His Word

P 3437 He wrote it down. 

/ DVH

As I mentioned yesterday, I believe God calls us, and then we respond. Even when it seems like it is the other way around, we will eventually discover that the Lord has been working behind the scenes in our lives and we have not noticed Him working. The bible tells us His Word not only feeds us, it washes us clean, but we have to let it do what it has been sent to do.

I think the way to get to know our heavenly Father, His Son and Holy Spirit is to watch the way They work in other people’s lives, to see Their compassion and kindness toward ordinary people. It is not enough to read the bible stories, we must let those stories read us, and that means we will probably be convicted along the way. Here are someone’s thoughts as they talked to Him and read His book.

“I wrote it down  I stretched out the heavens, I numbered the sand I gave you the breath that you hold in your hand.  The world cries for answers, but you look away.  Yet My Word has spoken of this very day.  

I wrote it down.  Every line, every page for the humble and the wise, for the young and the aged.  The truth is alive. It will help you to stand. I left you My Word. It’s all in your hands. The nations are trembling, the earth shakes in pain. But still you chase idols and call on My name.  I warned you of kingdoms that rise and then fall. I gave you the prophets to speak. Through it all, 

I wrote it down.  Every line, every page. For the humble and the wise, for the young and the aged. The truth is alive. It will help you to stand. I left you My Word. It’s all in your hands.  You say I don’t see it. You say I can’t know. But My Spirit will teach you if you let it show. Heaven and earth will both pass away, but My Word remains unshaken today. 

I wrote it down, for the darkness, the fight, so you’d walk in the day, not stumble at night. The truth is before you. Don’t let it be banned. I left you My Word. It’s all in your hands… … I gave you the scriptures don’t say I was silent. (The artists are “In God’s World.” It’s a collective. This song is on YouTube if you wish to listen to it..)

This is one of my favourite songs to listen to at the moment. I love the haunting beauty of the words, melody and music, and the fact that what it says is relevant today. Especially the exhortation that the bible is not just any old book that can be read and forgotten. Almighty God wrote His love down on every single page, through ordinary people who didn’t live fancy-schmancy fabulous lives. They simply worshipped and followed our spectacular God. The thing is, I can hear the intense cry of the Lord’s heart in this song.

Our Shepherd wants to lead us… however, it is easy to think that everything He does is going to be spectacular. That does not resemble the Person we see in the Gospels! He didn’t chase opportunities, like we would. He simply moved about with His disciples and helped the people who asked Him, taught the ones that were interested, and healed everyone who came to Him. The bible clearly says in Isaiah  53:2: “He (Jesus) grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him.” 

This means that the Lord Jesus’ beauty came from within! The Holy Spirit was beautiful IN Him and through Him, expressing the love and life of our Heavenly Father. (PS we can choose to look like that, when we daily choose to follow Him.) Jesus looked just like any other Middle Eastern man, so if you weren’t searching for God Himself, you’d pass Him on the street! This obsession with outward beauty is a reflection of the age we are living in, where we think things have to be gorgeous and stunning, to be significant. 

There is nothing more gut-wrenchingly, devastatingly beautiful than that cross! This one event is so beautiful it reaches through time and space to touch us here and now.

Father God tells us that He did not leave us alone. He is with us … every time we read His book … we have the Holy Spirit with us – and His book! The key ingredient is to believe He is talking to YOU when you read. God is far more incredibly wise and creative than we can understand, He can take the pages of an old book and make it food for anyone.

People can get so extraordinarily tied up within the thoughts  that this word means this, and that word means that – which is useful and helpful —- but it is not what the bible’s for! The bible is spiritual MANNA. You EAT it. You treat it like a steak or a piece of broccoli … you simply cut off a chunk and chew on it.

And because digestion begins in the mouth, then you talk about it, question it, research it … that’s what chewing looks like! You ask the CHEF, the Holy Spirit, to explain to you why He chose to make the broccoli into a cream sauce on the top of the steak. Then you wait and listen. Let’s remember to ask QUESTIONS and press in for ANSWERS. “How do I do that?” is a great question. 

Our Father’s reply to us is always about His love for us. Even correction is LOVE. If you truly want to know your Heavenly Father, and His Son, read the book. The Holy Spirit waits for us to open His Word. It is amazing. This book appears to be a pure bright white light – but inside it, there is a rainbow – a depth and diversity of colour, transformation and thoughts. Bye. 👋

P 3425 THINK Bigger!   

/ DVH

At 4.00am I was instantly awake and stuff started downloading into my heart. Then the Holy Spirit said to me: “Tell My people they need to LET ME be bigger.” Then He gave me some examples from His Word to stir our courage.

