help us. We need His help to watch over our hope — because HOPE is our anchor. Our hope is IN Christ – His goodness, His mercy, His loving-kindness. It is not in the answers to our prayers – no matter how important they seem, or how fervent they are. Prayer changes US – it does not necessarily always change our circumstances. Talking with God and getting His perspective is essential, otherwise disappointment can crush us. I’ve noticed when this has happened to me, the next time someone needed prayer for healing, it was easier to step back, instead of forward.

We are commanded to pray for the sick etc. in Jesus’ Name. At the same time it is good to remember that the sick person’s life is ultimately in the Lord’s Hands. Like the disciples, we pray as He leads us and the opportunity presents itself. Acts 3:1-8 … bits of it: “Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried … …at the gate of the temple … …to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.

And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.  And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; BUT SUCH AS I HAVE GIVE I THEE: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.”

Part of our problem concerning healing is that we don’t know what we have. Peter knew what he had. Do we understand that Christ lives in us, and He was, and still IS, always delighted to heal the sick? His compassion for mankind is huge. That thought should be the centre of our thoughts, not: “will it work – or not? We are commanded to pray for the sick to be healed. it is not an optional extra. I believe the biggest sin in the Body of Christ is inactivity. Bye. 👋

P 2801 “My beloved is mine …”

/ DVH

Job 9:32-35 MSG:“God and I are not equals; I can’t bring a case against Him. We’ll never enter a courtroom as peers. How I wish we had an arbitrator to step in and let me get on with life—To break God’s death grip on me, to free me from this terror so I could breathe again. Then I’d speak up and state my case boldly. As things stand, there is no way I can do it.”Job’s wisdom was born out of great suffering — unlike Solomon, who was given the gift of wisdom.. Job learnt what he knew about God – the hard way. When I hear what happened to this man I shudder, and then it greatly improves my prayer life.

First of all Job loses all his property, then his kids die in a very suspect series of events, then his ? helpful? wife encourages him to “curse God and die!” And he is struck down in his physical body to the point that he is begging for death. Lastly, His good friends, his companions in faith, his support group … if you will … are no help at all! Anybody been there? I have.

His friends spent ages explaining to him how and why he was suddenly in that awful hole in the first place. This person thinks this, and that person thinks that, and …  everyone thinks they know how the events surrounding his entire life happened. You know, sadly, many people aren’t short on opinions when life goes upside down – judgment flows like a flood around the afflicted one. Meanwhile, nobody seems all that interested in helping Job! They seem to be far more interested in avoiding guilt by association and postulating about why Job’s life is in the bin.

This man was a good man. He tried to do good things! And now he stands defenceless and helpless in front of a Holy Mighty God, and it seems he is a victim of an unfair balance. After all, who can argue with God? At the same time, he acknowledges that God’s plans are wa-ay beyond his understanding. I just want to say one thing here … Almighty God is not fazed by Job’s emotional outbursts. Our anger with God. or the mess we are in does not rate a blip on the radar of His unconditional love for us. That’s the point of the book of Job – Almighty God is NOT LIKE US. But glory! God has done something incredible – He chose to become like us to save us all!…

Job is suffering, he wants OUT NOW … but God is in no hurry … He’s doing something else – He’s establishing His sovereignty. At the same this beleaguered man asks some pretty fine questions of his so-called comforting friends … “How would you fare if you were in the witness stand? Your lies might convince a jury—but would they convince God?” One Person cares about Job – God Himself! That’s a great thing to remember when you are the one at the bottom of a hole.

First, Almighty God establishes His Creator credentials with Job,  “…were you there when I made the world… hmmm?” –  that’s in Job Chapters 38-42 — and then He reveals reality to Job but He does not sympathise with him. Instead He establishes His own right to do whatever He wants with this man He made.  Almighty God does not answer to us, we answer to Him! We may not like that idea much … but I do think that thought will keep us all honest! 

Now is always a great time to fall on our faces and thank Him, that we have a Saviour, Who is the greatest Advocate on mankind’s behalf. Jesus Christ understands humanity, personally. He will not testify to our good deeds, wisdom etc… Instead, He will simply point to His blood covering our lives … from the day that we decided we could not save ourselves, and we realised that we need a Saviour to do it for us. Jesus is our forever Arbitrator, the One Job wished some man – any man – had! 

