This I do...

God Is On The Move!

2012-01-10T11:50:00.000Z

The prophets are speaking and the saints are praying. God is doing a new thing and many can feel it. I was blessed and encouraged to read Jarrod Cooper's thoughts on what he believes 2012 will bring. "10 clouds in the sky." Come Holy Spirit!

It’s 2012 and I hear the “sound of a heavy rain”. The horizon is awash with small prophetic clouds, “the size of a man’s hand” 1 Kings 18:41-46. Something is going on in the heavenlies and here’s my reasoning:

1. The “great” can feel it: The Queen states “Jesus wasn’t a Philosopher …. but a Saviour who came to forgive our sins”. The Prime Minister calls for the Anglican Church to spearhead a revival of Christian morality. When the prophets are the Queen and the Prime Minister, something’s going on!
2. There’s never been so many miracles. Everywhere I go in our region pastors are telling me of cancer patients healed, tumours disappearing, deaf ears opening, long term sick recovering. From small things to life changing miracles, I’ve never seen so many miracles in this region. We long for so much more, but we are in so much more than we’ve ever known!
3. The Unsaved are Drawn: Once again God is bringing people to church buildings and they are saying things like “I’m not sure why I’m here!” They then get saved. When the Spirit Himself is drawing people to church, you know the heavens are pregnant with purpose.
4. Backsliders on fire! I’ve never known the luke warm burst into blaze like the last 6 months! It is so easy to get bogged down with so much in life, but I’ve seen so many friends starting to burn with a passion for the real things of God. Quiet Christians getting passionate. The trendy becoming divine troublemakers! This is God and God alone!

Beautiful River

2012-01-06T14:37:00.001Z

Beautiful River - Jarrod Cooper

Waiting

2011-12-27T19:41:00.000Z

Photo by Mance

But let patience perfect her work

James 1:4

Are you trying to get out of something that God is trying to bring you through? Have you been asking God why the waiting period is so long? If so here are 3 [possible] reasons:

1. Waiting brings results! "It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord" (Lamentations 3:25-26). Waiting time is learning time, and if you’re learning, you’re not losing. God will spend time training you for the battle, because He’s a good general. “Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight” (Psalm 144:1)

Waiting will reveal those around you. Motives are not easily discerned. Trust God but test people! That’s scriptural. “The LORD your God led you… 40 years, to humble you and to test you, in order to know what was in your heart” (Deut. 8:2). The wrong people can keep their mistakes and their motives covered for a long time, but waiting forces the truth to the surface.

Waiting gives God time to address your problem miraculously. He’s a miracle God; so don’t get ahead of Him and rob Him of an opportunity to prove His Power in your life. The word for you today is wait.

Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Here For You

2011-11-22T16:38:00.000Z

Fantastic song of the moment. Brilliant writing by Tomlin and others that avoids cliches and builds praise!

My Story 2 (Led by the Spirit)

2011-11-08T08:00:00.000Z

As I explained in part one of my story, the church that I had attended as a child was very traditional and as far as I remember there was little teaching, if any, given on the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian and therefore I had no ideas of Him doing anything specific in my life. However, I was to find out that God had more of a hand on my life than I had expected! At the time of my finding faith again, I was a student at the Royal College of Music in London and very close by was the church of Holy Trinity Brompton. In late 1985 I began to hear of something called the Alpha Course, which has now become worldwide. I forget the exact details of how I got there, but very soon I was attending weekly classes on the basics of the Christian Life, and slowly I became aware of a dynamic that I had not heard of before; the baptism of the Holy Spirit. That was 23 years ago but I still remember the great anticipation and excitement I felt as I found book after book talking about this wonderful experience of being filled with the Presence of God and speaking in other tongues. One day whilst at my parent’s house my eyes fell on a book called Nine o’clock in the Morning by Dennis Bennett, which talked about how this experience of the Spirit totally transformed the author and his church. As I read this and other books on the subject, God gave me a strong desire to seek Him for this baptism of fire. John the Baptist said of Jesus:

