Podcasts about here god

Op kritieke momenten in ons leven is het noodzakelijk om zeker te weten dat we Gods stem duidelijk verstaan. Het is niet altijd makkelijk om Zijn stem te onderscheiden van die van onze eigen emotionele beredenering. Maar ik weet uit ervaring dat God deuren naar nieuwe mogelijkheden kan openen die niemand kan sluiten. En Hij kan ook deuren sluiten die niemand kan openen. Ik heb veel jaren getracht de dingen te doen in mijn leven zoals ik wilde dat het zou gebeuren. Met als resultaat: frustratie en teleurstelling. Maar ik kwam erachter dat wanneer we afhankelijk zijn van God, Hij ons gunsten zal verlenen en de dingen makkelijker voor ons zal maken als we Hem zoeken voor Zijn perfecte timing. Hij leidt ons stap voor stap. Als je een stap zet in de verkeerde richting, dan zal Hij je dat laten weten voordat je te ver gaat. Weet dat Zijn gedachten boven de onze staan. Hij ziet het eind vanaf het begin. Al Zijn wegen zijn goed en zeker. Hij weet wat belangrijk is voor je leven en Hij kan het laten gebeuren. Luister naar Zijn stem en je zult niet misleid worden.

Ik verzoek je met klem om uitdagingen van dag tot dag aan te gaan. Het te ver vooruitkijken heeft de neiging om ons te overweldigen. Op God vertrouwen vraagt van ons te geloven dat Hij ons “dagelijks brood” geeft; wat betekent dat we het ontvangen als we het nodig hebben en meestal niet eerder. Soms kunnen uitdagingen onmogelijk en overweldigend lijken, maar God is altijd met ons. We moeten alleen moedig zijn en de kracht ontvangen die Hij ons geeft. Onthoud dat God je zijn genade zal geven om vandaag te doen wat je moet doen. Dus is het belangrijk om je te richten op het leven van vandaag, in plaats van zorgen te maken over morgen. Dit principe is van toepassing op veel andere gebieden van je leven: uit de schulden komen, je huis schoonmaken, huwelijksproblemen oplossen, je kinderen straffen, op tijd zijn voor werk of het afronden van een project. Wat je ook moet doen in je leven, je kunt het! Filippenzen 4:13 zegt dat je tegen alles bestand bent door Hem die jou kracht geeft. Niets is teveel voor je wanneer Hij aan je zijde is.

After studying plagues one through nine last week we now come to the tenth plague. Here God gives a warning about the final plague and how Israel can be protected from it. In these verses we will see how God gives Israel complete freedom from slavery and how these verses point us to complete freedom through Jesus death on the cross. Exodus 11:1-12:28

God heeft mij gekozen om een spreekbuis voor Hem te zijn en Zijn Woord te onderwijzen. Mensen luisteren naar mij omdat God mij gezalfd heeft om voor Hem te spreken. Het is een onderdeel van Zijn bestemming voor mijn leven. En Gods zalving zal op iedereen zijn waar Hij doorheen kan werken. Dat geldt ook voor jou. Wie gebruikt God? De Bijbel zegt dat Hij de onwaarschijnlijke hiervoor uitkiest. Hij gebruikt alledaagse, gewone mensen als jij en ik. Toen ik begon met het Evangelie te prediken, wezen een aantal van mijn vrienden mij af. Zij vonden dat ik het niet moest doen omdat ik een vrouw ben. In feite vertelden ze mij dat ik het niet kon. Maar ik deed het omdat God mij zei dat ik het moest doen, en ik vertrouwde erop dat wanneer Hij zei dat ik het kon doen, dat ik het dan ook zou kunnen. Hetzelfde geldt voor jou. Als je bereid bent om voor een ongewoon doel dat Hij in jouw hart heeft gelegd, te gaan, dan kan God iets heel bijzonders door je heen doen! Elk gewoon iemand kan machtig door God gebruikt worden. Je moet alleen geloven dat Hij je kan gebruiken en moedig genoeg zijn om de doelen of visioen die Hij in je hart legt te omarmen. Je bent uitgekozen!

Ik vind de film El Cid geweldig, het verhaal van de man die Spanje verenigde en een grote held werd. Eeuwenlang hebben de christenen met de Moren gevochten. Ze waren haatdragend en moordzuchtig naar elkaar. In de strijd, nam El Cid vijf Moren gevangen maar weigerde hen te doden omdat hij zich realiseerde dat doden nog nooit iets goeds had gebracht. Hij geloofde dat door genade te tonen aan zijn vijanden dit hun harten zou veranderen waardoor beide groepen in vrede konden leven. Eén van de Moren die hij gevangen genomen had zei: “Iedereen kan doden, maar alleen een ware koning kan genade tonen aan zijn vijanden.” Vanwege deze ene daad van goedertierenheid van El Cid, gaven zijn vijanden zichzelf aan hem over en werden ze vrienden en bondgenoten vanaf dat moment. Jezus is een ware Koning, Hij is goed, vriendelijk en vergevend naar iedereen, zelfs naar hen die Hem haten. Dan kunnen we toch niet anders dan Zijn voorbeeld navolgen? Komt er op dit moment iemand in je gedachten aan wie je genade kunt tonen? Genadig zijn en goed doen, vooral aan je vijanden, is één van de krachtigste dingen die je kunt doen.

Het is onmogelijk dat menselijke liefde net als Gods liefde onvoorwaardelijk is. Maar omdat we in Jezus Christus geloven, hebben we Gods liefde in ons. We kunnen die liefde vrijelijk doorgeven, zonder voorwaarden. Onze liefde schiet tekort, maar die van God niet. Onze liefde komt ten einde, maar die van God niet. Soms merk ik dat, alhoewel ik iemand niet in eigen kracht kan liefhebben, ik daar wel toe in staat ben met Gods liefde. Gods ware liefde is niet afhankelijk van gevoelens. Het is gebaseerd op een keuze. Het is niet gebaseerd op of iemand het wel of niet verdiend. En het werkt absoluut bevrijdend om mensen lief te hebben zonder jezelf af te vragen of zij het verdienen. Menselijke liefde is afhankelijk van gevoelens. Het houdt van mensen omdat ze goed voor ons zijn geweest of omdat zij eerst van ons hielden. Dat soort liefde komt en gaat. Gods liefde is totaal anders. Het is op niets anders gebaseerd dan op God Zelf. Wanneer we Christus als onze Redder ontvangen, wordt de liefde van God in ons hart uitgestort door de Heilige Geest. Begin vandaag deze liefde uit te storten aan anderen.

Ik denk dat in Gods Koninkrijk iets wat niets kost niet de moeite waard is om te hebben. God gaf Zijn Enige Zoon om ons vrij te maken en hoewel we dit offer nooit kunnen evenaren, moeten we Hem iets teruggeven dat wat voor ons van betekenis is. Koning David zei dat hij God niets wilde geven wat hem niets gekost had. Ik heb geleerd dat het echte geven niet het geven is tenzij het mij iets kost. Het weggeven van kleding en huishoudelijke apparatuur waar ik genoeg van heb mag dan wel een aardig gebaar zijn, maar is niet gelijk aan echt geven. Het echte geven gebeurt als ik iemand iets geef wat ik eigenlijk zelf had willen houden. Ik ben er zeker van dat jij ook die tijden kent waarin God van je vraagt iets te geven wat voor jou van waarde is. Maar als je bedenkt hoe Hij Zijn Enige Zoon voor ons gaf omdat Hij ons zo liefhad, leidt dat er dan niet toe dat je ook iets van jezelf wilt geven? De simpele waarheid is: We moeten geven om gelukkig te zijn, en geven is geen echt geven als het ons niets kost.

Soms wanneer het leven moeilijk is, is het beste wat we kunnen doen onszelf herinneren aan de aard van Gods liefde. Eén van de mooiste dingen die de Bijbel ons zegt is dat, terwijl wij nog zondaars waren, Christus voor ons gestorven is (zie Romeinen 5:8). Hij wacht niet op ons om Zijn liefde te verdienen. Hij heeft ons onvoorwaardelijk lief. Om eerlijk te zijn, is dat voor veel van ons moeilijk te begrijpen omdat we zo gewend zijn om alles in ons leven te moeten verdienen. Vanwege Zijn, grote, wonderbaarlijke en intense liefde voor ons, schonk Hij zich vrijelijk aan ons. Dat is een revolutionaire liefde – een ware, revolutionaire liefde die zichzelf weggeeft omdat het nooit tevreden zou zijn met minder. Het is Gods onvoorwaardelijke liefde dat ons naar Hem toetrekt, Zijn wonderbaarlijke genade die onze zonden uitwist en Zijn krachtige opoffering die een weg voor ons vrijmaakt om Zijn aanwezigheid binnen te gaan. Zijn liefde zal nooit ophouden, nooit opgeven en je nooit verlaten. Wanneer je je neerslachtig voelt of depressief, herinner jezelf dan aan de grote liefde die God voor je heeft!

Vanwege mijn reizen om ergens te spreken, verblijf ik regelmatig in hotels. En als ik in mijn hotelkamer ben, hang ik gewoonlijk het “niet storen” bordje aan de deurknop zodat niemand me zal storen. Zo'n bordje aan de deurknop van mijn hotelkamer zal niemand mij kwalijk nemen. Maar het aan mijn leven hangen is onacceptabel. Is het je ooit opgevallen dat God niet altijd de dingen volgens ons tijdschema doet of op de manier waarop het ons uitkomt? Paulus zei tegen Timoteüs dat hij, als dienaar van God en als prediker van het Evangelie, zijn verantwoordelijkheden moest uitvoeren, ongeacht of het gelegen kwam of niet. Ik betwijfel of Timoteüs net zo verslaafd was aan gemakzucht als wij dat vandaag de dag zijn. Maar als zelfs hij dat van Paulus moest horen, dan ben ik ervan overtuigd dat wij het nog vaker moeten horen. Het is zo makkelijk om een “Niet storen” bord voor ons hart te hangen uit angst dat Gods roeping ons niet uitkomt, maar zo missen we veel grote kansen. We moeten onthouden dat wat God ook van ons vraagt om te doen, het meer dan de moeite waard is om alle ongemak en moeilijkheden te trotseren. Hij zal altijd voor ons de weg banen om Zijn wil te kunnen doen als we Hem gehoorzamen.

God geeft ons dromen voor de toekomst, maar soms kan het lijken dat deze dromen onmogelijk te verwezenlijken zijn. Dat gebeurt wanneer de angst binnen sluipt. Als je vastberaden bent om je droom nooit op te geven, dan moet je risico's durven nemen. Je moet moedig zijn. En je mag weten dat moed hebben niet betekent dat er geen angst is; tegen de stroom durven ingaan ook al ben je bang. Dus wanneer je geconfronteerd wordt met situaties die bedreigend of intimiderend voor je zijn, bid dan voor Gods genade om je vrijmoedigheid en moed te geven zodat je door kan zetten ondanks het angstgevoel. De geest van angst zal altijd proberen je te weerhouden om door te gaan. De vijand heeft eeuwenlang angst gebruikt om te proberen mensen te laten stoppen, en hij gaat zijn strategie nu niet veranderen. Maar je kunt angst verslaan, want je bent meer dan overwinnaar door Christus Die ons heeft liefgehad. Ik wil je bemoedigen om vastberaden te zijn om angst te confronteren wanneer het je pad kruist. Wees standvastig, vertrouw God en weet dat Hij altijd met je is.

