Sunday 27th February Message From Today From Denise.

Denise spoke about carrying each others burdens and this is today's message in my perpetual callender " Marys heart in a Martha World": Nothing is harder to bear than a burden we're not called to carry. While God does ask us to bear one another's burdens, He has not asked us to step in and do what people are not willing to do themselves. And while there are many needs, God has not asked us to meet everyone.

Take Notice.

This quote has came up a few times and when this happens I take notice of what God is trying to tell me .."There is nothing we can do to make God love us more and there is nothing we can do to make God love us less"

I Will Follow Him.. .

James sent me this video on whats app. Here is the conversation 💓

The Scripture were......

Mark 8:34 NLT....Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.

Matthew 10:38-39 NLT...If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.

John 8:12 NLT..Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

What came to mind was the film I watched just befor my Baptismal....Though None May Go...Still I will Follow 

Let Go And Focus On What Jesus Has Done. He Has Paid Your Ransom You Are Redeemed.

https://abide.co/prayer/bkyj4d

When I was listening to the  meditation I thought about what I said in my video that I did for  a new group The Kings Church are doing. 

When you are driving it's ok to glance in the rear view mirror but you can't focus on it for long. You need to keep your eyes looking  forward to where you are going. 

Satan wants us to focus on the past (in our rearview mirror), but we need to keep our focus on where we are going.

In the meditation at 0:07 it asks " Do you ever have trouble letting go of the past. God wants us to celebrate victories in our lives, but he doesn't wants us to dwell on yesteryear. In order for God to work new miracles in our lives today and in the future we must let go of things that are keeping us from moving forward.

And looking in the rear view mirror will stop us from moving forward.

Lyrics of a song came to mind there  : "Jesus, take the wheel

Take it from my hands
'Cause I can't do this on my own I'm letting go. So give me one more chance. And save me from this road I'm on Jesus, take the wheel"

So what I got from the message today is we need to let go of our past sins so that we can move forward. In the meditation it asks "What is God calling us to let go of???? 

Well my answer is the shame and guilt of my past!!!! Another song started to play in my head which I just love it's called Redeemed by Big Daddy Weave

Seems like all I could see was the struggle. Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past. Bound up in shackles of all my failures. This song lyrics says it all for me they lyrics are amaising 

Wow I love today word from UCB. It ties in with this meditation. 

Adjusting your vision

Thursday 24th February 2022

'My eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.' Isaiah 6:5 NIV

Before God called the prophet Isaiah to a position of leadership in the nation, he adjusted his vision. Uncorrected vision leads to skewed perspective, poor judgement and wasted effort. Israel's constant rebellion was putting them in jeopardy with God, and they needed a leader with clear vision. So, the first thing God did was give Isaiah a vision of God's glory and power. Without it, he could not have done the job. Without this life-changing encounter with God, he would never have been strong enough to complete his mission. And the same applies to you. Whatever God calls you to do will require more than a job description and some basic skills. You will need a vision of God's glory and limitless power to reassure you he is more than adequate for the challenge (see Ephesians 3:20)!

The second thing God did was adjust Isaiah's vision of himself. Once your God-concept is adjusted, you're ready for a self-concept adjustment - and not before! If you start with step two, you will quit before you begin. Isaiah cried, 'I am not pure, and I live among people who are not pure' (Isaiah 6:5 NCV). Isaiah realised he was no better than the people he had been called to reach. Until you see yourself realistically and humbly in relation to God and others, your mission won't succeed (see Romans 12:3.)

The third thing God did was respond to Isaiah's humility. An angel touched his lips with God's purifying fire and said, 'Your sin is taken away' (Isaiah 6:7 NCV). God doesn't call perfect leaders. He calls humble, honest, forgiven leaders, and crowns their efforts with success, regardless of the odds.

The prayer from the meditation: 

Dear father thank you for reminding me of your Grace, your mercy, and your power. Thank you for giving me a hope and a future even when I'm down in discouraged.

 father I want to be in a position for a new thing in my life. I want to let go of what is dragging me down. Help me to do that, walk beside me, give me wisdom and courage I love you Lord.

Father thank you for rescuing my soul, thank you for your grace mercy, and love. Father I confess that too often I live in the past and too often I let the failures and tragedies of my past drag me down forgive me.

