Our Guidebook

The Bible is meant for us to use as a guidebook for life, with the Ten Commandments encompassing principles the whole way through. Standing alone, the commandments do not detail God's full instruction for how we ought to behave, but they do summarize the way he intended us to live.

In Matthew 5:17, Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them." By this, Jesus meant that by his own behaviour and teachings he would uphold and expand upon the commandments of God. Jesus also impressed this upon his disciples and as affirmation, in Matthew 5 he greatly expands upon the applications of the commandments.

When Jesus explained in Matthew 22, that everything written in the Ten Commandments falls under the two headings of 'Love for God' and 'Love for neighbour', he was explaining the importance of relationships. Jesus was telling us that every command of God defines an aspect of the excellent relationships we should have with each other or with Him.

The first four commandments define how to relate to God with the correct love and respect. The other six explain the essentials for loving and respecting each other.

God tells us that all of his commandments are for our own good. They have a clear purpose in our lives and should be seen as a blessing and benefit to mankind. They define the relationships that produce respect, cooperation and stability within any society that understands them fully and applies them.

Too many people see the Ten Commandments as 'just' a list of don'ts and fail to grasp their real purpose. If more people set the commandments as a standard for behaviour then the world would be a much improved and more harmonious place to live.

Doors of Opportunity

All of us need to hear from God each day about many different issues, but at certain times, crucial times, we need to be absolutely sure that we are hearing clearly from Him.

God wants to speak to us, but we have to take care that we never develop a closed mindset about the method God uses to speak to us with. God has many ways in which he may choose to speak, but whichever way he chooses, he does promise to direct our paths.

It can sometimes be hard to work out whether you are hearing from God of from your own emotional reasoning. God will speak directly to your heart, but if you are deaf to his voice, he will find another way to lead you.

Sometimes God might speak by opening or closing a door to something you want to do. Paul and Silas tried to go into Bithynia to preach and minister but God prevented them (Acts 16:6-7). God can close doors that we then cannot open. He will also open doors of opportunity that no one can close. We also depend on God to close doors we try to walk through if we are making a mistake.

Revelation 3:7 - "These are the words of the Holy One, the True One, He who has the key of David, who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one shall open."

Sometimes the only way to discover God's will is to 'step out and find out'. If you have a situation which you have prayed about and still don't know what to do, then take a step of faith - step out. There are times in your life when you will need to step out in order to discover what you need to do next. Some doors will never open unless you step out towards them. Other times we may take a step out and find that God will not open the door. If we trust in him for guidance, and the door opens easily, we can be sure that he is leading us to enter into a good opportunity.

In Corinthians 16 Paul stated that God had opened a wide door of opportunities for him and his companions. Paul also said that there were many adversaries, so we must not mistake opposition for a closed door. Paul and his companions did not sit and wait for an angel to give them direction. Instead, they stepped out in the direction that they felt was right. God opened the door many times for them, but he also closed it many times too.

 

Some doors never open unless you take a step toward them!!!

Be a conqueror!

Being a conqueror in your life arms you with many valuable tools. If you get a problem in your life, you know for certain that you can overcome it with Christ. You live in confidence and not in fear. With the knowledge that Christ is inside of you, you know that nothing is bigger than you in this life, except God.

Romans 8:35 - "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?"

A lot of people believe they have a lot of faith - until they need to use it when it then becomes clear that their faith is on a far lower level than they believed. Your faith should ultimately should be strong enough that no problem or troubled time should ever separate you from Christ.

Problems are not a sign that God hates you, but more so that the devil hates you, (as he does everyone) and is trying to pull you away from Christ. Bear in mind that a problem is something you 'go through', not something you 'get devastated in the middle of'. Remember, "This too shall pass".

Romans 8:37 - "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

We truly are more than conquerors. Stand firm in the knowledge that God loves you and is good and you should never doubt him. He will see you through any trial and he will work on your problem if you trust in him. Stay calm, peaceful and trust in your Lord.

1 John 4:4 - "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

1 John 4:17 - "In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgement, because in this world we are like him."

'Faith' is something which you have to fully believe in before you can see it. "As he is in heaven then so are we". The more right and righteous we strive to be, the more we will become. But this is something which you need to work on on a daily basis.

When mistakes are made, the devil jumps in and guilt and self-condemnation are given the chance to reign. This is when you need the help of your Christian family to help pull you out. The harder we work at knowing who we are in Christ, the less the devil will be able to find a way in.

Ephesians 2:6 - "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus."

Every single one of us needs a revelation on who we are in Christ so that we, as conquerors can defeat the devil. In order to achieve and maintain this we need to meditate on the Word on a daily basis and speak out positively through your day.

 

Always be a conqueror!!!

The Law of Love

1 John 4:7-8 - "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

Jesus Christ founded the Christian faith on the principle of love. Near the end of his life, John, a disciple of Jesus wrote these words: "And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16)

The word 'love' means different things to different people, some varieties are; adore, care, admire. Due to the broad meaning of the word, it is difficult to find a consistent definition of love. It would be fitting if there was one particular alternative word that could be used when describing the love of God and our love of God.

Many religious people embrace the idea of loving others as themselves but remain blissfully unaware of how the Bible defines love. As a result, they do not understand the necessity of putting into practice the biblical principles that determine the success or failure of their relationships.

The Ten Commandments define love in an accurate and understood way. This is the purpose of God's Law. Jesus defined the purpose of God's Law as teaching us how to apply the two great principles of loving God and loving each other. He made this clear when someone asked Him, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus replied by quoting from the Old Testament passages: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." and "You shall love your neighbour as yourself." Jesus explained that all the Law and the Prophets hang on these commandments.

Love is the centrepiece of all the Scriptures in the whole Bible. Many people are amazed when they read of or hear of Jesus quoting the Old Testament. Every commandment was written for our own good. In God's eyes, obeying the commandments and practising love are extricable linked. This is because the commandments define the love that is the foundation for all godly relationships.

From the very beginning, God's interaction with human beings has been motivated by His love for us. Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16-17)

There is no doubt that God wants us all to live forever, ie to receive eternal life. However, first we must learn how to love one another and the Ten Commandments play a key role in this.

God will not allow present resentments, jealousies, hostilities and selfish desires to carry forward into eternity. We need to learn the real meaning of love or we cannot receive eternal life. And without love and respect, peace and harmony are impossible. "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren," (1 John 3:14)

So, what is love? John gives us the answer "This is love, that we walk according to His commandments." (2 John 1:6) The apostle Paul tells us that "love is the fulfilling of the law" (Romans 13:10) James wrote in James 2, showing us clearly that God's royal law of love specifically includes the Ten Commandments.

 

Love in a truly godly way with all your heart and eternity will be yours!!!

God's specific purpose for you life

Psalm 40:8 - "I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart,"

Acts 20:24 - "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task that the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."

Romans 12:2 - "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Many people keep a 'to do' list with all the things they need to accomplish each day, week or year. Such lists often help bring a sense of purpose of life, helping life remain in focus and on target.

