God’s truth

P 3487 We have the freedom not to sin.

/ DVH

“Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new person. All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17.

The grammatical tenses of the above scripture are incredibly important. What Paul is saying is that we have spiritually moved. Our old life is behind us, and what we choose to do about that fact is the coal face of our new life in Christ. Now we have His power to help us. We take in what Paul said, remembering it is past tense. It’s done. Like Jesus said from the cross —- “… it is finished.” Some things can jump up and down and shout at us, and demand our attention – but those things are echoes, they no longer have the power to capture us. We’ve been set free from sin and death. We may die, but death can’t hold us!

The sin in our lives has already been dealt with – now we simply take His word to be truth and act on it, using our faith. We too, follow Jesus. It’s just like when Jesus said to Peter and Andrew …”I will make you fishers of men.” Jesus met them where they were, and took what they knew and turned it around into Kingdom actions. He will take what you already know, and who you are, and turn all that into glory for the Kingdom of God as you live this life for Him. He’s a brilliant Redeemer – He takes bad things and turns them into the kind of good that is beyond our imagination.

Yes, we must choose to repent, repair and reconcile, and that will mean humbling ourselves — but we don’t do that alone, anymore. We.Have.Help! Every time Jesus gave His mum, or His disciples an instruction regarding this world— when they acted on it, a miracle occurred. They were standing on His Word. That’s where we want to be. Standing on His Word. We listen, then we obey.

Where our word disagrees with what He said, we put what we think aside, and go with what He has already said in the book. No matter what the cost is. I’m not talking about selling your house and sitting on the curb, or some other extreme action — I’m talking about daily living for others, loving them the same way we have been loved…unconditionally. When we live cherishing Holy Spirit’s help, living His Way means He likes to hang around with us. I tell Him I need Him over and over again during my day.

I think the thing that gets in our way, even more than any error in our thinking – is how we feel. You can correct errors simply by reading the book, and obeying it – but feelings are demanding. I’m not saying emotions are wrong, I’m just saying they make very poor leaders. So many of us have become used to running on how we feel. The people around us had better watch out …because how we feel is probably going to run their lives too! Hubby found this helpful little piece by Dr Tony Evans, in something He was reading recently.

“Here’s an important truth about emotions: they don’t have an intellect.  They don’t think. They merely respond. 

Emotions must borrow thoughts in order to stimulate feelings. Therefore, whoever or whatever controls your thoughts, controls how you feel. Your emotions are established and ruled by how you think about the circumstances in your life. So, if you want to master your emotions and overcome emotional strongholds in your life, you will need to master your thinking. 

When you align your thoughts with God’s truth, you will be set free.”

I agree! However, saying and doing stuff can be two very different things. As we know – agreement with what Jesus says needs our response. We must act on it. We simply need to recognise that we have a new Leader in the house of our lives, thoughts, emotions. Someone Else is in charge now. When we gave our heart and life to Jesus, He took it, but He will not take the power of choice away from us. Our habit of explaining away stuff away, by complaining or defending ourselves, has probably  been cultivated for most our lives. Those things can be hard to break. We will need to use our faith and God’s power to overcome the way we have always reacted to trouble.

When I was tiny, about 5, my mother and I were walking down the street and she was explaining stuff to me that I wasn’t supposed to do. At the same time a bus roared past us. I said: “Shut up!” and she instantly fixed her eye upon me, prepared to pounce. “WHAT did you say?” Undaunted by her stare I said: “I was talking to the bus.” Looking back, I think I might have made a great politician.

Stuff has happened to each one of us as we have walked through this life’s ups and downs. Our response was often labelled – ‘normal under the circumstances’ by other people, who were learning to dodge their own bullets. But the truth that sets us free is this – nobody can make us do nuth’ng no more … we choose. At the moment of impact, when someone else’s will crosses ours, that’s when we need to call on His help to say that “soft word that turns away wrath, etc.”

We will never be alone again. Now, because of our Heavenly Father, our wonderful Saviour, and the precious Holy Spirit, we can be guided personally through any stuff that wants to capture us. We don’t have to sin, we can overcome sin with God’s already firmly established goodness, and as we do that, we are spreading His kingdom of love all around us. Bye.👋

P 3413 Let’s not paint on windows of our mind.

