He is trustworthy.[ Psalm 23 ]

It is very obivious that life is very uncertain,and as for guidance and of knowing what way to go,we are often at a loss to know just what to do.Looking back I did a number of things,kept praying,and seeking and in it all relying on God. Where we are uncertain the words of Psalm 32 v8 come blasting forth with a certainty,/I will instruct thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye/. The question is do we want His instruction, and His guidance?, we may not want the way God will guide us,only you can answer that. Next are we prepared to seek His guidance?, for it is the way of faith,and that always appears to bring with it,uncertainty. Here we have God declaring to us what He is prepared to do,these are words that should inspire us,to think that God Himself is assurancing us in words that are clear,that He will instruct us and guide us,the question is are we prepared to trust Him?. Let us always remember, that God is totally trustworthy,whatever way we are called to go,He will not fail us, remember the weakness is always on our part, not Gods .

A prayer.../Dear heavenly Father help us in a world of broken promises ,and broken dreams to rejoice in Your trust worthiness in Jesus name Amen /

Small is safe.[Philippians 4 v11 ]

I wonder why a man of God like David committed adultery ?,was it because he departmentalized his life?,it seems that he saw at that time,that he was king, and a very powerful king, and being king he could take certain liberties. In other words he felt that this department in his life was free from the restraints,that his subjects had to submit to.A number of USA presidents I believe thought this, and it would appear that Henry the 8th may have thought this also ,and indeed Charles the 1st. This is the danger for all of us if we are placed in position of authority, we can so easily feel that we can act in ways ,yes like David, that are contrary to our relationship with God. Could it be that God keeps us in a lowly place,because He knows us better than we know ourselves, knows the danger of being lifted up to a position of power and influence.My ministry has always been to small groups, I pastored a small church,was an elder in a small church , minister regulary at small groups, why?,because it was best, and safe for me.

A prayer ...../ Dear God we thank You for Your wisdom and understanding, for choosing what is best for us in Jesus name Amen /

When Elijah prayed [James 5 v 17-18 ]

Part of our country is experiencing a shortage of rain, I dont think it is a judgement, but of course it reminds me of a time in Israel when it was a judgement.We do not interpret events like that now,[ who knows it may happen ] but when a prophet arose and declared that there would be no rain, and it happened, one must take note. We read about this in 1 Kings 17 king Ahab ruled over the northern kingdom, he was weak and sold out to all the wrong things, and we read that he did more to provoke God to anger, than all the kings of Israel, that were before him[ 1Kings 16 v33 ]. He also made a real stinker of his choice of a wife Jezebel,who we marry matters, to us and to God. Well anyway, things were were very bad spiritually,Elijah suddenly appears out of nowhere,and makes this declaration,/As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word/, and so it came to pass. Elijah not only declared what was going to happen,we read in the book of James how he prayed for it to happen, and at a later date ,he would pray again and rain would come [James 5 v 17-18 ]. We need to pray Gods purposes through,only God can make things happen,our part is to act prayerfully, praying His purposes into being, we must not consider our weakness,but Gods greatness and power,when Elijah prayed things happened.

A prayer...../Dear God help us to see how vital is to pray your purposes through in Jesus Amen /

My times are in His hands. [Psalm 121 ]

Last week while I visited a shopping area,I was crossing the road, I could see a car waiting to pull out, I did not anticipate any danger,but suddenly the car car came right at me,on reflection they had not seen me, but fortunately before I was hit, the car braked.I must confessed It shook me up I do believe the driver was at fault, but the most important thing was I escaped being hurt,or even killed. As I reflect on my life I can think of the times I have been spared injury and yes even death.In Psalm 97 v 10, we read, /He preserveth the souls of His saints/,I am 68 years of age how have I lived so long?,consider the possibilities in life that could destroy us,illness, travel,the list is endless, the only conclusion is ,that God in His mercy has preserved us. As a child of God I believe my times are in His hands, all my times, that includes life and death, I will not die until He chooses.W.F. Lloyd wrote
My times are in Thy hands,my God I wish them there.
My life,my friends, my soul I leave, entirely to Thy care
A prayer...../Dear God we praise You that our times are in Your hands,in Jesus name Amen.

The unexpected. [1 Peter 3 v15 ]

I was on the phone talking to a young man called Alec,I was seeking to renew our home insurance, and I was very happy with the quote he gave me. He was asking me for my bank details ,and he asked me how was my name appeared on my debit card,I told him it was the ,Rev W . A. Heasley.He was surprised at this, but it opened the way to an interesting conversation,when I was able to witness to him,about being a Christian.He mentioned that he had studied a bit about Christianity, at university, and he had a friend who said he had a revelation that changed his life,when he became a Christian.I said that people dont all have the same experience in becoming a Christian. I stressed that there is a simplicity in coming to Christ , and told him how Jesus stressed the importance of becoming as a little child, and thats when I first trusted Jesus. I said a few other things and he thanked me,it is lovely whan Christ gaves one the opportunity to witness to someone unexpectedly, do pray for that young man that he may come to know the Saviour

A prayer..../ Dear God help to be always ready to give a reason for the hope we have in Jesus, and we pray for Alec that You would save him, in Jesus name Amen /.

His way. [2 Corinthians 5 v14-15 ]

In 2 Corinthians 5 v15 we read that one of consequences of Christ dying for us that we should no longer live unto ourselves, but unto Him.Peter is told there would come a time when he would experience a dying in a way which he would not naturally want,he died by crucifixion.We as Christians may not want the path our Saviour chooses for us to go, but if that the path He is calling us to walk then, then that is path we must walk. As one considers the full implications of not living for ourselves,the sacrifices it calls us to make, of forgiving 7 times 70,of giving financially,of coping with pain,and painful people,it would be easier to walk away.There are so many things in life that come into our lives,like looking after an elderly loved one,when the rest of the family dont help. Ministering to, yes even to saints who dont appear to appreciate what we do,or have done for them,of not appreciating the sacrifices one has made,of being booted out of your church and ones home. Remember just in case we have forgotten, it is the way of the cross that leads home,it was for our Saviour, and it must be for us.

A prayer ......./Dear Lord grant us the grace to enable us to live unto You. Amen/

The greatest challenge. [ 1 Corinthians 9 v24-27 ]

I believe to live the Christian life is a great challenge, to love as we should[ 1 Corinthians 13],to walk with God as Enoch did [ Genesis 5 v24/Hebrews 11v5 ], to serve God as our Savior did[John 13], to be holy as we are instructed to be[2 Peter 3 v11]. Yes the Christian life is a tremendous challenge, it is ungoing, until the day we die,the challenge will remain,if we let down our guard ,we will suffer, the enemy will take an advantage of our laxness and cause us harm. That is why we are instructed to pray without ceasing[1 Thessalonians 5 v17 ],prayer is vital , as it was for our Saviour,consider if He needed to pray,then we need to pray.We pray not to tell others, or for our glorification, but for our spiritual well being,and our relationship with our Saviour. We need to read the Bible, for in this world, we can so easily be decieved,Gods word is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path[ Psalm 119 v105 ]. Many people are challenged to do many things,like climb mountains,sail around the world single-handed,as Christians we face a greater challenge, that of being a Christian.

A prayer...../ /Dear God grant us the grace we need to live this challenging Christian life, in Jesus name Amen /