Need [ Matthew4v 1-11]

The scriptures tell us that God will supply our needs[ Philippians 4v19],but sometimes what we think we need, and what God thinks we need our different. In Deuteronomy 8, we read how God humbled the Israelites causing them to hunger, why would God do such a thing?, the answer was in order to teach them a valuable lesson, that man should not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.The cry of this world is I want ,but if we are Christians, we are under our Lord and master Jesus,rule, and He wants to teach us whats really important, in order to do this He does not give us what we think we need but what He knows we need. He will deny us what appears legitimate,sex, money, promotion,and so on, in order that our desires becomes His,and that our lives come into comformity with His. If today He is denying us something, let us not resist, let us not become rebellious,or complain,let us humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and let us learn the lesson He wants to teach us, He will not let us move on until we do.[ Dear God we thank You that You know what it is, we really need in our lives help us to yield to Your perfect will , in order that we might become more like Jesus . Amen ]

Hurry [Psalm 40]

We have a mug and it has these words on it, /Grant me patience Lord, but hurry/,without exception we all need to exercise patience. One of Gods characteristics is patience,and He would have all, His children to show the same quality in their lives. What lessons did Abraham, Joseph, and Job, have to learn ?, patience, what do you and I need to learn ? patience. When we exercise a godly patience, we are growing, and we all need to grow in godliness. We need to show patience to those we come in contact, that person who is rude, to fellow mortorist, to our children, our husbands and wives, the list is endless. We need to show patience in relation to Gods purposes for our lives, though it tarry wait for it, was the word of God to the prophet Habakkuk [2v3]. We must learn to wait patiently for the greatest event of all, our Lords coming again. Often God will act quickly and answer our prayers, but often He would have us wait patiently, for the answer, remember delay is not denial, it is just Gods way of teaching us patience.[ Dear God grant me the grace to be more like You in exercising patience, with others, with myself,in Jesus name Amen ]

Dare [Hebrews 11v8]

When God puts a vision on ones heart, it is our vision, and to that one must stay faithful , others may not understand, they are not meant to,when the apostle Paul felt led to go to Jerusalem people begged him not to go[ Acts 21v12]. When our Saviour told His disciples he was going to Jerusalem and that He would suffer and die, Peter rebuked Him, [Matthew 16v21-23].The vision God gives you is yours alone, and to that vision one must stay true, irrespective of others.I have felt the call of God upon my life to preach, to that call I must stay true, irrespective of others, and their have been others, who have discouraged and criticized me, such is the way of the cross. The most important thing in the Christian life is the will of God, we must stay true to it, it is the taking up, ones cross and following our Saviour. the old hymn says,/ Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to stand alone. Dare to have a purpose firm, Dare to make it known./, so let us dare.[ Dear God and Father keep us faithful to Thy will in all things in Jesus name. Amen ]

Promising God. [ Ecclesiastes 5v4-5 ]

A woman was walking along the sea shore,with her little boy when a hugh wave went over them,and the little boy was carried out to sea, the lady prayed, that if God would give her back her child she would be ever grateful and thankful, suddenly another hugh wave came and deposited her son at her feet, as she looked at her child she spoke to God, he had a hat. In Psalm 66v13-14, we read,/ I will perform my vows to you, that which my lips uttered, and my mouth promised when I was in trouble/. Many people make vows when they are in difficulty, but when the trouble is past, they fail to keep them. A farmer went to his wife to tell her that their cow had given birth to two calves, one white the other brown, he was so happy he said to his wife,I am going to dedicate one of these calves to the Lord, his wife asked, which one?he replied there was no need to bother about that now.A few months later he came to his wife and said ,the Lords calf had died, his wife reminded him that he hadnt chosen which calf was the Lords,he replied that it was the white one, and that was the one that died.[ Father often we make promises to you in our difficulties, and even in our times of prosperity, and we fail to keep them, forgive us ,and help us to be more faithful in the future in Jesus name .Amen]

The first time [ John 3 v7-8]

Yesterday my son John preached for the first time,I wonder can you remember those first times in your life when you did something,I remember the first girl I kissed, I remember my first plane trip,my first job,my first home when I got married, my first time in England. I also remember when I first trusted Jesus as my Saviour , it was at a childrens meeting, the speaker was known as the Hallelujah milk man , I dont how he got that name ,but I do remember what he spoke on,I dont remember how old I was, between five and ten, that is over fifty five years ago.That was the most important first time experience of my life, because it sealed my eternal destiny, it gave me an awareness of Christ ,that never left me, even though at times I wandered away from Him, I thank God for that first time.[Dear God help us all to realize that their must be a first time to trust your son Jesus as our Saviour. Amen]

Benefits.[Romans 5 v1-5]

The Christian life is two sided, in Romans 5v 1-5, we are told two things, firstly the blessings we have been brought into through faith , we have been justified, which means we are no longer guilty before a holy God, we have peace with God , we are no longer His enemy, the battle is over, God is now our loving Heavenly Father, this has all come about through the Lord Jesus, when He died on the cross. We can look forward to eternal glory, so today let us rejoice, and praise God, He has done great things for us.But now the other side of the coin, the Christian life also involves sufferiing,our Saviour said in the world we shall have tribulation[ John 16v33], Ann Bronte, said,/ Believe not those who say, the upward path is smooth/. In Romans 5, we are told that those troubles we encounter , are Gods instruments in developing Christian character, strength of character,so today let us rejoice for what God is doing in our lives through, our troubles. [ Dear God we praise You for Jesus Your Son who has saved us, and brought us into eternal blessings, we also would ask that You would help us to keep rejoicing in all our sufferings, because You are causing all things to work together for our good. Amen ]

A person of strength[ Psalm 46 ]

I was given a poem about a woman of strength, I dont know who wrote it, I want to quote it, but I want to broaden it out to include , men and women./ A strong person works out everyday to keep their bodies in shape. But a person of strength kneels in prayer to keep their souls in shape. A strong person isn,t afraid of anything. But a person of strength shows their courage in the midst of fear. A strong person won,t let anyone get the better of them. But a person of strength gives the best of themselves to everyone. A strong person walks sure-footedly. But a person of strength knows God will catch them when they fall. A strong person wears a look of confidence on their face. But a person of strength wears grace. A strong person has faith that they will be strong for the journey. But a person of strength has faith that in the journey they will become strong./[ Dear God help us to not live in our own strength, but daily, moment by moment to rely on You in Jesus name. Amen ]