Jesus is the One Who will own us, as His own. Job’s prayer, His longing for an arbitrator, his heartfelt desire to be reconciled to God, happens because He recognises there is nothing or no-one righteous, worthy of God’s loving Grace. Everything we have is a gift. This is why we must never forget that costly gift, or the Giver. Oh! The incredible sacrifice He made on our behalf! There is no point in asking God to prove to us that He loves us – Jesus Christ already did it. 

Nor should we get so wrapped up in this life, like Job was, that we miss the most important thing. One thing matters above all else –“My Beloved is mine, and I am His, and His banner over me is LOVE.” Because of Jesus, God will not deal with us concerning our sins — they are now gone! Bought and paid for with Christ’s blood. If our celling falls in, and people walk away from us, and our whole life is in jeopardy, and strife dogs our footsteps … His banner over you and I, will always be love!! Love is behind God’s actions and input into our lives. ALWAYS.

Job gives us perspective … we are nothing – God is everything. Jesus Christ glorified our human nothingness by becoming a man just like us. He lifted each one of us higher than we could ever imagine or dream about. He is our Saviour, Brother. That’s why we follow Him! “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!” Bye. 🙌

P 2800 Cultivate walking with the Holy Spirit.

/ DVH

Matthew 17:1-3: “After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.”

I was reading these verses this morning and it occurred to me that these verses about the Lord’s transfiguration show, without a doubt — that absolute purity, honour, truthfulness and glory CAN LIVE in this world and NOT SIN.  I think Christ always looked like that, but His glory was hidden from everyone around Him. Those 3 men saw Him that day, as He really was! Meanwhile all that purity, honour, truthfulness and glory etc. was nailed unjustly to a cross! If Christ hadn’t yielded to them, those Roman soldiers could not have touched Him!  “…He gave His back to the smiters …” Absolute purity became sin on that cross. Ya might like to think on that lot for a while. I did! 

For me this scene reinforces, the importance of us walking with the Holy Spirit!  It also made me think, we could easily be walking around with angels, unaware of who they are … because they’ve left their hat, glowing clothes and halos at home, and now they look just like us! We don’t know what we can’t see! These three disciples were exposed to a huge revelation in those moments, and they didn’t quite know what to do with it!  There is a fascinating reaction to the visual revelation in front of them. One of them, who shall remain nameless, but his name begins with P … starts making dumb remarks. Then they all fall on their faces when Almighty God literally says from heaven: “Just listen to My Son, please!”

I mean, after that event nobody even dares to talk about it  or ask questions – yet they had had holy huddles before speculating on what stuff meant! However, Jesus instructed them not to talk about what they’ve just seen with other people, and they didn’t. Imagine not saying anything about something like that! These men were in ushered into the Presence of God in all His glory! They saw Christ’s purity on this earth, unveiled. WOW!! 

My first question when I read this is, why were the disciples even present? What was the Lord Jesus looking to teach them? What did it mean? Isaiah the prophet once ended up in the throne room and his first response was that he had a revelation of his own sin. Why didn’t these three men react like Isaiah? They only fell on their faces when God Himself spoke from heaven! Ya might want to think on that!! Meanwhile, it is practically a hallmark of their relationship with the Lord, that His disciples asked questions all the time. But instead of talking about how their Master looked, they start talking about Elijah.

At the bottom of that mountain these three men are back doing what they’ve done before, casting out demons etc. — or trying to! And … they failed. Even after what they had just seen — they failed. It seems that Jesus was a bit ticked off with their faith failure. I think that this incredible, spectacular revelation of Who Christ really IS, didn’t actually help their faith. The Living breathing Word of God was standing there right in front of them, but they didn’t understand what they saw!

Does that ring any bells with anyone? Do you ever read His book and not get it?  Moo-ving on … those same disciples thought after the Jesus’ crucifixion, that that was it, game over! Whatever they had seen and experienced, thus far, did not give them enough faith, or power, to continue. Jesus eventually scared the daylights out of these grown men by walking through a wall, but they still didn’t get the magnitude of the story they were in. They had heard what He had said previously, but it was not digested. I think, they did all the things they did, in those 3 years together, in the power of HIS Name. There’s power in HIS Name! But their faith was extremely challenged by those events that happened when He died. 

Jesus knew this would happen and I think that’s why He told them … when He finally left them to go back to His Father … to WAIT for the Comforter, the Helper, the Advocate, the One Who comes alongside. Every single person present in that room needed the Holy Spirit  — and SO DO WE!  Seeing miracles is not enough to grow the kind of faith that changes the world. We all need to learn to walk with the Holy Spirit. We need to encounter Him. Not presumptuously marching ahead of Him, telling Him what to do, but in step and in tune with His Ways – we need to let Him guide us, teach us, correct us, comfort us and lead us into new places in God.

