Harmonious Living

In times such as these, one must rekindle in their hearts and minds, a passion for overcoming the burdens of living. Trials and tribulations are as natural as the day turning to night. It is said that in this life there will be many difficulties and that we must be of good cheer, giving thanks in all that we do, and for all that we have. With this frame of mind, we will be able to endure much suffering in the name of Christ our Lord and Saviour. It is written in 1 Peter 4:16 “However, if you suffer because you are a Christian, don’t be ashamed of it, but thank God that you bear Christ’s name!”

Many burdens can be lifted and carried away simply by casting them onto Jesus. Psalm 68:19 says “Praise the Lord, who carries our burdens day after day; he is the God who saves us.” When we do this, it gives Him permission to ease our troubles, and to even turn them around for our good. How’s that for easy living! He can turn discord into a harmonious melody that we simply could not imagine ourselves. 1 Corinthians 2:9 TNIV says ‘However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived – these things God has prepared for those who love him”.

When one gets into the habit of doing this with all their troubles, it creates a pattern of giving and receiving in our lives, kind of like a divine transaction if you may, and is worth more than all the gold in the world. It becomes a partnership between the human and the Divine.

Consider this: when trouble strikes, there is no panic, just a simple prayer of thanks offered up to the Lord, and then a release of the issue into the Lord’s very capable hands. Then wait for it – problem solved! Yes that’s right. Your problem will be solved.

Our Lord has the answers to every problem before the problem even occurs! It may not be resolved in quite the way you would like or perhaps not in the time frame that you would wish for; however, nonetheless it will be resolved according to His divine wisdom of what is required for the particular situation to become a blessing for you and for those around you. What a wonderful feeling knowing that we are being taken care of for all of our lives. Isaiah 46:4 says “I am your God and will take care of you until you are old and your hair is grey.”

Misfortune can be viewed as an attempt from the enemy to undermine all of the good you’ve got going in your lives. You see, the Devil doesn’t like it when you succeed and are happy. He would like nothing more than to sabotage your plans and the plans God has for you and your family. And it doesn’t stop there. He will fight against you to try and mess everything up.

When we ask Jesus to help and to even take over for us, this, in itself, puts a stop to Satan’s plans. He has no power against the mighty name of Jesus. When you commit your life to Jesus, you become His precious child. He has already paid for you by His blood that was shed on the cross at Calvary, and has chosen you before you were born, to be His. It is written in 1 Corinthians 6:20 NKJV “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” This is good news isn’t it!

Don’t think that you won’t ever run into trouble because that is an inevitable part of living here in this broken world, but have faith that things can and will be put right by the one who loves you the most, and that is Jesus. You need not ever fear, because you’re not alone. He is always there at the ready, waiting for you to come to Him with whatever your heart desires. He is waiting for you to reach out to Him, giving to Him all your troubles. This promise is given to us in Matthew 7:7-8 NKJV 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

Jesus is always there, walking with us, and even carrying us through the really tough situations. When you come out the other side, you will look back and think to yourself, ‘wow – how did I get here? I could not have done this alone!’ That’s because we are never alone. We always have our best friend Jesus with us, through thick and thin, through the good times and the bad, and He will see to it that you receive all that is intended for you and your family. All we need do is ask! Praise God! All glory goes to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit whom I believe as always, have gifted me with these words today. Amen.

PS Psalm 95:6-7 6 “Come, let us bow down and worship him; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! 7 “He is our God; we are the people he cares for, the flock for which he provides.” Amen!

These Final Days

We are coming into a time beyond all human history that we have never seen before on our planet. There is much mystery surrounding Biblical Prophecy of the so called End Times, and much propaganda too. If we are to live joyous lives amidst all the chaos, then we must rise above all the angst that is being created by television and the media. Everywhere we turn, we see broadcasts of this or that happening somewhere in the world. There is so much negativity out there it is little wonder any of us can get any sleep! And yet, with so little said about the many wonderful things going on here today, one wonders what there is to be joyous about!

The news has a way of bringing hysteria into our homes. We must at all costs, keep a positive outlook in these troubled times. If we must watch the news, we must try to remember that these things going on all around us seem magnified to the point of giving us the illusion that it’s all happening right here in our own backyards! The world is a big place, and these happenings are all brought into our homes today courtesy of a big square box.

There are many claims out there that we are approaching the prophesied End Times. This is a very controversial subject and one that we are not to take lightly. There is much work to do to help bring home all of God’s children. We need to realise that our efforts must be directed at spreading the gospel and at restoring people’s faith in the one man that can save them, and that is Jesus Christ. He came that we may have life! John 10:10 says “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” We need to help set people free from their bondage and their commonly mistaken beliefs held about life after death. You’d be surprised at how many people don’t even believe there is a place called Hell. They think it’s all a big scare tactic to get Christians to behave themselves.

The fact is, Hell is mentioned throughout the Bible in various scriptures, such as in Matthew 5:22 “......you will be in danger of going to the fire of hell.”, also in Matthew 18:9 “......”and be thrown into the fire of hell.”, and again in Matthew 25:41 “Away to the eternal fire which has been prepared for the Devil and his angels!” These are just three scriptures and of course there are others located again in Matthew, and in Jude, Isaiah, Luke, Proverbs, in the Psalms and of course in Revelation.

We need to get the message out there that God loves us. That is the most important message of today. If we can help people come to know and experience this truth for themselves, then we are well on the way to helping to save souls. One more soul for God means one less for the Devil. So when you are faced with the choice to bring about positive change in your environment – choose life. Choose to be a shining example of what God’s love is all about. Matthew 5:15-16 says 15 “No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl; instead it is put on the lampstand, where it gives light for everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.”

Don’t worry so much about how much time we have left to do this – let God be God and let Him deal with it. If we spend our lives worrying about when, or if, then we will be wasting our opportunity to bring forth God’s message of love. I’m not saying that shouldn’t be prepared. The Bible says that we should be ready. It is written in Matthew 24:44 “So then, you also must always be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting him.”

Of course there are many signs of the End Times given to us as warnings. The disciples asked Jesus when all this will be, and what will happen to show that it is the time for His coming and the end of the age. Matthew 24:7 7 “Countries will fight each other; kingdoms will attack one another. There will be famines and earthquakes everywhere. 8 All these things are like the first pains of childbirth.”

But if we spend our time trying to assess everything then we could miss our opportunity to help bring home souls. By all means, watch the television, but try to keep on solid ground, and keep a positive perspective. These could well be the final days. So let’s not waste them worrying and speculating. Let’s do our job that has been assigned to us. Walk in the truth, displaying a clear message of hope, faith and the love of God in a time where it is needed more than anything else. Share this message with everyone you know and get them on board. Let’s do it! Amen.

All glory for these writings goes to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit whom I believe gifted me with these words for you today.

PS I believe these are anointed words. They come not from me but from the one who knows.....Amen.