Just call [ Philippians 4 v 5-7 ]

Let us continue to think about these words,/And call upon Me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee,and thou shalt glorify Me/Yesterday we thought on the call of salvation,now we consider,the day of trouble,the very nature of life will bring us days of trouble,in Job 14v1 tells us,/Man that is born of a woman is of few days,and full of trouble/,often trouble comes when we least expect it,but whenever it comes,it is a certainty that it will come knocking on our door.We may think that in our prosperity we shall not be moved,but we shall,moved to fear moved to want to run away,moved to despair.The first move we should do is to call upon God, let faith arise and call,we are told ,that He will deliver us. Read the Bible and you will discover many who called upon God in their times of trouble,and He delivered them. Times may have changed ,our circumstances may have changed ,but God has not changed,He is still able to deliver us in whatever trouble we are in. So stop panicking and start praying, and God will deliver you. God has said He will deliver us ,He is faithful ,He will deliver us, and in that deliverance He will be glorified
A  prayer....Dear God here our cry and deliver us from trouble in Jesus name Amen /
a

Call upon the Lord. [ Romans 10 v13]

I want us to consider, a  verse of scripture, from Psalm 50v15,  ,/ And call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver Thee/ Sometimes the Lord is the last port of call,when He should at all times be our first port of call.
The first  call should be the call for salvation,//Abraham was rich above many,David was a valiant soldier,Solomon was wiser than the wisest of people.Susanna as fair as any of our  painted pieces. Yet none of them thought that their riches,valour,policy,beauty,or excellent,parts could save them/[C.H.Spurgeon] Let us remember that the only thing we bring to the cross is our sin,so our you ready to call?
A  prayer....../.Dear God thank  you that when ruined sinners call upon You, You respond in Love,nothing in our hands we bring simple to Your cross we cling, in Jesus name Amen./

Promises. [ Romans 8 v18]

I promise to pay the bearer the sum of 5 pounds ,and then it is signed by the chief  cashier of the bank of England. Yet it is possible that the bank for whatever reason may not be able to fulfil that promise. I do try to keep my word.There are dubious people who  make all sorts of promises ,like politicians to be elected, but they are not able to fulfil there promises. We expect people to keep their promises,and yet many don't,and of course many do,we promise ourselves that we are going to do  certain things,before we die.I recently heard of a dear brother whom made certain promises to himself before he died ,like buying a motor bike,visiting the church he got saved in,and other things,and he did it. Now when it comes to Christ He always keeps his promise,but sometimes we His followers ,lose sight of what He did promise as to this life. I read this recently,/ He never promised His followers it would be easy, but He did promise it would be worth it,/ The Christian life is a challenge to all of us to some degree,I read this morning of Christians in Vietnam being persecuted, of two men in Iran in prison,being tortured. A dear Christian I know has lost her husband ,she had to watch him suffer the ravages of cancer,to all such people and to ourselves I would say ,it will be worth it all when we see Jesus.
A  prayer..../ Dear Lord You have assured us that although the path of life You have chosen for us may be difficult, it will be worth it all,so grant us grace to hold on and to press on Amen /

Mental reservation [ Psalm 1]

A friend of mine told me of a doctrine called,/ The doctrine  of mental reservation/, I have never heard of it, and did not have a clue what it was about.Let me try and explain ,if I stole from a friend called Jim, and was brought to court  to be tried,and was asked did I steal from Jim,even though I did,I could say I did not steal from Jim,but in my mind I would say, on a Friday.That is the doctrine of mental reservation,it is amazing how the human mind can pervert things,W.C.Fields was lying in bed in the hospital,very ill. His wife came to visit him and found him reading a Bible,she asked him ,why are you reading the Bible?,I thought you didn't believe in any of that stuff.W.C.Fields shot back,/Looking for loopholds,my dear,looking for loopholds/
 People are always looking for loopholds,they pervert the truth,or  do a mental reservation,believeing the end justifies the means.Let us remember God is holy, with Him there is no loopholds,or mental reservation,He is the God of truth,the Bible reveals to everyman a way back to God from the dark paths of sin ,that there's a door that is open and all may go in,Calvary's cross is where we begin when we come as a sinner to Jesus.
 A  prayer......./ Dear God help us to see that we may fool others,or even ourselves,but we will never fool You,in Jesus name we ask this, Amen /
 