I baptize you with water for repentance, but the One who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to take off His sandals. He Himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Matthew 3:11

Again, like my conversion, this awareness of the Holy Spirit’s power was a gradual awakening, but it did begin with a remarkable experience. After reading many books and seeking God, I realised that I actually had to ask God for this gift, and in order to speak in tongues I needed to open my mouth! So one day, late at night, I sat on my bed and prayed to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I still remember the sense of quiet awe and anticipation. I opened my mouth and as I spoke just one syllable I immediately felt something light enter the top of my head and then for a second I felt I was actually being lifted up out of my body. In fact the experience so took me aback that I stopped and went to sleep! The next day I furtively tried to speak again, this time without the same feeling but sensing that the Lord had indeed answered my prayer.

A few weeks later I was on the Alpha Course Holy Spirit weekend when we all gathered to ask Him to fill us. Some fell to the ground under God’s power, others gently cried and others laughed. All the time we sang and worshipped. I was aware of the air being ‘thick’ with His Presence in a way I have never experienced since, and I was touched with a holy laughter. With my friends, I returned from that weekend absolutely full of joy and walking on air! I describe these things not because they are experiences to seek after in themselves, but simply to show that the Holy Spirit is a real Person and when He touches us, we react spiritually, emotionally and sometimes even physically, just like the day of Pentecost. This dynamic of the Spirit in my life has given me a joy in worship and a hunger for God that I believe I would not have had otherwise.

It was a while after this time when God taught me something more about how the Spirit wanted to touch me with healing and forgiveness. I was coming up to my final exams and had an irritating problem with my ear which, with my final recital looming, was causing me anxiety. One day, a friend from Holy Trinity Brompton invited me to a prayer group and as we were praying (there were maybe 8 of us), the lady on my right asked if there was anyone present with ear trouble. With amazement I admitted it was me and I was prayed for. After the meeting this lady spoke to me privately and said she felt I might be suffering because I was holding unforgiveness towards someone. I knew immediately that she was right as I was having a very difficult relationship issue at the time. There was someone I needed to approach for reconciliation. In the following days I was able to forgive this person and God gave me the amazing opportunity to talk to them. The very morning after this meeting I woke up and put my hand up to my ear to feel a discharge that had come out of my ear and run down the side of my face during the night. From that moment, my ear began to improve. This is just one example of how the Holy Spirit gave a word of knowledge through another that resulted in forgiveness and healing.

In 1994 there was a worldwide move of the Holy Spirit that originated from a small church in Toronto. That very year I had been in Israel and had been struck by the passage in Ezekiel 47 where the amazing image is given of fresh water flowing from the temple in Jerusalem down into the Dead Sea, bringing life in its path. Some believe that this will one day happen in reality, but as the year progressed it became evident that God was using this picture to show what He was doing spiritually from Toronto. His Spirit was being poured out bringing spiritual life and restoration to all who would receive. This move touched many churches in the UK and I was blessed to receive the Holy Spirit in a new way with some of the most intense experiences of His love and Presence I have ever had. It was also at this time that I was given a strong desire to study the Bible and I launched into a series of courses with great enthusiasm.

Some of my strongest experiences of God’s Presence during the Toronto Blessing had been of physical shaking and I believe, in retrospect that this was a sign of what God was going to do next. In the Bible we are told that when God comes He refines us like fire.

But who can endure the day of His coming? And who will be able to stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner's fire.
Malachi 3:2.

When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.
John 16:8 .