/ DVH

Fear, and sin love to paint their tormenting little scenarios in our minds. I like to be positive on this blog, but the bible clearly says we need to ‘know our adversary.’  And one of his best tricks is to make me think that my adversary is … ME, MYSELF AND I!! I am sure you know what I mean – we often forget what the Lord has already done to set us free.

When something bad happens, we can instantly find reasons to blame ourselves. But what really happens is the other guy stands by whispering into our minds, reminding us of our mistakes and faults. Our poor motivation starts with a thought. Then he tempts us with something we think is good that distracts us from the real battle. God doesn’t tempt us. James 1:13: “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God” [for temptation does not originate from God, but from our own flaws]; for God cannot be tempted by [what is] evil, and He Himself tempts no one.” Find the ‘fatal flaw’ and deal with it.

The enemy uses doubt like a spray can of paint while he is trying to twist or cover up the truth. Plus he tries to disrupt our thoughts with temptations, threats or intimidation. It happened to Jesus and it will happen to us, we are not exempt. But, because we chose Jesus we have a way to escape, thank you Lord! Knowing the Word of God is our way to fight! Let’s be alert and aware of the devil’s schemes, and remember how easily we can be outwitted. 2 Corinthians 2:11. “…in order that satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.”

Our enemy will always challenge God’s word. (Genesis 3.) he has no tender-heartedness, or pity in him, so he delights in preying on our ignorance or innocence. And another way he sucks us into his vortex of lies, is to challenge our identity in Christ. (Luke 4:1-13; Mark 1:34.) He tells us those promises in God’s Word are for someone much nicer and more spiritual than we are. Many saints suffer from his whispers that their salvation is not firm.

Our salvation, our turning to Jesus to save us, may not look like Brother-I-got-baptised-in-the-river-Jordan’s grand event. Instead, we simply went up the front and didn’t feel a thing … but we knew we had to make that choice and we did. Our enemy picks at the parts of our faith that are weakened by our own sin, doubt, and sometimes other people’s rejection of us etc. Daily, he prods at us to focus on those things. 

Let’s focus on Jesus, what He did FOR us, and what He is doing IN us, right now. He is our true north! My prayers may not be answered and sometimes yours aren’t either … but that’s not the point. The point is what is your focus today? If we are not clinging to Jesus like a limpet on a rock, we could be making ourselves a target. The devil creates emotional tornadoes everywhere, and we can be easily overwhelmed by those thoughts that hit us upside the head … unless we choose to make the main thing the main thing. JESUS IS ALWAYS THE MAIN THING. “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7. We cannot afford to face our adversary unprotected – we have armour! Let’s stand still ready to battle the accuser when he flings lies at us. We do things the way Jesus tells us to do them. He’s the One Who beat satan.

Under extreme circumstances, which we all face, it is good to SING! — “Be filled with the Spirit singing to yourselves, with Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melodies in your heart to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:18,19. Preferably not out loud in a public place, because people will look at you funny and perhaps send for the men in those white coats. I sing in my head, and I recommend that. I find my best fighting scriptures there too. It can be distracting if you happen to be talking to someone else, but it works – stay in listening-to-Jesus-mode, don’t switch off.

The bible tells us to “put on the whole armour of God,” because we need it. Ephesians 6:10-18. The first thing we do after making sure we have our armour on —is to make a stand. Plant your feet. You are a tree planted by God Himself by the riverside, don’t be moved. We have been saved by Grace, now we belong to Jesus. Ask for scriptures to fight the circumstances and feelings … we can’t afford to let ourselves entertain any kind of lie. Don’t worry if the person in front of you is piling up lies like some people pile up the trash – don’t you lie. Your truth is God’s truth, and that’s the bat we use to bash away the lies that come at us. We don’t care about what Sister-I-always-know-the-Answer says. What is Jesus saying, right here, right now – in His book?

Let’s press the refresh button, and remind ourselves that God loves me! Then quickly get rid of any sin that might trip us up, so we can stay in love with everyone around us. Peace is our portion. We live within His peace, and we spread that heart peace around us everywhere we go. As we acknowledge Jesus’ Lordship in our lives, we will get better and better at raising up the shield of faith.

Lastly, let the Holy Spirit frame your prayers. Yield to His will His way, daily. And please don’t let satan paint lies on the windows of your mind. They will block out the marvellous things the Lord has given us to see and do.  Bye.🔥.

