The Fog is clearing. [Isaiah 41v10]

Who likes fog? not many of us, especially if you driving, it causes so many disruptions, to the travelling public, is there anything good about fog?. That great man of God ,George Mullier,travelling in the days of few navigational helps, needed to arrive at a certain place at a time, but the ship was not able to dock because of the fog, so he prayed, and you know what happened ?, the fog lifted, and he arrived on time. Let me ask you are you in a fog?your way blocked, listen ,the God of George Mullier is your God, have faith in your God, He really does answer prayer. [ Father thank you that you love us equally, you have no favourites, and you have promised to lead, and guide us, this I believe with all of my heart, what ever I may face today,in the name of your Son , I claim the victory, Amen]

A Reminder. [Ephesians 2 v1-8]

Yesterday I witnessed as did many others a man beating another, this happened outside a pub, it was very disturbing, raising all sorts of feelings in ones mind. We , could put it down to drink, Im sure it plays its part, but then I read in a national newspaper ,of an epidemic of abuse, in the affluent suburb of West London. Also just recently my young grandson, was set upon by a mob of young people, what are we to make of this violence?, well speaking personally , as I look back on my own life it makes me sad the times I was violent, I am reminded of a song by J .Cash, The Beast in Me, we all without exception have some sort of a beast in us, it comes from a fallen nature, there is only one effective cure, the grace of God, which we recieve when we repent , and trust Christ as our Saviour, and then we need day by day ,to rely on that grace to overcome the beast in us. [Father I thank you from the very bottom of my heart , for saving me, from the beast in me, I thank you for Jesus, my Saviour, Amen]

I saved a Frog. [Luke 15v3-7]

There it was on the road , a frog, I was surprised, I had not seen a frog for years, I realized it was in danger of being run over, so I decided to save the frog, but how?well I went to my shed fetched a bucket, and then attempted to catch that little frog, but you know that little frog , just did not want me to save it, [in fact it was hopping mad] This true story reminded me , how people are like that frog, God who would have all men to be saved , and people dont want, it seems,to be rescued, saved.I was once like that frog,mybe you were to , and mybe you are at this moment in time, it is amazing that God doesnt give up on us , you see God knows whats involved, He knows whats best for us, He knows if He does not save us , what will happen, Hell is real. [Father thank you for not giving up on us, for your persevering love, thank you for saving me, in Jesus name, Amen.]

Pressure Cooker. [Hebrews4v15-16]

Years ago we had a pressure cooker, there was a fear linked with pressure cookers, they may explode, due to the pressure, but the pressure cooker we had, was equpped with a safety valve. We live many of us with pressures, today many people will be dreading another day, financial, family, work,etc,are we surprised at road rage ?,we shouldnt be, they dont have a safety valve.Being a Christian , does not mean you escape the pressures, but it should mean that we, dont explode, hurting ourselves, and others, why? because we have a safety valve, we have prayer, we have Jesus, who fully understands all the pressures we come under.Do read Hebrews 4v15-16, I want to leave a prayer written by Joyce Meyer with you [Jesus, I am so glad that you understand what I am feeling right now and that you do not condemn me for feeling this way, I do not want to give vent to my emotions, Help me to forgive those who haved wronged me and not to slight them, avoid them, or seek to pay them back for the harm done me. Amen]

Self Control. [Luke 15v11-32]

In Proverbs25v28, we read a person without self-control is like a city with broken -down walls,in other words the city is vunerable . More, than ever we do need to practice self -control, think how much pain would be avoided if we we would put this wisdom into practice, consider the following, debt, drink,sex,temper,appitite, I could go on. Now I dont want you to feel condemned, but I want to bring this challenge to you, to exercise self control, in your life, refuse to live on impulse and instant gratification.[ Father help me to know self control , I know in my own strength this is not possible, so fill me with your Spirit, that I may know the victory through the Lord Jesus, in whose Name I ask this, Amen]

Dont let anyone mislead you. [John 14 v6]

