Dont be fooled. [ 2 Corinthians 4 v4 ]

Just before our Lord was crucified,He spoke to Peter,this is what He said,/Satan hath desired to have you,that he may sift you as wheat[Luke 22 v31]It appears to me that unlike our Saviour, Satan rarely has a mention ,the old Puritans did not neglect to teach that there was a devil,and how to resist him.There is a lovely little book called ,/Precious remedies against Satan's devises/,a Banner of truth publication,it is very instructive.Our Saviour warns Peter that he has been singled out,by Satan,who is going to attack him,our Saviour emphasises the seriousness of this,Simon,Simon,He says, seeking to warn Peter to be on his guard. Unfortunately Peter did not take this warning seriously,which is obvious,by what he said, and done.I come from Ulster a sad little place with a very sad history,often one would see on the TV young people out on the streets causing trouble,but it was the godfathers behind these young people that needed to be dealt with.So it is, behind all the evil in this world,there is a godfather,which the Bible calls the god of this world,we need to realise this, and be on our guard
A  prayer....../Dear God help us to realise that this world has an enemy,called Satan, help us to take serious what this means,in Jesus name Amen /

I am weak,how about you?. [ Philippians 4 v 13 ]

There is a saying ,that confessing is good for the soul,so let me make a confession, I am weak,I continually have to go to God,for help.I struggle so often,with temptation,with concerns,over the future,our dear Saviour knew that we would worry,that is why He left us,words of encouragement,assuring us of His presence,of His provision,of His protection.It is not a sin to confess that one is weak,it even seems that He permits things in our lives to cause us to realise our weakness CP 2 Corinthians 12.So if we are feeling weak join the club,but  remember our weakness must not be used as an excuse to give up,or even despair,no it is an opportunity to be strong in the Lord. Let us not focus on our weakness,if we do then we will fail,rather focus on God who takes and uses the weak things.As we face this day consider how God can help us to overcome,and not to be overcome,and when we come to end of the day,consider how He has helped us and thank Him.
A  prayer..../Dear Lord we confess our great weakness,help us,and strengthen us,enable us to be overcomers. Amen /

Eternity. [ Psalm 90 ]

A.W.Tozer wrote,/We who live in this nervous age would be wise to meditate on our lives and our days long and often before the face of God and on the edge of eternity. For we are made for eternity ,as certain as we are made for time, and as responsible moral beings we must deal with both/. Tozer had such a meaningful way of putting things ,consider what he wrote what do you think of what he says,as I thought on it,I thought how so many people live just for the here and now,for time and the things of time, I read in a newspaper how there is a stampede for black diamond wrinkle cream.Well I am not saying it is wrong to try and get rid of our wrinkles,but somehow it seems to me,there is something more telling,in this, a desire for permanence,in a world that does not promise that.And it is that desire for permanence that overshadows our lives.I watched a man of God, an MP speaking on a subject of great importance,he reminded his fellow MPs of what God had to say,but I sensed very few were listening.How very few people in our society are listening.If they were listening then they would start to give consideration not just to the things of time, but also the things of eternity.Life is important,the here and now is important,but eternity is also important,and every last one of us are heading in that direction,and the vital question is this where shall we spend eternity,will it be in heaven or will it be in hell?.Please consider what I am saying,and remember the only sure way to go to heaven,and escape hell is through Christ,Tozer puts it this way,/For every man it must be Christ or eternal tragedy/
A  prayer... Dear God help us to see that You have made us for time and eternity,and help us to appreciate what that means for all of us, in Jesus Name Amen

The true meaning. [ John 6 v 26-29]

