Month: October 2020

All around us might look bleak, but the Lord may be speaking to our future. Be thankful if He is!

While Jeremiah was still confined (a prophet’s prison) in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time. Jer 33:1

Jerusalem was under siege and about to fall to the Babylonians and the Jewish people were going into exile. It was a terrible prospect for all those in the city but in the midst of it all God was speaking to Jeremiah regarding the future. The present was awful but God was saying when all this was over, He had a good future planned for them.

John Wimber, founder of the Vineyard Movement in Anaheim, California was mightily used by the Lord, but he had some health problems later in life. He told about being wheeled on a trolley along a Hospital corridor to surgery with medical equipment attached to his body. The Lord began to speak with him as he was being taken to theatre. He was saying in his mind Lord don’t you see what’s happening here, but the Lord just continued talking to him as if everything was normal. The Lord focused on the future rather than his present temporary trials.

God’s will revealed for the Jewish people in their trials;

Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before. Jeremiah 33:6, 7

“Give thanks to the Lord almighty, for the Lord is good; his love endures forever”.

“Give thanks to the Lord almighty, for the Lord is good; his love endures forever”.

(I realise this line is repeated but maybe some of us need to hear it more than once).

For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before, says the Lord. Jeremiah 33:11

It’s important we get GOD’S PERSPECTIVE on what’s happening to us now and what’s going to happen after this has passed! WE NEED TO LIVE FROM GOD’S VIEWPOINT because He will take us there if we let Him.

Cast your bread upon the waters, after many days you will find it again. Eccl 11:1 If we don’t sow, then we won’t reap, God will have nothing to multiply for us.

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Carry only what God has appointed and nothing more.

But Moses did not give any (carts and oxen) to the Kohathites because they were to carry on their shoulders the holy things, FOR WHICH THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE. Numbers 7:9

When we carry that which God has appointed for us His grace will be there to help us! Going beyond His limits may result in much wasted self effort. When our work is very heavy we should ask the Lord if we’re in His will? (His good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2) I recall that the Lord spoke to someone recently and said, ‘that there was much uncommanded work in the Church’. That work will be a burden and unsatisfying, because God is not in it.

IN 1991 I went to Spain, my first time as part of an international prayer team, praying for a nation. Mariology, the worship of Mary, is very strong in some Catholic countries. We learned that during some feast days a statue of the Madonna would be carried through the streets on the men’s shoulders. This was supposedly a great honour for those chosen to carry the Madonna, but the statues could be very heavy. Other nations could have their goddess statues with a different name for their country and culture(Queen of Heaven). We were told in some places that the goddess statues were known as ‘the man breakers’, because of their excessive weight.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Cor 3:17

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28, 29, 30

The Lord’s yoke is easy, THERE SHOULD BE AN EASE in carrying that which God calls us to, but religious spirits can try to load us down and wear us out with heavy burdens, ‘man breakers’. It’s right and good to be serving the Lord, but we need wisdom to know His work for us, especially in the Church. Younger believers are especially vulnerable in church settings to being given something to do, which may not be suitable for them. We need to Seek the Lord for His will and work for us at every stage of our lives.

Should you be blessed to know that you’re in God’s will and that there’s a joy and peace to your serving, even though it may be demanding, then hear Paul’s word to the Corinthian Believers;

Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 1 Cor 4:2

The charge to the Kohathites to carry the holy things on their shoulders was an honour bestowed by the Lord. We too should find where God has given us grace to serve Him. There are blessings in serving our King, here and hereafter.

The Aaronic Blessing, at the end of Numbers 6, just before the Levites are allocated their places of service;

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.  So they will put My Name on the Israelites and I will bless them. Numbers 6:24

 

 

 

 

Soul Satisfaction, David found it as he sought God in all his testings and trials. Psalm 63

We were looking this morning on Spreaker broadcast at an obscure verse in Job 12:11;

Does not the ear TEST words as the tongue TASTES food?

Our ears should be the Gatekeepers of our souls, ‘Testing what we hear’. The tongue ‘Tastes what we eat’, if it doesn’t taste good then we spit it out and protect our bodies. We need discernment and awareness what we’re listening to and looking at in these days of digital media. If it doesn’t sit well with us, or we feel a check about it, then reject/spit it out and protect our souls.