The greatest blessing.[Psalm 32]

In Psalm 32 we read of the greatest blessing that God can bestow on any human being,here  it is,/Blessed is he whose transgression if forgiven,whose sin is covered/This blessing is most important,without it a  true relationship with God, can never be possible,the entrance to heaven will be denied us,peace with God will not be possible.God will only be the one who created us,but he will never be our loving heavenly Father.Without it we will have to pay the price for our sins,which means only Hell awaits us,that place we are told has been prepared the devil and his angels. I am not being over  dramatic, I am being faithful to Gods word.
How do we receive this blessing?, by trusting Jesus as our Saviour,the whole purpose of Jesus coming was to save us from our sins[Matthew 1 v21],He saves us when we recognise that we are sinners,when we repent of our sins,and when we simple ask Him to forgive us our sins,whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved [Romans 10v13]
 So the greatest blessing is possible,for you,for God has made it possible,ask and you shall receive ,seek and you shall find,knock and it shall be opened unto you.
A prayer...../Dear God help us to see the importance of having our sins forgiven, that it is the greatest blessing that we can receive, through Jesus Amen /

Does God answer prayer?. [ 1 John 5 v 14]

The question many people ask does God answer prayer?,of course prayer involves at its core the will of God,my first wife died of cancer, I thought God would heal her,he didn't,.there are times what we want ,may not be according to Gods will.It is best  to accept this for His will is, and always will be the best answer to our prayers. I have been praying for one of my grandsons to get a job,and it seems that this prayer will be answered in Gods time,we must give God time to answer some of our prayers,like a young person who may be praying for a wife,when I was single I chased the girls,I wanted a wife,eventually I got a lovely girl, in fact the Lord brought her into the church I attended,so be patient, give God time. God  will answer our prayers,in this week,I can see three answers to my prayers,a doctors appointment,a dentist appointment,and a tooth removed without much pain.Does God answer prayer?, yes He does,so keep praying,but keep in mind what I have said about Gods will,that is of the utmost importance.
A   prayer...../Dear God  we thank You for prayer,where You teach so many lessons that we need to learn,we commit all our prayers to Your perfect will, in Jesus name Amen /

Overwhelmed?. [Isaiah 41 v10]

As I sit here to do my blog,the thought comes to me, as to how can I continue ,my ministry in prayer?,there is so much to pray about. How can I continue writing this blog,day after day?, many ministers,must wonder how can they continue to prepare sermons?week after week..Today you may be asking questions,as you look after the children,or a loved one who is ill,day after day?how can I continue to do this?.the answer is we cannot in ourselves,but we can through Christ[Philippians 4 v13]. The word of the Lord to us all today is,/I will strengthen thee/[Isaiah41v10],thus saith the Lord.As we look at the task for this day we may feel overwhelmed,through Christ we can be overcomers,as we look to the days that lie ahead we may feel overwhelmed,through Christ we can be overcomers.When the Isrealites where in the wilderness,they were taught to depend on God one day at a time,God sent them manna daily,when they where taken up with more than one day at a time,it did'nt work.They received a fresh supply everyday, so for this day let us look up to Him who will continue to help us one day at a time,
A  prayer...../Dear Lord for today grant us all that we need,strength,wisdom ,patience,peace,and grace in  Your name we ask this Amen /

Walter Mitty [ 2 Corinthians 10 v5]