On holiday we visited a church building,. where worship had taken place for 600 years, it was a rather imposing structure,and it had beautiful stain glass windows.One pictured the miracle that took place at the wedding,in Cana of Galilee,it  was very beautiful,we read about it in Johns gospel[2 v1-11] The miracles that are recorded in Johns gospel are to be understood as signs,they were wonderful in themselves ,but the more important thing about them,was the spiritual truth ,that they teach us.When Jesus fed the 5000,plus,He wanted the people to appreciate that He was the bread of life come down from heaven,who alone could satisfy their hungry souls. When He raised Lazurus from the dead ,he wanted people to  appreciate that He was the resurrection and the life,and  if they believed in Him,  resurrection life would have been theirs.When He changed the water into wine ,He was as Bruce Milne writes showing that,/The new wine of the kingdom,brought by Jesus, contrasts with the old wine of Judaism..Jesus changes the water of Judaism into the wine of Christianity/.The sad thing was that the many who witnessed what Jesus did failed miserable to see the spiritual truths in the miracles,if they had,and embraced them they would have experienced ,their own personal miracle
A  prayer......./ Dear God help us to be alert to what You are seeking to teach us,in Jesus name Amen /

Solomons folly.[ 1 Kings 11 ]

If only,how often have we said this,and thought it,one of the greatest disasters that Israel experienced was when Solomon,became king. At least I think so,I could be wrong,but it appears to me that this wise king,acted the fool,he was invited by God to ask what he wanted,and of course he asked for wisdom and knowledge,these he received.He was commended by God for what he asked for,and God promised him also riches,wealth,and honour.None of those things I don't think effected him.But there is always a but,he like his father married many wives, Solomon unfortunately married foreign wives,these women had tremendous influence over Solomon,Chronicles does not mention the influence they had on him,but the book of kings does.[1 Kings 11]. He was influenced by these wives to worship other gods,he may have had a genuine reason in marrying these wives,political alliance,but God forbid the accumulating chariots,and horses,huge harems, and incredible wealth.[Deuteronomy 17 v14-20].The result was Solomon turned to the gods of his wives,the  bible mentioned that the turning to these gods happened when Solomon was old.There is a saying which goes/ there is no fool like an old fool  /,and unfortunately this old guy Solomon proved this to be true.The lessons we can learn from these thing are many,don't let prosperity go to your head,obey Gods word,and don't when you get old, act like an old fool.
A  prayer....../ Dear God there is so much we can admire about Solomon, but there is so much that saddens us,God we acknowledge that,we are prone to wonder prone to leave the God we love,Father keep us by your grace, in Jesus name Amen /

We are one. [ Ephesians 2 13-22 ]

 Recently while on holiday my wife and I attended a certain fellowship,it met in a large building I choose to sit  on the outside seating,my wife said why not sit in the middle, I jokingly said I am not part of this fellowship,then I said ,but I am part of this church. It is so vital for us to appreciate this,the church of Christ is made up of so many different groups,to numerous to mention,for many it is confusing,but it is not confusing for Christ,He chose 12 disciples,there where twelve tribes of Israel.I read these words recently,everyone is equal,but not the same,I wonder do you feel that church down the road is less equal to your church?,not so,they are just different.When I pray I do not just pray for my own fellowship,no I pray for many fellowships,for although they,are different,they are part of the church of Christ. We all need each other,and we all should accept each other,Christ died for the church,which includes all who are truly born again.The church at Corinth lost sight of what it truly meant to be a  Christian,one was saying I am a follower of Paul, I am a follower of Apollos,and still another group were  claiming to be followers of Peter.Paul had to remind them that they must focus on Christ, after all He was the one who had died for all true Christians.In a very real sense the label is not important,but what is important is,knowing Christ,
A prayer....../Lord , may our union form a part,of that thrice happy whole. Derive its pulse from Thee the heart,its life from Thee the soul. Amen/[John Montgomery]

God [Isaiah 40]

