Thank you

Father,
Thank you for the wonderful year that I've had. The valuable lessons You've taught me, new friends You've introduced me to and my territory that You have extended. You're simply AWESOME! I do not know what 2009 will hold but I believe that my God who knows my tomorrows from today will take care of what concerns me.

The Best Invitation!!

I was visiting 'The Power Of Your Love' blog site and Beth had this invitation posted. I just love it!!

You are cordially invited to A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!!!

Guest of Honor: Jesus Christ

Date: Every day. Traditionally, December 25but He's always around, so the date is flexible...

Time: Whenever you're ready.(Please don't be late, though, or you'll miss out on all the fun!)

Place: In your heart.... He'll meet you there.(You'll hear Him knock)

Attire: Come as you are... grubbies are okay.He'll be washing our clothes anyway. He said something aboutnew white robes and crowns for everyone who stays till the last.

Tickets: Admission is free. He'salready paid for everyone...(He says you wouldn't have beenable to afford it anyway...it cost Him everything He had. Butyou do need to accept the ticket!!

Refreshments: New wine, bread, and afar-out drink He calls "Living Water,"followed by a supper that promises to be out of this world!

Gift Suggestions: Your life. He's one of thosepeople who already has everything else.(He's very generous in return though.Just wait until you see what He has for you!)

Entertainment: Joy, Peace, Truth,Light, Life, Love, Real Happiness,Communion with God, Forgiveness, Miracles, Healing, Power,Eternity in Paradise, Contentment, and much more!(All "G" rated, so bring your family and friends.)

R.S.V.P. Very Important!He must know ahead so He canreserve a spot for you at the table.Also, He's keeping a list of His friends for futurereference. He calls it the "Lamb's Book of Life."

Party being given by His Kids (that's us!!)!Hope to see you there! For those of you whom I will see at the party, share this with someone today!

P.S. Please feel free to post this invitation on your blog...if you like.
We want this to be the biggest birthday party for Jesus...so spread the word!!!

Our God is a Covenant God - Part 10

OBEDIENCE is the key.
God sent His Spirit giving us power to walk in 100 percent obedience to Him! God placed His Spirit within man to reveal His will to him and teach him His ways. Jesus told His disciples the Spirit would 'lead and guide them into all truth.' Jesus told them, 'He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your rememberance, whatsoever I have said unto you' (John 14:26).The Holy Spirit not only writes God's laws in our hearts, He gives us the power to do them!

What an awesome God we serve! By His Spirit, He has circumcised our hearts...taken out our stony hearts...and has given us new hearts filled with His love. He has restored our will and brought it into harmony with His will, so that we now have a desire to love and obey Him with our whole hearts. He has given us power to obey Him and power over sin!

In this blood-covenant relationship, He has 'given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness' (2Pet.1:4). He has given us 'exceeding great promises' and has made us 'partakers of the divine nature' (2Pet.1:4). He has given us an inheritance as joint heirs of the Kingdom of God.

By His Spirit He placed within me, I am set free from the bondage of the Law. Christ has purchased my freedom! To walk in freedom, I must be led by the Spirit. I must no longer depend upon my own strength, but upon the power of the Holy Spirit God has placed within me. 'So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.......But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law' (Gal.5:16,18).

Our God is a Covenant God - Part 9

Jesus offered Himself as a blood sacrifice so that we would enter into a blood-covenant relationship with Him. His blood....His life flows through us! It is through a continual partaking of His flesh and His blood...His life....that we have life in abundance!

Through that one Sacrifice all the sin of mankind has been erased forever. There is absolutely nothing that remains to be done to secure this everlasting covenant God made with us. No further sacrifice is needed! The work has been done!
'But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time He waits for His enemies to be made His footstool, because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy' (Heb.10:12-14).

Our God is a Covenant God - Part 8

Fear and Unbelief

Through their fear and unbelief, Israel was disobedient and did not take possession of their inheritance. They forfeited their covenant promises and were forced to wander around in the wilderness for 40 years.
Have you allowed fear and unbelief to hinder you from taking possession of your inheritance??

• Know who you are in Christ and what is legally yours.
• Allow these promises to sink deep within your spirit knowing they have been sealed with the Blood of Jesus and that they cannot fail.
• Be filled with hope......an expectation that you are going to receive what you have desired.
• Believe....have faith, be fully persuaded that God is going to do exactly what he has promised He would do!!!!!!!!!

Our God is a Covenant God - Part 7

God Has Given Us a Special Guide....the Holy Spirit!
God sent the 'angel of His presence'.....the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God...before the children of Israel to drive out their enemies, to protect, to lead and guide them to the Promised land. He led them by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. As they were obedient to Him, they were to inherit the promised blessings.
Under the New Covenant, God has given us a special guide...the Holy Spirit...to cause us to know and do the commandments of God, to direct and guide us into the place He has prepared for us. He has placed His Spirit within us to teach us His ways.

God told Israel: 'I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws' (Ezekial 36:27).
Jesus said: 'And I will ask the Father and He will give you another counsellor to be with you forever-the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you will know Him, for he lives with you and will be in you.....But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you' (John 14:16-17,26).

Not only do we have the Holy Spirit to teach, lead and guide us to the promised land...that Heavenly city, New Jerusalem.....it is the Holy Spirit working within us that gives us the will and the power to keep the covenant God has made with us...to walk in obedience to Him.

Allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us is very important! I need to walk each day with the consciousness of His Presence and I need to know the covenant promises-what is mine in the Name of Jesus! How do I know what is mine??? Spend time reading the Word of God!