BTW, if any of you out there in blog land have ever wondered why those 3 disciples ended up on that mountain with Jesus, Moses and Elijah …I believe this is why … Jesus told them they would. Matthew.16:28: “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”They were privileged to see Jesus the way we will all see Him one day. And on that day …we will be changed by His glory, forever.

These men walked for 3 1/2 years with Jesus and participated in all sorts of miracles, yet they still needed to be filled with the Holy Spirit and POWER after He died, and was resurrected. God knows we can’t do this life on our own, so cultivating our walk with the Holy Spirit needs to be our first priority. This is not about feelings, dreams or visions, or weeping at the altar  … meanwhile we all need to cry our eyes out for our hard-hearts, sins and disobedience.

What will help us grow, and step into our inheritance, is our daily obedience to His Word, enlivened and kissed by His Grace – going IN and OUT like the tide. As we live like this, Holy Spirit will show us the way we should go! Amen. Bye👋

P 2799 Father God gives to us.

/ DVH

“Give, and it will be given to you. …” Luke 6:38 AMP. I don’t think I have ever felt led to do a ‘follow up’ to something I have written before — but today I strongly felt to continue yesterday’s exhortation, because I believe there are two sides to the coin of giving. We give, and the Lord responds to us, by blessing us, personally, or through other people. However, we need to take note that He does not always respond, in kind.

It is a tremendous blessing in the first place to give, but we also need to understand that His blessings may not come back to us in the form of money etc. That’s the receiving bit of this equation. If we happen to need money, then it is natural to assume God will bless us where we have a need… But I have not found that is always true in every circumstance. Let me explain, using the three women from yesterday’s blog. 

Hannah gave up her first-born son and that child was a gift from God to her. Children are a stated heritage from the Lord, and Hannah had 5 more children after Samuel. This restored her stature within her community! God totally transformed her circumstances. That little widow woman with the two coins did something so spectacular that Jesus used her as an object lesson to His disciples, and it is recorded in the bible, but she knew nothing about it. But we know that God has a soft spot for women who are alone. Now, her giving is an example for all of us, two thousand years later.

The lady who broke her alabaster box for Jesus, received forgiveness for her sins, and Jesus commended her even further by telling His disciples that what she did was going to be remembered and recounted generations past their life-times! Mark 26:7-13. “Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”This woman’s act was so spectacular to the Lord, He memorialised it!

Sometimes when God blesses us in return, we can utterly miss what He does because we are looking for something that we think we need. The bible says: “…give and it shall be given to you …” Here’s a thought …. maybe we need favour more than money! The Lord can sometimes give us favour with other people, and unless we have spiritual eyes we will miss His response and we won’t thank and praise Him for it. The Israelites were given so much favour when they left Egypt they literally looted the place — with the Egyptians’ freely-given permission!

Today I want to highlight, yet again, that God’s ways are not our ways. Our loving Father loves to bless His kids because He’s a good good Father! If we stretch our faith to see beyond our immediately perceived needs, and remain aware of what He is doing, it can help us to ascertain what shape His blessings are taking this time.This means we cultivate eyes to see whatever blessings come our way, as coming from HIM.

Hubby and I have occasionally experienced upgrades to something far more expensive than we can afford. I truly believe when that happens, that the Lord is blessing us – with His blessings pressed down and running over. It all depends on how you look at things. People have given us stuff over the years – things we never asked for or even knew we needed, but those things turned out to be an unforeseen blessing when we regarded them from a different POV. Like I said yesterday, the river of His blessings flows through our lives … it is a river not a dam! If we hold on too tightly to things, we will end up closing our spiritual eyes to what He is doing – NOW.

There have been times when hubby and I were given an undeserved discount on a large, unexpected bill. That’s favour. Everything depends on the way we look at this life. Other people have come and helped us when we were both unwell. That’s favour. Our dear neighbour next door has mowed our front verge, which is huge BTW, for years! Favour!  The bible tells us that the Lord Jesus Himself enjoyed favour:  “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” Luke 2:52. The Pharisees etc. didn’t have spiritual eyes so they could not see the favour of God on Him. Mary, Jesus mother was called highly favoured by the Angel Gabriel.