On a spiritual 'to do' list, one of a Christian's 'to dos' would be to identify the purpose of their life, the passion that God created inside of them.

According to the Bible, your purpose is to be inspired by a vision as to how God can best use you to accomplish his goals. God has a general purpose and a specific purpose for you. Your general purpose is to let the love of Jesus shine through you to make an impact on others. God has given you spiritual gifts and wants you to use them to make a unique contribution to life (Romans 12:6-8, Corinthians 12:4-11, 1 Peter 4:10-11). The more competently you fulfil your general purpose, the clearer your specific purpose will become.

The ultimate goal in life is not to reach the destinations you want, but to reach the destinations God wants for you. As you pursue your purpose as assigned by God, he promises that your life will have lasting meaning and significance.

Matthew 25:21 - "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"

1 Corinthians 12:11 - "All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines."

God has given every individual special aptitudes and abilities. These provide the biggest clue to what God wants you to do. When he calls you, he will almost always allow you to use your God-given talents and spiritual gifts for a reason - to use them!

Job 2

The Book of Job in its entirety teaches us great lessons about the relationship between Satan and God and how that affects Man. We witness the deep and bitter hatred that Satan has for all of mankind when he afflicted Job after God offered him up as a sacrifice to the devil for fear that the whole of humanity would be compromised forevermore.

 

During this torture, Job showed amazing commitment to God and used his knowledge that He would always do right by him . He understood that God has the right to allow bad things to happen in our lives and even though we mere mortals may not understand what is going on, we do know that God only allows what is right and with purpose to us. By God granting his permission for Satan to test Job with every possible mortal means, Satan was forced to realise the futility of his methods of destroying faith.

 

Job's wife, upon seeing him in such pain urged him to curse God, which would result in Job's death, but also in the end of his suffering. Job refused and accused his wife of being foolish. She was trying to make Job act unrighteous which in itself just ends up showing her lack of righteousness for having dared to even suggest the idea.

 

Job's sufferings may have been created by God for the purpose of showing Satan that sufferings and hardships are not the best ways to weaken and destroy faith. In fact, it is popularity, wealth, power and glory that are the most likely human conditions that lead to loss of faith and the rejection of God.

 

 

Being tested

1 Peter 1:7 - "These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed."

The devil tempts to destroy our faith, but God tests to strengthen and purify it. Temptations try to make you quit. Testing helps you to endure and not quit.

Hebrews 11:8 - "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."

God may test you through incomplete information to see how strong your faith in him really is. You don't need to know everything about God's ways to trust his promises that he will do what is best for you.

God may test you through silence. Sometimes what God does not say may be more effective in getting your attention.

Genesis 22:9-10 - "When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son."

God may test you through sacrifice as he did with Abraham. What you give up for God reveals more than what you keep for yourself.

God may also test you through problems and trials, even persecution. Whilst no one wants troubles in life, most of us desire the healthy benefits and rewards they bring.

2 Corinthians 12:7-9 - "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

God may test you through your weaknesses. Only when you acknowledge your weaknesses can you invite God's strength to work through you. He may test you through life choices. The road you choose will always determine the destination you reach. The choices you make will always determine the consequences.

Why should I sacrifice for others?

Leviticus 1:4 - "He lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him."

Hebrews 9:22 - "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."

1 John 4:10 - "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

A sacrifice is a kind of substitution, something given up in order to obtain something else of greater value. In the Old Testament, a sacrifice was an act of worship in which the blood of an animal was shed as a substitute for the punishment people deserved for their sin. It might seem cruel that animals would be sacrificed on an altar, but it would be far, far worse if a person had to die instead.

These days we are desensitised to the seriousness of sin despite sin being just as serious in God's eyes as it has always been. Sin deserves eternal death because it separates us from God. God is holy. We are not. Holiness and sin cannot co-exist. In Old Testament days, God provided a way for the people's sins to be removed so they could be holy in God's eyes. People brought an animal to the altar, and it would become their 'substitute', taking their place on the altar. They symbolically transferred their sins to the animal, allowing them to be pure and holy once again before God. When Jesus died on the cross, he transferred the sins of all humankind onto himself, forever. No more sacrifices need to be made. Jesus was the last sacrifice. All you need to do now is recognise your sin before God and accept his gift of forgiveness.

Anytime you make a sacrifice by giving something up for someone else, you can be reminded, in some small way, of God's sacrifice, the greatest sacrifice of all. Out of gratitude that God sacrificed so much for you, you should be willing to follow his example and find ways to sacrifice for others.

How does the Holy Spirit help me?

1 Corinthians 2:12 - "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us."

The Holy Spirit helps us to understand the deep truths of God. Without this essential guidance we would be stabbing in the dark. He convicts you of sin and shows you right from wrong, good from bad, and God's way versus the way of the world. The Holy Spirit shows you how to live an awesome life that pleases God.

Romans 8:26 - "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."

The Holy Spirit helps us to pray. You can take great comfort and have confidence in the fact that your prayers - as inadequate as they often are - are heard, understood and responded to through the loving intercession of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:16 - "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children."

1 Corinthians 6:19 - "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;"

The Holy Spirit gives you the power and desire to resist temptations that would dishonour God or hurt you. He also makes your worship of God more joyful and meaningful, and fills you with the assurance that you are a child of God, saved from sin.

When do I receive the Holy Spirit?

Ephesians 1:13-14 - "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession - to the praise of his glory."

God gave you the Holy Spirit when you first believed in Jesus Christ. In fact, it was through the promptings of the Holy Spirit that you were able to believe in Jesus.

The gift of the Holy Spirit was promised long ago but was not made available to all believers until Jesus Christ was resurrected and ascended into heaven.

Though the Holy Spirit lives within you, you pray expectantly that God will release more and more of the Spirit's power in your life.

Luke 12:11-12 - "When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say."

The Lord gives you an extra measure of the Holy Spirit whenever you need special power and courage to witness for him.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

Luke 24:49 - "Jesus said, 'I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.' "

Ephesians 1:14 - "who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession - to praise of his glory."

God is three persons in one - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. God became a human being in Jesus so that Jesus could die for the sins of the world. Jesus rose from the dead to offer salvation to all people through spiritual rebirth. When Jesus ascended into heaven, his physical presence left the earth, but he promised to send the Holy Spirit so that his spiritual presence would still be among his people.

The Holy Spirit became available to all believers first at Pentecost. Whereas in the Old Testament days, the Holy Spirit only empowered certain individuals for specific purposes. Now all believers have the power of the Holy Spirit available to them.

Ephesians 3:16 - "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,"

The Holy Spirit is the power of God that lives in every believer. When you give control of your life over to the Holy Spirit, he releases his power within you - power to resist temptation, to serve and love God and others even when you are at the end of your tether, to have wisdom in all circumstances, and to persevere in living for God now with the promise of eternal life after.

Exercising Caution

Joshua 23:11 - "So be very careful to love the Lord your God."

Hebrews 3:12 - "See to it brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God."