We live in a world of confusion, a world that is full of false ideas, values, so many false prophets, how important those words of Jesus are when He tells us ,dont let anyone mislead you,[Mark13v5]. The Bible tells us a very important truth, we must bear this in mind continually, for it answers so many of our questions as to the why of life, this is a fallen world, sin affects everything. Let us not be fooled by lovely sunsets or whatever, the sweetest little child has a fallen nature, no matter how things are dressed up, everything is affected by sin. I am not being cynical ,I have had a revelation , when Jesus became my Saviour, I see things differently, I do not lean on my own understanding, I believe in Him who is the truth, I believe on Him who died on a cross for sin, He said , dont let anyone mislead you.[ Father I thank you that you sent Jesus, to bring us out of darkness, to fill us with your Spirit, and to guide us by your precious Word, Amen.]

Afraid of What?

Thinking of psalm 23. were David says, I will fear no evil, what a bold statement, and a amazing one, is it possible, to fear no evil?.First of all , he is not writing of all fears , some fears are healthy, but there are fears that we do need to challenge, take the fear of death, many young people fear death, the Christian view is , Christ has conquered death by His resurrection, [C.P. John 11 v25], so , because He lives we shall live also,consider the words of David in Psalm 23v4 , He refers to the valley of the shadow of death, he sees death as but a shadow, consider a shadow cannot hurt, a shadow has no power to do us any harm, the great secret of overcoming our fears, be it death or whatever,is to believe what Gods word tells us, faith is the answer. [Father so often my life is affected by fear,fear that robs me of your peace, forgive and help me to grow in faith,help me to experience a deeper trust in you , in Jesus name, Amen.]

A Blessing. [Psalm 23]

One of the most popular passages of scripture is Psalm 23, written by a shepherd boy , who became king, indeed the greatest of all the kings of Israel .This Psalm has blessed millions of people, it is wonderful to think how God can use us to be a blessing to others,through our words, and through our lives .We may not be a David but God can use us to be a blessing to those we come in contact with today, our lives can count for Jesus, believe it,here are the words of a chorus we used to sing, make it your prayer today,[ Father,make me a channel of blessing today, make me a channel of blessing I pray, my service blessing, my life possessing, make me a channel of blessing today. in the name of Jesus I pray this ,Amen.]

Hurting. [Jeremiah 17v14]

There are many things that can hurt us, mybe you have been hurt recently, I know a person who will not travel by bus, because they were in an accident on a bus. there are different types of hurts, phyisical,mental, and spiritual, I wonder what you think are the hardest hurts to get over?,I would think, mental and spiritual. What do you do when you are hurting?, when one was a child, and fell over, you would go to your mother , to kiss it better, and for comfort , but sometimes we carry our hurts all our lives, we hold on to them, nursing our grievances, we may not realize that they have affected us, and have shaped our personalities. I am sure it is time to pray about those hurts ,to pray honestly,and humbly, to pray as you have never prayed before. [Father in my of journey of life ,I have hurt others, forgive me, I have also been hurt , heal me, in Jesus name I pray this, Amen.]

Only Believe. [Hebrews 11v 1-7]

Our last look at Mark 9v14-29 ,we noted yesterday how the father came to Jesus in desperation, for his demon possessed son , he is desperate, he speaks to Jesus, help us if you can. observe Jesus reply, What do you mean, if I can? the fact of the matter is, He can, let me ask the question, do you believe He can? if you were that father would you be saying,help us if you can. Jesus folows up with a challenge, Anything is possible if a person believes, there is an old hymn which goes ,Only believe, all things are possible only believe,the father hearing those words cries out, I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief, and Jesus did, and He healed the boy. [Father I am so much like this man a mixture of faith and unbelief,in thy mercy forgive, and perfect that area of my life , I ask this in Jesus name, Amen.]

Everybody is a Critic, [Matthew 7v1-5 ]

Another look at Mark 9v14-29. in his conversation with Jesus the father says, Have mercy on us and help us , if you can, it did seem to that man that even Jesus may not be able to do anything to help. This problem had been going on for years ,we can assume that he had prayed and prayed, the result no change,this was his mountain, so he comes to Jesus barely hoping,would you and I be any different? let us not be critical of others,consider, we have not walked in their shoes. if we had we would be more understanding, and less judgmental. [Father help me not to judge others, help me to refrain from being critical, help me to have your compassion and love, in the name of Jesus I pray this, Amen.]