David was one who earnestly sought God, more than likely because he and his men’s lives were in constant danger;

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek You(a God Seeker); my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water(David’s outer world around Him was desolate and bleak). Psalm 63: 1

I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and glory. Because Your Love is better than life my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live (David didn’t know how long he would live) and in Your name I will lift up my hands. MY ‘SOUL WILL BE SATISFIED’ AS WITH THE RICHEST OF FOODS(David’s inner world was like a rich feast!); with singing lips my mouth will praise you. Psalm 63: 2,3,4

David was able to rise above his circumstances and his desolate surroundings, constantly fleeing for his life, and meet God and worship Him. His Praise Song proclaimed the goodness of His God, like the RICHEST OF FOODS, in the midst of continual testings. If you’re finding life tough today, take some time to turn to the Lord, speak to Him and yes, even sing and worship Him. Your soul can be greatly blessed in the midst of difficulties, God is bigger than the problems. Turning to Him and worshipping Him will help put things in perspective and give us hope.

God bless and keep you this day and every day.

 

 

 

My soul fines rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I shall never be shaken. Psalm 62:1,2

Find rest, oh my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I shall not be shaken. Psalm 62:5,6

David, the man Samuel anointed to be king went through some very tough struggles, fleeing for his life many times. David says his soul, probably a very troubled soul at times finds rest in God alone – then HE COMMANDS HIS SOUL to find its rest in God alone. My Soul don’t look anywhere else but to God for comfort. The word ALONE is mentioned in each of these four verses so he’s emphasising the only place he can go for comfort, his only help, is the Lord.

He proclaims twice, ‘He/God is my rock and my salvation; He alone is my fortress, I shall never/not be shaken’. David’s often in desperate situations, but he keeps telling himself that God won’t fail him (we can and should affirm God’s faithfulness to our own souls!) and that God is bigger than anything or anybody who comes against him. David wrote these Praise Songs/Psalms in very tough times, he proved God while under severe threat and worshipped Him.

The words of the Psalm that have touched me most today are near the end of it, a final affirmation of God’s character;

One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that You, O God, are STRONG, AND that you, O Lord, are LOVING. Psalm 62:11,12

It’s one thing to be strong, many people in the world may be strong or powerful but strength accompanied with love is much less common. God is not just strong, He’s omnipotent (ALL Powerful), omniscient(ALL Knowing) and omnipresent (ALL Present/Everywhere). This God, who created you and I and the whole Universe, is Loving. He cares for us, our concerns and problems and is ever seeking to help us.

Know for certain this day that we serve a STRONG AND LOVING GOD.

God bless and keep you this day and every day.

The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. The manna stopped the day after they eat this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan. Joshua 5:11,12

The clock went back an hour(Falls back and in March Springs forward again) on Sunday morning from British Summer Time to Greenwich Mean Time. Not quite as dramatic as the Israelites entering Canaan, but very noticeable for the first few evenings, when it grows dark an hour earlier.

Israel had been banished to the wilderness for almost 40 years and suddenly they’d crossed the River Jordan into the Land God had promised them. God had miraculously opened the Jordan in flood, just as He’d done with the Red Sea coming out of Egypt. His people crossed over on dry ground to their new home. Suddenly everything was very different, instead of collecting manna every morning, except Sabbath, because they’d had to keep Sabbath in the wilderness. Now they had to drive out the Canaanites and occupy the land the Lord had marked out for them (struggles don’t necessarily mean we’re in the wrong place, God may be permitting us to be tested and grow up in Him). Believers today may have to overcome enemies within and without as we walk out our individual callings, but none of the enemies in Canaan were ever a match for Israel so long as the Lord was with them.

Nevertheless Israel had finally come into their land after a generation in the wilderness and had to adapt to their changed circumstances. They had to learn to work the land and within the cycles of the seasons, to plant and sow and then reap. The verses above say it all happened the DAY after Passover, which for the Believer represents New Birth in Christ/death of the old man. But then it goes on to say, ‘that YEAR’, they ate the produce of Canaan. Something happened at once, the food from heaven stopped, but that year they ate a richer, more varied diet form the land of their inheritance.

