Pour out your Heart

Ps 62:8
"Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah"   (NKJ)
Our pastor has been telling us on Sundays how we need to pour out our heart to the Lord, as the 2 disciples did on the road to Emmaus. In my last post, I shared about a dream I had, and how we need to invite the Lord to speak to us, and to wait to hear what He says. And in days to come, I will be sharing more of my thoughts on how we actually hear His word to our hearts. Today, let's think about the verse above. Look how it begins: "TRUST in Him at ALL times!" This blog is all about trusting Him because He knows US! And as we read that story in Luke 24 about that conversation on the road to Emmaus, we see a couple of men disillusioned and disappointed - how can they trust without understanding? Jesus invited them to tell Him what was troubling them.

And He invites you and me today to tell Him what is troubling our hearts and minds. He longs for us to pour out our hearts to Him. When did you last go to Jesus privately and tell Him exactly what is on your heart? We go to others and often we complain that God is not answering us. But have we actually spoken to Him? And, as I shared on the Post just below this one, waited to hear Him?

A major part of trust is to tell God how we feel! On this link you can find a study with the acrostic of the word TRUST with very simple steps to learning to trust Him every day. And the first step is "Talk to Him"!

When we honestly tell Him what is on our hearts, then, through reading His Word, or hearing His Spirit in our hearts, Jesus will give us understanding. He will open our eyes to His truth. Situations may not immediately change, BUT He will turn our disappointment and frustrations to hope and peace in our lives. He will speak His word of understanding and comfort and healing to our hearts.

Come to Him today. Pour out your heart. Let Him hear you. He will answer!

Jer 33:3
'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'   (NKJ)

Jer 29:11-12

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.      (NKJ)

(And please look at the latest "Sunday Gem" on the link above).

Hearts on Fire?

Please have a look at "Sunday Gems"  by clicking on the top link, and find  what our Pastor shared about the disciples who were joined by the risen Jesus as they walked to Emmaus, sad and despondent, 3 days after the crucifixion. Once He had been revealed to them, they said "Wow, no wonder our hearts were burning as He was speaking to us on the road!" (my literal interpretation!) Do we listen to Jesus, do we hear His Spirit within us, so that our hearts burn? So that we are warmed with His love, strengthened with His encouragement and wisdom and the revelation of Himself and the Father to us? So that we know we are connected with Him and know His presence with us? 
How can we stay connected and know that joy of His presence? As our Pastor encouraged us, we need to find ways which help us stay in that place.  There are so many ways we all know - but sometimes even reading our Bibles and prayer can seem distant and without any response within our hearts. Like the disciples we went there to find Him, but He was not there! 
Some years ago, I had a dream, which I have recorded and want to share it with you here:

In the dream, I was standing with a group of people. One young man was looking at me and saying, "How can I make my quiet time with God more interesting, less boring and routine?" And I immediately answered him, "There are 3 things you can do to keep your time with the Lord exciting, vibrant, refreshing and meaningful." Then I spoke these three things, which seemed to come from the heart of the Lord.

1//  ASK God to speak personally to me.
2//  RECEIVE His Word and His love. Wait.
3//  PRAISE Him. 

I told the man that both in his prayer and his reading of the Word to do the above. It means time, it means stopping and waiting to listen. When we truly expect to meet with God and hear Him, we will. And if God is present, how can ever the time be boring?? 

That was the dream exactly as I wrote it down. And, since I have put this into practice, it is amazing what I have heard the Lord speak to my heart. Try it! When you are feeling weak, He may call you "Overcomer". He may tell you in words from Song of Solomon how beautiful you are and how He loves to hear your voice and see your face. He may give you instructions for your day - in which case he will also fill you with the grace and strength you need for it! 

And then praise and thanksgiving and your heart love will flow back to HIM! 
Our hearts WILL burn, as we hear His sweet and wonderful voice revealing His love to us.

God is Faithful

Has anyone ever told you that answered prayer is just a coincidence?  Someone answered that challenge by saying, "Well, if that is the case, all I know is that when I pray, 'coincidences' happen and when I don't, they don't!"