 Help me to let go and move on. Father I want to live in the present and the future, not the past. I want to be ready for the new thing you have prepared for me walk beside me. it's in Jesus name I pray

In the meditation it says that  the Israelites had trouble letting go of their past too. They had been captured by the Babylonians and where living in a foreign land. God gave them hope this is what Isaiah said in 43:18-19

“But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

This reminds me of Jeremiah 10:11..... For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

So God had a future for the Israelites and he has one for us too. To get there but we need to let go of our past sins. Satan wants us to focus on our past sins. Much like a helpless animal stuck in a pool of quicksand. God wants to rescue us he is ready to do a new thing in our life. 😇

I looked up in my Bibles to see any insights about Isaiah 43:18-19 and I found this in my

*Every Day Life Bible (Joyce Meyer)...Life point

We can release God's plan for our lives by no longer thinking about the things of old, believing that God has a good plan for our future. Since what we think about eventually comes out of our mouths, we will never get our mouths straightened out unless we do something about our thoughts.

I believe that if we stop mentally living in the past, we can begin to think in agreement with God. Then once we do that, we can begin to speak in agreement with Him. By so doing we can actually prophesy our own future.

If God can make a way in the wilderness because and rivers in the desert, He can make a way for you.

The end part made me think of a devotional I have called streams in the desert. So I looked it up and I loved the message here too...

*February 24 Steam In The Desert

 Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true. (John 10:41) Perhaps you are very dissatisfied with yourself. You are not a genius, have no distinctive gifts, and are inconspicuous when it comes to having any special abilities. Mediocrity seems to be the measure of your existence. None of your days are noteworthy, except for their sameness and lack of zest. Yet in spite of this you may live a great life. John the Baptist never performed a miracle, but Jesus said of him, “Among those born of women there is no one greater” (Luke 7:28). His mission was to be “a witness to the light” (John 1:8), and that may be your mission and mine. John was content to be only a voice, if it caused people to think of Christ. Be willing to be only a voice that is heard but not seen, or a mirror whose glass the eye cannot see because it is reflecting the brilliant glory of the Son. Be willing to be a breeze that arises just before daylight, saying, “The dawn! The dawn!” and then fades away. Do the most everyday and insignificant tasks knowing that God can see. If you live with difficult people, win them over through love. If you once made a great mistake in life, do not allow it to cloud the rest of your life, but by locking it secretly in your heart, make it yield strength and character. We are doing more good than we know. The things we do today—sowing seeds or sharing simple truths of Christ—people will someday refer to as the first things that prompted them to think of Him. For my part, I will be satisfied not to have some great tombstone over my grave but just to know that common people will gather there once I am gone and say, “He was a good man. He never performed any miracles, but he told me about Christ, which led me to know Him for myself.” George Matheson Thy Hidden Ones (Ps. 83:3 KJV) Thick green leaves from the soft brown earth, Happy springtime has called them forth; First faint promise of summer bloom Breathes from the fragrant, sweet perfume, Under the leaves. Lift them! what marvelous beauty lies Hidden beneath, from our thoughtless eyes! Mayflowers, rosy or purest white, Lift their cups to the sudden light, Under the leaves. Are there no lives whose holy deeds— Seen by no eye save His who reads Motive and action—in silence grow Into rare beauty, and bud and blow Under the leaves? Fair white flowers of faith and trust, Springing from spirits bruised and crushed; Blossoms of love, rose-tinted and bright, Touched and painted with Heaven’s own light Under the leaves. Full fresh clusters of duty borne, Fairest of all in that shadow grown; Wondrous the fragrance that sweet and rare Comes from the flower-cups hidden there Under the leaves. Though unseen by our vision dim, Bud and blossom are known to Him; Wait we content for His heavenly ray— Wait till our Master Himself one day Lifts up the leaves. God calls many of His most valued workers from the unknown multitude. [See Luke 14:23.]

The Story of Paul and Barnabas.

 

When I was reading the Word For Today in my UCB booklet. The story of Paul and Barnabas pulled my attention, because I had just heard this story recently. So let's see what comes up from this 

When I looked back I found that the story was from Terry's Zoom meeting on the 3rd February 2022. It's funny were I am feeling strife around, is from my brother Tommy and this is his birthday 3rd February. So let's see what I can gain from the Word to help me with "STRIFE" 

The scripture that night we read was from Acts 15: 36-41. In the meeting Terry said the meaning of Barnabas name was "SON OF ENCOURAGEMENT". So I hope I find encouragement from The Lords Word to help with the stife in my life just now.

Insights From my Life Recovery Bible ..

