Against all the odds.[1 Samuel 17 ]

A little unknown football club have been drawn to play the mighty Manchester united in the FA cup, it should be easy for the giants of football to beat this little team. But then I remember David and Goliath, could it be possible that this little team can beat Man U? we will see, I sincerely hope not, as I support Man U. How did David against all the odds defeat Goliath?,the answer God working through him, we are told if God be for us,who can be against us[ Romans 8v31].Could it be that you are faced with a big problem ,and you wonder how are you going get through, well how did David get through? with Gods help,we can think of many other people in the Bible ,who won through against the odds.So today look at your problem and remember David,who not only defeated the giant, but went on to be Israel greatest king. [Dear God help me to see that You are greater than any problem I am facing,in Jesus name Amen ]

Sidelined. [ John14 v6 ]

Maggie and the Indian mystic,so read the headlines in the newspaper, it was about a barefoot gura who spoke to Mrs Thatcher, predicting that she would become prime minister. Let me say this many people are listening to mediums,, and being drawn into error,into the dark side. These things are interesting but they will not help us with the most important question as regards my sin, and the consequences of it.John Travolta and his wife have celebrated 2o yrs of marriage , he put it down to good communication and the tools of scientology. A number of things may help us in our marriage, but rest assured scientology,Indian mystics, will not lead us into the truth, will not save us in our lostness, Jesus said ,I am the way the truth and the life , no man [or woman]cometh unto the Father but by me [John 14 v6 ][ Dear God help me not to be sidelined into error, help me accept Jesus as my Saviour,and to follow only Him. Amen]

Say it like it is. [Luke 23 v 39-43 ]

I read an article in the news paper about a gorilla that walks upright, now the article was not making the point of evolution, more about gorillas becoming an extinct species.The way humanity behaves so often ,may be an insult to a gorilla, humanity can often act worse than any animal. I was listening to person on the radio, how the Germans used starvation as one of the tools of the war, letting Russian prisoners die of starvation. They are not the only nation that have committed atrocities ,the list is endless, we just have to read the newspaper to see how mankind is capable of awful things. Two TV presentors loose their jobs , one of their wives said ,they were just being boys,no ,they were manifesting sinful behaviour, the sad thing is they will be sorry that they have lost their jobs, but they will not see their behaviour for what it is, and will not change.The word of God tells us that all of us are sinners [Romans 3v23 ], whither it is the sins of a nation or of the individual, it needs to be forgiven,and the only place that can take place is before an old rugged cross,before a Saviour called Jesus, it is time for nations and individuals to seek that forgivness.[ Dear God I want to stop making light of my behavior, I acknowledge that I am a sinner, I bow before You and ask Jesus to be my Saviour, Amen ]

God our helper [ Psalm 121]

In Psalm 60v11 we read,/ Give us help from trouble, for vain is the help of man/, this Psalm was written by a man of God, David a man of God that sees life as it is ,that life has troubles of one sort or another. Being a Christian does not exclude one from troubles, Christianity is not a pass into a land free from troubles, our Saviour said in this world you shall have tribulations [John 16 v33]Are you experencing trouble, are you surprised?,well dont be. The important thing is this, when in trouble, who are we looking to, for help in our troubles.The Psalmist looks beyond the human factor to God, he declares ,vain is the help of man, God will use many means to help us in our troubles, but let us us not trust in those means ,they can so easily dry up[ 1 Kings 17 v7]. Make this your motto for this day ,and everyday,/ My help cometh from the Lord , which made heaven and earth [Psalm 121v2 ] [ Dear God grant us help in all out troubles,in Jesus name Amen ]

Hang in there. [Psalm 37 ]

When I was a wee boy my mum would tell me to sit still, for a youngster this is a hard thing to do, a child has a lot of energy, we see this in the supermarket, a battle of the wills, the mother is trying to make the child sit in the shopping trolley, but the child wants to run around. In Psalm 37v7 we read these words,/ Rest in the Lord , and wait patiently for Him/. We are all children sometimes in our attitude, and in our thinking,our Loving Heavenly Father is seeking to get us to sit in the shopping trolley,but we dont want to, we want to be up and doing. We feel we have waited long enough,why should we wait any longer?in James 1 v7[ stv] we read ,/Let stedfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing/.What we are being told is to hang in there ,and as we do ,two things are happening, God is working in us, perfecting us as Christians, but He is also working for us, and will answer us in His time.. [ Dear God grant me the grace to rest in You, and to wait patiently for You to work on my behalf ,in Jesus name Amen ]