Our God is a Covenant God - Part 6

Jesus became the Mediator of the new Covenant. Through His Blood we have entered into a blood-covenant relationship with God where we are one with Him.

Christian @ Comments101.com

The Blood of Jesus has been commingled together with ours! His life flows through us.
Through His Blood, we have forgiveness and are given power over sin!
Through His Blood, we have been made partakers of His divine nature!
Through His Blood, we have an inheritance that will never fade away!
Through his Blood, we have inherited all the covenant promises of God!
THANK YOU JESUS!!!!

Our God is a Covenant God - Part 5

What an amazing God we serve!!! He so desires to do us good but we sometimes think that He is so far removed from our situations!!! Just continuing from the previous entry.......
The old covenant proved that man in His sinful state could not save himself. God so desired to be joined together with man in a blood covenant relationship where He was ONE with Him, that He sealed His covenant in His own Blood...in the Blood of His begotten Son. He loved us......He still loves us and will continue to love us!!! John 3:16 says 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that who so ever believes in Him should not perish but have ever lasting life'.
I am so grateful to Jesus because He came willingly to offer Himself as the perfect Sacrifice, to give His Blood that we would enter into a blood covenant relationship with God where we would forever be bound together as one...that we would inherit all that God has and is.
When Christ came into the world, He said: '........Sacrifice and offereings You have not desired, but instead You have made ready a body for Me (to offer); In burnt offerings and sin offerings You have taken no delight. Then I said, Lo, here I am, come to do Your will, O God;(to fulfill) what is written of Me in the volume of the Book' (Heb. 10:5-7).
Under the Old Testament, God's one requirement was obedience. Man, in his weak, sinful nature could not walk in obedience. Jesus became the perfect Sacrifice for man's sin because He had come to the earth in the form of human flesh and had lived a life of 100 percent obedience to God. Jesus fulfilled the Law! It was His obedience that made His blood accepted once and for all as the perfect and only sacrifice for the sins of the world.
There is POWER in the BLOOD of Jesus!! Without Jesus, there is no forgiveness...there is no hope...there is no life! Heb.9:22 says; in fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Through His obedience ' Jesus became the author of eternal salvation' (Heb.5:9). Also read Heb.9:12-14.

Our God is a Covenant God - Part 4

What is the sign of the covenant relationship with God?
Circumcision
This was to be the sign identifying those who had entered into a blood-covenant relationship.

Abraham's righteousness was by faith not in the outward circumcision of his flesh. Through faith, Abraham entred into a covenant relationship with God. His faith in God's promises resulted in obedience to the conditions of the covenant.

I am learning.......it's fascinating to make connections in the Word of God :)

Under the new covenant God still requires circumcision. With us it's the circumcision of the heart! Read Romans 2:28-29 then Colosians 2:11-12. As we come to Christ by faith our hearts are circumcised. God writes His statutes and commandments upon our hearts and places a desire and a will within us to know, to love and to obey Him. Our flesh.......our carnal nature.....is crucified. We are cleansed, our sins forgiven and we are righteous before God.

No spiritual circumcision of the heart-No covenant relationship with God! 'It is through faith in the Spirit of God working within us that our hearts are circumcised, not through our own attempts of trying to crucify our flesh. Our righteousness is by faith, not in works.
Our dependence must not be upon ourselves.....but upon the Spirit God has placed within us to accomplish His righteouness in us'.

Our God is a Covenant God - Part 3

God planned to bring us into a relationship as His covenant people!

He designed two different covenants.

1. The Old Covenant established with Israel on Mount Sinai
2. The New Covenant established on Calvary and fulfilled on the day of Pentecost.

Each one of these covenant fulfilled a specific purpose in God's plan. So did God make a mistake in establishing the Old Covenant? NO! It was absolutely indispensable for working out His purposes.

If you read Galations 4:22-26,31, here Paul compared the Old Covenant to Ishmael, which was dependent upon the flesh and the will of man and the New Covenant he compared to Isaac, which was based upon faith and the quickening power of the Holy Spirit.

The Old Covenant God established with Israel was totally dependent upon man's obedience to the Law. He revealed the Law and His commandments through Moses, then He told Israel, 'Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.' (Jeremiah 7:23)

But you know, it was impossible for man in his sinful state to keep the Law and obey all of the commandments God had given him. Even before Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the tablets, the people had created a golden calf and were worhipping it!

Israel disobeyed and the covenant with God was broken! Through their disobedience 'they limited the Holy One of Israel '(Psalms 78:41).

Why would God establish a covenant that was totally insufficient for freeing them from the bondage of sin???

God's purpose for establishing the law under the Old Covenant was to convince man of the awfulness of sin...it's misery...it's bondage into slavery! The Law was given to reveal to man his total inability to save himself and his need for a Saviour! (Galatians 3:19-20).

You see the Old Covenant was only in preparation.....a foreshadowing of the New Covenant which God would establish as an everlasting covenant, which would not be broken!!!

to be continued.....

Our God is a Covenant God - Part 2

What I've learnt
To have a clear understanding of this powerful covenant, I need to understand fully the type of covenant God has made with us and what it means to enter into a covenant.

