You need help? ( Psalm 40 )

 Here is a word for today to those who are facing difficulties ,'It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me', ( Isaiah 50 v 9) Consider those words the Sovereign Lord. Take your eyes of the challenges you face, the enemies you may be facing , the needs you may have, the protection you may need, look to God who is sovereign, your God, he will not fail you. Do not doubt, but trust Him, His help is certain, do not fear the  reproach of mere  mortals or be terrified by their insults ( Isaiah 51 v 7). In  Isaiah 50 v2  God speaks to His weak children, who were full of doubts and fears ,and says, 'was my arm too short to deliver you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you?. One commentator puts it like this ,' Do you think I've forgotten how to help? Am I so decrepit that I can't deliver? I'm as powerful as ever'.  He has not forgotten you, 'Can a  mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?   though she may forget , I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands'  (Isaiah 49 v 15 - 16 ) So look to your Sovereign God ,the one who has made heaven and earth, and the one who will help you.

God and His promises. ( Romans 4 v18 - 25 )

The Bible is a book full of  promises made by God, sometimes they are fulfilled quickly, often there is a time of waiting involved, sometimes  a long wait. That is were faith comes in, in Isaiah 49 v23 we read,'' they who wait for me will not be disappointed''. When God gives a promise nothing can stop it being fulfilled, absolutely nothing, as the verse said, we will not be disappointed. We have the example of Abraham and Sarah ,being given a promise of a child,  a special child , through  Abraham and his seed all the people of the earth would be blessed.( Genesis 28 v 14 ).It looked like it was never going to happen, Abraham was 100, Sarah his wife was 90, God had promised, and against hope Abraham  believed, and it happened (Romans 4 v 18 - 25 ) John Stott wrote the following,' Abraham contemplated his own senility  and  Sarah's  barrenness, he neither turned a blind eye to the problems, nor underestimated them. But he reminded himself of God's power and faithfulness. Faith always looks at the problems in the light of His promises. ' By faith Abraham , even though he was past age- and Sarah herself was barren - was enabled to become a father because he considered  Him, faithful who had made the promise.  He knew that God would always keep His promises ( because of His power) and He knew He would do so because of His faithfulness. He was  fully persuaded that God had power  to do what He promised. '

The scammers. ( 1 Timothy 6 v 10 )

 These days are dangerous times, every day people receive emails ,texts, phone calls, from people who are out to rob them. I have received such calls, and even though you know they are a scam ,when they tell you that you owe money, or whatever you feel a bit of fear rising in your heart. Of course that is what they aim  at, so that you panic, and so respond to them, and then they try to suck you in  ,and unfortunately many people, give them their bank details, and the rest is history. Like most thieves and robbers they don't care about those they have cheated out of their money. Well Jesus spoke about those kind of people in Matthew 6 v 19 ff.,these verses are about money, He stresses in v24 ,those  who devote their lives to a love of money,  accumulating it, in other words it is something they worship, Jesus  tells us we cannot serve God and money. When it comes to God ,He must come first, it must be Him and Him only we worship and serve, there is to be no divided loyalties. In this world we can so easily go along  with the same values  of the world , accumulating things, and forgetting what Jesus said, about the uncertainty of money and things. He is not saying it is wrong to have money, but it must not take over our lives. So He warns us that there are thieves who can so easily rob us, and we are left with nothing .Then He tells us to  lay up treasures in heaven ,the most secure bank there is. We do this by helping others, the poor the needy ,by  being  generous , even  at times be sacrificial. Just to remind you He is talking to Christians, we are not saved by money ( 1 Peter 1 v 18 - 19), but we will be held accountable ,as to our stewardship of it.

