What are you thinking?

What are you thinking? Do your thoughts line up with God's thoughts about you and your future?

Last week I was reminded once again that God's ways and thoughts are so different to ours. He sees things from a completely different perspective, an all seeing and all knowing perspective. He tells us this so clearly in Isaiah,

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 AMP

I had some thoughts about one of our daughter's abilities at school. My thoughts were based on other people's opinions and experiences. Last week my eyes and heart were opened to a different perspective - God's perspective. God knew that an adjustment was needed in my thinking and expectations and He provided someone to deliver that message to me. God wanted to remind me ....

'I don't think the way you think. The way you work isn't the way I work." GOD's decree. "For as the sky soars high above the earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think." Isaiah 55:8-9 The Message

God reminded me that I need to be constantly taking every thought captive, analysing them to check that they agree with God's word. And if they don't, replacing them with His truth.

We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of the life shaped by Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 The Message

Questions for today, how do your thoughts line up with God's word? Is there an area in your life that you are feeling hopeless about? 

Why not take some time to write down those thoughts and look at each one, asking yourself, is this what God says or is this what people say? Is this truth and life, or is this fear speaking? For each thought, search God's word for His truth and start replacing that wrong thinking with God's truth. In the process be expectant of a greater revelation of God's love for you. Because He made you and He has many precious thoughts about you.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! Psalm 139:17 NKJV

 

 

Coming alongside

Can you remember a time when you knew that God was alongside you helping you through a situation?

Or maybe it wasn't until you had come through the circumstance and you looked back that you could see He was with you.

Either way, how reassuring it is to know that He is with us.

All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 The Message

Have you noticed that when we are through to the other side of our circumstance, if we are open to letting God work through us, it doesn't take long to find yourself comforting and encouraging someone else in a similar circumstance? 

The Amplified Bible puts it this way ....

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source] of every comfort (consolation and encouragement), Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged) by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 AMP

If you have found yourself in that situation of consoling and encouraging others in God's strength, then you will know what a blessing it is! A blessing to know that God is using you as His vessel to help others. 

So in the challenging times, lets remember that God is alongside us, giving us all we need, so that we can, in the future, come alongside side others, showing His love and grace. 

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV

Is your life heavy and hard to take?

For a few years I have been writing a book about our journey with Victoria. It has been a hugely emotional process, re-living those traumatic times. 

Sometimes it seems like a really bad dream because our life is so different now. Yes, Victoria is still living with the impacts of the tumour, and yes our family is still working through the emotional outfall of the trauma, but we are not in that place of desperation we once were. In those years we lived with hope that God would bring us through. And He did.

Reading these scriptures this morning describes it so well.

I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed. I remember it all - oh, how well I remember - the feeling of hitting the bottom. But there's one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

God's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up. They're created new every morning. How great is your faithfulness! I'm sticking with GOD (I say it over and over) He's all I've got left.

GOD proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It's a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from GOD.

Lamentations 3:19 - 26 The Message 

We are grateful for His never-ending mercy, love and faithfulness. 

Further on the scripture says,

When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions: Wait for hope to appear. Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face. The "worst" is never the worst. Lamentations 3:28-30 The Message

Question for today, if your life heavy and hard to take? If yes, then why not do as God tells us to ...

1. Go off by yourself

2. Enter the silence

3. Bow in prayer

4. Don't ask questions

5. Wait for hope to appear

6. Don't run from trouble

7. Take it full face

You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you. 2 Chronicles 20:17 NKJV

 

 

Give God room to move

What happens when we give God room to move in our lives?

There have been a few things going on this week that have reminded me of what can happen when we give God room to move in our lives. 

We always have a choice to either hold on tight to the problem or person, or to say,

'Okay God, there is nothing I can do about this, I am trusting You to show me what to do, and if you want me to do nothing, and leave it all to You, I will.'

God wants us to bring all our concerns to Him, to trust Him with every person and every circumstance, good or bad, in our lives.

Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass. Psalm 37:5 AMP

Can you picture yourself rolling and resposing your cares on God? Going through the list that is in your head, giving every single care to Him and placing your trust in Him to sort it out. Imagine the peace we would have if we could fully do that.

The Message bible puts it this way,

Open up before GOD, keep nothing back; he'll do whatever needs to be done.

Psalm 37:5 The Message

This scripture tells us there are two things we need to do ...

1. Open up before GOD

2. Keep nothing back

To be able to do these things we need to know God, to know in our hearts that He is trustworthy, He loves us, He wants to hear what is going on in our hearts and minds (even though He already knows).  

Think about your friendships, there are some people you feel safe to open up to, they are the ones you trust and know they will love and accept you for who you are. But even with those friendships we are unlikely to fully disclose our deepest thoughts for fear of judgement. 

However God is a safe place, always, to open up too. There is no judgement, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 

Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. Romans 8:1 AMP

We need to know that God is not surprised to hear our thoughts and fears. He is all seeing and all knowing. He just wants to know that we trust Him enough to come to Him with out deepest thoughts and fears. He wants that intimate relationship with us, knowing that He is always the first one we will cry out to. And when we do that, be expectant that He will move and He'll do whatever needs to be done. 

Question for today, is there something or someone in your life that you are holding on to tightly? Is there room for God to move and do what He wants to do in that circumstance or person? If not, ask God to help you fully release them into His care and trust Him with them.

In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You, Lord, alone make me dwell in safety and confident trust. Psalm 4:8 AMP

There is too much to do, I need help

Have you ever said to yourself (or someone else), 

'There is too much to do, I need help' ?

I seem to be saying that quite regularly at the moment as our life continues to change, and not always by our own choice. Again I find myself coming back to God asking Him to give me the practical answers to the how, when and what questions. 

And He always answers, so despite all these happenings, I have a quiet confidence that God is still in control, He hasn't had a break from being sovereign God, our loving Heavenly Father. He is there and is always available to give direction.

For this God is our God forever and ever; He will be our guide [even] until death. Psalm 48:14 AMP

The main challenge for me is to take those thoughts of 'there is too much to do' captive. I have found these three steps help me.

1. Stop - a few weeks ago I put a sticky note on my computer monitor saying, 

Be still and know that I am God Psalm 46:10 

So when those thoughts come like, 'I can't do this, This is too much', I glance up to that note, breathe and read it and read it and read it until I feel that peace that passes all understanding come upon me.

2. Listen - once I have stopped I am able to actually listen to what God is saying or not saying. This helps me to make sure that I am doing only what He has asked me to do - nothing more and nothing less. Because I have learned that when I am doing what He wants me to do, there is always enough time and resource.

3. Ask - I then ask God, 'What is the next thing You want me to do right now? On this desk full of paper, emails and texts which one do You want me to attend to next?'

The answer always comes, although in different ways. I might find myself looking at a group of papers for just a second longer than normal, or a name might come into my mind, or an email at the bottom of a never-ending list catches my eye, or it could be my husband asking me for something. 

Whatever way the answer comes, I have noticed that it is always the right thing to do at that time. Afterwards I think, 'that was so good that I decided to do that' and then I remember, 'No Wendy, it wasn't you that decided, it was God who showed you what to do, He always knows best.'

And I thank God for His continual guidance, that He doesn't leave us or forsake us. And He goes before us.

It is the Lord Who goes before you; He will [march] with you; [let there be no cowardice or flinching, but] fear not, neither become broken [in spirit - depressed, dismayed, and unnerved with alarm]. Deuteronomy 31:8 AMP

He is always there, ready to help when we ask. So today, let's remember to ask for His guidance in everything we do.

What is going on here?

 Sometimes in the midst of trials we ask,

'What is going here?'

Jeremiah 18 gives an explanation ...

The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, "Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause you to hear My words." Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?" says the LORD. "Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!