Ik heb veel gesproken over hoe we ons zouden moeten laten leiden door de Geest, en niet door onze emoties. Maar mijn bevinding is dat heel veel mensen allereerst niet begrijpen hoe hun emoties werken. Emoties behoren bij het zielenleven. Onze ziel bestaat uit onze geest, wil en emoties. Het vertelt ons wat we denken, wat we willen en hoe wij ons voelen. Van deze drie gebieden van de ziel is het ons gevoel die het snelst word aangewakkerd. Met andere woorden, de wijsheid en het onderscheidingsvermogen van de Heilige Geest in onze geest raakt snel overstemd door het geschreeuw van onze emoties. De Bijbel zegt dat dit “in het vlees zijn” God niet behaagt. Dit betekent niet dat God ons niet liefheeft. Wat het wel betekent is dat het Hem niet behaagt en Hij accepteert geen vleselijk gedrag. Echter, als je begrijpt hoe negatieve emoties werken, dan kun je ze overwinnen. Onze ziel mag dan wel sterk zijn, maar onze geest kan sterker zijn wanneer we deze versterken door tijd te besteden in Gods aanwezigheid. Lees vandaag in het Woord en geef je geest de kracht om je emoties te overwinnen.

Spreuken 16:23-24 toont ons dat gedachten en woorden intiem met elkaar verbonden zijn. Ze zijn als botten en beenmerg: zo nauw verbonden, dat het moeilijk is om ze te scheiden (zie Hebreeën 4:12). Daarom is het zo belangrijk dat we lieflijke gedachten hebben zodat we lieflijke woorden hebben. Onze gedachten zijn stille woorden die alleen wij en de Heer horen, maar die woorden hebben invloed op onze innerlijke mens, onze gezondheid, onze vreugde en onze houding. De dingen waarover we vaak nadenken komen uit onze mond en soms zorgen ze ervoor dat we dom lijken. Maar als we leven zoals God het bedoelt, dan kunnen onze gedachten en woorden ervoor zorgen dat we meer van ons leven kunnen genieten. Maak niet de fout door te denken dat jij je gedachteleven in elke wereldse richting kan laten gaan en dan “net alsof kan doen” door vrome woorden te spreken. Ofwel beide zijn lieflijk óf beide zijn negatief en zondig. Er is geen middenweg. Begin te handelen in de geestesgesteldheid van Christus en je zult in een compleet nieuwe belevingswereld binnenstappen. En als je tijd besteedt om Hem je gedachten te laten sturen, hoef je niet na te denken over het uitspreken van lieflijke woorden. Dit zal vanzelf gebeuren!

Na een keer betrokken te zijn geweest in een teleurstellende situatie in de kerk, bracht God de tekst uit Johannes 2:24-25 onder mijn aOverdenking. Deze tekst spreekt over Jezus' relatie met de discipelen. De tekst geeft aan dat Jezus geen vertrouwen in hen had. Alhoewel Hij Zichzelf in de relatie gaf en met hen samen leefde, wist Hij dat zij niet volmaakt waren. Hij begreep de menselijke natuur en vertrouwde Zichzelf hun niet toe. Dit deed mij beseffen dat ik mijn vertrouwen had gesteld in mensen uit de kerk terwijl dat alleen aan God toebehoort en ik mijzelf dus had opengesteld voor een teleurstelling. We kunnen maar tot zover gaan in elke menselijke relatie. Als we voorbij gaan aan goddelijke wijsheid, zullen we waarschijnlijk gekwetst worden. Het is makkelijk om in de valkuil te trappen en te denken dat bepaalde mensen ons nooit zullen kwetsen. Vervolgens zijn we teleurgesteld wanneer zij niet aan die maatstaven voldoen. Niemand is volmaakt. Het goede nieuws is dat God volmaakt is en ons niet zal teleurstellen. Hij is altijd liefdevol en goed. Stel je vertrouwen niet op mensen, dat behoort God toe, maar geef je liever volledig aan over aan Hem. Hij alleen is volledig betrouwbaar.

Er zijn twee soorten christenen en jij moet de keuze maken wie jij wilt zijn. Wil je een vleselijk christen zijn of een godvruchtig christen? Een vleselijk christen is iemand die mensen wilt behagen en meer geeft om wat mensen denken dan om God te gehoorzamen. Ze zijn onvolwassen, handelen vanuit hun emoties en doen wat ze voelen dat ze moeten zeggen of moeten doen. Ze hebben meestal ruzie, zijn ontevreden, snel beledigd en het ontbreekt hen aan vrede. Een godvruchtig christen is iemand die toegewijd de verlangens van de Heilige Geest volgt. Dagelijks voeden zij hun geest met het Woord en laten God toe in elk gebied van hun leven. Hun relatie met God is de focus van hun leven elke dag van de week, niet alleen tijdens de kerkdienst eens per week. Als je het nog niet hebt gedaan, dan dring ik er bij jou op aan om een ‘full-time' verbintenis aan te gaan om Christus te volgen. Laat de Heer toe in alles wat je doet. Wandel in liefde, met integriteit, nederigheid en vrede. Wees vriendelijk in de omgang met anderen. Toon de vrucht van de Geest en geniet van de gunst van God.

In 1 Korintiërs 13:7 geeft een duidelijk beeld van wat het betekent om mensen echt lief te hebben. Ik kan je eerlijk zeggen dat gehoorzaamheid aan dit Bijbelgedeelte een uitdaging voor mij was. Toen ik opgroeide werd mij geleerd om achterdochtig te zijn en iedereen te wantrouwen. Maar door te mediteren op de eigenschappen van liefde en het besef dat liefde altijd in het goede gelooft leerde ik een nieuwe mentaliteit te ontwikkelen. Achterdocht is in strijd met de kwaliteiten die we nodig hebben voor oprechte relaties. Vertrouwen en geloof brengen vreugde in het leven en helpen relaties te groeien tot grote hoogte, maar achterdocht verlamt en vernietigt meestal een relatie. Nu, het is waar dat mensen niet volmaakt zijn en er soms misbruik wordt gemaakt van ons vertrouwen, maar over het algemeen zullen de voordelen om altijd het beste te zien in mensen ruimschoots opwegen tegen eventuele negatieve ervaringen. Wanneer je worstelt met achterdocht, onthoud dan vandaag dat we de Heilige Geest in ons hebben die ons eraan herinnert als onze gedachten de verkeerde richting op gaan. Laten we Hem vragen om onze achterdochtige gedachten om te zetten in gedachten van liefde.

The Unchanging Word Bible Broadcast welcomes you to our study in the book of Revelation.We begin in Revelation chapter 18 with our teacher, Dr. John G. Mitchell.In chapter 17, Dr. Mitchell spoke of the world church, religious Babylon. Now in chapter 18, he will speak about political and commercial Babylon. Is this still mystery Babylon, or is this a literal city Babylon yet to be rebuilt?Here God calls for His people to come out of her and be separate. Put Christ first!Dr. Mitchell references these verses:Is 13:19-22Jer. 50:13ff.Jer.51:20-25, 37ff, 57ffHere is Dr. Mitchell, Rev. 18.

Davidic Covenant G'day and welcome to Partake! We are now on day 8 of our series "Glimpses", looking at the story of the Bible in 30 days, from the time of creation through to the time of the fullness of redemption! Let's read together 2 Samuel 7:1-17 When King David was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all the surrounding enemies, the king summoned Nathan the prophet. "Look," David said, "I am living in a beautiful cedar palace, but the Ark of God is out there in a tent!" Nathan replied to the king, "Go ahead and do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you." But that same night the Lord said to Nathan, "Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord has declared: Are you the one to build a house for me to live in? I have never lived in a house, from the day I brought the Israelites out of Egypt until this very day. I have always moved from one place to another with a tent and a Tabernacle as my dwelling. Yet no matter where I have gone with the Israelites, I have never once complained to Israel's tribal leaders, the shepherds of my people Israel. I have never asked them, "Why haven't you built me a beautiful cedar house?"' "Now go and say to my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies has declared: I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be the leader of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before your eyes. Now I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth! And I will provide a homeland for my people Israel, planting them in a secure place where they will never be disturbed. Evil nations won't oppress them as they've done in the past, starting from the time I appointed judges to rule my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. "Furthermore, the Lord declares that he will make a house for you-a dynasty of kings! For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong. He is the one who will build a house-a temple-for my name. And I will secure his royal throne forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he sins, I will correct and discipline him with the rod, like any father would do. But my favor will not be taken from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from your sight. Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.'" So Nathan went back to David and told him everything the Lord had said in this vision. This covenant is the seventh covenant and the fourth theocratic covenant (accepting that the Palestinian covenant is indeed a covenant!) The word covenant is not mentioned in this passage, but other passages of Scripture refer back to it, and explicitly call it a covenant (2 Samuel 23:5 David says, "...For He has made an everlasting covenant with me." Psalm 89:3-4; 1 Kings 8:23; 2 Chronicles 13:5). The Shepherd King The shepherd imagery here is powerful! The Lord reminds David that he was a shepherd boy before he rose to the heights in Israel and became its king. This shows that God wants David to be a shepherd leader as king. A king who protects, nourishes, guides and leads his people just as a shepherd does with sheep. . Covenantal Promises The Davidic Covenant promises four things: A land forever (2 Samuel 7:10); A dynasty, name or house without end (2 Samuel 7:11, 16) An everlasting kingdom (2 Samuel 7:13, 16) A father-son relationship between God and David's descendent (2 Samuel 7v13-14) Some of the blessings which God promises to David are also echoes from the Abrahamic, Mosaic and Palestinian Covenants! Some may or may not! Can you tell which ones do echo and which ones don't? The line of continuity runs through the covenants! A land forever - this is the promise of security for the nation of Israel and how important the land promises are to them! Here God promises rest for Israel in this their land of promise! He is reminding David of Israel's history when the judges ruled Israel. Reminding David of the cycle of disobedience, repentance and obedience, when Israel were taken into exile and under siege to the surrounding nations! A name & house without end - the name of David would be great throughout time and throughout the world! Why? Because of his great kingship and the family line that would come from him! Does that echo anything with you regarding Abraham? Not only for eternity, but for their immediate future to come! David wanted to build a temple befitting worship to the living God! But God has other ideas! David would not be allowed to build it, but rather one of David's sons would build a house of worship for God - a temple of magnificence and beauty to reflect a living God of beauty! Wow! An everlasting Kingdom - long after the death of David, his kingdom will continue. This also looks back to Genesis 17:6 where God has said that kings would descend from Abraham! The kingdom of David would last forever, in stark contrast to that of his predecessor Saul, whose reign was cut short. Father and son relationship - This building upon the promise to Moses, of Israel being God's special treasure! God desires intimacy with humanity, through the nation of Israel and now, uniquely to David and his descendents, God has promised they would have a father and son relationship. This relationship includes personal discipline against sinful and unfaithful behaviour. We know that God and David also had a father and son relationship and that David had the Holy Spirit upon him to enable him to lead the nation. Frequently in the Psalms David prayed that the Holy Spirit not be taken from him due to his sinful behaviour. How can it be? This covenant with David, as we have seen, continues the line of covenants within the Old Testament, and the line of continuity you can easily see. With each successive covenant, the seed is growing. Much like grass grows out from its root so too is the intimacy between God and humanity. There are glimpses or hints of a messiah or saviour to come who would indeed make David's kingdom everlasting! Yet these promises of the Davidic covenant give us yet more questions! How can an Israel, who in their relationship with God, were often disobedient, unfaithful and seeking other ‘gods', be the basis for a king who will reign forever? That's up next! Where do you think we will be tomorrow? 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Dagelijks komen we duizenden dingen tegen die noch goed noch fout zijn maar gewoon persoonlijke keuzes zijn; keuzes waarop men zelf het recht heeft deze te maken zonder bemoeienis van buitenaf. De duivel blijft heel druk met demonen aanstellen om veroordelende gedachten te plaatsen in het menselijk verstand. Ik kan mij herinneren dat ik het vermakelijk vond om in het park of winkelcentrum te zitten en gewoon te kijken naar alle mensen die voorbij kwamen terwijl ik een mening over elk van hen vormde; hun kleding, kapsel, hun gezelschap enzovoorts. Maar de Bijbel zegt dat het verkeerd is om mensen op deze manier te beoordelen. We kunnen niet altijd voorkomen om een mening te hebben, en daar is ook niets verkeerd mee, maar op het moment dat we denken dat er iets verkeerds is met andere mensen omdat we niet dezelfde persoonlijke voorkeuren delen, dan hebben we een probleem met het oordelen van anderen. In deze situaties, denk ik dan: “Joyce, dit gaat jou niets aan.” Laat geen schadelijke oordelen in je groeien. In plaats daarvan realiseer je dat God iedereen verschillend heeft gemaakt en het goed is dat mensen anders denken. Indien nodig, denk dan: Het gaat me niets aan.

