Don't Look Back!!

"Jesus, I am so going to follow YOU!! I want to see the blind healed and see people delivered"

"Follow me"

"Yeah, Jesus, I'm just waiting for some money to come through and then I will be with You!"

"Jesus my friends are watching...I'll have to wait until they are not looking"

With the best intentions a lot of people in Jesus' time wanted to follow Him. But in Luke 9:57-62 we hear the excuses people made for not following Jesus. This challenged me in terms of what Jesus responded to the excuses:

But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Wooo what a serious illustration. Jesus is known for telling such creative stories - helping you to paint pictures and relate the Word of God to your life. I'll begin with why God led me to this scripture. I recently attended a conference and I heard a powerful message on going to the nations and then we had a time to pray. In myself I began to feel a sadness and started asking God why although it seems people want a change in the nations, there's little change (not dismissing all the changes that have taken place) and God replied with that scripture...now this was more directed as in a moment I'll be like - yes God I'll be praying for unity - this will last for a couple of days....and then the momentum has gone! How any times do we put our hands to tools to do work and then turn away?!
People turn away for different reasons. I love a parable in Matthew 13:44-45 where the story is told of a man who finds hidden treasure in a field. He sells ALL he has for that field. How many of us would have found out the price of that field- realise we would have to sell everything, and then just turn away?! How many of us would have turned away because our family and friends are ridiculing us?! I'm not only on about being a Christian. As a Christian we follow Christ, wherever He leads us- we are daily making decisions whether to follow Him or not. It could be in forgiving someone - it could be in letting go of a bad habit. Are we willing to follow Him even through the storm? Even when it costs us everything?! I like that in the parable the man finds treasure. When we are following Christ we have found treasure- will we hold onto the cheap metal of this world because we're not willing to let go for the treasure? We find out the cost and then we turn back....no perseverance no faith ... we turn back...

People in our lives are always turning away- we lose many people in our lives - some decide, some are taken - but we have all experienced someone turning away from us. Our examples of how to relate to people, can be affected by these experiences. We approach people or situations and when things get hard we turn away. Unfortunately our past can be filled with abandoned dreams and relationships. Two stories I want to share with you that challenge such life experiences:

A young man goes on a journey- well escapes home. He has had to run away. He arrives at the home of his uncle and is approached by a beautiful young woman; as soon as he sees her he falls in love with her. It is Rachel, his Uncle Laban's youngest daughter. Jacob said to his uncle that he will work 7 years for him if he can marry Rachel and Laban agreed. Jacob worked 7 gruelling years for the love of his life. At no point did he turn away- believing that after 7 years it would be all worth it-love spurred him on, and the 7 years flew by quickly. At the end of the time, the wedding day approached and Jacob married the young women hidden by the veil and knew her (in the Biblical sense), when he awoke he discovered that it was not Rachel, but Leah her older sister. The treachery! Jacob had served Laban for 7 years! 7 years so that he could spend the rest of his life with Rachel-but it all seemed like it had been in vain! He had not got what he worked for! (How many of us would have turned back because of this?!) Laban had tricked Jacob because it was the custom of that time to marry the older daughter first and promised to give Jacob Rachel if he served another 7 years. "Wooo, well Uncle Laban, Rachel is foine but she ain't that fine! I'll keep Leah and move on!" If some of us were Jacob that would have been the response. We find we have to work harder for something and turn back. We find we have to pray more, praise harder, love more....and so we turn back! Jacob could have just thought he had failed and then quit. But Jacob LOVED Rachel (and love is a strong word- that's a whole nother blog!), he loved and so agreed to Laban's plans and worked another 7 years. After 7 more years - 14 years in total - Jacob married the love of his life. A beautiful story....but feeling that it doesn't relate....Here's the second one....

She doesn't love Him anymore, doesn't really know He exists. Doesn't know who she is and so she is battered and bruised and dressed down - living amongst paupers. But He wants her back. Wants to treat her like the Queen she is and show her she is loved. So He meets her where she is at and treats the way she should be treated. In return she continues to hurt Him by spending time with other men, going low places. (How many of us would have said "Low her, she's not worth it!" But He thought she was worth it) He had to win her back. At the right time, when it seemed all hope was lost for her...He gave his life for her. He gave her EVERYTHING! He had His heart set on her and so He gave His ALL for her. If you haven't noticed, 'He' refers to Christ and 'she' is the Church or us. God gave His Son for us- He didn't back out of His plan and change His mind when He saw how hard it was to get us back-He gave His life for us! ( (8) Oh, how I love Jesus (8) )

