Love

P 2376 Living a transparent life.

/ DVH

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16. “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

Transparency in our lives frees us to walk with each other … not to mention the cleansing effect it has as we walk along! However, our current society loves to expose people simply for the shock value. But that is not the same as choosing to live a transparent life for Jesus’ sake. Exposure in today’s world often equals intrusion. 

Unfortunately it is very easy to hide the reality of who we actually are at our house, and present a better picture to others on the outside. But choosing to live honestly frees all of us to openly trust the Lord more, and to present our faith in its true light. We are the people who live in, and value, forgiveness. It is way too easy to hide who we are and simply claim we are being positive. Lots of nasty stuff hides in there! We need total honesty when we are coming before the One ‘to whom all hearts are open’  – and if I lie to you about who I really am, I will hurt the BODY – I will stunt its growth.

Transparency is a hallmark of belonging to Jesus, because we are the people who have nothing to HIDE, so we don’t live in fear of exposure. Instead we live in reality. We know we are sinners saved entirely by His Grace. It is dumb and a waste of our time here on earth to be saved by grace, and then go on to try do our best to LIVE hiding in external works and nice attitudes. Paul talks about that in Romans and Galatians. 

Our God will never take our choices away, He wants us to surrender them, willingly. You only have to read the Old Testament to see how patient He is with all sorts of people. He dealt with them as individuals. He let them grow INTO whatever He had for them to do. It is sad when pride, plus fear of judgment, along with a fatal saving-face attitude, can get in the way of owning our own frailties – we can’t reach our full spiritual potential that way! 

Sadly, some things we choose to hide because we are ashamed about them, and other things we hide because of the way we want to appear to others. We can unfortunately, easily acquaint hiding with privacy or safety, but trying to remain safe and secure without Him being in charge, hinders our growth. Growth comes from acknowledgment, not sweeping stuff under the carpet and hoping nobody else notices the lump! Jesus is gentle and lowly in His heart – that’s our reality. Isn’t that an amazing thing to be able to say about our Saviour? No wonder we love Him!

And He loves for us to be our true selves, freely and willingly, because there is a great deal of healing in being honest and open. I am not talking about being nasty or letting your nasty feelings attack others. The idea is to be CHANGED – not just released to be a pain! This kind of life means we will learn how to accept ourselves and others, and their flaws. However, self is definitely going to die in the process of changing the way we live, because all pretence has to go out of the window. Polite and nice simply get in the way of real Spirit-given love. We use so much energy trying to look right, that in the end, we have nothing left to give away.

Owning our own frailties is so important. To live like this we have to deal with fear, which can snarl at us from the corners of our minds and emotions and tell us that those ‘other people are not safe.’ Let’s be absolutely clear. Other people are definitely not safe! They need saving too!! That’s why we don’t put our trust in them, we put our trust in Jesus, to get us through anything and everything that comes at us. We are doomed to disappointment if we misplace our trust. We may need to give other people the benefit of the doubt as to their motives, but we trust HIM, not them. Others will fail us, accidentally, or on purpose. Human beings are frail, they have faults and foibles and they can easily stomp on us without even knowing it, or thinking about it.

That’s why we need to trust the One Who knows us better than we know ourselves. I’ve found that all kinds of nasty little things hide in corners when we are not honest with ourselves or one another. It is good to forgive and forget when people let us down, but the best way to deal with others is by living in His love with His help. That Love looks like 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. This is what the Lord Jesus already looks like, and that’s WHY we can trust HIM.

I found it is helpful when dealing with difficult people, to go straight to forgiveness and not pass “go!” until I’ve done it.  At the same time I continue to cultivate the company of the One Who will never ever fail me. The Holy Spirit. Transparency and honesty help us to relate to Him, and He helps us to become who we wish we were. 👋🏻

P 2373 Pain is often inevitable.

/ DVH

Pain can happen when His will crosses ours – so we are going to need to learn how to dig through that pain to find a pool of blessing. “Even when their paths wind through the dark valley of tears, they dig deep to find a pleasant pool where others find only pain. He gives to them a brook of blessing filled from the rain of an outpouring.” Psalms 84:6 TPT. I have to tell you I need to take a permanent shower in this word for about a year! It shows what the Holy Spirit does with a precious totally-yielded soul. It also explains that God’s ways are not our ways. A pleasant pool actually puts me in mind of a trouble-free existence – obviously that is not what the Lord means here! He says we must dig to find the blessing in the middle of the hard bits.

I already know the location of one of these pools because I am totally blessed to know people who are like this psalmist. Even though I’m not always there yet, these people always treat me like royalty. That’s the hallmark of the children of the kingdom – they value other people above everything else … apart from the Lord Himself. When I meet people like this, I immediately feel like I can be bigger. They know how to dig one of those pools! Their kindness and love can open doors that have remained shut because of fear and pain.