A step back in history
It has been interesting going back in history to understand the significance of entering into a blood covenant.
The rites of blood covenanting was and is still being practised in some parts of the world. In Syria for example, when two men enter this covenant, their relatives and neighbours are called to witness the sealing of this blood-covenant relationship, write down their declarations regarding the covenant in duplicate......one paper for each of them. This declaration is signed by both of the men and several witnesses.
One of the men entering into the covenant takes a sharp lancet and opens the vein in the other's arm. Into this opening, he inserts a quill through which he sucks the blood of his friend. The blade is then carefully wiped on one of the covenant papers. The other friend does exactly the same thing.
The two friends take an oath before all witnesses: 'We are brothers in a covenant made before God;who deceiveth the other,him will God deceive.' Each blood stained covenant record is folded and placed in a small case, about an inch square, that is worn around the neck or bound upon the arm as a token of their covenant relationship.
Now in the Bible days,blood covenanting was also practiced between two families or two tribes. A family that was weak in a particular area and strong in a another, would enter into a blood covenant with a family that possessed strengths they lacked. Terms of conditions were discussed, covenant representatives were chosen and a site was chosen where the families could witness the sealing of the covenant.
The covenant cut was made down the spine of the animal selected as the blood sacrifice. The two halves were set opposite each other, creating a walkway of blood between the two halves.
The two representatives,in full view of the two families, took off their coats and exchanged them. Their coats represented their authority and stood for who they were. With this exchange of coats each rep. was saying, 'Iam giving you all that I am and my authority.' then, each representative took off his weapon belt and they exchanged weapons. As each one did this he was saying, 'Iam giving you my strength. Your enemies are mine. I will stand with you, even unto death.'
Then each rep. walked through the path of blood twice and stopping in the middle together and saying out loud 'Even as this animal has died, I will stand with you even in the midst of death.'

The Tie Between Covenant Friends Is stronger Than That of Natural Birth.
Following this swearing or taking an oath to keep the terms of the covenant, the covenant cut was made in the wrist of each rep. The two wrists were joined with a cord so their blood would be mingled. Their arms were raised so all could see the blood running down their arms. Then they would make promises to one another.
At this point of the ceremony, each family took on the other's name saying....'Your family is now my family. Your ways are my ways. My strengths are your strengths.'
After the covenant has been sealed with blood, the families share a meal together. They shared bread and wine.
This type of blood-covenant relationship was deeper and meant more than being born of the same mother! It was to last for eight generations.
This was the type of covenant that bound David and Jonathan together....1 Samuel 18:1-4 and 1 Samuel 20:13-17).

So what is a covenant?
The Greek word for covenant means 'a contract; a will.' Our covenant with God is the 'title deed' to our inheritance. It is a contract....a legal binding agreement...between us and God.

Our God is a Covenant God - Part 1

I am reading a book called 'God's Covenant Annointing-The Title Deed Of Your Inheritance' by Morris Cerullo. Heavy stuff but powerful!!!I know my tiny mind sometimes cannot comprehend the mysteries of God. I've had to go back over chapters - read it s-l-o-w then move on!!!
I'm hoping that each day (when I have time to get on the computer), I will reflect on my journey through this book.
Cerullo says...'The majority of Christians today have not taken possession of the 'Title Deed' of their inheritance. It has been bought and paid for. It belongs to them as legal heirs in the Kingdom of God. But, because of a lack of knowledge, they have not taken hold of it and are living as spiritual 'paupers', when God has planned for them to be priests and kings!

Not knowing their legal rights in the covenant they have entered into with God, through Christ, when Satan tries to afflict their bodies, rob them of their finances, and attack their families; they sit back with their hands folded in defeat, thinking there is nothing they can do.

Not knowing or understanding the full significance of the blood covenant they have entered into with Christ, many Christians are living their lives in a weakened condition.'
Hosea 4:6 says 'my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.'

Desperate Prayer

Only the passionate and the inspired dare to become carriers of God's fire. Tommy Tenney

MIRACULOUS MULTIPLICATION

I was blessed by this reading this morning-thought I'd share it.


"This is the Season for MIRACULOUS MULTIPLICATION"
As the situation on Wall Street recently developed, many Americans became nervous about their finances and their future. The foundations of financial security are now shaking.
The kingdom of this world functions with a system of mathematics that is based on the equations of natural addition and multiplication. This system draws its data from what can only be seen and understood. God's Kingdom invades what is known and violates the rules of natural addition and multiplication with "miraculous multiplication."

Miraculous Multiplication Changes Remote Places
One of the most profound narratives in the Word is the feeding of the 5,000 people. In Mark 6, Jesus takes what amounts to a kid's lunch and turns it into a miraculous feast for a crowd many believe was in excess of 20,000 people (when you take in account the women and children who were also present that day).
"Jesus saw the huge crowd as He stepped from the boat, and He had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So He began teaching them many things. Late in the afternoon His disciples came to Him and said, 'This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.'" Mark 6:34-36

These people had been following Jesus for hours and made no provision for an extended outing. Have you noticed that our greatest needs sometimes surface in the most remote and resourceless places? That was what happened in Mark 6. There were no backpacks filled with camping supplies or stores nearby from which to buy food. People had been following Jesus across the countryside. The place was remote and the need was overwhelming.
The disciples saw the need of this immense crowd of people and provided their own solution. They said to Jesus, "Send the crowds away..." In other words, "We are tired and hungry and our patience is thin; make this problem go away." But Jesus invited the disciples to participate in a miracle that He was about to set in motion.

Miraculous Multiplication Begins With What We Have Now
In verse 37, "Jesus said, 'You feed them.' 'With what?' they asked. 'We'd have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!'"
This is natural addition and multiplication speaking. "With what?" is a phrase that is spoken when we take a look at our remote place and our lack of visible resources and assume that the source and supply for our miracle is only what we can see.

Then Jesus asks a question in verse 38, "'How much bread do you have?' He asked. Go and find out.' They came back and reported, 'We have five loaves of bread and two fish.'"
Do you have a remote and resourceless place in your life? Has your retirement fund taken a dive? Is your marriage in a challenging season? Are the partners in your ministry diminishing? Are you unsure about the next step in your life? Maybe you find yourself in a remote place and the little resource you have seems ridiculous to meet your current need.