15:36-41 Recovery and spiritual growth are processes we never complete-a fact demonstrated in the conflict between Paul and Barnabas over John Mark. Paul could not forgive John Mark for abandoning them on the first missionary journey (see 13:13-14). This resulted in a sharp disagree. ment and split between Paul and Barnabas. Even as mature men of faith, Paul and Barnabas had to deal with conflict and anger. They still needed to examine their motives and make amends. We know from Paul's letters that all three later reconciled, due in part to Barnabas's willingness to take John Mark with him. Like these godly men, we are never beyond the need for recovery and restoration.

Insight From UCB Word For Today ..Thursday 17th February 2022

Where There Is Strife, Sow Seeds Of Peace'For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work' James 3:16(KJV)

When peacemakers plant seeds of peace, they will harvest justice.' James 3:18 (CEV).

When a well-known pastor was asked by a sceptic, 'Do you believe there is such a thing as a real devil?' he smiled and replied, 'Have you ever been to an annual church business meeting?' Seriously, if you have been a church member for any length of time, you know that strife rears its ugly head in the family of God just like it does everywhere else. 

Paul and Barnabas, a brilliant ministry team, allowed their differences over John Mark to separate them to where they could no longer work together. Later Paul changed his mind, but the die was already cast. He appealed 'to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News' (Philippians 4:2-3 NLT).

Strife hinders our prayers, takes our focus off lost souls, and makes us ineffective in our ministry. We must learn to respect each other's talents, perspectives and positions instead of envying them. In other words, learn to disagree without being disagreeable. The Bible says: 'For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace' (James 3:16-18 NKJV).

God blesses peacemakers (see Matthew 5:9), so when strife arises in your church, make it your mission to sow seeds of peace!

Insights from My Devotional Think Like Jesus(Timeless Wisdom From The Parables) by Dave Williey...DAY 6 What God Hates “God hates six things and seven things he truly detests: eyes that look down on other people, a tongue that speaks lies, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that harbors evil motives, feet that run into sin, a dishonest witness who brings false accusations, and a person who intentionally brings drama and division into a family.”

 PROVERBS 6:16-19 God is the embodiment of love, so some people are surprised to learn in Scripture that God is capable of “hate.” They scratch their heads in confusion. How can an all-loving God hate anything? The Bible teaches us that it’s precisely because God so fully loves His children that He’s able to so fiercely hate those things which harm his children. In this list from Proverbs chapter six, we see a list of some of the things God hates. This is a window into the mind and heart of our loving heavenly Father. Each listed item is an action which directly harms God’s children and attempts to sabotage His blessings for them. Each item on this list hurts both the victims of the heinous actions and the perpetrators, who dehumanize themselves by devaluing God’s laws and other people. God hates eyes that look down on other people because He has created all people in His image with dignity and eternal significance. God hates a tongue that speaks lies because it’s the truth that sets us free. God hates hands that shed innocent blood because He never wants His children to suffer needless harm. He hates a heart that harbors evil motives because such a heart makes no room for Jesus, who is our only Savior and Lord. He hates feet that run into sin because sin hurts everyone. He hates a dishonest witness because false testimony perverts the path of justice. He hates someone who stirs up drama and division in a family because God desires that His children live together in love and unity. We are called to be people after God’s own heart. This list of what God hates is more than just a warning of behaviors to avoid. While we should obviously avoid the hated attitudes and actions on this list, we’re called to more than avoidance. This list helps us clarify God’s plans and purposes in our own lives and in the world around us. If we’ll continue walking with God and learning from Him, our hearts should be steered toward loving the things He loves and hating the things He hates. As an example, this righteous anger within Jesus caused him to flip over the money-changer’s tables in the temple and drive them out with whips. Jesus—the embodiment of love—was capable of this holy rage because He has the heart of God. His love for people caused Him to be enraged at behaviors that exploited people or erected barriers between people and God. There are times when we should feel a righteous anger too. There are times when we should allow that anger to prompt us to act. When we see the vile exploitations of human trafficking, we should fight for the freedom of the enslaved. When we see lies perverting the course of justice, we should boldly declare the truth and be willing to fight to protect it. When we see injustices being celebrated, we should be compelled to sacrifice our own comforts to protect the justices of others. An important caveat here is to remember that, while we should boldly stand on God’s truth, we’re not called or qualified to judge every aspect of the world around us. If we’re not careful, we can fall into a legalistic pattern of judgment and completely miss the heart of Jesus in the process. This is what happened to the Pharisees of Jesus’s day. They loved the rules more than they loved God. If a righteous anger stirs within you, let it be directed first at your own sin. Only then will you have the humble spirit necessary to remove the plank from your own eye before helping someone else take the speck of sawdust out of their eye. Prayer for Today Lord, help heal our broken world. We’re overwhelmed by the injustices we see all around us, and we often feel powerless to bring positive change. Give us a courageous heart which loves people and hates injustice. Help me speak boldly when I need to and help me keep silent when I need to. Help me discern which situations require immediate actions and which ones require patience. Thank You, Lord, that one day You will set all things right and make all things new. Start by doing a work in me. Forgive me for the times I’ve done things You hate. Turn my heart completely toward You so I can be an instrument of your grace—bringing your kingdom, justice, and love to the broken world around me. In Jesus’s name, amen. The Bible teaches us that it’s precisely because God so fully loves His children that He’s able to so fiercely hate those things which harm his children.