We then are to love others with this same kind of love- based on the way that Christ loved us. Not based on wordly circumstances where people have left us or we have left others - but love as Christ loves. I believe we should approach our dreams in the same way. Psalm 37:4 says that we are to delight ourselves in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our heart. Some of have interpreted that as He will give us certain desires. A lot of the things that I would like to do I believe have come from God - establishing His Kingdom on earth. What happens when I turn away? I don't believe that His Kingdom will not be established but there will be a delay and I will not get to partake in the joys of His Kingdom. I'll explain it like this. An entire nation leave Egypt led by Moses into the wilderness. They have been promised a land where they will be established, however this land is inhabited by all sorts of different nations - which may not have been a problem, but they were giants! The people started complaining about the Promised Land, about being in the wilderness and wanted to turn back to Egypt. Upon leaving Egypt they were happy, but when the going got tough they believed Egypt was better! They would rather be in bondage than push to freedom! A short journey then turned into 40 years in the wilderness- a new generation emerged from this nation and they entered the Promised Land. The generation before (minus 2 people) wanted to turn back and so didn't get to partake in the promise - but it doesn't mean that their nation was not established. We daily have a choice as to whether we want to go deeper in God or stay in the shallow end.

More is definitely required- listening more to the voice of God- following as He leads, spending more time in prayer! Do we give up when loving others? Do we give up when our dreams flop? Even when our characteristics contradict who we are in God, will we push forward until we look more like Him-trusting Him to complete what He has already started?! We get distracted when we look back, like Lot's wife. We look back to what we thought was better. We look back and let our past shape our future afraid history will repeat itself. We look back when as Paul said we should be looking ahead!

As difficult as the journey to deeper may seem we can not turn back, especially in these times. We need to keep moving forward. Galatians 6:9 says not to grow weary in doing good. Though it feels like we are not getting anywhere or receiving results that contradict what we are working towards (a Leah) we need to continue to push forward. In Luke 18 Jesus encourages us to persevere.  I want to be fit for the Kingdom of God - I want to be known as a faithful servant who doesn't turn back when things get tough but know that God can trust me with His Kingdom and I move forward in Him! In Ezekiel 47 Ezekiel describes a vision where he is shown the temple and water flowing from it. The water gets deeper and when it is really deep there is more life in and around the water. Will we stay in the shallow end, where everything is nice and easy but dead- or go in deep where there is LIFE?

Here is an example of somebody giving it all: http://whydidthescotsman.co.uk/
And I know there are many more! Will we join them in going deeper, or turn back?

The Goodness of God

A long time since I have written so I hope whatever writing skills I had has not grown rusty but I will get started...so.....

It all started when I was en route to Audacious conference in Manchester- making a decision to go in faith, however in the morning I was feeling that it was a bad decision and when things started to go wrong, I felt that that was 'confirmation'. Well I began my journey to Manchester, LATE :( *sigh*, enjoying good worship music getting me ready for the week ahead when I miss a turn and find myself in Liverpool!! That was the last straw! I had tried to keep positive all morning but now I had been pushed over the edge! Everything was going wrong - but just at that moment I began listening to a song "Glorious" by Katie and Bryan Torwalt and there's a line that says 'I know nothing apart, apart from Your Goodness God' - that challenged me ALOT! I made a decision to stop seeing the negatives of the day but to focus upon God's goodness :) .....and this is where I was led .......

....well I arrive at the conference (in good time I must add- if I had stressed any more that would have been a waste of a rise in blood pressure) and a scripture is shared:

Psalm 31:19

 Oh, how great is Your goodness,
Which You have laid up for those who fear You,
Which You have prepared for those who trust in You
In the presence of the sons of men!

Amazing! Now that was confirmation!!! I had encountered God's goodness - not because on that particular day, at that particular time God had decided to share His goodness with me - but I had chosen to set my eyes on something that existed before time began!!

David said 'Taste and see that the Lord is good' in Psalm 34:8. If anybody knew about negative situations it was David! A number of times people tried to kill him - his own son tried to take over his throne!! But during all those circumstances what did David focus on? In Psalm 27:13 David says:

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.

He sounds like somebody who has tasted the goodness of God because he is looking forward to seeing more of the goodness of God - he knows it is something worth expecting! What are we expecting to see? And what are we even taking in with our eyes? Hebrews 12: 1-3 says how we need to keep our eyes on Christ (the goodness of God) and lay aside any hindrances - we should be focussing on the goodness of God- that's all we should be drinking. We can see that in all his situations, David looked for the goodness of God (Psalm 63). 

