What's your legacy?

What's your legacy? 

What are you known for? 

How would people describe you?

When you answer those questions, are you satisfied with the responses? Is this how you want to be known? 

This week I came across this verse in Acts:

'for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.' (11:24)

Now that is a way to be known! 

I wish people would say that about me - People don't, I wish they would. 

So, why am I not known to be like that? Probably because I don't show it. If I want to be known as good, full of the Spirit and faith, then I need to live it. I need to be aware of what I'm demonstrating every day, and to make bold choices to live how I want to be known.

How do you want to be known? 

Start living the legacy you want to leave. 

Ananais

Acts 9:10-18

there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 

I love this little story about Ananais. I am struck by his obedience. He is obedient even in the face of mortal danger. He knows of Saul. The infamous Saul who has authority to throw Christians in prison, torture them or even have them killed. This is the man Ananais is told to go to. 

I'm not surprised he questions God about it! It's like he's saying - "I've heard of this guy - he could kill me"! God doesn't soothe any fears Ananais may have, He just tells him to go. God explains who Saul is going to be, not who he is now. That's one of the amazing things about God, He sees our potential, he doesn't see what we are stuck in or how awful we believe we are, he sees who we are going to become. 

Anyway, back to Ananais. He's clearly spending time with God, having a vision, experiencing the Holy Spirit. He is a Christian, who, even if he is scared of the persecution going on, is still living life with God, praying, spending time with Him regardless. Now, he's had this vision. God has commissioned him with an important task. One which could go wrong, horribly wrong, but Ananais doesn't falter. When God tells him to go, he goes. What beautiful trust in God Ananais has. He knows Saul's reputation, but he doesn't hold back, because God's reputation is better. Ananais shows great trust and confidence in God, he goes and does what God has told him to.

Ananais goes off to meet up with the tormentor and murderer of God's people. 

Then, when he meets him, he calls him 'brother'! Wow! That bit shocks me. This man of God goes up to someone who is the enemy of God's people and calls him brother! Ananais has no more proof that anything has changed in Saul other than what God has said. What God has said is enough. Ananais doesn't go with prejudice, with pre-formed ideas of who he's going to meet or what is going to happen. It seems Ananais is completely aware of the transforming work God is capable of. He accepts that this man who has been responsible for the capture, torture, and death of other Christians, possibly even friends or family, can be transformed. Ananais obeys God above any fear, but not only that, he accepts Saul as family. Ananais firm faith means that he understands how lives can be transformed. He prays for Saul, Saul is healed, and then he baptises him. What an incredible transformation in a matter of moments! 

Would this of happened if Ananais hadn't been obedient, accepting, unprejudiced? If Ananais went thinking there's no way God could change THIS man, would this chain of events happened? 

We all have preconceived ideas about situations and people, but let's be like Ananais. Let's trust God in any situation, even the scary ones, that He can change outcomes and expectations. God is incredibly surprising and no-one is out of his reach, so let us be obedient and trust that God knows what he's doing - who knows who's lives could be changed through us?!

Sin is serious

If you read Acts 5, you'll come across the story of Ananais and Sapphira. 

Basically, they sell some land to give money to God's work. However, they say that they are going to give all of it, pretend they have then they die. On the spot. 

Every time I've read this, I thought that it seems pretty harsh. Yeah, they didn't quite tell the truth, but they die because of it - why were Ananais and Sapphira so severely punished?

Verse 3 gives us a clue as Peter asks, 'why has Satan filled your heart to lie?'. 

The issue isn't about money. It's about the condition if their heart. This couple hadn't been asked to give anything, what they did was voluntary. What they intended to do - give money - was a good motive, so what went wrong? 

Ananais and Sapphira had agreed to lie. They agreed together that they would say they'd given everything when they hadn't. They could of said they were giving some of the money, but they didn't, they pretended to give all of it. It's like they wanted others to look on them as sacrificial, generous all-out-for-God people. They decided they were going to keep a certain amount for themselves, which really is fair enough - it's their stuff anyway. However, it's the deliberate deception that is the problem. Peter says Satan had filled their heart. It's not a small matter, they had decided to look good in front of man, little considering what that would look like in God's eyes. 

Peter called out the sin as they brought their gift. God had given him knowledge of their deception, and he called it out. If he hadn't then it could of enticed others to do the same - to deceive each other. Peter was concerned that satan had influenced their hearts and that cannot be allowed in a community of God-fearing people. It's a serious business. Serious enough to die by God's standard.

This couple chose to lie to God and man, and they were punished for it. 

