Podcast 004 - Come and gaze upon Jesus

Come and gaze upon Jesus

"Be at peace.  I am the living God. Don't be afraid. Why would you be so frightened? Don't let doubt or fear enter your hearts, for I AM! Come and gaze upon my pierced hands and feet. See for yourselves, it is I, standing here alive. Touch me and know that my wounds are real. See that I have a body of flesh and bone." Luke 24:37-39 The Passion Translation

These are the words Jesus spoke to the Disciples when He stood in their midst, soon after the resurrection. These are words for us too, today, here and now...

Be at peace...

Don't  be afraid...

Don't let doubt or fear enter your hearts...

Come and gaze...

See for yourselves. 

There is something about coming to Jesus, stopping and gazing, being still and choosing to focus your thoughts on Him. One of my favourite scriptures, Psalm 46:10

Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!

Psalm 46:10 NKJV

Since returning from the Colour Conference last Thursday afternoon, there has been plenty going on here to bring fear and doubt, probably not surprising given the great input we received from the conference. 

There was a moment on Saturday night when I took a moment to be still, surrender to God, and ask Him what I was to do.

Surrender your anxiety! Be silent and stop your striving and you will see that I am God. I am God above all nations, and I will be exalted throughout the whole earth. Psalm 46:10 The Passion Translation.

An aside question, why did it take me 48 hours to get to this place of surrender? The quick answer, I was so busy striving in my own strength to fix each undesirable situation as it arose, that it wasn't until I went to bed and started talking to God that I realised we were under attack! This had not been a normal 48 hours!

In that time of being still, God reminded me of who He is,

Here he stands!

The Commander!

The mighty Lord of Angel Armies is on our side!

The God of Jacob fights for us!

Psalm 46:11 The Passion Translation

Yesterday morning, on Tuesday, when things were still a bit crazy, during some time of prayer, declaring God's Word, fasting and worship, one of the worship songs I was prompted to play was, Chris Tomlin's, Whom shall I fear [God of Angel Armies]. Here are some of the lyrics

You hear me when I call
You are my morning song
Though darkness fills the night
It cannot hide the light

Whom shall I fear

You crush the enemy
Underneath my feet
You are my sword and shield
Though troubles linger still

Whom shall I fear

I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

We have a God who is living. He is not dead. He is with us. He is interceding for us. He is near. He wants us to come and gaze at Him, exchanging our fear for His peace. He wants us to know that we are loved by Him, always. 

By Tuesday afternoon the negative circumstances in all four situations had started to change, only through God's grace and mercy, thank you Jesus. 

Let's take time to day to stop, gaze and receive His love and remind ourselves that He is God, creator of Heaven and Earth, sovereign over all and He is always with us.

Precious Jesus, thank you for what you did for each of us on The Cross.  Help us every day to take time to come and gaze, to sit at your feet, to know more of who you are and what you have done for us. Please transform us in those moments so we can be more like you and do more of what you have called us to do. Amen.

Podcast 003 - Sacrifice of praise

Sacrifice of praise

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:15 NKJV

There are a couple of things about this scripture that challenge me. The first is the command to, 'continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God.' 

Here is a definition of continually, 'constantly or frequently recurring; always happening.'

In a recent 24 hour period there were many moments when the fruit of my lips were not giving thanks to His name. There were mutterings of discontent and a questioning of God's ways. And let's not speak about the few hours of harbouring an offense, which I eventually handed over to God, yielding so He could help me process through it.

God helping me, brings me to one of the other parts of this scripture that challenges me, 'Therefore by Him,' or as the Amplified Bible says, 'Through Him'.

It seems that to be able to 'continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God', we have to be continually yielding, humbling ourselves and acknowledging that Jesus is Lord of all, not us. The complete Hebrews 13:15 in the Amplified Bible says this,

Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name. Hebrews 13:15 AMP

But I've found that when we are in difficult circumstances, coming to that place of yielding and being able to 'thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name,' often means we have to acknowledge our pain, our lack of control over the circumstances and most importantly our lack of trust and faith in God - our unbelief that God will work in and through the circumstances.

Regarding dealing with areas of unbelief, Donna Gibb's in her book, Becoming Resilient, says,

'In times of unbelief, ground yourself in Who you know God to be. Ground yourself in those aspects of God’s character in which you do no doubt. In which you do not struggle. Maybe you struggle with His protection, but you can ground yourself in the fact that He is your Creator. Or that He is your Saviour. Or that He is your Comforter. When you struggle, force yourself to reflect not only on your doubt but also on your area of confidence. Reflect often on those areas of genuine belief and assurance for help in times of doubt and uncertainty. Frequently, we trust God with our salvation but struggle to believe Him in our suffering. Remember, He remains the same. Whether you turn to Him regarding your eternal soul or your temporary pain, He remains the same God throughout. '

(Page 168 - Becoming Resilient by Donna Gibbs)

I have had to put this strategy into place many times over the past seven years. I've said before that there have been times in our journey with Victoria that I've believed God would bring us through the circumstances, but have struggled to believe that He would heal Victoria. In those times of doubt (sometimes they lasted for about 6 months), I had to do exactly what Donna is saying, ground myself in the aspects of God's character in which I did not doubt. I knew He was with us, He hadn't left us or forsaken us.

For me, to shift that unbelief to belief regarding God's desire to heal, I had to meditate daily on the truth in His word, feeding my soul, aligning my thoughts with God's thoughts - a renewing of my mind.

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 life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity. 

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 The Message

But getting back to offering a sacrifice of praise ... choosing to 'thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name,' regardless of the circumstances, is a step of obedience that takes us further towards the maturity God is calling us each to.

