Podcast 26 - What has God been saying to you?

What has God been saying to you?

In the past four days God has spoken to me in four different ways about being in the world but not of the world.

But now I am returning to you so Father,
I pray that they will experience
and enter into my joyous delight in you
so that it is fulfilled in them and overflows.
I have given them your message
and that is why the unbelieving world hates them.
For their allegiance is no longer to this world
because I am not of this world.
I am not asking that you remove them from the world,
but I ask that you guard their hearts from evil,
For they no longer belong to this world any more than I do.
John 17:13-16 TPT

Saturday night ...

After dinner on Saturday Ken and I escaped to his office (aka man cave) for some peace and quiet. We were watching some of the analysis of the political antics of the week, Ken promptly fell asleep (we are getting older!) and I managed to just stay awake (it was only 7.30pm) to watch the next show, Australian story. 

The episode was Leading the way: Love over hate: We step inside the Wayside Chapel to see what’s in store for the new man behind one of the toughest, yet most rewarding jobs in Sydney.

Sunday night ...

At church we were blessed to have a visiting pastor, James MacPherson preaching at the 6pm service. He spoke about where our identity comes from - our intrinsic value, not externals. And building on this he also spoke to us regarding what we do in our day to day lives and challenged us to ask how God would go about doing that job/profession? Lots of food for thought. For anyone interested here is the podcast

 
Monday night ...

Not really sure what I was doing (it was at least 36 hours ago), perhaps taking a brain break from work. Anyway I was skimming through the Eternity News website, which I find is a great alternative to the ABC news website, and I found this video, Prominent pastor Carl Lentz on fame, criticism and #Me Too.

When watching this video the word that God highlighted to me was demonstrate. 


Tuesday morning ...

I had a couple of hours waiting for my car to be serviced, so after doing some work, I took a brain break and continued reading a book that a wise lady has lent me ... Kid's Ministry is for Real, a collection of true stories that show the 'why' of kids' ministry, by David Goodwin. There is so much gold in this book, such as...

I understand from Erickson's psycho-social stages that children in the middle childhood years need to experience success to have a healthy and confident transition to adolescence. It doesn't mean they need to be top of the class, but they do need to shine in one or more areas. Sadly, we all know many children who have experienced little or no success. Those of us in kids' ministry are in a unique position to help them.

There are a couple of reasons I have shared this today. 

Firstly I found it interesting that God would use four different ways to communicate the same message to me, be in the world, but not of the world, love people my way. I am not sure what this means for me in terms of actions. I have an inkling, but will continue to seek Him for direction.

Secondly to encourage you to look at what and how God may have been speaking to you recently, is there something He has been communicating to you through different ways? Are you listening? Do you know what He wants you to do next? And will you have the courage to do it, knowing that He has gone before you and is with you?

Let's finish with prayer Jesus prayed for us ...

And I ask not only for these disciples,

but also for all those who will one day

believe in me through their message.

I pray for them all to be joined together as one

even as you and I, Father, are joined together as one.

I pray for them to become one with us

so that the world will recognise that you sent me.

For the very glory you have given to me I have given to them

so that they will be joined together as one

and experience the same unity that we enjoy.

You live fully in me and now I live fully in them

so that they will experience perfect unity,

and the world will be convinced that you have sent me,

for they will see that you love each one of them

with the same passionate love that you have for me.

John 17:20-23 TPT

Podcast 25 - We always need God

We always need God

In the early years of our journey with Victoria one of the songs that echoed the cry of my heart was Matt Redman's, 'I need You now.' Here are some of the lyrics ...

On this thirsty desert ground,
In a dry and barren land,
I bow down
I need You now

You will call and I will come
To Your river I will run
I bow down
I need You now

Oh, living water. Oh, God, my Savior,
If I ever needed You, I need You now
Oh, living water, Oh, God, my Healer,
If I ever needed You, I need You now

Often I would sing (yell) it with tears streaming down my face, needing to know that He was near, that we were not left or forsaken.

Be strong and of good courage; do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV

Now we are in a different season. Hallelujah! And while there is not such a desperate sense of wondering where God is and what He is doing, there is still a great need for Him in our daily lives. As He takes the good work (now we can look back and see it as good work) that He has done in each of us over the past 8 years and enlarges us in different ways, our reliance on Him grows even more as we seek to do what He wants us to do. There is a much stronger tethering between God and us.