As a Christian you must be careful not to let anything distract you from wholehearted devotion to God. Be cautious about anything in life that has the potential to damage your relationship with him.

Deuteronomy 4:9 - Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them."

Be mindful to remember all that God has done for you in the past so you don't become proud in the present and forget to rely on him for your future.

Hebrews 2:1 - "We must pay more careful attention therefore, to what we have heard so that we do not drift away."

Be careful to focus on the truths you read in Scripture and hear from godly teachers. When you don't focus on the road as you drive, you are at risk of drifting and putting your life in great danger. In the same way, when you don't focus on God's Word, you are in danger of drifting off the road that leads to a safe and happy destination. Your spiritual life will be in danger.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 - "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

You must be continually on your guard around temptation. The devil is constantly on the attack, trying to tempt you to sin against God. From time to time you will give in to sin but every human does. Exercising caution will cause you to be aware of when you are giving in so that you can recognise it, admit it and correct it. When you throw caution to the wind, you give in to temptation at every whim, and you are in danger of being completely ineffective for God.

Proverbs 4:23 - "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

Guard your heart cautiously because it is the centre of your desires and affections. Your heart is especially vulnerable because it is easily swayed by emotion and becomes irrational. Being caught up with emotion causes your heart to urge you to do whatever it takes to keep those feelings wild and alive, even if those actions lead you to do something that could destroy you.

Hebrews 13:5 - "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have,"

Be careful how you handle and manage your money. Money, more than pretty much anything in life is the root cause of damage to relationships and the compromise of our values.

We must also be cautious when giving and receiving advice. Receiving the right advice makes you wiser; giving the wrong advice causes others to stumble. Words are so very powerful as they reveal your true character and have the power to build others up or tear them down.

So essentially, there are lots of areas in our spiritual lives where we need to be cautious.

 

The existence of hell

Matthew 7:13 - "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it."

Revelation 20:15 - "If anyone's name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

The biggest misconception about hell is that it doesn't exist. Just as we believed scientists when they taught us about gravity, we should all believe God when he tells us there is such a place as hell. Many people ask why such a merciful and caring God would send people to such a horrible place.

The truth is that God doesn't send anyone to hell; people chose to go there by their own rebellion and God honours their choice.

The Bible is clear. Sin is rebellion against God, and rebels can't live in a kingdom without causing chaos. The only way to avoid hell is to surrender to God and change from a rebel to a servant.

God then forgives us and lets us enter and live in his Kingdom forever. At the end of our earthly life, each of us will be judged for the choice we have made. And although God desperately wishes that no one should live in hell, he respects us enough to let us choose.

A lifetime partnership with God

Psalm 48:14 - "For this God is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end."

We often want to go our own way in life so that we can do what we want to do, when we want to do it. But when we choose to do this we usually end up getting lost and wasting our life. We need the Holy Spirit guiding us through every day of our time on this earth. God is committed to guide us until we leave this life, so it makes sense to learn how to hear what He is telling us.

One of the advantages of hearing from God is that he helps us prepare for the future. The Holy Spirit gives the message to us that has been given to him from the Father. In John 16:13 he tells us things that will happen in the future.

There are many instances in the Bible when God gave people information about the future: Noah was told to prepare for a flood, Moses was told to go to Pharaoh and ask for the release of the Israelites, Moses was also told that Pharaoh would not let them go.

God also tells us of things to come too. This allows us the chance to prepare for whatever might lay ahead. In 1 Corinthians we are taught not to put our faith in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. There is no one that discerns the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Since it is the Holy Spirit that knows the secret advice of God, it is extremely important that we know how to hear what He wants to say to us. The Holy Spirit will help us realise, understand and appreciate the gifts of divine favour and the blessings that God has bestowed on us. Human wisdom doesn't teach us this truth; it comes from the Holy Spirit who gives us the mind of Christ.

The Holy Spirit knows both the mind of God and God's individual plan for you. God's plan for you is entirely unique and the Holy Spirit will reveal it to you.

As believers in Christ we have received an anointing from the Lord that remains in us to teach us about all things, the Holy Spirit will lead us and the God himself will be our shepherd.

The Bible is full of great promises for our individual walk with God. "The steps of a good man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in the way. Though he falls, he should not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him (Psalm 37:23-24).

God will tell us the way to go, but it is us that has to do the walking. A walk with God takes place through one step of obedience at a time. Some people yearn to have the entire blue print for their life before they will make even one decision. But God does not usually work this way. He generally leads us one step at a time.

By faith, we take the step God has shown us, and then he gives us the next one. At times we may stumble and fall down, but God will help us to get back up. We continue on by His strength and grace, knowing that every time we face a fork in the road, God will guide us.

 

God will guide us!!!

Maintaining a good reputation

 

Proverbs 3:3-4 - "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favour and a good name in the sight of God and man.

Colossians 3:23-24 - "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

2 Corinthians 8:20-21 - We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men."

A good reputation can actually help you and others experience God. First, the reputation you strive to achieve should result from being fully committed to building spiritual character in your life, not building an external image.

A reputation built on image without substance eventually becomes a crumbling facade. The key to spiritual strength is building your life to mirror the character of God. Secondly, integrity produces credibility. Your testimony of faith means nothing if your actions contradict what you say and others will think you are foolish. It is sad how often the message of God is discredited or made fun of because of a damaged reputation.

A godly reputation, built through integrity and humility spreads the life-changing message of God and the relevancy of truth. Your life should be the proof that others need to accept God's love.

Finally, God cares about your reputation. Having a good and honest reputation has many benefits in this life but also brings rewards for eternity. It is important to work hard, not to please others but to please God. This also honours his reputation. What matters most is not what others think of you, but what God thinks of you.

Serving Others

Matthew 20:28 - "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Mark 10:43-44 - "Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all."

Galatians 5:13 - "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love."

One of many popular notions of success in life is being able to afford the luxury of having servants. Jesus however turned this thinking on its head by teaching that the highest goal in life is to be a servant. He places such a high value on serving because it is 'others-centred' rather than self-centred; this is the essence of good Christian living.

When you are connected to Jesus, he turns your simple acts into something deep and full of purpose. For example he turns your small act of singing into a choir or a band ministering to a whole congregation. He turns tithing into a profound act of mercy that will touch the heart of the needy person who receives it.

When you step out to serve, God turns your simple acts of service into profound works for the Kingdom of God.

Wisdom

1 Kings 3:9 - "So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"

Proverbs 9:10 - "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

James 1:5 - "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."

Being a maths whizz or writing a computer program that will abort a nuclear missile requires a superior intelligence. But such intelligence does not guarantee a fulfilling or productive life. Having success in relationships, raising godly children and growing in spiritual maturity are less dependent on intellect than on wisdom.

The Bible has an enormous amount to say about wisdom, the whole book of Proverbs is devoted to it, this because navigating through life requires so much of it.

Wisdom recognises that an all-powerful, all-knowing God has designed a moral universe with consequences for good or sinful choices. Wisdom begins with understanding your accountability to, and your full dependence on your Creator.