Psalm 41:1-3 talks about blessings that are not monetary: “The favour of God keeps my enemies from defeating me.” But unless we are vigilant and living aware of His goodness, we may not see how God Himself is blessing us by keeping our enemies at bay. Living a life filled with gratitude for all He has done, and is still doing in our lives — will lead us into walking, day by day with His Spirit. As we live with internal peace, when the rest of the world around us is in chaos, then that peace is His gift to us. He is blessing us. If we have less money than we did before, but we are still managing … we are blessed.

I will finish with this thought, the more you SEE His blessings, the more your life will be enriched, despite your circumstances.  Ask for eyes to see Him at work, because Father God is always giving to us! Bye. 👋

P 2798 Giving generously to our own hurt.

/ DVH

“Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over [with no space left for more]. For with the standard of measurement you use [when you do good to others], it will be measured to you in return.” Luke 6:38 Amplified bible. Yeah, I know it sounds like I’ve joined the merry band of brothers who live in the land of – ‘I can have whatever I want now, because God wants to bless me all the time.’ This is not what I mean. When Almighty God makes us rich, He expects us to generously share – everything we have comes from Him.

The biggest clue to living like Jesus would, is in this verse. It is in the word  – GIVE.  Christ gave to his own hurt – it cost Him everything to come here, and everything to die for us! Giving is an indication of our dedication to Him. We need to learn to give without any thought of getting something back. I exhort you to live your life as a giver, give because you love people and you love giving! See giving, money or otherwise, as a moving stream flowing past you, not a static dam! What Jesus did for you and I cannot be repaid, but we can certainly choose to model our lives on the Way He lived. God is generous and He loves and honours generosity.  

Let’s look at Hannah. Her only hope or help to have a child, had to come from God. He granted the answer to her fervent, passionate, ongoing prayers. Hannah prayed …… and prayed … and prayed some more. She refused to be comforted or dissuaded from her prayers. And Almighty God heard her, and she gave birth to baby Samuel. Her integrity meant she did what she said she would, she gave her cherished child back to God. She gave out of her substance, and God gave Hannah three more sons, and two daughters. Plus the firstborn child Samuel, became a great prophet. We cannot out-give God.

In the Western world, people have learnt over the years, to give out of abundance. So if we do not have an abundance, then we pull back on our giving. We are not used to giving to our own hurt, our substance. We tally up our funds and decide what we can afford to give – after we’ve paid off this, and bought some of that. We have learnt to give out of excess. Where’s the faith in that?

Let’s look at another woman who gave generously, out of her own substance. Luke 7: 37: “A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.”This woman faced man’s disapproval for her act of unbridled generosity. It seems to me, that despite her previous life, her heart recognised Who Christ was, and she literally poured out her life and heart on Him. That’s what giving to God is about. It is not about obligation, or our ‘image’ to others. 

Here’s Jesus said about someone giving to their own hurt in Mark 12:41-44: “Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”This widow didn’t have much, yet she gave all she had to God. Although she didn’t know it, that fact was recognised by the Lord Himself. God loves generous givers – despite their station in this life. This widow wasn’t trying to prove anything, and she had absolutely no idea she was being watched by SomeOne Who totally understood sacrificial giving. —The way we give is an indication of the state of our heart.  

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7. “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”Giving is not just about feeling cheerful or good about what we are doing. It’s about WHY we are giving in the first place. Do we give because we are grateful for everything He has given us? Giving is an outward sign of an inward state of heart and mind. Hannah prayed, then she received, and she gave. She was not reluctant in her giving even though it was costly. The woman with the alabaster jar shattered her future when she broke that jar, pouring the contents over His head. The little widow gave all she had  … giving is meant to be costly.

All these women gave out of their own substance. They did not give left overs, or excess.  What they gave was costly to each one of them. We need to learn to give generously, extravagantly – the way we give what we give matters. It becomes an outward sign of our unseen hearts. When we honour Him with our own substance, the cost is of no consequence. Bye. 👋

“Those who live to bless others will have blessings heaped upon them, and the one who pours out his life to pour out blessings will be saturated with favour.” Proverbs 11:25 TPT.

P 2796 We all feel weak sometimes.

/ DVH

The bible says, we should be glad when we are weak because when we are weak then we have an opportunity for Christ to be strong in us and through us. Lemme say this yet another way … the weakness described in the bible is not the same as weakness in this world! 2 Corinthians 12:10 says: “So I’m not defeated by my weakness, but delighted! For when I feel my weakness and endure mistreatment—when I’m surrounded with troubles on every side and face persecution because of my love for Christ—I am made yet stronger. For my weakness becomes a portal to God’s power.”