I was watching an old movie starring Danny Kaye, as Walter Mitty, Walter Mitty is a person who lived in a dream world,he lets his mind wonder,and see's  himself,as an adventurer,a great lover, and so on. The real Water Witty was in fact,a person who was dominated by others,and was so easily scared.Let us face it there is a little bit of Walter Mitty in us all,many people become or think they become Walter Mitty when they our on drugs and drink.Many people think if they had money then they would be different, or if they move somewhere different,all would change for the better.Peter the apostle was a bit like Walter Mitty,he lost sight of whom he really was,between what he said and what he was, was a vast chasm, read about it in Mark 14v26-31. It was only through his tears did he see himself for what he was,and it was only in Christ did he see what he could become. There is an old gospel hymn that goes,/He washed my eyes with tears that I might see/,so true, the sinner is changed by tears of conviction, and faith in Jesus,he cries out I once was blind but now I see. For us all to be changed ,God will give the medicine of tears,that we may no longer live in a world of Walter Mitty,but that we may become more Christlike.
A  prayer....../Dear Lord if I have to have the medicine of tears,so be it,if that what it takes to know You, and be like You,I bow to Your will, Amen

I once was lost,but now am found [ Luke 15 ]

I  know it may not mean much to many people,but it was important to me, my little grandchild had lost doggy, her very precious stuffed dog.I searched and searched for doggy,even offered up a prayer,and I was going to give up,when at the last moment doggy  was found,this is a true story. Now Jesus told three stories to illustrate a very important truth,about a sheep,a coin,and a son, and they all had something in common,they where lost,and here is the important thing like little doggy they where found.The Bible teaches a truth that many people do not realise,or would want to accept,as we are born,we are lost,this is  true ,not made up,and has serious consequences,especially if we refuse to believe what Gods word teaches us,that we are all lost,consider what an old testament prophet said,/ All we like sheep have gone astray,we have turned everyone to his own way[Isaiah53v6]/I could quote you lot of things that evidence our lostness,but just maybe I don't have to, for you realise that truth.,that you really are  lost. Well here is the answer to all who see their lostness,Jesus said that He came to seek and to save that which is lost,reach out to Him in simple childlike faith,and you will never be lost again.
A  prayer....../ Dear God  thank You for Jesus the one who came to save the lost, Amen/

Balance . [ 1 Samuel 15 v22]

Watching golf on TV, one commentator spoke of the importance of balance,as a golfer,which reminded me of my recent holiday,when on two occasions,my balance was effected,by something or other. In my case it was dangerous because, I could have fallen so easily,and hurt myself,thankfully, I didn't,I will have to see my GP,hopefully to find the cause.An awful lot of the Bible was written to people who were out of  balance in their walk with God,David in his zeal for God offended God, he wanted the ark of God brought up to Jerusalem,but he had it put on a cart,so as they brought the ark up,it appeared that it was going to fall of the cart, and a man called Uzzah, put his hand forward to stop it falling of the cart,and immediately the Lord was angry with Him and killed him.[2 Samuel 6 v6-7]The ark was meant to be carried by the Levites[Numbers4 v5-15],it was a capital offence for anyone other than the Levites to touch the ark[Numbers 4 v15]. In 1 Samuel 6v 19-20] God killed70 men for daring to look into the ark,Now David in his zeal ignored what Gods word said,and poor Uzzah , paid the price,having zeal like David is commendable,but not if we become careless ,and ignore Gods word,if we do this we will pay the price.
A prayer.... Dear God grant us zeal,but most important, a balanced  godly zeal, that will walk in perfect obedience to Your word, in Jesus name Amen /

A shirt.[ Genesis 20 v6 ]

Recently while on holiday,I visited a charity shop,it is my favourite charity shop,because I usually find something really nice to purchase,a lot of charity shops,remind me of the old jumble sales,that churches used to hold.They all do a good job,but my favourite is the one I mention,it is my Marks and Spenser's,well I saw this shirt,it was different,it had a patchwork design. I liked it but my wife , son,and daughter-in-law restrained me [not physically],from buying it,on reflection,I suppose it was in that charity shop,because the original owner had ,had  second thoughts about wearing it,or like me had been restrained maybe physically from wearing it.Well on a more serious note,the other day while out in my car,someone honked their horn at me,they where behind me,and I felt angry,and I felt like getting out of my car,and,well I didn't,thankfully ,I believe the Lord restrained me,from doing something stupid,and I am ever so thankful.As I look back in my long Christian life, I realise the difficulties ,and dangers that God has saved me from,His hand of restraint has been upon me,it reminds me that I have only come this far,by Gods restraining grace
A  prayer.....Dear God grant unto us restraining grace, from any foolish and sinful actions or words,in Jesus name Amen /