Wisdom from God helps you develop a godly outlook that penetrates the deceptive and distorted thoughts of the world. And wisdom is choosing to apply God's truth and principles to your daily life, helping you know the difference between good and bad, right and wrong.

2 Timothy 2:21 - "If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made Holy, useful to the master and prepared to do any good work."

The key to being wise at a moment's notice is to prepare yourself by developing wisdom over time. This is done by keeping yourself 'pure', in other words by filling your mind more with God's words than the world's advice. You can't predict what will happen in a day, but when you are spiritually prepared, when you have developed wisdom, you know the right things to do in God's eyes. This gives you the courage to act swiftly and decisively when necessary because you have a large bank of wisdom to draw upon.

Relationship with God

Isaiah 55:8 - "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord"

One thing that you will learn on your walk with God is that often he will do the opposite of what you expect. For example, he chose David to be king of Israel instead of his oldest brother. He also took Saul, the biggest adversary of the early church and transformed him into Paul, the greatest and bravest missionary of all time. God used a crucifixion, the sign of ultimate defeat, and turned it into the ultimate victory over sin and death for all eternity!

Don't limit God to the realms of your own understanding and expectations. He wants to surprise you in ways that inspire your awe, love, gratitude and joy. When something good happens to you - don't feel lucky. Instead feel blessed by God's hand. Only when you believe he is acting on your behalf will your relationship with him grow to a deeper level.

James 1:5-7 - "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not have doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."

Sometimes it might seem as if God places unrealistic expectations on you. God however does understand that humanly speaking these expectations are impossible, but with his help they become possible. God's greatest expectation is not that you live a perfect life, but that you love the Lord your God with all your heart. Understanding that God does not expect you to be perfect but, rather, praises you when you sincerely try to follow him and he hopes that you stop seeing him as a strict taskmaster and begin to view him as a loving encourager.

Developing perseverance

2 Corinthians 11:8-9 - "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves, but on God, who raises the dead."

Colossians 1:11 - "being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, "

The word 'perseverance' is sometimes defined as 'courage stretched out', a good and brief analogy. Although God sometimes takes you out of difficult or painful circumstances, he often calls you to be courageous and faithful to him in the midst of huge trials and tribulations. According to the Bible, perseverance is not only enduring difficult situations but also overcoming them with obedience, hope and joy. If you don't learn to persevere through your struggles, you will simply develop the habit of giving up. But when you persevere until you come out on the other side, you grow stronger in faith, you see the benefits of obedience to God, and you develop greater confidence in the knowledge that when problems arise again you can get through them.

James 5:11 - "As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy."

Perseverance in good works does not produce salvation. In fact it is perseverance in doing good that is the evidence of your faith in God being real.

Through patient perseverance, you become more like Jesus. Jesus-like qualities begin to develop and grow in you. Becoming more like Jesus is important, not only for you but also for others, to show them what being a Christian is all about.

James 1:3 - "because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."

Perseverance turns adversity into maturity. There is no point in suffering for the sake of suffering when there is the opportunity to persevere through adversity. This will lead to maturity, and growth is positive and life changing.

Expect God to speak to you

In John 16:12-13 Jesus told his disciples, "I have still many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them or to take them upon you or to grasp them now. But when He, the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all the Truth." He also said that the Holy Spirit would continue to teach us all things and bring our remembrance all that God has said through His Word.

At the point of speaking these words, Jesus was talking to men who he had spent the past three years with continually day and night. One might assume that if you had spent such an intense period of time with someone that you would know them inside out. But Jesus told his disciples to expect more because he will always have something to say to us about new situations we are facing.

Jesus always knew what was the right thing to do because he only did what he saw his Father do, who always led by example. As our Lord and Saviour, we can trust Jesus to lead us to the right path, the narrow path, every single day. He is the only begotten Son of God and we are adopted sons and daughters of God and we are to imitate Him in all that we do.

He became flesh and experienced all of the things that we experience, so he understands our needs. He was baptised in the Holy Spirit, just as we are. And he was led by the Spirit, just as we are led by the Spirit, because he ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us.

In John 16:13 Jesus continued to speak about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, "For he will not speak His own message; but He will tell you whatever He hears, and He will announce and declare to you the things that are now to come."

The reason that the Holy Spirit dwells on the inside of every Christian is that God knew that we would need help in understanding his plan for us. He is our Guide, our Teacher of Truth, our Counsellor and our Helper. The Holy Spirit promises to never leave us or forsake us. We can live the abundant life if we learn to listen to him. Jesus said that it was better for us that he went away, because if he didn't go, the Holy Spirit would not come to us (John 16:17). Part of Jesus' reasoning was that he was confined to a human body and therefore could only be at one place at a time. Whereas the Holy Spirit can be in every single one of us at all times, leading and guiding each of us individually.

Expect to hear God

Through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, God wants to speak to you as an individual every day of your life. God cares about even the smallest details of your life and he wants to lead you to the good things he has in store for you. He cares about the desires of your hear and he wants to reveal the truth to you that will set you free from worry and fear. God's plan to share an intimate relationship with you existed before you were even born.

In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul said of God, "From one man he made every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times and set them and the exact places where they should live." God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

On a simple level of common sense, if God knows every detail of our mapped out life before we were born, then surely it is important to learn how to hear from Him?

In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus spoke of there being a 'narrow path' that leads us to a life, and a 'broad path' that leads to destruction. We are wisely told to stay on the narrow path. If we can discern God's voice, we can know if we are veering off onto the wrong track and correct our path before we reap any bad results.

Hearing God's voice each day is a regular way of life for many, since the moment they received the fullness of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised to send us. God will give the gift of his Spirit to all who ask for him (Luke 11:13), and then the Holy Spirit will help us to understand the Bible so that we will know how to apply its wisdom to our lives.

God speaks to people every day

Modern-day life is filled with noise: music, television, traffic, voices, animal calls - the list is endless. All these sounds have the potential to drown out the voice of God and push Him far into the background of our lives and minds. However, everything else in life eventually passes away and the day comes for every person when only God remains, but will he still be there after being ignored for so long?

In Romans 1:19-21 we are taught that what is known about God is evident to all because he has made himself known in the inner consciousness of mankind. When people don't want to serve God with their lives, when they want to go their own way, they find ways to hide from this inner consciousness.

Hearing from God is vital to enjoying his eternal plan for our lives. It is our decision to choose to listen to God, no one can make us, not even God. God won't force us to choose his will, but he will do everything he can to encourage us to agree with his ways.

In Proverbs 3, God's Word tells us to acknowledge him in "all our ways", and he will direct our paths. Acknowledging God is showing that you care what he thinks. In verse 7 it says "Be not wise in your own eyes.". This means that we should not even think that we can run our own lives successfully without God's help and direction. Regrettably for many, this is a lesson that takes far too long to be learnt.

Many people do not know that God talks to us on an individual basis. But through reading the Word we learn that God does want to talk to us and that he has a plan for our lives. It is God's will for us to attain knowledge of his plan through his divine guidance.