Equality. [ Galations 3 v28 ]

I have a little book called ,/Four spiritual giants/ by R Brown, he writes on the lives of John Bunyan,John Wesley, Augustine,and Martin Luther. No doubt they were great men, and as I read the Bible we read of many more spiritual giants, but what about you and me, one feels very insignificant, I really do. Then there is a verse that comes to mind which tells me ,that God has no favorites[Acts 10v34 ],God loves you and me and those great people equally, he is not like Jacob who loved Joseph more than his other sons. Everyone of us are His favorites,sometimes preachers have said, if we had been the only person in the whole world ,Christ would still have died for us, and thats so very true. So let us not feel less loved, than others,in Gods sight there are no spiritual giants, He only sees His children, and loves them all. [ Dear God help us to realize continually that you love us equally,that you have no favorites, in Jesus name Amen.]

No condemnation.[Romans 8 v1]

I do wish that everything was perfect in this world, but it is not ,one day it will be, one day it is hard to take it in, even I will be perfect. Until then we press on toward our goal in our weakness,yet strengthened by the power of God, overcoming daily by Gods grace.I think of dear William Cowper who suffered from mental illness , who at times felt suicidal, yet he pressed on, and inspite of how he felt, he wrote some wonderful hymns, one in particular stands out, God moves in mysterious ways, a hymn that has such deep meaning and continues to bless mulitudes of Christians. The great apostle had to cope with a thorn in the flesh,plus a multitude of other things, and yet God used Him ,to write those wonderful epistles.As we look at ourselves we may be inclined to despair, because of our deep seeded problems, others may even judge us, even Christians, to their shame.Take hold of the words in Roman 8 v31-32,/Who shall lay anything to the charge of Gods elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth ?it is Christ that died ,yea rather , that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us/. [ Dear God thank You that You love us unconditionally,grant me the grace of not living under a cloud of condemnation, and I pray you will use use me ,yes even me in my weakness in Jesus name Amen ]

Power to overcome.[Ephesians 3 v20 ]

How can one overcome deep seeded problems?, often it appears no one understands, and no matter about our good intentions ,we fail to make any headway. First of all God understands ,He really does, but He really wants to help us to overcome those things that we are struggling with. The question is how can He help?, the answer, by the power of the Holy Spirit, all Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit,it is by His power that we will be victorious. In Ephesians 3 v20, we read,/ Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us/. Take this verse and believe what it says,claim this promise everyday,and I believe as we rely on the Holy Spirit, He will do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think.[ Dear God help us to see afresh that you granted us Your Spirit to help us, I claim His help, to help me overcome those problems, I am faced with, in Jesus name Amen ]

Truth. [ John 8 v32 ]

As a preacher, I have preached many sermons, and part of my preparation is to discover what I am to preach on, so I pray and ask God to guide me, to that approbriate scripture. Likewise when faced with a decision I pray and ask God to speak, to get a word ,and when I get it, to act on it.So it is when one is faced with a deep seeded problem, the word of God must play a vital role, in helping us, to go forward, and be an overcomer. Our deep seeded problems are often based on misconceptions,and they cause us to be filled with fear, a fear that creates a prison for us, and affects the lives of others near us. Our Saviour said that He was the Truth,[John 14 v6 ],and also that the truth would make us free. [John 8 v32] In these words we have a key, to overcome those deep seeded problems,that will enable us to be free, it sounds simple, and in fact it is,as we look to Jesus ,and by faith apply His truth[ The word of God] into our lives, things will begin to happen .[ Dear Lord Jesus help me to look to you,to believe and act on Your word, in your name we ask this Amen ]

Relationship the key. [ Psalm 37 v5 av ]