Dangers. [ Song of Solomon 5 v 2-6]

I was enjoying a moment in my garden,I heard a little bird singing,I spied the little songster singing away,but then I noticed danger for this little creature,a cat.Yes there is danger,not just for the little birds,but for all of us,sickness,accidents,self,and from others.Dangers from prosperity we forget that we  have a soul and need a Saviour,and the dangers of being to busy, and neglect our relationship with our Saviour. Consider these words from Hebrews 2 v1-2/ It's crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we've heard so that we don't drift/[Message].Our responsibility is to not neglect our relationship with our Saviour,how often I have heard people say how busy life is,it is not wrong to be busy,but let not our business blind us to the danger of neglecting our walk with God,or else we may find ourselves walking a different path than His.Consider how many relationships have broken down because of neglect,children suffer because of it,marriages suffer because of it,and we suffer. Here are three things we need ,in order to not neglect,speak to God in prayer, and let him speak to you through His word, daily devotionals are a help, also meet with Gods people.
A  prayer...../Dear God preserve and protect us from dangers seen and unseen,and especially protect 
us from the danger of neglecting our relationship with You, in Jesus name we ask this .Amen /
[I will return to my blog next Saturday,  every blessing]

Not alone.[ Joshua 1 v 9]

Two friends of mine ,man and wife,where travelling to South Africa,they could not get booked on the same flight,the wife expressed her anxiety of travelling without her husband.I prayed for them, and in my prayer I mentioned how they would not be flying alone,but that the Lord would be with them. I read these words this morning,/My presence shall go with thee,and I will give thee rest[Exodus 33v14] Nicky Cruz wrote a book titled,/Alone yet not alone/,how true those words are,and meaningful.
 Loneliness effects so  many people,at times I have felt very alone at times,and yet I know that I am not alone Jesus is with me,every moment of everyday, 24/7,fifty two weeks of the year. So in a very real sense I  am not alone, for He hath said, I will never leave thee,nor forsake thee.[ Hebrews 13v5] .
                                                         Lord, we know that Thou art with us,
                                                         Though Thou seem;st to hide Thy face,
                                                          And are sure that dost hear us,
                                                          Though no answer we embrace.[ Jane Crewdson]
                                                                      Amen.

He is One.[ Isaiah 9 v 6]

There are some people, even Christians who see the God of the OT ,and the God of the NT as different,because in the OT, they see Him dealing with people in a severe way.But as I read my OT, I see a God who judged people,but of course in the NT,there is plenty of mentions of judgement ,it is said that Jesus,our loving Saviour,spoke of  Hell more than anybody else.Consider the words of one of the best known verses in the Bible, John 3 v16 ,/For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life./The verse stresses the love of God to all people,but also the severity of God  as to those who reject His love. I opened my Bible at random this morning and I read these  ,/When the poor and needy seek water,and there is none,and their tongue failed for thirst,I the Lord will hear them, I  the God of Israel will not forsake them[Psalm 41 v17]; in Micah7 v18],we read that God delights in mercy.There is much more we could write,as to God,that would show clearly ,that God is merciful,the city of Nineveh,experienced that mercy,and so will we if we seek Him
A  prayer......../ Dear God we thank You for the revelation concerning yourself,that you are gracious ,and merciful,slow  to anger,and of great kindness. Words spoken by a prophet ,words that are true.,We thank and praise You in Jesus name. Amen /

Is there life after death?. [John 11 v25]