Matthew 7:6 Don't throw your pearls to pigs.

         Link to the Story below

We are not to be hypocritical judges, yet we must be able to discern the swine, lest we cast our pearls before them.

Repeatedly sharing the gospel with someone who continually scoffs and ridicules Christ is like casting pearls before swine. We can identify such people through discernment, which is given in some measure to all Christians (1 Corinthians 2:15–16).

The command not to cast your pearls before swine does not mean we refrain from preaching the gospel. Jesus Himself ate with and taught sinners and tax collectors (Matthew 9:10). In essence, the instruction in Matthew 7:6 is the same that Jesus gave to His apostles when He said, “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town” (Matthew 10:14). We are to share the gospel, but, when it becomes apparent that the gospel is not welcome, we are to move on

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QUESTION

What did Jesus mean when He said to not cast your pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6)?

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pearls before swine

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ANSWER

“Do not cast your pearls before swine” is a portion of the Sermon on the Mount, and, to understand its meaning, we have to understand its context and placement within the sermon. Christ had just finished instructing the crowd on judgment and reproof: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:1–2), and “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). Then in verse 6, Christ tempers these admonitions and shows us the difference between “judgment” and “discernment.” We are not to be hypocritical judges, yet we must be able to discern the swine, lest we cast our pearls before them.

Before Jesus says, “Do not cast your pearls before swine,” He says, “Do not give dogs what is sacred.” An analogy mentioning dogs is also used in Proverbs: “As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly” (Proverbs 26:11). A dual reference to swine and dogs is also found in 2 Peter 2:22, “Of [false teachers] the proverbs are true: ‘A dog returns to its vomit,’ and, ‘A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.’” In His sermon, Jesus uses dogs and pigs as representative of those who would ridicule, reject, and blaspheme the gospel once it is presented to them. We are not to expose the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who have no other purpose than to trample it and return to their own evil ways. Repeatedly sharing the gospel with someone who continually scoffs and ridicules Christ is like casting pearls before swine. We can identify such people through discernment, which is given in some measure to all Christians (1 Corinthians 2:15–16).

The command not to cast your pearls before swine does not mean we refrain from preaching the gospel. Jesus Himself ate with and taught sinners and tax collectors (Matthew 9:10).

 In essence, the instruction in Matthew 7:6 is the same that Jesus gave to His apostles when He said, “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town” (Matthew 10:14). 

We are to share the gospel, but, when it becomes apparent that the gospel is not welcome, we are to move on.

 We are responsible to share the good news; we are not responsible for people’s response to the good news.

 Pigs don’t appreciate pearls, and some people don’t appreciate what Christ has done for them. 

Our job is not to force conversions or cram the gospel down people’s throats; there’s no sense in preaching the value of pearls to swine.

 Jesus’ instruction to His apostles on how to handle rejection was to simply go elsewhere. There are other people who need to hear the gospel, and they are ready to hear it.

Casting pearls is throwing them at a hurting, often angry or discouraged person, who is not ready for healing. 

When first cast, the words are seeds God can use as He heals their areas of irritation to form pearls in their lives.

 To keep casting when the person is unreceptive is useless and harmful. It brings about sin in their lives as they resent and mistreat the things of God and His treasure formed in us. 

And it can raise up sin in us as frustration brings discouragement or, worse still, a fight to have our way in the life of another.

When God tells us to stop sharing the treasures of our experience with someone, we knock the dust off in witness against them, surrendering them to God with hope’s assurance that He is working where we can’t. 

Our job then is to trust the Lord, and pray. I can tell you from experience that it brings great joy when they speak our words as their own because God softened the soil of their hearts with the seed planted and formed a pearl that is now their‘s to treasure.

Question: Have you bit the head off of anyone in your life, someone who loves you enough to throw their treasure trove of pearls your way? What would God have you do with that?