It must of been a terrifying lesson for all the believers. I mean, I know that I have lied at times, I have not been 100% truthful, and I thank God I'm still alive! If anything this story serves to show us sin is serious. If we allow it to grab hold of us then we are no better off than these two. Even if we don't die on the spot, sin, deception, wilful wrongdoing cause separation between us, others and God. This is the serious truth. 

Next time Satan tempts you to allow him to rule your heart, think about Ananais and Sapphira. It didn't end well for them, it went for you either. 

Everyday miracles

To know if you've ever experienced a miracle, you need to know what one is, so, what is a miracle? It is; 'an extraordinary and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore attributed to a divine agency.'

So, have you ever seen one of those? 

I have. I am certain you have too. I have seen a leg grow right in front of my very eyes, I have seen a woman who's neck pain has disappeared. I have also seen trees grow, and babies develop. 

You may think it strange that I include those last two in the list. Why? 

They are everyday miracles that we just take for granted. They are indeed miracles, unexplainable events that no natural laws or scientific revelations can thoroughly explain.

Lets think about a plant. Science tells us the steps required for a seed to transform into a plant. It tells us that there are certain conditions which a seed requires in order to grow, science shows us the steps of change it goes through. However, it doesn't tell us why or how. 

Why not? Because science can't explain it! It's 'an extraordinary and unexplainable event'! Thinking about the seed, how does it become a plant? Is the resultant plant squashed up, compressed inside that seed? So that it's like one of those expandable flannels that you just add water to and they grow? Well, that can't be, a seed is too small in comparison with the fully grown plant. Plus if you dissect the seed you don't see a mini version of the plant inside it.

Yet, when you place the seed in the ground, it has sufficient water, warmth and sunlight, then the seed completely transforms. 

It changes irreversibly, you cannot reverse the process and squish it all back into the seed. The seed no longer exists, but transforms into something completely different. Isn't that incredible?!

How? Again there are no explanations for how, just that it happens . It happens and we accept it, yet it is an unexplainable, extraordinary event, a miracle that this occurs.

Next, we could consider the mind blowing reality that two single cells meet, multiply and become a human being. Most of us know something of the process, but HOW does it happen? We may know the stages of development, we accept that the cells multiply and become each part of a baby, but how on Earth do two cells become a living organism? That surely is, 'an extraordinary and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws'. It blows my mind that two cells become a living breathing creature that has organs, limbs and a mind of its own. Science tells and shows us the step by step process that occurs, but I have never heard how or why those cells transform in the way they do. The cells transform completely from their previous state into something incredibly different, just like the seed. 

How incredible is the world around us. The growing of a seed, the growing of a baby are fundamentally unexplainable. We know these things happen, but we have no idea how they happen, we just accept that they do. If we cannot explain them naturally then surely there must be a divine agency at work!

we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard

Acts 4:20

"we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

Who feels like that when you've witnessed something? If you've seen something significant, something out of the ordinary, what do you do? You want to share the news right? Tel others about it, whether it's a tragic, exciting or unusual situation we like to talk about the things that intrigue and interest us. This is just what the disciples did. 

In the verse above, Peter and John, two of the disciples had been hauled up in front of the religious leaders of the time. They'd been questioned about what was going on and warned not to speak about Jesus any more. Their response; "we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

They both knew that what they had seen, what thy had experienced and now understood had to be told. It was a compulsion, an acknowledgment that they'd seen something marvellous, they were witnesses to Jesus; ministry, death, resurrection and ascension. How could they not talk about it? 

Peter and John displayed; boldness, honesty, integrity, courage and determination. Why? Because they could not deny the truth. They knew what they knew and they knew what they'd seen, these things could not be denied. No matter what, they were going to continue to tell and show people who Jesus is. Do you live your faith the same? Have you had an encounter with God that is undeniable? Has He changed your life? Have you been impacted by the Holy Spirit? If the answer to any of these is yes, are you telling people about it? Are you sharing the good news with boldness as these disciples did? 

Impact of the Spirit!

I'm reading through the book of Acts at the moment, if you want to be excited about being a Christian, this is a good book of the Bible to read! 

It has some fabulous recollections of what happened and can happen. It will probably challenge you too. 

The last couple of weeks I have been pondering on when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples at Pentecost. There were about 120 followers of Jesus at this point, and they were all in one place. 

In Acts 2 it says it was Pentecost. Pentecost was a celebration already in the Jewish calendar. It's a bit like our harvest festival celebrations. It's a holiday where there was no work, and Jews would go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem to give thanks to God for the harvest and celebrate. So, for the disciples they were probably gathering together on the special day to do just that. To remember God's provision, goodness and to celebrate who God is and Jesus is. They were all in one place. Then all of a sudden there's this weird loud noise like wind, then tongues of fire appear and rested on them and before they know it they are all speaking in different languages! 

