Jesus is Alive

This is a weekend of remembering! A weekend first of all to thank God for the victory we have over sin and death because Jesus died that terrible agonising death on the Cross for you and me! Then the amazing news we celebrate tomorrow, Sunday - 

"HE IS RISEN!"

Hallelujah! Jesus is alive! 

Below I have copied a piece from my daughter, Jo's, website email today. If you would like to look at her MumsKidsJesus website, here is the link:   http://mumskidsjesus.com/

From Joanna Chee:

There's a wonderful phrase circling the virtual globe this Easter:

...churches are empty - but so is the tomb

It comes from a poem by Kristi Bothur:
How The Virus Stole Easter (with a nod to Dr. Seuss)

It's an amazing poem. Physical churches may be empty, and Easter may look very different this year, but the truth remains: the tomb is empty, Jesus is alive, and He offers LIFE to all!

...Jesus is Victor over death, doom and gloom

Life is so so different for us all, isn't it. I have not wrtten a post for a while, as I have concentrated more on writing to individual friends and keeping up with family.This is a time I believe for deepening our relationships, and, with the Holy Spirit's help, these can become more beautiful and this will always be a time to remember in the future - a time when we were indeed isolated from human fellowship physically, but where our love for Jesus grew, our intimacy with Him became something more special and our friendships and family became more precious then ever!

God bless you this Resurrection Sunday! Wherever you are and whoever you connect with for worship and hearing the Word online, may you have that very real knowledge that God has not forsaken you. He has not forsaken our world! Jesus has triumphed over evil! His be the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory forever and ever! Amen!

Victory in Jesus 2

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
9 For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.  Psalm 36:7-9

On my last post, we read that the first step in spiritual warfare is to "bow low in God's awesome presence"! I have been practising that this weekend, as it is the only place to come and find God's incredible peace and know that He loves me and is keeping me through all the turmoil we are living through in these days. The second step from that passage in 1 Peter 5, is to cast all our cares, worries, concerns and anxieties on Jesus! This means that childlike trust and reliance on Him and His love and care. Oh yes - there is no other place to be, but at Father's feet and pouring our heart out before Him. He wants us to come:

Matthew 11:28-29

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.

Right, here we are then in God's awesome presence, trusting Him with every single thing in our lives, in complete dependence upon Him and only Him - and THEN we can be ready, and only then, to withstand the enemy roaring around like a lion. Read this passage again from 1 Peter 5:8-9

Be well balanced and always alert, because your enemy, the devil, roams around incessantly, like a roaring lion looking for its prey to devour. Take a decisive stand against him and resist his every attack with strong, vigorous faith. For you know that your believing brothers and sisters around the world are experiencing the same kinds of troubles you endure.

"Strong vigorous faith" comes only out of being in the presence of God and in His Word, relying on His greatness and love. Today, how is the enemy roaring at you? Is it fear? Or financial problems? Or isolation and loneliness, or depression? Or anxious concern for a loved one? Or even anger at the situation you are in? Tell it to Jesus! Come bow before Him. He will enable you to stand and speak His Word and see that enemy flee. Receive His love and peace and assurance today.

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.

 1 Peter 5: 7 Amplified version.

Victory in Jesus 1

Ephesians 6: 12-13For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. We have to remember that we are in a spiritual battle. We are not warring against the conditions in this world, or against poverty and illness, including the Covid-19 virus and its effects. We are in a battle against principalities and powers of darkness. The good news is that Jesus has already triumphed by dying on the Cross for you and me, and rising again, ALIVE for evermore, interceding for us at the right hand of the Father. Take a few minutes today and read Ephesans 1:19-23. Our risen Christ is above every principality and power! Hallelujah! What we need to know is how we also keep overcoming with Him in the present crisis.  The first key I want to share today is to "bow low in God's awesome presence". Peter and I were reading the verses below yesterday and I was going to share them on this post today, and then received a Bible Reading email sent daily from Oasis Church, Hereford with the exact same reading! Now that is the confirmation that we need to hear this message and take it into our hearts. Today, with the world around us totally upside down, no churches in the UK and other countries able to meet, even in homes, we need to take steps to bow before our God. To seek His face like never before. He is there for us, and cares about every single aspect of our daily lives. I leave you with the passage below to read and meditate on. And then tomorrow the second step.  1 Peter 5:6-11 (The Passion Translation) If you bow low in God’s awesome presence, he will eventually exalt you as you leave the timing in his hands. Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for He always tenderly cares for you. Be well balanced and always alert, because your enemy, the devil, roams around incessantly, like a roaring lion looking for its prey to devour. Take a decisive stand against him and resist his every attack with strong, vigorous faith. For you know that your believing brothers and sisters around the world are experiencing the same kinds of troubles you endure. And then, after your brief suffering, the God of all loving grace, who has called you to share in his eternal glory in Christ, will personally and powerfully restore you and make you stronger than ever.  Yes, he will set you firmly in place and build you up. And he has all the power needed to do this - forever! Amen. And AMEN! Thank You Jesus!