For me as aspects of my life increase there is still a constant cry out to God, but rather than the 'I am struggling, please help me get through this day,' it is an 'Okay God, you've given me these things to do, please order my steps, show me what to write, teach me how to lead well, help me listen more to Your Spirit and operate in your perfect timing. I need You now.'

Praise God that through those very challenging years He taught me that I cannot do my life without Him. And that He is always there. He is always listening. 

But praises rise to God,

for he paid attention to my prayer and answered my cry to him!

I will forever praise this God who didn't close his heart when I prayed and never said no when I asked him for help.

He never once refused to show me his tender love.

Psalm 66:19-20 TPT

Yes, sometimes God doesn't answer our prayers in the way that we think He should, and in these times we need to know in our hearts that regardless of what did or did not happen, He never refuses to show us his tender love. It's just that it looks different from His perspective because He has the big picture view. 

We always need God in some way, to help us in the struggles, in the times of overwhelm, when we need direction and purpose and when we need love and comfort. So let's chose to stay connected no matter what is going on, and live today knowing that nothing will separate us from His love.

Romans 8:38-39 is one of the scriptures that I had on the wall of our toilet room in some of those early years with Victoria. I would declare it out aloud to myself and also to the enemy reminding him Who I belonged to and who had the victory.

So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God's love. I'm convinced that his love will triumph over death, life's troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or our future circumstances that can weaken his love. There is no power above us or beneath us - no power that could ever be found in the universe that can distance us from God's passionate love, which is lavished upon us through Lord Jesus, the Anointed One! Romans 8:38-39 TPT

We need you Jesus, today and every day. Thank you that You are with us and Your love for us never fails.

Podcast 24 - Can you remember when you first heard The Lord's Prayer?

Can you remember when you first heard The Lord's Prayer?

Can you remember when you first heard The Lord's Prayer? 

For me it was when I was aged 5, at either the local Anglican church mum took me to or at school assemblies at the public primary school I attended. 

Up to about 30 years ago, The Lord's Prayer was something that most people in our society knew. Something we learned, just like learning the alphabet...

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.
Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV

Sometimes though I know for me as a child it became just a reciting of some words that I had learned. The heart behind the words, the understanding of what I was actually praying was missing.  I was saying the words, not praying them.

Today if I asked our children to pray The Lord's Prayer, they would probably have no idea what I was talking about. But if I said, 'Let's pray, who'd like to start?' they would respond with starting a conversation with God. And that's great, but sometimes the prayers become a bit self-centred, just as mine to do. We focus too much on our needs and wants. 

There is something about The Lord's Prayer that, when prayed from the heart, very quickly silences our flesh and enables us to position God in our lives exactly where He should be - acknowledged as our Father in heaven, Lord of all, provider, forgiver of sins, rescuer with complete sovereignty over our lives.

When I am in that place of wanting to connect with God, but don't have the words to pray I often do one of two things, either pray in the spirit, or play a worship song (sometimes both). One of my favourite songs to play in these moments is Our Father/The Lords Prayer, recorded by Hillsong in 1997 on their Simply Worship II CD. I bought that CD just after I was saved. It is simply the piano and vocalist, and always takes me to that place of exalting our God. Hillsong have also recently done another version of The Lord's Prayer on their album, There's more.  

So today, lets pause and pray The Lord's Prayer from our heart with a complete focus on our Father in heaven. This version is from The Passion Translation.

Our Father, dwelling in the heavenly realms,
may the glory of your name
be the centre on which our lives turn.
Manifest your kingdom realm,
and cause your every purpose to be fulfilled on earth,
just as it is fulfilled in heaven.
We acknowledge you as our Provider
of all we need each day.
Forgive us the wrongs we have done as we ourselves
release forgiveness to those who have wronged us.
Rescue us every time we face tribulation
and set us free from evil.
For you are the King who rules
with power and glory forever. Amen
Matthew 6:9-13 TPT

Podcast 23 - Big picture living

Big-picture living

My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up power within you to endure all things. And then as your endurance grows even stronger it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking. James 1:2-4 The Passion Translation

John Maxwell, in his commentary about James 1:1-8 says,

'James is vitally concerned with big-picture living. After his brief greeting, he jumps into how to handle problems.'

This morning I have had to remind myself about big-picture living and not to get caught up in the moments of my recent thoughts of, 'What is going on here? That is just wrong. Why don't people understand?'  