The Apostle Paul got it!! He understood that weakness is an avenue for God’s power to flow through us. You know, sometimes it is a good thing to give up, stop trying, and let God be God. He can sort out anything. To quote an old song:  “Ain’t nuthin’ HE CAN’T DO.” I know it can sound counter productive, but giving up is not a bad thing – our self-help efforts can get in our own way on some occasions. But when we admit that we can’t do some things — or even anything… then we are in a perfect place to rely upon His strength. If you want to see miracles for yourself, in your own life, then admit your weaknesses to God and ask for His help.

This life can be like wrestling with a professional wrestler – full of slippery, deceitful, unknown attacks. Plus there are moments when those things are unexpected and bigger and nastier than we might ever expect. Those things sneak up on us when we are not looking – and who can possibly be looking all the time? Human beings need HELP. I’ve learnt to live my everyday life to Him, asking the Holy Spirit to please “have my back,” because unlike Jesus, Who, praise God — GAVE His back to the smiters …  we are blessed to have our very own hiding place from trouble, because of His Grace. 

Life can punch the daylights out of us and the only reason we can still stand, is because the Lord Himself has us firmly in His grasp. We can be counted OUT and still crawl back up to our feet as He strengthens us. I have been beaten low over and over again, to the point where I don’t care who steps on me – I’m just exhausted.  But when I talk to Him, the Lord grins at me and says: “Shall we go again and see WHO WINS?” Having eyes of faith can save anyone from being overwhelmed. Anybody with faith in Jesus, and all He did for us, has a secret weapon. Nobody can kill these people. They will die when He says it is time to die, not a minute before, or after. Their secret is this:  they know Who wins.

Weakness can defeat us if we let it. However, our approach to weakness is wrong. We see the things of this world through this world’s eyes, or religious eyes. Maybe sometimes through defensive eyes, or critical eyes. The way we look at anything that happens to us, matters. Because of what Christ did for us when He died in our place, NOW we can see the world through our Father’s eyes. The Holy Spirit will be delighted to help us with that! 

However, these things do not happen in a vacuum – we must learn to engage in His processes. That means our God is now our first port of call in trouble. He promises to be with us in trouble. As we live this life loving and serving Him, that means we need to prioritise knowing how He thinks. I have known some villains, in the natural, in my time on this earth – people everybody else gave up on them as hopeless … and low and behold, when He spoke – they were not hopeless after all! This means …you guessed it … we have to read and digest His book! Seriously, the bible is the surest way for us to learn about the way the Lord does things. Just keep looking for the way He thinks. 

Lastly, in closing I want to say that in our moments of great weakness, it is good to phone others for prayer support. My arms and heart were flagging yesterday, and my thoughts weren’t good, so I called on the Body of Christ to help me. And the prayers of the saints prevailed, and the Lord helped me turn the corner. Why didn’t He just make life easier and answer MY own prayers? I dunno. Ask Him! I just know that today is not yesterday, and today again, His strength will be made perfect in my weakness. 

Human beings can feel weak – but there is no doubt Almighty God is strong – and we have the One Who defeated death, the devil and sin on our side. Hallelujah! We all feel weak sometimes but my bible says:“I can do all things through Christ – He strengthens me.” Bye. 👋 “His mercy is new every morning!”

P 2795 We serve Jesus … no matter where we are.

/ DVH

The MSG bible says this, about working for a living and serving others: “Servants, do what you’re told by your earthly masters. And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.” Colossians 3:23-24.

Well that’s pretty plain eh? In a nutshell these verses explain what our attitude is to be toward our working life. We are serving the Lord in our place of employment, no matter what the man says … we are no longer just working for the man! Submission, thoroughness and meekness are not signs you are weak, or a loser or  – they are a sign to the Lord, and others, that you are following Him, no matter what people say. If you are doing it right, people may not agree with you, but they will be attracted to the Saviour within your life and heart.

We are not influenced by this world and its upside down ideas anymore. We have a whole other way to live, and not just at our house where we feel safe. The way we live now, is to ask for the Holy Spirit’s help and seek His transformation in every situation.That means we will be a better employee than anyone else, because we primarily serve Jesus as He leads us in His ways, in our place of employment. 

Now if your earthly boss wants you to do something dodgy, then you will have to take the time to give him or her your opinions, prayerfully and respectfully. And then politely decline. But feel free to tell your boss that you serve Jesus and that means you won’t lie, steal, manipulate or cheat others. You can also tell him that the UP side of your beliefs is that you won’t lie, steal, cheat or manipulate him either! Be prayerful and remember: “Help! – Is a prayer!”