God wil dat wij de gewoonte hebben om naar Hem toe te rennen voor genade (bovennatuurlijke, innerlijke kracht). Hij wil dat we uitsluitend op Hem vertrouwen. Maar de vijand probeert tegen ons te liegen, door ons te vertellen dat we niet goed genoeg zijn om in Gods aanwezigheid te zijn. Satan probeert ons ervan te overtuigen dat we teveel fouten hebben gemaakt voor God en dat Hij niets met ons te maken wil hebben. Maar dat is niet wat Gods Woord zegt. Zijn Woord zegt dat wij, als Zijn verloste en vergeven kinderen, vrijmoedig naar Zijn troon kunnen toegaan. Je moet vandaag deze waarheid ontvangen en de keuze maken om hiernaar te leven. In plaats van te zeggen: “Ik heb niet het gevoel dat God mij liefheeft”, “Ik heb niet het gevoel dat ik vergeven ben” of “Ik heb niet het gevoel dat ik een toekomst heb”, zeg: “God heeft mij lief en niets kan mij scheiden van Zijn liefde. Hij heeft mij vergeven en ik kan nu naar Hem toegaan in het vertrouwen dat Hij mij accepteert.” Telkens als je je onwaardig voelt, onthoud dan wat het Woord van God zegt, en ga dan vrijmoedig naar je hemelse Vader. Hij wacht verlangend op je om je te ontvangen.

Jezus leefde Zijn Leven door onderscheidingsvermogen. Zijn onderscheidingsvermogen was niet gebaseerd op de oppervlakkige waarnemingen van Zijn vlees. Het was het resultaat van Zijn intieme gemeenschap en relatie met God, Zijn Vader. Dezelfde gave van onderscheidingsvermogen is beschikbaar voor jou en mij door onze relatie met God. Dus hoe werkt het? Voordat je iets wilt doen, moet je in je geest nagaan of datgene wat je op het punt staat te doen ook goed is. Als je vrede hebt, ga dan verder. Maar als je je ongemakkelijk, verward of gefrustreerd voelt, wacht dan. Een klein voorbeeld, het is gebeurd dat ik in een winkelcentrum iets wilde kopen maar voordat ik bij de kassa kwam, voelde ik een belemmering in mijn geest. Het was net alsof de Heilige Geest mij een por gaf om het niet kopen. Het boeiende van dit soort momenten is dat elke keer dat jij en ik ervoor kiezen om naar de ingevingen van de Heilige Geest te luisteren en op te volgen, onze geest sterker wordt en meer en meer Gods kracht zichtbaar wordt in ons leven om in de vrucht van de Geest te handelen. Geef je over aan de Heilige Geest en volg Zijn ingevingen en je zult groeien in hetzelfde onderscheidingsvermogen waarin Jezus wandelde.

Elke keer als God in ons hart een nieuw idee, droom, visioen of nieuwe levensuitdaging legt, staat de vijand klaar om tegenstand te bieden. God roept ons voortdurend tot nieuwe hoogtes. Sommige groot en belangrijk; andere lijken relatief klein en onbelangrijk. Wat de situatie ook is, als we een nieuw niveau bereiken met God, zullen we geconfronteerd worden met een nieuw niveau van tegenstand van onze vijand, de duivel. Maar samen met de tegenstand komen ook de kansen. En God is altijd met ons, dus hoeven we niet bang te zijn. Bepaalde dingen mogen te groot voor ons lijken, maar niets is onmogelijk bij God. Hij is niet verrast of bang voor iets, en met Hem, kunnen we elke uitdaging die voor ons ligt volbrengen. Als je vastberaden bent om de nieuwe niveaus waartoe God je roept te bereiken, geef dan niet op ongeacht de tegenstand. In plaats daarvan, besef dat hoe groter de tegenstand is, des te groter de mogelijkheid is die voor je ligt. Wees moedig en onttrek vrijmoedigheid en moed van de Heilige Geest, want Hij is altijd met je.

Het is belangrijk om de juiste keuzes te maken, vooral te midden van leed, ontmoediging, frustratie en verwarring — wanneer het juiste kiezen een moeilijke keuze is. Wanneer dingen stressvol zijn, zijn we van nature geneigd om de weg van de minste weerstand te kiezen. Maar dat zijn juist die momenten waarin het maken van de juiste keuze het grootste verschil kan betekenen. Want om goede resultaten te oogsten in je leven, moet je het juiste doen ook als je er geen zin in hebt. Het verbaast me steeds opnieuw dat Jezus precies weet hoe we ons voelen. Toen Hij mens werd, werd Hij net als wij in elk opzicht op de proef gesteld. Hij wilde soms ook opgeven en de makkelijke weg kiezen, maar Hij overwon en nam de moeilijke beslissingen. Wanneer we vermoeid raken en wankelen in onze vastberadenheid, kunnen we met vertrouwen weten dat we een God dienen die weet waar we doorheen gaan. Hij wil ons helpen en Zijn genade geven zodat we de moeilijke keuzes niet in ons eentje hoeven te maken. Wanneer je gestrest bent of op het punt staat om op te geven, onthoud dan dat God met je is en je begrijpt. Vind de kracht om de moeilijke keuzes in Hem te maken.

Zelfmedelijden is een destructieve en negatieve emotie. Het verblindt ons voor onze zegeningen en mogelijkheden die voor ons liggen en het steelt onze hoop voor zowel vandaag als morgen. Mensen die medelijden hebben met zichzelf denken vaak: “Waarom zou ik nog proberen iets te doen? Ik faal toch altijd.” Zelfmedelijden is eigenlijk afgoderij omdat het zelfzuchtigheid is tot in het extreme. Wanneer we toestaan om ons in zelfmedelijden te wentelen, verwerpen we in wezen Gods liefde en Zijn vermogen om dingen te veranderen. Ik moedig je aan om geen enkele dag van je leven meer te verspillen aan zelfmedelijden. Wanneer je de hoop verliest en je jezelf zielig begint te vinden, stop de gedachte en zeg: “Ik weiger om mijzelf zielig te vinden. Het kan zijn dat ik mij nu in een moeilijk seizoen van mijn leven bevind, maar ik zal blijven hopen op betere tijden!” God heeft je geluk voor ogen, om jou een hoopvolle toekomst te geven. Als je vasthoudt aan je hoop door je te richten op Jezus en in Hem te geloven, zullen er wonderbaarlijke dingen gebeuren in je leven!

Wanneer je over de toekomst nadenkt, ben je dan hoopvol? Of worstel je met een gevoel van bezorgdheid? Mensen die in het verleden Gods trouw hebben gezien hebben de neiging zeer hoopvol gestemd te zijn over de toekomst. Zij weten dat een slechte situatie in slechts enkele minuten kan worden omgezet in een geweldige getuigenis. Aan de andere kant kijken mensen die alle hoop verloren hebben, het leven vanuit het perspectief van bezorgdheid. Bezorgdheid is nauw verwant met angst en steelt het vermogen om te genieten van het dagelijks leven en het maakt mensen ongerust over hun toekomst. Hoop is het tegenovergestelde van bezorgdheid en nauw verwant aan geloof. Als we in God geloven, leidt dit tot hoop en een positieve levens- en toekomstverwachting. Hoop staat ons toe om onbeantwoorde vragen in Gods handen te laten, het ge ons de kracht om in vrede te blijven en het stelt ons in staat om het beste te geloven voor wat er ook komen mag. Je kunt hoop hebben als je in Gods liefde gelooft. Hij heeft de kracht om je te voorzien en je door elke situatie heen te leiden.

Onrealistische verwachtingen kunnen onze vrede en vreugde snel stelen. Gewoonlijk verlangen we naar een perfecte dag met perfecte mensen, die perfect gelukkig zijn in onze kleine perfecte wereld. Maar we weten allemaal dat dit geen werkelijkheid is, alleen God is volmaakt en de rest van ons is onder constructie. De duivel weet wat onze vrede steelt en hij probeert van alles om ons verontwaardigd te krijgen als onze onrealistische werkelijkheid uiteen valt. Nadat jarenlang de duivel mijn vrede wegnam, had ik het eindelijk door: Het leven is niet perfect en er gebeuren dingen die wij niet gepland hebben of waar we liever niet doorheen gaan. Mijn nieuwe houding hier tegenover is geworden: Wel, zo is het leven! Ik heb ontdekt dat als ik mij door deze dingen niet laat imponeren, zij mij ook niet neerslachtig maken. Iedereen moet omgaan met ongemakken, maar we kunnen er mee omgaan en een verkeerde houding vermijden. Onthoud vandaag dat alleen God volmaakt is en leer Hem te vertrouwen. Hij kan je altijd door teleurstellende omstandigheden heen leiden, je versterken en je helpen vast te houden aan je vrede.

