A Heart Untroubled

This weekend has been crazy here in the UK.  People panic buying fuel and all because the media said there was going to be a shortage of petrol.  They've since back-pedalled and said actually it's not so, but the trouble is all the panic-buying has created a shortage.  The news drove people to act, despite the fact it wasn't true.    There is all sorts of bad news going on around the world right now (true or otherwise), and we can let it overwhelm and depress us; we can let it drive us to panic and fear or we can stir ourselves up to act after the Spirit; to press into God, to tap in more deeply to the Holy Spirit and to more intimately worship. Today I just want to encourage you to not tune in to what the world has to offer, but instead, let anything that happens in this world this drive you deeper into your walk with the Lord. That's it.  Just a simple thought this week:  Don't get drawn into the world's bad news, but instead, follow the advice of the psalmist

A few week ago at church, we were discussing  MY truth v THE truth, and it's something that I've been thinking on since that service.  OUR truth is always subjective.  It is coloured by our experience, upbringing and culture.  We firmly believe OUR truth is correct, and we rehearse it, recount it and live by it, but in reality we often find that MY truth may miss something spiritual and important; GOD's truth or THE truth. For example, MY truth might be that you have wronged me, but THE truth is that I am called and empowered to walk in love and forgiveness despite someone wronging me. It doesn't always mean MY truth is completely wrong, but I believe OUR truth is too often incomplete at the very least.   John 8:32 tells us " A nd ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. " Freedom, comes when we KNOW THE truth.    That word KNOW is the Greek word ginosko.  I t means to know absolutely,  to be taking in knowledge, to come to know, recognize

I want to finish this series by one final thought.    The dictionary defines 'stress' as:  ' subject to pressure or tension' or ' a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances'. Life and the devil can subject us to pressures and tensions, and we can fold like a plastic bottle.  However, if the bottle represents us, and we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we won't crumble under pressure.   We will never be able to stop stresses coming our way, but as soon as we recognize them we need to tap into the spiritual realm in order not to be overcome.   We need to deal with life from a spiritual perspective.  Yes, there are practical things we need to do in life, of course, but we cannot do things the way the world does it.  We need to fight, not against flesh and blood, but against principlaities and powers and spiritual wickedness and high places.  Stress is a result of the fall, a result of the enemy and a resul