Now, for anyone who's been a Christian for any length of time will probably know about speaking in tongues, but if you've never encountered it before - this is WEIRD! The disciplines knew Jesus told them to wait for the Holy Spirit, but I don't think they'd ever of imagined this!

They all speak in different languages having seen and heard some weird wind and fire. Now that is not an everyday occurrence, this event would be noticed - Imagine if that happened in your house during someone's birthday celebration - that would be odd right? People would notice and gather around to figure out what is going on. This is exactly what happened, those who'd come to Jerusalem to celebrate the harvest heard this commotion and gathered round. People like a mystery, they want to discover and unravel it if possible. These people who had gathered in Jerusalem came from all over the place, different towns and cities, they had different ways of life and even spoke different languages. So, these people gather round to see what is happening and they hear these regular guys all from the same town, speaking in their own language! They hear several different languages being spoken do that they all have the chance to ear about who Jesus is. Isn't that incredible?! Common, everyday men being obedient to God, not understanding themselves what's going on, but doing what Jesus said, then suddenly they are impacted by the Holy Spirit and end up telling a massive crowd about Jesus in people's original language! 

Wow! 

The whole city of Jerusalem heard about this event, and now the whole world knows about it because it's in the Bible. What an impact waiting for the Holy Spirit makes! If you've never encountered the Holy Spirit, do what the disciples did - be obedient and wait. Once the Spirit comes, there's no denying it! People will see a change and be intrigued by it. 

The next part of the story is even more incredible - are you ready for this??

The number of Christians increased from 120 to over 3,000 in just one day - talk about exponential growth! 

Can you imagine what your town would look like if the Holy Spirit impacted your life or church in the same way? 

The Kingdom of Heaven is near

I have noticed that the Kingdom of God is an important New Testament theme. 

It is John the baptist's message, before Jesus came along, he was telling people to; 'repent for the kingdom of heaven is near' (matthew 3:2). John was the preparation for Jesus ministry. He prepared the way, and declared about this coming Kingdom. 

Think about it, if the kingdom of heaven is near, if the place where God dwells is coming close, that could be a pretty scary message and certainly requires urgent action! That's why John was stirring people up, he saw God was coming, and recognised that people had better do something about it! When you realise God is coming close, that demands action. 

When Jesus began to teach, he himself taught the same thing, 'the kingdom of heaven is near' (Matthew 4:17). The same message applies, God is coming! What are you doing about it? 

Jesus taught a lot about the kingdom of heaven. He gave us lots of images to show us what the kingdom of heaven is like (for example; a seed, feast, treasure). Jesus himself, the son of God told us at the kingdom of heaven is near, and attempted to describe what it's like. Even when Jesus was resurrected he still was; 'speaking about the kingdom of God.' 

Clearly, this message about the Kingdom of heaven is important. Jesus spent his time talking about it, John before him spoke about the kingdom of heaven being near, Jesus rose form the dead and talked about it. So, why are we not preoccupied with the kingdom of God but the kingdom of the world?

I want to encourage you to consider, today, that this message is no less urgent; 'the kingdom of heaven is near' - what are you going to do about it? 

Last words

Acts 1:7-8

These two verses contain the last words of Jesus before his ascension. As these were the last things he had to say to the apostles before he ascended to heaven, then they must surely be pretty important. The very last words anyone speaks before they leave this Earth are considered important, how much more so when the one who speaks them is the son of God! 

So, here is what Jesus had to say, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 

Firstly, Jesus answers their previous question about Israel being restored. He basically tells them not to worry about when and how things happen. God knows the plan, he's got the timing sorted, so don't panic. Don't worry about it, God has it in hand. Jesus gives us permission not to get consumed or tied up with; when, where, what, if and how. We don't need to concern ourselves about these things as they are in the best hands possible. God has fixed the times and seasons by His own authority. So they are immovable, certain and secure. 

Instead of being concerned about those things, Jesus tells his disciples to 'receive power' when the Holy Spirit comes on them. Jesus lets them know it is going to happen, they just need to wait to receive it. The Holy Spirit was a long-awaited promise for the disciples, I wonder if they knew what to expect? Jesus says the Holy Spirit will give you power. What a great promise. Some of the power of God is delegated to you through the Holy Spirit. You do not have the power to authorise time, but you do have the power of the Holy Spirit. 

So, what is this power for? 