When Jesus said in Mark 4:39 : “Peace be still” to the ocean, as it tried to drown the disciples … that ocean heard the same VOICE that said: “ Let there be light! “ … so it obeyed. Everything that lived inside the sea came from the Lord speaking, including the sea itself. This world knows His voice. I think there’s a lesson for us in there … if even the SEA is obedient to Almighty God, then what excuse do we have?

We need to think bigger than getting a car park when we need one! This world is in turmoil. The people around us need the peace that passes all understanding and we have it … it is ours. The Lord gave it to us. Give it away! You can always take it back if people don’t appreciate it. That’s in the book too!

When Moses held up his staff at the Red Sea — the same staff that God had transformed from a lump of wood into a snake before his eyes — the bible says: the sea SAW it. “The sea saw it, and fled! “ Then a mighty east wind blew, and the ocean parted. Moses’ staff was nothing, just a bit of hard wood. A shepherd’s staff, used to whack wolves and bears on the head. It was ordinary. Please listen carefully to this bit .. Almighty God took what Moses already had and made it powerful. Ya might want to selah that for a minute or ten. 

After Moses told the sea to part, and all the Israelites were safe, Moses held that staff up again and two walls of water came crashing down on Pharaoh and his army. They drowned. But don’t feel sorry for them, God gave the Egyptians ten plagues to warn them about what was coming. It wasn’t the staff that controlled the sea, and it wasn’t Moses’ power that did it either. When the man of God obeyed what God told him to do, that staff in his hand became a symbol of God’s authority. Now we have His authority too.

When we act upon His Word, day by day as He leads us, it is as if God Himself is standing there with us, backing up our obedience with His power. Let’s look at another scripture in Luke 10:20: “But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.” Jesus was explaining to the disciples their true priorities. Our priority is not power – but power comes from our relationship and the Lord’s recognition of an individual. The people who do things with God, STAND UP!

When His disciples went out and raised the dead, healed the sick, and delivered people from demons … they got very excited. “Jesus called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.… “ Do you see that? JESUS gave them HIS authority. This is why He says: ‘Don’t rejoice about that stuff, rejoice that your names are in My book of life.’  Jesus knows your Name and He has written it down in His book. it doesn’t matter two hoop-de-doos what that other guy knows. 

However, when the Holy Spirit arrived at Pentecost the disciples were supernaturally given their own authority, by God’s Spirit. Holy Fire hit them! That’s purifying fire. I don’t care if you like tongues, or you don’t … we should just get over ourselves. Tongues is a way to refresh our weary souls when we get overwhelmed. But don’t chase that, or any other thing — chase after being filled, and staying filled with the Holy Spirit. He will tell us where to go and what to do.

Another time some dumb-bunnies ran about using the Name of Jesus, and they threw Paul’s name around too. But the demon said in Acts 19:15: “Jesus I know and Paul I know … BUT WHO ARE YOU?’ Demons recognise the real voice of authority because that Voice threw them out of heaven! Those seven sons of Sceva had no authority at all to throw out the devil. BUT WE DO, because we are His kids and our names are in His book.

Seek His kingdom, first. Chase after loving Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength! Ask yourself, are you happy with what you have, spiritually? If not, then remember Jesus promised to give us His idea of an abundant life. That doesn’t mean fancy houses, planes, jewellery, cars, or mountains of money — remember how He lived — that’s the yardstick. An abundant life is filled to the top with the love of God. It  has more than enough to give away, because He is a more than enough God!

One day, long ago, Almighty God humbled Himself and came here and became a man. He made Himself just like us. Then He humbled Himself even further and became a helpless infant! He understands what human beings face. When Jesus delivered that demonic man, stuck in the cemetary of Gederah, the demons in the pigs heard the same Voice that cast them out of heaven. Boy, did they leave! As we live our lives in His Presence, we will begin to understand what we’ve been given. We have the same authority Christ did. 

No wonder Jesus said ‘speak to the mountain and it will be moved’ …He made that mountain – of course it will obey Him. Now, the Lord lives in us. So, unless we work for a mining firm and we intend to whimsically move the local mountains around like pieces on a chessboard — we can ask for whatever we need. Otherwise we don’t have the authority of a banana!

Please don’t settle for an encounter with God – capture His heart and walk with Him! Think bigger. Start thinking about what your life will be like with Jesus showing you daily what to do next … Bye 👋. “… but the people who know their God shall prove themselves strong and shall stand firm and do exploits [for God].” Daniel 11:32b.

P 3422 The bible.

/ DVH

I think the version of the bible is less important, to me this book is a springboard into hearing from Him. It’s His Word and He can take His Word and touch our hearts however He chooses to. The Lord makes a lot of statements in the bible that sound wonderful, but unless we choose to act on them, as the Holy Spirit brings a verse to our minds — we can easily forget them again.

