Look what the Lord has done!

Daniel 11:32 says "..but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits."
A strong church disheartens the enemy because he can see God in it. Nehemiah’s incredible work of rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls was done in only 52 days!(Neh 6:15) The Lord has done and will perform His works in our lives causing our enemy to be disheartened and humbled to proclaim – "look what the Lord has done!".

The Call.

"… before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. " Isaiah 49:1- 4 (NIV)
The use of the word ‘call’ here means to appoint to a task. Isaiah’s ‘call’ came even before he was born. The words ‘Sword’ and ‘arrow’ are picture words that show that Isaiah’s message from God will have a powerful effect on people’s lives. Like a sword or an arrow, Isaiah’s was born to deliver words that would be sharp, clear, sudden and powerful. The mere ‘shadow’ of God’s hand may seem strange ‘protection’. However, with God, even His shadow is always sufficient. The shadow reminds God’s people that he is very close to each believer. People didn’t always react well to Isaiah’s words yet he was faithful to "the call". Don't get disheartened if people don’t receive your words of life or share your dreams. Let’s just ask the Lord to keep us sharp and polished as we obey the call.

Encouragement

Paul, the author of many of the documents of the New Testament, teaches that we are to, "encourage one another and build each other up" (I Thessalonians 5:11). He gives some detailed instructions for doing this in subsequent verses 12–23. They include giving special words of encouragement to "the timid" (verse 14). This gift can be expressed in patience (verse 14) and kindness (verse 15). It involves holding "on to the good" (verse 21). Let’s encourage one another in what is good with words of thanks, keep up the good work, don’t give up, nice jumper, good hairstyle, God bless you, friendly hugs, timely calls, surprising notes, text messages, emails, blogs, some unexpected flowers, a personal effort of help, daily prayers, and consistent friendship and love. Encouragement is a special gift with eternal benefits. Encouragement is one of the telling signs that you are among true believers.

Co-operate with God

Selwyn Huges once said - "The greatest definition of prayer that I ever heard was that prayer is total co-operation with God...it is not bending our will to His." Perhaps to see answers to prayer we need to refrain from telling God what to do and instead start to thank Him for His desired outcome. His promises are yes and true. God has, is, and will always be faithful to His people. Why start doubting Him now? Help us Lord to co-operate with Your plans for our lives(Jeremiah 29:11).

Kingdom Adventure!

As an old English proverb says, "Adventures are to the adventurous". There exists a people who can see further than the present. These"bravehearts" don't falter at hurdles or obstacles. Instead they strengthen themselves in the Lord and in the power of His might(Eph. 6:10). The Lord still requires the braveheart that will fight for the heart of the King! Are we prepared for the Kingdom Adventure?

Sound of Heaven

Acts 2 (V1)"Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord, in one place(V2) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting".
In this scripture the word SOUND comes from the Greek word 'echoes', meaning a loud noise, echo or fame. The disciples were to become "echo-chambers" of the Spirit of God. Can we allow the Lord to bounce some sounds from Heaven off us that can change the world? Our lives can be likened unto a 'megafone' for God. Even our sufferings and tests can release a sound of praise and thanks because our hope is that He is working out His purposes in our lives. The flip-side is to be a resounding gong. What sound are you releasing? Let's amplify and crank up the shout of praise for One who is worthy to receive all honour and glory, forever and ever!

God of the City!

Exodus 40:34 Exodus 40:35 - "And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle".
So dazzling was the light, and so dreadful the fire, that Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, till the splendour had lessoned. When the seventy elders had gone up into the cloud and actually saw the "Shekinah" glory, they were so afraid they asked Moses never to take them again. As far as they were concerned, they saw God! You can only imagine their hair on end and their wide-eyed appearance as they came down from the mountain exclaiming 'We saw God! It was terrible!' Although the word "Shekinah" itself is not found in the Biblical texts, the concept clearly is. Some have expounded it’s meaning to a prolonged dwelling in the midst of a neighbourhood or a group of people or community. I truly believe that towns, cities, countries and nations can be changed by a people carrying His presence into their midst. Let’s allow the glory of the Lord to settle as He makes US His habitation. What a privilege!

The Gate

In John 10, Jesus said to the crowd, "I am the gate for the sheep…whoever enters through me will be saved." Why did Jesus call Himself "the Gate for the sheep"? In those days, a shepherd would make an enclosure of thorny branches or rocks, constructed with a single doorway by which the flock could enter. When evening came and the sheep had entered, the shepherd himself would sleep in the doorway of the sheep pen to guard his sheep. Thus, before any wild animal could enter the pen and kill a sheep, it would have to come through the doorway where the shepherd lay. The shepherd would then chase the wild animal away before it could harm the sheep. In this way the shepherd himself was "the gate for the sheep." I got to thinking that the thorn crowned Christ showed us that He has surely made a way so we would be saved!

One Thing

David wrote in Psalm 27:4 - "One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple". This is a present reality with us. His beauty is amongst us. He is the "One thing", the First Love of our lives. We can't go another day or in fact another moment without His presence with us. Let's lift our gaze unto Him and sense His smile upon our lives.

Hidden in Christ

Exodus 33:21 says - "And the LORD said, 'Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.'" I just love the phrase "Here is a place by Me". As I reflected on this I came to the understanding that God’s grace has allowed us to enter into His presence and actually live! Christ the sold rock has made provision for us to draw close to God. I want a place by Him. I want to be where is and where He is going. Moses had to be in a special place in order to behold God's glory. Not only must we be founded upon Christ, we must also be hidden in Him – placed in the cleft of Christ the Rock and covered with the hand of God. None except those who are hidden in Christ the Rock will survive the revelation of God in all His glory. Hide us Lord that we would see You more.

Unshakable!

