Let in the Light. [ John 8 v12 ]

As I am first up in the morning I pull the curtains over,in order to let the light in,we are not meant to live in darkness,we need the sunshine if we don't,we would suffer,the sunlight provides vitiam D. God made us children of light,many people from this country go to live in sunny Spain,our summers sometimes don't provide much sun,some but not a lot. Although God made us to be children of light,when it comes to choosing the light ,and what we mean by this mankind has bent towards the darkness,consider how could anybody choose a Hitler,or a Stalin, yet they did,how on earth did people in Cambodia,Rwanda ,seek to commit genocide?there are so many examples,and the greatest of this ,was manifested when the Creator of this world became and dwelt among us,only to be rejected.We live in a world that so often chooses darkness rather than light ,but God the God of love ,who in creation said let their be light,has given us a chance,to move from darkness to light ,when He sent His son Jesus into this world. Jesus said,I am the light of the world,he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.[John 8 v12 ]
A prayer..../Dear God we praise You that we  need not walk in darkness,the darkness of habits that are destroying us,the darkness of life styles that are unfulling,the darkness that will only lead us into a greater darkness,we thank you there is hope through Jesus Your son Amen /

Suffering. [1 Peter 3 v18 ]

I have just started to read that wonderful and challenging book of Job ,and as thought about it ,I found myself pray,Lord I don't like suffering,I  don't want to suffer. Of course I am just echoing what most of us feel,who wants to suffer?, no one, Christ did not want to suffer, but because of Love He was prepared to suffer. None of us want to suffer ,very few of us go the dentist chair,or to the operating theatre with a smile on our faces. To be told you have a serious illness does not make us happy,seeing our children go without food,or medicine,no suffering is no joke. Yet if Christ had not suffered we would have been lost eternally,His suffering saved us from suffering,He suffered for our sin, that we would not suffer for our sin .Think of what that means for us today,sins forgiven, the power of Satan and sin broken in our lives, He was the only one who could save us from the terrible eternal suffering we would have had to endure.From heaven He came with a mission in mind,to tread a pathway of suffering,that  reached a climax on a cross.Isaiah puts it like this,  /He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities,the chastisement of our peace was laid upon Him.[Isaiah 53 v5] ,no one would want such suffering,but as I said earlier ,love won the day, a love for you and a love for me .
A prayer...../Thank You Father that Your dear son Jesus suffered a dreadful yet glorious death for our salvation.Amen /
[I   will return to my blog on Sunday June 30th,  every blessing, Bill]

Tears. [ Romans 12 v15 ]

Let us consider tears,I watched a man cry yesterday,some think it is not manly to cry, but I read how Jesus wept [John 11v35] Tears are part of our humanity,as I grow older I am more inclined to shed tears,is that because my heart is more softer?.  I sometimes shed tears when I pray ,maybe not enough, it is amazing how hard some people can be,who have very little concern for the pain of others.People do dreadful things, at this time in our country,many celebrities are being charged with sexual offences,against children and others.They never appear to have any concern for what they have done,I heard a murderer of children trying to minimise his crimes, that of torturing and murdering children.,no tears,no tears . Behind so many closed doors,and hidden places ,many people are shedding tears,because of what others have and are doing to them,tears of pain,.For the child of God they have the consolation of knowing that one day all tears will be wiped away by the hand of  their Saviour.As you come into contact with people, remember behind the smile,the laughter there could be tears of pain,may God by His Spirit make us sensitive, to the hidden pain others are carrying.
A prayer..../Dear God soften our hearts to the pain others are suffering, and help us not to be ashamed to shed a tear,in the name of Him who was a man of sorrows ,we ask this Amen/

Tears. [ Psalm 126 v 5-6 ]

