Opinions

P 2870 Stay available.

/ DVH

Luke 4:25-27 “I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land.Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

Can you see from these few verses that the Lord actually sent His servant Elijah to wherever the prophet would be listened to and obeyed? It is easy to see that God’s heart is always toward provision and healing, that means we must not limit Him. We can spend a lot of our time, deciding who is in and who is out, when we should be using our time to bring ourselves to Him – so He can fill us for whatever He chooses to do. He did the above things for people outside of the Israelites. Once for a widow, and another time for an important man. 

And if you read these stories carefully, you will see that the Lord was extremely patient with that important man for his own good. He’s patient with us too, He has things for each of us to do.. He waits for us to say yes, and put aside our opinions, our man-taught divisions, and go after HIS. The Old Testament clearly shows us how Father God dealt with mankind, personally, directly, for man’s own good. Stories like these in Luke teach us His ways and how important it is for His people to say available.

These verses explain how His very own people can be so pre-occupied with their own lives that they are not available for His loving kindness to touch them! Sound familiar? That also kind of whacks the concept  ’round the ear-hole that our church is the only church God cares about! We can easily think of His love as intentional, ongoing and indulgent toward US, but … barely tolerant towards some other denomination, or the-people-who-don’t-know-Him-yet. That’s not true – read the book!

We can get so busy proving or disproving our pet theories and theological points of view that we will utterly miss Who He really is and misrepresent Him with hate instead of love. God sends His rain on the just and the unjust – and that rain is a symbol of promise, growth and fertility. Here’s a thought – instead of waiting for it to rain at your church, why not find out where it IS actually spiritually raining – right now – and join in!

“Oh, but those people over there believe in speaking in tongues and we don’t … blah blah blah …” It gets kind of easy to see why Elijah ended up in Sidon and Syria eh!? With that attitude we might not even be able to see what the Lord is doing right next door to us!!  Let’s remember, Jesus Himself interacted with people who were not the ‘chosen people.’ This life is not a contest or a competition between us and our theological ideas and ideals. It’s actually all about HIM! Who He is, and how greatly He loves human beings.

I’ve counted at least 5 times when Jesus interacted with Gentiles. Faith is bigger than our borders and boundaries. The thing about listening and reading what it actually says is that His Word will broaden our outlook on Who He is and what He will do … and for whom. We need to stop cherry-picking verses and stories that suit our church’s personal agendas and GO BACK TO BEING NEEDY. Neediness attracts the Holy Spirit like a bee to a flower meadow.

The thing we cannot ever hide from Him is our hearts. He knows what readiness to change and preparedness to be transformed looks like – because He’s met lip-service before. Here’s a last verse to chew on and it’s a tough old piece of steak, so chew away! It’s from Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”Only God does.

And I put it to you, that we do not know what is in our own hearts, and so we need Him to reveal that to us. We must stay alert and available to His Word, and His daily  guidance, because that is the only way we will see what is really going on inside us. Instead of looking and searching about to find out what ministry I have, I need to ask Him: ”Is there anything inside me that might hinder what You want to do in me, and through me? I need to be ready and available for whatever You want me to do next!” Bye for today! 👋

P 2824 Hanging on by a thread …

/ DVH

I found this picture the other day and I my first thought was this – if I can identify with what it says… maybe someone else can too. Here’s a few lines in a song from a great movie – The Fighting Temptations, that sum up how hard life can be from day to day.

“I used to wake up some days And wish I’d stayed asleep ‘Cause I went to bed on top of the world Today the worlds on top of me. Now everybody’s got opinions  But they ain’t been in my position That it breaks my heart when I hear what they have to say about me, yeah Seems like I always fall short of being worthy ‘Cause I ain’t good enough – But He still loves me (but You still love me, Lord) I ain’t no superstar The spotlight ain’t shining’ on me ‘Cause I ain’t good enough (oh, no) But He still loves me…”

Not every day turns out to be a day when we will knock the proverbial ball right out of the park and end up on a high. There are days, that the stupid ball machine malfunctions and every ball lands on your head. I have those days and I have the bruises to prove it!  Meanwhile I’ve learned a thing or two along the way of desperation… It only seems like that kind of day/week/month/year is endless. Sorrow and suffering weigh us down, and they seem to slow down time. Plus emotional, mental or physical pain can render us inactive. 

