Month: September 2020

Two visual aids used in Jesus teaching- ravens and lilies.

There’s a bunch of lilies in our home just coming into bloom and I was thinking of Jesus words;

“Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these(very apt for a Jewish audience). If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, HOW MUCH MORE will He clothe you…” Luke 12:27,28 Matt 6:28,29,30

Jesus was telling the people NOT TO WORRY, but to CONSIDER(pause and think about, remember) how God clothes the lilies and feeds the birds. It’s ironic that there are also flocks of crows around us here in N.Ireland.

Life is more than food and the body more than clothes. V23

Food and clothes are two of mankind’s most basic needs, but Jesus tells us not to give way to fear, but to REMEMBER AND COUNT ON GOD’S FAITHFULNESS.

Jesus gave two warnings concerning our needs and possessions. The first was don’t worry, trust our loving God to help us and meet our needs. The second was at the other end of the scale, what to do when we’re blessed by God with abundance.

In Luke 12:13-31, the section before Jesus told His listeners not to worry, God knows our needs, He told the Parable of the Rich Fool. His land produced a good crop and he planned to build bigger barns to store up his wealth, but it wasn’t going to happen. God required his life from him that very night.

“This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God”. Luke 12:21

We must decide whether our lives will be self-centred or God-centred. It was after this parable that Jesus told the people not to worry, God knew their needs and would help them.

God has spoken to me today through the flowers coming into full bloom(fulfilling their purpose in their short life) and the birds around our home, just as Jesus told the crowd. Is He trying to get your attention through something around you, to reassure you of His loving care for you, Abba’s child?

God bless and keep you this day and every day.

Make sure we’re following God’s Agenda, not plans of men.

God’s Agenda is often hidden and not obvious to everyone! It is to the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings to search out a matter. Prov 25:2

The world today is influenced and in many places led by a Godless(opposite of Godly) media. It’s amazing the number of mature believers who are completely misguided by their message. We are being CONTINUALLY CONDITIONED to swallow and accept directions contrary to the Lord’s will. The more savagely someone or something is being attacked and abused in the media, the more careful we believers need to be to ask why? There’s often a deluge of information, typical propaganda, repeated over and over until it’s embedded in people’s thinking, AS IF IT’S OUR OWN. Repeating it to others further establishes it in our minds.

The Book of Esther begins with a major change in the status quo(existing state of things). Queen Vashti refuses to appear at the summons of the king and is expelled from the king’s presence. The Lord’s hand then raises up Esther and Mordecai as a preparation for the deliverance of His people. Mordecai wisely instructs Hadassah/Esther not to reveal her background or her people, hence there’s a hidden element in this plan of God. People say that God’s Name is never mentioned in the book, however it is there several times, HIDDEN as an acrostic, first or last letters spelling the Name of the Lord, similar to some psalms. This may have been a safeguard for the Jews living in exile in Babylon.

God moves in a mysterious way/ His wonders to perform;/ He plants His footsteps in the sea/ And rides upon the storm. William Cowper(1731-1800) There’s no trace of God in the sea nor on the storm.

Believers need to beware that oftentimes God does not shout His plans from the rooftops, but the enemy will try to attack where His hand is moving. Beware what is being shouted at us from the media today.

God bless and keep you this day and everyday.

 

Take stock and make the changes to Realign with the Lord.

Nehemiah kept the command of King Artaxerces(2:6) and returned to Babylon after rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. He’d first asked the king’s permission to go back to the city of his forefathers in the 20th year of his reign and returned to him in the 32nd year(13:6). He left Judah and Jerusalem in much better condition than he’d found them.

Some time later I asked his permission and came back to Jerusalem(13:7).

Nehemiah came back to yet another mess and he had to begin to sort it out once again. He seemed so frustrated that he asked God 4 times in the last chapter to ‘Remember all he’s had to do for Him and this people’.

The High Priest, no less, had given Tobiah, one of Nehemiah’s greatest enemies, a room in the courts of the House of God. Nehemiah threw all his goods out of the room and had them(courts) purified and put back into them the equipment of the House of God, with the grain offerings and the incense. 13:9 Are there places in our lives where we should clear out things of the world(outside influences) and bring back the things of the Lord, during these Days of Awe? Nehemiah also had to bring back the tithes and Temple contributions. In Malachi God accused His people of robbing Him, not giving Him what was His. Everything comes from the Lord, we have nothing that wasn’t given to us. Are we giving God His portion/first fruits?

