He'll hold you

I love the lyrics of this song. No matter what you are going through, He'll hold you in the midst of your storm.

Inner strength

Gloria is a mother of four young boys, the eldest is 19 years old and the youngest is about 8. Her two middle sons have special needs and both are in wheelchairs. Both boys often require round the clock attention and assistance. When I visited Gloria, I also learnt that her husband had left the family a few months back.

I know that her situation is not easy. She has sleepless nights and she is often drained physically and emotionally at the end of the day.  I believe she must shed silent tears when it all becomes too overwhelming!

As we sat chatting over coffee, listening to her experiences, my admiration for this woman grew. I admired her inner strength and her ability to laugh at life despite the challenges she was and is going through. She spoke of the joy and the laughter that they share at home. I quote in her words ‘……there’s so much laughter in the house….it sounds like we live in a house full of peacocks’

Her life has touched mine in so many ways. Sometimes we need to take the focus off ourselves and to see the need of those who are silently struggling. And before we go judging someone, we need to read their story to understand the journey they have taken or are taking! 

How she does it, I do not know! One thing I know is that the God she continually acknowledges is still in control. He IS her source of strength and inner peace.

To Gloria and other mums who are faced with similar situation our prayers are with you.

‘Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do.
But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength. –unknown’

Streams of living water will flow from within him

I was blessed with this devotional this morning.

"He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (KJV).

'We as children of God are to bring forth life and fruit that was birthed and begun in God. In the above Scripture, we see a key that is so important. The passage begins with, "He that believeth..." The word believe is in no way a shallow belief, but one of complete trust and total reliance on. Jesus is not only the One we trust in, but He must become our trust. And out of this place of trust we will find the abundance of God flowing through us in every area of our lives.
The word states in Daniel 11:32, "The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits" (NKJV). And another Scripture that resonates is Isaiah 26:3, "You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind...is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You" (AMP). Strength and peace are fruit that are produced as we abide in the river of God.
As we are born again, we are blessed with His extravagant love and the privilege of knowing Him and being filled with Him, His love, His riches, His promises, His healing, His restoration and becoming one with all He is and possesses.

This place is a continuous flow from Him to us, through us to others – ah, what bliss. Again, this is a river that never runs dry, and as we learn to bask in this river we will never run dry.'

by  Kim Hadaway, XP Ministries

Send us to the world

Father, may the passion of Your heart be the passion of our hearts.

He is Risen!

 

He's risen from the dead. 

He is risen.

He is high and lifted up.

Heaven and earth adore.

Matthew 28:6 He is not here; He is risen just as He said.

Object of your FAITH

What is the object of your faith?

What is the source of your faith?

Where do you get your faith from?

Is it coming from the people around you or the situation you are in?

How big is your faith?

As I was listening to the sermon, these questions really captured my attention. When I place my faith in the people around me or the situation I am in, I am bound to be disappointed. 

I have to know more about God. The more I know about God, the bigger my faith in Him becomes –the bigger my faith grows.

When my relationships or my situations fail me, my faith will not change because the object of my faith is way above it all.

What is your faith in ?

My faith is in God alone!

The object of your faith determines the quantity (size) of your faith!

The source of your faith determines the quality of your faith!

Spring is here

      These are beautiful flowers outside my apartment. It reminded me Ecclesiastes 3:11- He has made everything beautiful in its time.

                                           

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 The Creator has timed everything. He is a faithful God.

Looking Back, Looking Forward

I received this in an email and thought it was beautifully written. This is a quote from Rita Zahara.

"Letting go of your past is not to forget, or block memories, or stop to think about, or pretend the feelings are not there. It’s about the ability to think about your past with no feelings of anger, jealousy, hurt or regret.

Letting go is not about wishing things could have been different and dwelling in the past. It isn’t about thinking sad memories that leave you empty and hurt. It isn’t about loss or defeat.

To let go is to cherish the good memories, learning and growing. It’s about being thankful for the experiences that once made you laugh, made you cry, made you who you are today. It’s about having the courage to accept that people change and things change. It’s about having the strength to overcome the pain and move on. It’s about all that you had, all that you have and all that you will gain if you were to let go. Letting go is to release your past and grow and live for your present and your future."

Go light your world

You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.
(Mt. 5: 14 - 16)

Safety of the Castle

I had such a wonderful and refreshing time this weekend at a Women’s retreat in Shanghai. It was so great to get together with other sisters in Christ to praise and worship and to feed on the Word of God. Our speakers were Ellie Lofaro and Kathy Troccoli (singer). 

One of the many things that I came away with was ‘Do I understand the safety of the castle?’

Romans 8:14-17 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ……….”

What is an heir?
• a person who is entitled by law or by the terms of a will to inherit the estate of another.
• a successor: a person who inherits some title or office.

We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.I need to remember that!

By  feeding on the Word and believing what the Word says, I will grow in the understanding that I am an heir. Nothing less!  As I become familiar with who I am in Christ, I begin to take on the authority that has been granted to me.

Thank you Jesus!

I'm free by Lynda Randell

I'm free from the fear of tomorrow-
I'm free from the guilt of my past
I've traded my shackles for a glorious song-
I'm free- Praise the Lord, free at last!

Perfect peace

It’s almost a month since I’ve moved here to Suzhou. It’s a city with beautiful gardens. It’s well known not only for its gardens but also for its canals and silk. My goal for the next few weeks is to learn Chinese especially asking the taxi driver to take me home without using my taxi cards. These are cards which have different addresses (shopping centres, medical, schools, apartments etc.) written in both Chinese and English.

Each day I’m grateful for His blessings, the beauty of this place and the different cultural experiences. This morning my reading was from Isaiah 26:3 – 4. It reads: You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.
He will give us peace..perfect peace when we place our trust in Him. Who will have that peace? It's those whose minds are steadfast on Him. I looked up the word 'steadfast' in the dictionary and it says: fixed in direction, unwavering. When I hand my situation, my family, my concerns, my everything to Him.....my eyes and my trust is FIXED on Him and Him alone ...I believe that what He says in His word, He will surely accomplish.....His peace will overwhelm me!

My nerves, my thoughts, my 'what ifs' are calmed with His perfect peace when I place my trust in His ability to perform His word and when my gaze is steadfast on Him and not on those around me!