The Bible teaches us that God has a good plan for all those who put their faith in Jesus Christ and declare him to be the Lord of their lives. God's plan is complete and in great detail, and it will lead all who follow him to an abundant life.

If people don't listen to God's leading and follow him then they will never enjoy the fulfilment of God's perfect plan for their lives.

Ailing health

Psalm 38:3 - "Because of your wrath there is no health in my body."

Psalm 38:18 - "I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin"

Psalm 38:22 - "Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Saviour."

Psalm 73:24-26 - "You guide me with your counsel, and afterwards you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Following God's direction can bring healing in your life. God's Work shoe you how to break free from the stress, pressure and other unhealthy habits and processes that can compromise your health. It doesn't matter whether you have good health or bad health, you must rely on God for strength of spirit. God doesn't always choose to heal and we don't always understand why, but we need to trust in him. Whether or not God chooses to heal you physically, you can have the awesome gift of knowing him personally and the immeasurable comfort of walking with him every single day of your life. And he will give you the strength you need to hold on to your hope of eternal life where there will be no more healthy problems.

Psalm 32:3-5 - "When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord', and you forgave the guilt of my sin."

Sin can make you sick, literally. Sin creeps around inside of our bodies, eating away at us and often causes physical manifestations in the form of an illness. Sin could turn into flu or into a disease more serious and life threatening.

Healing comes when you call on God for forgiveness. Ask Him to forgive you your sins. This takes the burden of guilt and shame away. You will then begin to feel better, not only emotionally but hopefully physically as well.

 

We call, we call, we call upon your name!!!

Getting rid of Guilt

Psalm 19:12-13 - "Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from wilful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression."

Romans 3:23-24 - "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through redemption that came by Jesus Christ."

Guilt comes from the act of doing something wrong. When we do something which is wrong, a feeling of guilt arises within us. Since no one is perfect and you cannot totally avoid sinning, you will always have guilt. That is of course, unless you confess your sins to God and make things right with those you have sinned against. This is the one and only way to free yourself from the heavy burdens that guilt puts on you. Getting rid of guilt is one of the major steps towards recovery of your life because this gives you the freedom to move on and make that fresh start in your life.

Psalm 51:7 - "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

Acts13:39 - "Through Him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses."

Guilt totally disappears when you are forgiven. Sometimes, if you have confessed your sins to God and others, you may still experience unpleasant feelings, these are probably shame and regret over what you did or the lingering consequences of your actions. Along with confessing your sins, you need to ask God to help you get rid of your shame and regret as well.

Preventing and recovering from burn out

1 Kings 18:46 - "The power of the Lord came upon Elijah,"

1 Chronicles 16:11 - "Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always."

Psalm 22:19 - "But you, O Lord, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me."

We are all perhaps guilty of living life at too faster pace. However, this is what the world of business and society has drummed into us. In the civilised world, weekly working hours are increasing. In the UK, the state retirement age has increased. Our lives are revolving around our work.

Now I appreciate that most jobs are important and necessary, but on a biblical level it is the least 'important' careers, ie non-world, non-person, non-faith centred jobs that are suffering the most. Sectors such as charities and care-giving work have seen their funding dramatically reduced which means that the organisation has to its services or expect more from its employees and volunteers.

On the flip-side, sometimes those that experience burn out have no one to point the finger at but themselves. They may have no pressure from their employer, they may not even be employed. However, they fill their lives to such an extent that burn out is bound to happen at some point.

Sometimes, you just can't stop working, even though you are exhausted and need a break to recharge your batteries. This could be because of pressure of because of a personal addiction to work. When you need to finish a job or task but feel that you don't have the strength to keep going, you are going to have to find that strength from a higher power - God. You need to pray for God to give you the strength to enable you to finish the task in hand. There is a strength that only God is able to give and you can receive it just by asking.

Exodus 23:12 - "Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work,"

We all know that when we are tired, our productivity decreases dramatically. We become slow, our concentration waivers and our output decreases. This is why we need to rest. Rest refreshes and energises us. Regular, consistent weekly rest is an important part of both avoiding and recovering from burn out.

You need to learn to recognise your own limits and stick to them. Don't agree to late nights out through the week if you know that you will suffer the day after. Discipline yourself to your own limits. Also bear in mind that poor nutrition and poor health invites burn out: Eat well, exercise, sleep and if you are ill then make sure that you make time to seek medical help. And finally, ensure that there is allotted devotional time in your day, preferably in a morning.

Healing Damaged Relationships

Matthew 5:23-24 - "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and they remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."

It is really important to be reconciled to others before you present yourself to God. Bridges need to be rebuilt. He wants you to come worship him with a clean heart and clean hands, this means that you come to him with all your relationship issues sorted out and made peace in.

Matthew 25:25-26 - "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny."

Working towards reconciliation with others is important, not just for your adversary, but more importantly for your own welfare. God wants the world to be filled with peace, therefore he places great importance on you resolving your differences with others to retain friendships.

There are many Scriptures on healing damaged relationships. They all show that reconciliation requires someone to take the first step of kindness. It requires that you make the decision to forgive and show mercy:

Ephesians 4:2 - "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one and other in love."

1 Samuel 25:28 - "Please forgive your servant's offence, for the Lord will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the Lord's battles."

Luke 15:18 - "I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you."

Forgiveness is not just a decision that we make. It is a process too. Sometimes we need to decide to forgive whether we want to or not. This is because forgiveness is the right thing to do and is what the Bible tells us to do.

Although making amends for an offence is difficult, your relationships with others are worthy of your immediate and diligent efforts at reconciliation. The three simple words "I am sorry" are very important but can for some be the hardest words to say. When you hurt someone, intentionally or unintentionally, you ought to apologise to that person as quickly as possible and make any needed resolutions. This stops the devil getting in the mix.

Resurrection

John 11:25 - "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies';"

1 Corinthians 15:12-14 - "But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith."

The guarantee that we will be raised from the dead is that Jesus was. Eyewitness evidence for any event is the most reliable, and hundreds of eyewitnesses claimed to have never seen Jesus following the Resurrection.

The Apostles were willing to risk martyrdom for preaching the truth about it, and millions of changed lives bear witness to the fact that Jesus rose from the dead and is alive today.

Christ's sacrifice on the cross accomplished God's plan. Our sins are forgiven and we will live with Jesus in heaven forever. Christianity, at its heart, is not another moral or religious code but resurrection and new life.

John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

1 Corinthians 15:42 - "So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable."

Without the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, there would be no Christianity. The Resurrection is central because it shows God's power over death, thus assuring us that we will also be resurrected. Jesus' death was not the end. His resurrection is the beginning of eternal life for all who believe in him.

2 Corinthians 4:14 - "because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence."

Because of Jesus Christ's life, death and resurrection, and also because of your faith, you stand holy and blameless in God's presence. Jesus died for you and rose again with the promise to be with you.

1 Peter 1:21 - "Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God."

The Lord is your source of hope because his promises are true. You lose hope when you stop believing that. The Resurrection, the greatest event in history, is the foundation of your hope. Jesus promised that he would rise from the dead, and because he did, you can be assured that every promise God makes to you will also come true.