As I was out walking I noticed on the ground a  newspaper with  these words printed on it,/My mothers tears helped me to glory/I think,  it was in relation to sport,but I immediately,thought of a spiritual application.Consider how many sons/daughters have been brought to glory ,by the prayers, watered by the tears of a godly mother. In Psalm 56v8 David prays,/put Thou my tears into Thy bottle,are they not in Thy book/,seemingly there were such things as tear bottles,were a person who was suffering would have their tears caught in a bottle,that would be kept as a memorial.All prayers are not mentioned immediately,but David cries literally unto God to bear in mind his tearful prayers, and to answer. Many a  mother has had to wait for their prayers to be answered,it may have seemed that no answer was forthcoming,but God has not forgotten,not so. Consider the words of Psalm 126v 5-6./They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.He that goeth forth and weepeth,bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him./Remember as one person has said,/Tears over lost souls are never lost/,be they for your children ,neighbours or whoever.There is a certainty in those words of David, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,so don't weep tears of despair,weep tears as you pray of hope.
A  prayer..../ Dear God remember our tearful prayers for the lost especially those who are nearest and dearest to us in Jesus name Amen /

God is in control. [ Esther 6 v 1-14]

One of the books in the Bible I find fascinating is the book of Esther,it is a book that emphasises the providence of God,look for Gods providence even in the severest trials.To those involved in the events of this book it was a severe trial,the Jewish nation was going to be wiped out. Haman felt very grieved at a Jew called Mordecai,and because of that one thing,he was prepared to have a whole people wiped out,the very people in which the Messiah would come,Satan I believe was behind this,but God is sovereign not Satan,and in His providence He would turn every intentional evil act around,and bring about a wonderful deliverance.My study Bible declares,/Because God is in control of history,He is never frustrated by any turn of events or human action.He is able to save us from the evil of this world, and deliver us from sin and death/.Are you under threat of some sort?,God is more than able to turn events around,fear not the roaring of the enemy,of those who appear to be in control,and look to your God,who is in control,doubt not His power to deliver,you are the apple of  His eye ,His eye is upon you for good,not a hair of your head will perish.Remember behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face,read the book of Esther and see God providentially working, now look at your situation,no look beyond your situation to the God of Esther,and trust Him.
A prayer...../Almighty God we look to You to undertake for us Your children,to thwart the enemy of our souls,to work all things for our good,to deliver us,and make a way out of our situation, in Jesus Name Amen /

What a cost...[John 3 v16 ]

Most people who visit London go to  Trafalgar square ,where there is  a pedestal with a statue of Lord Nelson on it.It is Andrew Lambert who comments that it is there to remind the country,from whence their wealth, safety and strength came, and what a cost.England indeed ,and Europe owe a great depth to Lord Nelson ,and so we have his statue,not everyone appreciated Lord Nelson, and his achievements. In Dublin's fair city where the girls are so pretty the IRA blew a statue of Lord Nelson up,shortly after that a song came out,about that event.But let us return to that quotation, for when I read this I immediately thought of a greater than Nelson,even our Lord Jesus,Like Nelson He won a great victory,in defeating Satan, and providing  a place of forgiveness for mankind,and what a cost.Yes what a cost, He became obedient unto to death even the death of the cross.Salvation cost us nothing but it cost Jesus everything, going beyond the physical suffering,there was a suffering that none of us can fathom,that the wrath of God that was my due upon the Lamb was laid.This is what propitiation means[Romans 3 v25/ 1 John 2 v2/4v10/] As Vine puts it, it was a divine act, where God  dealt with sin and in so doing He could shew mercy to the believing sinner,so removing his guilt,and granting remission of sins.
A  prayer...... /Dear God what words can begin to express the awesomeness of all You accomplished through Your sons death on that cross,Love so amazing so divine demands my soul my life my all, in Jesus name we pray this Amen /

Grace for living. [ Hebrews 4 v16 ]

From grace for salvation to grace for living,now when we trust Christ as Saviour ,we have a life to live, that is different to the life we once lived. Baptisim  declares this,in baptism we are declaring that we have died to the old life, and are now living that new life,as Romans 6 v4 declares,as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father,even so we also should walk in newness of life [.W Hendriksen,writes,/ a life dedicated no longer to sin, but to the glory of God  Triune].We are new creations,with a new disposition,a new nature,but we bring with us remnants of our old nature,sexual hangups,wrong emphasises,we all have something which we struggle with.Then the devil and his little helpers make us there special target and they will attack us, we must take this very serious,for if we don't, we will be the worse for it.Then we have the world, which the hymn tells us is no friend of grace,be not fooled we live in yes, Gods world,but everyone who lives in this world are not of God,for all men have not faith[2 Thessalonians 3 v2].What a lot of things we have to contend with,we can and must call on God for grace,which we are told is sufficient  [ 2 Corinthians 12 v9].John Newton, wrote,/Through many dangers,toils and snares,I have already come.Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home/.
A  prayers.../Dear God pour out Your grace upon our lives,that our lives will be longer be dedicated to sin,but to Your glory in Jesus name we ask this Amen /