I am reading A. W Tozer and his book,/The knowledge of the Holy/,it is interesting and helpful, dealing with the mystery of God,and the only way forward is faith ,not reason.He wrote,/We are afraid to whisper mystery/.Here is another quote ,/love and faith are at home in the mystery of the Godhead . Let reason kneel in reverence outside/ The J Ws reject the  the doctrine of the trinity because it is not rational,they rely on human reasoning, I  often mention the sovereignty of God, that is a statement of faith.Tozer stresses the fact that God can be known, by faith in Jesus,but God cannot be fully known, in His being and His ways. I am overawed by the immenseness of the universe,its vastness , then I consider , God ,who made that awesomeness,and I am speechless .We are all guilty of mixing the creature with the creator, and in so doing,making God lesser than what He is,and God can never be lesser ,He must always be seen as greater.Greater than our imaginations,greater in every way. God is to be praised, and maybe that praise is best shown in holy silence, and a heart that is lost in wonder love and praise.Yes in Christ we can know God, and know Him in a very personal way,and that's what God wants, that is why Christ came,and when we do know Him,so begins a relationship that is truly astounding, because of whom He is ,God,but God,whose ways are past finding out,and whose being is unfathomable. It is in Isaiah  chap 40,that we read,/To whom then will ye liken  Me,or shall I equal?, saith  the holy One.The answer is we can liken Him to no one,He is different He is unique,there is no searching of His understanding, and yet the wonderful thing is we can know Him through Jesus.
A prayer...../ Dear God , we bow before You,in wonder,love and praise,the great unknowable ,and yet the one we can know through Jesus, Amen/
[I will return to my blog on Sunday 26th]

Death a shadow [Psalm 23 ]

A   dear friend has died, she was a lovely lady,and when I heard of her death ,the words in Psalm 23 v4 came into my mind./Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with  me, thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me/It is Henry who wrote the following. / Here is one word that sounds terrible, it is death...but there are four words which lessen the terror. [ 1] It is the shadow of  death, there is no substantial evil in it, the shadow of a serpent will not sting,nor the shadow of a sword kill. [2 ] It is the valley of the shadow,deep indeed,and dark, and dirty, but the valleys are fruitful, and so is death itself fruitful of comforts in Gods people. [3 ]It is but a walk in this valley, a gentle pleasant walk, the wicked are chased out of this world, and their souls are required, but the saints take a walk to another world, as cheerfully as they take their leave of this. [4 ]It is a walk through it,they shall not be lost in it, but get safe to the mountain of spices on the other side/.
A  prayer...../Dear God the loss of a loved one ,or the loss of a friend is painful,but we praise You, that it is not the end,glory awaits every dear child of God, so help us not to sorrow as those who have no hope, in Jesus name. Amen /

Neglect. [2 Kings 22 v 8 ]

The history of Israel is not a pretty picture,the wilderness journey was filled with murmuring,the times of the Judges,was a time of continual backsliding,when everyman did that was right in their own eyes,the times of the deteriorated ,to such a point where God had to deal with the nation in the most severe manner,yes there were the good kings,David and some others.Josiah was an outstanding man of God,who sought to bring the people back to God,in 2 Kings 22/ 23,we read of the awful list of things that the nation was involved in,the temple had fallen into disrepair,the word of God had been neglected. No wonder the nation behaved in such a Godless manner,and so it will always be,when the word of God is neglected,when dust gathers on our Bibles,we can expect to backslide.A friend of mine attended a funeral service recently ,he came away concerned,for the minister never read the word of God,oh yes he said the Lords prayer,but read a few silly poems. We must on a personal level fight to have a time to read and get to know Gods word,and if we are not being fed in the church we attend then leave it and attend somewhere else,somewhere where we will be fed,spiritually. Let us learn from Israels history,a nation that neglected,and rejected Gods word,and the awful consequences it brought upon them.
A  prayer...../ Dear God help our ministers to faithfully preach Your word,help us all to faithfully read it ,help us to take heed of what happened to Israel,can happen to us ,we ask this in Jesus name Amen /

.We are responsible [Galations 6 v7 ]

