Let faith triumph. [Hebrews 11 v 6]

The book of Isaiah is a wonderful book,it is full of of so much that is a blessing,wonderful promises ,41v10,is a wonderful word of encouragement,mybe it is the word that you need to hear today,/ Fear Thou not, for I am with thee,be not dismayed,for I am thou God, I will strengthen thee,yea I will help thee,yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness./This verse can be divided up into 7, and can be used each day.It commences,/ Fear thou not/,are you fearful today,well here is Gods word  for you, from God, I met a lady yesterday who is having a cataract operation this Wednesday,she is fearful. And yet here we have God saying fear not,it is possible to not fear when we are facing an operation or whatever, because the verse goes unto say,/for I am with thee/,here we have a wonderful truth we are not on our own,the Lord is with us,the words of Psalm 23v4 , emphasizes this wonderful truth,but there the writer,expresses his faith, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me/ Let faith triumph over all our fears,with God all things are possible.
A  prayer...../ Dear Lord ,we bring to You our fears,and ask that we have faith to overcome,in all that we facing,in Your name we ask this Amen /

Keep me calm. [ Psalm 23 ]

 I was in my garden this morning and I noticed the gardeners enemy, the dreaded slug, I dont know much about them other than they eat my plants,and that they are slow moving creatures. I mentioned in an earlier blog how so many of us are rushing about,mybe like the slug we need to take things a bit slower, that our soul can catch up with us.I cannot stress enough how we all need to slow down and take time not so much to stop and stare, but to listen to God,and to just be renewed by the Holy Spirit.We so badly need to come out of His presence into each new day,mybe you are facing a challenging situation,and you are feeling overwhelmed,or there are deadlines you have to meet,what I am saying may not make sense, but you need to slow down,I didnt say come to a full  stop. In the word of God we are told God will meet our need [Phil v4v19 ],this does not only mean our financial needs , but all that we need.I have seen myself ,facing so many challenges,and my Lord has never failed me. Today have confidence in your God to undertake ,just bring Him into your situation,get alone with Him,and then rise up ,and dont be driven be led. The pressures of life can so easily drive us into the grave, or mad, and I joke not,so today slow down,enjoy this day, knowing that your loving heavenly Father is looking after all your affairs.
Let us make this our prayer today ./Calm me, my God,and keep me calm,
                                                          Soft resting on Thy breast,
                                                          Soothe me with holy hymn and psalm,
                                                            And bid my spirit rest.
                                                           Yes, keep me calm, though loud and rude,
                                                             The sounds my ear that greet
                                                             Calm in the closets solitude,
                                                             Calm in the bustling street.    In Jesus name we ask this Amen./
                                                         [Horatious  Bonan]

Wait upon the Lord. [ Isaish 40 v 31 ]

I must confess I am in a rush this morning ,I do get up early,so I have had my quite time,but I am trying to get out early for work,rush, rush,rush. Many of us wish we had more time, I do feel for mothers who work full time ,and also have to manage the children ,and the home,hopefully their husbands help them. Then what about those single mums,with no one to help them,my old mum was a single mum,she left my dad,and  had to manage the home,and a full time job,I wish I had helped her more.I suppose the thing I am trying to say is,we need to somehow , meet with our God. We need to spend time with Him, to come apart and rest a while,or we may end up coming apart. So today in all the rush of life stop, and pray,and read Gods word,we all need to. Speaking from a life time of experience,I have found that if I neglect my relationship with God, then my relationship with Him suffers,and I suffer.So in the words of that old hymn, /Take time to be holy, the world rushes on. Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone. By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be. Thy friends in Thy conduct His likeness shall see[W D Longstaff]
A  Prayer..../ Dear God help us to wait in Your presence,in order that our strength will be renewed,so that we can cope with all the demands of life,in Jesus Amen /

Suddenly. [ Proverbs 27 v 1 ]