“When we are pressured to do something wrong, we need to depend on God’s power to stand firmer against evil than we ever believed we could. Yet we also need to bear Christ’s word of compassion and forgiveness when we find that Christians cannot over­come all the evils of the world’s workplaces.” (The Theology of work.)

Meanwhile we need to engage with, and take every opportunity to practice listening to the Holy Spirit, instead of trying to manipulate anybody else into doing what we think will benefit them. Even if we know personally, that our plan is better!  I honestly think this is where a whole lot of people have missed the rails and been sidetracked. Manipulation, no matter what our motivation is, is not God’s Way. His Way always involves people’s freely-given choices. 

Some people vacillate between wondering if they should stand up on the tearoom table and start preaching about Jesus … but that thought terrifies them … so they shove that aside … and do nothing at all. They turn into ‘undercover brother instead!’ I truly believe you can serve Jesus and others, and not be a bible basher or an evangelist. You just need to be ready to give an account for the hope that resides within you, and let love rule. Simply be ready to talk about the Lord as opportunities occur, and He leads you. Feel free to be natural, and be sweet and kind in your speech, not pious!   

The Lord talked a great deal about faithful employees, and I recommend that employees or employers read His parables prayerfully because they are relevant to working situations. (Matthew 20:1-16;  Matthew 25:14-30; Matthew 7:24-27;  Matthew 21:28-32; Matthew 21:33; Luke 16:1-13; Luke 17:7-10; Mark 13:34-37) Jesus’ parables were often in the context of a manager and his workers. They highlight the servants loyalty to their master, and his instructions were a premium point in these stories. 

We don’t have two lives! One at work and the other at home. HE is our precious Lord in either place. Otherwise it is like trying to wear two hats. Plus it’s in opposition to what the bible says! His book says we work for the Lord wherever we are. We don’t just work for money – we live and work and receive our reward from HIM. We care about the way we treat others because this is our mission field. It is extremely important to be prayerful over the way we use our time every day. A Christian will work harder, as well as more efficiently than the next guy, who cheats on his income tax and feeds the boss bribes at the pub…

Ephesians 6:5-8 says:“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favour when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.”

This is a big subject and there are a lot of scriptures pertaining to it, which is good, because work is a big part of most people’s lives! I think this work ethic applies to all of us, even those engaged in caring for their homes and kids. I will leave you today with my initial thought: We serve Jesus no matter where we are. Bye. 👋

P 2794 Be spiritually focussed.

/ DVH

Here’s a thought:  attitudes that we PUT ON to look spiritual, can be taken OFF when it doesn’t suit us!  We need to become intimately aware of spiritual things, instead of leaving everything to the minister or pastor. The secret to abiding in Christ is to keep His attitudes ON, and if and when we ever choose to take them OFF, then we need to quickly repent and put them on again. It is a new way to think. Just as you and I once learnt to read and write, we can also learn, with the Lord’s help, to live a Kingdom-focussed life. Listen to these scriptures in Colossians 3:3-15 ESV.

“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your  life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry… … But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator… 

 …but Christ is all, and in all. Put ON then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.”

Action needs to be our middle name. We don’t just read things, smile and agree with them – now we put them into practice by choice! Many Christians are totally unaware that they have not changed their lives. They avoid and frown on supposed identifiable bad stuff, like swearing smoking, drinking, taking drugs, sleeping around, stealing, lying, gossiping etc. This means they are often ‘good’ people ‘on the ‘outside’ … but they have very little power to witness, or to overcome the habits and attitudes of their former lives. So they live, they sin, they eventually repent, but they are never changed. 

Transformation is not an optional extra – it’s a part of the deal! These people I am talking about do not move on from getting to know Him, into living their lives, here and now – differently. Prompted by the Holy Spirit’s help and guidance. It’s a progressive thing. We can see an example of this ongoing learning in the New Testament. These people kept faithfully doing what they knew and were taught to do, but they were not taught everything, initially.  Paul says this in Acts:“And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” These people did not know the Helper, so Paul laid hands on them and then they did! When you read parts of scripture like:  Matthew 16:5-12, you can easily see the difference between carnal thinking and Holy Spirit inspired thought.