The scriptures are given to us to be life and health to us — food for the weary soul. Let’s look at Jeremiah 31:25 TPT: “For I will refresh the weary soul and satisfy all those who have given up on life.” Here are a few more versions. Amplified bible:  “For I will [fully] satisfy the weary soul, and I will replenish every languishing and sorrowful person.” The King James version: “For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.” Last one, Easy-to-read version:  “I will give rest and strength to those who are weak and tired.”

So looking at all that, what can we do when we are full of sorrow, tired and weary? We’ve learnt that we need to REST and be REFRESHED by the fact that God has given us His Word. He will help us find answers. He will take care of … whatever it is! What the Lord is doing is far beyond our scope of our limited imagination most of the time. His timing is totally perfect, but it simply doesn’t always scratch where we are itching, when we are tired and sad. But He is still doing something.

I think the secret is this – don’t pre-decide how the answers to your prayers will look. When we do that, we can utterly miss His answers to our prayers. Resting on what He says in the book, is our faith at work. Fussing and fretting about what we can do about things when we are already worn out, is a misuse of our God’s freely given resources. Take a big breath, look up and give it all to Him and wait for Him.

The Holy Spirit is our primary resource and His Word is our reference book. If we start looking at other people, and comparing or judging what’s happening to them, we are living under the misunderstanding that we are all supposed to be in the same spiritual place at the same time. We aren’t. We learn His ways by walking with Him individually. This is the God who makes enemy armies fearfully run for their lives, when no-one is actually there!  What one verse means to me, may not be what it means to you.

It is so important to value the cross. Every now and then go back to it in your mind, and remember what He did for you. What He did then, He is still doing! And don’t forget that empty tomb either. Our faith is founded on these events. The bible teaches us how to live and respond to difficulties, based upon a war that has already been won. He won it for us.

If we don’t feel ‘fully satisfied,” like Jeremiah said, then don’t blame yourself, someone else or even the Lord. Instead ask for eyes to see what He IS doing. He’s God … He can do trillions of things at once. Maybe we are missing what He is actually doing because we are too busy meditating on our unhappy circumstances. Let’s choose to be singleminded about these things. Focus on what His book says. That’s a skill we can cultivate, and it involves trust. For our faith to be real it has to be tested. The bible tells us how to face and move through those tests.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4. 

This verse reminds us that God is always doing something. At the very least, He’s testing our faith in His goodness. He wants us to know that when our faith is tested we are developing perseverance. So we decide to rest. That means we stop trying to figure it out by ourselves and just WAIT. We are on God’s assembly line and our tested faith will produce perseverance, but we need to hold fast to what He said in the book. Let’s allow Him to finish what He has started.

We are faithfully waiting and looking to see God’s goodness in the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13) Sometimes we can miss the answers to our prayers because the Lord is doing something so much bigger than we could ever hope or imagine. The thing to remember is that we are also doing something, when we choose to trust Him and His Word, instead of running about like a headless chicken. The Lord says: “That trouble is the exercise that will strengthen our faith muscles.”

The bible is a spiritual document. That kind of thing is often hard to read, but we are so blessed … we have the greatest Lawyer ever, praying for us, helping and teaching us. He understands the law and He operates freely in GRACE. This means He knows how to plead our case for us. Let Him. Bye. 👋

P3374 Let’s learn to ask: “how?” 

/ DVH

Sometimes we can be so afraid of being misled, that fear itself imprisons and freezes us in a bad place. The antidote to this is accessed by allowing His Word to remain in us, and letting it comfort and challenge us. If the bible says God loves you, don’t waste your time reminding yourself of the dumb things you did yesterday – repent! Say Thank YOU! And move on. You could end up with a testimony! Jesus said: “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:7. 

Today’s scripture is not just about asking for what we want. Our focus needs to be on: “IF you remain in Me and My words remain in you …”  This promise is conditional … and our personal choices actually set those conditions. When we remain in His word, and His word becomes part of us – self-centred, sin-laden prayers evaporate. His word throws light on our motivation and things just …POOF! Disappear in His light. This is part of HOW we live the new life Jesus died to give us.

Our new way of looking at others who have deliberately injured us, will change us and our point of view, but it won’t necessarily change them. Particularly as we allow His Word to actively penetrate our lives. Otherwise what is in the book is theory. It’s a wonderful theory, but it won’t become real until we take a risk and obey Him. Taking the word out of head knowledge and practically applying it, is part of ‘How’ to use your faith to access the reality of God. EG: Don’t just read about forgiveness, or tithing, and then smile and nod. Forgive and tithe!!