I had just about finished my blog when we had a power cut, so I have to start again, it is a bit like life ,not giving up ,starting again,now we have been writing about deep seeded problems. Deep seeded problems do not go away overnight, they may be with us till the day we die, but the important thing thing is not to give up. We are all on a journey of discovery, discovering what?, the vital ,and I stress the vital importance of a relationship with God, and discovering how that relationship ,will change us.And it will, if, and again I have to stress the if, we look to Him, each day, each hour, each moment, to find the secret of overcoming is not in our own strength,but as the apostle declared, in the strength of Christ [ Philippians 4 v13 ]. While there will be those who can support us, our strength must come from the Lord, and along with that relying on the Lord for strength, there has to be trust. We must commit our way ,unto the Lord, trust also in Him, day by day, moment by moment, the result , He shall bring it to pass[ Psalm 37v5 av ][ Dear God as I surrender my will to Yours, help me to seek You day by day, and moment by moment, and as I do ,grant me the strength to overcome those deep seeded problems in my life , in Jesus name Amen ]

Am I willing?[2 Chronicles 28 v 9 ]

Yesterday I mentioned about people with deep seated problems, now what is the key to overcoming these ?, willingness.Consider what that means, you see there are mulitudes of people, who know the dangers of smoking ,but they are not willing to give up, the will is mans fortress. When that begins to crumble then things can begin to change, but only then,there will be no change,until the there is a willingness to change.People say I cant change ,but the more important question is am I willing to change?,no one can answer that for them,one can reason with a person till one is blue in the face, but until there is a willingness to change ,things will remain the same. So if you have deep seated problems ask yourself, are you willing to change?for you the problems will not go away until you are willing to change. Now of course this is only part of the answer,but it is the most important part, we will move on tomorrow to consider,what next ?. [Dear God help us to be willing to change,in Jesus name Amen ]

Deep seeded problems. [ Philippians 1v6 ]

When you are dealing with people with deep seated problems,one thing you must be careful, and its this , not to run with their problem, for this will not help them or you. The problems they have are often deep seated,as I have said, and often they are not willing to deal with them,so they draw you in, often putting the blame on you , for their problems. There is every likelihood that they will cut you of, and move on to someone else, with little thought for you, and no gratitude for what you have done for them. I believe our Lord does not run with our problems, instead He gets us to recognize ,that we have a problem, and take responsiblity for our actions, with His grace and love He can help us. The question is, are we willing to face up to our problems?, to stop running from our problems,stop making excuses,stop the blaming game, to first and foremost to acknowledge to ourselves and to God, our problem, thats the first step,the most important step, tomorrow we may consider this further. [ Dear God help us to start dealing with the problems in our lives in an honest way, not to keep running away, in Jesus name Amen ]

The war is not over yet. [Ephesians 6 v10-18]

William Gurnall in his book ,/The Christian in complete armour/,writes,/ From your spiritual birth to your natural death, from the hour you set your face toward heaven until you set your foot inside the gate,you will have wars with Satan ,sin, and self./Yes dear friends, the Christian life is an ongoing battle , most wars come to an end, some are long like the 100yrs war ,but it came to an end, but if one is a Christian as W Gurnall points out,the war goes on and on.David fell into the trap of letting his guard down and paid the price, we read, it was the time when kings go to war, but David tarried still at Jerusalem.[ 2 Samuel 11v1]. So today, let us be alert, let us be on our guard,let us look to the Lord continually,let us live not, in fear of man,or the devil, but let us be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. [ Dear God help me to on my guard continually,strengthen me by Your Spirit , that I may stand, and having done all to stand, in Jesus name Amen ]

Our thoughts. [Philippians 4 v8 ]

In Matthew 12 v25, we read,/ And Jesus knew their thoughts/, I wonder what you think about those words?,they are very challenging. Maybe we feel uncomfortable with those words,simple because our thoughts are not all they should be. The Bible has a lot to say about thoughts, this is the place where we need to guard ,and to be on our guard,the sin that we commit begins with our thoughts. We can be all sweetness on the outside, but in the inside we can be full of bitterness, it is inevitable that we will think wrong thoughts ,but we dont have to go along with them. The people that Jesus dealt with were never open and honest,they thought how they could trip Him up, or show Him up, but He knew their thoughts, and was able to challenge them. Today let us guard our thoughts,thoughts of self pity,lust,anger,whatever is contrary to holiness, love ,peace ,and mercy. [ Dear God help me to guard my thought life, help me to see the importance of this, in Jesus name Amen ]