Meanwhile I’m with Paul, things like fasting or praying in tongues, will definitely help my devotion to the Lord… but it will not change my character without my consent! I have to choose, every single day, sometimes minute by minute, WHO I will serve, There is a world of difference between salvation and transformation. Meanwhile, there’s also a whole ARMY of Christians stuck in that valley of decision! The decision facing them is whether they will serve Christ with their whole hearts, and lay down every single bit of their lives, for His sake. This path has just gotten a whole lot harder, because we are living in a hedonistic society.

We need to choose to submit to the Holy Spirit’s promptings and be governed by what the bible says. It’s called OBEDIENCE. I’ve met heaps of Christians who pray up one hill and down the other, God bless them for their devotion, but they are still as internally ornery and rebellious as they ever were. Their hearts aren’t soft, or changed. Transformation is part of the deal. Jesus didn’t just die to save us from our sins – He died to give us the power to live this life differently. To live life like He did… here and now! People will get saved if we stop living for ourselves and start living our lives for His sake.

However, the Lord will not do anything without our consent. And a blanket “I surrender all” at the altar once, long ago, doesn’t cover it.  God is looking for our active allegiance, not lip service. Our minute by minute lives need to be under the Holy Spirit’s control to make a difference. We have the power to release His Presence into this world by our God-given chosen attitudes and actions. Otherwise, sadly we can all be motivated by self-preservation.

Any manipulation and control, so I can feel ‘happy,’ will short-circuit this process. When I live that way, I cannot bring His life into anything I touch. I have to let go of what I want, and what I think is best for everyone else, and allow the Holy Spirit to have HIS WAY … and He’s not pushy. To be spiritually focussed I need to choose to DIE – every minute, every second, of every day I live. But when we choose to die to self – the Holy Everliving One – lives in us! And He makes all the difference. Bye. 👋

P 2792 Speak life.

/ DVH

Tell everyone you know, saved, or not: “God has a purpose for your life;” or, “The God of the Universe and beyond loved you w-a-y before you were born.” My helpful hint for today is to practice speaking His destiny into the people around you – everywhere you go. Stop and make the effort to tell somebody they are doing a good job. Even when they mess stuff up, pick the time when they do stuff right and point out what they did that was a blessing to you. 

We have the power of life and death in our tongues. Here’s Proverbs 18:21 GNB: “What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words.”God gave us this power, so it is essential that we use it for good. Half the planet is racing about joining this social media outlet or that, because they are looking for their destiny, their place in this world.. God has a plan for every single one of them! Human beings need acceptance and approval, even if they are doing ordinary jobs. We must look for the good in this life, and lift someone else’s spirit by telling them what we have seen. And yes, I mean your spouse and kids! Keep your marriage friendly, tell your spouse what they did right! 

Sometimes people express their uniqueness badly. They take most if not all of their clothes off, behave appallingly, or have lingering doubts about their sex or personhood… or worse, they don’t like who they are. So they can end up doing awful stuff simply because they feel life is in opposition to them. They live their lives based on: “every man for himself!’ This is why we can’t possibly start to relate to people by choosing to focus on their SIN. We need to start with WHO they are in HIS eyes. God loves them. Living this way may take lots of practice, because it’s a new way to think! His way. Meanwhile, ask and keep on asking for His GRACE – you will need it!

Like I said yesterday, opportunities to dislike situations or people, will fall on us everywhere we go. It doesn’t take talent to be a critic but it definitely takes talent to recognise someone else’s good points! Gracious, generous actions are getting so rare nowadays they make the news!  We need to be dedicated to His Ways and walking in His love, to even begin to see what’s good in other people.The people around us may seem ordinary, but they are extraordinary to Him. He has a plan for their lives, He wants to bring out the best in every single person we meet.

Remember, Jesus called local fishermen to be His disciples. He wasn’t looking for clever people, religious people, or popular people. What about Zacchaeus? Like he was Mr Popularity – the tax guy! Even one of the women who followed Him had a dubious past. And let’s not forget Jesus chose Judas! Father God sent His Son to ordinary human beings just like us. Sadly this world is choosing every day to qualify or eliminate people because they don’t have His knowledge and expertise. Let’s remember, He made them, He knows why they are here and who they can be. 

But the one thing that makes every single person ever born, extraordinary, is the ONE WHO CHOSE TO LOVE US! We are made precious because the most Precious Man of all Eternity loves people! Read the book. Here’s Paul. He wrote this to the Galatian church: “I’m obviously not trying to flatter you or water down my message to be popular with men, but my supreme passion is to please God. For if all I attempt to do is please people, I would fail to be a true servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10 TPT. 