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Come Home. ( Luke 15 v 11- 24 )

Here is what God had to say to Israel ,'' If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well being like  the waves of the sea. Your descendants would have been like the sand, your children like its  numberless grains; their name would never be blotted out nor destroyed from before Me.'' But the thing is ,they did not listen, they continually disobeyed God, turned from the paths of righteousness, to paths of wickedness and sinfulness. They would have been indestructible ,no one could have defeated them, they would have been truly blest. If only, if only, as I look back on my life , I feel a degree of sadness, for as young lad I went away from the Lord, I know if I had only stayed with the Lord my life could have been better. There are no advantages in leaving Gods way, and going back to your old ways, none whatsoever. I don't dwell on it, but I do think on it occasionally, nevertheless, thankfully God is merciful ,and forgiving, and He restored me to Himself. If  you  like me ,and like Israel ,have strayed  from God, come back, God still loves you.

                                                      I've wandered far away from God;

                                                      Now I'm coming home;

                                                      The pats of sin too long I've trod;

                                                       Lord , I'm coming home.

                                                       I've wasted many precious years;

                                                       Now I'm coming home;

                                                       I now repent with bitter tears;

                                                       Lord , I'm coming home.

Don't give up.( 1 Samuel 30 v 1 - 20 )

' Giving up', is that the way you feel sometimes?, well you are not on your own, I think of the great prophet Elijah, he felt like giving up, he wanted  to die. This is what he said, '' I have had enough ,Lord'', is that the  way you feel?. One thing after another, you tried so hard, tried everything, could  be you are a minister, could  be you are business person, could be you are a parent ,could  be your marriage is failing. Whatever it may be , you feel like Elijah, you have had enough. I remember a dear brother ,he and his wife ran a Christian bookshop ,bills had to to be paid, they had done everything they could to make a go of the business, they were at their wits end. Someone gave them a word that was spoken to Moses, when things were difficult ,we read about it in Exodus 6 v1, Then the Lord said to Moses Now you will see what I will do''. So you have come to the end of yourself, good, now you will see what God can do, have faith in Him who delights to help the helpless, and the hopeless, 

                                                     The Lord says.

                                       Call on me in the day of trouble;

                                       I will deliver you'  ( Psalm 50 v 15)

Astrology . ( Acts 19 v 17 - 20 )

 Let consider Babylon again, in Isaiah 47 v 8 11, they are coming under judgement by God, and nothing would save them. In v 9 we have these words, 'In spite of  your many sorceries, and in spite of  the great power of your spells' These gave them  confidence that all would be well v8, someone described Babylon as ,'' the promised land of astrology and magic''. But God assures them these  practices will  prove utterly futile, Leupold, comments,' Confidence was placed  in the stars and their courses and not in the power of the living God. Incantations and magic formulas, and the endless repetition of them is futile procedure'. These things as Leupold says,' are not just grandiose delusions, they are wicked and sinful. Babylon was soon to fall in 539 BC ,to the army of  the Persian army led by King Cyrus the Great. Many people today like the Babylonians ,put their trust in astrology, in the form  of daily horoscopes, tarot cards  and psychic readings. These are all foolish and futile, we need to place our hope in the living God, and in Jesus as our Saviour.

Consider how all this will end. ( Acts 16 v 31 )

 It was Hitler who said the Third Reich would last a thousand years, in fact it thankfully lasted only 12 yrs, coming back to Babylon, we read in Isaiah 47 v 7,that they thought they would rule forever, . Power blinds people, they become proud, but all power is temporary, only God's power is permanent . We must always remember, that God is sovereign, as one writer said,' History has at  its very centre  God',  Psalm 75 v 6 - 7, reads,' For promotion  cometh neither from the east, nor  from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge; He putteth down  one, and setteth up another'. Babylon never gave that a thought, they felt that they were going to reign for ever. It appeared inconceivable that everything would come to an end, We need to learn a very important lesson , earthly kingdoms come and go ,  Babylon is no longer, the Roman empire   is no longer, the British empire is no longer. As with earthly kingdoms ,so it is with you and I, our lives will come to an end. We may   survive the present plague, but we still will die, consider your latter end, for after death there will be judgement .only knowing Christ as your Saviour can save you from that dreadful coming day.