Hezekiah was a good king not a perfect king,and God blessed him,but he had a son called Manasseh, I call him ,Manasseh the terrible,for he was terrible in the things he did,he reigned 55 years,and most of that reign was disastrous, for the nation and for those who would follow after him. God humbled Manasseh ,and he did repent,and was forgiven, in 2 Chronicles 33 v13, we read ,then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God.He had a revelation of who God was,up until then, he followed everything and anything,even sacrificing his son as a burnt offering to his god. Who knows the terrible evil and foolish things we will do when we follow the gods of this world,and of our own imagination, and we must never forget where this will eventually lead to, a lost eternity.Now God forgive Manasseh, but in Jeremiah 15 v4 ,God declares that He will judge the people for his sinful actions,this puzzled me because,if God had forgiven him,why judgement?.It seems to me that the nation did not take responsibility for the part they played in the wickedness that was carried out, and to a great degree ,continued to carry out,the plea of so many people,I was only carrying out orders will not wash with God who holds all men responsible for their actions.
A prayer..../Dear God  help us not to hide behind the lie that I am not responsible for what I do , in Jesus name Amen /

A new heart. [ 1 Samuel 10 v9 ]

Abraham Lincoln said, /In order to win a man to your cause, you must first reach his heart/,as a preacher,I want God to touch my heart,that I when I stand to minister,that I may touch the hearts of  the people,I am ministering to. I think we have to qualify this,because I am dealing in spiritual things as opposed to natural things.Hitler won the hearts of many of the German people,by his oratory,lies and deceit,satan entered into Judus,,on the natural level the heart is our most vulnerable place, What is controlling your heart,anger,unforgiveness,Jesus said ,out of the heart proceeds, evil thoughts,murders,adulteries,fornications,thefts,false witness,blasphemies[Matthew 15 v10]. So the question is who or what has got our hearts?, in Proverbs23 v26, we read, /My son give me thine heart./ The non Christian holds unto their treasures,what ever those treasures are, the rich young ruler, held fast to his riches,and so forfeited eternal life,the very thing he wanted [Matthew 19 ] We do not like Gods description of our natural hearts cp Jeremiah17 v9[The heart is deceitful above all things,and desperately wicked],but it is the truth that sets us free,better to face the truth,as to our condition.If we are not saved then we need a new heart ,God has promised this when we trust Christ[Ezekiel 11v19],a heart where He reigns and rules,a heart that when daily yielded to Him,will transform our lives.
A  prayer..../ Dear God grant us a new heart,and when You do, help us to yield it daily to Your perfect will, in Jesus name Amen /

The word of God.[ Psalm 119 v 89-96 ]

I don't suffer from hay fever ,but when I get up in the morning,my nose runs,eyes water,and I have a fit of sneezing,which reminds me of the saying,its nothing to be sneezed at,whatever that may mean.There are many sayings for different situations,like to many cooks spoil the broth,or a stitch in time saves nine,better out than in,the early bird catches the worm,or early to bed,early to rise makes a man, healthy,wealthy, and wise.I am not sure what category these sayings come under,but they register with us,and have a certain truth to them. As to myself I don't build my life on these sayings,I build my life on Gods word,because it applies not just to this life,but my eternal destiny.It challenges us to always keep God in mind,in all our actions,and thought life.The word of God is the word of life,and it is the word for life,it is also the word to build our lives upon.It is true the saying, that this word will keep us from sin,sin will keep us from the word,the greatest example of that is Solomon,he neglected to keep Gods word,appeared to have ignored it,and brought disaster upon himself and the nation of Israel.So today let us all hold fast to Gods word,memorise it,and above all else obey it,for it is Gods word,more precious than our bank accounts,more important than earthly success.
A prayer...../Dear God help us to value Your word,help us not to neglect it,help us to obey it, in Jesus name Amen /

Victory. [ Isaiah 59 v 16]