God has much to teach about the Land where He’s placed us and as we said, there may be struggles and opposition. God is incredibly creative and has a unique plan for each one of His Children, don’t be put off by difficulties, He wants to show each of us how to prosper/be blessed in our situations. The time had changed for Israel and their lives would never return to the old system. The time for that way of life was over, God had given them a whole new land to conquer and take charge of. Seek the Lord for the new things He has ahead for your life and don’t be daunted, ‘with God all things are possible’.

God bless and keep you today.

Two of the Beatitudes(Beautiful Attitudes) are different to the others because they relate directly to God Himself.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:8,9

They are quoted together in Matthew’s Gospel, Purity and Peace, essential conditions for knowing God, right at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry in the Galilee.

Ana Werner, a young prophetic seer today, told an interviewer that she has to be very careful to keep her eyes pure(careful what she watches) because that’s the channel through which God speaks to her.

Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. Psalm 24:3,4

One of the Lord’s Names is the ‘Prince of Peace’. Isa 9:6 Long before He came to earth He was given a prophetic title identifying Him with peace. He has opened the way for peace between God and man, but conflict still remains on earth. The name of Jerusalem also means, ‘City of Peace’, yet it has been attacked and captured many times by enemies. God would not allow King David to be the one to build the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, because he’d shed blood. Solomon, his son, whose name is derived from the Hebrew word for Peace(Shalom) built it and God gave Israel a time of peace to complete the work.

At the time Jesus was promising His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit, He also promised them Peace;

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do you not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard (mount garrison, like an army in a fortress) your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians  4:6,7

Don’t be anxious, pray and trust the Lord and stay in Peace.

We’re going through the Book of Job at present in the Speaker broadcasts, not the easiest book to read. Job was ‘stubbornly righteous’, he wouldn’t allow others to move him from his position. The enemy tries to move us from our place in the Lord. Our righteousness is in Him alone and also our peace. We need a tenacious faith to hold on to what He has won for us that we may stand as God’s children here on earth.

God bless and keep you this day.

 

 

 

Sometimes it’s better to rest in God’s presence than try to do more. God calls us to be still before Him, just be with Him

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Psalm 37:7

Much of men’s work, done apart from God, will be of no lasting value, therefore we’re encouraged to wait patiently for the Lord and let the others go their own way.

Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the Earth. Psalm 46:10

Graham Cooke has said there is ‘no knowing God without stillness’, which is a rearrangement of the above verse, but it helps us to understand what’s being said. Getting to know people in the natural takes time and desire, it’s not any different with the Lord.

Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. Psalm 116:7

This is really a psalm of thanksgiving for deliverance in the unknown psalmist’s life. It’s always good to remember how faithful and good God has been to us and to thank Him, like the one leper out of ten, who returned to thank Jesus for healing him.

The Psalms are a favourite book and many believers throughout the ages have turned to them for comfort and encouragement. David wrote some of his 73 psalms, in desperate situations, even when his life was under threat (2 further psalms are attributed to David in the New Testament). It’s interesting that a life under so much threat produced some of the sweetest praise to the Lord, like juice being squeezed from a ripe orange.

“This is what the Sovereign Lord, the holy one of Israel, says: In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength…” Isaiah 30:15

God speaking to His people through their national prophet, calling them to turn or return to Him. It’s more important to be in right relationship with the Lord than doing many things which may be just distractions.

Take some time to be still before the Lord and be thankful and repent if things come to mind which could block the relationship. God wants to be with us more than we want to be with Him.

God bless and keep you and make His face shine upon you.

Obedience – the watershed or turning point of our lives.

To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout … who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for OBEDIENCE to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood. 1 Peter 1:1,2

Peter’s first letter is addressed to God’s elect/chosen as strangers in this world (it’s important for the believers to realise that this world is not our final home). The introduction continues by mentioning all three members of the Godhead in one verse! ‘Believers’ chosen by the foreknowledge of the Father (we are a Chosen People, remember that), sanctified or washed by the Spirit for Obedience to Jesus Christ (Obedience  is the one thing here that we’re called to do) and sprinkled by His blood.

So there are 3 ‘S’ words; we are Strangers, we’re Scattered and we’re Sprinkled by His blood. But there is still the necessity of OBEDIENCE and that part alone is our responsibility.