I like to call coincidences "God-incidences". Again and again, when we pray and bring our burdens and specific problems to God, He amazingly answers. He arranges key encounters, provides for us over and above what we ask or think, mends relationships, shows us the way through a difficult situation, heals us, turns our mourning into joy – and more and more and more. Because He loves us!  He loves to hear His children when they call to Him – not always with their troubles, of course, with their joys and hopes as well and with thankfulness every day to Him!

Don't forget to come and talk to God today. You can be so simple with Him. No long prayers required! God has promised to hear His children and to answer our needs. Years ago I used to sing a chorus which went:

"A little talk with Jesus makes it right, all right,

 A little talk with Jesus makes it right, all right;

In trials of every kind, praise God, I always find,

A little talk with Jesus makes it right, all right!"

I just know that God is so fantastic. He never lets us down or gives up on us.

1 Corinthians 1:9 in the Message:

"God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that."

1 Cor 1:9 NLT

⁹ God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

And in the amplified, the same verse:

"God is faithful (reliable, trustworthy, and therefore ever true to His promise, and He can be depended on); by Him you were called into companionship and participation with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

Companionship with Jesus – that is the key. Keep close to Him. Touch base with him at different times throughout your day! Let him be your very best friend!

The Lord knows those who trust Him!

"...you asked God for help and He gave you the victory. GOD is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him." 2 Chronicles 16:9 (Mssge)
This story is about a prophet coming to King Asa and rebuking him for turning to men for help instead of to God, and pointing out how God had helped him in the past in an impossible situation. 


Here is the same verse in the New King James:
"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him."


How amazing is that? God is on the lookout for people for Whom He can be strong! And how strong is the Lord? He is the One who can roll back the sea or bring gushing water flowing from a rock in the desert! He is the One who has promised to feed and clothe us. He is the One who can heal the sick and raise the dead to life! 


AND "He knows those Who trust in HIM" Nahum 1:7


When we put our trust in the Lord, He connects with us and His power is there for us. On Sunday, Ellie, an 18 year old girl in our church, was sharing how God had helped her in her music exam when she had to play several piano pieces - and then she said, "If you don't involve God, He can't help you!" 


That short sentence there is so challenging, so true - Ellie was encouraging us to be diligent in prayer, in listening to God and paying attention to His Word. Over the next few posts, I am going to outline different important ways of putting our trust in Jesus, lining ourselves up to be in the way when He is looking for someone for whom He can be STRONG!

Casting your Care

Have you ever experienced the "4am worry syndrome"? Most of us have at some time woken up in the early hours and every problem or care in our lives becomes magnified many times. Problems and impossibilities go round in our minds.  What we perceive to be shortcomings and failures in our personal lives will also trouble us in these hours.  I always feel there is a fine line between worry and prayer! If you are trying to sort out the whole world at 3 or 4 am, it would be much more restful to let God sort it out!  Sometimes He wants to use you in this quiet hour to pray into a particular situation. If it concerns relationships, or your children, the health of a loved one, your work, your financial situation, then bring it to God. He is your Father. Roll your burdens on Him and He will carry you through. One practical help is to get out of bed, make a hot drink, and read your Bible for a bit.  Try a Psalm and start thanking the Lord for the promises you find. God can totally change our perspective and bring us peace again and sleep!

1 Peter 5:7 (Amp)

“Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on HIM, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.”

I have been thinking about a verse which is amazing in that it is translated with 2 differing meanings. Have a look at this:  

Ps 68:19 (NASV)

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden,

The God who is our salvation!  Selah.

God is to us a God of deliverances ...”


The Amplified version puts it like this:

^19”Blessed be the Lord, Who bears our burdens and carries us day by day, even the God Who is our salvation! Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! God is to us a God of deliverances and salvation …" 


In both the above verses, it is talking about God bearing our burdens, and even carrying us! The wonderful thing is that it is daily. Every single day the Lord is caring and carrying! His mercies are new every morning (even at 4am!). (Lam 3:22)


Maybe you know of the poem, "Footsteps"? The author tells of looking back over his life and seeing 2 sets of footprints through the sand - the Lord's and his own alongside one another. However, at the most difficult and troubled times, there is only one set of footsteps.  He asks the Lord, "Why did you leave me Lord, when things got tough?" And the Lord replies, "I never left you. Where you see only one set of footprints, it is there that I was carrying you!" 