Job asked the question,/If a man die,shall he live again?/[14v14],  in this chapter,Job appears to be seeking for answers,v10 reads,/But man dieth,and wasteth away,yea, man giveth up the ghost,and where is he?/But later on in chapter 19v25-27,he declares ,/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/ Consider ,his confident statement of faith starts with a redeemer,and so  the question of life after death is answered.The only redeemer is Jesus,who declared,/I am the resurrection and the life,he that believeth in me,though he were dear, yet shall he live/.Yes there is life after death ,a life of joy and happiness,for He will make all things new, a new dwelling place,where there will be no evil,no sickness,no fear,no pain,no lonliness,all will be just perfect. The key to this eternal domain is as Job declared a redeemer Jesus.When we trust Jesus as Saviour and know that our sins are forgiven,then all this can be ours, this is a sure and certain hope.
A  prayer...../Dear God we thank You that  through Jesus Thy son there is life after death. Amen /

It is not to late [Jeremiah 29 v11-13 ]

Someone I know has got himself into a lot of difficulties,I told him if only he had asked me I could have saved him a lot of trouble,if only,so often comes to mind.Why is it so often your children don' t come and seek advice before the situation gets out of hand?. When it comes to God and his creation,you and I ,it seems that we only come to Him when the horse has bolted. If only People would place their situations with God, before things start falling apart,then what a difference it would make.I must confess I felt a degree of frustration when that person told me what had happen.The good news is God does not become frustrated with us,He knows how proud we are,I said to someone today,it is very hard to help some people,it really , really is.When it comes to God he is merciful and even when we come to Him  seemingly when, our world is in tatters.In the OT especially we see God continually helping people out of a self dug holes,so if you have left God out of the situation,did it your way,now is the time to come to God and start doing it His way.
A  prayer..../ Dear God have mercy and forgive our foolish ways in Jesus name Amen /

A strong tower [ Psalm 46]

The name of of the Lord is a strong tower,and the righteous run into it,and is safe[Proverbs 18 v10].
The name of the Lord,is not just a label but it speaks of Gods character,and all that this means,when I think of Gods name it reminds me of His love,His faithfulness,His mercy,His protection,and so much more. It is likened unto a strong tower,in ancient cities they had towers built,a place where they could run to for safety when the city walls where breached.So it is that the child of God can run to the Lord and find security and protection.Who are we running to today?,are you running away from God?,the world offers no real security,or protection,Jonah ran away from God but all it brought him was trouble,but in the belly of the great fish ,he turned again to God he was safe[Jonah 2]The righteous run, there is in these words a sense of urgency,if you are not saved ,you must stop dithering,and run to the Lord Jesus ,before it s to late,and call upon Him to save you,from your sins and their consequences.For you the child of God go quickly to your Saviour,He will protect and care for you, you will find Him as good as His word, you shall be safe.
A prayer...../ Dear God help us to see in our times of trouble, that You are our strong tower,in Jesus name Amen /

Be sure your sin will find you out [Exodus 20 v14/17 ]

There is a saying,if you play with fire you will be burnt,it is in the book of Proverbs we have similar words,and it is in relation to someone committing adultery.In chapter 6 v27-28 ,the writer writes the following / Can a man take fire into his bosom, and his clothes be not burned?. Can one go upon hot
coals,and his feet not be burned?/ In other words there are consequences to our wrong actions, especially in relation to adultery. This is a sin that is very prevalent, in Exodus 20 we read ,/Thou shalt not commit adultery [v14] It is so easy to fall into this sin,in order to not be overcome,we must break off any relationship ,that could eventually lead to this sin.What did Joseph do when feeling pressurised by another mans wife?. He left his garment,in her hand, and fled, and got him out[Genesis 39 v12] We can also stop coveting that which is not ours,most sins start in our heart,we look, we covet ,and then we fall ,into our own trap.There is a saying which goes,the grass is always greener in the other field,but it is not, don't be fooled,that grass will turn to gravel in your mouth. Again from Proverbs 9 v17-18,/Stolen waters are sweet,and bread eaten in secret is pleasant,But he knoweth not that the dead are there,and her guests are in the depths of hell.Remember there is always a price to pay when we sin,always,
A   prayer....../Dear God save us from the sin of adultery in Jesus name Amen/



.