A Heavenly Father.[1 John 3 v1 ]

This is fathers day ,I was in a store yesterday and the assistant commented how busy they were ,because of people buying gifts for their fathers. The commandments stress the importance of honouring our fathers and mothers[Ex20v12],with it comes a promise. In the normal course of life most people will be honouring their fathers today,but what about those dear children who have been abused by their fathers,forsaken by their fathers,denied contact with their fathers?.Just recently a portrait of our Queen was defaced by a father who is fighting for other fathers to have excess to their children.We live at a time when the family is under threat, when Children don't really know who their father is,we must be careful not to judge.I am 69 years of age ,and when I was young my mother and father separated,but at a very early age I discovered that I had a loving heavenly Father,and this knowledge filled the gap in my life ,of not having a father around. You may have lost your father ,you may have been forsaken by your father,you may not even know who your father is,or where he is. Don't dwell on that ,for it can do you more harm than good,today we can have a Father a lovingly heavenly Father,this comes about when we accept Jesus as our Saviour.[ John 1 v12].From experience I can assure you it will make a big difference in your life as it has in mine.
A  prayer..../Heavenly Father have mercy upon the fatherless,we pray that they come to know You through Your dear son Jesus Amen/

Grace tis a charming sound.[Romans 3 v24 ]

Recently I wrote upon the importance of mercy ,now let us consider grace,in its importance for salvation,and for living the Christian life. There is a saying ,nothing comes without a price, well here is an exception,the grace of God cannot be earned,Romans 3 v24, reads,/Being justified freely by His grace/. Horatius Bonar wrote....../Thy grace alone,O God, To me can pardon speak,Thy power  alone,O Son of God,Can this sore bondage break. No other work save Thine.No other blood will do.No  strength  save that which is divine.Can bear me safely through/.The bible speaks of salvation being a gift[Romans 6 v23],not of works [Ephesians 2v9]. Gods favour cannot be earned,let me stress this again,Gods favour cannot be earned,by a nice personality,by helping others,we must not judge things from our human reasoning,if we do,we will fail to appreciate Gods view point,and it is His view point that matters.The fact of the matter is we do not comprehend the the seriousness of sin,consider it was only one sinful act,by Adam and Eve to be excluded from the garden,and to usher in a fallen world.It began with a single act ,but the consequences of that one act,are all around us,and within us,rebellion,spiritual blindness,why are people slaughtering each other?why is there child abuse,and multitude of other abuses?,why is there a place called hell?. The answer is sin,and the only answer is the grace of God,which we can freely receive when by faith we trust Jesus to save us.
A  prayer..../Dear God help us to see,open our darkened minds,to see that it is only by grace, can we be saved through faith in Jesus, Amen/

Sinful pleasures. [Hebrews 11 v 23-27]

I had a health check up recently,I was asked to stand on the scales to be weighed,and as I did I thought of the things in my pocket ,that may distort  my true weight so I took out  my mobile phone and stood on the scales,with the phone still in my hand.The nurse laughed and I felt a little bit foolish,but it showed me how conscious I am about my weight.So many of us are conscious as regards our weight,but don't do anything about it,we all comfort eat,indulging in eating a big cream cake from which we receive a lot of pleasure,and there is nothing so satisfying as a nice meal.  The result is we all are fighting the battle of the bulge,trying to cut down on something we love, it is hard,so hard that many of us don't try,the result is we suffer in so many ways.Food becomes our pleasure island,but often at a cost,the bible tells us of the pleasures of sin [Hebrews 11v25],yes sin can give us pleasure ,that is why so many people are involved in wrong sexual activity,that is why there is a  sex trade,but as with overeating there is a price to pay,in damage to ourselves, and to others, and it does not stop there.For there is coming a day when we will stand before a holy God,and we will give an account for those sinful pleasures.
A prayer...../ Dear God  help us to see the damage  our sinful pleasures cost us , and others,help us to forsake our sins,to turn to Christ for forgiveness, before it is to late,in our Saviours name I ask this Amen/