Pain, BTW, is often inevitable, especially when His will crosses ours. Boy my voyage of inner self-discovery this year has been eye-opening. There was all this hideous stuff hiding around corners inside my heart and it didn’t show up until life squashed me! When everything goes well, I can be as ‘nice’ … as anyone else, but when the ceiling falls in – hmmmm…. that’s a whole other story. That’s when I’ve begun to realise that pain is an opportunity to dig for more – it kind of sounds like Ps 23:5.: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.“ 

Digging deep produces blessings – when we dig deep we will get a POOL of blessings, like this Psalmist said. Most of us just want to run away from pain and hardship – but this man has learnt a better way. Sadly when I get into digging it seems like the first thing I find is a stinky attitude in me!  Father God is so kind, He has explained to me that this is a symptom and I need to extend forgiveness to myself, others and the world around me. My next response is to tell the Holy Spirit if He doesn’t help me I’m sunk. I am permanently grateful we have a Helper – especially while I am looking for that pool… because HE knows where those pleasant pools are!

Ya gotta wonder if those pools in Psalm 84, actually come from the dark valley of tears this guy just crawled through … but NO! That pool comes from a brook of blessing that came from an outpouring. Wouldn’t it be great if we  could just skip the hard times and go straight to the brook and the outpouring? That’d be ACE! There are times I stumble over that prayer I prayed eons ago – to be like Jesus inside and out – you can’t complain when you asked for it can you? But there is a blessing in there – God is answering that prayer. Maybe that is why you gotta learn to dig beyond your current circumstances.

There are times that I learn great things, retrospectively. It would be so much better to know that piece of info before the bad stuff rushes over me like a rampant river and threatens to drown whatever faith I have. At the same time the bible mentions another pool provider — regular pruning. The Lord loves to prune the bits that aren’t fruitful …! 😱 Wark! I know the Lord loves to do it but pruning can be hard – it mostly happens when you think you are getting somewhere – at last! 

You are going along, a happy little branch on the vine and you discover this nice green little shoot popping out right near the end of your branch. Goodie! New life you think – aha!  And then the Shepherd/Gardener comes along and prunes the whole branch back to a nub!  The indignation is almost palpable. Why would the Gardener prune something that had so much potential? To get more, that’s why. Right there, when it seems your hopes have taken a nose-dive …is some of that blessed pool potential. God is so happy with our progress and He can see even more is possible. That’s an instance where He does not think like we do. 

Here’s a tip on digging a pool – get used to using your faith in His goodness, no matter how things look – because that is the thing that our enemy challenges all the time. Holding on to our faith is part of the excavation to find that pool of blessing in the middle of the hard bits. Sometimes it’s important to simply choose to embrace the mystery of Who He is, to keep your faith in Him strong. Pain is often an inevitable part of this life, we can do it alone, or with Him and learn the art of excavation – our choice. 👋🏻

Ps the Apostle Paul was a fantastic digger – he knew how to find the blessing in the middle of a trial – look out for it when you are reading the Epistles, EG. 2 Timothy 2:9 “…for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.” 

P 2370 God has given us clear guidelines.

/ DVH

When you read Exodus and Leviticus in the Old Testament this line appears in practically every paragraph: ‘this is what the Lord has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you…’  Father God does not do or say anything without a reason – we need to pay attention to what He said.

He wants to teach us how to live our lives reconciled to Him, progressively learning His Ways. In the Old Testament His requirements were temporarily satisfied by the blood, of sheep, bulls, goats and birds – in the New His requirements were totally satisfied, now and forever, by the blood of Jesus Christ. Hebrews1:1&2 “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world.”  

What Christ did was so powerful, it went backwards and forwards throughout time! The blood of animals previously satisfied the Lord’s anger at man’s rebellion and disobedience to His instructions … for a season. Meanwhile, do look at how patient He is – that first season lasted for approximately two thousand years!  (Moses to Christ.) For those two thousand years He provided a way for human beings to be able to relate to Him by a series of rituals and instructions … and then Christ came … and everything changed forever. Now, instead of temporary reconciliation, we have a reconciliation that lasts forever. Thank you Jesus!! We can go boldly to the throne of GRACE at any time.

Jesus took all those many commandments and transformed them into two. “Love God” and “love one another.” However, He was not just content with telling us about them – Christ fulfilled them both. We are not thinking clearly enough if all we can see is that Jesus died to reconcile US to God. That thought makes US the focus! NO!! He deliberately died because GOD wanted to  reconcile Himself to us. None of us qualified to be able to approach our great and mighty Father without the ceremonial rules and regs of the Old Testament. But He is not satisfied with lip-service. He loves the genuine heart felt response that comes from real revelation of Who He is, into a heart seeking after Him. 