The bible does not have sub-texts or escape clauses. Other people may say things like: ”Well, of course that doesn’t mean you have to forgive those peope, we understand they have behaved despicably toward you.” That’s just dumb – repent, forgive. It isn’t rocket science, it’s not even a suggestion! Very few of us are utterly accurate about what has actually happened, we all embellish stuff to make US look better! The point is to use our faith, not just our intellect. Faith becomes active when we stretch it … even just a little bit. Stretching our faith means we believe what God said, especially when life gets bumpy or nasty. Allowing no exceptions, is part of “How!”

God’s Word, as we regularly read it, washes our minds clean of all the detritus this world throws at us, and through that process, we get a renewed mind that thinks like Jesus does. However, a renewed mind won’t be  accessed by just replacing what we already know, with something that He said. The actions digest the thought and make it part of us — then Word of God washes our minds clean of impurity  and selfishness. “So that He (Jesus) might sanctify her, (His bride) having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word,…” Ephesians 5:26. 

Let His Word wash over you and highlight the places you can’t easily see. You may be an excellent driver, but every car has a blind spot, and so do Christians!  I’ve learnt to never presume innocence, always ask and follow through with action. This is another part of HOW.  Remember that Judas asked: “Is it me Lord?” After Jesus mentioned someone would betray Him. That question wasn’t enough he needed a heart that would apply itself to change and repent!

Any study of God’s word is fruitful. But I believe our major accent, our very own point of faith, is found by digesting the word of God itself. So how do we take those difficult  verses – and make them a part of our lives in such a way that they become part of us? Step one – use your faith. Step two – is ask Him to show you how it applies to you. Step three – don’t assume innocence. Repentance isn’t cutting off your head, it’s humbling yourself! Read the same verse in a number of versions, to clarify it. Look carefully at it to see if there is another way to look at it. Attack the bible with expectancy. Our God loves to speak to us.

We don’t have to be afraid of what it says, SomeBody paid for our sin. As we let His Words remain in us, reading God’s Word becomes like pulling on a spiritual string. The more you pull on it, the more we discover His help with whatever we need to do next. This makes His Presence in our lives more tangible. After all that – we stand still, and we rest and wait for what He says and does next. That’s another HOW. Christianity runs on faith. And if what we are doing is not using our faith, then we are missing out on all the good bits! 

Asking ‘how’ is an important part of our spiritual walk. The Holy Spirit knows everything, and He’s always with us, and for us. Let’s start from that place. A healthy child knows that they belong, and our God has never been an absent Father. He is present and willing to interact with us over everything going on in our lives. Asking “how” is not rude, it is deferring to His wisdom.

Ask Him: “How do You want me to do this?” He won’t just give us instructions and walk away. The Lord will walk beside us in our journey. The bible tells us: “He will guide us with His eye on us.” I’ve had Him say to me – “Do this. Now do that. Now wait. Wait for Me to show you what comes next.”  How the Lord does stuff is the best part of learning faith. Bye. 👋

P3373 Getting to know Jesus more.  

/ DVH

Colossians 2:2-4:“I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God’s great mystery. All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we’ve been shown the mystery! I’m telling you this because I don’t want anyone leading you off on some wild-goose chase, after other so-called mysteries, or “the Secret.” 6-7: “My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live Him. You’re deeply rooted in Him. You’re well constructed upon Him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.”

Being woven into a tapestry of love kind of seems like a soft, dreamy, gentle thing to do, does it? Well, I’ve done some weaving myself — and a whole lot of clanking, banging and thumping went on. What I was making needed lots of ‘adjustment.’  The thing is as we choose to be woven together, our minds will be renewed simply by the way He chooses to weave us. Just like the shuttle collides with the material, we will bump into each other. It’s what we do about it that makes all the difference.

You know, the material on a loom doesn’t get to say anything about where it goes and how it looks. It is up to the Master Weaver to decide the best relationship between the colours, and which thread should go in which direction. He drafts the pattern and then He guides each piece into place. There’s a lesson in there somewhere! It reminds me a lot of the bible, written by 66 authors under the oversight of the greatest Writer of all time, the Holy Spirit.

I love to read the bible with others who are looking for new ways to discover things about Jesus, stuff that I don’t know yet. We need fresh insight every day. One of the things I’ve learnt when I study His book, is that I have to stop periodically and turn the sentences I am reading, around. I pray and then I look at them hard. What does it actually say? What doesn’t it say? How does that verse fit into the framework around it … the other verses near it? Just like weaving, it’s the way the verses go together matter.

In the same vein, the secret to true healthy digestion is that it begins in the mouth. What we say about what we read matters. Let’s read it… s-l-o-w-l-y. When we read the bible paying attention to what we read, no words are wasted, all of them will point us toward knowing Him. I want to treat the bible like the best chocolate, and let it slowly dissolve in my mouth … that’s where our tastebuds are, BTW. Rushing through the bible reading to compete our daily quota won’t give anyone much insight. If we are going to find any treasures and mysteries within, we will need to take our time. Try reading it like a letter from someone you dearly love – because that is what it is.