People were desecrating the Sabbath, a holy day to the Lord. He took strong action to see that all trade and work stopped, again people were robbing God of what was rightfully His. Are we withholding our time from God? Time for everything but the Lord?

Intermarriage, mixing with people they weren’t supposed to be joined with. One of the grandsons of the High Priest, was also the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite, another of Nehemiah’s worst enemies. I drove him away from me… Are we allied with some who oppose God and have no time for Him, who disdain the things of God?

Lastly Nehemiah made provision for the House of God, he wanted the people to be serious in their walk with the Lord and provide for His Temple. The bottom line was the Jews discovered they were nothing without their God and the Church needs to take this to heart. Israel and Judah were small, a minority in the nations and so is the Church in many places today.

Some points for our consideration in these Days of Awe.

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God bless and keep you in these days.

 

Something else to reflect on during these days of Awe.

Do we have a current, up to date testimony? Has the Lord done anything recently in our lives that we want to tell to people about(exciting and out of the ordinary)? Something that stirs us and gets our juices flowing?

John 4, the story of Jesus meeting with the unnamed Samaritan woman at the well near Sycar has always intrigued me. The chapter begins with Jesus leaving Judea because, ‘the Pharisees heard Jesus was gaining and baptising more disciples. When the Lord learned of this, He left Judea and went back once more to Galilee’. Jesus left Judea and the Jews and headed back, via Samaria, to Galilee. Jesus was called to minister to Jews(I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel Matt 15:24), but on this one occasion He stopped at a Samaritan town and broke just about every religious tradition imaginable.

Jesus met a Samaritan woman, whom no Jew would have dared talk to, at the hottest time of the day and asked her to give Him a drink. She was taken aback by the request. There followed a conversation on two levels, natural water and spiritual water, the water of Life. Jesus eventually told her directly that He was the Messiah, something He wouldn’t do for the religious Jews! She believed Him(after He gave her an accurate word of knowledge) and went back to the town and told the people.

Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?  Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the WOMAN’S TESTIMONY (personal experience carried real authority), “He told me everything I ever did”. And because of His words many more became believers. John 4:29,31,41

Jesus spoke to this one unknown woman and through her many people in this single Samaritan town became believers. He left Judea, even though He was fulfilling His calling there and ‘baptising and making disciples’.

Could the reason that many of us don’t have exciting up to date testimonies be that ‘we haven’t stepped out of the boat’? We haven’t left our normal everyday situations and done something different, WHERE WE REALLY NEEDED THE LORD TO COME THROUGH FOR US. God always honours Faith and this may be a time when He’s calling us to do something that we can’t fulfill in our own strength. I believe we are living in exciting days and that the power of God is going to be manifest, probably in growing darkness, more powerfully than ever before. Please take courage and seek the Lord for new bold steps in our lives in this New Year. God has more for all of us, make the decision to follow Him and have a testimony for our lives.

May the Lord bless and keep us as we step out for Him.

Ten Days of Awe or Fear of the Lord, a time of repentance and realignment with the Will of God. Will we give Him ALL OF OUR HEARTS?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct/make straight your paths. Do you not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. Prov 3:5,6,7

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent His rebuke (don’t sulk under his loving correction MSG), because the Lord disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights in. Prov 3:11,12

In Proverbs 3 we are told to ‘trust in the Lord with ALL OUR HEARTS and to acknowledge Him in ALL OUR WAYS’, then He will direct our paths. The next verse begins, ‘Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil’. The alternative to trusting the Lord is to think we can do it alone, live life on our own terms. The outbreak of Covid has thrown men into fear and as some have prophesied a second wave seems to be upon us. Governments and people are in confusion, no one knows for sure what’s best. Suddenly we’re no longer so certain that we have all the answers but the Lord is still in control. When circumstances are good we can drift along without acknowledging the Lord, but life has suddenly changed. The sound of the trumpet for Rosh Hashanah is surely a ‘wake up call’ for the God’s people today.