Let’s be clear. Father God loves the man He made. He does not just tolerate us – HE LOVES US — Our God loves the vilest sinner as deeply as He loves the sweetest saint but, we eliminate ourselves when we refuse to live this life His way.Human beings have no idea what unchanging means, because humanity is so changeable and fickle. However God’s love is like a mighty heart beat steady, strong, powerful and the Holy Spirit goes after each one of us with a plan and a passion we will never understand … this side of heaven. We think too small. And when we think too small, we make God too small – we make Him like us by using OUR logic to explain – or sadly, dismiss Him. 

Actually I think we have even presented Him to other people in an incredibly limited fashion and that’s why many people reject Him. Because we explain Him like a list of rules and regulations, dos and don’ts … instead of a vibrant living, loving, passionate Being Who cares about each one of us so much He has done all He can to bring about reconciliation. That ball is now in our court. We need to remember, that He knows how many hairs we have on our heads and the deepest joy and sorrow of our hearts.

We dare not reduce the God of the ever-expanding universe, to a formula!  He is the God Who produces tiny babies almost by the second all over this world, AND… they are all different. How astonishing. He knows each one of us by name, by nature, and by His own choice. His love is personified in Christ and spread abroad by the Holy Spirit – that’s why walking with Them both is so incredibly important. Through the Son and the Spirit – even though we are limited, we can see parts of the Father’s heart toward us that we cannot see any other way. All this is evident to me when I see Him take such a personal, intimate interest in my life and well being. He helps me please Him through the Grace released at Calvary and the precious Holy Spirit’s help.

The Lord has taught me that Love doesn’t come by command — but through appreciation, by beholding … by seeing Him. Our great quest is to personally discover, through His Word, and our experiences of His intervention in our lives – how truly beautiful He is. Jesus Christ’s BRIDE needs to be pure, utterly in love with our BRIDEGROOM for Who He is, not just what He does.Then that deepest sacrificial love for our bridegroom will take us places that we have never even dreamed about. Our Gracious Father has given us clear guidelines, through His book, how to be transformed by His Grace into a Bride worthy of His precious Son. 🙌

P 2369 We cannot legislate unity.

/ DVH

Unity comes from an overflow of love, compassion and respect for the other guy. Instead of constantly rehearsing what divides us, let’s try to find common ground. Sadly we now have 45,000 denominations!! Look, as long as the other person you are talking to believes Jesus Christ is the God-sent Son and Saviour of the world, just let go of other things you don’t agree with and find things you can agree on. Jesus is Lord is a good one!! 

Seriously. We can lose opportunities for reconciliation by being pedantic. Telling the other guy where he is wrong will shut down a conversation faster than the bullet train in Japan travels between Tokyo and Osaka. Just let love loose – love is about focusing on the good. I don’t mean we have to agree with everything, but our POV doesn’t have to collide with someone else’s in the name of straightening them out. One of the best things to do when conflict arises is to ask if you could pray together. Come before the throne in Jesus’ Name and let the Holy Spirit do what He does best … sort things out. 

We do not put enough faith in the power of the Holy Spirit to change US as well as the world. Sometimes I don’t think we put enough faith in Him to sort out our lives! That’s why we start meddling and throwing in our own good ideas. Remember the garden. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise and insightful, she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate.” Genesis 3:6. Eve used her own wisdom and initiative to decide what was right. Look at how that turned out!

Obviously rebellion dropped in, and of course her husband didn’t even run it by his brain – he just did what she said for peace! (Joking) 🤪 That kind of peace, BTW, giving our agreement to shut somebody else up, is not true peace. True peace happens, and unity begins, when both sides agree because they want to, because maintaining love is more important. In that place there is no coercion. Silence isn’t in the answer either – it’s a beginning, but we are aiming at LOVE not just an absence of sound. We must not aim too low!

All Eve shows us is how easily we can be led astray, away from peace directly into blame. Meanwhile sometimes I think we consult one another because we don’t want to be bothered waiting on God… He can take too long. Hmm… maybe He takes a while so we can calm down and reflect instead of reacting! That would be His Grace in action. Perhaps He wants us to choose to die to self out of love, instead of an absence of conflict! How do I know that? I’ve done it! I’ve given up my power of choice and compromised. PS it never works. Our hearts can’t be right when we disagree and then lie about it. Duh! 🙄

That is why I started memorising verses like: “Why not suffer wrong?” 1 Corinthians 6:7. Because the minute I start to straighten you out – I’ve stepped out from under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and I’m back leaning on my own understanding! You know, some people are so committed to their own POV, they would exercise their free will even if their entire house was on fire but they weren’t ‘ready to leave yet!’ 😱 Learn to yield. First to God and then to each other.