Jeremiah 18:1-6 NKJV

The Potter is at work. We are the clay - marred and being made into another vessel by God's love and grace, a vessel that seems good to the potter, Our Heavenly Father.

The next question is, how 'moldable' are we? How willing are we to let the Potter mold us as we go through these trials, so that when the trial is finished, we are a vessel that seems good to the potter? Are we willing to yield to His loving, yet mysterious ways?

 

Hillsong has a beautiful worship song, The Potter's Hand, about yielding and letting God mold us more into His image.

Here is the chorus...

Take me, Mold me, use me, fill me
I give my life to the Potter's hand
Call me, guide me, lead me, walk beside me
I give my life to the Potter's hand

Question for today, at this moment, how moldable are you? Despite what is going on, is your heart still open and soft towards God, letting Him speak to you? It is a beautiful place to be, but sometimes hard to get to in the middle of a trial. If you aren't as moldable as you would like to be, I encourage you to spend some time in worship, possibly play The Potter's Hand, asking God to help you yield to Him, that little bit more to Him.

 

 

Thoughts and words

How often do you find yourself thinking about other people? Thinking less than lovely thoughts about them. Then perhaps even sharing those less than lovely thoughts with someone else - gossiping. It can be very easy to do.

Here is one of the scriptures that God gave me for 2017.

 

Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults – unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find your life given back, but not merely given back – given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity. Luke 6:37-38 The Message

God's word provides us with so much wisdom. How I love it. I have printed out this scripture and put it in the toilet room, for all family members to read.

We were in the car a couple of days ago and one child started to say something less than lovely about someone they knew. Then the other three started adding in their thoughts. And it was all on.

I managed to interrupt them and ask them, 

'Do you know what you are doing? How would you feel if in another car, a family was talking about you that way? Haven't you read the new scriptures in the toilet?'

They went quiet. And then one said, 

'I can't read those big words.'

Okay, so I think this scripture needs to be one that we learn off by heart in the car, with the goal of next time the gossip starts, one of the children (rather than me) steps in to stop  it.

Question for today, how well is your thought-life and conversation aligning with this scripture? The scripture is asking us to do the opposite to what seems to be the norm in today's world. It takes purposeful action in each of us to stop those unlovely thoughts and words. Today, let's ask God to help us reject those thoughts and be the 'encouragers' that He designed us to be.

May the Master of Peace himself give you the gift of getting along with each other at all times, in all ways. May the Master truly be among you! 2 Thessalonians 3:16 The Message

 

What are you wearing today?

What have you chosen to wear today? 

Are you going to put on the protection that God provides to help us resist those fiery darts from the devil? 

Let's take a few moments to have think about what God has provided for us, as spiritual protection in this world....


Put on all of God's armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:11-12 NLT

We need God's help, His authority, in this spiritual battle. The Message Bible puts it this way,

Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Ephesians 6:13 The Message

So what are the pieces of armour that we need to put on?

1. The belt of Truth - (Eph 6:14) - Taking every thought captive and declaring God's truth in all circumstances.

2. The breastplate of Righteousness - (Eph 6:14) - Knowing that you know, that you know, that you know, that you are in right-standing with God because of what Jesus has done for you.

3. The shoes of the Gospel of Peace - (Eph 6:15) - God loves us all, Jesus came to save all people, giving life. Our thoughts, words and actions need to reflect this Gospel of Peace. He loves the one who is lost.

4. The shield of Faith - (Eph 6:16) - to rebuke all the lies that come your way, keep trusting that God's word is true.

5. The helmet of Salvation - (Eph 6:17) - your assurance of eternal life because of Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life.

6. The sword of the Spirit - (Eph 6:17) - the Word of God - Jesus - to whom all authority is given.

And Paul reminds us, pray, pray, pray.

In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no-one falls behind or drops out. Ephesians 6:19 The Message






So today, let's not get complacent about what is happening in the spiritual world. Let's make the choice to put on God's armour so we can resist and stand firm. And keep praying.

Therefore put on God's complete armour, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place]. Ephesians 6:13 AMP