About a year following the time of the Toronto Blessing I went into one of the darkest times of my life that lasted about 3 years. I felt like a ton of bricks had landed on me. Absolutely everything was a huge effort. I was plagued by constant tiredness, feelings of guilt, desperation and hopelessness. By the classic definition, I was depressed. Although my work life was severely disturbed, it always amazes me as I look back, that I was actually able to continue working during that time. God had provided me with a wonderful counsellor and it seemed that one issue after another came tumbling out of me for healing. Events from my past, even from childhood, threatened to crush me, and the feelings of guilt forced me to make confession of things that I had buried long ago. All through this time I was aware of God speaking to me, particularly through scripture, and as time progressed I realised that I was a different person. I felt that I had being given a thorough spring clean! I share this because I believe that it was a work of the Holy Spirit in my life. Part of being open to the Holy Spirit is allowing Him to cleanse and refine us so that we can be equipped for greater service in His Kingdom. During this period the Lord also led me to a different church and has since given me a ministry in worship leading that has completely amazed me! And the story continues!

Led by the Spirit means many different things for me. It is essentially giving God the whole of ourselves and holding nothing back. This can be started simply, but not easily, with a prayer of relinquishment of all that we hold dear. As we pray; Lord , have Your way in my life, whatever the cost, He will respond and take us at our word. He will take us on a journey through difficult places if necessary, but in it there will be the most intense and unspeakable joy and the destination will be the heart of Jesus. For that is what the Spirit desires for us; an intimate and holy passion for the Lord Jesus Christ.

My Story 1 (Beginnings)

2011-11-07T08:01:00.000Z

I guess my Christian story starts like many others do. I was brought up to go to church from the age of about 6 when my parents were converted at a Billy Graham rally. At least my mother responded first and then Dad a little after. I have a memory of waiting anxiously outside our first church whilst Mum went inside to investigate the possibilities of Sunday School. That Baptist church remained our home for some years. Here, my parents and my brother and I were baptised and stood to proclaim our faith in Jesus Christ. I know that for my parents it was a time of great spiritual growth and preparation for all that was to come later. We might say that in those days (the 70's) the things of the Spirit were still slowly emerging, and although my parents began to taste a little of it, I did not experience the Holy Spirit for myself in a real way until later in my life. By that Holy Spirit experience I mean the experience of knowing God's power and presence; hearing his voice in a tangible way. Nevertheless my experience of God as a child was real and natural, although I was very shy and rarely talked about it with anyone. My prayer life consisted of daily chats with God on my walk to school. My desire to be baptised was genuine and in my own way I loved God and wanted more of him in my life.

After my baptism at the age of about 14, I began to have a crisis of faith, perhaps like many others at that age. As a teenager I had too many questions and struggles and church for me was frankly boring! I remember during the extended time of prayer in the service, which seemed to cover most of the world and last for hours, I found the hymn book extremely interesting reading! I stopped going to church and simply retreated into myself. I could not reconcile the fact that God loved me and yet I was struggling with so many issues as a teenager. On reflection the next few years were perhaps the most unhappy of my life. Of course I never stopped praying. But I have found in my life that I pray most when I am in trouble and running away from God. When I'm close to Him I don't feel the need to say very much. During this time my parents also left the Baptist church with a few others and started a house church on their own. I was not part of that, and had no desire to be, but God was obviously doing a great deal there and I have no doubt that they were praying for me.

At the age of 18 I went to college and found myself living in halls with all the joys of college life, as well as the temptations. Although being at college was a wonderful experience, my feeling of spiritual unease persisted and I was continually struggling with my faith. I remember being at a party one night having drunk a little too much, and all this anxiety and frustration came flooding out as I tried to explain to my friend what I was going through. She knew very little about the Christian faith so I explained all that I knew and poured out all my struggles to her. She listened patiently and seemed very interested but I was left having come to no conclusions about the way forward. Imagine my surprise when I learned that after hearing all I had said she had decided to become a Christian, apparently against all my advice! Looking back it seems to me to have been an extraordinary experience, but I still held out against God, and struggled on.

