Author: Anne Mccartney

Ecclesiastes 3: 1 Amp Version.

To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven.

As we start to approach Spring here in Ireland and leave Winter behind we start to witness new life.

We definitely have a spring in our step to witness the newness of life in so many ways. I watch the new lambs arriving and think of God as our Shepherd watching over us through every season in our lives.

This passage is so appropriate for all of us .. God has appointed the times and the seasons in our lives. We have to endure the good and the bad. We cannot live on the mountain tops all the time although many would say they could easily, but there would be no growth or development. We need change to cause that to happen.

The assurance in our lives is that God is walking with us through all the seasons.

Change can be challenging in every season but Praise God He is with us.

I remembered the poem today…

Footprints in the sand.
In the good times there were two sets of footprints and in the bad there was only one set of footprints. That was the time God was the closest to us as He was carrying us and taking the load from us.

Even Jesus had to go through seasons in His life.
Isaiah 53: 3.He was a man of sorrows and pains, acquainted with grief and sickness.
The seasons we go through and have to endure are part of the plan God has for us.

So today give thanks with a grateful heart this season is about to change.

Luke 10: 38-39 Amp Version.

And she had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord’s feet and was listening to His teaching.
But Martha ( overly occupied and too busy) was distracted with much serving; and she came up to Him and said, Lord, is it nothing to You that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me (to lend a hand and do her part along with me)!

We can be anxious like Martha or we can be like Mary and build a relationship and spend precious time with Jesus.

Mary wanted to sit at His feet to listen, look and learn. She knew she needed to feed her spirit.

Jesus said Mary had chosen the better thing.
Our lives will bear little or no fruit if we make the wrong decision.

We all understand that the food was important to Martha and who would not want it to be perfect if we were entertaining Jesus.

I ask tonight has something taken your focus away from Jesus?

Do you live a frantic lifestyle always busy with work, hobbies or television rather than a life focused on Jesus.

Martha is frustrated and annoyed because Jesus is not rebuking Mary as she was not being helpful in a way that was pleasing to Martha.

Who are you trying to please in your life that is more important than the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

I once heard my spiritual father say …you can select the best and have the rest.

May we choose the better way that we can be refreshed and used for His Service.

John 14:27 Amp Version.

Peace I leave with you; My(Own) peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. ( Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled).

I started to think about this verse and how Jesus spoke those words the night before His crucifixion.

What a message He was giving to the disciples and also to us today.

Only He can give us real lasting peace, and we can live in that peace if we choose, everything else is only a temporary fix.

The enemy is always close by to help us to become anxious, so we try to justify and that causes us to be in sin.

When we become anxious we tend to run to everyone else , tell them the problem, ask their opinion, why do we never stop to think that we are portraying a wrong picture of our loving Father that we value their opinion rather than coming before God.
Allowing that person to see us being weighed down with the trial that has appeared in our lives.
We know trials will come, we live in a broken world.

The Scripture says don’t let your heart be troubled, nor let them be afraid.

Being anxious …. is the root of the problem. The enemy sets out to intimate and tempt us. No one is exempt from satan. He goes about seeking whom he can devour. We need to be on our guard day and night.

Prayer …. Is the answer, In all things give thanks that sometimes is hard to do but we need to start following the instructions.
When we pray we need to remember we are coming to God face to face and be quick to repent.

Psalm 66:18 If we regard wickedness in our hearts God will not hear our prayers.

Peace.. is the answer to our prayers. The peace of God that surpasses all understanding is the perfect peace that we all need today.

Come to your loving Father today and allow Him to give you His peace.

1 Corinthians 16: 14 Amp Version.

Let everything you do be done in love (true love to God and man as inspired by God’s love for us).

Yesterday was supposed to be a special day in the calendar where we show love to each other ….. I know for many this sadly might not have been the case, but as Christians we should be showing it every day and not just yesterday.

John the Apostle tells us that if we do not love…..We do not know God .