Teveel dingen wedijveren met elkaar als het gaat om onze energie en tijd. In het begin kon ik tegen God klagen dat mijn werkschema me boven het hoofd groeide. Ik riep uit: “Here God, hoe kan er van iemand verwacht worden om dit allemaal te doen?” Toen drong het tot me door: Ik was zelf degene die mijn agenda beheerde en niemand anders dan ikzelf kon dit veranderen! Ik kon niet langer mijn tijd verspillen, wensend dat dingen anders zouden gaan. Met het wensen zou niets veranderen. God liet mij zien dat ik mijzelf disciplines moest opleggen om mijn leven gemakkelijker te maken. Jij kunt dat ook doen als je het rustiger aan moet doen. Vraag de Heilige Geest om hulp. Hij kan je leiden, door te laten zien welke toezeggingen je kunt maken of welke je moet afslaan. Dit kan je in het begin zwaar vallen, vooral als je niet gewend bent om met discipline om te gaan, maar de beloning van discipline en zelfcontrole is meer dan de moeite waard. De Bijbel zegt dat discipline een vreedzame vrucht brengt. Begin met jezelf vandaag te disciplineren en je kunt beginnen met het genieten van het vreedzame leven dat God voor je heeft.

The Apostle Paul prays for Christians to be strengthened that Christ may dwell in their hearts with the result that they may be rooted and grounded in love. He prays that they would be able to comprehend Christ's love so that they may be filled with all God's fullness. Thus, as we continue pursuing love, we understand not only what has already been done for us, but we also show to others that love which is paramount in the life of the Christian. Ephesians 3:14-15 To name is to exert power over, often as the creator. The Father is the supreme source of everyone on earth as well as the spiritual powers in heaven. It's always helpful to remember to whom you're praying at the start of your prayer. Ephesians 3:16-17 Here God's spirit strengthens so Christ can dwell in our hearts with the result that we become rooted and grounded in love. God's love shown through Christ is the most powerful redeeming force in the universe, capable of turning enemies into family (John 3:16; Rom 5:6-8). As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Love is the absolute power” (Love Your Enemies Sermon, March 7, 1961, Detroit, MI). Ephesians 3:18-19 Paul prays that Christians would be able to grasp a truth so deep and profound that it surpasses knowledge—the love of Christ. Loving others when they've given you reason to hate them doesn't make sense, but it follows Christ's example and can result in total transformation. When we finally experientially know the love of Christ, we can be filled with all God's fullness—a staggering thought! As Christ was filled with God, so can we (Col 2:9; John 3:34). Ephesians 3:20-21 God is capable of doing so much more than we can ask or even imagine. He is worthy of our devotion and dedication. In fact, our lives are to bring Him glory, not only individually, but also as a group. Is your life bringing glory to God?The post Ephesians Part 6: Strengthened, Rooted, Filled first appeared on Living Hope.

Jesus promised us His complete and perfect and abundant joy. Problem is – there are so many things that want to rob us of that joy.   A Man of Sorrows I'm not sure what you're doing today or what you have planned for the next half hour or so, but right now I want to encourage you to spend some time with me because this week on the programme we are going to look at what it is to live a life of joy. And I truly believe that it's no coincidence that you and I together right now. I know a least one person who doesn't want you to hear what God has to say about "joy" today, because it could transform your life and that's the last thing the devil wants for you. There is real power in God's Word; real power. So why don't you join me in this last programme in a series that I've called, "It's Time to Start Enjoying My Life". Joy can be a difficult concept to come to grips with. Most people in their lives have pressures and strains and some relationships that hurt and perhaps some money problems. I had an email recently from a woman who had been in a difficult situation for a number of years and as much as she had prayed, God simply hadn't changed the situation. We all have stuff in our lives and somehow that stuff seems to rob us of our joy and we seem powerless to do anything about it. We can look right across every part of our lives and things may be going really well everywhere except in this one little area, maybe our health is great, maybe family's good, works all good except we have money worries or everything is good except this teenager in our family is giving us grief. You know what I mean! My point is that each one of us can point to something in our life today and say, "See, that's why I don't have any joy in my life." Today, as I said, we are looking at the last message in a series of four programmes called, "It's Time to Start Enjoying My Life". This message is a rather "hits the road" message – it's about living the life of joy. This half hour may be one of the best investments in your life that you will ever make. Over the last three weeks, we've been joining the Apostle Paul in his Roman dungeon on death row. He wrote a letter to his friends, the Philippians. It's a book in the New Testament, only a few pages long. It's a letter of great encouragement, encouraging them in their faith. And the central thing, the whole point of this letter is about joy – that deep, abiding joy that Jesus promised and died to give us. And yes, I know that can be hard to come to grips with when we have something in our lives that seems to be robbing us of joy. Last week I shared with you the promises that Jesus made on His last night with his disciples before He was crucified – the promises He made about joy. Now let's just go there again and read them and let the Spirit of God write those promises on our hearts today. On that last evening together with His disciples before He was to be crucified, He talks so much about joy. What an odd time and place to do that! He is about to die, His disciples are afraid and Jesus talks about joy. Have a listen. John chapter 15:11: I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. And again, John chapter 16, beginning at verse 20: I tell you the truth; you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve but your grief will turn to joy. A women giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come but when the baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So it will be with you. Now is your time for grief but I will see you again and you will rejoice and no one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask Me anything. I tell you the truth, My Father will give you whatever you ask in My name. Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete. And in His final prayer before He is crucified He prays “Father, I am coming to you now but I say all these things while I'm still in the world so that they may have the full measure of My joy within them." Jesus is talking about joy not about the sort of warm and fuzzy we get when we go to the shop and buy some nice new thing. There is a clear distinction between the happiness of this world and the joy of the Lord and as if to draw a clear line between the two, He talks so much about the joy of God so close to his brutal crucifixion. And you know, it's interesting in the same way, Paul talks about joy in the midst of his sorrows as if to underscore the point that Jesus was making: that the joy of the Lord isn't something that depends on our circumstances. Have a listen to the very human words of Paul from his letter to the Philippians chapter 2, beginning at verse 25. It's really a very human letter. He says: I think it's necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier who is also your messenger whom you sent to care for my needs. He longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was sick. Indeed he was, he almost died but God had mercy on him and not only on him but me too – to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore, I am all the more eager to send him to you so that when you see him again you may be glad and may have less anxiety. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy and honour men like him because he almost died for the “work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you couldn't give me. Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. See, I love this passage. Paul is a guy, he is in jail, he's got friends he is writing to, he has this friend, Epaphroditus, who almost died but God spared the man's life and spared Paul sorrow upon sorrow. You know, it's easy to idealise Paul and think, ‘WOW, you know, this guy wrote almost half of the New Testament but in his life he had sorrow upon sorrow. People tried to kill him, there were riots when he preached, he had disappointments when he was prevented from going to places he wanted to go, he was ship wrecked, he was beaten, now he is imprisoned on death row, people are taunting him – other Christians. This man had sorrow after sorrow and yet still he writes, "Rejoice in the Lord, my brothers." I think God's trying to tell us something through Paul: that our circumstances are no excuse for not experiencing God's joy. But how do we overcome those? Well, we are going to take a look at what God has to say about that next.   Rejoice in the Lord Now let's pick up here with Paul in the dungeon and look at what it means to live a life of joy. The passage we are about to look at is perhaps one that you know really well. This passage is about making the rubber hit the road. This passage tells us how it is that we can have the joy of the Lord no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in. This passage is a jewel. Open your Bible, come with me to Philippians chapter 4, beginning at verse 4. Come, let's have a read: Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all. The Lord is at hand. Don't be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. It's a wondrous passage – just four little verses. We are going to look at each one separately now; really unpack this. You know I think the more familiar we are with a passage, well, the more we kind of just skim over it. "Oh yea, I know that one, I've read it before." Well, let's not do that this time; let's see what the Holy Spirit is saying to each one of us here in His Word. Let's look at the first verse, Philippians chapter 4, verse 4: Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice. Have you ever wonder about the difference between the two words "joy" on the one hand and "rejoice" on the other? Well, "joy" is the thing that Jesus bought for us on the cross; joy is the thing that Jesus wants to give us. But "rejoicing" is what we do with that "joy" when we enter into that joy; when we take the decision that says, “YES, His promise is for me. You know something? I am going to live in that joy and I am going to rejoice. I am going to praise Him, I'm going to thank Him.” See, this verse is the punch line of the whole Book of Philippians. It's what Paul is saying, in a nutshell, from his dungeon. "I am going to enter into God's joy always in all circumstances, rejoice in the Lord always. And I'm deciding right here and right now, that I am going to live a life of joy always." And just in case we missed it, he said it twice: Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice. Wake up! Jesus promise of joy is for you and for me. But how do we rejoice? Well, the next verse opens the door to joy. It's a verse about humility. We talked last week on the programme about how our sin, particularly the sin of pride and scheming and all that stuff we know is wrong, robs us of the joy of the Lord. Verse 5, chapter 4 of Philippians, Paul writes: Let your gentleness be known to all for the Lord is near. The Greek word that sits aback of that word "gentleness" means "moderation, patience" – it's a word of humility. No humility, no joy! We go racing around full of ourselves – self-centred, self-seeking, self-absorbed, treading on people to achieve our ends. There can be no joy in that. Come on! If we have Jesus in us, the Lord is near. There's fruit that comes out of that – love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control – let that fruit grow. Why? Because Jesus is in this place. It's time to let the Spirit of God have sway in our lives – complete control – because He has arrived. If we don't get this bit … this bit is about obedience, there will be no joy. I can't live my life my way and then expect Jesus to show up and bless me with His joy. "Oh, ok, ok, Berni," I hear you thinking to yourself, "but how do I live in that joy when there are so many things out there that want to rob me of the joy? I can hear the theory: the joy of the Lord doesn't depend on my circumstances, but how do I actually live that? How do I actually experience that?" Well, the next verse tell us, verse 6: Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. I don't know, it seems too simple to be true. Take it to God in prayer, ask Him and thank Him, “Present your requests to God”. See, the temptation is to look for a solution everywhere else other than with God. You know, when I get up in the morning, my normal routine – I get up reasonably early – and my first thing is, after I have a shower, a cup of tea, I sit down with the Lord and I pray and I read the Word and just spend time with Him. You know what the temptation is? The temptation is to go and check my emails and see who has emailed me from around the world. This is where the rubber hits the road. We need to take our lives to God first. Any problem, any issue, any need, don't be anxious about it; don't run around in a flap about it but “in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, take your requests to God." Let's say your husband or your wife is going through a difficult patch – there's a blind spot; they can't see it but you can and so it's affecting your relationship; it's affecting both of you but every time you talk about it, it ends up in an argument. What do you do? Give them the cold and silent treatment? Go and talk to a friend? Just try and sweep it under the carpet? OR, every day, do you spend time with the Lord? "God, thank You for putting me is this position. Lord, thank You so much that I can pray and thank You that I can be faithful to my wife or my husband and just love them through this. Lord, give me the strength and the wisdom, give me the gentleness; show me how I can change. Lord, bless my wife; Lord, bless my husband, open their heart by Your Spirit." Do you get the point? Every day, faithfully, giving thanks, rejoicing that the Lord is in that place with you and then the answer comes. Here it is. Here God tells us how it is that we can live in His joy, despite what is going on – verse 7: And the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. You see, the joy and the peace of God are not something you and I conjure up; they're not something that we fabricate. They're not positive thinking; they're not some clever "double think", where on the one hand I have troubles over here and on the other I trick my mind and emotions into a state of joy. They are none of those things – the peace and the joy of God are His gift to us. The Spirit of God comes and places His angels around our heart so that the pains and the fears that were piercing pierce it no longer. How does that happen? Paul says, "I don't know", it transcends all human understanding. It's beyond human comprehension but what I can tell you is that when we decide to take God at His Word, it just happens. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice. Let you gentleness be evident to all because Jesus is here. Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, take your requests to God and the peace of God, which passes all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. It's just how it works!   Thinking and Doing "WOW", isn't God's Word powerful and wonderful? The truth is often so simple and you and I know when we hear the truth of God's Word it just, well, it rings true in our hearts. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I'll say it, rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all for the Lord is near. Don't be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, take your requests to God and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. But here's so often what happens. We hear the truth and it rings in our hearts and inside we say, "YES, yes, this is what I have been looking for!" And tonight we go to bed and tomorrow we face the same old problems and issues and fears and anxieties that gnaw away in our heads. You see it takes time to change our minds; it takes time to renew our minds. And it's when our minds are renewed that God changes our lives. That's what Paul writes in Romans chapter 12:1-2. He writes that we will be transformed by the renewing of our minds. See, we need to change our minds from the old way of thinking – "Oh, there is no way out. Jesus promise of joy isn't for me. Things are never going to change" – to the new way of thinking ... Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice. You know what I'm talking about, right? You hear this message; you get fired up; you say, "YES! It's for me", and then all of a sudden reality sinks in and it's like the message evaporates and it's like, "I can't change anything." So how do we step into this new way of thinking? How do we live life in faith according to the Word of God? How do we take the joy that Jesus promised us? Well, just in the next few verses in Philippians, the Holy Spirit tells us. He tells us how to stop these attacks in our mind. Philippians chapter 4, beginning at verse 8: Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure or lovely or admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about those things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me, put it into practice and the God of peace will be with you. In other words, think about the good things from God. Thinking is how our mind spends its time. Hear that again – thinking is about how our mind spends its time – where it goes, what it does. And it's easy to keep going round and round and round the same old mulberry bush, especially when we have something in our lives that is eating away at us. What I have decided to do in those circumstances is to take God at His Word. I'm just not going to let my mind go there. You know, my mind is capable of grumbling and complaining and blaming people and thinking ill of them. I can get angry and wallow in self pity and when I feel my mind going there, I decide, "No, I'm just not going there, I'm going to think about Jesus. I'm going to think about the wonderful things He has done for me in my life. I'm going to think about that Scripture verse the Holy Spirit laid on my heart yesterday: There is no sense in the peace of God guarding my heart and my mind and me wandering off outside that peace and ruining my day!" Every day I'm just going to do my best to put His Word into practice; not perfectly, mind you, just my best and I am going to rest my mind in His goodness and His Word and little by little joy and peace are going to come, no matter what is going on in my life. The Apostle Paul learnt this through a life time of sorrows and trials and discovering the joy of the Lord in the midst of all of those. Listen to how he puts it in a nutshell. Philippians chapter 4, beginning at verse 10: I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned but you had no opportunity to show it. I'm not saying this because I'm in need, because you know something? I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty and I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want, I can do everything through Him who strengthens me. See, Paul is saying here that my joy does not depend on my circumstances because I have discovered when I take my needs and my fears and my hurts to God and I thank Him and I pray and I just put them at the foot of the cross, the Holy Spirit comes along and puts a joy in my heart that I just understand how it is there. It defies comprehension but God does that and He guards my heart and He guards my mind so that the attacks don't come. Listen to me, there's only one place to get the joy of the Lord and it is from Him – it's not from a friend, it's not from something we buy, it's not from how we work – it's just from knowing Him and being with Him and listening to Him and letting Him do His stuff. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice!