It was not until my second year in college that the struggle finally came to an end. One weekend I found myself away with 3 others on a gig somewhere in the country, giving musical entertainment in a rather posh manor house. Our college was very good at getting us jobs like this, if rather measly fees! As the weekend progressed the subject of religion came up and it transpired that these 3 were all Christians, of the Roman Catholic variety. Now, I was brought up in an evangelical church that was suspicious of Roman Catholics, and I was absolutely certain that God wasn't going to speak to me through one of them! I'm glad to say that my outlook has changed now! However, God did speak to me through them and that weekend turned out to be a milestone in my life. No miracles happened. They didn't even try to convince me or evangelise me. They just were who they were. I saw peace and integrity in their lives, when I had none. They had Jesus and just shone with a love that was so attractive to me. Sounds corny doesn't it? But it was true. I knew then that it was something I wanted back in my life. I had to actually do something to get started again, so the following Sunday I slipped into the back row of the local baptist church and made my commitment to God. I spoke to no-one. I remember nothing about that service except that I was there, that God saw me and that it was important. To be honest, looking back over my life, I'm not sure of the exact day I became a Christian. I had been christened as a baby, fully immersed as a teenager and during my childhood I can't remember an appeal after an evangelistic sermon when I didn't say 'yes'. But I think maybe that slinking into the back row of a local church that day was very significant and I'll be surprised if it isn't written in a book somewhere in heaven.

From that day on things started to change and peace came back into my life. Things were about to happen that I would never have believed. I was about to discover a God who was beyond anything I had imagined. A God who was close to me. A God who would heal me, challenge and test me, and a God who would give me the most wonderful joy and purpose in my life.

Skywatch #132

2011-11-04T15:31:00.003Z

Cloudburst, originally uploaded by duopastorale.

A variation on my last Skywatch... taken from a different angle on one of my daily walks. Have a great weekend :)

Faith On The Offensive

2011-10-25T16:37:00.000+01:00

The just shall live by faith

Romans 1:17

God wants you to move from a survival mentality to a position of ruling and reigning; from just getting by, to really believing Him '...to do exceedingly abundantly above all that [you] ask or think...' (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV). You're not told to cope with the devil, you're told to resist him and he will flee from you (James 4:7). The Greek word for flee means 'to run in terror'. Picture yourself waking up in the morning and the devil saying, 'Help, they're up again!' Paul writes, '[Don't] give place to the devil' (Ephesians 4:27 NKJV). Satan has no place in your life unless you give it to him!

His goal is to separate you from your faith, because faith is what pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). Faith makes you an overcomer (1 John 5:4). Faith brings answers to your prayers. '...when you pray... believe that you receive... and you will have them' (Mark 11:24 NKJV). If you really believe that, you'll act on it. The Bible says, 'Fight the good fight of faith...' (1 Timothy 6:12), so there must be enemies of our faith. And one of faith's biggest enemies is your ignorance of God's Word. 'My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee...' (Hosea 4:6). Medical science teaches that you can be exposed to a disease and not get it because you've been inoculated against it. Likewise, religiosity can inoculate you against real faith. Negative people can do that too. You say, 'How can I strengthen my faith?' The Bible says, 'Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God' (Romans 10:17 NKJV). So live in God's Word.

Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Skywatch #131

2011-10-07T22:40:00.000+01:00

Autumn Sun, originally uploaded by duopastorale.

London has recently had a heatwave... in October. But today we are back to Autumnal weather. Good :)

The Race

2011-10-06T09:15:00.000+01:00

Whenever I start to hang my head in front of failure’s face,
    my downward fall is broken by the memory of a race.
A children’s race, young boys, young men; how I remember well,
    excitement sure, but also fear, it wasn’t hard to tell.
They all lined up so full of hope, each thought to win that race
    or tie for first, or if not that, at least take second place.
Their parents watched from off the side, each cheering for their son,
    and each boy hoped to show his folks that he would be the one. read more

Helping Hurting People

2011-10-03T19:19:00.000+01:00

A word of encouragement does wonders

Proverbs 12:25

Ask yourself, "Do I hurt people, and am I easily hurt by them?"

(1) Hurting people hurt other people. the German poet Hermann Hesse wrote: "If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us." Hurting people lash out in response to what's happening inside them. they feel or believe something negative within themselves. Try to remember that.