The following verses, 3:11,12 tell us ‘not to despise the Lord’s Discipline because He disciplines those He loves’, His own children. The thought of discipline brings bad memories for some people, but I like the wording in the MESSAGE, ‘don’t sulk under God’s loving rebuke’. God is trying to get us to shift back towards Him and with reluctant or maybe rebellious children that can result in a battle of wills. Our flesh doesn’t like to die quickly or quietly.

Rev 3:20 is a well known scripture, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them and they with me”.

However the verse before, V19 is significant, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent”.

The resurrected Lord Himself is speaking to the Church at Laodicea and they were the lukewarm Church. His word to them and us, is ‘to be earnest and turn around towards Him’.

The Days of Awe, a time to reflect and turn towards God in our lives. What’s the Lord asking of us today? Will we open ALL OUR HEARTS TO HIM or do some places remain ‘no go areas’?

God bless and keep you today.

The Days of Awe, days of reflection and repentance on our personal walk with the Lord. These ten days begin with a ‘Feast’, New Year and ends with a ‘Fast’, Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement(like book ends holding the pages of our book).

I was reading in Revelation 2 this morning when Jesus was speaking to John about the Churches of that day. To the Church in Thyatira, He said,  “I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance and THAT YOU ARE NOW DOING MORE THAN YOU DID AT FIRST”. Rev 2:19 We’re not told how the Lord measured the work of this Church but in some way they had ‘upped their game’. We may think we are doing enough or that we couldn’t do more but often we’re capable of doing much more than we think. Does the Lord have more for us in this new season? Why not ask Him to show us what He’s got for us in this New Year of 5781 and be willing to be stretched!

Alongside this I’ve heard that the Lord spoke to a saint and said that there was a lot of ‘uncommanded work’ going on in the body. WE think of things to do in our churches or ministries and then expect the Lord to bless our agendas. The Church in Thyatira must have been doing the Lord’s work and not their own, because He praised them for their increase. They’d heard correctly and were working harder to get things done.

Derek Prince said it’s not enough to read our Bible(a remarkable statement from a man who taught the Word as few others have) though that is essential. We need to hear the ‘Voice of God’ speaking to us and telling us what He has for us to do next. May I say that if God has given us life here on earth, then He  still has more for us to do(Selah, pause and consider). Maybe we only need to do one thing that could have an impact for the King and His Kingdom; Nehemiah built the wall!

May the Lord open all our eyes and increase our expectations to do more for Him than before.

Truly, With God all things are possible.

God bless and keep you today.

 

 

The Ten Day’s of Awe, a chance for a fresh beginning.

Take time to Realign!

Today on Spreaker we read through the long Chapter of Nehemiah 9, 38 verses. The exiles spent a quarter of the day listening to the Word of God being read and a quarter of the day confessing their sins and worshipping. They acknowledged ALL THAT GOD HAD DONE FOR THEM (a good first step and they remembered His Love and Faithfulness). We could say they spent a good chunk of time coming into ALIGNMENT with the Lord once again. It’s so easy for us to get out of Alignment with God, to go off doing our own thing, to forget what He has for us. Most machines e.g. cars, have to be serviced and be reset, so they continue to run well and safely. God built a period of time into the Jewish Calendar when His people could come before Him and reflect on their lives!

Nehemiah 9, tells the history of the Jews from God’s perspective, how He continually spoke to them but they didn’t listen. In Acts 7, Stephen, the first Christian martyr also recounted the history of God’s people, before returning to Heaven. These were two very significant times,  in Nehemiah, return of the exiles and a fresh start for Israel. In Acts, the start of the Church on earth and a call to repent and realign with God’s new purpose on earth. This is a prophetic time in God’s Calendar to His people. Why not take some time during these days, before Yom Kippur on the 28th September and tell the Lord you want to realign with His purposes and plans for our lives. The Jewish exiles gave God time to speak to them, so should we.

God bless and keep you in these DAYS OF AWE(reverence for the Lord).

Rosh Hashanah, literally ‘head of the year’, Jewish New Year

Jewish holidays begin in the evening, so many Jews celebrate at home(tonight), often with family and friends, sharing dinner together. Much of Judaism is based in the home, for example the Shabbat meal. Special foods are eaten to celebrate New Year, such as apples dipped in honey, looking forward to ‘a sweet year’. A special round ‘Challah’ bread is also eaten, bread can signify brokenness and repentance. The ‘round’ bread can represent the ‘passing of the seasons’, a full cycle, or it can also mean ‘a crown’ which is meaningful for believers.