P 3244 Father God is for us!

/ DVH

Isaiah 64:4,5a AMP. “For from days of old no one has heard, nor has ear perceived, Nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who works and acts in behalf of the one who [gladly] waits for Him. You meet him who rejoices in doing that which is morally right, Who remembers You in Your ways.”

Our Heavenly Father, clearly wants us to know His will – that’s why He gave us a book! In this book the Lord has put so many incredible testimonies of His activities – plus His interactions with very different people. We have a record of His people’s glorious victories, plus their ignominious defeats. Some people burst across the sky like a shooting star, others fizzled out like dying fireworks. At the same time we have a clear and comprehensive record of what Jesus is like, and what He valued most – His Father’s Presence and His Father’s will.

The part of this scripture I want to accentuate today is the bit that says: …”a God like You Who works for those who wait for Him.”  In every other world religion human beings have to do the work to achieve some sort of spirituality. But our God works for us, as we wait for Him… Let’s pause and reflect about that…the God of the Universe also waits for us to choose Him.. We can now see how important waiting is! Jesus has already done all the work for us – however, that does not mean we can coast along blowing smoke rings, drinking like a fish and doing whatever we like! Faith isn’t presumption, it is a deliberate interaction between a Holy God and His people. He has earned the right to tell us what to do – but He won’t make us. 

The bible tells us that the Jewish people waited several centuries for their Messiah — they were longing for Him to come, because He was the One prophesied Who would set all things right for them. But when Jesus came they didn’t recognise Him! His words and miracles caused a stir, but His only recognisable parade consisted of Him, sitting on a donkey. Perhaps the Israelites expected grandeur and excitement — but the Lord arrived without pomp or ceremony and He left the same way. That thought ought to teach us something about Almighty God. He is not averse to doing things in secret.… a-n-d … ya might want to think about that!

The church today desperately needs eyes to see Him, or we can totally miss whatever He is doing. Our fallibility to distraction is legendary! Only people with active faith, who are looking, waiting, and wanting Him, will notice whatever He does. Here’s a little bit of advice … be very wary of anyone who tells you they know what’s coming next. The bible tells us that no-one knows the time or the hour of things like the Second Coming. The first time around, Jesus came and went and many people did not even identify Him. Like I said, our God is great at keeping things secret! 

Back in His time, ordinary people saw those miracles, they probably even ate the multiplied bread and fish … but what happened did not touch their hearts. We have to leave our hearts open to hear from Him – continually hitting the refresh button, even when it comes to reading the bible. One of Jesus’ twelve disciples did not appear to understand His ministry and purpose, despite the fact that this man walked around with Him for over three years! Our biggest danger as Christians is that we read in the bible about what He wants us to do, but then we go out and continue to live our lives thinking we can postpone our response, without applying these truths to ourselves! That is not how you get to know Him.

Our God loves loyal people, and at the same time, He cherishes each personal relationship with every one of us. It isn’t about praying at Him – it is about enjoying the time we spend with Him. Awareness of His goodness needs to be present with us in the everyday hustle and bustle we face. As we honour His wishes, by living the Way He has asked us to live, we will keep His Presence before our eyes. Everyday life gets bigger when we choose to make Him a part of it! Even the fact that the Lord has given us a choice in these things, is such an incredible privilege. Think about it. He made us, He quite obviously could have used force, yet He didn’t. Instead, He woos us with His loving kindness. Our choices reflect how much we take Him seriously as our Lord and Saviour.

Other so-called gods threaten people or lull them into a false sense of security. They appeal to physicality, or mental gymnastics – concepts and words that seem to have truth in them, manageable stuff!  But God’s truth always leaves me astonished. His way of looking at other people goes right round my brain! Some of the things that are done in the name of other gods are meaningless, even brutal, or vicious, self-serving and demanding. Eventually those things impinge upon the person’s freedom, not to mention scaring people half to death with their reprisal threats!  Father God cherishes our freedom to choose – He respects our choices even when they are not good for us. 

Let’s live like this: “And so, dear brothers and sisters, you are now made holy, and each of you is invited to the feast of your heavenly calling. So fasten your thoughts fully onto Jesus, Whom we embrace as our Apostle and King-Priest.” Hebrews 3:1 TPT. Our God is not like any other – our Heavenly Father is for us. What other god would die in place of His followers so they can have the freedom to choose Him …or not? Bye. 👋

P 3241 God’s Inexhaustible riches.