Today's message is really about taking the long view. The human attention span is short, like really, really short. Between the world wars, Winston Churchill warned Europe that Hitler was a threat to the continent at least, but people ignored him. And then when the Nazis turned violent, the people turned to Churchill as their prime minister. Having led the country through another costly war to preserve freedom, Churchill was defeated for reelection in the last days of World War II. It's like the people had forgotten his priceless contribution to world peace. He knew the war would take a long time and that it would be costly, and the people wanted to avoid thinking about it, and even later wanted it over quickly. And that's rarely how life works. Churchill returned as Prime Minister in the 1950s, but his experiences show that people mostly want short-term solutions. Working for the long goal is rarely popular. Jeremiah 15:15 says, “Lord, you understand. Remember me and care for me, avenge me on my persecutors. You are longsuffering. Do not take me away. Think of how I suffer reproach for your sake.” Here God is reminding us that often, we're required to stay in it for the long haul. Nowhere is this more true than in the pursuits of peace and contentment. That kind of thing is not built quickly, and not surprisingly too many people don't stay with it, and they stumble along looking for solutions in the wrong places.If you're in a bad place today, you're going to have to start with basic steps. Talk to Jesus and tell Him you're struggling. Maybe you have a vague sense of depression and just can't locate the direct cause. Take the example of people who did understand the source of true happiness, and were committed to seeing it through no matter how long it took. Abraham knew the value of prayer, and he waited for decades to have a son. Hannah was also unable to have children, but she prayed and stayed faithful, and eventually, God gave her a child and she felt fulfilled. Joseph spent years in exile in prison because of his brothers' actions, but his faith didn't waver. He actually found his contentment in the middle of these trials, and eventually, God restored his family, and all he had lost.  If you're depressed or ground down from money worries, or facing some other huge challenge—go to God right now and tell Him you need peace for your soul. Tell him you fully trust Him and will wait with as much patience and faith as you can. It's then you start the clock ticking on your difficult circumstances, and while you wait, your heart will be at rest. Let's pray. Father, thank you for the good gifts that we already have. Help us be grateful for those things that sustain life. We fully trust you to bring about our delivery from life's circumstances at precisely the moment you have chosen. Sustain our spirits on this journey, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.  Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

Delivered by Evelyn from the Parish of the Holy Spirit in the Archdiocese of Singapore. Acts of the Apostles 7: 51 - 8: 1a; Rs psalm 31: 3cd-4.6ab.7b.8a.17.21ab; John 6: 30-35.ACCEPT ME, O LORD The title for our meditation today is:Accept Me, O Lord. There was a nun who gave a speech at the moment of herperpetual profession in the religious life. She began and ended her briefremarks with these following words: “Accept Me, O Lord”. The content of herspeech was about words of gratitude and request of prayers from all familiesand guests present. All were somewhat surprised because the speech lasted onlyabout two minutes. When people asked about the meaning ofthe phrase: “Accept Me, O Lord”, the nun replied that her whole life isdedicated to God and the Church. From the time of the perpetual profession, shehas promised to offer herself totally as a person consecrated. That means allthings related to work, service, disappointment, suffering, challenges andvarious other things are included in her personality, her whole being areligious nun. The nun's explanation gives us a lightto the reflection on our readings today. St. Stephen as the first martyr in theChurch, put his whole being a disciple of Jesus to be a special offering toGod. He was clever, talented, hardworking, and a defender of the faith. But hedid not make himself a powerful person with position, good works, achievements,and fame. He offered his entire life and that was all for his Master JesusChrist in whom he found rest and salvation of his soul. The Jews who were after praise andgood name insisted Jesus to know about his actual work and profession, then inresponding them he revealed his true identity with this expression: "I amthe bread of life". This bread is actually the food that the Jews and all peoplewho hope for salvation were looking for. Jesus wanted them not to bother aboutthe other things, but just recognized Him, trusted Him and stayed with Him.Here God wants to teach us that our views and treatments to one another in thisworld must be full and sincere, namely to love a person like God himself loves. All that is attached in every personsuch as good name, job, relationship, position, achievement, success and so onin the positive aspect; and failure, pain, loss, emptiness, loneliness, despairand so on in the negative aspects, will eventually terminate in this world whenwe die. What we carry on next to meet God is ourselves as the believers. Allthat are necessary to oulseves, and they help us to carry out the duties andworks according to each one's respective calling. So the good news for us today is thatwe must see what is beautiful and precious in oneself and each of ourneighbours as a whole human person as the gift of God to us. Let's pray. In the name of theFather ... O good Lord, help us to always be in the way of Your Son JesusChrist, our Lord and Savior. Hail Mary full of grace. In the name of the Father...

In tijden van crises, is het eenvoudig te denken dat God niet kan verlossen. Om je geloof te versterken, bekijk dan de volgende Bijbelgedeelten waar God Zijn kinderen verloste uit hun ellende. In 1 Samuel 17:37 wist David dat hij Goliath kon verslaan omdat God hem al van een leeuw en beer had gered. In Daniël 3 weigerden Sadrach, Mesach en Abednego het bevel van de Koning om neer te knielen voor het gouden beeld dat hij had opgericht. Ze bleven de Here God aanbidden. Als gevolg hiervan werden ze in een vurige oven geworpen die zeven keer heter was gestookt. Maar God bevrijdde hen zo volkomen uit deze beproeving dat ze zelfs niet naar rook roken! Hij vertoonde zich zelfs in het vuur! In Daniël 6 is nog een voorbeeld van Gods bereidheid en vermogen om te verlossen. Daniël werd in de leeuwenkuil geworpen omdat hij bad tot God. Daniël werd op zo'n bijzondere wijze verlost dat hij ongedeerd uit de beproeving kwam, terwijl zijn vijanden volkomen werden verslagen. Merk je hier een trend op? Wanneer Gods mensen stappen zetten in geloof om te doen wat God van hen vraagt te doen, zal God gaan reageren en hen de overwinning geven. God kan Zijn kinderen uit elke situatie verlossen. Besef vandaag dat Zijn verlossingskracht groter is dan jouw probleem.

Toen onze jongste zoon nog op school was en Dave en ik op reis moesten, kwamen mensen bij ons thuis om op hem te passen. Wij moesten voor hen, die tijdens onze afwezigheid voor hem moesten zorgen of dat hij voor het geval dat hij misschien medische zorg nodig zou hebben, een juridische document tekenen dat zij namens ons bevoegd waren om letterlijk alle besluiten te kunnen nemen. Dat is wat Jezus deed voor Zijn discipelen, maar ook voor allemaal die in Hem zouden geloven. Hij zei dat als wij bidden in Zijn naam, God antwoorden zal. Dit is de autoriteit die jij en ik toebedeeld gekregen hebben door Zijn Naam. Zijn Naam is Plaatsvervanger— Zijn Naam vertegenwoordigt Hem. Als we bidden in Zijn Naam is dat hetzelfde alsof Hij het is die bidt. Deze privilege lijkt haast te wonderlijk om te geloven! Maar we kunnen het geloven omdat de Bijbel dit bevestigd. Dus gebruik de autoriteit van de Naam van Jezus en wees krachtig om de vijand te overwinnen en de zegeningen van God in deze wereld te brengen.

Vandaag wil ik je aan iets herinneren wat heel belangrijk is voor jouw welzijn: Jij bent geen verrassing voor God. Hij wist wat Hij kreeg toe Hij jou uitkoos, net zoals Hij wist wat Hij kreeg toen Hij mij uitkoos. De Bijbel zegt dat God ons vol liefde heeft uitgekozen om van Hem te zijn! Je kwam niet zomaar toevallig op een dag tevoorschijn. En God heeft niet besloten om je slechts te tolereren. Je kunt God niet vermoeien want Hij koos jou... je kunt God ook niet imponeren! Hij zal niet met zijn ogen knipperen als jij een probleem hebt. In plaats daarvan zal Hij je er altijd aan herinneren van hoever je gekomen bent, hoe goed je het doet en hoe waardevol je in Zijn ogen bent en hoeveel Hij van je houdt. God wist al van onze zwakheden, elke fout die je zou maken, elke keer dat je zou falen en toch zegt Hij: “Ik wil jou”. In Efeziërs 1:5 verklaart Hij jou te hebben voorbestemd om Zijn kind te zijn. God is jouw papa! Met Hem aan jouw zijde zullen alle dingen tot op het eind mede werken ten goede.