The Gentleman

If you wish to be the king of the jungle, it's not enough to act like a king, you must be the king 

And there can be no Doubt because doubt causes chaos and one's own demise

My queen told me that.

Any chance ..

Jesus healed on the Sabbath

I'm a bit confused at times with the Bible.

In Numbers 15:31-36 it tells of how they killed a man by stoning him because he was gathering wood on the Sabbath.

But I've heard scriptures about Jesus healing on the Sabbath

https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Jesus-Healing-On-Sabbath

And also Jesus allowed his deciples to pluck the ears of corn on the Sabbath : 

https://medium.com/@hui_gai/god-clearly-knew-that-it-was-the-sabbath-day-then-why-he-still-chose-to-go-out-and-plucked-the-c00890b1d29f

Love when you get another perspective on it x

The Story Of The Israelites Journey into the promise land.

Just now I am reading chapter 2.2 in my book Hope in the Dark(believing God is Good When Life Is Not) by Craig Groeschel

I loved it because this is what this blog is about. Recording things that are put on my heart.

 So this post is about what God has put on my heart this morning. It's about the story of how it took the Israelites 40 years  to enter into the promise land. Here is what I found on the link above about what lessons we learn from the Israelites.

What can we learn from the Israelites Wandering the Desert for 40 Years?

Even though God’s timeline may not align with ours, he doesn’t keep us in the desert forever. Whether the “desert” we’re currently enduring is a trial or if we think of the “desert” as this world, God doesn’t hold us in limbo forever.

No one likes a detour or delay in a journey. Whenever we encounter a road under construction or traffic that halts our trek by half an hour, we may feel tempted to throw up our hands and say, “Why now? Why did this have to happen to me?’

Enter the Israelites, who had endured hundreds of years of slavery in Egypt. When God freed them, through his servant Moses and via 10 plagues (Exodus 7-11) and a splitting sea (Exodus 14), they must have thought that they’d arrive in the land of their dreams, the Promised Land, in no time.

But sure enough, they hit snags along the way. The journey takes too long, and they turn to other idols and gods to speed up the process (Exodus 32).

The proverbial straw breaks the camel’s back when they reach the Promised Land and send spies to scout the area.

When the spies realize that the fortified city and its people within are intimidating. All but Caleb and Joshua, two of the spies, try to dissuade the Israelites from going into the new land (Numbers 32).

Because of their obstinance and disobedience and forgetfulness of God’s promises, God delays their entry into the Promised Land by 40 years. Aside from Caleb and Joshua, anyone over a certain age would not see the Promised Land, since their generation did not exercise a strong faith in God’s provision.

Although the 40 years in the desert may serve as a cautionary tale of sorts, can we learn anything from the Israelites as they wandered for four decades?

Indeed. We’ll dive into some of the many lessons from the 40 years in the desert.

God Provides in Our Darkest Moments 

In the desert, the Israelites had run low on provisions (Numbers 11:5). It gets to the point where the Israelites pine after the “good ole days” of their slavery in Egypt, where they didn’t have to worry about starvation.

They get so hungry that they think hundreds of years doing hard slave labor in Egypt sounds like paradise.

God, seeing their need for food, provides them with a substance known as manna. A heavenly bread of sorts that means “what is it?” He also gives them protein via quail and provides these bread and birds from heaven daily until they enter the Promised Land.

God understood that the desert was a temporary limbo for the Israelites. They wouldn’t stay there forever but would enter the Promised Land decades later. Nevertheless, he meets their needs, nonetheless.

From this, we can learn that God meets us in limbo. We might be waiting on a job or living from paycheck to paycheck, but God provides for us in the desert and in the Promised Land.

He doesn’t leave or forsake us in our greatest hour of need.

God's Plan Never Seems to Align with Ours

Nor does his timeline

The Israelites may have thought that everything would be smooth sailing since they left their former lives from Egypt. No longer would they have to operate under cruel taskmasters, and they had a bright future ahead.

But they expected it all to happen so fast. So easily. They didn’t realize that sometimes getting to the Promised Land takes time. That God may have wanted them to learn some lessons along the way about trusting him, and that he fights for them when they are surrounded by a great number of enemies on their way to the Promised Land (Exodus 17).

We can learn that God’s timeline and plan often veer far away from how we expect a situation to play out or an outcome to fall in our favor. Nevertheless, God’s plans always are best, and we have to trust in him. Especially when we need to rely on his provisions, like the Israelites in the desert.

God Doesn’t Keep Us in the Desert Forever

Forty years sounds like a long time. To the Israelites who were in their teens, they didn’t reach the Promised Land until they had turned 50 or 60 years old.