/ DVH

“To me, [though I am] the very least of all the saints (God’s people), this grace [which is undeserved] was graciously given, to proclaim to the Gentiles the good news of the incomprehensible riches of Christ [that spiritual wealth which no one can fully understand],…”  Ephesians 3:8. My topic today is spiritual wealth. Jesus died to make us so rich spiritually, and now we need to give those riches away.  

Meanwhile, watch out for lukewarmness – that misses the blessing of spiritual riches because it cannot see spiritually. This trait, mentioned in Revelation 3:8, has nothing to do with feelings, it has to do with inaction.Anyone who does what the Lord says ends up crazy about Him, because they see His Personhood. How rich He is in the things that last. We can’t afford to ignore what we’ve been given, at great personal cost to Himself. 

These things that flourish in His kingdom – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. These spiritual traits are a part of His incredible wealth. But let’s not forget that we must not gloss over the cost of the cross, ever. The cross is the reason we can belong to Him.

BTW, being ‘lukewarm’ means I choose to look after ME. It thinks what Jesus said is nice, but unattainable, so it reverts to a default position of doing nothing. I want to ask you to think about this question for a few moments – is it in Jesus’ Character to ask us to do something we can’t do? Sometimes, He does ask us to do things we can’t do without His help… but as He has promised to always be with us, we can be totally assured that He will give us His input! 

Obedience isn’t an option – it’s a KEY. What is stopping us from being obedient? How did we get to be lukewarm? These kind of questions help us clarify our motivations. Deep down, when we truly love the Lord, we all know if we are fudging our answers. Are we hoping that if we say something enough that will make it true? The thing is — you might fool me —- but there’s no chance on God’s green earth that anyone is going to fool Him. Why not? 

Hang on to your hat Henry … JESUS IS TRUTH! He is not ‘a truth’- He is the One and only form of truth we can trust! In the book of John, we are told Jesus was here from the beginning, and He is called the Word of God. So here’s our first treasure – Christ Himself. The One Who lived and died for us is our Greatest Treasure. Jesus was equal with God but He did not use that equality to exult Himself, instead… He humbled Himself and became one of us. 

However, none of this could have happened without the Presence and power of the Holy Spirit. He, together with Christ, is our Primary Treasure. The Holy Spirit intimately knows the heart of the Father toward us. He longs to help us to daily bless our Father’s heart. In the past we have tried to use the Holy Spirit, but He is not a commodity – He is our treasure! 

The second treasure is: the bible.If you read it asking God to reveal Himself to you, you will find Him within its pages, unexpectedly. It has treasure troves in it stored up for us. Those things that we need to pay close attention to, and dig out. Any other book I have read, may have insight, but the bible contains and reveals God’s truth. We cannot say we love the bible without being obedient to what it says. Our calling is to be God’s obedient children. 

The bible is a word picture of the heart of God and His dealings with mankind. Our Father’s “unsearchable riches,” refer to His limitless, and inexhaustible spiritual blessings of grace, love, faith and hope. They include forgiveness, eternal life, our adoption as His children, and total salvation. He is daily offering us treasures too vast to fully measure or ever exhaust.. His love for us is so passionate it is inexhaustible! 

But as Revelation 3:8 says: the day will come for His judgment. Right now we are in the time of His Mercy. His mercy is another Inexhaustible treasure. It is essential that we understand this fact, His mercy is not just toward US! It is incredibly patient and long suffering toward everybody else on this earth. He is so rich in Mercy!

Next I want to talk about Grace, which is another incredible treasure of God. Grace is the vehicle we get into when we deal with other people and speak to the Lord Himself. Grace is the oil of God, given freely to us so we can distribute it toward other people. The body of Christ has been anointed with GRACE! It smooths the pathway that we travel on when we interact with people who have none. However, Grace is never permission to do whatever I want!

Lastly, we are told in 1 Corinthians 14 to chase love, to pursue it. WE are the object of HIS love and He constantly pursues us. God’s love is another  treasure we have been undeservedly given. Let’s give it away to those people around us who don’t deserve it either! When we choose to live in, and value these treasures … and there are lots more so check it out for yourself — then they become the tools we use. On ourselves, and everyone else. Our God is inexhaustibly rich in the things this world does not value. This means we can be rich in these things too. Bye. 👋 

P 3168 Things nobody wants to talk about.

