Friday, January 24, 2020

Get ready for a 'heads up' from God!

Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing
    without revealing his plan
    to his servants the prophets.
Amos 3:7 NIV

I want you to know something that I firmly believe...
God wants to speak to you and show you things about your life, your future direction, others and their lives, even before it happens.
Jesus said that "God has given us ears so we can hear Him!"

I want to encourage you have a healthy expectation that God will speak to you about what you need to hear, before you need to do the biggest things in your life.
He wants to speak prophetically to us all and not just the so called "Special People".

I can give you many examples in my life and ministry of how this has worked out.
God spoke clearly to me on a train one day that I was about to change direction and serve Him in a full-time capacity. And it happened exactly as He said.
God has spoken to me about different situations and given me ideas/advice on how I should proceed. And it went way better than I could have ever imagined.
He has warned me about certain people and situations.
He has encouraged who I should contact and what I should say.
It is exciting and liberating!

Please take some time to pray this week.
Ask the Holy Spirit to speak in anyway you need to hear.
And let God lead you to exactly where He knows is best for you to be...

Something to think about...

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Journey Trust vs Stationary Trust

As I was just flicking through my Facebook feed the other day, looking for who knows what and why, this Scripture appeared on a video someone shared.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
Psalm 20:7 NIV

It caught my attention not because of who was in the video and the message they were trying to convey, but by the fact it mentions chariots and horses...

I believe there is an important reason why the Psalmist mentions these two things.
They could have mentioned trusting in homes and hotels.
They could have used food and clothing references.
Instead they referred to two different methods of transportation.
Two different ways someone can travel well on a journey.

When it comes to trusting God, the trust that scripture seems to indicate to me might be the best has nothing to do with being stationary and all to do with moving.
We are called to walk by faith and not by sight.
We are encouraged to take steps of faith.
God wants us moving forward in faith not waiting in a corner for something mystical and magical to happen.

If you are praying to merely survive?
Praying to maybe make just through another day?
And getting frustrated because it appears maybe God isn't answering that prayer, maybe that is the point?

God promises to look after your "today", the moments and needs you currently have.
While He is looking after the "basics" He asks us to put one faith foot in front of the other and keep on going.
To keep reaching out. To keep ministering to others. To keep serving one another...to keep on moving forward doing the work of the ministry.

Don't just take my word for it.
Why not give it a try today and tomorrow and the next day?
Let me know if it makes a difference in your life...

Something to think about...


Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Can I Do It Again?

As I trudged along a familiar off road run course last night I started to think "can I do it again"?
You see I have fought the weight and health fight before.
Climbed a pretty huge mountain.
Achieved some amazing things.
The view from the top was pretty amazing!

And now after some years of injury and health challenges I am feeling like I am at the bottom of an even bigger mountain. I am wondering if I can even do it again? Do I have what it takes? Should I even bother because I am older now and I know the price I need to pay...

I can't help but think the battle I am facing in my mind is what many believers face as the navigate life sometimes!
We have mountain top moments in faith that are truly awesome and then seem to find ourselves back in another valley. We wonder whether we can make that climb again? Wonder if we have what it takes? Should we even try because we have "been there and done that"?

Maybe think of it like this for a moment...

Can you call someone a mountaineer because they climbed one mountain?
They are given that title because they know it is so worth it to climb again and again.
It would seem ridiculous to them to not keep climbing.
Can you call someone an adventurer if they only go once in a lifetime?
Can you call someone a generous person if they only do it once?
You probably get where I am going...

It is not the "once-lers" who live life as who they can be in Christ.
It is those who have climbed, fallen, attempted, failed, gone again and succeeded, and built in themselves a belief that anything is worth the goal. That God is with them and He will help them no matter what comes their way.

Have you fallen recently?
Have you wondered if you can climb again because you are now feeling valley bound?
Have you potentially raised a white flag of surrender and given up on the dream?

Just as the Psalmist says...
God is with us in the valley.
God is wanting to light the way forward and back up.
And God is preparing another mountaintop moment you.
It is waiting. God is ready.
Let's climb again together trusting God will help us there...

Something to think about...

Thursday, January 09, 2020

Language Barrier?

Some time ago I got to travel a long way from New Zealand to two amazing locations: Russia and Japan.

As I travelled to Russia I looked through a Travel Phrase Book in the 24 hours+ it took to get there, interspersed with movies and sleeping. Needless to say I was pretty unprepared.
As I travelled to Japan I carried a Travel Phrase Book that I bought at the airport just before I boarded my flight. As we came into land I discovered I was sitting next to an Japanese English teacher. Needless to say I wasted my opportunity and was pretty unprepared.

On both those trips I couldn't tell you what people were saying to me. I could only guess.
There was opportunity to learn and I was to be honest, too lazy to take those opportunities up.
While entertaining at times it probably made things harder for me than they needed to be.

I have been thinking about this today in regards to our faith and following Jesus. Do we make thinks harder for ourselves by not understanding the language?
I am not talking about "christianese" which is the jargon / language we use in religious circles. I am talking about the language of heaven. How God speaks to us. What His voice sounds like.

I want to encourage you today to not make the mistake other believers do...
Travelling through life hoping to understand God speaking, listening for the Holy Spirit and His promptings and leadings, wrestling with this as they don't understand the language.
As simple as it might sound you already have a Travel Phrase Book available. It is His Word, the scriptures as found in a great modern translation of the Bible.

Just start somewhere and slowly work your way through the Bible every day.
Maybe use a great reading plan?
Find a translation that works for you?
And let your vocabulary grow over time and at a pace that is sustainable. You will break through any language barrier!

Something to think about...

PS If you want help with a Bible Translation or Reading Plan I would be honoured to help you. Simply email me by clicking here.