But even though God’s timeline may not align with ours, he doesn’t keep us in the desert forever. Whether the “desert” we’re currently enduring is a trial or if we think of the “desert” as this world (a limbo until we reach the Promised Land of paradise) God doesn’t hold us in limbo forever.

We will reach the Promised Land since promised is in the title. God doesn’t break covenants, and he won’t keep us suspended in the desert for eternity. Whether our trial lasts four years or 40, we will make it to the Promised Land.

Also when I was doing some research on it I found this link also which is very interesting about the Israelites and their grumbling. 

http://casswatson.com/4-reasons-to-stop-grumbling/

Encounter Meditation.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (CSB)

God's Comforting Heart

What is most comforting for you? Where do you turn for relief and soothing in the face of hardship?

Listen Now

This meditation from 2 Corinthians 1 is a reflection on finding consolation in the comforting heart of God. Discovering peace in the tender embrace of his arms.

Hope In The Dark.

Page 58...

crisis is ignited by a specific trigger, such as a serious physical challenge, a financial setback, or a relational disappointment. Often the trigger is something unexpected or even

unthinkable. Sometimes several smaller but challenging events overlap, and the combined burden becomes a crushing weight that causes a person's faith to collapse. Didn't Christ say that his burden was light and his yoke was easy (Matt. 11:30)? Suddenly, getting out of bed in the morning feels intimidating. You can't imagine how you're going to get through the rest of this morn ing, let alone an entire day. Where's God now?

In those moments, faith seems irrelevant. When the Titanic is sinking, it's hard to enjoy a game of shuffleboard on deck or to appreciate the string quartet playing music on the bandstand. When you don't know whether the radiation and chemo will work or where the money's going to come from or when you'll see your child again, it's hard to believe that praying, trusting, and hoping will make a difference. It's hard to keep the faith when you have so little control over everything else in your life.

Sometimes the pain is so intense that all you can think about is relief. Everything in you just wants it to stop. Because the immediate hurt is so extreme, instead of thinking about Jesus, you may just be thinking about getting out of the pain you're in. But this can become a pivotal moment in your faith journey. This is when you can experience the depth of God's grace in a way that's impossible during better moments. His presence is real in your pain. And it might become more real in this valley than it was on the mountaintop, if you can recognize that the way is through, not out.

Page 60...I've had some difficult conversations with God. So when I encounter people who have deep faith struggles, it's easy for me to patiently hear them out. I have compassion for them that I didn't before. And even when I talk to people who have dif ferent views on the existence or goodness of God, my approach to sharing with them has changed over time. Through years of maturing, I've learned that it's not our job to force our belles down others' throats until they echo back what we want to hear. No, our job is to challenge their categories by doing the same thing Jesus did: loving them, challenging them, accepting them, and forgiving them.

Page 77-78...

Although we don't understand, we continue to believe God, listening for His voice and waiting on His answer

 And just like Habakkuk, we cling to God and trust him, even when he dosent seem to make sense.

Page 78 .

I've never seen this more powerfully than with one of best friends, John. About two years ago, John noticed a ringing in his ear that grew louder and louder until it was unbearable. After several visits to various doctors, John was diagnosed with an incurable condition called tinnitus. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst, his condition is a 9.5. Many people with cases less severe than John's can't stand the pain and noise, and they end up taking their own lives. My buddy will tell you honestly that he didn't want to live but was determined to overcome this nonstop nightmare. my

One day, John flew to Atlanta to meet with one of the nation's best tinnitus doctors. One reason this doctor is so good is because he suffers from the same condition. He gave John a custom-fitted earpiece designed to create a competing noise that helps drown out the constant freight train sound in his head. But, the doctor admitted, it probably wouldn't do much to help in John's extreme case. This wise doctor explained that the best thing John could do was to serve others. Yes, you read

The way to forget about the pain is to help other that right. The people, so you forget about yourself (love this because it's so true)

And that's exactly what John did. On top of his usual prayer and Bible study time, John started doing more-way more. He and his wife started a small group and began pouring into others spiritually. They started serving in different roles in the church, and they "adopted" a single mom and her kids to help them climb out of a very bad situation. John tells me all the time that the buzzing sound in his head is just as bad as it's ever been, but it doesn't bother him as much as it used to Occasionally through tears, John tells me that he's never been closer to God than he is now. And though he would never choose this road nor wish it on his worst enemy, John is thank ful for it, because his nightmare condition has helped him come to know God more intimately.