In 1744, the hymn writer Charles Wesley was leading a meeting in an upper room crammed with 100 worshippers. All of a sudden the floor fell into the room below! Wesley's reaction to this situation was inspiring. Seeing that no one was seriously injured he began to sing the doxology "Praise God from whom all blessings flow". Not only that but he went on to compose several hymns based on that event using the picture of the broken floor as a picture of uncertain things of this world and contrasting it with the unshakable nature of God, His Kingdom and His Word.
Do events in our lives shape our worship positively or negatively? When our world seems to be unsure His word is secure.

High-flyer!

Isaiah 40:31 says "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint".
This is a verse frequently used to encourage us when we are feeling weak and need to rise above circumstances in the strength of the Lord. However, I discovered an underlying revelation about the eagle. One commentator wrote that the eagle was thought to moult and renew his feathers, and with them his strength, in old age. The very means that enable the eagle to soar need renewed! Is that not like us? We all come to the place where we need renewed mentally, physically and spiritually. If we refuse to wait upon the Lord and renew our strength then it might be probable that our ability to soar over circumstances will be greatly affected. Why remain earth bound when we were made to fly high!

Stop. Think. Praise. Pray.

Psalm 68 was written either by or for King David at the time when the ark of the covenant was being brought back to Jerusalem after being in the hands of the Philistines. The Psalm focuses on what we can do in times of attacks and challenges from the enemy? The people thanked God for taking them out from prison in Egypt, for giving them help when they needed it and for punishing their enemies. God will always do this for his people, any time, anywhere! Interestingly there are 3 SELAH’s in this Psalm. Bible students think that this is because people should stop, think, make music and pray before reading the other verses. Perhaps we should also stop to think about victories past and present and start to praise Him for our situations now and pray that He will ARISE over us and cause our enemies to flee.

Spread the News!

William Booth, Founder of the Salvation Army said - 'Not called!' did you say? 'Not heard the call,' I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there. Then look Christ in the face whose mercy you have professed to obey and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world. As Oswald J. Smith said "Any church that is not seriously involved in helping fulfill the Great Commission has forfeited its biblical right to exist." Let's spread the Good News.

Unquenchable Worship!

Oh that God would bring us to the place that even when the familiar and the comfortable fall away beneath us, still we are found with the undying song of trust flowing from our lips and from our lives. This is the heart of the unquenchable worshipper. I know some of these worshippers. They aren't ruled by seasons. They survive through drought. They don't wither in the heat. What lies beneath their surface is deeper than you could even imagine. They are truly free!
Their cry is "More of You and less of me God". (Galatians 2:20).

God has feelings too!

Does God feel our pain? Hebrews 4:15 makes a statement that our Great High Priest is able to sympathise or is "touched by the feeling" of our weakness, pain and struggles. The answer then is yes, God feels our pain and has compassion towards us. Verse 16 of the same chapter speaks of making steps towards God for the remedy in our time of pain. With the suffering we always have the remedy. God has made provision for our needs. During times of suffering and pain we must have a heart of worship which causes us to approach God. This is "gutsy" worship. Worship beyond all cost. In the words of Matt redman's song Blessed be Your name -
"Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Tough there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name".
Know today that you have One who understands everything about you. God has feelings too!

Facing Goliaths!

1 Samuel 17:45. David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied". David saw his battle with Goliath as a spiritual confrontation with a physical manifestation, rather than as a purely physical confrontation. David refused the elaborate defences of Saul’s armour for the simplicity of a sling and five smooth stones. David’s confidence was based on God working in his own life in the past, as he defended his father’s sheep. For the tests and trials that we face today, do we rely on the strength of what man offers or do we put our trust in the name of the LORD?

T.E.A.M

Hi all again. Just thought I would share an acronymn with you.
T - together
E - everyone
A - achieves
M - more
xGeorge

Tree, Supper, Life!

(Luke 19:2-10). Zacheus was one of the "lost causes" of his city. As Chief Tax Collector, he was one of the most hated and corrupt men that walked the streets of Jericho. Not really liking what he had become, Zacheus climbed a tree one day to see Jesus walk by. He was looking for answers. Jesus recognised the need in Zacheus' life, called him out of that tree, went to his house for supper, and offered him a new way of life. Zacheus accepted Jesus’ call and in one day everything changed! I believe that there are many people today who if they would just catch a glimpse of Jesus and obey his call then their lives would be changed forever.

Faith and Works

When we give someone the answer - "I'll pray about it", what does that actually mean? Does it mean I have no intention of even thinking further on the subject or if I pray long enough then I won't have to actually do anything about it? As good as our intentions are, there comes a time when faith and works have to walk hand in hand. James 2:26 compares faith to the human body. He likens works to the spirit. The body without the spirit is lifeless, useless, valueless. So faith without works is dead, ineffective, worthless. We need to be sure that prayer does not become a substitute for obedeience.

September 2008

Wow! September again. Another month to say thanks Lord for Your faithfulness to us. Lord we want to worship You in ways we have never done before. Jesus You are the centre, the hub, the focus and distraction of our hearts. You are the melody of a greatful heart. May this new month be one in which we stand amazed in Your presence and wonder at Your great love. How great is He? Let's expect great things from God this month.
Blessings bloggers!! Big G.

Rooted

John 15:4 says, "Abide in me, and I will abide in you. Just as the branch cannot produce fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me".
As the root of the vine is unseen, so our lives our hid in Christ. The branches of the vine are many yet meeting in the root. For all our differences as believer’s we meet in Christ. Believers, like the branches of the vine, are weak, and in order to bear fruit, we must abide in Christ. We need to constantly keep our dependence upon Christ, remaining in Him. The abiding one takes all burdens to Him, gains all wisdom from Him, and draws life and strength from Him. Lord You are the source of life. How could we exist without You?