Out of control.[ Matthew 5 v38-48 ]

I spoke last night from one of the most challenging chapters in the whole of the Bible, 1 Corinthians13, and one of the things I said was, that love is not a feeling,it is a decision. We often live by our feelings, that is why so many act the way they do, in relation to eating,and so many desires, they run with their feelings. Feelings are not always our best guide, in fact they can be very destructive, take David when he was been hunted by Saul, on two occasions he had opportunities to kill Saul, but he didnt.On an other occassion he ran with his feelings ,when he felt insulted and unfairly treated, but was stopped by a wise woman[1 Samuel 25].It is in 2 Samuel 11 we read of David letting his feelings take over, and what followed was trully awful, adultery, murder.So let us not run with our feelings, let us make a decision to love the unlovely, to forgive when we are hurt,to choose to be holy.[ Dear God help me not to be ruled by my feelings ,instead help me to be controlled by Your Spirit, and obedient to Your Word in Jesus name. Amen ]

Life a flatpack. [ Proverbs 3 v5-6 av ]

Out with the old in with the new,well not entirely, there used to be time if you bought a sideboard ,you got a sideboard, now you get a flatpack. Yesterday I spent most of the day assembling my flatpack, and I did it, with much prayer, and I joke not, still it would have been nice if a sideboard had been delivered.Life is like a flatpack,it does not come already assembled,life is a task to done,yes it would be nice it seems if we had not the task of assembling it. Most people do their best, most people do it imperfectly, but still we must not judge , what is important if we are Christians is to commit our lives everyday to our Lord, and trust Him, to overrule in all things. If we do this He will undertake, there is one sense ,life is a do it yourself affair,but as Christian ,we believe our Lord will help us ,to do it ourselves, stange but true. [ Dear Lord help us in the task of assembling our lives, that in all things we may glorify You. Amen]

The open door [ Revelation 3 v8 ]

As I look back on my life I see so many times I have prayed for doors to open, and they have, but often it required a great deal of patience on my part,for God does not work according to my time table. This is a lesson we all have to earn, living and moving at Gods moment, waiting and not get tired of waiting, often we do and we cry out how much longer Lord before You answer,yet God says wait. And in that waiting God is teaching us lessons, teaching us to trust Him,and learn that valuable lesson of patience. We must also learn the important lesson of weakness ,yes weakness, and a spirit of dependance on God, the greatest of saints had to learn these lessons. The race is not to the strong , but to those who have recognised their weakness, dont worry about your weakness,the great apostle was told that Gods strength was made perfect in his weakness, and that Gods grace would be sufficent for him.[ 2 Corinthians 12 v1-10 ] Yes doors will open, doors that no one can close,but in His time, and when He has prepared us ,to take up that opportunity . [Dear God we ask for grace to wait for that door of opportunity to open, as we wait ,help us to have patience, and to yield to your purposes in our lives in Jesus name Amen ]

The safest place.[ Daniel 3]

When Abraham was called by God to leave his homeland ,we read in Hebrews 11v8, that he went out not knowing, whither he went. It seems a bit of a frightening thing to do, mybe even a foolish thing in our eyes, but the fact of the matter is, He was in the safest place in the world, because he was in the center of Gods will. He was not like Jonah who ran a way in opposite direction to where God wanted him to go.The safest place for all of us is to be in the center of Gods will, even though it may include uncertainty, or even danger.Joseph experienced many difficulties , but we read these very important words,/ And the Lord was with Joseph [Genesis 39v2 ]. Forget about the uncertainties of our situations ,if we are in the will of God ,He will be with us as sure as He was with Abraham or Joseph,and so all will be well.[ Dear Lord Jesus help me in those times of uncertainies, that cause fear to arise,cause me to worry, to trust You, knowing that You will never leave me , nor forsake me. Amen ]

A thankful people.[Ephesians 5 v20 ]