He sinned not. [Job 1 ]

At the beginning of the book of Job,when one disaster after another is happening to this godly man,on receiving word of one disaster,his servant says,/The fire of God is fallen from heaven/.I wonder what I would think if I like Job was told these words, if like Job I was suffering. We may well ask what have I done to deserve this,Job was a godly man,the Lord had blessed him,he was a man of great wealth,and prosperity.He did not let his prosperity go to his head,or touch his heart,he maintained a godly relationship with God,and had his children's spiritual well being at heart.Yet we read these words,/The fire of God had fallen,/what would think?,would you reject those words?,resent them?,
yes even reject God,you may say God is good all the time,these are not the words,to be associated with a good  God. Consider the words of Job,when he heard of all the disasters that had befallen him,/the Lord gave,and the Lord hath taken away,blessed be the name of the Lord[1v21],and then we read,/In all this Job sinned not,nor charged God foolishly[v22]
                                  Believe and trust,through stars and suns,
                                  Through life and death, through soul and sense,
                                  His wise, paternal purpose runs,
                                   The darkness of His Providence,
                                   Is starlit with Divine intent.
A  prayer...../Dear God we bow to Your perfect will,in Jesus Name . Amen/

I cannot do the impossible.[ Acts 16 v31]

As a Christian I am continually reminded that I am called to a life of faith,faith in God, I have never seen,we have that desire within us all to see,to know. We are called to believe, in creation,that God did actually make this world,we are called to believe in salvation ,being completely of God,that we cannot in any way or any degree save ourselves.It is not Christ plus,it is Christ alone who saves, the reason we cannot save ourselves is simple we cannot,we are not able to save ourselves. As the hymn writer wrote ,Not the labour of my hands could fulfil Thy laws demands,could my zeal no respite know,could my tears for ever flow,all for sin could not atone ,Thou must save and Thou alone[A.M.Toplady] Surely we reason I must do something to be saved,yes, admit that you can do nothing,
absolutely nothing,no good works[Ephesians 2 v8-9].The only one who can deal with sin is Jesus,oh yes sin is the problem,what do you think if I said that all of us are sinners,but let us describe what that means .It that means there is none righteous ,in Gods eyes, none of us do good,the good we do is tainted instead of being done for the glory of God,it is tainted with self. There is no fear of God in peoples lives,none,if there where,things would be different.Until we see our sinfulness we will never see our need to be saved,never look to Jesus as your Saviour.
A  prayer...../Dear God we thank You for your mercy and grace,that saves us Hell deserving sinners,we thank You in Jesus name,the Saviour of the world. Amen /

Doing nothing .[ Matthew 25 v31-46]

I feel a bit guilty,during the week I took someone shopping and when I returned, I parked in the nearest spot,to the persons home , which just happened to be in a disable parking spot,It was only for about 5 minutes,but when I returned to my car a disabled lady told me off,saying I should have consideration for others. Well what one can say I had done something that I should not have,what are the consequences?well I suppose if this person new I was a Christian,she would call me a hypocrite.We all make mistakes do what we shouldn't,break the speed limit,speak words we shouldn't,but what about the sins of omission?,the things that we ignore,I should have helped that person,and I didn't,I should have spoken up against a wrong,I  am sure you get the idea,remember sin not includes what we do but what we neglect to do.Many stood around the cross and said nothing,we point the finger at Peter,for his denying Christ,but we are equally guilty,when we simply, do nothing.We pass a beggar in the street,we do not pray for those who are suffering,or for those Christians who are being persecuted.There are many needy children in the world,many needy causes,we are called to do good works,as an evidence of our Christian faith,doing nothing is not an option.
A prayer...../Dear God help us to see the importance  to do something where there is a need ,in Jesus name. Amen /

The invisible hand [Romans 8 v28]