The Holy Spirit is so magnificent He can take a single bible verse,  and it will mean one thing to you, and another to me, and yet we will both be right! That’s because the bible is personal, hand-delivered, mail. Knowing overall what the bible says is our best back-up.  Our God does not contradict Himself. This means the best Person to help you interpret the bible is the One Who wrote it. You and I have the Author sitting right next to us so we can ask Him: ‘what does that mean?”

In my case, I almost immediately remember another verse from somewhere else, or something from His Word that I read earlier and that throws light on what I am reading now. I do my best to let the bible interpret itself. Why? Because as well meaning as we all are, we can misinterpret the meaning according to our own needs, and preferences, or even our church affiliations. Even brilliant scholars have already established opinions.

Also, I always ask questions. If I don’t get an immediate answer, I won’t just forget about it. Instead I repeatedly go back and ask Him again and again. I’ve learnt to insist and persevere – the Holy Spirit loves it when you chase Him! Our God is a God of revelation, but we won’t find pearls on the ground, we will have to dig for them. Because we are part of a weaving, other people may have insights that open up some of the puzzles for us.

Meanwhile, it’s good to want the Holy Spirit to know that you are serious. We all want to know Jesus, even when what we find out doesn’t actually suit us. The next step is to deliberately look for ways to apply what we’ve read in our daily life. We want to live it, see it, taste it, touch it, experience it – live and in person at our house! His kingdom is inside us. Remember to pray the scriptures over yourself, because that is yet another way to get to know Him. Remember, His disciples knew Jesus for a while, yet He surprised them over and over again. 

The Trinity will always be a mystery to us. But together, we can examine that mystery through reading what has been written, and learn more than we would learn by ourselves. We can easily fall into a hole when we do not value His Word enough.  Especially if we are embarrassed about who we are and we want to hide our faults away with a pleasant face and pretence. Pretence invites deception.

Getting to know Jesus means more than gathering information about Him, or what He does etc. When we know Him personally,  it is to our own benefit to allow His life in us to flourish, by living out the gospel in our day-to-day lives. Then we will discover that He wants to come everywhere and anywhere with us.  Bye. 👋

P 3364 Living aware of His care.

/ DVH

“We pray that you’ll live well for the Master, making Him proud of you as you work hard in His orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father Who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that He has for us.” Colossians 1:11,12.

I’ve talked previously about pruning and the results, so today I’d like to mention that we don’t have to learn this stuff in a vacuum. Our God is always with us wherever we go, in the Person of the Holy Spirit. I’m His biggest fan! I love to watch Him at work, even in the little things. When we look for His input in our everyday lives, we can find Him, quietly working away behind the scenes.

Above today’s text there’s a picture of something that reminds me of Him in action. I enjoy watching sheep dogs working, protecting and rounding up sheep. Those clever dogs go this way and that, and sometimes it seems like the dumb sheep have no clue what is good for them. But the sheepdogs persevere, darting about with boundless energy. They are always on the look-out for danger to the sheep to keep them safe.

In the same way, we may not aways understand why the Holy Spirit is doing whatever He is doing in our lives. But we can be sure of one thing – His mission is to keep every single sheep safe and lead them to where they are meant to be. We may not ‘feel like ‘ He is there, but He promised to be with us, so let’s choose to believe Him. The more we learn His ways, the more we can recognise when He is at work for His will and pleasure in our own lives, and the lives of others around us. Ask Him to help you see through His eyes.  

The secret is in our own stickability, and the precious Holy Spirit will even help us with that! “And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.” Galatians 6:9. “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16. “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.” Ephesians 3:16.

Jesus did not leave us alone to work out this life by ourselves. Thank you Lord! So we have every reason to keep on going. Even if we sometimes give up on ourselves, the Holy Spirit is there, whispering to us: “Keep going, we’ve got this, I’m here to help you.” He is not an inactive observer. He abounds in Grace toward us and He doesn’t count our missteps or mistakes—He’s the One Who continually reminds us that Jesus died for all our sins. Hubby and I have found that when we go on the road, we simply become His hands and feet. You don’t have to raise the dead to witness, you simply have to walk in Love and leave the rest to Him.

You will never find a more willing participant in your ministry, than the Holy Spirit. It is His joy and pleasure to help us. The biggest clue is in His Name. HOLY Spirit. To walk with Him we cannot live to please ourselves anymore. Instead we need to proactively remind ourselves that Jesus died to give us His holiness, His right standing with our Father, and His Grace to finish whatever Father God has asked us to do. So we must lay aside ours. Our inheritance is vast, and often remains unclaimed. Sometimes that is because we focus on what we can’t do, instead of what Jesus has already done.