Now look at the New King James version of the same verse, Psalm 68:19,


“Blessed be the Lord,Who daily loads us with benefits,

The God of our salvation!   Selah

Our God is the God of salvation….”


Wow, here He is loading us! What does He load us with? His benefits, His goodness, His blessings! So He takes all our burdens, worries, failures, impossibilities etc and He exchanges it for HIS load! His load of blessing - joy, health, provision, guidance, peace, power to live and to love and to overcome in our daily living. I believe that the Lord intended for the Hebrew original text to be slightly ambiguous in its meaning about whether it is HIS load or ours! God is telling us that He is always waiting to exchange loads with us! Our burdens for HIS blessing! He loves us, cares for us and sets us free!


Psalm 37:5 (Amp)

 ⁵Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.

Start rolling your load over onto Jesus right now. When you can take some time, just share your problems or heartaches with Him. He longs to exchange all that weighs you down, to give you instead His load of blessings and, with it, direction for moving forward with joy and gladness, knowing His amazing love for you.

PS: Please see my notes on the sidebar about the different versions of the Bible that I use and the link to BibleGateway.

Knowing Jesus!

Becoming a Christian is not about joining a sort of religious club, or about obeying a set of rules and regulations. It is not even about going to church, and certainly not about you doing good works and trying to be perfect!

No, to be a true Christian is all about relationship! Relationship with God as our Father, through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not about "doing" – it is about "being".

Being forgiven and cleansed

    Being adopted into God's own family

           Being renewed by God's love

                Becoming a brand new creation

Knowing His love for you. Knowing His joy over your life! Knowing that God has a purpose for your life. God your Father wants you to walk with Him and talk with Him. He knows you and He loves you just as you are.

When Jesus died on the cross, He took all your sins and griefs. You can come to Him today very simply by receiving Jesus into your heart and life. Tell him you are sorry for all the wrong things you have done and for turning your back on Him and just come to HIM! Ask Him to forgive you and come into your life.

Here are some verses to read from the Gospel of John:

John 1:12 New Living Translation:  " But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.¹³ They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God."

Then in John ch3, Jesus is talking to Nicodemus, a Jewish ruler, and tells him he needs to be born again: 
^{7  "}Marvel not [do not be surprised, astonished] at My telling you, You must all be born anew (from above).......                                                                

  

 ¹⁶For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.

    ¹⁷For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him."   (Amplified version)

Read these verses, and put your own name in where it is appropriate, and where it says 'the world' make it personal for you! God loves YOU so much that He gave His Son to die for you that you may have eternal life - with freedom, joy, peace and hope in your life from this day on! It is truly like being born afresh - it is a totally new start with Jesus. Quiet you heart before God now, let His love wash over you and ask Him to come in.
Jesus says "Come to ME ..."

Matthew 11:28

²⁸ Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

You are Special!

I love writing this blog. It is such a joy to know that we can share the love of Jesus with others! And I have seen that I have some viewings from Russia. Well, I live in Wales, United Kingdom, so it is exciting to know that I have at least one friend in Russia. Hello! Many years ago, I used to pray for your country every day, so that Christians could be free to worship. What a joy to know that there are now many churches and places in Russia where people can learn the Word of God and love and praise Him! I don't know if you are reading this post, but I want you to know, that although I have never visited your wonderful country, I love you and Jesus loves you! You are special!

In my next posts I will share more about what it means to know Jesus. But right here, I want to post some words from the Bible to tell each one of us how valuable, unique and special we are to God!

Psalm 139 (The Living Bible).

 O Lord, You have examined my heart and know everything about me.

2 You know when I sit or stand. When far away You know my every thought.

3 You chart the path ahead of me, and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment You know where I am.

4 You know what I am going to say before I say it. 5 You both precede and follow me, and place Your hand of blessing on my head.

6 This is too glorious, too wonderful to believe! 

7 I can never be lost to Your Spirit! I can never get away from my God! 

8 If I go up to heaven, You are there; if I go to the place of the dead, You are there. 

9, 10  If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, even there Your hand will guide me, Your strength will support me.  