True unity can’t come under a dictatorship. The fault is not just the people disagreeing – it is that people need to pray together more than they talk AT each other! We cannot maintain our agendas …  things founded on fear, or rebellion – in the throne room. Sorry to repeat myself because I know I’ve said this before, Isaiah was a prophet who turned to JELLO in the throne room. He spoke for God all over the place, but when he was confronted with God, he knew his place — ON HIS FACE! 

In the Presence of the Lord any disunity disappears. I have been known to  have heaps of opinions – until I get in there. We are handling disagreement badly if our aim is to get the other guy to think like me, because I know I am right. If people can’t see pride in that sentence they need Holy Spirit glasses and they also need to pray heaps more. 

Unity matters to God. He’s got the best unified game going in the history of the Universe. Not only does the Trinity agree – They PREFER one another. We need to set our aim higher. Unity is about love, and what the Father wants, not about what you or I think. 👋🏻

P 2368 So what does saturated look like?

/ DVH

I dunno — yet! But I’m aiming at it. I’m sick to death with living a namby-pamby safe life that is dominated by the things around me that hurt, inconvenience or distract me. More Lord! 🙌  Wherever it takes me! I want to return love for hate, and kindness for carelessness and selfishness, without even thinking about it! I desperately want to leak the Lord’s love wherever I go, no matter how tightly I’m squeezed. That sure sounds like saturation to me!

That word saturate means to permeate until no more can be received, to soak thoroughly. Like a sponge that can’t hold any more fluid, saturated people drip the Lord’s goodness, loving kindness and His precious heart wherever they go, even under pressure. I would love to see the day arrive when His saturated people will leave puddles of His glory behind them. Puddles that heal and transform, just like Peter’s shadow healed the lame man in Acts. Wow, even that thought blows my mind!

I believe Jesus is looking for wild, unbridled men and women like John the Baptist. Passion is meant to motivate them. We are to return HIS passion with OUR PASSION, because our Saviour deserves it. Passion drove Him to the cross. Today, our response needs to match His example. I know a certain SomeOne Who would be de-lig-ht-ed to help us with that! The Holy Spirit.🕊 I think, BTW, that two of the most valuable things we can give the Lord are our time — as well as our obedience. Saturated people are passionate and devoted to His will, by being around Him.

They crave His Presence more than anything else. They love to be near Him, whether that means, prayer, bible study, or helping others etc. All of these things come from a saturated overflow. When you are saturated you don’t have to think about doing what He tells you, YOU DO IT simply because you know He will come with you. And that is the best bit – it’s everything! You enjoy watching Him work, seeing Him reach out to somebody else the same way He did back in those days before His crucifixion. Jesus Christ loved people. He didn’t have agendas – He just loved people. That’s where we are aiming – to be so full of His love it cancels out our own preferences and prejudices.

My testimony is this: I know He saved me, so He definitely can save anybody who wants in! I truly don’t see anyone as being too hard for God — outside the pale, so to speak. If you need a Saviour then Jesus is the One, He cannot let you down because it is in His very nature to be FAITHFUL and TRUE. Read the book. I encourage you to read what He said, for yourself, in the gospels. My premise is —“whosoever will may come …!”

So when hubby and I talk to people, we have that in mind and we just let them be themselves. We have no judgment toward what they say or how they live. It is the Holy Spirit Who convicts, challenges and convinces. It’s our job to “go” and let Him do what He does best, through us. He loves to love on people.  We just tell them what we’ve seen and what we know about the One Who is everything to us. 

I enjoy the example in the bible where Paul and Silas’ jailer falls on his knees in front of them. The bible says this: “In desperation the jailer asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Never missing an opportunity to share the good news, Paul and Silas said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” And that night, as Paul and Silas shared “the word of the Lord,” salvation came to that jailer’s house… “ Act 16:3-34.

Now that’s fantastic saturation! I would love to be so kind, so forgiving to those who deliberately hurt me, that that would be my automatic response!  I want them to see Jesus Christ in me. Knowing the Lord personally, has changed all my aims. I used to aim at being loved, feeling accepted – now I aim to give those things away to hungry people around me. 

I believe God wants a passionate people who will do whatever it takes to fulfil His will while they here are on this earth. A saturated people. 👋🏻

P 2366 Opportunity knocks …

/ DVH

… at the strangest times! It banged on our door all last week. We’ve had people coming and going and doing stuff at our house practically every day. More on that in a bit.

The last 3+ months have been filled up with opportunities, hospital visits, countless occupational therapy appointments, plus physio ones. Also doctor’s appointments, various specialists, endless xrays, workmen installing stuff, plus all my normal yearly check ups. It’s all been rather a painful blur, and now poor hubby has pulled a muscle in his chest wall. Between the two of us we make about 3/4 of a person. But in Christ – well, watch out! The weaker we get – the stronger He gets …  Man I live/love that verse!