People, in their efforts to help, may tell the suffering person to ‘cheer up, get over it, it will all be OK.’ But in those dark moments they may as well be speaking another language — because they sure don’t know how to speak the language of pain! I have found there are people who are decidedly unhelpful when it comes to difficult circumstances  — they would rather preach happiness AT you, than come and sit WITH you. Then the sufferer gets to forgive those cheery Charlies for their ineptitude, on top of feeling like they’ve been run over by a truck.

Pain is nobody’s friend, and nobody in their right mind stays deliberately in a bad frame of mind and heart – not when they know the Lord. Nobody gets depressed, temporarily or not, on purpose!  Some people have either forgotten their bad times, or they have a grand happy solution that simply will not fit into your situation. “Just do this and all will be well,” they say. Yeah, yeah, great. Hmmmm. “Please go away now, my ears have stopped working.”

It is a good thing to try to limit your exposure to these happy enforcers, especially if they annoy the living daylights out of you. They seem to have an endless barrage of utterly useless thoughts .. like: “There are many people so much worse off than you are.” And how, pray tell, is that meant to help me? Should I feel sorry for them, as well as struggling to breathe? Christians do struggle – this life can be terribly hard! Sin is still rampant in this world and we have an enemy who wants to target us whenever he can. That other guy does not want us to believe and stand up! he wants us lying on the floor counting the ceiling tiles. 

Now let’s look at the fact that when Jesus said: “Cheer up” …  the power of God was present in His Words to overcome the situation! We need to remember sometimes it can be impossible to cheer-up without supernatural help. Sadly there also times when any one around us can lack compassion for someone who is suffering. The thing is, life itself is weighing this person down, and they are drowning in their own sorrows. These things are real … not over exaggerated or imagined! Personally at those times I pray for truck-loads of MERCY for that other person. You know, sometimes there is more to be gained by living through those dark moments, than there is by escaping.

Sadly, sometimes the way we feel about people we don’t like, or someone who has deliberately hurt us, when they get sick or hurt etc., those reactionary thoughts are a fantastic personal diagnostic tool. Our immediate responses can take the inner temperature on the condition of our hearts, and whether we should repent or not. Those unsympathetic symptoms we feel, mean we are going to need lots of His GRACE right alongside MERCY and compassion, ASAP. I like to remember that the bible says God will supply all our needs, so I ask for what I need …which is mercy, grace and compassion.

The woman in the bible with an issue of blood had the right attitude for recovery from her pain. She just kept right on pressing through the crowds to grab at His hem. Meanwhile, imagine the noise, the dirt, plus the feet nearly stepping on her! She had to crawl to get her answer! We have this kind of power on someone else’s behalf — to crawl through the noise and heartache to bring healing and comfort. Kindness and understanding are the vehicles that can transport someone out of their negative focus and into His Love. We can always go to God on their behalf.

There are times when anyone can end up feeling spiritually flattened by their circumstances, as if they are hanging on by a thread. In those times if we cannot press through to grab at the hem of His garment, then we will need the Body of Christ to intercede for us. Human beings always need grace, mercy, peace, kindness, patience etc. far more than anything else, we need those things for ourselves, and others… Bye. 👋


“For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, Nor will My covenant of peace be shaken,” Says the Lord Who has compassion on you.”Isaiah 54:10.

P 2811 Selective deafness.

/ DVH

Now there’s a subject we’d all like to avoid. I have a theory … anyone can end up being selectively deaf to some stuff in the bible when they don’t like what it says! How am I doing so far? I am not just talking about the whole …”Go into all the world and preach the gospel …” verses either. Here’s a few other strong and challenging verses to start us off:“I urge you, my brothers and sisters, for the sake of the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree to live in unity with one another and put to rest any division that attempts to tear you apart. Be restored as one united body living in perfect harmony. Form a consistent choreography among yourselves, having a common perspective with shared values.”1 Corinthians 1:10 TPT.

When we get to phrases like ‘perfect harmony’ it is too easy to say yes but do no. If we aim at nothing we are sure to hit it, so let’s not be intimidated by language!  Today I want to look a bit more closely at that kind of content instead. I think this whole verse hinges on the phrase …”agree to live in unity with one another.”  And I’m pretty sure that “putting to rest any division that attempts to tear you apart”  kind of stretches a lot of people too. In my denomination, people argue with you over the meaning of this verse and its application, but they don’t bother to work it out, instead they quit your church and go somewhere else. Which means nobody learns nothin’! However, trying to put grumbling and discontent to rest, can end up making any chasm of division wider … unless some of the people in the dissenting group are prepared to die to self.