Here God allowed Apostle John to pen down for our edification the fulfillment of His promise; triumphant praises to God on earth, and praises to the Lord for his righteous judgments, and seeing the church in heaven. This is the rapture of the church; the being caught up by the Lord Jesus for all that accepted the baptism of the Holy Ghost. And the Christ going forth to destroy the beast and his armies.

We moeten ons realiseren dat een onderdeel van satans plan voor de eindtijd is om ons als gelovigen te vermoeien. Daniël 7:25 geeft ons een levendige beschrijving over een visie die profeet Daniël ontving over de laatste dagen: “En hij (...) zal de heiligen van de Allerhoogste onderdrukken…” Maar God wil dat je bemoedigd bent. Romeinen 8:37 (HSV) geeft christenen dit goede nieuws: “Maar in dit alles zijn wij meer dan overwinnaars door Hem, die ons heeft liefgehad.”. “Meer dan overwinnaars” betekent dat, nog voordat de problemen beginnen, we al weten wie er gaat winnen. Daar hou ik van, jij ook? We kunnen in ons hart het doel stellen om zo'n intieme relatie met God te onderhouden, door gebed en Zijn Woord, dat we voortdurend worden versterkt door de kracht van Zijn beloften. Intimiteit met God produceert sterke christenen die de duivel kunnen overleven. Leef je leven volledig vertrouwend op Gods kracht en heb geen angst voor de beproevingen, deze maken dat strijders vermoeid raken en heiligen kunnen verlammen. Blijf sterk in Hem en in de kracht van Zijn Macht.

Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” — Mark 9:7 From the cloud on the mount of transfiguration, God said, “This is my Son.” Here God identifies Jesus so that his disciples will have no doubt about his identity. This is God's Son, whom God sent to earth for a purpose. And that purpose was about to become clearer in the coming weeks. Jesus' mission would soon lead to his death and resurrection for us all. “Whom I love.” God's feeling for his Son is also clear. God didn't send his Son to earth on some deadly mission because he didn't care about him. God loved his Son with every part of his being. This was a selfless act by a loving Father who hurt deeply because of what was about to happen. “Listen to him!” This command was directed at Jesus' disciples who were with him that day, and it is directed at you and me today. Jesus told his disciples why he had come and what he was about to do, but they didn't always listen or understand. It was very important, though, that they understand! Only when they understood what Jesus was doing could they share it with everyone else they came into contact with—as he would command them to do later (Matthew 28:18-20). Similarly, only when we listen can we fulfill God's commands as well. So as we read God's Word, let's listen to what Jesus is saying! Father God, thank you for loving Jesus and for sending him to us. Help us to listen to him faithfully each day. Amen.

Het omgaan met emoties is een feit van het leven. Zolang we leven, zullen we een verscheidenheid aan emotionele gevoelens en reacties ervaren, we moeten het bestaan van deze niet ontkennen of ons vanwege deze schuldig voelen. Echter, we moeten wel leren om onze emoties te beheersen. Dit is eenvoudiger als we begrijpen dat we deze niet kunnen vertrouwen. In feite kunnen ze onze grootste vijand zijn. Satan gebruikt onze emoties tegen ons om ons te weerhouden in de Geest te wandelen. Het is zo belangrijk te weten dat de Heer onze God met Zijn macht in een ieder van ons woonachtig is. Zijn macht in ons stelt ons in staat om onze emoties te overwinnen en geleid te worden door Zijn onveranderlijke Woord en Geest in plaats van door onze onstabiele gevoelens en emoties. Geestelijke stabiliteit en emotionele volwassenheid komen niet vanzelf. Je moet er met heel je hart naar verlangen en vastberaden zijn om het te verkrijgen. Als je van emotionele stabiliteit een prioriteit maakt, is God meer dan bereid om je te helpen jouw emoties te beheersen. Ik moedig je aan om dat vandaag na te streven. Geniet van emotionele stabiliteit en een vreugdevol, overwinnend leven!

De meeste van ons zijn zich ervan bewust dat we door genade gered zijn, maar ik vraag mij af hoeveel mensen de kracht van Gods genade daadwerkelijk begrijpen. Alles wat we van God aan genade ontvangen komt door het geloof. Dus als je genade begrijpt, kun je in geloof wandelen en Gods zegeningen ontvangen. Gods genade is niet ingewikkeld of verwarrend. Het is eenvoudig, en dat is waarom veel mensen het mislopen. Er is niets krachtiger dan genade. Alles in de Bijbel - redding, de vervulling van de Heilige Geest, vriendschap met God en alle dagelijkse overwinningen, zijn hierop gebaseerd. Zonder genade, zijn we niets, hebben we niets en kunnen we niets doen. Het gaat vandaag niet alleen over genade, maar begrijp dat alles in ons leven niet afhangt van onze verdiensten, vaardigheden of werken, maar van Gods bereidheid om Zijn oneindige kracht te gebruiken om te voldoen aan onze behoeften. Dat is genade. Richt je vandaag op die waarheid en kijk hoe je geloof gaat groeien.

De Bijbel zegt dat we ontzagwekkend en wonderlijk gemaakt zijn. God besteedde tijd en oefende Zijn creativiteit uit op een ieder van ons, dus het zou logisch zijn dat Hij ons niet allemaal hetzelfde maakte, zou het niet? Helaas, soms proberen we anderen lief te hebben alsof ze allemaal dezelfde zijn. Je zult ontdekken dat niet iedereen hetzelfde van je nodig heeft. Eén van je kinderen bijvoorbeeld vraagt misschien meer tijd van jou dan dat de ander dat nodig heeft. Een vriend heeft misschien regelmatig wat meer bemoediging nodig dan een ander. Sommige mensen hebben gewoon verschillende vormen van liefde nodig. Het respecteren van persoonlijke voorkeuren en meningen is ook heel belangrijk. Zelfzuchtige mensen verwachten dat iedereen is zoals zij zijn, maar liefde respecteert het verschil in mensen. Als God had gewild dat iedereen gelijk had moeten zijn, dan zou Hij niet ieder van ons verschillende vingerafdrukken hebben gegeven. Ik ben van mening dat dit feit alleen al bewijst dat we niet gelijk zijn aan elkaar, maar verschillend. Allemaal hebben we verschillende gaven en talenten, verschillende voorkeuren en dingen die we wel of niet leuk vinden, verschillende doelen in het leven en verschillende motivaties. Een liefdevol persoon respecteert en bemoedigt de verschillen in anderen.

Het is verbazingwekkend hoeveel talentvolle mensen er zijn die aan de zijlijn van het leven zitten en niets doen. Zij doen nooit een stap vooruit om de talenten die God hen gegeven heeft te gebruiken omdat zij niet van zichzelf geloven dat zij talenten hebben. Ben jij één van hen? De waarheid is dat God iedereen van ons gaven, talenten en vaardigheden heeft gegeven. Hij heeft een groot plan voor ons en Hij heeft je uitgerust om grote dingen te doen voor Zijn Koninkrijk. Maar totdat je jezelf ziet zoals Hij je ziet en Hem vertrouwt om je in staat te stellen jouw gaven te gebruiken, zal je je door God gegeven mogelijkheden/potentieel niet waarmaken. Als je met een lage eigenwaarde, een slecht zelfbeeld en gebrek aan vertrouwen worstelt, dan wil ik dat je weet dat God je met verbazingwekkende talenten heeft gemaakt. Wanneer je God vertrouwt en gelooft dat je alles kunt doen wat Hij zegt dat je kunt doen, dan zal je Zijn bestemming voor jouw leven volbrengen. Onthoud dat “alle dingen mogelijk zijn bij God”. Als je jouw vertrouwen op Hem stelt, dan zul je vrij zijn om Zijn bestemming waar te maken.

De Israëlieten dwaalden 40 jaar rond in de wildernis, wat eigenlijk een 11-daagse reis zou zijn geweest. Waarom? Terwijl ik eens over deze situatie nadacht, zei de Heer tegen mij: “De Israëlieten konden niet verdergaan omdat ze een wildernismentaliteit hadden.” Zij hadden geen positieve visie voor hun leven, geen dromen. Ze moesten die mentaliteit loslaten en op God vertrouwen. We moeten de Israëlieten echt niet met verbazing bekijken, want de meesten van ons doen hetzelfde wat zij deden. We blijven om dezelfde bergen rondgaan in plaats van vooruitgang te boeken. Het kost ons jaren om overwinning te behalen over iets wat snel had kunnen worden afgehandeld. We hebben een nieuwe mentaliteit nodig. We moeten beginnen te geloven dat Gods Woord de waarheid is. Matteüs 19:26 vertelt ons dat bij God alles mogelijk is. Het enige wat Hij nodig heeft is ons geloof in Hem. Hij wil van ons dat wij geloven, dan zal Hij de rest doen. De Heer zegt vandaag hetzelfde tegen jou en mij, wat Hij ook aan de kinderen van Israël zei: Jullie zijn nu lang genoeg bij deze berg gebleven. Nu is het tijd voor ons om verder te trekken.

Psalm 36 is an oracle, which is a divine message from God to us. Here God goes through David and tells us about what's in the heart of the wicked, and then what Yahweh God is like, and then prays to Him to bless and protect those who know Him.