Miraculous multiplication begins with what we have now. There were thousands of hungry people in this remote place. The disciples went out to see how much food they had to work with. They came back with only two fish the size of sardines and five loaves of bread the size of muffins. This was all the disciples could find among all these people!

Verse 39-44, "Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward Heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, He kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed from those loaves!"

Miraculous Multiplication Brings Shouts of Astonishment and Joy
If you do the math on how many groups of 50 and 100 there were within all these people, it's not unrealistic to conclude that it would take several hours to distribute this miraculous meal. Can you imagine the cheers of excitement as the miracle begins to sink in? This was not a single moment of miraculous multiplication; it went on and on.

When we begin to live in the environment of miraculous multiplication, we will hear what must have echoed across the fields that day: shouts of astonishment and joy at what God was doing.
There is coming a season when these sounds of joy will be heard in those who do not yet know the love of God. God will miraculously multiply provision within His Church and then move into the streets where supernatural evangelism will take place.
Can you imagine what would happen in our cities if miracles of miraculous multiplication began to take place in the town square? God's goodness is our best advertisement for His Kingdom. The Word tells us that it is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance.

Miraculous Multiplication is Waiting in Heaven...Look Up!
There are two postures we can choose when we find ourselves in remote and resourceless places:
1. WE CAN CHOOSE TO LOOK DOWN. Jesus told the disciples to feed the people. Like the disciples we can look down at the kid's lunch in our hands and ask, "With what?" and only see our lack in comparison with the impossible need before our eyes.

2. WE CAN CHOOSE TO LOOK UP. Jesus modeled a different posture - He looked up. In Mark Chapter 6, Jesus took the lunch, held it up to Heaven, blessed it and then began to give it away. Jesus reached up and away from that remote and resourceless place and touched Heaven.

Our provision is not what we hold in our hands. Our provision is not what the current situation on Wall Street reveals. Our provision is waiting in Heaven to be laid hold of and pulled back into our lives. Everything we are and everything we need exists in and around God's Throne.
If we believe our provision is only here amidst the current signs of doom and disaster, then we will reach towards that limited resource. God is asking us to take our finances, our broken bodies and our failed relationships and raise them towards Heaven and choose to bless them. The blessing of a raised need connects that need with the glory of God.

His glory is what transforms the little we have into an overflowing abundance. Once our need has touched the hem of Heaven's garment, we then pull down that transformed need back to earth with the glory of Heaven upon it. While the kid's lunch is still in our hands, not yielded to God, it can only remain a lunch and not a miraculous feast.
We need God for miracles in remote places that seem like dead ends. The Church can live in fear like the world, or she can raise what she has to Heaven and bless it - expecting our loving Father to send the little we have back to earth - transformed by the glory of God and ready for a supernatural transformation.

Today, take the need you have, no matter how small your resource may be, and raise it to Heaven and choose to bless what you have. Ask God to touch your need as it is raised to His Throne. Then bring your need back into your remote and resourceless place and begin to give it away. Heaven's touch on what you have is never to possess, but to release. What you give away will begin to multiply into a new and on-going provision.
Each time you sense fear trying to raise itself up, say this in the face of that fear:
"I have raised this circumstance to Heaven and God has touched my need. I am pulling down from Heaven a miraculous multiplication of what I have. I am expecting a miracle in a place that the world says is impossible. I am believing that with God all things are possible - even turning a kid's lunch into a feast of miraculous multiplication."

Written by:
Garris ElkinsLiving Waters ChurchEmail: info@livingwatersmedford.org
About Garris: Garris Elkins serves as Lead Pastor of the Living Waters Church in Medford, Oregon. His ministry, both nationally and internationally, is to strengthen and encourage the Church through teaching and prophetic ministry. Prior to coming to Oregon, Garris was based in Berlin, Germany, where he helped nurture and develop Eastern European church leaders. Garris has been married to his wife, Jan, for 34 years and they have two grown children.

Published in:
The ElijahList & ElijahRain magazine http://www.elijahlist.com/

Caretakers!

Last Sunday night I was watching a segment on 60 minutes about elephants in captivity. What fascinated me was what reseachers discovered - elephants have emotions and they have the ability to store alot in their memory. They gave examples of elephants retaliating against their carers and they found that these elephants must have witnessed something horrific in their childhood. In Africa(can't recall the country), they run a farm for orphaned elephants. They re-program them so that they can form bonds with other orphans there.

As I sat there watching the show, I thought WOW!!! this creative , intelligent Creator made all these. Thank goodness for those who have a heart for wounded animals.

I take my hat off to people who look after animals either at home or in sanctuaries. Genesis 9:3 says '............I now give you everything'. As the most intelligent of God's creation we should be caretakers of all that He has created. They cannot defend (well not all!!) themselves so we need to be there for them.

E rui totoka!

During quiet time today I sat listening to this song.

Lord You're more precious then silver

Lord You're more costly than gold

Lord You're more beautiful than others

Nothing that I desire compares with You



You're fairer than the lily of the valley

You're brighter than the morning star

You're purer than the snow

Fresher than the breeze

Lovelier by far than all of these

(sung by Irene Drauna)



What a lovely song of adoration. The beauty of our God is way beyond description. Our human language is limited and words cannot describe the magnitude and splendor of His beauty.

To help us understand His beauty, we compare Him to the finest things around us but we know that He is way, way beyond that!! We look at the diversity and creativity of things around us and it speaks volume about the One who created them.

WOW! What would I say if I saw Him in ALL His beauty? I know I would be lost for words! I would be in awe! Creation gives us a glimpse of this beauty!

