What should I do?

The panic can set in, the problems keep mounting, everything seems to be building to a breaking point, then its time.  Yes, the time has come to hand these issues, all of them, to the one who can do something about them.  It’s clear we can’t do it on our own strength, or something will give.  We’ll either be at odds with our family, submit to worry and anxiety, or even slip off in search of a release valve somewhere unwise.

Yes, it’s time to hand all of our cares over to the Lord.  Why, we may ask?  Proverbs 2: verses 6 & 7 says, “For the Lord gives wisdom, From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;  He stores up sound wisdom for the upright (That’s us);  He is a shield to those who walk uprightly: (That’s us too).

When we don’t know what to do, He does.  When we don’t know what to say, He does.  Yes, God’s wisdom is the difference in life, let’s seek it today.

My Redeemer Lives

Nicole C Mullen sings a powerful version of the great worship song,  My Redeemer Lives.  The word redeemer is a powerful word based on the word redemption.  In the English language, redemption means to buy back, whilst in the New Testament it means deliverance from sin and freedom from captivity.

Whatever is trying to keep you and I in captivity today has no power – if we fully believe we have been redeemed.

In the words of the song, ‘the very same God that spins things in orbit, runs to the weary..’  What a picture!!

Today, put as simply as possible, “My Redeemer Lives.”   Does yours?

Above the clouds

Sitting on a plane yesterday afternoon I looked out the window, down through the clouds I saw how small the landscape looked from this high position. Everything seemed so different when viewed from up above the clouds.
It got me thinking of how the issues of life can take hold of us, sapping all our energy and focus as we try to seek out a solution. Everything seems so big and at times overwhelming when we’re in the middle of it all.

Well, on the plane I began to get a glimpse of how God sees things – from a high place the situations don’t seem so big.
They seem big to us as we try to work them out on our own strength at ground level.
We would be much better off if we allowed higher help to intervene – His ways are ‘above’ our ways.

This is powerful…

Isn’t it interesting how a title can grab your attention. Well, living life as a believer is exactly that, powerful. The same power that raised Christ from the grave, lives in us. Do you really believe that? or has the enemy satan tried to tell you that you’ve got no power?
Tell him he’s defeated, he’s got no business here – as an old favourite song writer of mine, Don Francisco wrote, ” it doesn’t matter what you’ve done, it matters what you’ll be, there is no condemnation for the Son has set you free.’

Praise the name of Jesus.

The Question is….

It’s a word we all use very often, yet do we really put it into practice in our own lives?  Proverbs 3: 5 says, ” Trust in the Lord with all your heart.”  There it is, that word ‘trust.’  Easy said, but to carry out the full meaning of this word, means action.  It means putting our money where our mouth is, so to speak.  We can trust different things in this life, like money, friends, etc, but to trust the Lord, we must have a revelation of who He is.  

There is another verse that says, ‘where our treasure is, there our heart will be also,’ yet Proverbs 3: 5 is challenging us to trust the Lord with ALL of our heart.  We can say all the right things, sing all the right songs, but the question is, “Can we, do we, will we, trust the Lord God with our lives and our situations?

That’s the question we must all ask ourselves, and it is a challenge to all of us.  Oh, and by the way, our God wants nothing more.

First the Test, then the Testimony

I watched a programme recently where hindu tradition required followers to pierce themselves with needles and then pull behind them (via these pins attached directly to the skin) all kinds of religious items. When asked about whether it hurt or not, one participant answered, “No, all you need is faith.”

As we know there are many religions and beliefs in existence around the world today, so what is it that makes us Christians different?

In the book of Revelation chapter 12 and verse 11 says, “And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

The difference is simply this, we proclaim salvation through Christ crucified. There is no other god who had a son called Jesus other than the Lord God of Israel. We ‘The church,’ which is being persecuted world-wide, are faithful to the testimony of the truth and the fact that the enemy satan is overcome.

So, remember today, the tests we go through in life bear witness to the fact that Jesus Christ lives in us, and we ARE overcomers in that the word is true, and if it is true then we say with all boldness, ‘No weapon formed against us will ever prosper in the mighty name of Jesus, the one who paid the price for us.’ Now that’s what I call faith.

Looks can be deceiving!

One of the more popular TV programmes these days include those restoring old properties.  Even more interesting are the ones where the inside decor of the new owners bears no resemblance to the period the house was built.  Often they can have very old exteriors, yet the insides are ultra modern.

We look at the external buildings and in our minds we already imagine what the insides will be like, but so often they’re not quite what we expected.

Aren’t lives like that also, on the outside portraying a certain image and lifestyle, yet indoors a whole other picture exists.  We may kid those around us, but really we’re just kidding ourselves.  The Lord knows exactly whats going on inside, when there is no one around only us, he sees how we are, our disciplines, our habits, our weakness.

We see a great illustration of this in 1 Samuel 16: 7, where God speaks to Samuel before David is chosen as king of Israel, “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

God is looking for our heart, and he finds it in the quiet place, when there’s no one else around.

Strength Like No Other

In a world that champions and celebrates strength, perfection and achievement, it would be really easy to get caught up in this measurement of successful living.  However, the believer is different, the follower of Jesus operates differently.  2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’  What a profound verse!

Weakness or appearing weak is a vulnerable place, and its a place where humility is often present also.  The enemy cannot penetrate humility, he hates it.  How is it then that when we’re weak, we’re strong?

The answer is really quite simple, our strength is like no other.  When we look to the King of the universe to strengthen us, to sustain us and to guide us through the challenges of life, which are many, it’s then we know clearly,  our strength is like no other strength, it’s truly super-natural.

What’s on your mind?

If your anything like me there are times when your mind races off with schemes for this and that. You find yourself thinking of certain situations, and how they’ll pan out. There may even be occasions when you can clearly imagine yourself doing certain things.

Well, I’m also quite sure these thoughts don’t always work out the way you think.

The good news for the Believer is that there’s a verse in Proverbs that makes this a little clearer.
Verse 9 of chapter 16 says ” in his mind a man plans his course, but the Lord orders his steps and makes them sure.”

When we give our lives over to the King of kings, he guides us on life’s journey, regardless of our minds – so why not relax and let him be the God of our life journey

The Mountain Range

In Northern Ireland there is a very popular mountain range called the Mournes.  People of all ages go there to walk, climb and taste the fresh air in their lungs.  Spending a day in these mountains can be physically challenging as it is likely to involve climbing to summits, going down steeply, and walking around the sides of fairly large hills.

Life itself has many similarities to the Mourne mountains.  There are times in our lives when we reach the top of the mountain, achieving the exhilaration of seeing far and beyond.  There are also times when we come down quickly into the valley, and there are times when it seems we walk for ever around the mountains of our situations.

The one thing about going to the mountains, even on a good day, is that its wise to prepare and dress for the occasion.  In Northern Ireland the weather can change very quickly indeed, therefore having appropriate clothing is essential.

It’s the same in life, Ephesians 6 shows us what we need, it’s called the whole armour of God.  Why not take a few moments today and read from verse 10 to 18 and be prepared for the our mountain range called life.