On Monday, January 21, 2025, our nation, and the world, witnessed the peaceful transfer of power as President Trump took the oath of office. This week we've witnessed a flurry of political and governmental “shake-ups” that once again reveal the great rift of brokenness in our country. Throughout His Holy Word, GOD makes many “If/Then” declarations, none more renowned than 2nd Chronicles 7:14. Here GOD declares the path His people must walk if they want Him to intervene to bring healing in the land. We desperately need GOD Himself to heal our land! Interestingly, some theologians and a few well-known Bible teachers say that this verse is a promise only for the Jewish nation. While I understand how they arrived at their conclusions on this, I still disagree with them. My disagreement arises because I see the same “path” and all of the principles from 2nd Chronicles 7:14 clearly taught in the New Testament. This means that even if they are right, we can still trust GOD's New Testament pathway to healing our land. JESUS has given us His Authority to overcome the destructive powers of Satan that are at work even in government and politics. That authority is still found in humility! I invite you to watch or listen to this message as we look to the New Testament's version of the 2nd Chronicles 7:14 promise from GOD to His people today. Pastor Joe Still

I don't know if you've ever thought of this, but on the surface of things, Christmas is a crazy idea! I mean, what exactly was God thinking by sending His Son to become a man – and to be born in some drafty, smelly shed out the back of Bethlehem?   CHRISTMAS IS A CRAZY IDEA On the surface of things, Christmas is a crazy idea. I mean stand back and think about it … God's God, He created the whole universe. Okay, He's Father and Son and Holy Spirit, three persons in one, something that's not that easy to wrap your mind around. But let's just leave that to one side for the moment. God is God. God creates everything. We read about it in the first few chapters of the Book of Genesis. It's pretty straightforward description of what He did and it was amazing. And the crowning glory of all His creation is humanity – you and me, male and female. And the very last thing that He does before He rests to enjoy His handiwork of creation is that He hands the whole thing over to us. God said: Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind, cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind and it was so and God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind and the cattle of every kind, everything that creeps along the ground of every kind and God saw that it was good." Then God said, 'Let us make humanity in our image according to our likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over all the wild animals of the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.' So God created humanity in His image, in the image of God He created them, male and female He created them. God blessed them and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue the earth and have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over every living thing that moves on the earth.' God said, 'See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth and every tree with seed in its fruit, you shall have them for food and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the air and to every thing that creeps on the earth, everything that has breath of life I have given every green plant for food' and so it was. God saw everything that He'd made and indeed it was very good and there was evening and there was morning of the sixth day. (Genesis 1: 26-31) So far, so good. Adam and Eve go and enjoy all of this amazing creation but God does one thing, just one thing that is so crazy, inexplicable. The Lord commanded the man, 'you may freely eat of every tree of the garden but the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat for in the day that you eat of it you shall die. (Genesis 2:16) Well, you know the rest. They couldn't help themselves, Adam and Eve, they just had to try to be like God. They ate from that one tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the rest as they say is history. Sin entered the world, sickness entered the world and just as God had promised them death entered the world. Life became hard. That's something you and I can attest to – life is hard and all because God had to forbid them that one tree and they just had to try it anyway. Could it be all of your misery and mine hangs on just that one crummy apple? For Pete's sake, that's nuts! And then as humanity spirals ever downward, as we become ever more debauched and depraved, after that moment God mounts a rescue mission – He sends Jesus to save us. What's that about? Why didn't He just give them access to every last tree? Why did He have to hold that one tree back from them and why did they have to blow it for the rest of us and after all that, why did God mount that rescue mission and send Jesus? It defies human logic until you realise that love and logic have nothing more in common than their first two letters. Love isn't logical. Have a listen to this: But the free gift is not like the trespass for if the many died through one man's trespass, Adams, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift and the grace of one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. And the free gift is not like the effect of that one man's sin for the judgement following the one trespass brought condemnation but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. If because of the one man's sin death has exercised dominion through that one much more surely will those who receive the abundance of the grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Therefore just as one man's trespasses lead to condemnation for all so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as by one man's disobedience the many were made sinners so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. But the law came in with the result that the trespass multiplied but when sin increased grace abounded all the more. So just as sin exercised dominion in death so grace might also exercise dominion through justification leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. (Romans 5: 12 - 21) There you have it. There you have the reason that God did what He did. If you love someone you give them free will, right? He gave Adam a free will by excluding that one tree and Adam chose against God and so sin, with all its consequences, entered the world for you and me. Now, before you think to yourself, "I am going to punch Adam in the nose when I see him in heaven." Ask yourself, if nobody in all of history before you had sin and ultimately you were living in that garden, would you have resisted the temptation? So sin entered the world through one man and forgiveness came though one man as well, Jesus. God sent Him into this world as that little babe we remember each year around this time so that we could be forgiven. And notice how that 'grace' word comes in. Forgiven by the free, unmerited favour of God so that we could know what? God's love. What greater expression of love is there than to forgive someone who doesn't deserve it? I guess only one, to do it and to take his or her punishment on their behalf, to give your life to suffer in order to purchase their forgiveness and their freedom. To step out of heaven into this hurly-burly of a sinful world and be punished even though you'd never done anything wrong. And this is not as some Plan B because Plan A didn't work. This was always Gods Plan A. God always knew Adam would blow it. He always knew that you and I would blow it. None of that was ever a surprise to Him and yet out of His great love, He gave us a free will to accept or reject Him. And out of His great love, He came to purchase us back from death by offering up His Son as His sense of justice demanded – to take all the fall for you and for me, to pay the price, to die the death. Now, I know you have a lot going on in these days leading up to Christmas – those last-minute presents to buy, the things to clear off your desk perhaps before you have a few days off, the turkey to buy, the decoration to get up, all that stuff. Now I know that you may not have a lot of time to think about this Christmas stuff but at the heart of Christmas lies a Father's love. At the heart of Christmas – in the most unhygienic, feed trough called a manger, in that even more unhygienic stable filled with animals, right where that child was born and lay and cried and gurgled – is a love so sublime that there are not enough words to describe it. There are no words ever invented that can really explain a love so great. So as you hurtle towards yet another chaotic Christmas, let me say to you quietly, kindly, gently, ‘Take a moment to wrap your heart around that love. Just let that love touch you deep inside and change you and change your life and change your world." After all, what do you have to lose?   YOU WON'T DIE ALONE I know, it's kind of a weird perspective from which to come at the story of Christmas, but hopefully as we chat together, it will start to make sense. Death … dying is pretty much the one taboo subject left in our society. We can talk about pretty much anything else but not dying. And the last thing that you and I really want to think about is dying. But humour me because I want you to put yourself on your deathbed. Hopefully, quite a few years away from now, and imagine how you'll feel. Would you be afraid of dying alone? I'm guessing you would particularly in a hospital room, sterile, white, disinfected, clinical, with tubes coming out of you, those squeaky sounds the nurses shoes make on the floor. The idea of being completely alone at the end is a terrible thought. Now and then, you hear about an elderly person who died all alone in their home and their body wasn't discovered for seven or eight years. That's frightful. Imagine how the end must of come for them. Of course, you don't have to wait to die in order to be alone. So many people are desperately alone, sometimes through circumstances but mostly as a result of their sin. That may sound a bit weird but sin – turning our backs on God and going our own way usher's in death very quickly. That's what God promised Adam and Eve would happen if they ate from that one tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that he forbade them to eat from. The Lord commanded the man, 'you may eat freely of every tree in the garden but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat for in the day that you eat of it you shall die. (Genesis 2:16) The result of that apparent minor transgression? Well, God said to them: I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers, he will strike your head and you will strike his heel. To the woman he said, 'I will greatly increase your pangs in childbearing, in pain shall you bring forth children yet your desire shall be for your husband and he shall rule over you. And to the man he said, 'Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and you have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you 'you shall not eat of it' cursed is the ground because of you. In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground for out of it you were taken, you are dust and to dust you shall return." (Genesis 3: 15-19) The immediate result of that sin was broken relationships, a broken relationship between God and Adam and a broken relationship between Adam and Eve. And broken relationships mean loneliness and strife. So … what was God's solution to that distance that we put between Him and us through our sin? How did He address that? Well, it's simple really. It was a complete no brainer for Him. All He had to do was to follow the longing of His heart and we know what that is because He tells us what it is over and over again in the Old Testament. Let's have a look at just one example, Leviticus 26: 11-13, God said: I will place my dwelling in your midst and I shall not abhor you and I will walk among you and I will be your God and you shall be my people. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be slaves no more, I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you to walk upright. The longing of God's heart is to be close to His people. He's our Father, He loves us, of course, that's the longing of His heart. And yet, through the whole of the Old Testament we see how God's people struggle to honour Him. In fact, the name Israel literally means 'to struggle with God'. They failed, all the time, over and over again. And over and over again, He forgave them. It was this constant merry-go-round and it wasn't working so here was His plan, a plan that, as I said yesterday, wasn't some fall back, it was always His Plan A. Are you ready for it? Here God's plan, John chapter 1:10-14. Speaking about Jesus, it says: He was in the world and the world came into being through him yet the world didn't know him. He came to what was his own and his own people didn't accept him but to all who received him, who believed in his name he gave them power to become children of God who were born not out of blood or out of the will of the flesh or of the will of a man but of God and the word became flesh and lived amongst us and we have seen his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and of truth. (John 1:10-14) The plan was for God to take a giant step towards us even though we'd drifted so far away from Him that we really didn't know Him anymore. This God who had an intimate personal relationship back then in the beginning with Adam and Eve, the Word (that's Jesus), the Word became flesh and lived amongst us. That's what we celebrate at Christmas But can I give you the literal meaning of that verse because when you have that, it makes a lot more sense. It literally says that Jesus became flesh and tabernacled amongst us, set up His home amongst us, it's the language of the Exodus where God's presence travelled on the forty-year journey through the wilderness with His people in that tent, in that tabernacle. Jesus coming to this planet is Jesus stepping out and coming close to you to travel on your journey with you on your exodus. That's what makes this Christmas thing so amazing – to set you free, to make sure that you are never alone. Not through the problems of this life, not through the fractured relationships and the enmity that exists in this world through our sin, not through that time where we come to the end of this life and not for the rest of eternity. Christmas is Jesus coming close, Christmas is God following the desire of His heart to be close to you and me by sending His Son to be on our journey with us. Are you getting this? Is this touching your heart as I tell you this age-old story with a new twist? That new twist is that Jesus came for you. Jesus came to be on your journey. Jesus came to bring you comfort to bind up your broken heart, to bring release from captivity of your sin, to be on this journey every step of the way. And what a terrible price He paid for that so that we could see His glory and know Him and experience a one on one intimacy with Him. Now let me bring you back to your death-bed … what if, instead of being terribly alone on your deathbed you experience the very presence of Jesus right there with you on your journey with His love and His forgiveness and His grace and His peace and His mercy? What if instead of being terribly alone, you come to know as each second ticks by on that clock, you are drawing closer and closer to that time that you will see that Jesus face to face? I don't care what bad things have happened to you in your life. I don't care how lost and alone you may feel. It doesn't matter because Jesus is in this place with you and He will never leave you and never forsake you because on that starry starry night in Bethlehem, He came for you. He came to say, "I love you", He came to suffer and die for you. He came to rise again and give you a completely new life with your slate wiped clean. He came to set you free. He came to bring you peace. He came to be with you for every minute of every day for the rest of eternity. That's Christmas. That's what God was doing by sending us His Son. That's what we're celebrating or at least, what we're pretending to celebrate over this coming week. Do you get it? Jesus came for you and if you have nothing else to celebrate this Christmas then celebrate that. It's all you need to make your Christmas the best one ever. And remember, I'm praying for you that this message, this incredibly Good News of Jesus, will light up your heart with a joy unspeakable.   A QUIET REFLECTION I just want to pick up on something really insightful my pastor said last Sunday, about being with someone who is dying. He made the point that one of the most powerful things that we can do is simply to touch that person. Whether it's holding their hand, or giving them a hug. I remember when my dad was in intensive care just before he died, that's exactly what the nurse told me to do. Why? Because that sort of intimacy brings a powerful comfort and reassurance to the person who is dying. You know yourself, just knowing that someone is here, standing with you, caring for you when you're going through a difficult time, is in and of itself truly powerful. It may not make the problem go away, but it brings a comfort that nothing else can bring. And in many respects, that is what the physical Presence of Jesus, which began on this earth on that first Christmas, is all about. Of course, you and I can't touch Him physically right now, but one of His great promises, just before He ascended into heaven was that He would pour out His Holy Spirit on every man, woman and child who believes in Him. I just want you to quietly reflect on that powerful, powerful truth. Because according to Jesus, that's even better than having Him around physically. Speaking about His departure and the Holy Spirit, He said this: John 16:7: Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. The Holy Spirit, better than Jesus, according to Jesus. More intimate than Jesus, because when the Holy Spirit fills us, He never leaves us. He is always there to empower, to comfort, to guide and to give us wisdom and power. With Jesus, if the disciples were in another place, then He wasn't there physically with them. But with the Holy Spirit there is no place that you or I can go to flee from His Presence. As the Psalmist writes: Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will cover me, and the light around me become night,' even the darkness isn't dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you. (Psalm 139:7-12) What we tend to do is we chop God's great story up into little bits. We separate the birth of Jesus from His death, from His resurrection, from His pouring out of the Holy Spirit, from the powerful things that were ushered in through the early church. But you can't do that. All of those things happened because Jesus stepped out of the Spiritual dimension into the physical dimension, onto this planet to be close to us. That closeness, that intimacy, is like touching a dying person. You and I, until Jesus touches our lives, we are dying people. And then, He brings new life. And then He fills us with His Holy Spirit and then, you and I are never, ever, ever alone again for the rest of eternity. That's what Jesus' coming has given you. That's why Christmas is such an amazing time to remember this radical plan of God's to show us His love by being close to us, by touching us, even though we were dying in our sin until He came. My prayer for you … is that as you drink in this wondrous message of Christmas. As you reflect on it in your heart, the Holy Spirit will do an amazing work of joy in you, to cause your spirit to soar into heavenly places – and receive this amazing Christmas present that we call Jesus.