There is a lot to be said for positive thinking, here I am sitting at my PC listening to nice music ,I have just had a nice breakfast,I am able still to work. I have money enough to live on, plenty of things to wear, a GP to go to if I not well, and I even get free mediciene, I could go on, God has blessed me with so much .I live in a grand country, not a perfect country,but then nothing is perfect.Today consider the blessings you have, and offer up a prayer of thanksgiving, in USA, they have a thanksgiving day, let this be a thanksgiving day ,for all of us. Let nothing negative pass from our lips, in everything let us give thanks, to the God whose mercy never fails, whose faithfulness is trully great, and who loves us so very, very, much. [Dear God help us even through our tears ,to acknowledge your faithfulness, help us to be a thankful people in Jesus name .Amen ]

Force yourself.[ Psalm 37 v 25 ]

Make a choice to be spiritual, what I mean is simple this,dont let your thoughts control you, when negative thoughts come in, force yourself to focus on Gods word. When you find yourself thinking about the economy, or your own personal finances ,force your mind to remember that the Lord is your shepherd and you shall not want. As you consider what may lie ahead, and you dont know how you will manage, remember there is one with you, who will not fail you. When you find yourself worrying, remember what Jesus said, /Your heavenly Father knoweth[Matthew 6v32 ],yes He knows and will undertake,He is after all your Father, and will care for you His child. It is so easy to run with the negative, millions do ,everyday, but this day let us stand ,and having done all to stand ,on Gods word,to look up by faith and believe that all will be well.[ Dear God I confess that often I let my thoughts dwell on so much that is negative,help me to break this bad habit, help me to get into the habit of dwelling on You, of continually reminding myself, that You will never fail me, in Jesus name Amen ]

Be prepared. [ Hebrews 9 v27 ]

Yesterday I was told of a man aged 40 who suddenly died and today I see on the internet a footballer in his twenties died in his sleep, both these deaths happened suddenly. The fact of the matter death is not just for old people, nor should we think it is, we know not what a day will bring forth, the lives we have are in one sense very fragile.We live in an age that seeks to ignor death, instead of preparing for the event,we live careless lives,the poet wrote,/Ask not for whom the bell toils, it toils for thee/. We read these solemn words in Amos 4v12,/ Prepare to meet Thy God/, the question is ,are we prepared?,and the next question is ,how can I prepare?. Well there was a thief who was hanging on a cross , and he acknowledged his sinfulness, and then he cried to Jesus, and Jesus who was also on a cross,saved him, not from death, but from a lost eternity. [ Luke 23 v 39-43 ]Be wise if you are not saved ,call upon Jesus, and He will save you, He will answer your cry, here is a prayer you can pray./ Dear Lord Jesus I acknowledge that I am as sinner, forgive me all my sins ,and be my Saviour Amen /

He understands [ Hebrews 4v 14-16 ]

Often we misunderstand people, and often we are misunderstood,but here is the good news, Jesus understands, yes He does, in fact the hymn writer put it like this ,no one understands like Jesus. How can He possible understand?,well we are told that He was tempted in all points like us, yet He did not sin[Hebrew 4 v15], in other words no matter what we are faced with He understands. There are things we feel that no one understands,no one we can go to,we feel isolated, insignificant ,if you feel like that, go to Jesus He understands, He will listen, He will not laugh at you,and tell you to pull yourself together.Whatever difficult pathway you are on Jesus understands because as W Barclay wrote, /The best person to give you advice and help on a journey is someone who has travelled the road before you.....Jesus is the perfect high priest because He is perfectly God, and because He is perfectly man. Because He has known our life He can give us sympathy, mercy and power/. [ Dear God thank You ,that You understand how I feel, others may not ,but You do, I bring my situation to You, help me in Jesus name .Amen.]

Me, a saint. [Philippians 1 v 1-2 ]

I have many names ,William Alexander Heasley ,unlike some I like my name,although I thought recently my surname should have been Holmes ,my mothers maiden name, in fact when we were young some people called us Holmers. This was because my mum and dad seperated when we were young, and so I and my brothers/sister, identified with my mums side of the family.So what is my other names, here goes,/son, brother,uncle,nephew,father,neighbour, support worker,friend,husband,cousin, preacher,oh yes Christian, child of God, saint. My goodness saint,people who know me may easily say ,I am no saint, but I am, Vine describes saints as all believers, it does not apply to people of exceptional holiness, or to those who have died,in 2 Thessalonians 1 v10,saint is used of all believers,it has the sense of holy ones. That is very important for if we are a holy one, then we are expected to be holy, holy in thought,in word in deed[ 2Peter 3 v11].Of course we need to remind people that we are saved only through anothers righteousness, Jesus the holy One.[Acts 3 v12-16 ].[ Dear Father in heaven help us to be holy, to never stop trying, no matter how many mistakes we make , in Jesus our righteousness name we ask this. Amen ]