I read a book a long time ago by James Michener, which started with a very vivid picture of a raindrop falling on high mountains somewhere in the continent of North America. Every drop to the west of a certain line, the watershed, flowed towards the Pacific Ocean and everything to the east of the line flowed to the Atlantic Ocean or maybe the Gulf of Mexico. Rain drops which only fell a very short distance apart at the beginning were separated by a whole continent at the end. Obedience is such a watershed for us, it will take our lives on a completely different journey to those around us, even those who may have been close to us for a time. Obedience to the Lord is a watershed!

We are all rebellious by nature but as Peter says God reached down and rescued us from the hand of the enemy. Not only that but He’s given us new hearts and put His Spirit within us to help us to obey Him and live in Obedience to Him in our daily lives.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:12

David had sinned with Bathsheba and had her husband, Uriah, murdered which was the reason he wrote this Psalm. God didn’t allow him to cover up the sin but exposed it and dealt with him, His chosen leader of the people, but David found forgiveness after repentance. It was full forgiveness, Solomon loved by God came through David’s wife Bathsheba. God extends forgiveness for all who humble themselves and repent, He’s our loving Saviour, but He does require us to walk in Obedience to Him.

God bless and keep you today as you walk out your life in Obedience to God.

 

 

Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Eph 5:15,16

These verses urge us to live our lives and make use of our time wisely – because the days we’re living in are evil. There  are times in our lives, or seasons, for doing certain things but then they pass. It’s easy when we’re in a certain time frame to think that it’s always going to be that way but that’s not what the Bible says.

‘There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven’. Eccl 3:1-8.  Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a time and a season for everything here on earth. We are under the constraints of time in this sphere. It then gives 14 couplets of things which are time bound; from ‘a time to be born and a time to die’; beginning to end and everything in between.

‘… men of the Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do’. 1 Chr 12:32 David had been promised the kingship of Israel for a long time, but now the time had come for him to be king of all Israel, in Jerusalem. He was king in Hebron but he had to move location and step up into a higher role of leadership. Some of us may have been waiting on a promise of God for a long time, but perhaps the wait is over and God is calling us to step out and up into our new season.

‘The king…spoke with the wise men who understood the times’. Esther 1:13

‘Do not think that because you are in the King’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows what that you have come to royal position for such a time as this’? Esther 4:13,14,15

These Scriptures in Esther also show the importance of rightly discerning the ‘times’ in which we’re living. The situation has changed across the world in these last few months and perhaps will never return to what it was again! We need to be aware of this and aware of our own lives, God has been and is preparing a people who will both be ready and rightly positioned for these days. What’s the Lord saying to us about our lives in this season?

Worldly wisdom has a saying that, ‘it’s more important to be doing the RIGHT THING, THAN DOING THINGS RIGHT’.

What is the Lord saying for our lives today?

God bless and keep you in these changing times.

 

If a ruler’s anger rises against you, do not leave your post; CALMNESS can lay great errors to rest. Eccl 10:4

This  may be a word for someone today, don’t panic, just stay in position and trust the Lord to help you. Even when we’re guilty of making ‘great errors’ God can still intervene and help us.

I remember reading of a young officer in the US navy who was a believer but had been involved in a serious incident where he’d made some mistakes. He expected the worst from an enquiry into the situation and he had no choice but to cry out to the Lord and face the investigation. Many times we as believers face difficult situations beyond our control and the only thing  we can do is to stand. Much to the young officer’s surprise the enquiry went along a different path and his mistakes were hardly mentioned.

A couple we know had been called to go to court over a situation and the morning they were to attend a prophet turned up to accompany them. He told them not to be afraid that everything would be alright. As soon as the hearing began the judge seemed antagonistic toward their position but then things began to change and he outlined a number of faults in the opposition’s case and eventually threw it out. The Lord had intervened on their behalf and although things started badly, their position was vindicated

Some NT Scriptures urging us to take a stand;

Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him (and us) stand. Rom 14:4

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. 1 Cor 15:58

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist (we must be in the truth if we want God to help us). Eph 6:14

Be patient, then, Brothers and Sisters until the Lord’s coming.… You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. James 5:8

Stay calm and hold your position, standing with the Lord, He will help you and give you hope.

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God bless you and keep you today.