The coming of Christ

There has been a lot of speculation recently about The End of Times. The storms and tornadoes this year have been a major factor in the sparking of this discussion. These disasters have been some of the worst of all times since recording began. Many people are asking if the increasing number of such disasters is a sign that the return of Christ is coming. Now Jesus did say in Matthew 24:8 that such tragedies, in addition to war and persecution are the "beginning of birth pains" which certainly are increasing in frequency and intensity.

A few months ago, the owner of a Christian radio station declared that May 21st 2011 would be Judgement Day for the world. This proclamation received mass media coverage worldwide even though the Bible states that only the Father in Heaven knows the exact date of Christ's return.

The huge discussion in the media about God, Christ, Christianity might have been a really positive thing, until the end of the day May 21st arrived and no 'Judgement Day' had occurred. This then unfortunately gave the world press reason enough to write in a more negative way about Christianity. We Christians need to focus ourselves on living a holy, godly life on earth as we wait and work diligently for the return of our Saviour.

In 2 Peter 3:10 Peter described the day of the Lord when the "heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire." In 2 Peter 3:10-12 he wrote what kind of impact this should have on us now, "Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God."

One day, Christ will return and create a new heaven and earth. He will come in the fullness of his glory, to receive into his glorious presence those who have believed in him. It will be a truly awesome moment, nothing like we have ever known before.

Since we will be made fully like Christ at his coming, our current lives should be a continuous process of allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our lives helping to transform us into His likeness. In 1 John 3:2-3 it says "But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure."

We do not know when Christ will return but we do know that he will return. Are we ready? Have our sins been washed away? If we have trusted is his atoning on the cross, are we creating a deep and faithful relationship with him so that we may be "confident and unashamed at his coming"(1 John 2:28)? If so, repeat the quote in Revelation 22:20...

 

"Amen. Come, Lord Jesus"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Feeling guilty about sinning

Leviticus 5:5 - "When anyone is guilty in any of these ways, he must confess in what way he has sinned,"

Jeremiah 3:13 - "Only acknowledge your guilt, you have rebelled against the Lord your God."

1 John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

A guilty conscience is a warning signal that God has built into you to make sure you know when you have done something wrong. God often uses the feeling of guilt to let you know when it is the right time to say 'sorry'.

If you don't act quickly you will become desensitised to your feelings and therefore will not act upon them.

Confession indicates your desire to make things right and to be forgiven. During confession with God, He removes your guilt, restores your joy and he heals broken relationships with those you have wronged.

No matter how often you fail God, as long as you seek forgiveness, you don't need to continue to feel guilty about what you have done, as God has already forgotten about it!

Are we all equal?

Proverbs 22:2 - "Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all."

All people are created by God and all people have equal value in the eyes of God.

Acts 10:34-35 - "Then Peter began to speak, 'I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right."

Romans 5:18 - "Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life to all men."

God's salvation is available to everyone. It doesn't matter what sins you have committed and it doesn't matter who you are. God loves all of us equally and he wants to see every single one of us saved from eternal death. He wants us all to have a living relationship with him.

When you decide to follow Jesus Christ and ask him to forgive your sins and make you a new person on the inside, he promises that all your sins will be wiped from his memory. He also promises that all those people will have eternal life."

1 Peter 1:17 - "Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear."

God will determine punishment or reward as he judges each person equally and individually.

The Importance of Thankfulness

Psalm 50:23 - "He who sacrifices thank-offerings honours me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God."

Psalm 92:1 - "It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High,"

1 Thessalonians 5:18 - "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

 

Thankfulness has an effect on the way you look at the circumstances of your life. Gratitude and praise connect you to the source of real joy. Whereas complaining connects you to unhappiness.

When you make being thankful a regular part of your life, you stay focused on what God has done and continues to do for you. Expressing gratitude for God's help is a form of worship. When you give thanks to God, you honour and praise him for what he has done, in your life, in the lives of others and in the world. In the same way, you honour others when you give thanks to them, respecting them for who they and for what they have done.

This attitude of gratitude prevents you from expecting others to serve you and allows you to enjoy whatever blessings come your way. An attitude of thankfulness not only brings blessings into your life but blesses with appreciation and honour.

 

Be thankful and be blessed!!!

 

Following God's will

Psalm 138:8 - "The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me;"

Psalm 139:3 - "You discern my going out and my lying down;"

Psalm 32:8 - "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you."

These Scriptures amongst many others make it clear that God does have a plan for your life. But how do you know what it is and if you are following it? Firstly, accept that God has a plan for you. You need to take a leap of faith or you will miss everything that He does to catch your attention. Then you need to open your eyes, your eyes that are filled with faith. God will put people into your life or make people cross your path deliberately as they are all individuals that God wants to use in your life.

Act on whatever or whoever God places in front of you and follow his plan for the rest of your days. Your life will always have a sense of mystery because you don't know what the future holds, as God often works on a daily basis. But if you act upon every situation that God puts in front of you, your life will not seem random but nor will it resemble a production line type life.

When you are always watching for God's work in your life, you will train yourself to notice the moments instigated by God and recognise them for what they are.

 

Climb aboard your own mystery tour bus!!!

God's will for your life

Psalm 119:9 - "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your Word."

Psalm 119:105 - "You word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

Philippians 2:13 - "for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."

Proverbs 3:6 - "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

1 Thessalonians 4:3 - "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;"

 

If you believe in God, you probably asked "What is God's will for my life?" many times. The notion of God's will is pretty vague and it would be so much easier if He would just give us a very clear and direct, divine sign.

The truth is that God has already given you not just a sign but a whole set of directions that will keep you in his will. The Bible is God's written Word, and it contains a multitude of clear rules and guidelines for you to follow;

-love your neighbours and your enemies

-tell the truth

-discover your spiritual gifts and use them

-remain faithful

-don't let money control you

-let the Holy Spirit control your life

...and the list goes on. These are all God's will for your life.

In addition to these directions that God created for all people, he also created for you a specific purpose and he calls you to do certain tasks to make your small part of the world a better place. By following God's vague directions you will discover the more specific plans that he has for you.

God's will for you today is to obey him, to serve others, to read his Word and to do what is right. Do these things today and you are doing God's will. Do these things tomorrow and forevermore and you will never be out of his will. Then when he calls you to do something specific for him, you will be close enough to hear his voice and wise enough to respond to it.

 

Be still and listen!!!

Strife and love

Genesis 13 - Abraham and his nephew Lot were truly blessed with cattle, they both had their own herds of cattle but there was a problem, there was not enough grass to feed them all. Strife got in amongst their workers as they fought over who's cattle was going to get fed and who's would do without. Conflict is like a spreading poison which often spreads from something very minor and by not honouring God's values of peace and unity. Abraham begged for no strife over the grass and divided it out. He was trying to anything possible to keep the peace. His possessions were not as important as his peace. Lot took most of the land instead of humbling himself.

