A prostitute.( 6 v 9 - 11 )

 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been  encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the harlot  did not perish with those who were disobedient,because she had given friendly welcome to the spies.  ( Hebrews 11 v 30 - 31 )The nation of Israel had forty years previously escaped from Egypt, now they were going to possess the promised land.That meant taking it by force, the first obstacle was the great city of Jericho.Israel had sent out spies to view the land,and Rahab  had hidden them.Why had she done this? she had become a believer in Israels God ( Joshua 2 v 11 )She was a prostitute ,but as Philip Hughes writes,'this ,however, is a description of Rahab as she was before she came to faith and identified herself with the people of God- as Matthew continued to be known as the tax collector,( Mt .10:3 )..Some people think that Christianity is only for good ,moral people,they are wrong,it is for sinners. It was our Saviour who rebuked the religious people of his day, with these words: ''Truly , I say to you, the Tax  collectors and the harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you''.( Mt 21 v 31 )  John Newton wrote that wonderful hymn,that starts with these words,'Amazing grace that saved a wretch like me', he wasn't exaggerating ,Here are the words on his gravestone,''John Newton, Clerk/Once an infidel and libertine/A servant of slaves in Africa was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ/ Preserved Restored, Pardoned and appointed to preach the faith he had long laboured to destroy''

My new passport. ( Philippians 3 v 20 )

It has finally arrived,my new passport, as one who was born in the United Kingdom, in Belfast ,I already have a British passport,but this new one is an Irish passport,so that makes me a citizen of two countries. But I am also a citizen of another country, as a Christian  I am a citizen of a heavenly country,I value that citizenship more than the other two .So I am a citizen of three countries ,now coming back to my Irish passport,my wife could not get one, because she was not born in Ireland.So it is that no one who is not born again ,can ever be a citizen of heaven.There is a rule for all who want to live in Ireland ,United Kingdom , and Heaven, you must be a citizen. The USA are building a new fence to keep people out, you just cannot decide to live in USA, or Ireland,or wherever.When it comes to being a citizen of Heaven God has made possible that anyone can become a citizen..How?,by accepting Christ as their Saviour.That means they must, and I stress must, ask Him ,to forgive them, their sins, No matter how they may bang on the door of heaven it will remain shut, if their sins have not been forgiven. So if you want to become a citizen of Heaven, you know what's required ,what's stopping you.?.

If. ( Psalm 124 }

 As I sat in my living room I looked at a photo of my two older brothers and myself ,when we  were  very ,young, I must have been about six yrs of aged.And I said to myself,' from there to now',yes it was a  long time ago,many ,many things have happened, I could not help but think how the Lord has brought me through so much. As a youngster I trusted the Lord,and until the age of twenty my relationship was a stop and go thing,yet even though I was unfaithful , He remained faithful, and brought me through those years ,I may not have been aware of it ,but looking back on my whole life I can see His providential care. By faith I can trace His gracious hand being upon my life,yes from there to now.David  reflecting on Israels journey, declares,' If the Lord had not been on our side,let Israel say-if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us, they would have swallowed us up alive when their anger flared against us; the flood would have engulfed us,the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away'( Psalm 124 v 1 - 5 )  We who are the Israel of God ,can truly say an Amen to those words.One commentator says,'What would have happened if He had not been our Defender,Provider, and Guide?.Every child of God, no matter how poor and humble has the assurance of  Scripture that the mighty God is ever on their side protecting them from all destructive hordes; and blessed be the name of Jehovah, one with Him is ever in the majority''.

Another Problem ( Psalm 54 v 4 )

 My came wife into the room I was sitting in and spoke of something  that was strange,a difficulty,and I found myself saying ,'another problem for the Lord  to sort out'. The previous day I had a problem, my mobile phone had gone missing, I tried everywhere but I could not find. I blamed myself,but I prayed,A friend had being doing some work in our home,I phoned him thinking that  he may have absentmindedly taken it with him,he replied he hadn't. So that was that, but I had  prayed,I went outside to put some rubbish in the bin,and who should pull up in his car, my friend,whom I had phoned earlier. Well you guessed it,he had my phone,he had indeed absentmindedly put my phone in his tool box,another problem the Lord had solved. What a friend we have in Jesus,one who can solve every problem,if we but ask Him.As I look back in my life I see how He  has solved so many problems,which includes family problems,money problems,major and minor problems,you name it He has done it.

Come follow Me ( Acts 16 v 9 - 10 )

 The word of God encourages us to wait and rightly so,Abraham had to wait a long time before he received the promised son. Sometimes we have to wait for our prayers to be answered,we are told that those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.Think about prophecies ,and how long it was before they were fulfilled, yet they were fulfilled, in God's time. But it is not all about waiting, God also wants us to move at his bidding,and stop  trailing our feet,he wants at all times obedience,and that could be immediate obedience..In Hebrews 11 v 8, we read,'By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; that he went out , not knowing where he was to go'.One of the ancient writers  wrote,'Abraham  departed the moment he was bidden'. No holding back  ,and Westcott wrote,''While ( so to say ) it was still  sounding in his ear''When our Saviour said to Simon and Andrew,'' Come follow Me,they at once left their net,and followed Him.  ( Mark 1 v 17 -  18).There was no dithering ,no hanging back, they just obeyed. Things have not changed God still speaks to us,and at times he expects obedience,at once.He still says ,'Come follow me'

Different ( Romans 12 v 1 - 2 )

 John Stott wrote, 'The followers of  Jesus are to be different- different from both the nominal church and the secular world,different from both the religious , and the irreligious'. I wonder what you make of  that,I once started to wear a bow  tie, very few people wear bow ties ,I didn't do it to be different, I know some people thought it was funny, I felt a bit uncomfortable with that.Then I felt I should wear a little cross, it seemed to me an innocent thing to do, but some Christians didn't think so. When Jesus says to us, follow Me,it brings a challenge, to be holy, in other words,our lives our consecrated to God.we become temples wherein God dwells. Romans 12 v 2 reads,'Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind'.When we become Christians we bring with us a lot of  sinful rubbish in our minds,things need to change..The rest of the verse reads,'then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- his good,pleasing and perfect will'.Unlike the non-Christian we are to be focused on God's will for our lives.As John Stott points out,' These two value systems (this world and God's will) are incompatible,even in direct collision with one another'.Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show you how you should be different

He is infinite. ( Romans 8 v 28 / 37 - 39 )

Returning to C.H.Spurgeon ,it is pointed out  that from the age of 35 he was out of the pulpit from one- third of the time either in pain, sickness, or convalescing.In January 1856 he preached a sermon as regards, God teaching his people every day by sickness, by depression of spirit,by the forsaking of God,by the loss of the Spirit for a season, by the lackings of the joys of his countenance, that he is God,and that beside him there is no one else' He later said,''Laid aside . Why?'' he believed that we can ask God questions,if we do without murmuring. As discerning God's motives, he said,''Happily for us our happiness does not depend upon our understanding the providence of God,and the Christian is able to believe even when he is not able to explain , and is content to leave all to the wisdom and goodness of his heavenly Father''One of my favourite hymns was written by William Cowper who suffered from mental illness ,mainly of a depressive nature, is, ' God moves in mysterious ways,' it is important to remember that,we who are finite will never fully understand Him who is infinite,and his ways are way beyond our understanding,yet we can trust our God whose way is perfect,and  rest in this wonderful truth,that He loves us.