“The heavens declare the glory of God;  the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.” Psalm 19:1,2. I try to look UP, as well as look carefully, and prayerfully in the mirror of His Word. Looking at ourselves will just intimidate us because without Him we can do nothing. The One Who put those stars, those planets, the moon, and the sun there with His fingertips, is inside you! He wants to work with us: “[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energising and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.” Philippians 2:13. 

There have been times in my life when it felt like He was not with me, but we cannot afford to go by our feelings. The One Who put the desire to please Him, or the sadness for letting Him down is the One Who is reminding us He’s still there! He promises in the book, to work “…all things together for our good.” Including the spirit of stupid that sometimes falls on all of us!  He is far, far more generous, than we are able to understand. Whisper His Name, ask for His help. He’s always the Answer, not people.

Living well isn’t about getting stuff right, it is about pressing in, even if you don’t feel like getting out of bed. Let’s take our focus off us and how we feel and continue to praise Him for His consistency while we are doing it. Praise and thank the Lord that His motivation is love, not performance, and live aware of His care for you.  “In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].” Proverbs 3:6. Amen and Amen! Bye 👋

P 3358 More of Jesus.    

/ DVH

Colossians 1:3-8.“Our prayers for you are always spilling over into thanksgivings. We can’t quit thanking God our Father and Jesus our Messiah for you! We keep getting reports on your steady faith in Christ, our Jesus, and the love you continuously extend to all Christians. The lines of purpose in your lives never grow slack, tightly tied as they are to your future in heaven, kept taut by hope. The Message is as true among you today as when you first heard it. It doesn’t diminish or weaken over time. It’s the same all over the world. The Message bears fruit and gets larger and stronger, just as it has in you. From the very first day you heard and recognized the truth of what God is doing, you’ve been hungry for more.”

Have you eaten too much of something you like, but you kind of still kept on going? Yeah me too. Maybe you’ve binge-watched something on Streaming? Yeah me too. Well today have I got news for you! I found something you can indulge yourself in that isn’t fattening or mind numbing – the quest for more of Jesus! 

People say this all the time, and we might easily feel like an inferior Christian, because that thought never even crossed our minds. My question today is: what does it actually mean?  We can say a whole lot of Christian-ese words sometimes, without any bible verses or experiences to back them up. So what does wanting more of Him look like? 

I can remember being so in love with my hubby that I would go long distances to spend five minutes in his company. Hmm. I would still do that, but I might need some personal assistance nowadays! He’s still the nicest person I know …  well, most of the time. I think more of Jesus means, at the very least, that I will want to spend more time with Him getting to know Him. I actively ask and look for the Lord in my day. When I see Him, I thank Him!

I’m just going to let that sit there while we both think about it. That’s because spending more time with Him means we need less time for us to do the things we have cultivated in our lives to relieve stress, and fear, and help us to cope. Yeah. I’m just going to leave that one there too …

I think more of Jesus is like falling in love. Ad when life gets difficult, we approach those things with Him as our Saviour, Lord and Friend. Then we choose to appropriate what He said He has given us, using our faith. That means WE DO SOMETHING. It’s an exercise of our will, and we accept whatever comes at us, because the bible tells us He filters that stuff.  If I need something, He will provide it – if we don’t, then He won’t. We live to make love our aim, because Love is His language, and that means we are looking at life through His eyes.

More of Jesus also means our value systems will become  like His, and our hearts will break for the things that break His heart. Because Jesus lived to please His Father, and we like being around Him, so we will choose to live that way too. Our needs and wants become secondary; we pray, ask, then we leave it with Him. He’s God He can do anything. If someone provokes us or pokes us in the ego – what will come out of us automatically is a help prayer.

All of those things are great aims!! But like the Psalmist says: “Such knowledge is too lofty for me to attain…” Psalm139:6. My translation to that bit of this Psalm is — we can’t possibly do this stuff and not exercise our faith. We need His help, because change happens one step at a time, but we begin with the firm knowledge that what Jesus did is already complete.

We no longer have to live like other people, the Lord has given us His word that He won’t leave us. He will also provide us with a way to get out of whatever dumb thing we’ve gotten into. Our minds and emotions, become secondary to His Word, because they can fool us into thinking that reacting the same way we always did, means we have not been changed. It’s a lie. Jesus did everything that ever needed doing on the cross. So we choose to use our faith to apply what He did, once and for all, into our own lives, now. 