Minds Renewed  -  Lives Transformed

"Peace Be Still!"

Jesus calms the roaring waves of confusion and uncertainty in our hearts! Jesus stills the fierce storms raging around us in these days! Let's come to Him over and over in our day and in the night when we wake. Let us bring to Him our concerns for ourselves, our own families and for our loved ones and communities. Let us pray for wisdom for a beleagured government.

Have a look at these verses in Psalm 56 from the Passion translation:

"But in the day that I am afraid, I lay all my fears before You and trust You with all my heart. What harm could man bring to me? With God on my side I will not be afraid of what comes. The roaring praises of God fill my heart, and I will always triumph as I trust His promises.
.............
I trust in the LORD. And I praise Him! I trust in the Word of God. And I praise Him! What harm could man do unto me? With God on my side I will not be afraid of what comes. My heart overflows with praise to God and for His promises. I will always trust in Him.
So I am thanking You with all my heart ..... "
Ps 56:3-4, 10-12.

Today, let it be praise to Jesus that is the roar in your heart - let praise replace the roar of the terrors of the pandemic and all its consequences. 

Trusting our Father goes hand in hand with thanksgiving and praise for Who He is and that He is faithful and has promised to care for us and protect us and keep us safe!

Tomorrow I will be sharing a little about the weapons of our warfare and the armour of God. Also please scroll down if you have missed previous posts, or click on individual posts in the right margin of this blog.

The LORD shall be your Confidence

Have you been listening to the news today? It could be terrifyng for so many. I can feel fear coming on board while I listen to the predictions of the escalation of the virus around the world. I am over 70, plus I have a mild lung condition - asthma, which was once serious, but, thanks to the Lord, I hardly notice it now and have minimal doses of inhaler. BUT it sure is scary - and I feel that tightening in my lungs. I am being honest, because I know many people are fearful and we cannot brush this under the carpet!

BUT we have an ANSWER!

And the ANSWER is JESUS! The same Jesus Who slept in the boat in the midst of a storm  - so bad that the disciples thought they were going to drown! (Mark 4:35-41) Jesus said at the outset to that trip, " Let us go over to the other side!". And when Jesus speaks, it happens, so He wasn't worried about the tempest! But his disciples were very afraid. Jesus is never  asleep or deaf to our cries, and He will see us through and bring about His full purpose for our lives. Wow, that brings comfort and strength!

As I have spent time with the Lord today, I have felt there are 2 main things we must do in this season:
1. Make sure we connect with God BEFORE we listen to any news in the morning. Try to read some of the Word, or speak out some scripture  before you get up, and ask the Holy Spirit to come close and speak to you, and to be your helper and guide, comforter and strength as Jesus promised. Let His oil permeate your being as you get out of bed! 
2. End our day with the Word of God - not the news or social media - but God's Word. Read it out loud if you are not disturbing your husband or wife! Declare it together!  Make sure your mind is soaked in the stong Word of God and then you will certainly sleep better! I have written some scriptures below about the peace God promises us in sleep.

Peter and I have a scripture we declare often in the morning:

The Lord is good,
A stronghold in the day of trouble;
And He knows those who trust in Him.

Nahum 1:7  

In between, during the day, ensure we have quality time in the Word and in God's presence. Talk to Him and let Him talk to you. Still your heart before Him. Let the gentle whispers of His grace warm your heart. Let His Word continually cleanse us from fear and trepidation, whether that fear is about getting ill, or, more likely, about how we will continue to get provisions and live our daily lives.

Here are some scriptures from the sure and faithful Word of God to help us. 

Psalm 3:5, 6

I cried to the Lord with my voice,
And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah

 I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.
 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.

Psalm 4:8

More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.
 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

     Proverbs 3:24
 Whenyou lie down, you will not be afraid;
Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror,
Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;
26 For the Lord will be your confidence ...

And here is one for some of us oldies!

Isaiah 46:3, 4

“Listen to Me, ..........
You who have been upheld by Me from birth,
Who have been carried from the womb:
 Even to your old age, I am He,
And even to gray hairs I will carry you!
I have made, and I will bear;
Even I will carry, and will deliver you.

HALLELUJAH!

Take courage! God is with us!

This will be my last post for a few days as we will be away. 

God bless, and keep you and make His face to shine upon you!

Your Heavenly Father Knows

The daffodil in my garden which bloomed on Feb 7^th and has since borne hailstorms and strong winds and yet stayed upright and beautiful is at last fading – a whole month it has brought cheer to us –

1 Peter 1:24, 25:

“All flesh is as grass,
And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away,But the word of the Lord endures forever.”

The Word of God is eternally true and to be totally relied upon!

