A Heart Untroubled

Have you ever felt under attack when you've begun to do something the Lord has told you to do? It can be very challenging. You may consider whether you are doing the right thing and even be tempted to give up, but before you do, consider the word of God! The bible tells us that it contains examples for us, so we can learn from them. So many times, we see people who could simply have given up..Esther, Joseph, Noah, even Jesus, faced such intense opposition when doing what God told them to do. Nehemiah, also faced opposition, but I love this verse " When all our enemies heard about it, and all the [Gentile] nations around us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognised that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God . " Nehemiah 6:16 When we start a work for the Lord, problems will come, people will rise against us, but ultimately when we stick to what God has purposed for us, when we trust God, we will finish the work, and then those who att...

Have you ever thought about why we are called Christians?   The term literally means 'Little Christ' or 'Belonging to the party/group of Christ'.  The bible tells us Christians were first called by that name in Antioch.   I have heard people say that it was a derogatory slur and I have seen people that say it was not bad, but was indicative that the people in Antioch distinguished between every other sect or group in the city and came up with this new terminology.    Either way, it referred to a very specific group of people that were clearly recognised by others.   Today often we hear people describe themselves as 'Christian' simply because of the nation they live in.  When asked for their religion, people will often site a denomination 'catholic' or 'baptist' or whatever, but the truth is that a true Christian is one who looks like Jesus!   Not of course physically, but in our conduct, our actions Paul told us in 1 Corin...

This week I have been thinking about the difference between things you take hold of straight away, and things you need to tend to before you see fruit.  I am not sure that's exactly the right way to say it, but I hope it will make sense when I am done.   I'm thinking about maybe an apple pie and an apple seed!  If someone gives you an apple pie, it can be eaten.  You don't need to do anything to it (except maybe add cream or custard!! 😊 ). In the same way, Jesus gives us salvation.  When we get saved, accepting Christ as our Saviour,  we don't need to go over and over that point. We don't need to get saved every day.  It's like the apple pie.  It is ready to eat.  Christ made it for us.  It's immediate. We move from darkness to light in an instant. God's gift of salvation is a completed action in one sense; we can take hold of it right away, but there are aspects of that salvation (healing, prosperity. peace, wisdom etc) that we wi...

Happy New Year to you all!    I pray that 2022 brings you closer in your walk with Jesus, that you see more of the power of God in your life, and you grow in confidence to reach out to those around you with God's unconditional love and compassion. Today I want to tell you about a powerful tool or weapon I have discovered.  PEACE! John 14:1 is my favourite scripture.  It says LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED The word troubled means: to agitate, to cause one inward commotion, take away a person's calmness of mind, disturb his equanimity, to disquiet, make restless, to stir up, to trouble, to strike one's spirit with fear and dread, to render anxious or distressed, to perplex the mind of one. The news has become adept at pumping out fear or agitation.  but Jesus commanded us (LET NOT is a command) to not let our hearts be troubled.    We choose whether to absorb what the world shows us or to 'let not our hearts be troubled'.  We have to decide whether...

I heard a phrase in church this week during a children's talk on Christmas Eve, and it really spoke to me. the speaker said "Jesus is our forever gift'. I have heard the phrase 'forever home' in relation to look for a permanent home for foster children, or even puppies or cats sometimes, but this statement in relation to Jesus,  impacted me. Christmas is a beautiful time to celebrate the birth of our saviour, but Jesus is our forever gift.  His coming to the earth wasn't just about a baby in a manger, we all know that, but it truly is the gift that keeps on giving, our forever gift.   Every day the opportunity is there for us to experience His gift of salvation, His gift of peace, His gift of healing, His gift of provision, His gift of joy and His overwhelming and totally awesome gift of love towards us.  From now, until eternity and beyond.  HE is our forever gift.   As you celebrate this Christmas, I hope you will truly know the gift of Jesus in...

This week I have been re-reading the Christmas story and I tried to look at it through new eyes, as we can take it for granted. I woke up this morning with some thought's that I believe God put on my heart. I shared this at church this morning,  and I want to share here with you too. Luke 1:26-38 (KJV) And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of ...

Firstly I apologise for not posting last weekend.  I have been all out of sync!  However, I am back non track with knowing what day of the week it is! (At least until I break up for Christmas and then who knows....).   This week I was thinking about new years resolutions.  It's a bit early I know, but I was thinking about it none the less.  At the end of December, we look to start the new year with good intentions for healthy physical or spiritual lives and vow to do better than last year.    All good, but how often do we look ahead with a plan to do something ' for the new year' , 's tarting next month ' or ' in the Spring '.... What would be wrong with starting a new eating regime today instead of waiting for January first?   The truth is we need to just start...  It's the same with spiritual things.      In John 4:23 (MSG) we read: But the time is coming— it has, in fact, come— when what you're called will not matt...