The sounding of the Shofar or ram’s horn is important for New Year, it can be sounded 100 times over the course of the day. Lev. 23:24 calls for a memorial blowing of horns, a loud noise. The sounding of the horn can be a WAKE UP CALL to people to consider their ways and turn to the Lord. It can also commemorate the creation of Man by God. Abraham also prepared to sacrifice Isaac, but used the ram caught in the thicket instead.

On the Spreaker broadcasts we have been going through the book of Nehemiah and with no manipulation on my part we have arrived at Nehemiah 8 for today’s reading. This chapter of Nehemiah is read in Synagogue on Rosh HaShanah to commemorate the reading of Torah to the people in Ezra and Nehemiah’s time. After the Jewish exiles had stood from daylight to midday listening and being taught, they were told to ‘go to their homes and enjoy sweet food and choice drinks’! Neh 8:9,10 There was to be no crying or grieving, they’d come back to their land for a new beginning and God told them to celebrate.

For us as believers we can use this time to ask the Lord if there’s anything He wants us to change or get rid of from our own lives. We too can use this Kairos time to make a fresh start for our own lives. Repentance and turning back to the Lord brings joy.

This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the lord is your strength. Neh 8:10

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We are willing to seek the Lord for personal words of encouragement, you can contact us on the above webpage. Donations are required for this ministry.

May the Lord bless you as we enter New Year.

 

 

Another ‘Character Snapshot’.

Last Tuesday 15, we saw that the man called Baruch son of Zabbai ‘zealously’ repaired a section of Jerusalem’s Wall. Neh 3:20 We are told nothing else about him, but his work alone of all the builders is described as ‘zealous’(fervent, dedicated, devoted, enthusiastic). Something about this man’s work stood out from all the many people labouring on the wall.

Hananiah means, ‘Yahweh is Gracious’ or ‘Yahweh has Favoured’.

I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hananiah, the commander of the citadel, because(here’s the Snapshot) he was a Man of Integrity and Feared God more than most men do. Neh 7:2

I was in a Church Meeting many years ago when a couple were being placed into office as elders of the Church and this verse was read out. Hananiah was being placed into office as the one responsible for Jerusalem and his character was highlighted, ‘because he was a man of integrity(that was ‘his word’) and feared God more…’ Character is often the reason for true promotion in Kingdom affairs.

We first meet Hanani, or Hananiah, at the very beginning of Nehemiah’s story. Neh 1:2 He and some other men had travelled from Jerusalem to their brothers in Babylon, a 4 month journey Ezra 7:8,9 Nehemiah questioned them about the Jewish remnant and Jerusalem. He was very saddened about the state of the Jewish homeland.

Hananiah knew the state of things, but it was only after he made the long journey and relayed them to Nehemiah that something was done. His part was to tell Nehemiah and the leaders in Babylon. Nehemiah then went to king Artaxerces for permission and help to rebuild the wall and gates of Jerusalem. The Lord can reveal something to us and we may well have a part to play in it BUT we need to seek Him for His plan and not just jump in! Hananiah played his part, he was faithful and God used him. We need the Lord to show us the roles He has for us and allow Him to raise us up when the time comes.

May God give us Integrity and a greater Fear of the Lord in our own life and character. Make this your own prayer.

May God bless and keep us today.

 

 

FINISH the work God has given ‘you’ to do!

So the wall was completed on the 25th of Elul, in 52 days. Neh 6:15

The remnant had returned to Jerusalem, basically to a ruin. Nehemiah had the call of God on his life to rebuild the wall and set the gates in place. This involved much hard work and a lot of intimidation aimed at Nehemiah himself. Yet they persevered and completed the building of the wall, the gates not yet set in place.

Today, 16th September is 27 Elul on the Jewish Calendar, the month the work on the wall was finished! Has God spoken to you in the past to do something? This is the last month of the Jewish Year, a time to make amends and maybe for some to finish outstanding work? New year begins soon, on the night of 18 to 20 September. Don’t let this time pass without heeding what’s been spoken to you.

God bless and keep you.