Freedom is mine!

It's You Alone

This morning as I read Isaiah 25 again, it stirred up my desire to know this God even more. When my eyes are fixed on Him, His faithfulness which is so 'spot-on' and perfect becomes my shield. By reading His Words and allowing His Words to speak to my heart it strengthens my faith in the shield.

May there be no other God except Him alone! When I seek Him first and thirst for His Presence, everything else will seem so insignificant. Why would I worry about what concerns me because I know that He reminds me through His promises '..... all these things will be added unto you' (Matt.6:33). Just as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it yield seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it (Isa.55:10-11).

My prayer this morning was: That the Lord would help me not to form ties,bond or roots with the material possessions He has blessed me with because when these ties become so promininent they would become idols. I would worry about them and when I worry about them, it would belittle my faith in His steadfast promises.

Perfect faithfulness

O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness You have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.
......You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall and like the heat of the desert. You silence the uproar of foreigners; as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is stilled.
In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation." Isaiah 25:1-5, 9

To me, this passage speaks about that sense of security and confirmation about His powerful protection. I love where it says '.......perfect faithfulness'. Not tainted or broken BUT perfect!!The God who sees my tomorrow from today (Ps.139:16) sticks to His plans. If that was me planning something a week ago by this week, I would have added or deleted items that were on the list. But His plans stand firm forever (Ps.33:11).

He is our refuge, shelter and shade. I can be confident that when the enemy comes at me like a storm or heat, He will 'still the song of the ruthless.' What a comforting and reassuring passage!!
Because of His perfect faithfulness, He will never fail us.

Humility fashion

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:5-7

According to the wikipedia definition, 'Humility is the defining characteristic of an unpretentious and modest person, someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others.'

The fashion industry is continually changing. Fashion trends come and go. What maybe considered 'in' today maybe 'out of fashion' by a year's time! I've noticed that some clothes or fashions of yester years are becoming more stylish today. In society today, clothes speak alot about the person........(in some cases).

God instructs us to wear humility, no matter what the trend maybe. Humility does not change with fashion but is consistent. So why does He want us to wear humility? Because 'He opposes the proud....'( vs 5). Pride makes no room for God because it 'me' who gets the praise!
Oh that's a hard one to wear but I trust what God says in His word. At the proper time, God will be the One who will do the lifting up.

Lord, help me to dress in humility. I realise I cannot do it on my own.

Jabez Prayer-a simple yet POWERFUL prayer!

The Jabez prayer is found in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10: "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, 'I gave birth to him in pain.' Jabez cried out to the God of Israel,
'Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.'

And God granted his request."

http://www.allaboutprayer.org/prayer-of-jabez.htm

A God of ORDER

'Dominion and awe belong to God;He establishes order in the heights of heaven.' Job 25:2

As the models of the planets hung suspended in my room, we were all pretty pleased (both the students and I) with our research. We tried to recreate the solar system.

I stood under the 'solar system' in awe and amazement at this creative God. According to research, the planets orbit the sun but they don't crash into each other! Just the way the Creator intended for them to be! There's beauty and order in the heavens above and also on the earth below.

WOW!!!He is indeed a God of order. When too many things are happening in my life and I do not know where to start or what to do, I know that the God I serve is not a God of confusion but a God of order-my Bible tells me and creation speaks it! He will place events into order because it's not about me BUT about Him!

Loloma

When you come face to face with death alot of things change, especially your perspective on things. My experience last weekend was a massive shock and a wake up call for me. I've labelled this entry 'loloma' meaning love because I know that if it wasn't for the MIGHTY HAND and LOVE of God, the story would have been different.

The car that I was driving is 'a total write off'!! The tow truck driver and the medics who were there at the scene could not believe that I had survived.
Psalms 91:4
He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge;His faithfulness will be your shield and your rampart.

I testify to this. PRAISE HIS MATCHLESS NAME!

He alone can change situations.

Can I take a moment of your busy schedule to share something that happened to me at work this week....it was God revealing His faithfulness!!! Let me take you back........

When we started the year, I was told that the new boy joining my class was a problem kid. According to his previous school reports, he was a difficult child, did not do work- defiant and rude. I argued because I had another boy who also had similar problems already in my class. All you could hear about these boys were negative comments. To cut the long story short.......they gave me headaches at the beginning of the year...

Well, I decided to PRAY for them each day. I knew that I could not change them and no one else could except the ONE who created them. He could mould that heart of stone into a heart of flesh!!!! Over the last few months everyone had been commenting on how these boys had changed!PRAISE THE LORD! So fast forward to this week Wednesday......

Just before our Maths session started, one of these boys kept on begging me to make very important announcement to the class. I said to him 'make it quick-2 minutes only'. He got everyone in class to sit down then he made his speech. His little speech was: Miss, I want to tell you have been a really good teacher to me. I've made something for you to say thank you (it was a mini hat)- please put it on'. The class erupted with a clap!!! We were all shocked with his speech because it was unexpected. It almost brought me to tears because here was someone who woud refuse to listen nor do any work at the beginning of the year and now he blended in with everyone else.

After school, I had a surprise visit from the mum, her comment was I don't know what you've done to my boy but he is not the same person anymore!!! Thank you!He even said to the mum ,he wants to go to church now!

When she left, I said to the Lord, that comment and the speech given today was not mine but Yours because You're faithful!!! It was You who changed them not me!

This AWESOME God, is indeed faithful!!! A God who answers prayers!!!

My perspective of God

MMMMmmmmmmm ....something to ponder on!!What dictates my pursuing God? My need for an answer? my problems to be solved? Who do I see God as?