I like this verse from Corinthians, it makes our interaction with each other sound a bit like a ballet. Although I strongly suspect we can keep tripping over each other’s feet regularly! But I like it because this book is His Word and He has given us an Answer before we even asked for one! Like… ‘having a common perspective with shared values’ can help to keep us in step with one another. Sometimes the reason disharmony takes root in our communities is that our common perspective is theology, or the latest trend to come down the turn-pike.

However, I think our common perspective etc. is, and should always be – Jesus Himself and all He did for each of us! Those facts will help our feet to be firmly planted in the soil of His love, and we can be in step with each other again.  We can become so focussed on corporate agreement over what we think are essential things, that we miss the fact that we are only together as a group, because of what He did.  Precious servants of God often leave churches because of differing theology. That’s like my hand deciding that it doesn’t need the rest of me anymore – it makes no sense. Ask someone who has damaged or lost a limb, they will quickly tell you every single part of us contributes to the whole. 

The next verse is another great key to living in love with one another. “Resist revenge, and make sure that no one pays back evil in place of evil but always pursue doing what is beautiful to one another and to all the unbelievers.” 1 Thessalonians 5:15 TPT. Revenge only prospers our enemy’s agendas, but true forgiveness works to find common ground for His sake. I like the phrase; “pursuing doing what is beautiful to one another.” I think this is what separates us from many other religions, that pursuit of ‘building one another up in our most holy faith.’ It seems to me that none of that implies we need to straighten out someone else’s theology! 

Love is the most powerful force on earth – that’s why it is so costly. After all, LOVE saved us! We are told to run after it. Personally I have found if you are running after love – you have no time for anything else. It certainly keeps me fully occupied and it helps me avoid confrontation. Especially about things that may drag somebody else down. The thing is, when we decide this verse is more important than that one we are choosing sides – every single verse is good and profitable.

Last verse for today: “But if we keep living in the pure light that surrounds Him, we share unbroken fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, continually cleanses us from all sin.”1 John 1:7 TPT. This is a great secret. It is not what you or I think about this doctrine or that sermon – the secret is to continue living in the light. People of the light value His Presence above their opinions. His light equalises everything. When He is present, our pettiness and irritability fly out of the window. My advice today is this, if you are struggling to relate to Sister-grumpy-face, or Brother-know-it-all, then just sit and pray together. The Lord Jesus loves ‘together.’ After that we need to forgive and forget all that is past, and press on toward the mark. 

Sometimes, selective hearing comes from a personal desire to hide from the truth, because it is striking too close to home. Sadly it is that very truth that makes us free – so hiding from it is a dumb idea! We must put away our white sheriff hat and stop thinking the other guy is deliberately wearing a black one, and aim at LOVE – anything else is missing the mark. Bye.👋

P 2801 “My beloved is mine …”

/ DVH

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

P 2797 Faith comes by hearing …

/ DVH

… and more hearing comes when you act on what you heard! However, without my obedience I will be like a computer on standby. Nothing happening here! Obviously I don’t need His guidance to – feed my face, sleep, or go to the toilet. Jesus clarified practical things like those – read His book. 

BTW there is no advertising in His book, it is all about instructions. Even the things that put the instructions into context, are still instructions! You and I can end up wasting the life He has given us, if all we do is follow Brother-or-Sister-I-know-everything-because-I’ve-been-up-the-mountain-of-God’s-doctrine! That’s a lazy way to follow Jesus. Let’s remember that Peter had stuff to learn that John didn’t … simply because they were different people. We are not perfected yet, but that doesn’t mean we give up!

Regard what other people feed you spiritually, as supplementary feeding. It can add helpful vitamins and minerals, but the meat, rice and veggies should be dug up or pulled off the tree by us! Harvest your own crop. The way to prevent what you hear every day from going mouldy or getting worms in it, is to ACT on what you read. Obedience counts. Faith comes by hearing, and this kind of hearing is not passive – it is not about comprehending the words — it is active – it puts those words into action.