Maybe someone stolen something from you, peace, innocence and you don't like where you are right now and you are left with nothing, lift up your eyes and look forward, peace will come.

We need to stop internalising and feeling sorry for yourself over what people have done to you that has been unjust. We never know what is going to happen. Don't let someone else keep you down and spoil your life. Rise above it and move forward!

Adjust yourself to others rather than expecting them to adapt to you. You do it first, it's hard but it will get easier and will be worth it for your life relationships. This makes you an adjustable person, who can get on with and mix with any sort of person with any type of interests, a personality that is highly valued by any church.

Most people in the world is trying to prove what they know but no one actually knows anything and this causes strife. We are all teachers in our Christian lifestyle and we need to lead by example to our family, friends and employees. Don't give them one set of rules and have another set for yourself. Be able to accept that you are wrong, even though you are 100% sure that you are right and apologise, even if it later proves to be that you were indeed wrong.

 

Eliminate strife.

"Love gives up its love to be right"

 

Strife and peace

You can make all kinds of sacrifices in your life but if you live a life of strife then you are not going to get a return on your tithing. You have to learn how to water that seed and have a faithful lifestyle. If you begin to make an effort with the Holy Spirit to keep strife out of your life. He will help you remove your strife. Just because someone offers offence to you by insulting you or similar, you do not have to take it into your heart. You have the choice as to whether to let it impact on you negatively. A wise person will not let offence provoke strife in their life.

One of the reasons why people don't get the results they could out of life is because of strife. There are so many people who are angry and bitter or resentful and it's eating them up, stopping them from enjoying life. Doing what God tells you to do is not hard, for example listening to his advice regarding strife. It is doing the wrong thing and having negative feelings is the hard thing to do and live with.

In every relationship there are times when you are going to get hurt, it's part and parcel of people living together or being in a relationship. The perfect marriage, relationship, job and so on does not exist. Anytime where people are concerned there will be conflict. But as we grow in Christ, these can be worked through. Jesus is our healer. Jesus said that he could not stop you getting hurt but that he would heal you if you returned to him.

The devil works so hard trying to bring division amongst us, because there is power in unity but weakness in strife and this creates separation which allows the devil to get in. We need to all stand together in the battle against strife. A unified front will keep him out.

1 Corinthians 1:9-10 - "God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,^[a] in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought." - God is faithful but we need to get along for this to happen. It's not good enough to greet and treat people positively but in a false way. We need to be sincere in all that we do. We need to really learn what love is and how God wants us to live. Forget about what everybody else is doing. If no one is doing it then you be the first one, which shows spiritual maturity and depending on the context could start a really positive revolution. In any disagreement the first one to apologise is the most spiritually mature even if they are not sure they are in the wrong. We need to be makers and maintainers of peace. Sometimes we need to stand our ground in the name of good to see that strife is cast out.

1 Corinthians 1:11-12 - "My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ."- Paul is saying that one person who believes that their belief is the only one is not behaving in an acceptable way. Depend on God, he is faithful and wants us to all get along, not just on a small scale but on a huge scale. It should not matter what denomination we Christians all are? We all worship the same God. Different denominations should never quarrel as this is just feeding the devil and will have negative consequences.

We can say the right words when we speak but with the totally wrong attitude. We should remain silent if we cannot say anything with a good attitude. Quit with the bad attitude, don't make mountains out of molehills, avoid conflict, stop trying to be the right one all the time. We stunt our own spiritual and emotional growth. God asks us to do something and it seems so hard, because of our bad attitude, 'why is God asking me and not asking some other person?'. You just need to do what God is asking you to do. Sometimes it is so hard to say 'I am sorry, forgive me'. We get angry that it is always us who have to be the first one to apologise. But we must show humility and a desire for peace.

Keep doing your part and doing what's right.

Psalm 133:1-3 - "  How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard,  down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore.

 

There is nothing more beautiful than peace. Peace is to be valued and should be cultured and maintained. If you have to be the humble one to attain peace then be humble. No matter what someone tries to take away from us, no matter how unjust and unfeeling their actions may be, if we do everything that we can do to stay out of strife then God will bless us.

 

Be a person of peace!!!

Evil

If God is good, why does he let people do evil things? Why does a loving God allow injustice in the world?

Genesis 2:15-17 - "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.' "

Genuine love requires the freedom of choice. From the beginning, God wanted to have a loving relationship with humans so he gave them this freedom. But with the ability to make choices comes the possibility that people would choose their own way over God's way, which always leads to sin because all people are born with a sinful nature.

This breaks God's heart, but the alternative would have been to create production line style humans who did not choose to love God on their own. This state of affairs will end on the final Judgement Day. On that day, the people who chose to love God and accept what his Son did for them, even though they have all sinned, will be taken into heaven because they showed during their lives that they wanted to love with him and love him for eternity.

Psalm 73:17-19 - "till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely you can place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!"

Sometimes it seems that evil people can do anything they want and not only get away with it but flourish. God has promised however, that one day everyone will be judged, evil will be exposed and the righteous will prevail. If righteousness always prevailed on earth, then people would not be following Christ for the right reasons. They would only follow God to have an easy life.

God never promised that there would be no evil on earth. But he does warn that evil will be pervasive and powerful. However, God promises to help you fight against evil, and if you do, you will receive your reward of eternal life with Him in heaven where evil does not exist.

Ephesians 6:10-11 - "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on your full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes."

Ephesians 6:16 - "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

1 John 5:4 - Every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith."

Your first line of defence in fighting evil is to draw strength from the fact that God is more powerful than your problems and your enemies. Your faith in God is like a shield that protects you from the temptations and criticisms hurled at you every day. Within strong faith, the weapons of the devil and the arrows shot at you by your enemies would pierce and defeat you. Use your faith as a shield and you will withstand the dangers and discouragements you face. Finally, rejoice! God has already won the victory.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 - "So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

Stop giving into temptation. God's Word makes it clear that sin always hurts you because it separates you from God and puts you in the clutches of the devil. God has promised to give you strength to resist temptation if you ask. Surrender yourself to Christ's control. The closer you walk with Christ, the harder it is to be caught in the devil's trap. Do your best to avoid situations where you know your resolve for righteousness will be tested.

Exposing Strife Part 2

Acts 4:24 - "When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them."

This did not happen accidentally, there was interaction amongst the 12 disciples, who all had pride mentality issues. They were being taught and had to make a personal goal for their lives

Acts 13:22 - "After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.' ".

David was extremely sorry for lusting after a married woman which resulted in her husband being killed. Prophet Nathan confronted him and David's heart was still tender so God could still work with him.

It's easier to "Amen" to corrective behaviour advice than to actually put it into action. It is your job in this ungodly world to be the godly one. Get over the self pity and humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and do what he wants you to do. Be obedient, be faithful to your Saviour. God is looking for those who will do his job thoroughly and who can forgive in the way that he does. The concept of forgiveness is huge because it sets YOU free. It releases bitterness, anger and stress and allows the anointing of God on your life

Jesus came into this world to bring us righteousness, peace, freedom and hope but we can't have it with known disobedience in our life. Paul said 'I receive grace because I was deceived and didn't really know what I was doing.' Most of us are educated (on the Bible) far beyond our level of obedience. We need to up the obedience to get in line with our intellectuality. A fancy coloured in Bible doesn't impress God, our behaviour and obedience does. Jesus said "if you love me you will obey me" not "if you obey me I will love you". We don't buy God's love with our obedience, but we should respond to his great love by giving our obedience.