Here’s another appropriate verse for the melee happening at our house.“…because we don’t focus our attention on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but the unseen realm is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 TPT. Our focus is on His will, not our everyday lives. As I have said before  – OUR FOCUS MATTERS. Many days recently I’ve found I’ve needed the Lord’s supernatural energy just to drag my focus away from the day to day stuff that sometimes crowds in on me, so I can focus on the person in front of me. 

Have you noticed that one difficulty hardly ever happens by itself? Sometimes forty things kind of rush at you, like a herd of stampeding buffalo. That’s when I just want to sit down on the floor and cover my head until it’s over! I guess it’s called life, but it gets pretty intense for all of us sometimes. But with that intensity comes opportunities.

Now to explain those opportunities that fell on us this week. We’ve been changing our gas to electricity to save money. We put solar panels on our roof ages ago. Last week the gas guys came to take away our old gas hot water tank. We were expecting them at about 8.00am. Well, at 7.00am a young man turned up at our door to turn off the gas. Hubby greeted him and then kindly pointed out to this young man, who looked about 18, that he had planted some tiny plants between the gate and the HW service and could he be careful where he was walking please? I watched this young fellow as he carefully tip-toed through our garden, many, many times back and forth from his truck to the work site, and the Lord impressed on my heart how diligent he was, willing to take the slightest instruction. Do me like that Lord!

We have a small supply of compasses that we give away with a pass-it-on card, pictured above, and the Holy Spirit asked me to tell this young man how impressed with his work ethic I was, then He asked me to give him a compass to indicate God had plans and a direction for his future. To say he was blown away would be an under-exaggeration. He loved it all, and we had a wonderful conversation. I told him that God was so pleased with his attitude to his work. And I praised him for his diligence.

He kinda teared up then, especially when I said that I thought he was a such great example of what a responsible young man looks like. Apparently he had previously been running around with a very bad crowd, and until he found this job things had not been good for him. We told him that God has a great plan for his life and he went back to work smiling all the way. Some time later, a second, slightly older guy turned up to complete the job, and low and behold, there was the younger man out in our garden pointing out the little plants the new guy should avoid! 😊

We decided to give this second man a pen, with a dove on it and … his face also lit up. Apparently he had just come back from Herron Island. And he was walking on the beach, when he looked up, there was a dove in the sky hovering over his head. He felt our pen was a fantastic reminder of an event he could not explain. He kept telling us that you really wouldn’t expect to see a solitary dove on Herron Island! Hubby talked to him for a while about the Lord and then both workmen went on about their work. But they still carefully tiptoed around those plants every time they went back and forth! 

Then a third person, an electrician, came along, and our precious 18 year old, (I wanted to adopt him by this time!), went out and patiently explained to the electrician about the plants he should avoid stepping on. 😂  When they had all finished working, and packed up, the 18 year old deliberately came back to our door and told us that our talk was extremely significant to him, and he was greatly encouraged the conversation. He’d been having a hard time lately. He was beaming all over his face. BTW we gave the electrician something too, and hubby prayed with him and his wife, for their business to prosper. 

How cool was all that?! God brought those people here to our house. The only times I’ve been out since the accident have been to see professionals to help with my arm. (We gave stuff to them too.) And this is what has become apparent to us, when you make yourself available to the Lord, things will happen. We keep cans of lemonade in our fridge to give away to anyone who comes to our door. Maybe 2 in 10 people say ‘no thanks’ – but it definitely opens the door for a conversation with the ones who say “yes, please.”

So my final comment today, about reaching out to talk to others is this, be prepared to have your happy little routines interrupted. I figure my time is now His time, and I’ve watched Him give me back the time so often it isn’t even an issue anymore! Make preparation to bless other people in a way that seems appropriate to you. A cold drink, a pass-it-on card, a bible. We also give away small boxes of chocolates to say thank you to the staff, when we go into a hospitals or clinics. It opens people’s hearts and then you can encourage them with His love… and, if you are fortunate, you can talk to them about Jesus. Opportunity is knocking !!! 🤗

P 2365 We need to pray for the veil of our ignorance taken away.

/ DVH

“And I pray that He would unveil WITHIN YOU the unlimited riches of His glory and favour until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with His divine might and explosive power. Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of His love will become the very source and root of your life. 

Then you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences—the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far-reaching is His love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding—this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God!” Ephesians 3:16-19 TPT

Verses like these ones are kind of a mouthful, and if we don’t stop and pray and WAIT for Him to open our eyes – we can easily end up hearing …blah blah blah blah blah …. ……’constantly using your faith’ … ‘transcends our understanding” Those phrases can unfortunately easily translate into – I must try harder!! 