(2) Hurting people are more often hurt by people. Let's say you've got a splinter in your finger and it becomes infected. Then someone brushes against it. you howl with pain, "You hurt me!" No, the real problem is the splinter you neglected to address. Hurting people overreact, overexaggerate, and over protect. They also overinfluence. Ask any counsellor who's dealt with a hurting couple. Emotionally one spouse "throws up," then the other "cleans up." Usually the individual with the most pain does the most damage.

(3) Quick fixes don't work. the kindest thing you can do for hurting people is ask them, "Are you prepared to work through the issues and get beyond your pain?" When a New England pipe cleaning company was working under streets to clean out a sewer line, they found: 61 diamond rings, vintage coins and silverware. It was an unpleasant job - but they were allowed to keep the valuables they found in the process. Now you may have to do some digging and deal with some pretty nasty stuff, but in the process you may discover some treasures you didn't know existed, and at the end of all your hard work, learn to develop healthy relationships.

Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Our God Is Greater - Chris Tomlin

2011-10-01T16:19:00.001+01:00

Finishing Strong

2011-09-26T09:32:00.000+01:00

I have finished my course

2 Timothy 4:7

To finish strong, you must understand three things. First, that people will leave you. It may be because you've outgrown them, or to fulfil their own vision, or because they don't want to go where God's taking you. People left Jesus: '...many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more' (John 6:66 NKJV). Second, that challenges will come. Everybody God uses moves from one challenge to the next. Paul writes, '...People are watching us as we stay at our post ... when we're praised, and when we're blamed; slandered, and honoured; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognised by God; terrifically alive, though rumoured to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all!' (2 Corinthians 6:4-10 TM).

Finally, that satan will attack you. When he does, remember, attack is a sign of respect. It lets you know you're valuable to God. It also indicates the level of blessing that awaits you beyond the attack. Satan will attack when God is about to bring something to birth in your life. It may be the birth of a relationship, a career, a ministry, or even a child God will use. Your 'difficult child' may be a child of destiny; that's why they encounter more difficulties than your other children. They have an assignment the enemy has discerned. When the attack comes, stand on God's Word and say, 'Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ' (1 Corinthians 15:57 NKJV).

Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Life Stabilisers

2011-09-19T12:12:00.000+01:00

...like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm

James 1:6

Are you winning or losing most of your spiritual battles? Are you down more than up? Do you feel frustrated? Are you going in circles? Is your experience full of stops and starts, a constant guilt-failure cycle? That's not God's plan for you. You can live a stable, consistent life! But it will require life stabilisers such as decisiveness. Israel wanted to have it both ways: God's blessing, yet the right to disregard His Word; freedom to live like heathen nations, yet be His special people. But Joshua declared it unacceptable. '...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...' (Joshua 24:15 NIV).

The church at Laodicea also wanted it both ways, but God pressed them: '...You are... neither cold nor hot... make up your minds...' (Revelation 3:16,19 CEV). God requires a direction chosen, a goal set, and a mind made up. Wavering classifies you as double-minded and guarantees you will '...[not] receive anything from the Lord...' (James 1:6-8 NIV). To live a stable life, you need faith. You are called a 'believer' because faith must characterise not just some, but every area of your life. 'Without faith it is impossible...' (not unlikely, improbable, difficult) 'to please God...' (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). Faith is not what you study on Sunday morning, it's what you do 24/7! The Bible says, 'My righteous [ones] will live by faith.' You say, 'Where do I get faith?' By meditating on, and living in God's Word (Romans 10:17). Who possesses faith? The spiritually exceptional? No, '...God has dealt to each one a measure of faith' (Romans 12:3 NKJV). That includes you! Faith, not feelings or circumstances, is what makes your life stable!

Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Spirit Break Out - Worship Central

2011-09-17T10:12:00.003+01:00

Tim Hughes writes, "Our vision is to see the name of Jesus lifted high all around the world, from the churches to the charts, from the streets to the stadium. It's all about Jesus."