John's story reminds me of one in the New Testament, in which the apostle Paul experienced what he referred to as "a thorn in my flesh in his second letter to the church at Corinth. Paul said he had asked God over and over to remove it. But God didn't. Paul describes this agonizing prayer: "God, I know you can do something about this. Please do. Take it away. Remove it. I'm pleading with you, please take it away from me" (2 Cor. 12:7-8, my paraphrase).

Maybe you can relate. "Please heal my loved one." "Please help me get a better job." "Please help me get accepted into my favorite school." "Please save my dad." "Please take the depression away." "Please stop my migraines."

But the thorn remained

Little Nizha

https://youtu.be/lvuHB0fZxW0

The Apprentice Prayer

The Apprentice Prayer

Many Christians today think that learning to be like Jesus is optional. Perhaps later they'll get more serious with God. We may believe in Christ yet have whole areas of our life he's not part of.

This was true for me in my late thirties. I was keeping my feet in two worlds: God's kingdom and my kingdom. I had lost the passion for Christ that I had as a young adult. I realized this one weekend in 2002 when Kristi and I were at John Eldredge's "Journey of Desire" conference. The Lord got hold of my heart and I began praying earnestly for Jesus to be my First Love again.

To stay close to the holy fire, I practiced disciplines like those that are featured in this book. Also, I met regularly with Ray Ortlund for spiritual mentoring and prayer over a number of years. I became a student of Dallas Willard, gleaning from his spiritual formation books and seminars and then meeting with him as I had done with Ray.

I wanted to learn from Jesus how to live my whole life in the Kingdom of God. I re-submitted and re-dedicated my life to Christ. I determined to live by Ray's heart-throbbing prayer: "Be all and only for Jesus!" I determined to be a "true apprentice" to Christ (Matthew 10:42, MSG).

At the epicenter of this earth-shaking change was my prayer

of devotion to Jesus that my friend Pastor Bucky Dennis dubbed

"The Apprentice Prayer."4 Most every morning for the first eight

years of my renewal I offered this prayer from my heart. (My morning prayers to this day still draw on these themes.) I invite you to pray with me: Jesus, I love you! Father, I adore you. Holy Spirit, I rely

on you.

Lord Jesus, I seek to live as your apprentice in all that I do today. My life is your school for teaching me. I relinquish my agenda for this day and I submit myself to you and your kingdom purposes. In all things today I pray, "Your will, your way, your time."

Dear Father, I ask you to ordain the events of this day and use them to make me more like Jesus. I trust you, Sovereign Lord, that you won't let anything happen to my family or me today, except that it passes through your loving hands. So no matter what problems, hardships, or injustices I face today help me not to worry or get frustrated, but instead to relax in the yoke of your providence. Yes, today I will rejoice because I am in your eternal kingdom, you love me, and you are teaching me!

My Lord, I devote my whole self to you. I want to be all and only for you, Jesus! Today, I seek to love you with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, all my strength, and all my relationships.5

Today, I depend on you, Holy Spirit, not my own resources. Help me to keep in step with you.

Today, I look to love others as you love me, dear God, blessing everyone I meet, even those who mistreat me. Today, I'm ready to lead people to follow you, Jesus.

Amen.

Thousands of people, even whole churches, have prayed this prayer with me. Many have put it on their bathroom mirror, beside their bed, in their pocket, or in their Bible. They've prayed it every day for a year or more. With enthusiasm they've told me that God has used it to help them experience their own spiritual renewal. 

I hope you'll join us in offering The Apprentice Prayer each morning. The upcoming chapters will provide further insight and application to it, helping you learn to do all that you do in the easy yoke of apprenticeship to Christ.

Turning Over Tables

As an example, this righteous anger within Jesus caused him to flip over the money-changer’s tables in the temple and drive them out with whips.  

This was from today's message in my new Devotional book called "Think Like Jesus" by Dave Willis.

Then when I was watching the service at The Kings Church they sang a song at the end 

https://youtu.be/Lmty4UIXCy4

And in the lyric it said it also

You're turning over tables

And calling for return

To our lives upon the altar

The things we did at first 

The Paths in Life..."THE CLIMB".

This month scripture in my kitchen is...Psalm 119:105

The Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path 

In my bedroom ..It is God that girdeth me strength, and maketh my way(path) perfect.

Wisdom Vs Foolishness

https://abide.co/prayer/xkyu5u

DAY 1 Wisdom vs. Foolishness.