As you can see, flattery or pleasing people is a waste of time, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be used by God to truthfully speak life into someone who has no idea of who they really are in His sight. Everywhere we go. This encapsulates what I want to say today – Christ is IN US. So, we can be the thermometer or barometer and fit in — OR, we can be the thermostat instead and lift the mood and atmosphere around us, and introduce a touch of His life to others.

God is good to all of us whether we deserve it or not. ‘The rain falls on the just and the unjust alike…’ Here is a great reason why we are to live like this. It’s  from Matthew 5:43-48 in the Amplified bible: “…so that you may [show yourselves to] be the children of your Father Who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous [those who are morally upright] and the unrighteous [the unrepentant, those who oppose Him].” Our motivation as His Kids can easily be revealed to the-people-who-don’t-know-Him-yet, and living like that is tied to the way we treat the people around us.

Speaking life to everyone around us ushers in His kingdom. I learnt that when I expect bad things, that means I can only see bad things, and those bad things definitely outweigh everything else! I had selective sight, because I chose to put blinkers on. But when I began to expect to see good stuff, I saw it, even if it was only faintly there. It changed everything. Now my view has changed permanently. There’s an old saying:”If you are looking for trouble, you are going to find it.”  We can have our Father’s Eyes — my advice is to stop looking for the bad, and speak life instead. Bye 👋

P 2785 “To each one of us …”

/ DVH

In the bible it says that the Lord Himself gave gifts to the church … read these scriptures along with me: “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When He ascended on high, He took many captives and gave gifts to His people… …” 11-13 “So Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:7-8,11-13. We don’t have to wait for our birthday, or Christmas! Jesus has given us all gifts to help us grow and know Him…NOW!

“There are different kinds of gifts. But they are all given to believers by the same Spirit. There are different ways to serve. But they all come from the same Lord. There are different ways the Spirit works. But the same God is working in all these ways and in all people. The Holy Spirit is given to each of us in a special way. That is for the good of all.”1 Corinthians 12:4-7.

“If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring each other. 

Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honourable.” Romans 12:7-17.

Today, I want to say, loudly – that, despite how you might feel, you have a gift. Actually you could easily have more than one of them!! But don’t ask me what they are, it took me a while to figure out what I am here to do! This Grace the Lord has given me to help others, has also helped me to feel that I have a place within the Body of Christ.

Many Christians have excused themselves from being activated for His kingdom, on the grounds that they are not worthy, or clever enough, or gifted enough, or they don’t know what they are supposed to do, or they don’t have time and they hope that the Lord understands! However, we all need your contribution. You don’t have to be an evangelist standing on the back of a flat-bed truck, you simply need to live a life of Love everywhere you go, towards everyone you meet, and be prepared to give an account of the hope within you.  That will stretch everyone’s faith and your gift will rise up as a result.

The thing is, this New Covenant we share is an agreement between us and the Lord – it’s a promise that we enter into between Him and us, and it is binding. (Read the book!) Jesus covered our sins with His blood, so we can be free to live the life God planned for us to live … and it is never too late to start. Jesus deliberately provided us with SomeOne Who will always help us and never leave us. SomeOne Who will teach us His ways, and help us with the process of transformation. It’s the Holy Spirit.

One day, not long ago, I woke up and realised that my complete spiritual poverty,  is my strength.🤔 So today, the Lord asked me to remind you of your place in His Body by using His Word. The Holy Spirit wants you to know that there is a place in His plans for you. Sometimes, for a small group of people, that is a place that is seen, and for many, many, many others, they will remain unseen. But He has promised to touch us all in extraordinary ways, with supernatural gifts.. I look forward to the day when the vast, unseen multitudes of ordinary Christians step into what He has for them.

So today, I just want to encourage everybody reading this, He wants you to participate in His plan in the lives of those people you know and influence. He needs you to be you. Who you are, because of His Presence in your life, will reach others. Last of all, I want to use my favourite vehicle, the bible, to pray for you. I am totally convinced He will answer these prayers because they rely upon His faithfulness, not on anyone’s ability.  

“I pray with great faith for you, because I’m fully convinced that the One who began this gracious work in you will faithfully continue the process of maturing you until the unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ!” Philippians 1:6 TPT. “And I pray that He would unveil within you the unlimited riches of His glory and favour until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with His divine might and explosive power.” Ephesians 3:16 TPT.“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24. Amen. God gives gifts to each one of us. Bye. 👋