Instead of telling yourself “I’m not mad at anybody.” Ask the Lord, “WHO am I mad at?” Take a pencil, the answer will astonish you! We have been pardoned from our sin, but we are not bullet proof from other people’s jabs. So if my faith is stuck in a slump, then I remind the Lord that His strength is made perfect in my weakness and I find something to OBEY.  Then I watch out for what happens as I use my faith to move on. That’s how faith gets stretched. I believe that He hears ME, because the book says He does.

The Lord doesn’t say all this fantastic stuff in the bible just because He can turn a lovely phrase – He stands behind His Word. That’s why Jesus is called the Living Word — He’s the Word … per-son-ified. We cannot afford to excuse ourselves from our learning curves. If you can’t do what the Word says, then ask the Holy Spirit to help you AND TAKE A STEP. Our God loves people who mean what they say — He means what He says and He acts on it!

When my faith starts getting wobbly, first of all I check out my heart, to see if I am no longer using my faith to live. Faith is meant to be active. It works, it reaches toward Him, all the time. It is not an emergency activity!  It’s a form of spiritual exercise. I have had many people tell me that God gave me a brain and I am supposed to use it — yes He did. But our brains are not meant to supersede His Word. Read the book. Faith, by its very essence means I won’t always understand with my mind – my mind needs the spanner of God’s Word to adjust my thinking. Many people will give us the pip, but faith-filled confession opens the door to humility and clarity.

When He tells me to repent, then I do it – asap. I simply can’t kid myself that I can still walk in faith and be disobedient, that’s rationalising His instructions away. Many times I have obeyed, and reluctantly gone to see my brother when I had a bone to pick with him – and when I got there I had the courage to ask for his forgiveness. I got the courage on the way! Our faith grows as we obey Him. If He says “give” or “give more”— then I had better do that. I can always ask Him to help me and show me how to obey Him.

I don’t know where everything is in the bible, but I do have a secret weapon… I know the One Who wrote the book! A phrase, or one word floats up into my thinking and then I use my faith to go and look it up. I pursue Him. At the same time owning my sin is not a scary thing, because SomeBody already paid that debt for me… so I don’t need to be ashamed. I just need to be honest with myself and others. Now I let Jesus defend me. He’s good at it.

If we truly want to move mountains then it would be good if we started by moving the mountain of unbelief in our hearts and attitudes, daily! Sounding nice and sweet in church is not the same thing as transformation. To do the first thing, I must be on my guard – when I do the second, my responses will have already changed.  We are designed to be walking, talking illustrations of God’s love in action. God’s love is REAL, it is not just a theory. He doesn’t hold a grudge!! At the same time I simply can’t afford to use my mind or feelings as the umpire. Instead I need His Peace! 

Faith comes by hearing – hearing comes by listening carefully – and listening carefully directly leads into obedience – which leads to mind renewal! Pretty soon you will start to know God’s opinions about a whole lot more things than you did when you started. Bye. 👋

P2734 “Let HIS mind be in us …”

/ DVH

People like the Apostle Paul wrote what they wrote to equip the saints, as well as to promote unity, and maturity. And most times today’s saints are scrabbling about in the dirt fighting over this perceived bit of turf or that pathway, or this verse interpretation, or that application! All our theories are just that – theories. We are more concerned about being doctrinally right, than we are about learning to love people – even when they are difficult.  One day – we will ALL know how wrong we’ve been. In the Presence of the Lord there is no room for anything but worship and awe, so what WE think won’t matter! 🙌 At that point, all our theories and ideas will be less than dust atoms.

The early church had skirmishes with each other and things weren’t always perfect. However I am so sad about the things that are not resolved in our churches today. Our sure foundation is Christ, we cannot build on the rubble of disagreement. Where we fall down is we are not working to restore people when things get broken and God is not pleased with our hard hearts. These men and women in the book could not live without Him – so they did whatever the Holy Spirit said, so they could stay in step with Him and others!  I am not trying to be rude, but YOU are not the Apostle Paul … we know that he had sound doctrine  … and neither am I! Let’s learn to walk in humility toward restoration.

I know so many precious people who are waiting, waiting. waiting for the next move of the Holy Spirit to come. They want Him to fix the mess we have made, because we’ve allowed opinions to become more important than people or God Himself! Human passion does not equal God’s passion. When we throw ourselves on the altar weeping, what do we do after that? Many of us want Him to transform us in a heartbeat, when most of us have had a lifetime to learn how to co-operate with Him! It’s time to repent of wasting the time He has already given us, and start pursuing living the way that He lived. 