/ DVH

I can’t count the number of times somebody I loved so dearly has wandered off into the darkness clinging ever-so-tightly to the words: ‘the Lord said to me…’  After a while, those words can become a torment and a dark confusing prison. This person doesn’t dare move away from what they think He said, in case they miss out on the promise they hope He gave them. That false leading has caused so many wonderful brothers and sisters to fall. And some, as Paul says …have even wandered away from the faith!

Over the years I have realised that an independent spirit can wreak havoc in our midst. Churches have fallen apart because of it. Truly lovely, God-fearing people won’t talk to others because they consider them to be going the wrong way, and they don’t want to be tainted. Sin is not contagious …but disobedience is! And we need to understand that love is not about obedience, it is about valuing people!

I’ve also watched suffering souls cling ever-so tightly to the promise of healing – well, who wouldn’t? – only to see these precious people of God disappointed or crushed because the promised healing has not come. We all need the mature, tried and tested saints among us for the Lord’s council – and those brothers and sisters don’t always have grey hair either! I mean the ones who pray for you and watch over your soul, often on their knees. God corrected me once, when a kid at church accidentally said something that poked me in the heart! 

I’ve agonised over how to say this so I wouldn’t hurt or mislead anyone who is currently stuck in ‘I’m standing on the promises of God-land!’  Because hearing from God personally is a blessing. But there are times when any of us can be sincerely, misled. If our enemy cannot get us passive and inactive, then his next ploy is to wind us up and send us off in the wrong direction. Here’s my point—Almighty God does not operate like that. We are in a Body because we need a Body around us, loving on us, knowing us, and speaking into our lives. 

We cannot afford to let our opinions about someone else’s spirituality spoil our own faith walk. Especially as  we’ve been designed to walk in relationship with each other. Anything less misses the mark of Christ’s all-encompassing love. Remember He had twelve very different opinions around Him!  People tend to congregate around others who have are like-minded. I think that’s dangerous. A bunch of people with the same ideas or gifts can end up saying and doing all sorts of things. We need everyone — the servers, the mercy givers, the teachers, the healers etc. – not just people who think like we do.

That’s because we can’t see ourselves properly. Those things that we can easily dismiss as little errors, could be gaping holes that will swallow us up. Let’s stop judging where other people are coming from and love them instead. You can learn a lot about yourself when you choose to submit..I know that it is easy to slip into a POV that says: ‘But the people I know are wrong, they say this and that, and that stuff is not in the bible.’  The bible and our brothers and sisters are our protection. BTW, there is only one truth – God’s truth. And it will take all of us to uncover it.

The biggest error I have ever seen, is one that operates almost universally – personal opinion. The same God who gave you those thoughts, can confirm what He said – through a leader. Our bible says: “Don’t think of yourself more highly than you should. Be reasonable when you think about yourself. Keep in mind the faith God has given to each of you.” Romans 12:3 NIV. Praise God He is always wa-ay bigger than our mistakes. He is bigger than anything and everything stupid we can fall into. We need to put our trust in the Lord, and embrace the Way of life Jesus spoke about in the gospels, like – ‘preferring one another.’ 

Ephesians 5:21: “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” Why? Because none of us are all that – that’s why! Romans 12:3 says: “For by the grace (unmerited favour of God) given to me I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought [not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance], but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him.” All the nice words and the self-effacing attitudes in the world will not necessarily mean our hearts are right. Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: WHO CAN KNOW IT?” Well that kicks ‘trusting in my own understanding’ in the bin doesn’t it?

Pastors are often too intimidated to repeat verses like these, because they will be accused of being overbearing and controlling. When is the last time you read that particular scripture and … applied it to yourself? Our place of safety is in the Body, submitted to the leadership. And if you disagree with the leadership … now there’s a common theme (!!)… then get on your face and ask the Lord where you have gone off the rails! Don’t ever be so proud you can’t back up and turn around and go in the other direction. 