11, 12  If I try to hide in the darkness, the night becomes light around me, for even darkness cannot hide from God; to You the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are both alike to you.

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body, and knit them together in my mother’s womb. 

14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvellous – and how well I know it. 

15 You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion! 16 You saw me before I was born, and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in Your Book!

17,18 How precious it is Lord to realise that You are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day your thoughts turn towards me. And when I waken in the morning, You are still thinking of me!

 ..........

 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test my thoughts. 24 Point out anything you find in me that makes You sad, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Isn't that a wonderful psalm? Here are a few questions to think about and to help us realise how important each one of us is to God. Perhaps you could get a pen and paper and write down your own heart thoughts or your answers as a letter to God! 

A Study about God’s love for you from Psalm 139

1)  How long has God known you?   v.13-16

2)        Write down the date and year you were born. Did God plan that you should be born on this day? Do you think that day is special to Him?  v.16

3)        How much does He know about you?  v.1

4)        Has He planned your life?  v.3 and 16

5)        Does He leave you to follow His plans on your own?  v.3 and 5

6)       Is God a distant figure? v3-5 Or is He always near?

8)        Is there any place we can be away from God? v.6-12  Read Romans 8:35-39.

         ³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? .........despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

9)        How often does God think of you?  v.17-18 

10)    Do you want to follow His course for your life and pray the prayer in the last part of the psalm?

God's Loyal Love

^{Have you heard the story of the Chinese artist who painted a picture which he entitled "PEACE"? And before you start imagining some idyllic scene of sheep quietly grazing in a beautiful sunlit meadow, with a gentle brook flowing through, or a sunset over the golden sea, no, it isn't like that! His picture is of a waterfall smashing down over the rocks, thundering down the chasm. You can see the fierce power of the water and you can imagine the noise. In the midst of this on a small ledge just out of reach of the torrent is a dove on her nest. Chaos and noise all around her, but she is serene on her eggs, and soon there will be chicks, to be guarded and protected under her wings. Peace does not depend on our circumstances, but on our hearts knowing peace and rest in the midst of the storm.}  
God is the One Who promises us security in Him, under His wings, a "circle of quiet" as it puts it in Psalm 94:12 (the Message)
"How blessed the man you train, God, 
      the woman you instruct in your Word, 
   Providing a circle of quiet within the clamor of evil"
Here are some words I discovered in the book of Lamentations this morning:
"trouble",
      "utter lostness", 
   "taste of ashes", 
          "the feeling of hitting the bottom"      (Lam 3: 19 Message).
I wonder if any of these words describe something of what you feel today?Are there storms in your life?
Jeremiah, the writer of these words, felt abandoned and nearly gave up hope, but he remembers - and as he remembers, he "keeps a grip on hope"! 
And WHAT does he remember?
"God's loyal love couldn't have run out, 
   ^{his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
They're created new every morning. 
   How great your faithfulness!
I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over)."}  (Lam 3:22)
Wherever you are today, remember this - God's love can't run out or dry up. Say it over and over! Others may not be able to help you, but 
^"the Master won't ever walk out and fail to return"! (Lam 3:31 Message)
God will never abandon or desert you. He wants you to know His love for you in new ways every day. Verse 25 of Lamentations 3 declares:
God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,

   to the woman who diligently seeks.
It's a good thing to quietly hope,
   quietly hope for help from God.

Delighting in the ways of the Lord!

2 Chr 17:6  And his heart took delight in the ways of the Lord ...     

I read this verse this morning, and I thought it would be a great way to kick start this blog! This is about King Jehoshaphat, whose life and reign is well worth studying in 2 Chronicles chs 17 - 20. The secret of his success is the above scripture. And I hope that as I write this blog on a fairly regular basis, we can all learm more about what it means to delight in the ways of the Lord - to enjoy, revel in, seek and long for the way of God in our lives. The way of blessing and fulfilment - as well as challenge and discovery and adventure!

Start up ...

Having designed my title, I think that I have to now trust that Jesus knows how to blog too....! I am just trying to work out how to do a template - it will come - please be patient if you happen to look at this before I really get started!

Any help welcome ........