Worship Central exists to train and equip churches in worship all around the world. Al Gordon writes, "Our vision is to encounter God, equip the worshipper and empower the local church so that we'd see a worship explosion in our culture."

Forgiveness

2011-09-14T06:00:00.001+01:00

But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins

Matthew 6:15

Last week I was talking about forgiveness with some friends and mentioned how helpful I had found RT Kendall's book, Total Forgiveness. This is something RT has preached on for many years, using the illustration from Joseph's life. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers but was able to come to the point where he said, "God meant it for good". Most of us may not have such awful things to forgive, but harbouring grudges and witholding forgiveness for smaller offences is just as important to God and if we don't work towards forgiveness in every area in our lives then our relationship with Him will be greatly spoiled.

RT Kendall gives some important pointers in his wonderful book:

Make the deliberate and irrevocable choice not to tell anybody what they did. (This of course excepts the need to tell someone in the case of something serious or when we need to talk to someone for our own need for healing).
Be pleasant to them should you be around them.
If conversation ensues, say that which would set them free from guilt.
Let them feel good about themselves.
Protect them from their greatest fear (this may be the revelation of what they did).
Keep it up today, tomorrow, this year and next.
Pray for them.

There is much to said and discussed here of course, and it is no easy thing, but the words of Jesus are clear and stark. I for one do not wish to stand before him unable to receive His forgiveness because I have refused to forgive someone else, and I pray for grace and revelation where I need it. Let's humbly ask the Spirit to reveal our hearts to us, and when He shows us someone or a situation that needs attention, also the grace to accept the truth and set them free as He enables us.

Corrie Ten Boom always emphasised the truth that we cannot forgive alone. It is His forgiveness flowing through us that enables us to achieve it. She proved in her life that when we are willing and obedient, then He will provide the means and the power.

Listen to RT Kendall's talk

Skywatch #130

2011-09-09T16:56:00.007+01:00

Red Arrows, originally uploaded by duopastorale.

This was created by the Red Arrows at the Bournemouth Air Show last month. Tragically, a few hours after the show one of the planes crashed and the pilot was killed. It will be a day I will always remember.

What If?

2011-09-08T09:52:00.000+01:00

Closing The Door The Right Way

2011-09-05T16:38:00.000+01:00

Image by Tawheed Manzoor via Flickr

To everything there is a season

Ecclesiastes 3:1

In life, relationships come to an end. How you handle such moments can influence and shape your future. You can't enter the next season of your life properly if you don't exit this one properly. So, try to close the door with grace - you may need to walk back through it some day. Close the door with forgiveness. Resentment will poison your attitude and your memories and destroy you from within. Leave the judging to God; He knows both sides. Close the door with your promises fulfilled. At great personal cost, Jephthah said, '...I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break' (Judges 11:35 NIV). Your character is on the line here; whatever the price tag, keep your word, because God is listening when you give it!

Try to close the door with courage. It's not easy to face tomorrow when you feel alone, but remember, you are not alone. Jesus said, '...I am with you always, even unto the end of the world' (Matthew 28:20). Close the door in God's timing. Grieve your losses, but don't get stuck in the past. King Saul represented the past but David represented the future. When God rejected Saul because he had displeased Him, God said to the prophet Samuel, '..."How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him... go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king from among his sons"' (1 Samuel 16:1 NKJV). Endings bring new beginnings. It's all right to acknowledge the past and learn from it, but when God shuts the door it's time to move into the future He's prepared for you.

Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.

A Call To Anguish - David Wilkerson

2011-09-01T16:49:00.002+01:00

Holidays!

2011-08-31T16:03:00.000+01:00

Reliving good times...

Monkey World in Dorset and it's founder Jim Cronin.

Blue Pool... amazing place

Bournemouth in the hot sun... who needs Spain?!

Swanage Steam Railway, a taste of a bygone age..

The New Forest where horses wander freely everywhere including the high streets and up to your front door!