GOD IS LOVE 1 John 4:18.

We need to demonstrate love every day to people we find it difficult to be around and not just some days.
Oh what precious love we carry as God’s children.
We are His ambassadors and we need to show His love to all mankind.

I was in Nigeria a few years back and I was being taken to a meeting. I was amazed by the volume of horns being blasted so I said to the driver .. is this how you show love. That man told me later that God used me to speak to him.
I was in a place where God could use me.
The love of God melts the hearts of people because there is no love like it.

Love is the currency of Heaven…. and we carry that love because of Jesus on the inside of us . Keep using that currency.

Love demonstrates itself in action. When was the last time you did something to demonstrate the love of God to someone who was not your husband or wife.

Sometimes we need to view that person through the eyes of Jesus.
That very thought can transform relationships in our workplace or family.

Jesus went to the cross in love for that other person as well as going to the cross for us.

Our thoughts, feelings and actions should be done with Godly love towards God and everyone else.

I thank God for His love and mercy while I was still a sinner .

Psalm 46:10 Amp Version.

Let be and be still, and know(recognise and understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the Earth!

What an encouraging Scripture for all of us who find it difficult to be still and quiet before God.

Let be and be still…. means to rest and allow rest to come, allow others to rest, be quiet and be at peace.

Quite often in our home you will find my husband and myself in different rooms. That’s not to say we don’t want to be together but we both know we need to let the other be quiet and allow each other to rest in His presence so that we can be with God.

We live in a society where we have so many distractions and demands on our lives that it has become difficult to take the time to just sit at the feet of Jesus and allow Him to minister to us in a way that only He can.

What is the demand on your life today that is more important than your walk with God?

We need to recognise and understand for our spiritual well being , time spent with Jesus is a daily necessity.

Be still is an instruction …means doing nothing, just allowing Jesus to fill you to overflowing and to bask in His presence… a beautiful place to treasure.

Know that He is God and that He can take the crisis you are in and turn it around for your good and His Glory.

We need to focus on this Scripture today and not just know that He is God but allow Him to be God in our lives.
Give God that time today and be still to hear what He has to say.

It could be a life changing moment.

Verse 11
Goes on to say He is our Refuge ,our High Tower and stronghold.

A refuge is a place of shelter and safety. A place to find comfort.
In times of trouble we all need to turn to Jesus and find comfort there.

There is a verse in the Hymn
What a friend we have in Jesus where it says;

In His arms he’ll take and shield you.
Thou will find a solace there.

Jesus is calling you today to come and spend time with Him as your refuge, you will not be disappointed .

John 14: 14-15 Amp Version.

(Yes) I will grant (I Myself will do for you) whatever you shall ask in My Name (as presenting all that I AM).
If you (really) love Me, you will keep(obey) My commands.

This morning as I was praying God stooped me in my tracks and ask me the question
‘What is your prayer life like’.

All I could think was what a question, and it did take me unawares because I knew God knew exactly what my prayer life is like.

What concerned me was He knew the amounts of times I had not involved God in my problems but had carried on in my own thinking and ways.

Leonard Ravenhill once said – No man is greater than his prayer life.

What is your prayer life like today?

I am sure like many you started the New Year by making prayer part of your daily routine but has it dwindled because of not seeing answers to what you have need off.
Do we keep coming to God with a list of I want, I need … is it always pleading for ourselves or does our prayer list bring Glory to God.
We must be in relationship with Jesus that we can trust Him and ask Him with sincere hearts.
Jesus has said … I will personally answer your prayers whatever you ask in my name ( again what brings Glory to the Father).

Pray often… if we only prayed when we felt like it, I know the enemy counter attacks you with don’t need to or you feel tired and busy. The list would be endless to stop us praying.
Unbelief keeps us from praying.

Pray honestly… Nothing is hidden from God, He knows our hearts.
Be honest and tell God why you feel hurt, tired, disappointed or sick.