I need mercy. [Psalm 106 ]

 Psalm 106 commences with the Lords goodness and His mercy in relation to Israel,most of the Psalm is taken up with the nations very poor record,of their spiritual dullness,unbelief,rebellion,idolatry. Israel was a chosen people but the Bible tells it how it was,likewise their leaders,be it David or Solomon,the Bible is more than a history book,it is about relationship,with God and His people,His people manifested a continual tendency to to fail,God showed an continual manifestation of His mercy and love,and in their darkest hour He declares, I have loved thee with an everlasting love[Jeremiah 31v3].The history of the church is to some degree like Israels history,the hymn writer puts it well,/by schisms rent asunder,by heresies distressed.Often judgement must start with the church of God.Consider the 7 churches of Asia in the book of revelation,it is true what someone said ,what kind of people go to church,the answer ,sinners. As part of that church I am conscious that any church,I attend is full of imperfect people,and that includes myself.So what do we need ,the answer is mercy, yes mercy,there will never be a day in which I will never need mercy. I continually come boldly,yes boldly,for I am accepted in Christ,no one can lay anything to charge of Gods elect ,it is God that justifies [Romans 8 v33].But I still need His mercy,for I am not yet glorified,so as I come to God through Jesus,I need to obtain mercy from God who is merciful.
A  prayer...../Dear God have mercy upon us,forgive us our foolish ways,through Thy son Jesus. Amen /

Faith will be tested [ Ezra 8 v 23 ]

 [ 
After the 70 year exile the Jews were permitted to return home,it started under Cyrus ,who granted the Jews favour,likewise under king Artaxerxes.So Ezra with a band of his fellow Jews began the journey  to Jerusalem ,with a great deal of possessions,to be used in the temple. In chapter 8 v22ff we read that Ezra was faced with a dilemma,he boasted how great God was,and refused to accept an armed escort.Now as he was about to start of on the journey,concern filled his heart.What if they where attacked and all that possessions were taken,he had made his boast as regards his God, now he was going to be tested on what he had said.Had he spoken presumptuously? should he not have taken up the offer of the armed escort?.What would you do? I remember hearing of a brother who believed God had called him to go overseas to serve the Lord,so he sold up,and went down to the docks,believing that when he arrived at the docks all would be provided, it did not happen.What do we learn from this,well we should be tread carefully,we could be wrong. If we make a boast as regards our God ,we will be tested on it,Ezra I am sure was concerned with the honour of His God,not about him loosing face.I know of a number of people who believed God was going to heal them ,but it did not happen. Yet from my own experience,I did prove God when for 4 years my wife and I lived by faith,believing God would supply our needs , and He did,but rest assured our faith was tested severely at times,and the only way through was on our knee's.
A  prayer...../Dear God grant us grace to obey You,but also grace to humbly rely on You, in Jesus name Amen./

The way of the cross. [ Matthew 16 v 24-25 ]

In Ezekiel 24v15ffl the prophet is told by God something that was devastating,the wife he loved was going to die, and when she died he was not to mourn ,nor to shed tears. What was to take place was a message to his fellow Israelites ,the thing they loved,and desired was the temple in Jerusalem,would be destroyed.For many the temple of the Lord had taken on a wrong meaning [cp Jeremiah 7v4],religious things can easily take on a wrong meaning,so God has to remove them. Now dear Ezekiel was going loose his dear wife,and he was told not to show any degree of mourning,now it goes without saying this must to have been hard for this dear man.To not shed a tear,it was hard,it is E.L Allen who comments on this,/Men who are called by God often have to pay a heavy price for their concern with human needs, and their identification with Gods purpose.They are called again and again to surrender their private lives to the requirements of their public responsibility/.Billy Graham travelled all over the world preaching ,he was away from his wife and children. Many a dear saint has had to forgo marriage and having a family in the service of our Lord,but such is the way of the cross.
A  prayer..../Dear God help us to never loose sight that it is always the way of the cross that leads home, in Jesus name Amen /

We struggle. [Romans 4 v 18-22]