Philippians 2:5-8: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”Humility is not about what we say – it is designed to be demonstrated, frequently.

In these turbulent times I’m personally looking for prophets that will tell us that we need to repent and repair things in our own lives, today – otherwise I’m not very interested in what they say. All I know is that Jesus will come back – one day, maybe soon, maybe not!… And He’s coming back for a passionate people who will die for each other and what they believe. The Holy Spirit is looking for the heart of Christ in all of us. And what we aim at matters. Even if we miss the mark, we need to keep aiming at loving one another, promoting unity, as well as embracing repentance when we are wrong. Humbling ourselves and admitting our faults to one another is part of the way that happens!  

The Lord is looking for the harmony that comes from seeking His Face, personally and corporately. We’ve all been aiming too low, we are aiming at promoting our churches and their doctrines, not Jesus!  The Holy Spirit is the One Who would love to lead us into true unity. His Presence with us, in us and through us will be that Unity. Unity is not just agreement – unity is a heart attitude. Agreements can be broken. Read the book. 

Transformation, for individuals and for all of us corporately, is a process. Let’s choose to participate in that process, voluntarily, every single day, whether we think it is necessary or not. Unity in the Body of Christ does not begin with everybody agreeing – unity is when you or I would die for someone else just because God loves them. I don’t have to agree with their theology!

Day by day, we His help to see and know one another after the Spirit, not just by what is said. Let’s learn patience from Him when people aren’t all they can be. To display kindness and mercy like He would to those who are in need. We will need to live in self-control when someone else jumps all over our toes. Lastly we must consistently practice attentive faithfulness to His ways. As we do these things, the Holy Spirit will help us. Unity is the centre of Christ’s joy. 3 John 4. “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

The bible says things clearly. LOVE has to be our aim – our great quest. Love is not just another key – it is the way forward into UNITY. The Holy Spirit knows the way you should go, ask Him to help you walk that way. Let’s all pray for the same mindset that was in the Lord Himself … Bye. 👋

P 2707 Somebody’s been at the Kool-aid again!

/ DVH

Have you ever heard someone prophesy in church, or had somebody give you a word and you thought: ’huh??’  Well that was a bit weird?’ At this point you may be tempted to run around yelling: ‘That person has their marbles scrambled – fruit-loop alert!’  Don’t do it … don’t do it …don’t do it! Resist the temptation. You might learn something,God taught one guy with a talking donkey, and Jesus taught His disciples with a tree! Now at this point a religious person could observe: ‘Of course when we act like that, that’s judgment.’ Oh right… thanks for your input! 🙄

I’ve asked the Lord once, about whatever it was that someone else said that sounded off to me, and He replied: “What’s that got to do with you? Your part is to follow Me.” Well, there’s me in my box with the lid nailed on. There are times when somebody who says they are listening to the Holy Spirit can get it wrong.They stand up and announce that the end of the world will be the last Friday of this month, and that Friday comes and goes … and!!!  … Nuthin’ happening here…!  Then people can start avoiding that person like they have the plague. Here’s a thought maybe we could let them learn from their own mistakes? We all make them!

We simply must refrain from slicing and dicing people with gossip and judgment etc., we need to repent, and ask for the Holy Spirit’s insight instead.  Why? Because even though someone’s word was not accurate, we can still learn something. Maybe the thing we can learn is this: it is not the height of wickedness to get a message scrambled, or to ‘hear’ the wrong morse code!  As a group we can become so lazy and put such pressure on other people to be ‘the mouth of God! We even do it to our pastors. These are human beings right? They put their pants on one leg at a time like you do!

The pressure to be always right and ‘speak for God’ is too big for one person.”Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.” 1 Corinthians 14:29. At the same time, we don’t have to go home and pack our bags, and make sure our wills are in order — just because Brother So-and-so announced the sky is falling. Ask the Lord – what’s in that for me to learn? Then quietly move on. Plus … try not to peer at the sky all day on that Friday!! 😳

Meanwhile, my take-away from what Brother So and so said is …“LIVE READY.” That way I’m learning to walk with Jesus and ready at any given moment. That’s in the book. Now if, by chance, that prophetic brother keeps on revising the date of the apocalypse – then PRAY FOR HIM. He obviously ate something that has disagreed with him. or maybe he has drunk too much Kool-aid! That can happen to all of us. That’s why unity is more important than being right. Sorting out that lost lamb is a job for the pastor, or an elder. You and I should just keep on praying for them.

