This verse makes me smile because it brings to surface one of the hardest things I find to do – wait! The word “wait” is used twice – which brings an importance to this.

If the Lord makes us wait, let’s try to do so without moaning and groaning. Ultimately, we are all waiting for something – Jesus to return, but that in itself is a blessing because He is definitely worth waiting for!

The waiting itself is beneficial (although testing) because it tries our faith, exercises patience, trains submission that God is in control , and waiting brings a blessing when breakthrough comes. 

Gods word is truth and therefore in periods of waiting, I read my bible and pray because I can see time and time and time again, that if God brought a blessing in so many different circumstances, to so many different people – then I too can have hope, in the things to come.

God never forgets you, just it’s not the right time yet.

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I am a strong advocate that if I am still breathing, then God still has a plan and purpose for me and over the last few years, I have been “stirred” to fulfil all that God created me to be.

Previously, I spent so many years worrying or procrastinating about life. I didn’t think I could achieve what God was asking me to do. Not because I didn’t trust in Him but life just seemed too “busy”. I mean…there was bills to pay and I had to think of my Husband and Daughter!

At the start of 2017, God challenged me to write a “want list”. At the time I was unsure why, and Kieren (my Husband) thought it was amusing (considering there was no extra finances) but God said to “write what I would love to achieve by the end of the year”. This ranged from a new ironing board (I know – it’s sad) to cars being repaired, a weekend away with Kieren and to even to have enough money to visit Family in the UK after 4 years. I wrote eighteen things on a scrap bit of paper and stuck it on the fridge.

Then time went by and life continued. School notices, car bills, pictures that Sarai had drawn – all got stuck in front of my list but one day God reminded me of it. I decided to start praying for these things because I used to spend nights worrying about “stuff”.

With reference to money, this is where we need to learn to trust God. Jesus invites us to live in a World where our heavenly Father provides for us. This doesn’t mean that we don’t have to work but we certainly do not need to worry.

Looking back, when I have been worrying about finances…about food being on the table or clothes in the drawers – it’s a sign of insecurity because if we put God and His kingdom first, then everything else follows.

I decided that rather than the busyness of life continuing – I wanted to pursue what God was asking of me – my purpose. I nervously stepped out. I’m not saying that it was easy and to start off with – the vulnerability was hard but I realised that God had given me the grace to achieve so much more than I had ever imagined. He told me to “dream bigger than I ever had before”.

Months went by and I started highlighting my list when those things I wanted – happened. To date – there are 13/18 highlighted.

Why do I tell you this…

I spent so much time worrying about the things that I could not control, instead of stepping out in faith and doing what God wanted. When I did what God was asking of me – He blessed us with the things that we needed…and the additional things that were on my “want list”.

Life will continue, whether you worry or not. The only difference is – do you want to get to the end of your life and have fulfilled everything that God created you for? If it’s a yes – don’t be afraid.

God has this.

He has you.

He knows what you need.

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God is not trying to controlling us but rather he wants us to trust him and receive His grace and love in fullness.

We can’t live in a realm of “double-mindedness” – to claim that you trust God but find your security in what this World has to offer…that’s pride.

The devil will tempt us in many ways but resisting means that we can live to always glorify God.  It’s time – that this generation, start to defy the enemy. To stop striving for our own way and become humble before God.

We are living in an overlap between the resurrection of Jesus and the final victory of God. It can be stressful and even painful at times but there is nothing in all of earth or heaven, that can stop God loving us and so my prayer this morning, is that we – that’s you and I – we will rise up today and live with understanding that we know who we are and what is to come.

Humble yourself. Trust God.

 

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We are called to be free…

That’s free from sin. Free from guilt. Free from trying to be good. Free from fear.

For some of us, this may seem to be a green light to abuse was is meant by this freedom – as it is believed that God will always forgive. However, Christian freedom is found in doing the right thing…by serving and loving others, as Christ did for us.

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Galatians 3:26 “For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

I have gone through periods in my life when I look back now, and realise that I have been striving for other people’s acceptance. To show that “I can do” what I thought was needed for their approval. This left me exhausted, as I was compromising who I was actually created to be.

We can all be presented with an opportunity that makes us feel like we “have made it” (whatever that even means!) and we are promoted in some way, in life – whether that is with our career choice, financially etc. but then recently I have been re-reading the Gospel of Matthew; in particular Chapter 4. This is where Jesus is being tempted for 40 days / 40 nights, before being released into His God given calling.