Finally, I have found that being still and listening to worship music, always takes me to a place of laying down my concerns, looking up to Jesus and praising Him for Who He is. For me, O Come to the Altar from Elevation Worship and Ever Be, from Bethel Music, and are always two great songs to start with. 

Let's pray,

Jesus, thank you that You are always worthy of our praise. Please help us to understand more of that truth today, give us greater revelation of Who you are. Please transform those areas of unbelief that we all carry, into areas of belief and trust in You. Give us courage to obey and offer a sacrifice of praise to You today. Amen.

Podcast 002 - Counting it all joy

Counting it all joy

Count it all joy … words that someone shared with me early on when Victoria was diagnosed. Last week I had the opportunity to share with a group a few of my thoughts around 'Counting it all joy'. I felt to share some of what I spoke about in this post.

James 1:2 in the New Living Translation says, 

Dear Brothers and Sisters, when trouble comes your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. James 1:2

‘Trouble’ and ‘An opportunity for great joy’ are not what I would link together. Definitely a case of God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours. 

As I reflected over the times trouble has come my way, whether in our 20 years of marriage, or with each of our four children, or with our business, I can’t remember feeling great joy. 

I felt many emotions, most at the absolute opposite end of the scale to great joy. Emotions like anger, resentment, rejection, despair and hopelessness. Nothing remotely like joy. 

Here is a recent example. At a doctors appointment for Victoria in the Christmas school holidays, we were told about an impact from her brain surgery that could negatively affect her future. This problem was something that doctors couldn't fix.  

So guess what, I was jumping up and down in that doctor's room overwhelmed with feelings of great joy!!! NOT! I simply wrote down in my notebook – Prayer Point. 

But maybe that is the Point – it is not about feelings. It is about knowing. 

It is about knowing WHO our God is. 

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4 

And that brings joy. 

It is about knowing the truth of God’s word in those times of trouble.

But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. Hebrews 10:39 NIV 

And that brings joy.

It is about knowing how to thank God in everything.

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

And that brings joy.

It is about knowing how to receive God’s peace.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-9 

And that brings joy.

It is about knowing how to rest in God’s presence.

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10 

And that brings joy.

I love the song, Find me at the feet of Jesus, by Christy Nockels. It always takes me to that place of being still.

Lord here I am

You have all of me

Take the world 

You are all I need 

Find me, find me at the feet of Jesus Saviour,

Find me with my head bowed down

Find me on my knees

Find me close to thee

Find me at the feet of Jesus.

What better place to be, than sitting at the feet of Jesus. That is joy! 

But how easy is it to leave that place of joy? 

After the appointment, we went to the supermarket. Victoria was getting the items on the shopping list while I walked around in a bit of a daze. 

I had started going down the path ‘missing the point and indulging my feelings.’ I was letting my mind wander to the future and the 'what if she can't' questions, the future that only God knows, not me, not the doctor. Tears started to well up in my eyes.

I tried to wipe them away before Victoria came back to see what was the next item on the shopping list. I knew in my heart that God was bigger than this latest potential trouble. But my mind needed to catch up. 

I needed God to help me overcome those fearful thoughts with His truth. I needed to remind myself of what I knew about my God, and change my mindset to see this latest scenario as a new opportunity to move to a deeper level of trusting God and to find joy. 

John Maxwell says,

We can find joy in the midst of problems only when we recognise their purpose and results. 

Over these past seven years I can see some purpose in all that has happened to our family, but only in the context of God and what He desires from us, for us to give our whole heart to Him, and to have us fully trust Him in everything. 

I am not at that place yet, but I know now that when trouble comes, the time for me to move between fear and trust is a lot less than it was seven years ago. God is constantly reminding me of what I know about Him, and is helping me to see the opportunity to develop a more intimate relationship with Him. 

A Psalm to finish with;

Many say, Oh, that we might see some good! Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord. You have put more joy and rejoicing in my heart than [they know] when their wheat and new wine have yielded abundantly. In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You, Lord, alone make me dwell in safety and confident trust. Psalm 4:6-8 AMP

Trouble. An opportunity for great joy, because trouble is an opportunity to move to a deeper level of confidently trusting and knowing Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.

Podcast 001 - A heart soft towards Jesus

A heart soft towards Jesus

This week I have been reminded again of what it is to have a soft heart towards Jesus. On Sunday night at church during the worship time, I see one of our children is starting to cry. We leave the service and for about 15 minutes the sobbing (sometimes wailing) continues. A beautiful God-fearing lady joins us for prayer.

Later that evening at home I ask, why did you start crying? The response, "In the worship I had a picture of Jesus in the garden and then on The Cross and it made me sad."

Okay, that was not the response what I was expecting. Upset due to a squabble between siblings as we entered church, maybe. But not this heart-felt response to Jesus' pain and suffering. His pain and suffering for us.

Personally I've never experienced that depth of response. I remember the first time I heard about the crucifixion process in great detail, and yes it brought tears to my eyes. But not like the sobbing I witnessed on Sunday night.  

Over the years a friend and I have been praying for this next generation, that God will soften hearts and young people will respond to Jesus (and I know that thousands of others pray that same prayer). As I write this blog post I realise that this is exactly what I witnessed on Sunday night - a child's soft heart responding to Jesus' act of love for her. 

So let's continue to pray for this next generation, for their hearts to be soft towards Jesus, that His love will overwhelm them, and they will call Him their Lord and Saviour.

For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." Romans 10:13 

This generation needs Jesus. They need truth. They need hope. They need to know where to go to find real life.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10 NKJV