In the past, I have been in a Body where the pastor was controlling, and you know what? After I spat the dummy and complained to the Lord about it, and then HE disciplined me – for my own good. That’s when I learnt a lot about ME!! Everything, everything, everything is an opportunity for growth. If you are still here on earth, then you are not done yet. Even mature Christians have blind spots. We need each other, and the kind of care that says: “I have your back’ … but it is not afraid to tell us the truth when it is necessary. Let’s stop avoiding those things we don’t like to talk about. Bye 👋

P 3130 The beginning of Wisdom.

/ DVH

“If you consider yourself to be wise and one who understands the ways of God, advertise it with a beautiful, fruitful life guided by wisdom’s gentleness. Never brag or boast about what you’ve done and you’ll prove that you’re truly wise.” James 3:13 TPT. “To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,…”1 Corinthians 12:8. “Those who are wise will shine radiantly as the sky at midday. And those who turn many to the way of righteousness will shine brightly as stars for all eternity.” Daniel 12:3 TPT.“The beginning of wisdom is: Get [skilful and godly] wisdom [it is preeminent]! And with all your acquiring, get understanding [actively seek spiritual discernment, mature comprehension, and logical interpretation].” Proverbs 4:7.”The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Proverbs 9:10.

Proverbs shows us the importance of having the Lord’s wisdom, and when it says “fear’ it means reverence and awe. A deep respect for Our Holy righteous Father, puts us on the road to understanding His ways. Proverbs also states to get His wisdom you need to make it your first priority and realise you need it. Human resources and information feature a lot in this world we live in, accumulated knowledge is the big deal thing today. And of course, now we have the internet and Google! Not to mention Wikipedia. Ho hum.  

But the bible tells us that even though Godly wisdom is the thing to have, without understanding and mature comprehension we won’t know what to do with it. Boy, I could have saved myself a heap of angst if I had taken that concept seriously! I kept trying to teach my kids wisdom when they didn’t understand a thing I was saying, and most of the time they didn’t care to either. Wisdom has to be sought, and earthly knowledge is not the same as God’s wisdom.

God’s wisdom is prompted by the Holy Spirit. Kids learn to parrot off all kinds of stuff at school, but they have no idea what to do with it. They need spiritual application to make use of their knowledge. That’s why they need parents to help them to put theory into transformative actions. Knowledge without application looks great on a resume, but it won’t help you balance your budget!

Wisdom identifies what to do and a word of knowledge shows us how to do it. They are both God-given GIFTS—Proverbs makes this clear, so that means we can, and should ask for these gifts. “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” Matthew 13:43. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.” Proverbs 25:11-13. Wisdom corrects our course and reveals the Holy Spirit within us to others.

Wisdom will give us ears to hear what Jesus is saying, when others can’t even hear Him. It is like a spiritual hearing aid – it takes the unclear and makes it clear. In Matthew, did you get the subtle reference to choice? If you have spiritual hearing …then make sure you use it! These spiritual gifts diagnose an anticipated outcome and wisdom knows the right way to go about it. Remember, Almighty God knows the beginning right through to the end. Knowledge identifies and wisdom applies.

We ALL need His wisdom. This world is too dark and too tricky to live our lives without it. Wisdom can see the lie hidden between two truths. At the same time, knowledge and insight will often know where God’s truth applies. When I need it, the Holy Spirit gives me part of a verse, but it is up to me to look it up and follow that thread. ‘Knowledge is about knowing facts, whereas wisdom is about having the insight and discernment to apply that knowledge correctly, often revealing what action to take or how to respond.’  Google.

I have found that wisdom means you know something that you cannot possibly know with your intellect. It is not cleverness that figures things out—this God-given gift is something that drops into our heart or mind, often unbidden. Before it happens you may not even be concentrating on the problem. Suddenly the answer is in front of you, and then His wisdom says: ‘Do it like this.” It helps us avoid error. 

Many times we were about to go somewhere and the Lord said to us: “Wait!” When it came to the time when we would have been elsewhere, much too far away to help — a text came through and we were asked to help someone, because an emergency situation had come up. The word of Wisdom was ‘wait.’ I have also found wisdom can help me discern when things are a bit ‘off.’ I’m pretty naive in my personality and so the Holy Spirit often kindly protects me with His Wisdom.

Recently somebody called us and used the conversation to  clone our voice. They asked for this and that, but my spirit rose up and said – quite violently – “Hang up and phone the bank.”  The person on my end of the phone was not thrilled, but they trust the Lord, so they politely hung up. And lo and behold, somebody had tried to access our funds. Because the Holy Spirit helped us, we were recompensed immediately. We changed our passwords on the same day! I found reading the bible asking the Holy Spirit to help me, led me to these three gifts. I began to know His voice. I went out and obeyed what He taught me at that time.