Legitimate things.[ John 21 v 15-17 ]

Ignatius wrote,/ All the things in this world are gifts of God, created for us , to be the means by which we can come know Him better, love Him more surely,and serve Him more faithfully. As a result, we ought to appreciate and use these gifts of God insofar as they help us toward our goal of loving service and union with God. But insofar as any created things hinder our progress toward our goal, we ought to let them go/. Often it is not the blatant sins that hinder us in our relationship with the Lord ,it is the legitimate things, and when they do then we must ,as Ignatius wrote, let go of them. I was in a charity shop , and a lady spoke to a friend, about her church,the friend replied, that she was not attending so much as she was busy.When we who are Christians start talking like the non- Christians , then that becomes a problem,we are letting legitimate things hinder our relationship with our Lord, and we should let them go.[ Dear Lord Jesus help me ,to let nothing hinder my relationship with You,help me to let go of anything that is coming between You and I. Amen ]

Just scratching the surface.[ Luke 10 v25-37 ]

The story of the good Samaritan has much to teach us, that we have to be inclusive in our attitude of all mankind,our country is full of people from many countries, and many resent this. As a Christian I am called to love all people, as God does, of course this goes further than different nationalities. The story of the good Samaritian would have challenged those Jews who heard it, as they did not like them, and had no dealings with them [John 4 v9 ]. This Samaritan showed love, with out conditions, he recieved nothing from that person he helped, he just helped him.Everyday God helps billions of people ,He feeds them, protects them,He just loves,and out of that love ministers to them. Billions of people will not give a thought for God today, they will just recieve, deneying Him ,even hating Him, and saddest of all rejecting His son Jesus, but He will keep on loving and helping them. It is hard for us to help people who dont appreciate us, and what we do for them, who never say thank you, but the challenge for us is to act like our Saviour.[ Dear God when it comes to loving others ,I confess I just about scratch the surface, so help me today to be a good Samaritian, in Jesus name we ask this Amen]

What would Jesus do ?[ Matthew 7 v1-6 ]

It is so easy to judge people, to judge situations, and we all do , even though our Saviour told us not to [Matthew 7v1-2],yet we do.Our Saviour said ,Judge not according to the appearance,but judge righteous judgement [John 7 v24 ],we often judge people and situations,by what we see with our eyes,failing to appreciate the hidden reasons, the unfortionate thing is we are often not interested in why people act in the way they do. A friend of mine left his wife,and I know Christians who judge Him,continually run him down,of course he should have stayed with his wife, but who am I to judge, and condemn. The safest and loving thing to do is pray for others in their failings, not finger point, or gossip,walking humbly with our God involves a humble spirit,an attitude, that there by the grace of God go I. As we face this day ,and come into contact with people , let us ask the question ,what would Jesus do?, what would He want me to do, what would He want me to think?. [ Dear Lord Jesus help me to be more like You in all things .Amen ]

Working with a purpose in mind. [ Psalm 18 v30 ]

Sometimes it appears life is getting out of control,things happen and we feel unsettled,I wonder how we would feel if we experienced what Job went through?.I read this morning of a Christian couple whose 12yr old child was raped and murdered by 5 Muslim men in Pakistan,and it appears that instead of those men being punished, the parents who are poor are forced to accept a cash payment in compensation. There is so much in life that appears to be out of control, what way are we suppose to look at ,so many things that challenge us , and our faith in a Sovereign God?.Well consider Job ,how did he react to the terrible things that happened to him,consider these words,/He [God ] knoweth the way I take , when He hath tried me ,I shall come forth as gold[23v10].Let us remember our sovereign God permitted His dear son Jesus,to suffer on a cross, I wonder how He felt, He could have prevented it, stopped it but He didnt, for He had a purpose in it all.Let us remember if we are suffering,and life appears out of control, and we view things that are painful,that God is sovereign, and is always working with a purpose in mind.[ Dear God help me when things appear to be out of control, to trust You, in Jesus name . Amen ]