1 Corinthians 3:1 - "Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly, mere infants in Christ."

Paul was unable to give a Word as it would have been spat back at him.

1 Corinthians 3:3 - "You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?" .

These people were born again inside, filled with the Holy Spirit but because of the flesh, emotions, wrong thoughts, and saying inappropriate things they were keeping strife in the situation. No one is better than another person. Paul instructed them to get the strife out of their lives and start respecting one and other.

John 17:20-21 - " My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me."

Jesus prayed that we might one day have the same relationship with his Father as he had. We just need to get over the issues stopping that from happening, strife being one of those. Most of our problems are "people problems". We don't know how to cope with one and other but can't live without each other. God set this up on purpose and expects us to get along. He made everyone of us unique. God said that in a marriage that the couple should "become one", 'become', it's a process through the power of God in our lives. No one person has it all therefore we need other people in our lives. We are all important and should treat each person as such. The hardest people to take this attitude with are those people we are with the most. We put on our best behaviour and smiley face for guests, but for those we live and work with, we, for some reason, don't make the effort. The Bible says we have to strive to preserve the bond of unity and peace. Therefore we need to accept and respect that people are different and this will help with the battle on strife. When we come across people who are causing strife we need to pray for them that they will see a change in their lives.

 

Aggressively search for peace and do not be willing to live with strife in your life!!!

Christianity in a confusing world

Britain was a country once proud to profess to be a Christian nation. But over the past fifty years we have become much more materialistic and this has pushed Christianity out to the fringes of society. People who uphold their traditional Christian values have found it increasingly hard to do without coming into conflict with either secularism or multiculturalism.

2 Peter 2:2 - "Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth to disrepute."

With the increase in militant atheism and humanism, too often Christians today find themselves living in a world in which the truth is evil spoken of'. Or even a society that persecutes those who choose to live a godly life. To Christians, living the way God instructs can seem to be anything from a challenge to being virtually impossible.

Hours before his horrific crucifixion, Jesus prayed to his Father about all Christians - past, present and future. He asked precisely that they would not be taken out of this world. The biblical paradoxes are these:

-God selects his followers out of this world

-Christ sends his followers into the world

-Christ prays that they are not taken out of the world

-But, he states that in the world they will be hated

Also, whilst living in a world that hates them, Christians are expected to be different from society around them.

Colossians 3:5-10 - "In Apostle Paul's letter to the Colossians he listed many selfish traits that Christians must 'put off', for example lust, greed, impurity and malice.

Colossians 3:12-14 - Christians are also to put on the many positive characteristics of Christ, for example, kindness, humility, patience and compassion.

Another paradox is that the distress suffered by Christians living in today's world will actually prevent total destruction coming to all the people of the world. In a prophecy, Christ spoke of a future time of huge stress that would lead to life being extinguished on the earth but for the sake of the true, elect Christians in the world. Due to their selection and existence, that time would be cut short and annihilation prevented.

Matthew 24:22 - "If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened"

This Scripture explains how the very people that this world will hate and want to kill will be the reason a substantial remnant will survive.

Luke 21:34-36 - "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipitation, drunkenness and anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."

Jesus instructs Christians to be very careful, always on the lookout, always praying that they may escape, always praying that they may stand before the Son of Man.

Revelation 2:26 - "To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations."

While salvation is a gift from God, Christians are required to grow and overcome. In contrast, Revelation 9:20-21 shows how the rest of the world's societies will behave even in the face of great tribulation. Despite utter chaos and impending death, people will refuse to repent. The basic problem is the worship of demons and demonic systems which leads to idolatry and the worship of 'things'. They would not repent of their murders, dabbling with the occult, sexual immorality or thefts.

Colossians 3:6 - "Because of these, the wrath of God is coming."

Paul warns that the wrath of God is coming on those who disobey God with sins such as fornication, uncleanliness, passion, evil, desire, anger, wrath, malice, slander and lying. Paul issues the warning because these are sins that separate people from God and are affront to His divine nature.

Acts 4:12 - "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

Life as a Christian in the present day has its ongoing challenges; the one constant factor is God the Father and his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Various scriptures refer to Christianity as 'the Way'. It is the one and only way to an everlasting life. This aspect of Christianity is a challenge to every other belief system. This is why a world full of false religions hates true Christians.

God has the power to guard and preserve His people while they are here in this world. Without question, Christians need to exercise that God-given power while living in the world. In the Garden of Gethsemane, on that crucial night, Jesus showed great concern for his followers. He asked his Father 'to keep them through your Name'. In other words, Jesus asked his Father to protect Christians, not from all the difficulties in the world , but that he grant them protection from the devil.

Jesus' aim for his people is that they will, with his help, remain in God's love, and attain the first resurrection and eternal life. Jesus wants to present us before God, perfect and full of joy. Until this time we need to try our very best to keep ourselves in God's love.

It is not easy to resist temptation in this world. It is even harder to resist our own human weaknesses, which so often conflict with God's law, and on top of that we are in a daily battle with the devil. Although God often protects us from the devil, if we become spiritually weak by drifting off God's path then that opens it up for the devil to deceive us and entice us further off God's path.

Philippians 2:12-13 - "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."

We really need to do our upmost to keep a strong relationship with God and Jesus. God is at work inside of us. He has promised that He will always be there with us, unless we wilfully turn away from him. If we make a mistake, he forgives us as he considers us to be his children so forgives us when we repent. This hope should encourage us to purify ourselves, always with his help.

All Christians have a glorious promise of salvation, eternal life in the Kingdom of God. Nothing happens to Christians in this life that God doesn't know about.

Acts 14:22 - "strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. 'we must go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God,' they said."

God allows us to go through trials and difficulties, to mould us, teach us spiritual lessons and to teach us more about Christ and what He went through on our behalf. It should be greatly encouraging for us to know that, even through life's trials. God protects his people by his power. We need to look beyond the present to our great salvation that lies ahead. Our minds need preparing so that we can persevere in faith.

1 Peter 1:3 - "Praise be to the God and Father of Lord Jesus Christ! In this great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

The Apostle Peter wrote about the hope Christians have. God has promised the living hope of a resurrection. Through faith, they are kept and shielded by God's own power.

1 Peter 1:6-7 - "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith, of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire, may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed."

The testing of Christian's faith strengthens it, proving its genuineness and leading to ultimate glory. We are motivated by love of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. We are saved through a working faith, the end result of which is salvation.

Philippians 1:6 - "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ."

This is a very encouraging scripture. It lets us Christians know that we can have confidence that whatever the world, the devil and human nature throws at us, we can overcome with God's help.