When we believe God for something for example, breakthrough in finances, healing or even salvation for a loved one, we get into gear or we hype ourselves with prayers, fasting, Bible reading and more prayers....sometimes God comes through for us and other times it seems like God has gone silent on us and we become disappointed.Why do we do all the gearing up?? Probably because someone shared that that was the way they received their answer and we assume that that's the way it's going to work for us. When our answers don't come through, are we still hyped up to continue with our prayers or do we slacken off because we think it's not going to change?

Does my perspective of God change when my prayers aren't answered the way I want them answered? If that is the case, then it means my emotions and my situations dictate how and when I serve God.They also dictate my perspective of God.

For this sort of thinking not to occur, I believe there needs to be a shift in mindsets so that I do not view God as a problem solver but as GOD! A MIGHTY, OMNIPRESENT, ALL KNOWING GOD! This AWESOME God longs to have intimate fellowship with me and if all I can think of is getting my problems solved, I'm missing the point. My focus in coming to God should always be to enjoy Him and to experience His presence.
Isaiah 40:12-31

Memories

For the last two weeks my students have been researching about War heroes- who they are, what they did and why we remember them. This week we looked at symbols that represent these heroes. I was fascinated by the insightful discussion and the different connections being made. We discussed how symbols represent and trigger memories and how some of these memories shape the identity of an individual.

One student brought in a certificate that belonged to his grandma who had served in the war. From that symbol, he began to share stories that was passed on to him. Another student shared that whenever he sees a roller coaster, he remembers that horrible feeling of his first ride.

At the end of our session, students reflected on what they had learned. I can still see that spark in the young boy's eyes who said ' Oh now I get it, memories are important because without them, we won't know or understand who we are.' MMmmmmm..........:)

I reflected on the discussions in class this week and thought, there are symbols all around me that represent my Lord's faithfulness, love and goodness.

The symbol of the cross speaks volume of what has been done for me and who I am now. When I see the cross, I remember the great sacrifice- the agonising pain that He endured , the tears in His eyes - because I was on His mind, the unconditional love that has been shown and is still being shown towards me and the open door back to my Father.
Because of that, my identity has been changed.

Thank you Daddy.

Eyes of faith

'......Peter.....walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid.........' Matt.14:29-30.

When Peter initially stepped out of the boat-the wind and waves were probably high but the funny thing is, he never saw them. He was too busy looking at Jesus. His focus was on the Lord that he was oblivious to everything around him. He knew that the One calling him to come was his Lord.

A credit to Peter, he must have taken a few steps and then the unthinkable happened, he started to sink. He took into account those things happening around him. Maybe he was afraid of the howling wind, the rising waves and in his mind he must have thought ' oh no, they are going to overtake me'. Because he acknowledged what was around him, he took his focus off Jesus that's when he started to sink.

Coming to think of it, when we are believing God for something or when He tells us to do something we are so confident that we will receive it or that we will reach our destination that we step out in faith. The 'middle ground' is where alot of things happen. That's where the real test begins.

People even friends or family say things to us, we receive phone calls that are contradictory to what we are believing for and circumstances are just screaming out at us that it's not possible. I know that we can identify with how Peter was feeling then. OK, one wave that's no problem-I can still make it, another one, I'm still fine I can still see my Lord. Then the howling wind- this is too much! Doubt started to creep in.

It's in the 'middle ground' that we either sink or we swim. As Peter started to sink, he cried out, 'Lord, save me!' In our hour of desperation, rather than allowing circumstances to overwhelm us, let's just cry out to our EVER PRESENT HELPER to take over.

It's challenging to wait for something to breakthrough because the 'waves and boisterous wind' would always say otherwise. If we acknowledge them, we're defeated.
No matter what.
No matter where.
I know He is always there!
I need to use my eyes of faith to see Jesus in the middle of my storm.

Being in God's school

.......do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.' 1 Peter 4: 12-13

New things I've learned and refreshed with this morning.......

When Christ suffered it was 'according to the will of God'- God's point of view of suffering is so different from ours. When we try to analyse our suffering from our human perspective-negative thoughts, self pity and emotions over take us. It is only through our relationship with Jesus Christ that we can understand what God is after in His dealings with us. I know with me, it would be tears, tears and more tears. Sometimes I just don't understand at the time but then somehow the puzzle slowly begins to fit in.

It's like being in God's school where we are trained for a higher calling. Being an educator, I just thought of what makes a successful student:
-listening and obeying instructions
-for new concepts to be understood or be meaningful,they need to be revised, practised or even used
-enduring long assignments and late nights of studying, changing attitudes etc.

The difference is that; earthly school is temporal-everything about it but in God's school, the lessons being learnt are for eternity!!! We are on a journey that God knows the end to. He knows our end from our beginning just like it says in Psalms 139. Along our journey in life, we will make so many plans but it is His purpose that prevails! He knows what He has designed us for. We just need to learn to TRUST and OBEY. He will come into the scene when we stand firm.

Dear Father,
You're exalted above everything else. You are a Holy God. I come today to worship and adore You. Father, You are the all knowing God-everything about me is spread out before You because You created me and there is no place I can hide from Your Presence. Thank you for Your Word. Everytime I go through difficult, painful or heartbreaking circumstances, please teach me not to be surprised or to ask 'why me.....' but help me to ask 'what lesson do you want me Daddy to learn from this?'. Lord, in our darkest hour, it's difficult to rejoice but thank you that the more we feed on Your Word and know You-peace takes over. It's such a comforting thought to know that He who sees my tomorrows from today has a much higher plan. Thank you. In Jesus Name. Amen.