Don’t rush – wait for your Teacher. Learn to listen and you’ll grow patience along the way, and then do your best to obey – because Christians need HIS WISDOM. ‘Ask and keep on asking, go after it, you will find it!’ Bye. 👋

P 3070 The person who knows they cannot lose is not afraid to die.

/ DVH

We need to stop thinking that using our faith only means moving mountains, healing the sick, raising the dead, or talking to someone else about Jesus. Of course those things matter. But actually, controlling my temper also takes faith. I need faith Jesus’ ability to help me close my mouth and quieten my heart! My internal default position needs to learn from Him how to live in love. Otherwise my faith will fade away and I will wonder why it is weak. Romans, Galatians and Hebrews all say: “The just shall LIVE by faith.”

As I said yesterday, we learn faith incrementally. What I mean by that is, faith grows, it hardly ever just falls on you! When it falls on you it is the gift that 1 Corinthians 12:9 talks about. But we have been given spiritual equipment and we must use it daily. And at the same time, we are learning to walk in faith and die to self. You may have a job, or a family, but you are permanently His kid, His representative in this world. This new life Jesus died to give us, takes dedication and time. We actually begin by taking daily faith steps, so that if we need to fight Goliath we will run at him!

Chasing off devils is great, do it – as He leads you. But allowing His Grace to flow through each one of us in these chaotic, difficult times, is about daily walking with Him. Very few people receive the gift of faith, it simply rises up within them. Most of us need the fruit of self-control far more than we realise. BTW, self-control is a fruit, not a discipline. Jesus wants to grow His kind of fruit. David ran at Goliath. That guy was huge, but David’s faith was bigger! He had already experienced what God could do through his life. Later on he was able to maintain a good attitude toward Saul, because he kept continually building the faith he already had, by his daily choices.

We are growing fruit at the same time as we learn to use the gifts. Otherwise we will lurch along like Frankenstein – in the Spirit one minute, and in the flesh the next.  All Frankenstein had was dead flesh, and electrical input! But we have the glorious Holy Spirit Who made us in our mother’s womb!! He was Jesus’ Personal Helper and the Lord sent Him back to help us. The Holy Spirit knows our weaknesses and flaws, and He wants to help us walk us through this life filled with His power and grace for others. 

Over to God’s equipment in Ephesians 6:10-19. 

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests …”

We usually start out talking about God’s armour by naming the bits. Great! Do it. But Paul’s actual exhortation begins with verse 10!“BE STRONG IN THE LORD AND IN HIS MIGHTY POWER.” Can you see how much that verse changes every other verse in this scripture? Paul goes on to explain why it is essential to begin with verse 10 … we are going to come up against demonic authorities and they have power and authority in this world etc. We train for the bigger fights by dealing with our own flaws and foibles – the ungodly stuff that is holding us back. That happens one faith step at a time. It is just plain stupid to fight with the guy who has your back in the battle!

This life is not a cake walk. It is an eternal struggle between the forces that control this world and the Kingdom of God. We all know Who won …but wisdom exhorts us to be prepared for the battle. All we need to do is stand our ground, and the enemy will fall to Jesus’ power. This is why we need to be daily concentrating on how to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. We can learn to overcome the Goliaths that occur, by participating in our day to day battles and dealing with our own flesh.

The verses that follow verse 10 explain HOW! Know God’s truth – inside out, upside down, backwards and frontwards. Read it, sing it, say it, study it, refer to it, obey it, and defer to it. God’s sovereign act of Grace is our only righteousness. Always be prepared to be the one who ushers in peace. This means we are at peace with God and our fellow man on the inside of our hearts. “Owe no man anything but LOVE.” And always keep the cross ever-present in our minds and heart. The cross is our sign of ultimate victory!

Our faith needs to be strong – we have to know that no matter how things look – God has not run off and left us at the mercy of some evil thing or other. Bad things happen, even to God’s kids:  but the person who knows he cannot lose is not afraid to die. This is why we give our faith a daily work out. So when temptation, or a challenge comes, we will have Godly skills, stamina and strength. Bye 🗡️. 