 “Obedience to God is the foundation of true wisdom, but foolish people hate God’s timeless truths.” PROVERBS 1:7

One of the main themes in the Book of Proverbs is the difference between a wise person and a fool. It might sound harsh to call anyone a “fool,” but the Bible doesn’t mince words. God wants us to know we have a choice before us daily: A narrow road that follows God’s timeless principles of wisdom or a broad road of destructive foolishness, filled with every counterfeit option the world can provide.

 We all have the propensity to be a “fool” in one or more parts of our life. Foolishness and wisdom have nothing to do with educational level, social status, or age. Fools can be young or old, male or female, educated or uneducated, rich or poor. 

You can’t tell a fool from the outward appearance, but a fool will always reveal his or her foolishness through words and actions. 

A fool lives as though he answers to nobody. A wise person knows we always answer to God and to the human authorities God has placed in our lives. A fool scoffs at discipline and treats all forms of discipline as a prison. A wise person welcomes discipline and knows it brings greater freedom and influence. 

A fool can’t be taught anything because he thinks he’s already smarter than everyone else. A wise person humbly knows there’s always more to learn, and every person, every situation and even every mistake can be a good teacher.

 As we journey through the timeless wisdom in the Book of Proverbs, commit to yourself and to God that you’ll study with a humble and teachable spirit. A humble heart and a teachable attitude are hallmarks of wisdom.

 Foolishness is the lie that insists you already know everything. Allow the Scriptures to bring you encouragement and conviction where you need it. God’s Word has a way of building us up when we feel broken, while revealing blind spots before they create unnecessary brokenness in our lives. 

The path to wisdom begins with obedience to God. Some Bible translations of Proverbs 1:7 use the phrase, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” This refers to a reverent sense of awe, respect, and submission to God’s holiness, power, and perfection. While we should indeed have this kind of reverence for the Lord, we should also remember that we can also approach God as a friend because of what Jesus has done on our behalf. We can boldly approach His throne of grace knowing He loves us and cares about every detail of our lives. Wisdom requires drawing near to God through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Foolishness thinks we can approach God on our own terms. Wisdom reminds us we are forgiven because of what Jesus did for us. Foolishness believes we must earn forgiveness and spend our life keeping score. What would it look like if your life was guided by God’s wisdom? It would look incredible! A life led by wisdom is God’s vision for your life. Don’t settle for anything less.

The Holy Spirit The Great Comforter Will Help Us Become Overcomers.

No 1...God Of All Comfort • Devotional 

https://bible.com/reading-plans/16120/day/1?segment=0

No 2...UCB Word For Today. WEDNESDAY 02 Feb 2022

GIVE JESUS A CHANCE 'Come, follow me, and I will show you how to... Matthew 4:19 NLT

When others don't see your potential, Jesus does. In common fishermen, He saw the capacity to change the world. Here is something you may not have considered: there are two sides to following Jesus - you believe in Him, and He believes in you. 

Jesus toid Simon Peter and Andrew, 'Come, follow me, and I will show you how to... Do you doubt that? So did Nathanael. When he was invited to meet Jesus, he said, 'Can...any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see (John 1:46 KJV). 

Even after three years of witnessing Jesus' miracles, His disciples still had doubts. Notice how often He said to them, 'O ye of little faith'; 'Still you do not believe'; and 'If you believed, you would see'.

 Knowing they were anxious about what would happen when

He left them and went back to heaven, Jesus said, "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever (John 14.16 KJV).

The Greek word for comforter is parakletos, meaning one who comes alongside to help you. The truth is, there will never be a day when you don't need God's help or when it isn't available to you. Maybe you still have doubts. If so, take heart! Jesus loves doubters Didn't he handpick Thomas? Maybe you think you have too many weaknesses. So did Peter but Jesus made him the head of the church. 

Just come as you are, and let His presence rub off on you. What do you have to lose? If you have tried it your way and it's not working, come rive Jesus a chance!

No 3...life point

In Matthew 5:4, Jesus said that thoses who mourn are blessed and that they se will be comforted. The comfort of God,which is administered by His Holy Spirit, is so awesome that it is almost worth having a problem just to be able to experience it. As with most of the things of God, it goes far beyond any kind of ordinary comfort. 

Let God be your source of comfort. When you are hurting, just ask Him to comfort you. Then wait in His presence while He works in your heart and emotions. He will not fail you. 

Love today's message. Grief was trying to enter my heart and when it does doubt comes with it. But I know now this is when I lean in on the Holy Spirit more.

Jesus asked His Father to send us someone to walk beside us because He knew that we would become anxious and that we would be overcomed with our emotions. 

But with the Holy Spirit by our sides we can be overcomers

So the final point is No 4...