It can be hard to believe that the goodness of God exists at a time when we are surrounded by suffering and pain, but like David we must believe and expect - Jesus tells Martha when He goes to raise Lazarus from the dead, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?". We have access to God's glory, His goodness. In John 1:51 Jesus tells a man that he will see heaven open and angels descending on Jesus. Now remember the last time we heard such imagery was in Genesis when Jacob went to sleep and had a vision of a stairway into Heaven where angels were ascending and descending. This tells us that Jesus is the stairway into Heaven - and where is Jesus - Christ IN US the hope of glory (Colossians)!! If that is the case we have constant and open access to the goodness of God! Let me give you an example:

Two thieves receive the death penalty for their sins. Life seemed unfair from the start- having to steal to survive- and life was consistent with being unfair to the end as they are strapped to a wooden cross waiting for cold greeting of death...but life unexpectedly throws something at them. In between the two thieves was a Man called Jesus. One of the thieves turns to look at Jesus and with hate in his eyes spits curses at Jesus - he's glad to see the back of this life - it had nothing for him anyway.... the other thief corrects the man and turns to look at Jesus, and sees the Saviour of the world and asks Him if he can go to Jesus' Kingdom. Jesus looks at this man , this robber, who has known nothing but crime and tells him that he will be with Jesus in Paradise! ... Woooo! The goodness of God in motion! One man chose to dismiss the goodness of God and the other received as he saw the goodness of God! The goodness of God is on display - Romans 1:20 says we are without excuse! Titus 2:11 says that the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men!! We are constantly exposed to the goodness of God, He is the Father of Lights- but how will we respond?

In Romans 12:1-2 we are challenged to give our lives to God in response to His mercies- in response to His goodness we are to worship Him with our lives! Lamentations says His mercies are new every morning!! Great is His faithfulness! And in response I do all to His glory!

This week I have learnt to focus on God's goodness and 'forget not His benefits' - anytime I need a reminder- i will have to watch the Father of Lights DVD where God's goodness can be seen in action! 

*Meditate on His goodness*

Reflections....Contentment

Contentment...is most probably a swear word. Amongst striving for money, a career, a family, people strive for contentment...all these things they chase after to achieve contentment. In this world, something in us, about us needs to change, before we can be happy.


Comments or conversations go a little something like this: "I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish a baller, I wish had a girl if I would, I would call her..." realistically they go like this: "If only I was taller, I would be happier..If only I had more money, I would be okay...If only...when I...when this changes..." striving for contentment.


Do you regularly hear in conversations, about how happy people are in with things in their life? I'm not saying that we should be happy with everything, but at what point do we become content...do we base our happiness on material things-what we do have?


This expectation is projected onto others. An expectation for them to be unhappy with current situations because they 'appear' to lack something.


I may get personal...how much I can share, I will be careful- but it's the best way I can put it across.


First of all, is it bad for us to love ourselves? To fit in must I have a level of self-hate. Once I feel FREE to love myself (note its not whether I love myself or not), I will allow others to feel FREE to love themselves, and not expect them to feel discontent but encourage them to be content.


Recently, due to many trials with my hair, it is now in a bob-I don't mind-I like my hair-but I have often found that people expect me not to like my hair. I don't mind people asking me about my hair and so forth but reflecting on why people expect me to dislike my hair - may say a lot of our expectations of beauty...of happiness.


(8) All my single ladies (8) ... lol yes I will reluctantly touch on the subject of relationships. Was singleness Paul's thorn in his side? LOL! NO! There's an expectation for single ladies to be bitter and insecure - for a long time I have wanted to blog (rant) about this. Is a single woman incomplete. On the contrary! God has blessed me with friends who are (they may not say and even know it) Proverbs 31 women! Whose value exceeds rubies! Really 'who is he who can find her?' Though he has not discovered her, does that alter her value? (8) A rose, is still a rose and baby girl you're still a flower (8) ... I'm going to say something that may upset a lot of you .... wait for it ... wait for it ... your singleness is a gift ... and when you're married that relationship will be a gift. 


Whatever position you are in, it is a gift - how are you spending it? Bitter or content? Every part of life has treasures waiting to be discovered. Why spend life waiting to be content? Why spend your singleness waiting for someone to complete you...if you are already complete? (are you...continue reading)


...Now hold up, wait a minute! Before you get carried away and think I'm on some feminist ting!-I am not! A relationship is a gift - one day he'll come - but he won't find me waiting for him to complete me ... he'll find me complete. How can I be certain? I'm glad you asked... the moment I've been waiting to share!