There are times we can get stuck because our convenience wins over what Jesus said, but we know that repentance restores our relationship with Him. There can also be times we haven’t done the things we know He asked us to do. How can we learn to trust in Jesus, and want Him and His ways more, when we choose to be a slave to convenience and time?

This is the real point of today’s blog. I think we fail because we live in a fast-paced society where time is a thing to be used … … not savoured. So let’s look briefly at the consequences of not using our time well. We will probably stay in the same place spiritually, going up and down, always waiting for God to make the difference, when He already did! We allow His truth to be merely a reminder, instead of a prompt for change.

According to Colossians Chapter one, more of Him also contains a whole lot of thanksgiving! Actually, the bible says we shouldn’t stop giving thanks, no matter how we feel. So we need to practice thanking Him that He is in charge, even when it looks like He’s not! Now there’s something to go on with. Remember that’s not lying, it is lining ourselves up with His Word, instead of being led around by circumstances.

Paul thanks God for the growth of the faith of the Church in Colossae. He can see it because it is seeable. We go on and on about answered prayer, but what about Jesus’ prayers?? Paul himself has heard about the things that are happening in that church. God’s Word grows spiritual fruits, and that fruit is visible, not a euphemism. Wanting more of Jesus means we recognise the difference between what God says, and what is seeable and actually true in our lives. Visible fruit is proof of more of Jesus in our lives.

The believers in Colossae used their faith that what Jesus said He did, He did. They staked their lives on it. We need a whole lot less of ‘spooky filter’ Christianity and more fruit! More of Jesus signifies that we choose to obey what He asked us to do, and we get to see the results and so do other people. Bye.  👋

P 3347 What can I do?

/ DVH

What can I do? We can all see our role in God’s plan as essential. Because the Lord loves people, our main focus has to be outward, toward people. Praying and giving are both great – do it! But remember, now you and I are His temple, we take Him with us everywhere we go. So interacting with others is our goal, we dare not live solitary, individually based lives any longer. Christians need to live their lives looking outward. 

My daughter-in-love teaches Religious Instructions in a local school. Her little group of multi-denominational RI teachers have had to lobby to stay in the school they minister in. They fight yearly, for the right to teach these kids. Not with bats, rocks or guns, but with loving insistence, and perseverance. Children are the church’s future, they are arrows we fire into a tomorrow we may never see. There are at least two generations in our country that know nothing,  or very little about Jesus.

It is extremely important to use the bible wisely – not like a literary weapon to wallop people. The book is a healing balm, an overflowing ointment that excels at providing human beings with our Father’s love. It helps us gain wisdom, and learn how to love others. It is filled with His life, and more life! It isn’t a bat or a club. Battering people with God’s word makes them angry, and afraid of it. And if they know about the Lord, they blame Him for all the bad things that happen. 

The people in this world don’t know God is good. I don’t know about you but I still find myself on every single page. It is a powerfully underestimated living book. The Holy Spirit speaks through it. It is a book about the goodness of Lord and His Ways and it is our joy to make His Word available to other people, as well as demonstrate what is in it.

So, let’s recap a bit, we could teach RI, or Children’s church, or produce plays, lead singing groups, etc. but whatever it is, please don’t limit yourself to doing these things only inside your own church. We need to be visible, yet we are starting to look like an independent nation in the middle of our societies — instead of the sweet flavour of God. Churches can seem so intimidating to people who have never been inside one – the people inside know the rules – but strangers can be frightened by what we may do next!  

It is good to remember, that the Body of Christ has all the spiritual H20 — and everyone outside Her is slowly dying of thirst! Let’s deliberately make plans to get the Water of Life, and His Word, outside our churches and into our local communities. We cannot influence others unless we are face to face with them, loving on them. What we do is a response to His love toward us – He came here ‘while we were yet sinners.’ So because we know His love and we love Him, our Christian faith should never slide onto the back burner of our minds. After all, we’ve never left His mind! When our faith slips into the background, it can quietly leave, and we won’t even notice. That’s a tragedy. 

When we went away this last time, the people we met thanked us so much for coming and bringing aid, they were very grateful. But we also had a number of people who are working for the government with very little support because the needs have increased exponentially — they thanked us over and over again with tears, simply because we came. “I was in prison and you visited me.” Matthew 25:36.They were blessed because they felt we were showing solidarity with them in their bottomless coal-faced interaction with individual heartache and pain.

Prayer should be the beginning of anything we do but let’s remember that Jesus prayed on His own time. He publicly and privately ministered wherever He could. This world has become so incredibly busy, it seems we are all afraid of losing what we have. So we work harder and harder in order to maintain a lifestyle where God is a PS, and not our main purpose. Our trust in His provision for His children only seems to show up when we lack stuff.