Hubby and I have very different ministry gifts that enhance one another, and I am in awe at what God does with his obedience. I often watch him as the Lord works out His plans through him. Some of the time what hubby says to other people is like a bridge way-too-far-away for me. He’s so bold. I’d probably pussy-foot about and then say not very much of anything. I talked to the Lord about it and He kindly explained to me that my husband is His servant first. Well, that resolved that conflict! When Almighty God puts dibs on someone it goes straight into none-of-my-business basket. I learnt that skill the hard way. 

But what if hubby were actually wrong and his leading is inaccurate? Here’s what I’ve learnt. At times like that I can put my faith in God to redeem and transform whatever is going on for His glory. I’m no longer looking to be a smartie-pants who is always right, now I am looking for the Lord’s outcome. At the same time that doesn’t mean I can’t speak to hubby about it, lovingly. ‘…or how can two walk together unless they are in agreement?’ For the sake of unity we will need to come to a place mutually where we leave things to the Lord to sort us both out. Even if I am positive that I am right, a wrong attitude can discount love.

The bible says this is what love does — it suffers long. It believes all things, it hopes all things, it is not rude and … love can’t fail! If we choose to stand in love then we are putting ourselves on the Lord’s side. We need eyes filled with His love to see Him working. Our human POV won’t be enough, it is tainted by our own theological opinions. My point today is this – the only person who is right all the time is the Lord! The rest of us mostly muddle about.

We may find there are times when some poor soul has been at the Kool-aid – be kind. Maybe they are desperate to be heard. Whatever the reason – Almighty God is bigger than their mistakes – Jesus died to pay for their sins and errors too. Let’s practice “bearing with one another in love.” Otherwise we can end up even wrong-er than Brother So- and-so. Bye 👋

P 2613 Make it your aim to speak life to others.

/ DVH

Part of living as a member of God’s kingdom, is to love and respect Him, as well as others by the way we speak to them. Our society is pretty free with its opinions – we tend to throw them around like we are sowing wheat. As His representatives, we don’t tear things down, we build them up.

Today, it seems to me that the news services go out of their way to highlight difficulties. In fact every day, with astonishing regularity, we seem to have some catastrophic circumstance or other that is impossible to solve, and it is always some authority figure’s fault! That’s when opinions fly about like leaves on a blustery day. The Lord has been repeatedly teaching me that what I say matters. Words are meant to be tools that shape His kingdom in front of someone else’s eyes. Speaking life is not just about communicating, it is actively breathing His life into others using words. 

Because we are His kids, the bible tells us we have His authority to speak to other people in such a way that they will go away from meeting us, lifted up, or challenged, or comforted. I am not always sure I get that bit right, but … I repent … then I press on…!!  Speaking life means that I am communicating with someone else so that they feel empowered. They want to do or try something they have never done, or tried before. They feel loved, not rejected. Encouragement is a great gift — I urge everyone to ask for it. It can lift someone else up when they are in despair, and help them so they can move forward.

However, I am not talking about flattery, that is temporal at best. Flattery can be really deceptive and destructive. Flattering someone often means I have an agenda, and I am trying to sell them something. But speaking life is about speaking out something that is good, right, and pure. These words are containers of His love. It is often something sweet that our Heavenly Father wants to say to us, or someone else. Personally, I have found when the Holy Spirit says to me: “Say this to that person” – it seems like I am simply taking dictation, as there is a spiritual component to it.

He whispers something to me, and I simply pass that on to the other person. It may be about how well they are doing their job. Or their friendly face. Just simple things. A lot of the time it comes out in my own words. It is not the same as prophecy, but it can contain elements of that in what is said. As an observer, it definitely seems to me like more oxygen comes into the room and I think that’s because Jesus always inhabits what He says! People stop being aware of their failings and become aware of His kingdom because His Presence blows the irrelevant things away. 

