Leading.[ Psalm 23 v2]

I have just returned from a preaching engagement, I used our navigation system and it worked, I just had to listen, and follow what it said, that was until we came to a diversion,then I had to ignor it. This reminds me that God has promised to guide us all the way, and the importance of us listening to His voice, even though God is leading, it may not be the way we think, at times there appears to be diversions,and unlike my experience with my nav system,we need to be listening even more carefully to God. On the way to Rome [Acts 27] Paul endured a storm, being shipwrecked, but in the end he reached his destination.[ Dear God help us to follow were you lead, to be listening to Your voice,and to trust You implicity ,in Jesus name Amen]

Vulnerable[ Psalm 121 ]

Sometimes I confess I feel very vulnerable, it appears sometime that the enemy is at the gate and I am under siege .This reminds me of what happened during the reign of king Hezekiah [2 Kings18-19], the Assyrians were besieging Jerusalem,there appeared no hope ,defeat was staring them in the face,the Assyrians mocked Hezekiah, and his God. What do you do when all appears lost, when the enemy is mocking you?well Hezekiah did two things ,he prayed,and he listened to what God had to say.If like Hezekiah you are under seige dont panic, dont despair, pray and listen to what God has to say,let us take to heart the words of Nahum 1v7,/The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knoweth them that trust in Him/. [Dear God we confess that often we feel vulnerlable, and exposed to things that could so easily destroy us, so we look to You to protect us, and keep us, in Jesus name Amen ][ No blog tomorrow , I am preaching at a friends church , do pray for me ]

It will work. [Psalm 37v5]

Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass[Psalm37v5],this is the word of the Lord, not my words but His. One cannot always trust the word of man but we can totally trust Gods word,consider what this word is saying,[1] Commit, that means we bring it to God, we do not keep it to ourselves,we dont commit to others,we go to God and commit it to Him.[2] We trust also in Him,it is not enough to commit, we are required to also trust the Lord,yes trust the Lord, seems so simple, and yet for many of us who have left our childlikeness behind we find it hard,nothing will happen if we do not grasp the importance of trusting the Lord with that which we have committed to Him.[3] And He shall bring it to pass, yes He will bring to pass,so today rise above despair,and commit thy way unto the Lord,trust also in Him.[ Dear God grant us the grace to trust in You ,for everything ,in Jesus name Amen ]

The word of God [1 Samuel 15 v22]

I was reading Gods word this morning when I felt a challenge from the passage I was reading, the question is am I going to respond to that challenge. I wonder if people avoid reading the word because it challenges them, in areas they dont want to be challenged. For the word of God is unique,it is a living word,faith comes through hearing this word[Romans 10v17], it will be a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path [Psalm 119v105], it is more precious than gold[ Psalm 119v127].But above all else it is to be obeyed,it is folly to just be a hearer of the word ,we must be doers,even though that obedience may be costly, obedience will bring us into the most secure,and safe place in all the world.[Matthew 7 v24-29 ][ Dear God help us to read Your word , help us to stop avoiding what You have to say to us from Your word, and above all else ,help us to obey Your word, in Jesus name Amen ]

The fear of the Lord. [ Psalm 111v10]

The Bible says much about the fear of the Lord, we are told it is the beginning of wisdom [Psalm 111v10],one of the chief characteristics of the unsaved is an absence of the fear of the Lord [Romans 3v18]. This aspect of Gods being is not mentioned much these days, we emphasize the mercy,grace, and love of God, and of course these truths are vital, to those who repent and forsake their sin, and trust Jesus as Saviour. A dear friend of mine was at his fathers funeral,yet what gripped him was , not so much about his father but himself,where was he going to spend eternity. There is an old book and it is called sinners in the hands of an angry God, when the fear of the Lord grips us, we begin to fear for our eternal destiny, we begin to see our sins as an offence against His holiness .The Bible clearly teaches that there is a heaven and that there is a hell, this is not scare mongering, it is Gods truth, unforgiven sin will bring Gods holy judgement. [ Dear God give us all a greater understanding and appreciation of the Fear of the Lord in Jesus name Amen ]

A colony from heaven. [ 1 Thessalonians 1v4-9 ]

In a commentary I have of the book of Revelation the author Martin Kiddle writes of the churches as /colonies of heaven/. Jonathan Edwards was a minister of a church in the 18th century, he and his people made a covenant ,which included , being honest and just,making restitution to those they wronged,to not be involved in back-biting,not taking revenge,a concern for others rights,no holding secret grudges,no licentious behavioiur,to examine themselves regulary,to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. I think it would do most churches good, if they would follow that churches example, we may then trully be called a colony from heaven. [ Dear God help Your church to reflect the reality of true Christlikeness. in Jesus name Amen ]

A needful reminder [ Revelation 19 v 6 av ]

As I looked at the news this morning, and as I consider so much in life in general, and my own life, I need to constantly remind myself of that precious doctrine, the sovereignty of God. It is a doctrine that we need to grasp by faith, I say by faith ,because if we look at life through natural eyes we will struggle to accept this doctrine. That is why the unbeliever will reject this doctrine, we need not be surprised at this as 1 Corinthians 2v14, tells us,/People who aren,t spiritual cant recieve these thruths/. But what about us who are spiritual?,can we accept this doctrine ,our circumstances may be difficult,we may have experienced pain and hurt, job loss, an injustice,,there are so many things that can effect us,and cause us to doubt Gods sovereignty. It was a dear saint of God who was suffering,who wrote the following words,/Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth [Revelation 19v6]/. Let us take encouragement from the words of an old chorus, /God is still on the throne and He will remember His own, though trials may press us ,and burdens distress us, He never will leave us alone, His promise is true, He will not forget you ,God is still on the throne/. [ Dear God Help us this day no matter how difficult our circumstances are ,to believe in Your Sovereignty, in Jesus name . Amen ]