His way or mine

I love listening and singing along to songs as I drive from point A to point B. Yesterday, as I was driving to my specialist appointment (which is about 40 minutes from home), I was listening to the Hillsong 'Mighty to Save' album and the song 'At the Cross' really captured my heart. I had listened to this song before but it was different this time round. The part that spoke to my heart was;.........'You tore the veil, You made a way when You said that IT IS DONE.'

I just thought, YES it's done. He has done and provided everything for us. He has bridged that gap between the Father and us. It was like seeing an enormous curtain from heaven down to earth being parted. Standing at the enterance and looking beyond, I see bright light and new, fresh things. I just want to soak in the beauty of all that is around me.

God has got so-o-o much patience with us. He must be waiting for us to wake up and realise that it's all there. The power that is mine, the freedom that is mine, the healing that is mine and so much more. He has already provided a way so why don't we just enter in and take what He has to offer. Oh what powerful words -'IT IS DONE'. I need to remember that!

My Lord,
Thank you for all that You've done and still continue to do in my life. May I direct all my energy today towards achieving everything my election as a child of God provides. In Jesus name. Amen.

Attitude check

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing. Philipians 2:5-7.

I'm so glad it's level ground at the foot of the cross. No matter the colour of your skin, status in society or vocation, we can stand side by side under the cross. I remember the story of a prince who went to worship at a local city church. At the end of the sermon, the pastor extended an invitation for prayers. A peasant walked forward then knelt at the altar. A few minutes later, he felt a tap on his shoulder and someone whispering for him to move to the other side. It was one of the prince's body guard. Seeing what was happening before him, the prince motioned to the peasant to kneel beside him and said 'It's OK'.

What a humbling attitude shown by Christ. Trying to be equal with God never crossed His mind. He had to be nothing to be something. Someone that could be filled and used by God. WOW, oh so humbling!

Dear Father,
I desire this same attitude as Christ. As I draw close to You may I leave behind the titles that the world has attached to my name but come just as I am, a woman seeking and yearning after Your heart. May I become nothing so that I can be something for You. I know that You cannot fill me with Your desires if I'm already full of mine. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Prayer

Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, 'Father, I thank you that You have heard me'. John 11:41

This reading really made me think! He just knew that His prayer was in the Father's hearing. When the Son of God prays, He is mindful and consciously aware of ONLY His Father. God always hears the prayers of His Son, and if the Son of God has been formed in me (Galatians4:19), the Father will always hear my prayers.

For me, I need to remember that the cross represents only one thing; complete, entire, absolute identification with the Lord Jesus Christ! I have been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I that liveth but Christ liveth in me. Galatians 2:20.


Precious Lord, teach me to pray.

Take control

There's this reading that has been capturing my attention and I had to sit today to go through it again. It's the authority reading. I just need it to sink deep within my heart. I want to draw a flow chart but I still haven't discovered how to use that application here. This is when the teacher in me wants to come out. OK here we go....

God has given me the AUTHORITY.......Luke 10:19.This is the flashing verse which I will come back to.

Just to establish background knowledge......

For God gives the Spirit without limits. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in His Hands (John 3: 34-35).

When God created the world, He gave the first Adam ownership over all the earth(Gen.1:26). However, Adam gave it to the devil through disobedience! Now this is the exciting bit...Through the cross of Jesus Christ- Jesus, the last Adam, took that ownership back and handed it to us. He put the dominion over the whole earth back in our hands-just like in the Adam days.

THEREFORE, if it's mine, I own it in Jesus Name. I can either not do anything with it or I can use it.The authority has been given to me so I need to take hold of it and use it! Take hold of it and use it! Take hold of it and use it!

Which means, God allows what I allow!.........whatsoever we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever we loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Mat.18:18).

Remember Ps.115:16, The highest heaven belong to the Lord, but the earth He has given to man. That's us(me)!

How do I take possession or ownership of what my loving Lord has given me?

It's with my words!
I NEED to know what God's Word says regarding each situation. Once I know it, I can speak it with AUTHORITY. When I stand with God and on His unchanging Word, I WILL see the fruit of standing firm.

Father, thank you for the authority You have given me. May I feed on your Word each day and may it be so deeply implanted, that no matter what comes my way, I can speak over it with authority. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Sweeter than honey

This I know is true, God is not a man that He should lie.
Reading and meditating on His Word is like coming to a table that is layed out with different types of food. Once you've tasted what it has to offer, you want to keep coming back for more. Why?

Psalms 19: 7-10 explains it.

The Word of God is:

PERFECT-revives the soul
TRUSTWORTHY-makes wise the simple
RIGHT- gives joy to the heart
RADIANT- gives light to the eyes
Sure and altogether righteous
More precious than gold much pure gold
Sweeter than honey than honey from the comb
If I keep feeding on His Words , my eyes will open to see situations from His perspective. In verse 12 it says,Who can discern his own errors? Sometimes we are so caught up with things around us that we cannot discern our own faults. We think or we know that we are right, no matter what anyone else thinks.
Lord, may pride and self righteous attitude be so far removed from my life. It's only Your Word that can shed light on my weaknesses. As I journey on, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight. Amen

Creation Praise

I enjoy my early morning walks because it gives me a chance to reflect upon things that are happening with and around me. Everything is still (besides the early commuters making their way to work) and you hear the birds begin to greet the new morning.

Reading Psalms 19 reminds me of how creation continually praises God our creator-every moment. It's like watching a movie clip. Let's begin...........look up to the heavens...

The heavens declare the glory of God
the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

How do they praise God?
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
They 'pour forth speech' through the sunshine, rain,
the different seasons. At night, the moon and stars speak.

There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.