I find it fascinating that the enemy presented Jesus (on the third attempt to derail His calling) with a very tempting offer that – in the natural – we might think twice about.

Can you imagine being shown “all the Kingdoms of this World and their splendour” (v8). Satan is very clever – He knows what can drive us. The first two attempts were to try and get Jesus to hurt himself but the last attempt was to simply appeal to our nature to succeed in this World.

How many of us have accepted the third offer in this life already? The enemy can’t stop anyone from taking the path God has chosen but he can certainly delay it with temptation.

We need to remember that “The LORD directs the steps of the godly.” (Psalm 37:23). Jesus knew that Satan’s offer was all he had to offer – this World. I love the scripture in 1 John 2:17 “And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”

To me, this is a clear mandate. As a disciple of Christ…A child of God…as a Christian…that is our identity. This World can offer us many things but nothing can compare to eternal blessings.

Pray into the opportunities you have been given. I take a lot from this passage because something that seems great, doesn’t mean it’s from God and when we trust in who God is – know matter how tempting the offer, I would rather decline something in the natural to be promoted in the supernatural!

 

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I recently was admitted to Hospital but during the ambulance journey into A&E, God gave me a moment in time, that I was able to speak to the Paramedic about Jesus. He look at me and said “You are one of those religious people, aren’t you? I know because there has never been a person in this amount of pain that doesn’t swear and curse constantly.” We spent only a few moments, talking about what was different about me, as “I didn’t look like one of those raving mad religious freaks”. I shared with him about the difference between religion and faith. How Jesus had transformed my life and that I will follow Him until my dying breath.

I remember at some point, the Paramedic came and found me again in Hospital to see how I was doing but he said that what I told him, had struck a cord. He had apparently walked away from religion years ago, after being raised catholic. People had done unspeakable things to him and he decided that he couldn’t measure up to who he thought he had to be. I pray for the seed, that has now been planted.

Some people question why Christians go through hardship. Jesus never said that our walk would be easy – just look at what happened to the Apostles. However, over the past 10 days, I have been encouraged and uplifted by Gods goodness and His word. He has outpoured His love into the very depths of my soul. I awoke in various states of consciousness to see His hand upon me. I will always praise Jesus – even when it hurts. We live to glorify Him in ALL circumstances.

I am a strong believer that things happen for a reason. Whether we understand what those reasons are – is kind of irrelevant to me. Ultimately, we a blessed to be a blessing. God consoled and refreshed me from His presence; which then gave me the strength to speak life, into dry bones.

 

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How many of us actually know what’s our purpose in life? Why we were created by God? Or even, how we are to impact the World?

My focus changed in life, when I:

  1. Discovered the love of the Father and what Jesus had done for me
  2. Discovered the “good works” (my purpose) for which I was created to do

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:13‬ ‭(NLT) “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”

My life changed, when I started to walk with God. When I desired to get to know Him more – as it enabled me to start making the changes needed, to be empowered to fulfil all that God has for me.

Imagine a World where Christians stopped listening to the enemy’s lies and started to believe who they are in Christ?

Imagine a World empowered by you or I, who walked with God to change their life, their families, their neighbourhood, workplaces, towns, cities, nations or even the World?

Imagine a World without fear.

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The Bible to some people is nothing more than a story book; to others it is seen as a dictatorship but to many (2.3 billion people) the Bible is known as the living word of God and when you have relationship with Jesus, the Bible speaks to the very depths of your soul.

I used to think (metiphorically speaking) that stepping on people, to get to where you needed to be, was the process of life and I even grew up thinking that “second place, was first loser”. Being a twin myself, meant that life was a constant competition – even from birth. I remember for years, that I thought I couldn’t even do that right (I’m the younger twin), as anything other than winning, I thought was weakness.

However, Jesus summed up all of the 613 commandments from the Old Testament, in two…

Love God and Love others (Matthew 22:34-40). When we hurt other people or even ourselves, we go against God, because He is love (1 John 4:8) and therefore when I read the Bible, I see time after time that God shows grace (something we can’t earn but is freely given) and love.

Psalm 119 reminds me that I need to show the same love and the grace to others that God shows to me, because scripture is a reflection of God’s nature and therefore, we learn that we can trust Him and His plan and purposes for us.

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