Suddenly something happens, the red light comes on the dashboard of our car,or we cannot find our mobile phone,or something more serious , like a friend of mine who was told in an oft handed way that he had cancer,then being told he hadnt got cancer. There used to be a TV programe called tales of the unexpected, life is a bit like that,suddenly,our well planned day is disrupted by something that grips us and causes us to fear, and to panic. In Isaiah 38 king Hezekiah suddenly is told that he is going to die,we do not know the reason, but God did. Was this a case of God being cruel? no for God is never cruel,we are but He isnt, so why did He let it happen?.The fact of the matter is, we are very independant beings,and the unexpected  happenings, are Gods wake up call ,as it was for Hezekiah when suddenly he was told he was going to die ,he did not turn away from God , no he turned to God,and He wept and prayed,and God heard and answered his prayer. Now here is the important thing if he  had not turned to God , he would have died, prayer is vital for all of us, W. O. Cushing wrote,/ How oft in the conflict , when pressed by the foe. I have fled to my Refuge and breathed out my woe. How often when trials like sea billows roll, Have I hidden in Thee ,O  Thou rock of my soul /
A  prayer...../ Dear God help us when sudden trials arise, to seek Your face,in Jesus name Amen/.

friendship [ John 15 v 15 ]

I have just come of the phone,I was speaking to a friend, one I have known all my life, he was my best friends brother,and here is the important thing he is a Christian. Friendship is very important and it grieves me that I lost some friends along the way,but I also have gained some new friends.We all need friends , the right kind of friends, we may have many acquaintances but friendship goes further and deeper than that. God can give us friends ,I remember when I came back to the Lord , He brought friends into my life,and He also brought a lovely girl called Eileen into my life and she became my wife and my best friend. I have so many happy memories of that friendship,when she died, I was devastated, and then God brought another lovely girl into my life ,a girl called Daphne who is my wife and my best friend. I wonder what new friends God will bring into my life, and your,s?, I am sure He will. But here is the most important thing ,in Jesus I have the perfect friend,He has stuck with me in every situation,I value His friendship above all others, I wonder do you know Him?,you can ,for He desires to be everybody,s friend,accept Him as your Saviour, and He will become your friend, for ever and ever , and ever ,Amen.
A   prayer....../Dear God we thank You for those friends we have, and most of all for Your Son Jesus,our forever friend. Amen/

The Jewel in the crown. [ Matthew 13 v 45-46]

I was wanting a new Bibleand  was finding it hard to get one I liked,I did get one from recently but I was not happy with it especially when the binding came apart. Not so long ago I invested in a leather bound study Bible, the study bible was grand, but the the same problem arose, the binding,was not good,so it came apart.I was visiting a friend recently and to my joy they had some spare Bibles ,and I was able to choose one.The Bible is so important to me,as I am sure it is to you,what would I do without the word of God,it is my daily bread,by it I am fed,instructed,guided,encouraged.I praise God for His word,and would dread to think,how I could live without it,I thank God for people like Tyndale who translated the Bible into English.. By this word we have been made wise unto salvation[2 Timothy 3 v15],and by that word I have been able to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.The Psalmist declared that the Word of God was a lamp unto his feet , and a light unto his path[Psalm 119v105],as the hymn writer puts it,/Thy word,O Lord ,will safely lead.So today thank God for His word, that word as E Hooper puts it,is like a deep, deep mine,of jewels ,rich and rare,and the Jewel in the crown is none other than Christ.
A  prayer..../ Dear God  we give You thanks for Your word,grant that we may always treasure it,help us to read it,mediatate upon it, and to live it, in Jesus name Amen./

Walk the walk. [ 1 Timothy 4v 12 ]

I like the story Tony Campolo tells in his book,/Let me tell you a story/,about the time he met Bishop Desmond Tutu and how he asked him why he was an Anglian priest ?,why was he not a Baptist or a Methodist, as most black people were?.Desmond explained how in the days of apartheid, when a black person met a white person on the sidewalk, the black person was expected to step of the pavement,to allow the white person to pass.One day when he was a little boy out walking with his mother,down the street came a tall white man ,dressed in a black suit coming towards then, before they had an opportunity to step of the sidewalk, this man stepped of, and as they passed him he tipped his hat as a mark of respect. Desmond asked his mother,why did that white man do that?. His mother explained, He is an Anglican priest,a man of God, thats why he did it.It was then that Desmond decided that he wanted to be an Anglican priest, and to be a man of God.
I read this recently,its an old song,/What you are speaks so loud that the world can,t hear what you say,they are looking at your walk,not listening to your talk,they are judging from actions every day/
A  prayer....../ Dear God help us to walk the walk and not just talk the talk in Jesus name Amen /
I will return to my blog Tues 7th as I am away ministering,do pray for me every blessing/