In  his book ,/The invisible hand/, R.C. Sproul writes,/The doctrine of the providence  of God leaves no room for fate,blind or otherwise.God is not blind,neither is He capricious.For him there are no accidents. With God there are no cases of chance events, indeed there is no such thing as chance/ He describes providence as the invisible hand of God,we rarely hear the term providence used these days, I wonder why?.I believe that God is sovereign,it is something I have believed from my early days as a Christian, it is something that the Bible teaches,and again as R.C.Sproul writes,/What are the chances that things happen by chance?the only appropriate answer we can give,is not a chance/. Now the sovereignty of  raises all sorts of questions which we may not be able to answer,but to remove that doctrine leaves bigger questions which we cannot answer. As I look out in a world ,and the daily tragedies that are happening,I do not have the answer,but God does, as I look back in my life,to some extent I can see how God was undertaking,and guiding,and bringing me through to this point in time,but I do not know why my first wife died, of cancer.But in Gods sovereignty,and with his invisible had of providence,He is working all things out,be they sad or painful,and to all His Children,He assures His them that He is working out all things for their good.[Romans 8 v28 ]
A  prayer...../Sovereign God we worship You,and ask for grace,to trust You, in all that is happening in our lives, in Jesus name Amen /

Where will it all end?[John 3 v16 ]

One wonders where will it all end,three young Israeli lads murdered in Palestine ,then a young Palestine lad murdered.. Was it Gandhi who said,that if  we all start taking an eye for and eye then we would all end up blind.Coming from Northern Ireland I know a bit about such things,and I know that the only way to stop it,is to forgive,and seek to resolve the problems by talking,none of this is easy,but what is the alternative?,more pain,more young people being murdered.South African whites had to see that apartheid could not continue,and the black population had to learn to forgive.Many Americans had to learn that racial equality could not continue,Islam will have to learn to agree to disagree with other Islamic groups,and Islam will have to see that others have a right to live on planet earth,who are not Muslims.I must learn to forgive ,those who hurt me,and not to hate,believe it or not it is so easy to go down the road of unforgivenss.There is so much pain in this world,so many grieving mothers,so many people being hurt,I just pray that God will intervene, and that this world may come to know Jesus,who taught us to forgive and love all ,irrespective of race,or differences.
A prayer....../Dear God ,You who love this world,grant an out pouring of You grace into the lives of  those who hating and hurting others,that they  may come to know Jesus Your son. Amen /

Is God enough? [Psalm 23]

Jill Briscoe asks the question is God enough?,it is a very good question,is God enough when my world is crashing down on my head?.When the person one has been married to for a what appears a life time is no longer there,and as we wake each day with an numbness of heart.,is God enough?.Is God enough when the child we love has grown up and left us?or when that child has turned into a prodigal?.Is God enough when we are told we have cancer?,or the plans we have made fail to materialise,or our ship never comes in.Is God enough ,when we hear the challenge of God to step out in faith,to go where others care not to be?is He enough to protect us and guide us,and provide for us,and our little children?.Is God enough when we feel lonely,and friendless,or when the friend we had no longer wants our friendship?.Is God enough when our hearts are failing us for fear,or when we are struggling with some temptation?,or have fallen  to that temptation?,is God enough?
A  prayer....../ Dear God life is full of many difficulties ,help us to see that no matter what we are facing,You will be with us,and that You are enough,we ask this in Jesus name Amen/

He will answer.[Nehemiah 1]

When the Jews returned from the 70years in exile in Babylon the walls of Jerusalem needed rebuilt,
this made them vulnerable,for they had enemies.Nehemiah a Jew lived in Babylon,God had placed him in a position of influence,and when he heard of the plight of the Jews in Israel,and the condition of Jerusalem,he reacted by shedding tears,then he fasted and prayed.Eventually God answered,and granted him favour with the King who granted him permission to return to Israel ,with the purpose of building up the walls of Jerusalem.Consider ,when he sought God earnestly God answered, he wept he fasted , he prayed,we read that the effectual fervent prayer, of a righteous man availeth much[ James 5 v16]What is distressing you today?what is breaking your heart?,seek the Lord earnestly,and He will be found,and He will answer,call upon Him in your time of trouble,nothing is to hard for Him.
A  prayer...../Dear God in Thy mercy we come with problems great and small,and ask that You would answer our prayers,in Jesus name Amen/