I am sure we have all received a promise from God,and as we look at our circumstances, and situations,and the apparent delay,faith wavers,doubt creeps in,as to the fulfilment of that promise. It is not unusual to feel that it will never happen,even Abraham, and Sarah ,struggled to accept what was promised, [CP  Genesis 17v17/ 18v12].We think it just cannot happen,I have made a mistake,look at my situation,no way can things change,no way can my needs be met,yet you believe God has spoken. Consider what was said to Sarah,/Is anything to hard for the Lord Genesis18 v14/,remember God will keep His word,His apparent slowness to fulfil it,is part of of the process,of developing trust,not to discourage,not to disappoint.Tozer writes of a minister A,B.Simpson,who was approaching middle age,broken in health,deeply despondent and ready to quit the ministry,when he chanced to hear the following words /Nothing is to hard for Jesus. No man can work like Him/These words struck a cord in his heart, so he got alone with God ,and from that time he experienced healing,and filled with a fullness of joy,he went on to found one the largest foreign missionary societies in the world.
A  prayer..../Dear God,have mercy upon us,for often we struggle to rise above our fears,and faith is non existent,renew within us a right spirit,in Jesus name Amen /

The blood of Christ. [1 John 1 v 7 ]

I remember many years ago, giving one pint of my blood,it took place on 24-1-66 at my place of employment,It was the first and last time that I would give blood. It  was not a painful experience but I remember giving it,,and I felt that it was the right thing to do.I wonder did my blood help somebody?.Although it may not appear meaningful to modern man ,the Bible stresses the importance of blood being shed as a sacrifice, we are told without the shedding of blood ,there is no forgiveness [Hebrews 9 v22]That was the purpose of Christs death on the cross,it was a sacrifice for sin,and if our sins are to be forgiven,we must trust in Jesus,or our sins will never be forgiven.I remember hearing a how I think it was Charles Wesley who was robbed,and he spoke the words of 1 John 1 v7,to the thief,which goes,/the blood of Jesus Christ,Gods son cleanses us from all sin/.Later Charles discovered that the thief had trusted Christ,the word spoken by Charles had convicted him. The verse from 1st John reminds us of the importance of the sacrifice of Christ, for salvation,by the shedding of His blood, all our sins can be completely,totally forgiven, when we trust Him.
A  prayer...../Dear Lord  thank You for shedding Your precious blood on Calvary,in order that my sins could all be forgiven Amen/

Providence [ Genesis 24 v 27]

While leaving my place of employment to go home I had to make two diversions,we don't like diversions,but they are usually necessary. Life itself is full of diversions ,we may not like it ,but then if we know Christ we are assured that God is leading us.I believe in the providence of God,I believe as one  writer puts it,/that everything in the world and in our own lives down to the minutest detail is ordered by the providence of God/.I commend to your reading,/The mystery of providence/ ,by John Flavel.If we can grasp by faith this wonderful truth then we begin to look at life in a different way.The diversions are Gods diversions,the joys and pains,deliverance's are in Gods hand.Flavel wrote,/by His hands are meant His providential administration and dispensation/ Why did I not get that job? why did I get that job?come under the providence of God.As we look  at life and seeing God in all things,we can know a peace,have we not all wondered why, why we made certain decisions,we prayed about it, but it did not turn out right.Why did I buy that particular car,which was nothing but trouble?,but I did,why did I not go to a Bible college which would have provided a better qualification?which would have opened doors for me.We are inclined to accept the providence of God as long as good things happen,but if all things work together for good for the child of God,[Romans 8v28],that includes the bad ,the good ,the ugly,then all will be well.
A prayer.../ Dear God we thank You for Your providential leading,the way You have led us may have been at times painful ,but necessary for are spiritual development.In your providence You open doors that no one can shut ,and shut doors no one can open,but in all things Your way is perfect,we pray this in Jesus name Amen

Standing on our own two feet.[ 2 Timothy 4 v 10-18 ]