Trying isn’t in it. Especially when the veil comes off and you realise Jesus Christ already did all the work. We simply need to keep walking alongside Him … like the disciples did. We give up our agendas and dreams for His sake because He died for our sake. It’s our choice. Will our focus be on ‘our day’ or ‘the day Christ gave us!’ Those 12 disciples in the Gospels did nothing to merit the honour of walking with Jesus! They were going about their daily business, when the very real Presence of God showed up in the Person of Christ.

But, sadly we sometimes try to fit our faith in around our already established ordinary lives. OUR LIVES ARE NOT MEANT TO BE ORDINARY. Jesus died to give us HIS LIFE IN US. However, life itself can quickly overwhelm us and we end up praying quick prayers at the beginning of the day, and tired half-asleep ones at the end.  And eventually our failure rate is bigger than our success rate, and we coast along not sure about what we believe, and if it works or not but well-meaning people keep telling us we are missing the mark. WE CANNOT MISS THE MARK – CHRIST BECAME A MAN TO HIT THAT MARK FOR US.

We were not reborn to FAIL. We were reborn to bring His kingdom into our ordinary everyday humdrum lives. We need that veil removed so we can see and comprehend everything Christ already did for us. satan will fight you over that veil. But we have the power now to win! Simply ask the Lord to show you what He wants you to do with your day. Don’t promise Him tomorrow, or Monday, give Him today. And keep reminding Him, (not because HE forgets but because WE need the reminder,) that today is about Him, His kingdom. Tell Him you are willing to listen to what He wants done. Then live listening for what He says next, AND DO IT.

We will actively have to choose to look for His way. The real secret to walking with Christ minute by minute is choosing to live in love. Be like a plant that has put its roots down deeply into His love and then make a quality decision to give it away at any opportunity, whether the other person deserves it or not. Just keep giving it away. Jesus died to give us His life, now we give Him ours, by choosing to live this life as a life of love toward others. That’s how you spread the kingdom of God that is in you. 

We, you and I, already HAVE everything we need for this kind of life! Listen to this: “Everything we could ever need for life and godliness has ALREADY been deposited in us by His divine power. For all this was lavished upon us through the rich experience of knowing Him Who has called us by name and invited us to come to Him through a glorious manifestation of His goodness.”  2 Peter 1:3. 

All this stuff in His book, is in a heavenly bank account with our name on it. We just gotta use our faith and go to that bank and make faith withdrawals. Our faith is not meant to be about having a new car, or house or holiday or staying safe when we travel – that faith was deposited in us so we can live a brand new life that pleases the Father. The Son’s blood now covers our lives so we can walk with Him unafraid.

That veil produces the rumour that a Spirit-filled well-lived life for Jesus, is only for some people. It is for all of us. This is something we have to value so much we go after it deliberately for ourselves. And that means we will end up taking risks – using our faith to obey what Christ said, and pouring out His unmerited love on other people.  👋🏻

P 2364 Tie your heart into this.

/ DVH

“For this reason the Lord is still waiting to show His favour to you so He can show you His marvellous Love. He waits to be gracious to you. He sits on His throne ready to show mercy to you. For Yahweh is the Lord of justice, faithful to keep His promises. Overwhelmed with bliss are all who will entwine their hearts in Him,waiting for Him to help them.” Isaiah 30:18 TPT.

Here’s a word of wisdom for you: “YOU DON’T HAVE TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM GOD.” He’s a safe person – ergo, you can also trust what He says in His book! Isn’t that scripture above just amazing?  When you take the time to turn off the voice inside your head that says that this is poetic language and not personal, and read it like God Himself is talking to you instead … you will see what I mean. He looks for opportunities to bless us. What’s not to love about SomeOne like that? 

God is waiting to be good to us, He wants to show His favour and mercy, so we can see His love in our own lives, on the spot, not just somewhere out in the future – but right here right now!  I mean WOW! THE God of the Universe and beyond, the God who made people, galaxies, ants, whales and puppy dog tails, can’t wait to be good to us! Imagine that. Let’s just leave that ‘out ‘ there and think on it for a bit. I dunno about you, but thinking like that always makes me happy …

Did you read the condition that is attached to these most excellent promises? ‘entwine their hearts in Him, WAITING for Him to help them.’ (OK, OK – I’m about to do an — I told you so!! I told you that waiting can sometimes be a part of the deal.) I read this very appropriate scripture from the Amplified version of His book. It is my personal all time favourite version. Hebrews 10:35&36 “Do not, therefore, fling away your [fearless] confidence, for it has a glorious and great reward. For you have need of patient endurance [to bear up under difficult circumstances without compromising], so that when you have carried out the will of God, you may receive and enjoy to the full what is promised.” 