Peter is quoting here from Isaiah 40:6-8. This chapter has so many encouraging verses in it,beginning: “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” and ending with those great promises of strength for all those who wait upon God. Do read Isaiah 40 when you have some spare minutes today.

 Jesus takes up this theme in the sermon on the mount when he says:

30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown

 into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or 

‘What shall we wear?’ 

32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 

34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

This is Jesus Himself telling us not to have worry for tomorrow or anxiety about the future.  

With the scare about the possible epidemic spread of the coroanvirus, people here in UK are panic buying, to the extent that in some places, there is not even any toilet paper left on the shelves. I read today that some are going out and buying new freezers to then fill them up! In all of this, where do we stand? If people empty the shops, then shouldn’t we get in there quickly before it all goes!

NO – Jesus tells us clearly in Mt 6:33 to seek FIRST the Kingdom of Heaven – that means looking to our heavenly Father for each day. He will show us what to do. If you have that gentle prompt in your spirit to buy enough provisions to last in case of 2 weeks' quarantine, then go ahead. But otherwise keep to your normal patterns. Father has promised to look after our needs. The supermarkets are not our certainty, but Father God is! He is our Provider and Protector, and here are some more scriptures to meditate on today and let your heart be still before God.

“Be still and know that I am GOD”! Psalm 46:10

the New American Standard version says:  “Cease striving and KNOW that I am GOD!”

Psalm 46: 1-3

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling.

The Lord of Hosts is with us…. V 7 and 11

Spend time in this wonderful Psalm. Speak it out loud for yourself, for your family and friends.

The daffodil may have faded, but I can still stand strong in the grace and strength of Almighty God.

Psalm 34:4-8

I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.

8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Choose to Trust

Do you remember how Joshua challenged the people of Israel to trust God as they overcame and settled the promised land? He declared,

     "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!" Joshua 24:15

Whether we are facing troubles such as the corona virus, or simply life's daily trials, we constantly have a choice to make. We may choose the way of the world and so open the door to worry, fear and unbelief, or seek God and find Him in the situation however small or big, but it is a choice every time. The Holy Spirit does indeed guide and prompt us, but we need to make that choice to listen to God and follow and believe Him and His Word! A friend wrote sharing her recent experience with me yesterday and I asked her permission to print it here. This is a true testimony of choosing faith and trust when everything else is trying to steal away peace:

"Yes times are very troubling indeed in our broken world.  This is the time we truly do need to stand on the Word.  Over the past three weeks J (her husband) has been abroad twice. ......I found the enemy handing me fear on a plate on a number of occasions associated with the spread of this virus and my job was to choose trust!  The Lord challenged me over this period ... was I in faith or fear? Because I couldn’t be in both!  So I started to declare the goodness of God over us and every member of our family and area of our lives.  The Lord ministered to me reassuring me that HE was not going anywhere and I could trust Him and his unfailing love and provision as He was unchanging and faithful and our good good God!  That I was loved by Him!" 

Let us all follow this example - we may feel fear attacking us, we may feel weak or in a mess - but let's get into the secret place of God's presence through Jesus Christ and find Him and His answers. It takes time and determination, setting our wills to choose Jesus!

In Joshua 23, he tells the elders of Israel to "cling to the Lord your God!" Choose to cling to God, and to His Word and promises. Choose to follow Him on an hour to hour basis!

" ..... but you shall hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. 9 For the Lord has driven out from before you great and strong nations; but as for you, no one has been able to stand against you to this day. 10 One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you. 11 Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God. .......

14 .... And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed. "  Joshua 23: 8-10, 14

Practical Wisdom

Over the last few days, I have heard from several people who either have underlying health problems or are older, as indeed many of us are! It is very easy to have fear about the possibiity of contracting the Coronavirus if it continues to spread. There is no way any of us wish to be affected by the virus, and yet we need to know how to continue fulfilling Father's plans for us day by day. We are not to be hidden away, but shining for Jesus. It is of utmost importance to learn to trust God as we go through dangerous times, but we also have to consider how to stay safe and receive God's wisdom in the way we go about our daily lives.

 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting James 1:5,6

God's wisdom is beyond ours! Jesus says in John 16:24:

24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

This He speaks in the context of telling the disciples that there will be times of trials and difficulties, and in v33, says, 
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

The Bible also tells us to obey authorities, and I believe, in this case, we need to hear the warnings to wash our hands frequently, to not travel on crowded buses and trains if it is possible etc, and to stay at home if we do have any coughing or cold symptoms. And remember there are still ordinary colds around!! We also need to ask Him what meetings to go to. I am convinced we need to continue having fellowship with one another. One friend in London had everyone who came to her home for a meeting, wash their hands as they came through the door. And they avoided kissing and hugging. We all need to hear God and then live our daily lives trusting Him, and remaining willing and open to anything He asks us to do. I KNOW then that our faithful God will keep us and protect us and our loved ones.

Ephesians 6:10, 13 (Amp)
In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].......                                                                                        Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].