I don't LIVE to satisfy myself, for I am already satisfied. I am already complete! Colossians 2:10 says 'I am complete in Him'. Christ in us the hope of glory and the fullness of God is in Christ, therefore the fullness of God dwells in us! We are in need of nothing! Psalm 91 says 'with long life, He will satisfy me'...not long hair, not a big house - long life! Some blogs ago we met the lady at the well who was looking for satisfaction elsewhere until she met the One who supplies living water!


 Can't spend life chasing after these material things...chase after the One in whom life is found - Matthew 6 says to seek Him first! And everything else will follow. Those who trust in the Lord will not be put to shame! He has an abundant life for us, stop striving for it... LIVE it!

*Psalm 63*

Be rooted, secure and grounded in love

Identity redefined

Genesis 32:22-32


Sometimes we have to go through a time of wrestling, where something has to be sacrificed (Jacob's hip) for God to bless us. Do not let go, no matter how much wrestling you are going through - something has got to change.


Psalm 27:14 - wait expectantly on the Lord.


In Luke 18 we hear of the story of a widow who continues to ask an unjust judge for justice. He doesn't grant her what she wants, but she continues to come to him, and so he gives her what she wants. Jesus told this story to explain to the disciples that they need to continually pray and not give up.


We go through situations- many unexplainable. Romans 5:3-4 explains that we can glory in our sufferings! You can glory in your wrestling! In you struggling! It says in scripture that suffering brings about perseverance, perserverance character, and character hope. James 1 is similar where we are told to count it all joy!! These situations count as joy! For in these trials our faith is being tested producing perseverance, becoming mature and complete not lacking in anything! These trials work for a greater purpose- not to take us out- but to develop- God will use these things for our good! Peter says that when our faith is tested we will come out as pure gold...we need to go for gold- trusting that the Author and Finisher of our faith is building us up! 


With such an encounter that Jacob had with God, you can not leave the same way- and in our times with God- trials or no trials, we can not leave the same way and as our character is developed, our identity is redefined. Nations were released from Jacob as his identity was transformed to 'Israel'...what's waiting to be birthed out of you?

Fear v Faith .. let the games begin

Genesis 4


If Abel had faith- and so his offering was accepted...what did Cain have?


What's the opposite of faith? Fear, doubt?


Cain served his fear, his doubt, as when you are jealous you fear you are not good enough. He not only had this attitude in life but he had this attitude in worship. Instead of his eyes being on God, his eyes were on himself. 


We need to stop serving our fears and anxieties, but worship God with all we have! 


*Without faith we can not please God*


Romans 12:1-2 - we just like Cain and Abel are still offering up sacrifices..ourselves...but how do we offer ourselves? Romans 14:23 says that whatever is not from faith is sin.


In faith you look beyond yourself, look beyond your circumstances (Romans 4).


Hebrews 11 - our faith involves us believing He is and that He is a rewarder.


Choose this day whom you will serve. Will you serve your insecurities or serve God?!

Where You go I go....

It's so important we change the way we see everything around us-realising we are created with a purpose and so we must live on purpose! With the Kingdom in mind I challenge you (as I have been challenged :p) to think about the reality you live from and how you live that reality here on earth.


Let's just take a look at the realities that we live from.


We have got to walk by faith- God's been really challenging me with that - showing me what faith looks like- we enter and welcome Gods presence with thanksgiving (enter His gates with thanksgiving in your heart) and then God was telling me that that is a representation of faith- when we go into thanksgiving with no guarantee that everything is going to be okay that's faith because we're depending on God- we say He is our Redeemer and our Deliverer! We must be thankful in situations, inviting Him and expecting Him to be exactly who He says He is! In Acts 16 we meet Paul and Silas who visiting different towns and dependent upon where the Holy Spirit sends them, they minister at that town. In one town they are doing ministering when they are arrested. While they were in prison they responded with praise- and it's like how much of us would respond like that especially when God told them to go in that direction- we would turn to God and be like how could you bring me here?