And no holiday is complete without a swim in the outdoors. Lovely.

Even if it's little rough...

Hold Steady And Let God Work

2011-08-29T11:14:00.006+01:00

'...our light affliction... is working for us...'

2 Corinthians 4:17

There are times in your life when everything you attempt to do will seem to go wrong. Your faith may be strong and your commitment deep, yet adversity will come knocking on your door. In such times, the power of prayer will strengthen and stabilise you. But you can't pray away life's seasons! God has a purpose for not allowing you to be fruitful all the time. Real growth requires seasons of struggle as well as seasons of success. Your seasons of struggle destroy pride in your own ability, increase your dependence on God, and cause you to say, like Paul did, 'Not that we are sufficient of ourselves... our sufficiency is from God' (2 Corinthians 3:5 NKJV). These are humbling experiences, but you need them.

Your life is like a tree: in winter it silently refurbishes its strength, preparing for the next season of fruitfulness. As you look back on your life's accomplishments you'll notice that they are seasonal. There are seasons of rain as well as sunshine, and each season serves an important purpose. That's why it's a mistake to make a permanent decision based on a temporary circumstance or changing emotion. '...the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal' (2 Corinthians 4:18). The word temporal means 'subject to change'. Hold steady, it's not always going to be this way! Sometimes the situation doesn't call for action, it calls for patience and trust in God. Paul writes, 'Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us.' In ways you cannot understand, God is making the circumstances you're in today work for your good.

Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Disappointment With God

2011-08-15T17:11:00.001+01:00

When I heard these words, I sat down and wept.

Nehemiah 1:4

Selwyn Hughes writes, "The first thing we should learn about disappointment is this - it's OK to feel it. The worst possible thing we can do with any problem that arises in our lives is to refuse to face it and feel it. Yet this is a typical response made by many Christians to life's problems." Very rarely do we hear sermons that are honest about failure, disappointment and struggle. But we all have to deal with it at various times and we need to hear truth when it comes to our difficult faith experiences.

Yesterday I came upon this encouraging talk by Kathryn Scott of Causeway Coast Vineyard. Kathryn is a worship leader and she belongs to a church that is well known for its amazing healing ministry and yet she is painfully honest about times she has stepped out in obedience only to find that God didn't seem to do what He had promised. She shares that it is vital to take hold of these disappointments and deal with them properly to prevent a wall growing between us and the Father, and so that we can keep moving towards Him and not away from Him. God wants to reach out to us and ask us to lay our disappointments down so they don't grow into doubt and unbelief.

Lord Turn Your Footsteps

2011-08-09T09:32:00.003+01:00

Lord turn... we need you in these islands... our hearts are broken and our children are stolen... send Your Spirit to the UK and work Your deliverance...

Think Outside The Box

2011-08-08T12:37:00.000+01:00

Waters to swim in...

Ezekiel 47:1-5

Have you heard about the frog that was born at the bottom of a well? He thought life couldn't get any better till one day he looked up and saw daylight. Climbing up to investigate he was amazed to find a much larger pond than the one he lived in. And going further afield he discovered a lake that was bigger again. When he eventually came to the ocean and all he could see was water, it dawned on him just how limited his thinking had been. He thought everything he needed was down in the well, but that was a drop in a bucket compared to the things that were out there for him to enjoy.

Maybe you're living today in your own little well, reluctant to leave your comfort zone, settling for a limited and safe existence while God has rivers deep enough "to swim in". Wouldn't you like to step out in faith, experience new depths in Him and go where you've never been before? Remember, the enemy will do everything to keep you focused on your background, your lack of formal education, your appearance and your limited resources. But Bruce Wilkinson says, "It doesn't matter whether you're short of money, people, energy or time. What God invites you to do will always be greater than the resources you start with." Your don't have to let fear limit your vision when God is your source, because His supply is unlimited! One idea from Him, just one, can change your life and the lives of others. He's got great things in store for you today - so start thinking outside the box!

Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.