I have just finished watching a football match,and the odds on favourites got beat,we love it when that happens as long as its not your team getting beat.As I read the scripture so often Gods people were the underdogs, be it Gideon's three hundred, or David facing the giant Goliath,or Samson slaying a thousand Philistines.Or a man hanging on a cross, now that was the greatest victory ever,many looking on, believed they had won,that they had put an end to this upstart,but this so called upstart, won the victory that day.Hell did not succeed,godless religion did not succeed,the cruelty of man did not succeed,the fact that his closest and dearest friends ,forsook Him and left Him on His own,made no difference, He won the victory.Yes He won the victory against all the odds,a victory that will never be forgotten,not in time ,nor in eternity.Here is the most wonderful thing ,He won the victory for you and for me,we could not defeat the enemies of our soul, in fact the strange thing was,we were in league with those enemies[ Romans 5 v10]. Strange victory,in that His victory was not only over His enemies, but also for His enemies.We His enemies were blinded by sin and Satan, held captive by his will,walking according to the course of this world,children of disobedience,fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind.But God , who is rich in mercy,through His Sons victory ,forgave us our sins,and saved us by His amazing Grace.
A  prayer....../When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died, my riches gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride. Amen /

Fully restored. [ 1 John 3 v2 ]

While driving in my car I was listening to my radio,a lady requested to hear part of Handels Messiah, the part was from Job 19 v 25-27.It did sound lovely,it not only sounded lovely,but the words blessed me greatly,for the words express a wonderful truth,that there is hope inspite of death.,here are the words,/For I know that my redeemer liveth,and that He shall stand upon the earth. And  though after my skin worms destroy this body,yet in my flesh shall I see God.Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another,though my reins be consumed within me./This was a divine statement of faith,Peter wrote ,/Whom having not seen,ye love, though now ye see him not,yet believing,ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory [1 Peter 1 v7 ] Yes but one day the words of Job shall ring true for every saint, one day we shall look on our glorious king, our redeemer ,Jesus. Not only will I see Him ,but I shall be like Him. [ 1 John 3 v2 ]. To me this is a great mystery,but a wonderful possibility,the world is full of copy cats,people trying to be like others,as a Christian my deepest desire is to be like Jesus.This is a process[Romans 8 v29] and will be complete when Christ comes back,in the beginning God made us in His image, but as Calvin points out,/Although some obscure lineaments of that image are found remaining in us,yet are they so vitiated and mained, that they may truly be said to be destroyed........no part of us is free from the infection of sin./ I believe Romans 3 shows this to be true,but John declares the wonderful truth,the image will be restored in all its fullness when Christ comes back.
A   prayer ...../Dear God continue to perfect that which concerneth us, till that glorious day when we shall like our wonderful Saviour. Amen /

Are you blest? [ .1 John 3 v17]

Then they said one to another. We do not well, this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace,so said four men who were lepers[ 2 Kings 7 v9].It was time of severe difficulties for the people of Israel,the king and his people  where in the city under siege,people were starving,to the point that children were eating their children.The lepers were outside the city ,these four men made a discovery, the enemy had fled in fear ,the Lord caused them to hear a sound which caused  them to think they were being attacked,by superior forces. They left everything behind, fleeing for their lives,so when the lepers came into the camp,they had food,and riches. In the midst of this  they felt the needs of others.They were blessed,so they wanted to share the blessing with others, they even felt guilty,whatever they felt, they had the right attitude.Let none of us think that God approves self -centredness,of not thinking of others in need,the story of the rich man in Luke 16, makes it very clear the consequences of living a self absorbed life,when we have it in our power to help others in need. God takes this very serious as many will find out in a coming day,remember faith without works is dead,as indeed works without faith is likewise dead.
A  prayer..../ Dear God ,help us to bless others as you have blessed us,not as just a duty,but as an act of love,we ask this in Jesus name Amen /

Simply believing. [ Acts 16 v31 ]