*Without faith you can not please God*

Then the ultimate example, Jesus- did He really know what He was going to find when He went certain places-because He only done and said what He heard God do and say and He was in prayer so maybe it was in those times when God was directing Him- step by step sort of thing- so if that was the case when Jesus was directed to do things like cross the river and a storm brews up - Jesus is caught napping! why because He walks by faith and not by sight- His mind is only what God said and God said go to the other side- therefore they must be going to the other side- we must know and believe what God says to be true and walk according to that- these momentary light afflictions do not define who we are nor where we are heading. I believe that while Paul and Silas were in prison they knew that they were in chains in this world but in reality they were seated in heavenly places in Christ and they chose to live out of that reality- everyday we got to choose which reality we will live from! We must choose those heavenly places boi! God is good Romans 8:28 and until what He says to come to pass we worship whilst waiting expectantly! Our situations on earth change but in reality we're always going to be seated in heavenly places so our decision should be the same every time!


In Colossians we are told that Christ in us the hope of glory- rewind and come again my selecta!- Christ is in us! And what is in Christ but the fullness of God (again Colossians). The fullness of God is in Christ and Christ is in us- so we therefore have access to all that is in God- love, joy, kindness, patience- all those qualities. Peter says that we have been equipped for life and godliness. This is our reality- that in whatever situation due to our close intimate relationship with God we can tap into these kingdom reality qualities and live them out here on earth. In need of love- we can show it.


We may feel at certain times that we have no more strength or no more love for a situation- but we can draw from God for all that we need and not live as victims but as overcomers knowing that God supplies all we need! We know that He has already overcome the world and so we have! It's like if your parents are rich (and our Heavenly Father is for the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof) and you ran out of money- knowing that your parents are generous, because of the relationship you have with them you can draw money from their account. It's the same relationship we have with God as He is our Father and not only is everything His but He is generous. I feel low on love or patience, I draw from that Heavenly infinite account!! There is so much in God thfat He wants us to have to live out an abundant life!


I encourage you to live out of the reality that you are seated with Him- situations may come and go but He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him- and thats the Truth!!

Victim Support Service

Been a while - but have a lot of thought to write and not a lot of time - so this may be the first of many- but it will be short and sweet.

Been reflecting on how we handle life situations, how do we see things- how do we see God, ourselves and people- and been reflecting on, in particular, difficult situations where we are called to love, be it our enemies, our friends or even ourselves. Something I have been challenged with regularly ( so you can read on and see if you can make sense of my thoughts :p)

So often we hear and often casually throw around the term 'walk in love'- but what does love look like. I have seen love translated many times and sadly seen it become lost in translation and people make it up as they go along. In 1 Corinthians 13 we can see the outworking of love but in this post I would like to focus on the attitude of love... and oh yess love sure does have an attitude.....
I say this because you can step on my toe and as I know I need to walk in love towards you I say no problem. But we all know that no problem can be said in so many different ways- I could be kind with it, I could be snappy with it, I could be aggressive with it- and which would come with the attitude of love... the one that oozes out forgiveness! 

That was a very small analogy- but what I am trying to say is that when we do what we are called to do- how do we do it- and how do we see ourselves in the process. Whenever I have these reflections I always have to come back to the Bible and what greater example is there than Jesus? He came for love. John 3:16 says that God so LOVED the world He gave His Son. Christ came for love-so that we may come into relationship with God, our Father. So what did love look like? It looked like encouragement (evidence of Jesus in the Gospels), healing, and so much more signs and wonders! Not only did love look like something- but love carried an attitude. Christ did all these things not worrying if people were going to accept His love, He loved anyway! He didn't do these things worrying whether people were going to take advantage and walk all over Him. He loved anyway! He didn't show an act of love and then behave as if He had given someone power of Him. He loved anyway because He knew that love has more power!! He also did all these things with a vision in mind. He done all these things knowing that whatever He came up against from the attitude of the Pharisees to leprosy, there was going to be a day where He would see all these things under His feet! He knew He was going to overcome these things- and knew He could walk in that overcoming spirit in the present. 

It says in Colossians 2 that Christ disarmed such authorities was put them to shame when He triumphed over them! We can therefore now love openly with no fear of the outcome for we know that however other people respond to us- love never fails! When walking in love we need an expectancy- In Hebrews 12 it says that what kept Christ going was the joy set before Him! He had a vision, and had an expectancy. He loved openly knowing that love would triumph. We can do the same knowing that we are and will overcome! We love out of God's love and not our own. 

In the face of rejection- we can continue to love! Why should another person's affect my own?
Love openly with an attitude of expectancy- not with a victim attitude for we are created to be overcomers- lol i dont love thinking "you've got one over me this time because I have to love you"- it may feel painful but love with a smile on your face knowing you have overcome!! 

*LOVE*