Two worlds. [ 2 Corinthians 4 v17-18 ]

I read these words in a daily reading and they blessed me,/The kindest friend Ive ever had, is one I cannot see. Yet One in whom I can confide, who loves and blesses me/.I am reading a book and it stresses the fact that as Christians, we belong to two worlds, one we can see ,the other we cant, that we are citizens of planet earth, and citizens of heaven.The visible and the invisible, many people only concern themselves with what they can see, and live accordingly, the emphasis in their lives is to do with the here and now, eating ,drinking,money ,sex ,success,etc. The odd religous encounter has no real bearing on the vast majority, their lives remained untouched by the invisible kingdom, it is sad but true, it will only be when they die will they become fully aware of that other world. As Christians we are to manifest the realities of that other world, by our speech,and actions,and this will often bring us into conflict, thats what happens when two worlds collide.As a Christian I love and know someone whom I have never seen , His name is Jesus,He calls me and every Christian to live, with heaven always in our sights. [Dear God help me to live for You, by faith, to live for your kingdom, to live for Your son Jesus. Amen ]

Help. [ Psalm 121 ]

He helped, I was ministering yesterday at a hospice ,I sang and spoke a word, and God helped, the Holy Spirit helped me,I find it harder to sing these days, and play the guitar,yet I was conscious of Gods help.The Psalmist asked a question,/From whence cometh my help [Psalm 121 v1 ] maybe you are faced with some task or difficulty, and you are wondering ,how you are going to cope, how are you going to manage. Well here is what the Psalmist replied,/ My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.[Ps 121v2]. Look at this world, God made it all, look up into the starry sky, He made that also, surely He can help us, with ease, and in a way that can amaze us. So today look beyond the mountains of difficulties ,to our great and awesome God, and ask Him to help you. [ Dear God I bring all things to You, the difficulties I face, the tasks I have to do, and ask that You would help me, in Jesus name Amen ]

Why did I say ,and do that?. [ 1 Kings 11v1-8 ]

One of the things I need more and more is wisdom, when to speak, or not to speak, and if I speak ,to say the right thing,also when to act or not to act, and if I act ,to take the right action. So many difficulties,problems, yes wars ,have come about ,because of unwise words and actions. Even wise Solomon acted unwisely,instead of relying on the gift of wisdom ,that God had given him, he let his natural feelings take over,and in old age ,he became an old fool. We are not so different from Solomon, his mistakes should be a warning to us all, how easy it is to act foolishly, and cause so much damage. It is not only the young who rush in where angels fear to tread, Solomon was an old man, age does not necessary free us from folly. Yes let us ask of God for wisdom, and He will grant it [James 1v5], but let us act on it, let us exercise it, let us not forget it, and cause a lot of harm to others, and ourselves.[ Dear God forgive us for our unwise words ,and actions,grant us the wisdom we need irrespective of our age, and help us to act on the wisdom You grant us ,in Jesus name .Amen ]

Our sufficieny. [2 Corinthians 3v5 ]

The Christian life presents us all with a tremendous challenge ,it is on going we cant put our feet up, and say thats it ,I have arrived, no its onward ever onward.As I look at the beginning of another year, I feel a bit overwhelmed, how am I going to make it?, life has so many pitfalls, I ask the question who is sufficient?,who indeed,well the great apostle Paul felt this way[2Corinthians 2v16]. Yes even the great men struggle, it is no good us saying, as we may, its alright for that person ,they dont have to contend with the things I have,yes they may not have to,but you dont have to contend with what they have to contend with. The fact of the matter is,we all have to contend with something, we are all in the same boat,so how are we all to cope?well writes Paul, our sufficieny is of God.[ 2 Corinthians 3 v5] . As we [in the words of the hymn] wrestle on towards heaven, gainst storm,and wind,and tide,let us not wrestle in our own strength, but in the strength of the Lord,let us draw daily on the grace of God,and let us trust totally in the word of God. [ Dear God help us , strengthen us, uphold us, guide us, enable us to face life with all its difficulties, we ask this in the name of Jesus . Amen ]