In the book of Kings we read of a mighty man a soldier a leader of an army[2 Kings 5],a man who was honourable,a man who was held in high esteem by his master the king. He had it made ,but for one thing,he was a leper,leprosy was a type of sin,it caused separation ,and would bring death.[Numbers 5v2]. This man was called Naaman ,and for all his greatness,he had a big problem,only a miracle could save him,and this is what happened,and God would use a little girl to point him in the right direction,there was a prophet in Israel who would cause him to be healed.God can use anyone He chooses,even a little girl,even you,and I,are we willing to be used?. Naaman finally arrives at the prophets door,this great man expected, to be treated in a certain way,and he expected  the prophet to act in a certain way, and he became very angry,when a servant brought a message,telling him to do something simple.It is amazing how complicated we make things, not so God. Take salvation if we are to be saved then it is simply believing,[Acts 16 v31],people have devised so many ways to be saved,and they will not work. Naaman would be healed if  he  believed and obeyed,all his anger, and human reasoning would not change his condition.When he obeyed he was healed ,when a person simply believes the gospel,they will be saved.he later in gratitude sought to give Elisha a reward ,but the prophet declined to take it,salvation is a gift,freely given,we are not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver or gold,but through the precious blood of Christ.
A prayer....../ Dear God thank You for the fact that we can be saved ,simply by believing in Jesus . Amen/

A hard thing. [ James 4 v3 ]

When the prophet Elijah was going to be translated to heaven, Elisha asked that a double portion of Elijahs spirit to be upon him,Elijah replied, that what he asked was a hard thing.My commentary sees this double portion as Elisha wanting to be recognised as his heir,it is likened unto receiving the firstborn portion[ Deuteronomy21v17], which was a double portion. Now why was this a hard thing to receive?again the answer is very simple,again help from a commentary,it was not his to give. Who are you looking for to undertake for you,oh yes God will use people,but He will also use birds,but they are not the source,God is the giver. He is sovereign,Elijah knew this,and most of us have to learn this important truth. Elisha asked a hard thing,a hard thing for Elijah to grant but not for God, for there is nothing to hard for Him.It is not whither a thing is too hard,but is it Gods will?,this is the main thing,we are limited as to prayer [Romans 8 v26],we can ask with wrong motives and wrong purposes. So today let us keep our sights fixed firmly on God ,our help comes from the Lord,who made heaven and earth[Psalm 121v1].
A prayer...../ Dear God, we know that there is nothing to hard for You, yet gave us discernment, as to Your will, in Jesus name Amen/

Forgiveness. [ 1 John 1 v 7-9]

I spent most of this morning assembling a bed,so I do have something to sleep on,but it did take it out of me,my hands felt sore, and I have been experiencing cramp in my legs. I will be glad to get back to work tomorrow ,for a rest,there is a saying,which goes,/there is no rest for the wicked/that may be true,but praise God there is forgiveness,yes there is forgiveness,the day of grace is not past.but one day it will be,but now the good news is still proclaimed. What is that good news?,it is that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners,we read and hear of some awful things people do,people whom we believe should never be forgiven. We would not forgive them,but God will,  continually the Bible stresses the fact that all sin can be forgiven,consider the words of Isaiah to the children of Israel in chap 1 v5-6. /The whole head is sick.....from the sole of the foot,even unto the head  there is no soundness in it,but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores,they have not been closed up,  neither bound up,neither mollified with ointment/.Isaiah is not talking about their physical condition, but rather their sinful condition,their condition is like a stinking open wound. So there is no hope, ah but there is,for we read these wonderful words in 1v18./Come now and let us reason together,saith the Lord,though your sins be as scarlet,they shall be as white as snow,though they be red like crimson,they shall be as wool/.No matter how sinful you are, remember ,that you can be forgiven through Christ,whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.,
 If you are not saved  ,here is a prayer you could pray/ Dear Lord Jesus  I confess that I am a sinner,forgive me my sins, and be my Saviour. Amen/

Faithfulness. [ Matthew 25 v21]

The faithful witness of the messenger was more important than a successful response from his hearers. A similar forecast was made in the case of Isaiah at his commissioning[Isa 6 v9f], and Jeremiah, even though he was explicitly warned that the same  would happen to him,soon learned that he was almost doomed to  be disregarded or misunderstood/ So writes John B. Taylor in his commentary on Ezekiel,as a preacher it is not what I want to hear,I want to see people  respond, to the word of God,but here we have these great prophets, been told what God required of them was faithfulness, and obedience.It is interesting that the prophet who did see a wonderful response was Jonah,that was the thing he did not want,and he disobeyed was unfaithful.Even when he was faithful  it was a forced faithfulness,God desires us to be faithful come what may,as I stand up to preach,I must be faithful in speaking the word that God has given, I spoke yesterday,it was not the word I origionally was going to speak,but it was the word I felt the Holy Spirit,wanted me to speak,I did resist Gods change in my plans,but in the end I was obedient and faithful.One of the wonderful aspects of Gods being is His faithfulness,our Saviour was tempted to be unfaithful to the will of God His Father,but He remained faithful.So today the challenge to all of us is faithfulness,that involves all of our lives,yes our preaching,but also our marriages our giving,all of our lives.
A prayer..../Dear God help  us to be faithful ,in Jesus name Amen /