What else?
The heavens is like a tent for the sun.
In the heavens, He has pitched a tent, which is
like a bridegroom coming forth from His pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

And what does the sun do?
It rises at one end of the heavens,
and makes it circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.

To me, the sun is like the glory of God, as it makes its daily triumphant sweep across the whole extent of the heavens. It pours out its heat (felt Presence) on every creature.

What does this tell us/me about our Creator?
Through Him, all things were made.John 1:3 and He is a God of order.
For night and day to keep rolling, creation to keep sustaining itself, they testify of the existence, goodness and faithfulness of the One who created them!

The song by Marc Byrd/Steve Hindalong, "God Of Wonders' is so true. Part of the song is:

Lord of all creation,
Of water, earth and sky.
The heavens are your tabernacle.
Glory to the Lord on high.

God of wonders beyond our galaxy.
You're holy,holy
The universe declares your majesty
You're holy,holy
Lord of heaven and earth.

Awesome and most loving Father, just as Your beautiful creation praise and greet You each morning, may I also praise and acknowledge You each moment. Amen.

Absolute loyalty

I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who lives but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who loved me and gave Himself for me. Gal.2:20

Lord, your Word reminds me of who Iam meant to be in Christ. I'm no longer 'me' because that person has been nailed with Christ. I know that at times the old 'me' wants to creep in to say or do things I'm not meant to be doing! Keep chipping away the harder outer core of my individual independence from You, my wanting to take over when things don't go my way. May the indwelling of Your Word(Christ) liberate me and my nature into oneness with You, not following my own ideas but choosing absolute loyalty to Jesus.

Lord, each moment, each day, may I live with the consciousness of Your abiding Presence- that Jehovah Shammah is in residence:).

Bought at a price

Do you not know......you are not your own? 1 Cor.6:19

It's such a delight to feed on His Word this morning. To be able to open another wrapper- just unwrapping this single truth in 1 Cor.6:19, I'm so excited and tempted in wanting to unwrap more but I know I need to stop and to chew on a bit at a time.

Thank you Lord for buying me, more like rescuing me from the shop of sinfulness. You've bought me therefore I am Yours. My condition was dusty, dirty, and broken-yet whilst being in that state You bought me because You knew that there was someone/something precious under all that filth! While I was still a sinner, You died for me.

Thank You for the AWESOME price-Your Blood, which makes me look so brand new and the beautiful robe of righteousness that I have on today. Father, I know that You're still shaping me out of my deformities. Please continue to mold me into what You really want me to be. My life is not my own.

You're EVERYTHING to me

Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You Lord have never forsaken those who seek you. Ps. 9:10

Your Word says that You created us in Your image(Gen.126) and even before we were born, You saw our unformed body. You saw us even before we were created in our mother's womb(Ps.139). The earth my Lord and everything in it is Yours(Ps.50:10-12).

You own the cattle in a thousand hills, even the souls of the father and the son are in Your hands....because You created us all, we are Yours.

You are:
Jehovah- the Lord God, our God
Elshaddai- the Lord God my Supplier
Adonai- Lord and Master
Jehovah Jireh-the Lord God my Provider
Jehovah Rapha- the Lord God my Healer
Jehovah Nissi-the Lord God my Banner
Jehovah M'Kadesh- the Lord my Sanctifer
Jehovah T'sidkenu- the Lord God my Righteouness
Jehovah Shalom- the Lord God my Peace
Jehovah Rohi- the Lord God my Shepherd
Jehovah Shammah- the Lord God the Abiding Presence

I will lift You up, high above all else.

Faith vs Sight

We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Cor.5:7

Lord, this is a verse I've heard so many times. It's so easy to say that we have faith but to actually exercise it is a different story. The world that we live in is all about instant coffee, instant cash, instant booking.......but You oh Lord, You work at Your own pace in Your own time. Indeed, having a child-like faith is what You want from me-they believe what is being promised to them and they've made up their little minds that they will get it!

I love the Faith Hall of Fame in Heb.11. These saints trusted You totally. Daddy, may You stregthen my heart each day to hold on to Your promises and not letting go despite the circumstances.

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.......because He who promised is faithful!

Standing on the promises of Christ my King
Thru eternal ages let His praises ring
Glory in the highest I will shout and sing
Standing on the promises of God.

chrs
Standing, standing
Standing on the promises of Christ my Saviour
Standing, standing
I'm standing on the promises of God.

It's not about me

As I sit reflecting on how the Lord had or was moving in my life,gifts He has blessed me with, places He had taken me to and many more. I am in AWE of this great God.

My message was....

It's not about me
It's about God!!

I need to see everything from that perspective! When I see it from that perspective- I'll take the focus off myself and onto God.

He is the reason why I live....
because of His faithfulness, love, forgiveness, mercy

Rom.9:15
I will have mercy on whom I have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. It does not therefore depend on, man's desire or effort but on God's mercy.

Ps. 115:1
Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to Your Name be glory because of Your love and faithfulness.

In pursuit of Him

After reading 'Prayers of a God Chaser' by Tommy Tenney, I became more determined in my desire to pursue His presence. Here are some of my favourite quotes from this book.

'Intimacy with God produces union with His will and purpose. Passionate pursuit produces divine pregnancy in our hearts and supernatural fruit in our lives. Doubt has no place.'

'The more you seek His face, worship His glory, and pray at His feet, the taller you will stand when the time comes to 'stand up and be counted.'

'The only way to capture the fiery passion of God's heart is to draw near His heart so he can impart His Desires to us. Once we receive them, we can speak into the earth with authority.'

'You must invest time with God to experience intimacy with Him.'

Lord fill my heart with passion from Your heart!