This quality has been illustrated wonderfully for me when my hubby talks to complete strangers. First of all they seem to be attracted to Him. I see them look up and instantly smile. Secondly, because what he says is not religiously framed, they accept it immediately. I think it looks like they actually feel God’s grace on hubby’s words.

Human beings can have all kinds of theories about Almighty God  – but there is no denying it when He steps into a room. His people know Him … even if they aren’t His adopted people yet!! They are still His… “Delightfully loved ones…  ”  That verse goes on to say: “…if He loved us with such tremendous love, then “loving one another” should be our way of life!” 1 John 4:11. That’s great advice!

Hubby says that speaking out encouragement is like giving people courage. I like that idea – who doesn’t need courage? Some days I need it to get out of bed! What he says to strangers is personal, real and almost tangible. They often reply: “How could you possibly know that?” Then he says: “I don’t, but HE (points to the ceiling) does.” You know,  I have never seen the Presence of God make people anxious. I’m not saying it can’t happen, but I haven’t seen it. Our God IS love. When people encounter His unconditional love – there is no need for fear or striving – their heart has found HOME. 

Our daily task is to grow into that kind of generous, unrestricted love. That’s the only real assignment we have every morning. After that we simply pass on what we’ve been given. There are no agendas, no subtexts, we take the time to be His conduit toward that other person, as we relax into the fact that He loves us and them. … Then we just follow His instructions. Our words have power in them, they can build someone up – or leave them flat.

Jesus made His aim clear in John 10:10. “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].” Bye.👋

P 2371 Transformation.

/ DVH

Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in His eyes.” Romans 12:2 TPT

Jesus Christ did not just provide our redemption on that cross – His death provided us with TOTAL lifestyle TRANSFORMATION. Now we have the POWER and ability to grab opportunities to figuratively and literally change our minds. To change our thinking, change our reactions, change and transform the way we were taught by family, life and the people we’ve associated with – into something life giving and redemptive. 

You and I don’t have to be the same old cranky easily provoked grump we always were. Now, we have the power and the Person inside us Who will help us to get that soft word that turns away anger! (Proverbs.) We can be transformed by believing what it says in the book – and acting on it, using our faith. If you wait to feel like it, you will never feel like it – trust me!  The power to change is in the Holy Spirit’s Presence in our lives. We have to put away the idea that this life is about the Holy Spirit AND …EG: the Holy Spirit and what I want. We can’t have both options. Dead people don’t have options or opinions.

I have learnt that if I find myself resistant to transformation, that is an indication of how rebellious I have allowed myself to become. I love this illustration of how inner transformation works: “There is a legend of a grandfather or elder using a metaphor of two wolves fighting within him to explain personal inner conflicts to his grandson. When the young person asks which wolf will win, the grandfather answers “whichever one you feed.” Whichever one you feed!? So, what are we feeding our thought life on?

People freak out and say that you should or shouldn’t watch this or that, or you shouldn’t go here or there if you are a ‘good’ Christian. But the truth is obedience is about Who you are actively following. The real question is this – what will help me to obey the Lord and what will lead me away or distract me from thinking about Him?! Christians love Jesus but they do not necessarily foster that love as the most important thing in their life. The everyday humdrum things-that-need-to-be-done stuff swamps them, and they forget about Him and start living this life like everyone else.

The secret to total transformation is in the book:“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23&24.  We are not working for a man anymore – we are working for Jesus in our school, home or job. That other person is HIM to you and I. That’s how deeply the Lord Jesus identified with mankind. So if you are yelling at someone else – you are yelling at HIM! “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.’ There is no accidental or incidental happenings in His kingdom! Everyone we bump into is sent.

It doesn’t matter if you are doing the washing-up or teaching your kid how to tie their shoe laces. That other person is Jesus standing there. We have so much power in our choices. Unfortunately, in this generation, our wills have become weak because we give in to them all the time! Instead we need to stand on the Word and refuse to go the wrong way. Ask for His help to resist the temptation to act like you rule the world, and yield to the ONE WHO ACTUALLY RULES THE WORLD. This world will not explode if you acknowledge that you do not know how to do everything – remember His strength is made perfect in weak people!

We have His book. The bible tells us His thoughts about behaviour and life. We do not have to remain ignorant. We now have the power to overcome the things we have probably deliberately cultivated along the way in our lives. Before we met Him we did stuff to protect ourselves and make us feel good about who we are. Ask yourself, do I see myself as a victim or a servant? The answer will diagnose your position before the Lord. 