Memories. [ Isaiah 61 v1 ]

I did something which I had not done for many years, I read  to my grandson before he went to bed,it brought back memories of when my boys were young,and how I read to them.Now these are pleasant memories which I will always treasure ,of course there memories which I would like to forget.We all are people with memories,good memories like I have mentioned,but then are memories I would not like to mention. Recently another famous  person has been arrested and charged with sexual offences,and it is all coming out,the papers are full of the details.This person has pleaded guilty ,and will be sent to prison, which is right and proper,but the whole thing affects people,especially those who have suffered abuse and it seems to me many people have. It brings afresh back to them the abuse they suffered,at the hands of a father,brother,or whoever,these are painful memories, very painful. So today let us pray for all those dear people who have suffered abuse,and our emotionally scarred,that they may not be prisoners of their past,and by Gods grace healing may take place.
A  prayer....../Dear God we bring to You all those who have suffered abuse,that You will have mercy upon them,grant them through Jesus Your dear son,grace to forgive,and grace to be free. Amen /

Homeless.[1 Timothy 6 v16-19]

When I was home in Belfast recently I was reminded how some people had suffered,owning to the sectarian strife,when the taxi driver spoke of the time his family had been burnt out of their home. I do not know if he was Catholic or a Protestant, because that did not matter to me,he appeared a nice guy,trying to earn a living.I read this morning of Christians in Pakistan lost their home when they were attacked by a Muslin mob,who had responded to the their local religious leaders cry,to kill the blasphemers. Let me say that the provincial government have compensated those Christians ,yet never the less,it is a very distressing experience. People in many places in the world have lost their homes and possessions through war,sectarianism,or what we could label as natural causes.There are a number of lessons we can learn from this,when we hear of these things,we should pray ,that God would undertake for such people.Next us remember that life is full of uncertainties ,the Bible reminds us not to trust in the insecure, but in God.We may never I hope experience what those people have experienced,but one day we will all leave everything  behind when death calls,the big question we need to face up to, before this happens,is where shall we spend eternity?.
A  prayer.../Dear Lord we pray for all who are homeless for whatever reason,but we ask that You will awaken people to their need of You .Amen /
/I will not be blogging for a couple of days, every blessing/

A stumbling block. [ John 3 v27]

Are you wondering why you did not get that job or promotion,or that child, you so longed for,well consider the words of John the Baptist,his followers were concerned that people where following Jesus. To them it appeared that John was loosing out,Jesus was more popular,but John who knew his place,knew his calling,did not feel threatened,and in fact realised that his ministry was temporary,declared./A man can receive nothing,except it be given him from heaven[John 3 v27 ]. A situation in the place where I work,as regards our salary has arisen,we feel we have been not been paid what we should, the union is negotiate on our behalf. I was speaking to one my colleagues, and I said if God wills, we will receive the extra salary,we need to pray about it,he agreed.Do we really believe in the sovereignty of God?,I do. I may struggle with certain things but in the end I rejoice that God is sovereign and He knows best.I also continually have to remind myself that  I am responsible to do the right thing,Joseph always sought to do his best and God blessed him and granted him favour.I really am thankful that God is sovereign, after all my knowledge is so limited,I understand so little of Gods will and plans,I may wonder why,but I will not let the why , become a stumbling block.
A prayer...../Dear God I believe You are sovereign, help me to accept what that means in my life in Jesus name Amen /