A Fathers Prayer. [Luke 15v11-31]

We continue to look at Mark9 v14-29 the story of the demon possessed boy,and the desperate father , a thought comes to me, the boy needed his father to intercede for him, it did not appear that he could do this himself. This boy was demon possessed one cannot begin to imagine, how serious this condition is, how controlling the demons were, but the father who loved his son felt dearly for him ,it must have been awful in the extreme for this family, so the father came to Jesus. Let me say there are many sons and daughters, who for what ever reason are unable to pray for themselves, they need the prayers of Godly parents, and the good news Jesus answered that fathers prayer.[ Father in the name of Jesus , remember our children, Amen.]

Standing on your own feet.. [ John 21v20-23 ]

Following on with Mark 9v14-29, were we have the man with a son possessed with a demon,the disciples were unable to cast it out of the boy, so the man goes to Jesus. Many people still go to the disciples of Jesus , think how many people look to the preacher, come to the front to be prayed for, there is nothing wrong with this, but mybe the Lord wants us to just simply come to Him, so many people ride on the back of others faith, instead of developing their own faith walk, why ?, there may be many reasons, whatever the reason, the challenge for us all ,is to learn to walk on our own, in our faith walk . [Father I thank you for the example of godly people, but I know you want me to begin to be a Christian who developes my own personal relationship with you, help me to do this , I ask this in Jesus name.]

The Enemy. [ James 4 v7 ]

In Mark 9v14-29. we read how the disciples failed for lack of prayer,v29. the reading is about a father with a son, who was possessed by a demon, this demon continually tried to destroy the young man, let us remember that the devil and his demons have only one aim , to destroy humanity, if you are not a Christian you are in great danger, if you are a Christian, be on your guard , you have a very dangerous enemy, who will do his best to draw you away from your Lord. [Father I thank you that Jesus defeated Satan on the cross, yet I know he is not destroyed, but is still very active, help me today to resist him in your power, help me not to be taken in by his lies, in Jesus name I ask this, Amen.

Happiness. [ Psalm 144v 15.]

Lets get serious, or lets lighten up, Humor has its place in life , laughter is a blessing, to have the gift of making people laugh is wonderful.I have a joke book beside my P.C, here is a joke from it, Doctor, Docter- My wooden leg is giving me a lot of pain. Whys that ?, My wife keeps hitting me over the head with it. Anyway I am going to keep my day job, but I do like to laugh , do like reading silly jokes, mybe we do need to lighten up. [Father life is a very serious bussiness ,it is a continual challenge, yet I do thank you for the lighter side, when we can laugh, thank You in Jesus name, Amen]

Ignorance no excuse. [Romans 3v23 ]

In Leviticus 4v27, we read, If any of the common people sin by violatimg one of the Lords commands, but they dont realize it, they are still guilty. Ignorance of the law is no excuse, you break it you pay the price, it is no good making excuses you have broken the law, you must pay the price. When it comes to breaking Gods law the price is judgement, the price is high, Hell is real, thats the bad news, but here is the good news, Calvary, if we but look to God for mercy by acceptlng Jesus, then we are forgiven. [Father I give you thanks for your mercy, that comes through your Sons death on the cross, I thank you for Jesus my saviour, Amen.]