From the responsorial psalm: "Blessed they who dwell in your house! continually they praise you. Blessed the men whose strength you are! They go from strength to strength. Here God lives among his people." A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 21:28) Jesus told his disciples a parable. “Consider the fig tree and all the other trees. When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near; in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Jesus describes what the coming of the kingdom of God looks like in a tender comparison of the fig tree and all other trees. It buds and yet is to bud. Already here and yet to be, its coming looks like all the opening up to warmth and new life that summer brings. The generation in which Jesus spoke these words has passed away, but the kingdom was present then, is here now, and is yet to open wider. "Jesus Christ," Saint Paul says, "is the same yesterday, and today, and forever." God, just as the buds of the fig tree burst open, let the coming of your kingdom work in me to bud and bring new life. The psalmist prays "Here God lives among his people." Already here and yet to come, your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. Let me remember throughout the day to radiate your love and praise you. Give me the opportunity to show others whose strength it is—from strength to strength—that finds a home in a soul that cries out for the living God. Lord, keep me in your kingdom as I seek to remain in you for eternal life. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lectio-divina-daily/support

Speaker: Pastor Tim Yorgey Sermon Date: 10/13/2024 Sermon Series: Genesis Sermon Notes Listen in as we return to the book of Genesis. We look at Genesis 15:1-12. Here God reminds Abram of the promise of a son as well as God establishes a covenant with Abram. Join us as we study this passage.

You know what is really hard for humans to do? Let God be God. We have a list of things that we think God isn't allowed to do, or at least a list of things that we would rather Him check with us first before He does them. He doesn't give us the reason for why He does things, and given all that we read in the Bible, you would think He should be trusted at this point.  We saw last week that God has a plan for the unplanned. Here God was able to use the sin of Abraham to set things up for turnarounds thousands of years in the future. We've seen God work in all kinds of ways to ensure that the blessing is transmitted from one generation to another. He has planned from the very beginning of this book that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the snake. We've seen that there is a line of the woman and a line of the snake down through every list of names. We had Cain and Abel. The line was clear until Cain killed Abel! Doesn't sound like the seed crushing the head of the snake, does it? But then God brings Seth into the world who ultimately produces Noah. Noah has three sons one of whom (Ham) has a cursed family line that will end up serving the line of Shem. Eventually, we see the line of Shem produce Abraham. It is promised that he will have the seed! We see Ishmael born, but it will be Isaac, the technically second son, who will have the blessing of the seed.  Up to this point, you could be confused as to how these lines are decided. Thus far, it looks like each person has chosen their own adventure. Abel was a right worshiper, and Cain was not. It wasn't until Cain became a murderer that it was crystal clear who was who. Ham didn't stand out until he mocked his father's nakedness. Ishmael stood out from the beginning, but that was because Hagar wasn't the woman of promise. It might look like that God has thus far been reacting to what humanity has been doing. Yes, the blessing has been safe thus far, but is that because God is simply the best at taking life's lemons and making lemonade? Or is God's control more comprehensive than we might imagine?  The present story will make clear how it is that God runs the show. This is a passage that Paul makes reference to when talking about God's control of matters. As we will see today, and in weeks following that God sovereignly directs His plans beforehand, yet everyone is both dependent on God and responsible to God.

Follow @tinamblackpmts on Instagram and email ⁠⁠⁠tina@tinablack.net⁠⁠⁠.  Join our Facebook Group: ⁠⁠⁠HERE   Darcy McLane is the Director of Accounting and Financial Systems for SEMCO Energy, Inc. holding a master's degree in administration.  She is also the Executive Director of Hope Endeavors and Hope Village in Malawi Africa. The vision for HOPE Endeavors started in 2004, on a mission trip to the Philippines.  Darcy had been completely content living her version of the American dream.  She was busy raising three wonderful children and had a career that she enjoyed.  On this trip, she came face to face with extreme poverty.  Here God broke her heart, and she knew I had to do more.  So, Darcy founded Hope Endeavors in 2005 along with her husband, Rod and dear friends, Mike and Denise Vrooman. Today, Darcy is the Executive Director of Hope Endeavors and oversees the operations of HOPE Village in Malawi Africa as her hobby on steroids.  Hope Endeavors is a 501c3 charitable organization whose mission is to bring HOPE to those suffering in extreme poverty.  We are committed to helping children not only survive but thrive by providing holistic care and sustaining projects that provide hope for the future.  We seek to educate, engage and empower others to make a difference.

Today's message is really about taking the long view.    The human attention span is short, like really, really short. Between the world wars, Winston Churchill warned Europe that Hitler was a threat to the continent at least, but people ignored him. And then when the Nazis turned violent, the people turned to Churchill as their prime minister.    Having led the country through another costly war to preserve freedom, Churchill was defeated for reelection in the last days of World War II. It's like the people had forgotten his priceless contribution to world peace. He knew the war would take a long time and that it would be costly, and the people wanted to avoid thinking about it, and even later wanted it over quickly. And that's rarely how life works. Churchill returned as Prime Minister in the 1950s, but his experiences show that people mostly want short-term solutions.    Working for the long goal is rarely popular.    Jeremiah 15:15 says, “Lord, you understand. Remember me and care for me, avenge me on my persecutors. You are longsuffering. Do not take me away. Think of how I suffer reproach for your sake.”    Here God is reminding us that often, we're required to stay in it for the long haul. Nowhere is this more true than in the pursuits of peace and contentment. That kind of thing is not built quickly, and not surprisingly too many people don't stay with it, and they stumble along looking for solutions in the wrong places.   If you're in a bad place today, you're going to have to start with basic steps. Talk to Jesus and tell Him you're struggling. Maybe you have a vague sense of depression and just can't locate the direct cause. Take the example of people who did understand the source of true happiness, and were committed to seeing it through no matter how long it took.    Abraham knew the value of prayer, and he waited for decades to have a son. Hannah was also unable to have children, but she prayed and stayed faithful, and eventually, God gave her a child and she felt fulfilled. Joseph spent years in exile in prison because of his brother's actions, but his faith didn't waver. He actually found his contentment in the middle of these trials, and eventually, God restored his family, and all he had lost.    If you're depressed or ground down from money worries, or facing some other huge challenge—go to God right now and tell Him you need peace for your soul. Tell him you fully trust Him and will wait with as much patience and faith as you can. It's then you start the clock ticking on your difficult circumstances, and while you wait, your heart will be at rest.    Let's pray.    Father, thank you for the good gifts that we already have. Help us be grateful for those things that sustain life. We fully trust you to bring about our delivery from life's circumstances precisely the moment you have chosen. Sustain our spirits on this journey, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.  Did you know many of the messages featured on the Kerusso Daily Devotional are available on a T-shirt? We create original T-shirts, apparel, and gifts with inspirational messages that share the Good News of Jesus. Learn more at Kerusso.com.

You don't need a change of scenery. You just have to open your eyes, and LOVE. We're not looking anymore. We're only Loving. You feel That? Only Love is here. I Love You I Am You nik  To claim your free gift, leave a review on Apple Podcasts, screenshot it and send it to me at nikki@curlynikki.com!  Join us on Patreon to support the show, and tune into and participate in live video Q&As with me!  Support the show राम राम राम राम राम राम राम राम राम राम राम Highly recommended children's book, 'How to Enjoy God All the Time', by Chris Fields that clearly explains the teachings of Brother Lawrence! "Here God, I am doing this because I love You." -Chris Fields (quoting Brother Lawrence), How to Enjoy God All the Time "Jesus, please come into my heart. Help me with everything in my life. I am sorry for all my sins. I want to have a new life with you. Wash my heart with Your love and joy and live inside me. I give you all of me. Please give me all of You, And be my Best Friend forever. Amen." - Chris Fields, How to Enjoy God All the Time "If you have never felt God's love inside you, ask Him to help you. Be quiet for a minute. It may be as gentle as a butterfly kiss. It may be as quiet as a ladybug. But as you listen, you will recognize His whisper deep inside you. You may feel peace. This is the beginning of enjoying God. He doesn't always speak in words. Sometimes He speaks in a picture, a feeling, or a song, But He always speaks with love." - Chris Fields, How to Enjoy God All the Time "If you have never heard God speak to you, you can be quiet right now and listen to Him. He gave you special ears inside your heart that are made for hearing Him. He has so much to tell you. Most people only listen with their outside ears. Once you are good at listening with your inside ears, you'll hear how much God has to say. He will be the sunshine of your heart." - Chris Fields, How to Enjoy God All the Time  "This is the point in your life when things take off for you. You should feel confident in making bold moves. The expectation is that everything you put your hand to now will improve and flow your way Mainly because you're shifting your energy, which is allowing you to bring more elevated frequencies to the things you're focused on. Know that the tide has been turning for a reason. Move with that knowing. Shift with that balance. Your energy is providing you with leverage you've never had before." -@Source Messages "Call to Me, and I will give you an answer, and let you see great things and secret things of which you had no knowledge." Jeremiah 33:3 "Clear your mind of dogmatic theological debris; let in the fresh, healing waters of direct perception. Attune yourself to the active inner guidance. The Divine Voice has the answer to every dilemma of life." - Lahiri Mahasaya "You can only be non-possessive, non-jealous, when a different kind of love has arisen in you which is no more dependent, which needs nobody, which simply goes on overflowing. If somebody partakes, good, you are grateful. If nobody partakes, very good, you are alone, absolutely happy." - Osho  "Oh, Jesus, my love... my vocation, I finally found my vocation, it is LOVE." - St. Thérèse of Lisieux "How to Recognize God's Voice" by @kapchatfield (meditation inspiration)  "The voice of the Lord is full of power; the voice of the Lord has a noble sound." Psalm 29:4