The big-picture living perspective reminds me to look at the end goal - Where are we heading? 

And ask these questions;

What can we learn from this incident? 

How does it fit in the big-picture? 

Why did it happen? 

How we will handle it when it happens again? 

If we can't answer these questions we can ask God to give us wisdom to see as He sees.

And if anyone longs to be wise, ask God for wisdom and he will give it! He won't see your lack of wisdom as an opportunity to scold you over your failures but he will overwhelm your failures with his generous grace. James 1:5 The Passion Translation 

And then there is the issue of the heart to be addressed - with this God-given wisdom, what attitude are we going to have about this incident today? Is it going to be an offense that becomes a stronghold? Or can we shift into 'big-picture living,' forgive and fully believe that God will get us through?

Just make sure you ask empowered by confident faith without doubting that you will receive. For the ambivalent person believes one minute and doubts the next. Being undecided makes you become like the rough seas driven and tossed by the wind. You're up one minute and tossed down the next. When you are half-hearted and wavering it leaves you unstable. Can you really expect to receive anything from the Lord when you're in that condition? James 1:6-8 The Passion Translation

Something to think about. Something to pray about. What issues in your life right now are taking up too much time being mulled over and over? Ask God to help you see the bigger picture - what is it that He is wanting to build into your life? to change in you? to help you live with confident faith?

Confident faith. Who wants it? I know I do. Here is something Jesus said about faith,

Jesus responded, "If you have even the smallest measure of authentic faith, it would  be powerful enough to say to this large tree, 'My faith will pull you up by the roots and throw you into the sea,' and it will respond to your faith and obey you." Luke 17:6 The Passion Translation

 

Let's pray, Jesus, please forgive us for getting caught up in the 'small stuff'. Help us to do 'big-picture living' and see things the way that You do. Give us wisdom. Show us where we have taken offense, and help us to forgive. Please help us to live more and more from that place of confident and authentic faith. In Your Name we pray and live, Amen.

Podcast 22 - Saying thank you

Saying thank you

"Thank you Jesus." This is how I start my prayer time each day, with these three words. There is so much to be thankful for. A list of specific things would go on and on and on. But sometimes in the making of that list of things, our focus can sway from Jesus to the things.

So sometimes it is good to pause and simply say, "Thank you Jesus."

The story of Jesus healing the ten lepers reminds us of this. 

Jesus traveled on toward Jerusalem and passed through the border region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered one village, ten men approached him, but they kept their distance, for they were lepers. They shouted to him, "Mighty Lord, our wonderful Master! Won't you have mercy on us and heal us?" Luke 17:11-13 TPT

How many times have we shouted out to Jesus, "Please help me Jesus, I need you. Please help me to get through this day." 

When Jesus stopped to look at them, he spoke these words, "Go to be examined by the Jewish priests."  They set off, and they were healed while walking along the way. Luke 17:14 TPT

Jesus heard their shouting and responded, telling them what to do. They obeyed. Jesus healed them on the way.

One of them, a foreigner from Samaria, when he discovered that he was completely healed, turned back to find Jesus, shouting out joyous praises and glorifying God.  When he found Jesus, he fell down at his feet and thanked him over and over, saying to him, "You are the Messiah." This man was a Samaritan. Luke 17:15-16 TPT

Only one of the ten came back and gave thanks. He recognised who Jesus was. Then Jesus inquires about the other nine.

"So where are the other nine?" asked Jesus. "Weren't there ten who were healed? They all refused to return to give thanks and give glory to God except you, a foreigner from Samaria?" Then Jesus said to the healed man lying at his feet, "Arise and go. It was your faith that brought you salvation and healing." Luke 17:17-19 TPT

Jesus is merciful. He hears our shouts. He responds.

Then it is up to us...

Do we obey? 

Do we give thanks? 

Do we get greater revelation of who Jesus is?

Do we remember?

This morning I was reading this in Revelation ...

Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Revelation 2:4 NKJV

The Amplified version really does amplify it ....

But I have this [one charge to make] against you: that you have left (abandoned) the love that you had at first [you have deserted Me, your first love]. Revelation 2:4 AMPC

Urggghhh.  Selah - pause and think on that.

Simply pausing regularly and saying a heartfelt, "Thank you Jesus" can help us maintain and nuture the love we have for Him. So let's take time to do that today.

Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are]  in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 AMPC