Substitute. [Isaiah 53]

If you follow sport you will be firmiliar with the the term substitute, when one person is taken off and another goes on in their place. Taking anothers place ,I am reading from the book of Leviticus, its about the regulations in regard to the priests, and sacrifices,and it is in relation to the animal sacrifice, we have the truth of substitution taught. A person would bring an animal, with no defects, before it was slain , the one offering the sacrifice, would lay their hand on the animal head,why? ,then the Lord will accept its death in the place of the one offering the sacrifice, purifying them , making them right with Him,[Lev.1v4]. When we come to consider our Saviour on the cross,the great truth of His sacrifice, is when we put our trust in Him we are acknowledging Him as our substitute, we are purified, forgiven, and made right with God. Upon a life I did not live , upon a death I did not die, wrote the poet,meaning ,Jesus is my substitute. [Father I give you thanks from the bottom of my heart , for Jesus my substitute, Amen]

Remembering. [Isaiah 49v16]

A friend in work was standing in the corridor transfixed, then as she moved off she said to me ,I had a senior monent, we do equate forgetfulness with senior citizens, but let me say this, we all whatever age we are have those moments of forgetfulness. We forget that the Lord is always with us ,we forget that He is watching over us in love, that all we have to do is to call on him in every situation, and he will come to our aid, we forget He has promised to look after us, so this day dont worry be happy. [ Father thank you that though at times I forget You, You never forget me, thank You in Jesus name, Amen]

Giants [Romans 8v37]

The preacher yesterday was speaking on giants, there is more than one giant of course, when David slew Goliath, he had to face other giants, it seems to me David was continually facing Giants, Saul , the Philistines, Absalom his son, and the greatest giant of all, himself. Whatever giant you are facing today, if you rely on God, then victory is assured, believe this and go forward in Gods strength. [Father help me to realize that whatever I have to face today, they may seem like giants, but You are with me, and in your strength I can know the victory, in Jesus name I ask this, Amen.]

Blindness. [2 Corinthians 4v4]

Today give thanks for the gift of sight, it is true we often take things for granted, even the wonderful gift of sight. It must have been wonderful for those we read about in the gospels who recived the healing miracle of sight, [John 9v25] ,this man had been born blind. The Bibles tells us a very important truth that all mankind are blind spiritually, because of sin, and Satan, it is very sad, what it means is they fail to see their need of Christ, it also means they need the miracle of grace. [ Father I thank you for the gift of sight,my natural sight and my spiritual sight, I thank you in Jesus name, Amen.]

Weakness. 2 Corinthians 12v 5-10.

I am a Christian many years, I have read the Bible many times, preached many sermons, etc, yet there are times one feel inadequate, one feels weak, and one may be inclined to despair, for who among us, wants to feel weak, weakness makes us feel vunerable. It was the great apostle, a man of immense stature, having vast knowledge, a man of great energy, who was taught a very valuable lesson, that through his weakness, he would have to rely on the grace of God, the result ,God would then be glorified. Let me say weakness is not a get out clause, for sinning, or not serveing Jesus, it is a wonderful opportunity to glorify God in all of our lives. [Father here I am in all my weakness, I have not much to offer you, other than my weakness,, be pleased to enable me by your grace , to serve you, and to you be all the honour, and glorly, in Jesus name I ask this, Amen.]

Dont run with the crowd.[ Galations.2v11 ff]

There are times in our lives when we are swept along with the crowd, the lynch mob mentality, when we really should stop and think. Consider Jesus, the mob wanted to make him king [John 6v15] but He would not go along with it, earthly power or glory was not for Him. As I look back I have seen church situations were the lynch mob mentality has taken over, the poor pastor is suddenly under attack, cruel things are said, the mob somehow have forgotten,what Jesus said, love one another, of course this running with the crowd involves a lot of situations, the gossip crowd, the debt crowd, who are you running with?.[Father it is so easy to be swept along with the crowd, help me to listen to You, to be controlled by You, led by You, in Jesus name Iask this, Amen.]

Mystery.[ Genesis 1v1 ]

I love a good mystery, the little Belgum detective is one of my favourite characters, I am never able to figure out who done it. There are many things that are a mystery to me and I am sure to you, I happened to glance down at my arm and noticed my pulse, and it got me thinking about the life force, it seems to me that is a mystery,that is if one leaves God out of it. The Bible tells us ,[and only in the Bible do we find the answer to the mystery of life], in Acts 17 v28 , we read ,For in Him [ God] we live, and move , and have our being, here we have the mystery revealed, God , the creator and sustainer of life. [Father I thank you for the gift of life , help me to appreciate this more, and to glorify you in it, I ask this in the name and for the sake of Jesus your Son, Amen.]