Pray without ceasing…We need and can bring everything to God in prayer. How many of us send a shooting prayer to God when we find ourselves in situations
LORD HELP.

Sometimes I can honestly say they are the best prayers because God is all knowing and seeing.

Take your problems and your needs to the lord in prayer ( be specific) and see the miraculous happen.

If you (really) love me. Is God your everything today.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Amplified Version.

Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
In all your ways know, recognise,and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.

Two very well known verses of Scripture.

To be able to trust someone you have to know them very well.
We would never trust people we do not know.

We need to be able to place our hearts at the feet of Jesus, and by doing so it leaves us no room to be anxious or allow the enemy to sow doubt in our minds.

To lean not on your own understanding causes us to lean into the everlasting arms of Jesus…. what a precious place to be resting.

Today I was sharing some things with Graham(my husband) and he said for us get God’s best we have to allow God to choose what is best.
Waiting on God bringing the best to us means being patient and that is something we can all find difficult.

God is never in a hurry BUT HE is never late so please be patient and acknowledge Him in ALL things and He will make the path plain for you to see and walk in it.

Allow God to choose the best path for you today as it really does begin with trust and ends with God.

Numbers 23:19 Amp Version.

God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction ( for what He has promised). Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good.

What a beautiful Scripture for all who have had a promise or a prophetic word from God and as yet has not seen it fulfilled.
Sarah was old and really in the natural unable to conceive BUT GOD.
He had given her the promise and she was holding onto it and believing for it to come to pass.
We know she was not disappointed because what was impossible with man was possible with God.
When we get a prophetic word from God we need to take it and pray it through. We cannot just sit and wait and wait and wait on it happening.

Several years ago I had received a word from a pastor in the middle of a morning service. Part of the word was that change was about to come.
Every morning that I went to work I struck that day of on the calendar and kept saying God this is a day closer to change.
Exactly a year later one of the biggest changes in my life occurred.
It was not how I expected but it was as God wanted. I am forever grateful that He did it His way.

So today if you have had that word and have not seen it happen yet, rise up and keep your faith that what God has said will come to pass in His time.

Numbers 23:19 Amp Version.

God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction ( for what He has promised). Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good.

What a beautiful Scripture for all who have had a promise or a prophetic word from God and as yet has not seen it fulfilled.
Sarah was old and really in the natural unable to conceive BUT GOD.
He had given her the promise and she was holding onto it and believing for it to come to pass.
We know she was not disappointed because what was impossible with man was possible with God.
When we get a prophetic word from God we need to take it and pray it through. We cannot just sit and wait and wait and wait on it happening.

Several years ago I had received a word from a pastor in the middle of a morning service. Part of the word was that change was about to come.
Every morning that I went to work I struck that day of on the calendar and kept saying God this is a day closer to change.
Exactly a year later one of the biggest changes in my life occurred.
It was not how I expected but it was as God wanted. I am forever grateful that He did it His way.

So today if you have had that word and have not seen it happen yet, rise up and keep your faith that what God has said will come to pass in His time.

Numbers 23:19 Amp Version.

God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction ( for what He has promised). Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good.

What a beautiful Scripture for all who have had a promise or a prophetic word from God and as yet has not seen it fulfilled.
Sarah was old and really in the natural unable to conceive BUT GOD.
He had given her the promise and she was holding onto it and believing for it to come to pass.
We know she was not disappointed because what was impossible with man was possible with God.
When we get a prophetic word from God we need to take it and pray it through. We cannot just sit and wait and wait and wait on it happening.

Several years ago I had received a word from a pastor in the middle of a morning service. Part of the word was that change was about to come.
Every morning that I went to work I struck that day of on the calendar and kept saying God this is a day closer to change.
Exactly a year later one of the biggest changes in my life occurred.
It was not how I expected but it was as God wanted. I am forever grateful that He did it His way.

So today if you have had that word and have not seen it happen yet, rise up and keep your faith that what God has said will come to pass in His time.