I have always thought that buying a bunch of single gospel  booklets – see above – to give away when we can. Most of the people we talk to on the road, haven’t ever read the bible. We have even had some of them ask us: “What’s a bible?” Being generous to strangers gives them an opportunity to learn about His love for them. We give away individual gospels and they cost around $A2.50 each. The real point is to give others something to hold onto to remind the person God loves them. What can we do? Live the life Jesus died to give us. Bye 👋. 

“But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know Who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? That’s why Scripture exclaims, A sight to take your breath away! Grand processions of people telling all the good things of God! But not everybody is ready for this, ready to see and hear and act. Isaiah asked what we all ask at one time or another: “Does anyone care, God? Is anyone listening and believing a word of it?” The point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to.” Romans 10:14.

P 3336 Love suffers long.

/ DVH

“Love suffers long,,,” is from 1 Corinthians 13:4. It seems to me that this kind of love has patient endurance and steadfast kindness. And I think it is easy to see why we can’t fake it. We might manage to control our temper or our impatience for a few times in a row, but, under pressure, we can eventually reach the end of what we can do, and then … we definitely need supernatural help! 

The Message bible says on this subject: “Love never gives up…” So that means we can’t quit on our weaknesses. I know, personally, I can want to give up quite quickly, because I find the urge to be impatient usually comes right on the heels of someone else’s mistake or their bad temper. Sadly I can be very  intolerant of other people’s flaws… whilst I am merrily glossing over my own! …

It’s a set-up. These things don’t happen in isolation, one thing quite often stands upon the shoulders of something else. That can include a lack of forgiveness coming from past situations. The trouble with unforgiveness is that it doesn’t happen overnight it builds slowly. It is like endlessly throwing dirty socks into the corner of the room, sooner or later that smell is gunna get ya!

We cannot fight the enemy of our souls with will power. Mankind’s first entanglement with him ended badly … remember?? We need the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and help to manoeuvre our way through the stuff that can go right back into our childhood. Impatience starts early in children when they want something and they don’t want to wait. Many times I’ve noticed that without God, most of us can’t suffer very long!

I believe in forgiving people and putting the past where it should be, behind us. Don’t let the enemy ruin your future by leeching away your obedience, while you weep and mull over your past. People can get bogged down in past injustices, and other people’s very real sins against them. Use that time to practice looking for the good instead and don’t forget to pray.

Let’s not leave the real race to go and try to fix something we can’t change. Whatever happened to you back then was terrible, it was SIN let loose on a little kid. But that sin is definitely is not bigger than God’s grace is. We cannot face this world, and the state it is in, without His Grace. We need Him guiding us through the minefields of our own damaged thinking and emotional wounds. Being patient with people who treat us badly, exercises our faith so we can tackle the next bit … loving those who despitefully use us.

Either we take His Word seriously, or we don’t!  Unchecked, eventually we will end up blaming our impatience etc on someone else, which very nicely relieves us of the responsibility to ask Jesus to help us! Taking responsibility for our own actions is the first step into spiritual maturity. Other people may do things to me – but, because of who I am now, I don’t have to let my responses to their actions, limit me. Good place to stop and think. 🤔

Feel free to pray, I subscribe to the idea of fixing anything at any time immediately, when you remember it. Don’t let the enemy make a case against that other person – that’s fatal to living in love. Impatience will take over and if they sneeze it will annoy you! It’s time to put those things away, otherwise yesterday, is stealing today and tomorrow. 

That means we have His love over us and His book to teach us. That’s the best focus. We can learn to take our thoughts captive, when we don’t hold them close to us. I often tell “torment” to take a hike. That thing hangs around wounds and pain and pokes at them.

When we make what Jesus said the plumb line, then the things that are out of line in our own lives, start to show themselves. You know, suffering long is something the Lord faced daily. The disciples were just ordinary men, they all had different ways to earn a living, plus they were just human beings, not holy men. But Jesus was patient with them while they were learning. He will be patient with us too.

Under the Holy Spirit’s guidance these ordinary people were transformed. Jesus had renewed their minds for 3 and a half years teaching them, instructing them, then what they saw and heard and experienced next changed them, forever. They all encountered the Holy Spirit and He renewed their minds to what was real and important. I bet they all had opportunities to get impatient while they waited for the Holy Spirit, Who was unknown to them, to come.  

Love suffers long, is first in a long line of stuff we simply cannot produce by ourselves, not just because it is too hard, but because it requires maintenance. At the same time, blaming other people for our impatience is fruitless. Literally! Instead this is a good place to see our spiritual progress IRL We need to see these imperfections so we can remain humble and pliable in the Lord’s hands. 

Love is patient, it suffers wrong, because it’s mind is on something far more important – maintaining and giving away God’s love with our Resident Expert’s help. Thank you Holy Spirit! 👋 Bye