Don’t’cha just love that word … FLING … as in “fling away … “ In a fit of anger, frustration, or even depression we can throw away our confidence in His unchanging, eternal love, just like we would throw away a broken frisbee. These verses are saying – don’t do it!  It reminds me of those cartoons when something disastrous is about to happen and the little man is running, in slow motion, yelling S-T-O-P! Instead of panicking, maybe we need to WAIT.

Have you ever thrown out something and regretted it afterwards? Actually, it seems to me that I’ve thrown out many things only to need them, like… one week later. Ugh! Frustration looms. It’s amazing the things you can keep, thinking that this thing might – save me money, come in handy, be useful for this or that – only to end up with rooms full of little boxes, post bags, blister wrap, etc. – which, BTW you never use! OR … if you do finally find a use, then you can’t find the blasted thing under the pile of the 94 other little boxes etc etc. My point is we need to keep our confidence in Him fresh and handy!

Our confidence in His goodness is meant to sustain us through the times when we are barely treading water and we are desperately holding onto our hope that that little dot on the horizon will turn out to be a boat or a plane and not a shark! That’s when we need to tie our hearts into scriptures like this one in Luke 11:11 …“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!”

Well, that’s pretty self-explanatory really. The thing is, in the past we tied these verses, and others like them into material things. But verses like this are equally, if not more powerful, when applied to godly concepts. Hey, if you need a new working washing machine then ask away! If your car is grinding more than jump-starting, then ask away … we simply need to remind ourselves that sometimes we have to wait for the good and perfect will of God.

He likes whatever He does to bless a whole lotta people. Everybody around us!! If we are mingy and selfish and want that blessing, right now, just for ourselves, then we might end up waiting a while. In the meantime we probably need to adjust our attitude and with His help – we can! That’s how we tie our hearts into His ways. By letting Him change us! 👋🏻

P 2362 Practical issues – Walking like Jesus …

/ DVH

The bible uses both practical and pictorial language, so it can be hard to go beyond the metaphorical and find the practical outworking. But this is why we are exhorted to study the bible. Today we are looking at: “Walk in the light as He is in the light.” 1 John 1:7.


When I’m reading the bible I say out loud … ‘What the heck does that mean??’ Or … here’s one of my favourites … “Why is that there?!” Let’s be clear, there is no audible voice from heaven that explains stuff like that to me, but often another verse pops into my head, and when I take the time to look it up, I’ve found that now I’m looking at everything from a totally different angle.

If we want to take what the Lord says out of the theory area, where we nod and agree, and go on to to change our ways with His help, then we will need to get further wisdom. That’s where the study to be an approved workman part comes in. You study so you can do what it says – that’s what workmen do! Here’s today’s 2nd verse. Jesus says this same thing quite a bit, and it varies each time – so when you study the subject of Jesus being light you will start to see the many-sided wisdom of God. 

In the Passion Translation: John 8:12  it says: “Jesus once again addressed them: “I am the world’s Light. No one who follows Me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in.” So when I read that I think:  ‘I have kind of stumbled over whatever I am meant to DO about this verse.’  So I repent, on the spot. It’s obviously me with the problem and a lack of interest, or …I’ve somehow wandered away from walking with Him be-cau-se . … ‘HE provides plenty of light to walk in …!’ If we take the scripture as a fixed point it changes the way we read it – make the bible your absolute!

At this point I need to say that I am rarely interested in yesterday’s bread –  I love fresh bread. And I want fresh bread from His word every single day. So I go after it. I may chew on stuff all day waiting for His light to illuminate me – but He and I know that I want to change, to be transformed – so I am more than willing to renew my mind and change my behaviour, with His help. The bible promises us daily bread, we just gotta ask for it. (Check out the Lord’s prayer.)

Here’s some of the stuff I realised while I was doing that about these two verses. Following Jesus means I am walking in the same light He had. He thought studying the bible (the Torah) was important. The Lord Jesus always had way more light than everyone around Him. I can see that because, when He talked about scriptures He didn’t just see instructions – He saw His Father’s heart and revealed it.  So here’s another great question to ask the Holy Spirit when reading the bible. ‘What do you want to say to ME, Lord?’  “What do you want to show me about my Father’s heart toward me and others?’ 

I know that our Father wants to protect us from stumbling. It says so over and over again in the book. In all those verses about walking, living, and staying in the light He is showing me a way I can live underneath that protection. There is more than I will ever need in His light, so, if I follow Jesus, consciously – not in a haphazard way, I am choosing to stay in His light. This means I need to hone my focus and let what Jesus already said be a light to me, a lamp underneath my feet. I need to fix my attention on it by walking it out.