Some people cannot stand as it were on their own two feet,take  king Joash[2 Chron24],he had been wonderfully preserved by God,and them anointed king of Judah. He was only seven when he became king,and under the influence of Jehoiada he ruled, we read that he did that which was right all the days of Jehoiada the priest.Joash appeared really enthusiastic for the things of God, but as soon as Jehoiada died he left of following God.Godly people can be an influence for good ,to a nation and to an individual.Consider the influence Joseph had in Egypt,or Moses ,or Paul the apostle,of the influence of Wesley,Spurgeon.We do not appear to have people of that calibre now.Where oh where are the Billy Graham's,it appears that when  these Godly people go the people soon leave the way of God,as Joash did. When any nation forgets God then that nation enters a downward path,that will only take them, further,and further away from the path of righteousness.The nation of Judah  moved from God, and suffered greatly,was the problem as my study bible points out,/As dependant as Joash was on Jehoiada,there is little evidence that he ever established  a real dependence on the  God Jehoiada  obeyed/?It appears to me that we all individually need to stand on our own two feet,it could be that God removes people from our lives in order that we may learn to depend on Him.
A  prayer..../Dear God we thank You for those godly people You have brought into our lives,but help us to see the importance of  standing on our own relationship with You in Jesus name Amen /

The 6 th of June, 1944. [ Revelation 5 v 9ff]

The 6th of June 1944, was one of the most significant days of the twentieth century,for it was on that day the long awaited second front took place,with the invasion of Normandy. The Russians where pushing the Germans back,and with the allies attacking through France it was the beginning of the end for Hitler and his monstrous crew.One can only imagine how absolutely  awful it would have been for this world if this invasion had failed. If the Nazi es had conquered the British Isles,it is unthinkable,what they would have done to the populace,one needs to read the history to appreciate,the wonderful deliverance that came about.So today raise a prayer of Thanksgiving to God for His mercy for the 6th of June 1944.But let us also remember another war,when the world lay under another tyrant called Satan,let us remember the battle that took place on an old rugged cross,and that lonely isolated person hanging on that cross,His name is Jesus,and by His death He defeated principalities and dark powers. In dying He made a way back to God for mankind,for you and for me,and so saving all those who trust in Him,delivering them,from Satan's  power,and sins bondage. If Christ had not died  then the consequence for all mankind would have been hopeless,so today if you know Jesus as Your Saviour ,raise a prayer of Thanksgiving,for so great salvation.
A   prayer..../Dear God we thank You for delivering the world from Nazism,and we thank You for Jesus and His victory on Calvary Amen/

It will work. [Psalm 23 ]

There was an old song which goes,/Why worry,why worry,worry gets you nowhere at all,/wise words, as a Christian I know this to be true ,but I still find myself worrying. Worry is  ongoing,today it may be financial,tomorrow it may be health problems,trouble with our neighbours,family worries,employment worries.[now I have you worried]. We are all in the same boat,so how are we supposed to cope with the problems of life?,we know what Gods word says.Alright, lets us both try something today,let us replace our worrying thoughts, with thoughts on what God word has to say.It is promise box time,yes it's promise box time,now before we dip into the promise box, let us ask God to give us a promise in relation to our worries. Consider, there is a precious promise for every situation in Gods word,now once we have the promise let us repeat it continually, and bring it to God, continually.Let that promise be like a song that we cannot get out of our head,but instead of the promise driving us crazy,it will be a medicine,that will begin to heal the pain caused by worry,it will work.
A  prayer..../ Dear God ,we acknowledge that we worry,and so help us to grasp by faith the word You would speak into our hearts today in Jesus name Amen /

Jehoshaaphat [ Revelation 2 v 1-7 ]

We read about  King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronucles17-20,he was king of Judah,remember Israel had become two nations,he reigned over Judah.Now the word of God tells us, that he sought to the Lord God of his Father,and walked in His commandments,and not after the doings of Israel[2 Chron 17v4] He sought the Lord God of his Fathers.Now godly fathers do not guarantee godly Children,and I am sure godly fathers would desire that their children would seek the Lord. Samuels sons where not Godly[1 Samuel 8 v2-3],but Samuel was,godliness is not transferrable,everyone needs to seek the Lord themselves,Jesse James the outlaw had a godly heritage.Next we see that he walked in His commandments,a relationship with the Lord,should affect our walk,our Saviour commanded us to love one another[John 15 v17].Next we read that he did not walk in the ways of Israel,who had, to a great degree forsaken God and His ways. All this is very good, Jehoshaphat was a perfect king, not so ,while he did not walk in the ways of Israel he became involved with them, making alliances with two of their kings,Ahab, and Ahaziah,even allowing his son to marry Ahabs daughter. All this had serious consequences , he nearly lost his life[2 Chron 17v18 v31]God delivered him,but he did not appear to learn a lesson from this,let us ask ourselves what lesson is God teaching us ?.His alliance with Ahaziah cost him financially[2 Chron20 v37].Lastly allowing his son to marry Ahabs daughter ,brought serious consequences to Judah after he died[cp. 2 Chron 22 v10 ff]
A prayer...... /Dear God help us to walk in all Your ways ,in Jesus name Amen /