P 2998 Thankfulness, the gift that keeps on giving.

/ DVH

This morning at 2.00am hubby had some thoughts that were so good, I have repeated them here today.

“We can be so busy obsessing over what we don’t have, or what we’ve lost, that we fail to be grateful for what we have been given. It is a fundamental tactic of the enemy to foster the seed of discontent in us, to steal our vision and the purposes that God has prepared for us. However, living in discontentment means that we are inadvertently saying … we don’t know Him – Who He is, the fact that He is good. Gratitude matters. It pulls our focus back on to Jehovah Jireh, our great eternal Provider.

We are also saying, when we indulge in our fears, that we are still in charge of our lives and destiny. By refusing to give the reins of our lives to God we are saying something about the way we regard Him. We are saying we don’t trust Him to be good to us. At its foundation there is rebellion, but satan colours those feelings of self pity and despair, in order to build a framework through which we can see this world. How to break this framework…? Repent of rebellion and start trusting God to be the Master of your life and begin to be thankful and grateful for what He has provided and expect Him to take care of you.”

Over to me and my thoughts now … As I reflected on what hubby said, I saw that we can’t afford the luxury of choosing what we will obey, and what we will not in this battle we call life. Even the little things matter. As soon as we refuse God’s ways for us, we are giving satan access into our minds and lives and then we can become double-minded. At worst we can be easily deceived! 

It is good to remember when Jesus was tempted He responded with the scripture. He did not pit His will against His tormentor, instead He declared God’s word to satan as His shield. Jesus is our example of how to fight, when discouragement strikes, or when we think we need to postpone using our faith, and that overtakes us. We must constantly be using and strengthening our faith, or it can be weakened by adverse circumstances, and life’s testing times. God’s truth is our shield, even when we don’t like what it says. Instead immediately look for things to thank Him for!

“At each place they (the Apostles) went, they strengthened the lives of the believers and encouraged them to go deeper in their faith. And they taught them, “It is necessary for us to enter into the realm of God’s kingdom, because that’s the only way we will endure our many trials and persecutions.” Acts 14:22 TPT. Did you get that? What helps is to look at our circumstances and decide if it is “kingdom material” – or not! Having a kingdom mindset and using it as a yardstick in our lives, protects us from the things of this world that are constantly battering at our lives to demand our attention, trying to drag us under. However, even when we don’t feel like it, we need to give thanks.

A thankful attitude can be cultivated under fire. We can’t afford to think; “I’ll learn about that stuff later.”  satan is a snake who uses discouragement and despair – which are normal human emotions – against us. he will hand us so-called evidence that God is not good, that we cannot manage whatever is going on – in order to sway our attention, loyalty, and devotion away from the Lord and onto ourselves. satan will focus our attention on our feelings instead of God’s word. If we can’t think of anything to thank God for in our pain, then let’s thank Him that He saved us, so we can always ask for His help! “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” Psalm 46:1.

We dare not even attempt to fight any kind of destructive fight ourselves, we need the Holy Spirit’s discernment and wisdom to clear away the cobwebs of deception and shine a light on the real truth. It is hard to find something to be thankful for if you feel like the world is on top of you. The secret is to quickly recognise that our feelings come from provocation from our enemy. Then we can start rebuking them. And that’s another reason to thank God – because  He has given us power over our enemy! “Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you.” Luke 10:19.

Here’s another great verse to be thankful for: “Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on Him to guide you, and He will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with Him in whatever you do, and He will lead you wherever you go.” Proverbs 3:5-6 TPT. God is the only reliable Person in this world, and ever-so-fortunately for us … HE IS GOOD! The Lord sees our hearts are toward Him, and His loving heart and goodness cannot help but reach out to us in our bewilderment and sorrow. Yet another reason to thank Him!! Our help and hope is in the Name of the Lord. He is THE strong tower we run into when we know we need help. And thank God for that tower!

I exhort you to give everything that comes up to oppose you, to Jesus, and leave it with Him. Trust Him to guide you out of whatever happened to you. Hold fast to the fact that God is good… all the time, because He is. Thank Him for His incredible goodness!  God’s Grace enables me. It enables me to give my situation to Jesus and watch what He will do with it. Having Him as my back-up also makes me thankful! Thankfulness is the gift that keeps on giving. Bye👋