If I don’t know what to do or say in a given situation I need to stop and ask Him: ‘What would YOU do Lord?’  I must put aside my own natural wisdom and the conventional wisdom of our day, and seek His kingdom first. I am asking the Lord for His light –  so His wisdom probably may not appeal to me.  EG: I would much rather have somebody else come to me and ask for forgiveness, than I would like going to you and asking for yours! That attitude means that Jesus and I are not on the same page, and we need to be if I am to walk in the light AS He is the light! Somebody is standing in the wrong spot – and it isn’t Jesus!  

However! I also know a great short-cut!! Ask yourself: “Is this LOVE? Am I hoping all things, believing all things, being patient and kind etc?” So long as I don’t fudge my answer to make ME feel good – this short cut works. Love doesn’t ask what is that other guy doing – instead it asks what the heck am I doing?? And it doesn’t excuse itself either – it doesn’t have to my ‘self’ knows that I have a Saviour.

When I think like this world does I am leaving HIS light behind and wandering off into the dark imaginings of my own mind. BUT …!!! Because I have His book, I don’t have to lack LIGHT – I just have to be humble enough to ask for His help and ACT on what He says. 👋🏻

P 2359 Psalm 3.

/ DVH

King David’s song when he was forced to flee from Absalom, his own son: “Lord, I have so many enemies, so many who are against me. Listen to how they whisper their slander against me, saying: “Look! He’s hopeless! Even God can’t save him from this!”  Pause in His Presence. But in the depths of my heart I truly know that You, Yahweh, have become my Shield; You take me and surround me with Yourself. Your glory covers me continually. You lift high my head. I have cried out to You, Yahweh, from Your holy presence You send me a Father’s help. Pause in His presence

So now I’ll lie down and sleep like a baby—then I’ll awake in safety, for You surround me with Your glory. Even though ten thousand dark powers prowl around me. I won’t be afraid. Rise up and help me, Yahweh! Come and save me, God! For You will slap them in the face, breaking the power of their words to harm me. FOR THE LORD ALONE IS MY SAVIOUR. What a feast of favour and bliss He gives His people! Pause in His presence.”

Some times the people we love dearly, the ones who are our family, can do the most damage. It doesn’t even have to be what they say – neglect and abandonment can devastate us. The first point I want to make today is that this kind of scenario is not a walk in the park. We can’t just click our heels and the bad bits will go away. These things severely test us and often challenge our belief systems.They test our resolve to follow Him no matter what happens. 

Some things are a choice, but when it comes to family, those things are the places where we find we are most vulnerable. Family is about history. They knew you when. You knew them from birth…. That kind of history tears at our hearts like very little else, and betrayal from those who are meant to protect and care for us brings deep wounds. My advice is this;  start this process with healing, not rebuking or blaming your self. Ask the Lord Himself to be your Father and help you with the places that are bleeding inside from all that betrayal you feel. 

Don’t make excuses for them, and don’t make excuses for you either. It is what it is. David’s son was trying to kill him to take the throne. It wasn’t a whoopsie, or an error of judgment, it was a deliberate act of betrayal for Absalom’s gain. If you read the story, (2 Samuel 13-37 -15-12), Absalom went about whispering in other people’s ears, trying to turn the people’s loyalty away from David. That is not a mistake, it is deliberate SIN. In Absalom’s case it was jealousy and pride. He was beautiful and popular and he knew it and then pride took over.

Sometimes our family member/s are not simply making a mistake, they have joined their allegiances with destruction. They may call it correction, or caring for you, but because you are maintaining some degree of freedom or other they do not have, they will try to stop you anyway they can. Jesus Himself said this about families in Matthew 10:36 –“Don’t think I’ve come to make life cozy. I’ve come to cut—make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law—cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies. If you prefer father or mother over Me, you don’t deserve Me. If you prefer son or daughter over Me, you don’t deserve Me.”

Look, if Jesus Himself talked about it, then difficulties like this aren’t totally unexpected. My only advice is grieve for your loss and ask the Lord to heal your heart with His Grace and Love, and then, immediately go on to choosing forgiveness. Some family members will turn around, and others will see your forgiving heart as something that can be used against you. Then you will need grace, grace and more grace. Don’t leave home without it, because Grace can do the impossible. 

Don’t just content yourself with forgiving out of some kind of familial loyalty – ask and keep on asking for His Grace to truly forgive. INSIST. Meanwhile difficulties like this can take time to heal, so keep on believing God is helping you – and don’t quit. Take your focus off the family member/s that are persecuting you, and deliberately give those people as an act of your will, to Jesus. And then keep on doing that each time they come up in your mind – eventually Jesus in you will win.

At the same time it is good to go on into blessing these folks until you find you really mean it. It’s all a process and an extremely hard one at that. Your job is to watch over your heart and leave the work to the Holy Spirit. Let’s give thanks that we have a Parent Who never stops loving us, and He is totally devoted to the restoration of families. 👋🏻