Ghost Hunting

There are people who like to hunt for 'ghosts'.
They buy special equipment like night vision goggles and heat signature readers. Then they camp out for the evening in so called 'spooky' places ready to discover the apparent lost soul of a departed person.

Now I must say I believe in a spiritual realm.
I believe there are plenty of things out there that are kind of different and unexpected.
I have experienced many amazing things especially in night time situations.
But I don't believe in ghosts.

On the deepest level ghost hunters are not weirdos!
They are people hungry for some meaning and undertanding.
In their spirit they recognise there is something else out there to be discovered and understood.
They are responding I believe, to a God given desire to seek Him out and His presence. They have simply not discovered the truth and the God of this world is trying to distract them with a counterfeit  presence.

Hebrews 11:6 says this...
...without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

God would really like all of us to make that choice. To seek Him out.
And that when we do, he promises to reward us.
That means you don't just find Him, there is more to be discovered because you have found Him.
It will feel kind of like a reward.
Sounds pretty good doesn't it?

So as you carry on through the week let's seek God and not seek ghosts.

Something to think about...

Best advice I got...

One of the first bits of advice I ever got when I started in ministry was this...

To be ready to say you are sorry. To be quick to apologise.

Now this initally seemed strange to me. Maybe because I had never heard a leader apologise for anything.
If they made a call on something and it was deemed a mistake, most people just seemed to move on.
I noticed most leaders envariably tried to justify mistakes or errors in judgement.
There was this perception that because of the 'position', that you got a different set of standards to work under.

I am grateful for that advice from that pastor many years ago.
While it is hard to live by, I have found it to be very effective and a huge weight release for me.

As much as it might shock you...I do make mistakes sometimes.
Sometimes I read a situation wrong.
Sometimes what I say doesn't sound right or get processed in the way I thought it would, and the listener gets offended.
Sometines I have been a grumpy jerk.
In all these cases and many others, I want to apologise as fast as possible.
While someone else may have got it wrong, I do not see myself as completely innocent on all counts.

Pride tells us to protect ourselves.
It can convince us ever so slowly that we are better in some way than others.
But pride always robs someone! Either the other person, you, or both!
It blinds us to the reality of who we are and what we are really like.

The Bible tells us that God gives grace to the humble and opposes the proud.
It kind of makes sense therefore to humble yourself sometimes and just say sorry!
Better that than the converse being the result.

Check out this passage as well. There are plenty like it!
Romans 12:18 niv
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

To have a Suck Proof Life you need to make sure you follow little bits of advice like this.
Suck it up when you get it wrong or you have hurt someone else and apologise.
Again it is written...love covers over a multitude of sins...
Something to think about...

I am not ashamed!

That's right I am not ashamed! I am not ashamed or embarrassed about what I believe or why I believe it.

And you are wondering possibly why I am saying this today?
Actually inspired by events during the course of my morning...

This morning an email came through from a certian christian group and in it it had a link to a video posting.
Here was this guy from a reasonably sized church being interviewed about his beliefs.
The very biased interviewer made plenty of silly statements that could have wound him up...but it didn't.
He stayed focused on sharing what was true to his heart and didn't seem ashamed in anyway to stand on his christian values.

Then I was reading an article from twitter about people from another religion, another way of living, believing some pretty radical ideas.
Now I am not wanting to get critical over someone else beliefs, but I had never heard something as weird as a basis for a way of living.
It reminded me that what I beleive, while strange to some other people, is actually not that strange...and certainly nothing to be ashamed of.

I love the fact that my life is built on Jesus!

Paul wrote a letter to the Roman people of his time and as part of his introduction made his bold statement.
You can read in Romans 1:16 that there was no way he could be ashamed of something so powerful, that it can save a life...especially his own.

So as you carry on through your week...my prayer is that Jesus becomes bigger in your vision.
That what He has done and will do flavours your thinking.
And that you can come to a place where in your heart you decide to never be ashamed!

Something to think about..

Soul Compass

There is a verse I didn’t use in my message on Sunday, and I certainly could have if I had the time…

It helps sum up what I was sharing in some way.

It should really sum up our attitude to our life.

And it is there as a soul compass, to help you decide how much this really applies to you.

For to me, to live is Christ

And to die is gain.

Philippians 1:21

You and I have to decide if our life is all about Jesus or not. We decide if He is truly Lord or not.

No one else can make it happen for us.

It is a choice you face when you get up, when go about your daily stuff and as you lie down each evening.

Here and plenty of other times in the new testament, you see the writers beg even for us to make ourselves this way. They encouragement us to find our identity first and foremost in Christ.

You are a Christian foremost, that is the goal.

Everything else comes second!

Jobs, sports, hobbies, relationships...everything!

That way it is simple and easy to understand even though not easy to do. But who said easy was the best way?

When you find yourself there, the picture is different just like it was for Paul. He could honestly say his life was not his own and that he recognised that he had been bought at a price.

When you are in that space, death is not your biggest concern. You know where you are going and you know it is not something to concern yourself with.

You just live for Christ and that is all that matters to you!

You have given your life away and in fact actually found a life worth living for!

So after all that challenge in a few short lines, how about wrapping this all up for yourself today?

Can I encourage you to take a few moments and pray this through? Talk to God about this verse and this ‘idea’ and see which way your soul compass is pointing.

If you need to make some changes, take some decisions, go for it!

For yourself in Christ alone...

Something to think about…

conference

After spending an amazing week at the elim national conference I am still processing all that God spoke to me during this week.

It has been awesome and just what I needed.

God spoke to me, encouraged me and ministered to me.

Instead of just sharing one idea I thought I would quickly list some of what God said to me.

Maybe one or all might be something you can grab a hold of for the rest of the week?

God wants me to not give up, especially the dream He has for my life and the people I influence with it.

God has made me promises and He will fulfill them!

I need to make sure I stay in agreement with them.

My identity is not in my country, my tastes or my friends. My identity is in Christ alone...first and foremost!

There I things I need to indentify and caste off!

I need to make sure I am focusing on my assignment not whatever confinement I might feel.

I probably have a boat in my life that is too much of a lifeboat. I need to get out of that boat. 

Walk on some water. Go after the supernatural.

I need to make sure the presence of God is a high priority. Because in the presence there is power.

And my life should be defined by His presence and His power.

20 seconds of bravery is all I need to change my world.

Hear God’s voice over everything else.

God is bigger than what I have learned so far and he always will be!

Don’t be afraid to be forceful for God’s Kingdom.

They are the people He wants and needs.

Well there you go….

Kind of bullet points of my week. There is a lot more I could say and wish I could share. Maybe another day?

Something to think about…