Holy.Romans 12v1-2.

I wonder what you think, when you see the word holy?, it is not something that the person in the street thinks about, why? a good question. In Exodus 28v36. we read the words ,Holy to the Lord, the word holy indicates a life that is conscience of of its sinfulness,but a life that is also conscience of the challenge to live as to please God, a Holy God. [Father You have saved me by your Grace, there is nothing I can do that can save me,it is all you, yet there comes the challenge day by day, to live a life that pleases You, a life that is holy, a life that glorifies your Son, Jesus, help me, Amen.]

Certainties [Job 19v25-26 ]

Is there such a thing as a sure thing? if you are a sport fan you soon realize, that the so called unbeatable, can be beat, that the underdog can at times win, favourites can loose. I remember a work mate of mine , who was not a Christian ,being told to bet on the Lord, He was a sure thing, he just laughed. Let me say this in a world filled with so many uncertainties the only certainty is the Lord, I make no apologies for saying this, the Bible speaks of that sure and certain hope, our hope is not a mybe, if or but, no , it is a sure and certain hope, I think Jobs words are the most inspiring in the Bible 19v25-26, For I know that my redeemer liveth , and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth, And though after my skin worms destroy this body,yet in my flesh shall I see God. [ Father in a world of uncertainties I thank You, That in your Son Jesus I have a sure and certain hope, Amen]

And I am glad. [Psalm 47v4]

When I attended Bible college ,we sang a hymn which has meant a lot to me, I was at Bible college to be trained to serve the Lord. At the beginning I thought I knew were I was going ,but it did not work out the way I thought,in fact I never in my wildest dreams thought I would end up were I have, which brings me back to that hymn, here is the first verse, God holds the key of all unknown and I am glad, if other hands should hold the key,or if He trusted it to me, I might be sad. [Father I thank you for leading me the right way, and giving unto me what is best for me, I thank you that you hold the key , and not me, in Jesus name, Amen.]

Awful Things Happen. [Romans 3v23]

The reality to life is this, awful things do happen, rape, murder etc,of course there are a lot of good things that happen, I suppose we do need keep a sense of balance. The world is such an inconsistent place, there are in fact no guarantees, that things will not go wrong, life is not a fairy tale, were everyone lives happily ever after. The fact of the matter is we live in a fallen world, man by sinning, has caused those awful things, sin has and does affect ,everything and everybody. The only hope for any of us is , first of all to recognize our condition,we are sinners, and to embrace Gods solution by believing on the Lord Jesus , for the scripture tells us Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.[ Father God I thank you for Jesus the Saviour of the world and most of all that He is my own and personal Saviour, Amen]

Different.

Alexander Prior was seen as different, by other children, instead of playing football, he just wanted to play the piano, so they made him suffer, by picking on him. Alexander learned the piano at the age of three, composed his first symphony when he was eleven, his difference was, he was gifted. While his parents rejoiced in their gifted child others felt he was strange, and picked on him, many people are seen as differant , because of their colour , race, poverty,disabilities, colour of their hair, the shape of their nose, etc. God who created us in our mothers womb , which he did, made us all different, so dont let any body make you feel inferior, or bad about yourself, God loves you. [Father help me to accept others, with all there differences, to see them as you see them, and to love them as you love them. in Jesus name]

Burdens

Burdens come in many ways, are you burdened?, well what does one do when one is burdened? , pray , and remember God understands. The burdens that are on my heart , I pray about, mybe I will be able do something , in giving or doing, mybe all I can do is pray, and pour out my heart to God.I wonder how God feels ?, He see all that is going on, all,He misses not one thing, Jesus said He sees the sparrow that falls to the ground, so whatever burden you are carrying, do not despair. [ Father there are many burdens on my heart, I bring them to you, the conflicts in the world, the injuctices, the lost who are going to hell, the sick , the dying, so many things, God be merciful ,in Jesus name, Amen.]