Ichabod. [1 Samuel 4 v21]

We read about King Asa in 2 Chronicles 14-16.for most of his reign he did well,he sought to turn the people back to God,yes the so called people of God.As I listened to the radio recently, I was saddened by what I heard ,a denomination that was at one time,was a bulwark for the truth,now are accepting ministers with wrong practises, sinful practise's. It appears for so many Christian groups that all they have is their history, they have become  museums of the past.I like visiting museums but I don't want to live in one, Enoch walked with God,it was ongoing,  so many churches can rejoice in is their history.What applies to churches can apply to us as individuals,we once walked with God,we were faithful ,to the things of God,we loved to meet with Gods people,read the word of God,but now we are involved in things we would never have been involved in ,years ago. We think of ourselves as Christians,as many churches do but all it is , is a name,for so many Churches ,and individuals,the word Ichabod could be applied to them, Ichabod means,the glory  has departed.
A  prayer.../Dear God in wrath remember mercy,and in Thy mercy revive Your people, for Jesus sake Amen /

He can be relied upon. [ Joshua 1 v 5ff]

In 2 Chronicles13 v18. we read,/Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time,and the children of Judah prevailed, because they  relied upon the Lord  God of their fathers/.I like to think that I can be relied upon,but I may through circumstances,let others down. I wonder have you ever been let down,by your father or mother?. A friend of mine was cheated out of a partnership, by a friend,thankfully that did not destroy him.Jesus was let down by His disciples, Paul was also let down by His fellow labourer Demas[2 Timothy 4 v10] I have a reliable car,but so often in the past,those old cars that I had, let me down,you usually cannot rely on an old car. In Joshua 1 v 5 ,our Lord speaks to Joshua,with words of encouragement,/As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee,can we rely on God,to treat us as He treated Paul,or David, or  the disciples?,the answer is yes.. Next.../So I will be with you/,surely He will not always be there,no one is always there,not so ,He has given us His word,and He will always keeps His word.So many people have left wives,husbands,children.,they have forgotten their vows,but God will never forget His promise that He will always be with us[ Hebrews 13 v5 ] Nor forsake thee.../God will be with us in trouble,the prodigal[Luke 15] found himself with no friends when trouble came,our Saviour is not a good weather friend,He was with the disciples in the storm [Mark 4 v35 ff]
A  prayer ....../ Dear God we praise You that You are reliable, You will never fail us,we can rest in he fact that You always be with us,in the good times and in the bad times,You are,our forever Friend.,for which we praise  and thank You in Jesus name Amen/

Not giving up.[ Jude v24-25 ]

Let us continue to consider Luke 22v31-32, consider two things ,Satans activity./ Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat/Satan wanted Peter,that he may devour him[1 Peter 5 v8],he has a hatred for all mankind but especially for those who belong to Christ,he truly is a fiend from hell,who will show no mercy.I read of so many Christians who are suffering terrible things,and who is behind their suffering ?, Satan.What does he want,he wants to have them,to rob God of His children,but thank God he will not succeed.CP  John 10v28-29/Romans8 v38-39, but that will not stop him from trying. Next consider ,Christs Activity/But, I have prayed for thee,that thy faith fail not[v32]Consider, as He prayed for Peter so He is praying for you, in Hebrews 7 v25 we read that Christ ever liveth to make intercession for His children. As we face the assault of the enemy of our souls Christ is upholding us with prayer.He prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail, Peter was going to be tested and he would fall, as our Saviour predicted,but would he gave up,would he stop believing?As with Peter so with us,as we face trials,are we going to give up?or our we going to hold on,and continue to believe?, is our faith going to fail?
A  prayer......./Dear God preserve us from the enemy of our souls,and grant us grace ,when tried ,not to give up, in Jesus name we ask this Amen /