We have mistakenly tied Christ’s Presence in our lives, entirely to our behaviour, not to what He has already done. His Grace propels us into obedience, it empowers us to make right choices. Our behaviour actually changes because we want to live and remain in His Presence, rather than roll along day after day, doing what we want. We are His servants. We’ve been left here to serve Him and serve Him by serving others. And transformation comes from obedience to His word as He leads us – – and BTW if you read it then you are responsible for your response.. 👋🏻

P 2344 Let go and LET GOD.

/ DVH

Just a few thoughts regarding ‘letting go‘ and learning to get out of His way. When the body of Christ fights, we don’t fight like this world does. We fight on our knees. Plus we fight by the way we choose to live and die.“For although we live in the natural realm, we don’t wage a military campaign employing human weapons, using manipulation to achieve our aims. Instead, our spiritual weapons are energised with divine power to effectively dismantle the defences behind which people hide.”2 Corinthians 10:4.

We don’t need to fight like this world does – we have miraculous weapons. Those Godly weapons will tear through the enemy’s schemes and lies like they were made of tissue paper. Our overriding theme/weapon is LOVE that just won’t quit. It renders hate into sad oblivion. God’s LOVE won’t quit on us! It’s never-ending – eternal!

Today I want to talk about another interesting verse in 2 Chronicles 20:17 “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’”There are times when our current battle belongs to the Lord. This kind of battle means we stand and wait to see what He will do. Oh, how I love to stand and wait and see what He will do next! It is so much fun! He never does anything the way I think He will, so that means I am able to glean more revelation about Who He is. I just love the surprise of it all! He loves to fight for us.

When I asked Him why this kind of battle is so important, He said: “It takes great faith in the face of overpowering adversity to DO NOTHING.” Well that made sense to me! I mean I‘m all for heavenly armies turning up and fighting on our behalf, but faith often touches the invisible and makes it visible. Faith is so much more powerful than what we can see. And faith that is motivated by love cannot be stopped. Even if you were to kill the person who is praying, love is eternal. So that kind of faith stays out there, waiting for the right opportunity to land. 

Did you know that one of Jesus’ prayers has not been answered? … SO FAR! Here it is – “I pray that they will all be one, just as You and I are One—as You are in Me, Father, and I am in You.’  First of all, can you see that the answer to this prayer is participating in a sacrificial relationship? We cannot keep our own pet way of doing things and participate in Oneness. Big clue about Unity right there! We need the fellowship of the Spirit. When we all walk with HIM oneness follows and HE is not divided. We need to let go of the things we keep declaring to be right and allow Him to fight for us on our behalf.

We have never seen the Lord’s prayer for total unity answered so far. It is out there waiting for the right time, the right people, and the right place. None of those things are fixed so we could easily be those people. The reason we are not those people is because we tolerate selfishness, our own opinions and desires, over other people and their ideas and needs. We keep straining out gnats unity-wise and letting through camels. 

Back to my original point. In some battles our job is to wait and wait, and wait, and … not take our faith back. Just like Jesus did. We do this in an undemanding way. We become steadfast because our eyes are fixed on the One Who cannot lie and He never changes. He’s faithful. If Jesus has had to wait 2000 + years to see one of His prayers answered, some of ours might take a while… He let the answer go, and He is waiting for His Father’s plan. No immediate answer to prayer does not mean we were not heard and He isn’t going to answer. HOLD ON!!

In the meantime, we get the opportunity to look carefully at our yet-to-be-answered prayer and with His help, discern whether it is for His kingdom or our comfort! Obviously things may need some adjustment, and sometimes – as it is in Jesus’ prayer for the Body of Christ’s unity – the answer doesn’t entirely rest on the pray-er. He doesn’t care who thinks what is right or wrong – He’s waiting for the fruit of the Spirit to show up. And for all of us to drop our prejudices and let them go.

There are times when Almighty God fights for us. He is not taking sides per se, it can simply mean one of us has stumbled into His purposes. AND … it can also mean that He is being just plain undeserved merciful. We need to start our prayers by letting go, and the Holy Spirit will show us what He wants us to do next. Remember when He fights for you, to watch … and be grateful. But get out of His way – OUR SOVEREIGN GOD IS COMING THROUGH. 👋🏻