Jesus says it is to, "be my witnesses". The disciples were waiting to be empowered by the Holy Spirit in order to show who Jesus is. To share what they'd seen and experienced near and far. That is the purpose of the power of the Holy Spirit to declare who Jesus is and tell others about him. This expectation was not just for the disciples, it's for us too. We have the privilege of the power of the Holy Spirit accessible to us. What are you doing with it? 

Jesus' last words to those following him were his expectation that they would tell others about all that had gone on, that they would testify everywhere they went to who Jesus is. If you're following Jesus, this is his expectation of you too. 

Lion and Shepherd

Recently I've been pondering the fact that christians often talk about God being like a lion and a shepherd. They seem quite contrasting images, so what do they reveal to us about God?

When you think of a lion, what do you think of? 

I am reminded of an animal with great power, the 'king' of beasts, majestic. An animal which has ferocious loyalty, and will protect it's family at any cost. 

How about a shepherd?

A shepherd usually conjures up images of fluffy sheep on beautiful green fields. However, the reality of being a shepherd is quite different. David told us that he, 'used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bear' (1 Samuel 17:34). 

Wow! 

Being a shepherd is a serious job, and seriously dangerous! A shepherd has to be a strong and fearless protector. To do what David describes, he must really love those sheep! If he didn't - would he put his own life at risk?

Both of these images - the lion and the shepherd show how fiercely God loves us. 

We are his family, we are his 'sheep'. He fights for you. He is a strong and fearless protector. He put his life at risk for you.

When Jesus died on the cross he showed how precious his sheep are to him. He put his life on the line, and he lost it. Why? So that we don't have to be destroyed by our enemy, the devil, any more. Jesus fought the greatest enemy we could ever face, and he won. He is on the look out and will protect us if we decide to come into his family. He will love and protect us as fiercely as a lion or a shepherd. You will be safe. Life will still bring battles, but you'll have the king on your side.

Can I make a difference?

We can look around us and feel overwhelmed. There are soooooo many people in the world, I am just one of many. Like in a shoal of fish, I am just a single fish swimming about doing my daily thing 

Does it matter what I do? If I even exist? Can I really make a difference by being here? Does it really matter if I recycle/donate to charity/shop locally what difference can I really make? Does the little that I do matter? 

I guess the overall question is, can one person make a difference? 

Well, let's look at a few examples:

>Jonah - you probably have heard the story of the guy who got swallowed by a whale, that's Jonah. He didn't go where God told him, so he got swallowed by a giant fish. After that though, he did actually go where he was meant to, even though he still didn't want to and was pretty grumpy about it. The result, the whole city was saved from destruction! The king even repented, one man caused a city to listen to God! That was 120,000 people saved all because of one man, Jonah. Due to one man's obedience to God (even though it was against his own wishes) 120,000 people were saved from destruction. Their lives were literally and spiritually saved. 

>Esther is another example, she won favour in the King's sight, and saved the Jews from annihilation. Just because she stood up for what she knew was right even though she could of died in the process. She did what she felt was right, and a whole people group were saved.

>Gideon, oh I love the story of Gideon. He was hiding in a pit when God called him out to save the nation! He was hiding away, he knew he was the least of the least he could even prove it, yet God called him out! Gideon wasn't confident, but God assured him. Then Gideon ended up leading the people into victorious battle. Gideon recognised his own weaknesses, he accepted how small he was. He didn't have confidence in his own abilities, but in God's. 

>Then, how about Tabitha. Now, this woman may not be someone you recall reading about in the Bible, but she's there in Acts 9. She was known and loved for her, 'good works and acts of charity'. She was mourned when she died, people came to see her because of all the kind things she had done for them. She made an impact because of the way she served others practically. This lady didn't save nations or lead battles, but she faithfully served and loved those around her. 

These people, are all known for the difference they've made in this world.

We are not all going to become world renowned leaders like Gideon, or saviours of a city or nation like Jonah or Esther, but can we be known for kindness and love towards others.

Can you make a difference in this world? 

Your life touches the lives of many whether you realise it or not. We will not all become world-renowned leaders or saviours of cities and nations, some of us will, but not all. So, what difference can you make? 

What is the impression you leave those around you with? 

You are a representative of God in this world so you are created to make a difference. Use what you have to do what you can, that is how you can make a difference. Even if you feel you have little like Gideon or Tabitha, you can still use the little. If God is telling you to do/not do something go with it whether you want to or not, you never know what God is going to do and the influence he can give you. You and I have the power to effect lives. 

How can I be clean?

Proverbs 20:9

Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; 

I am clean from my sin”? 

This is quite hard hitting - who can make themselves pure? 

Who can undo the things they have done wrong? 

Who can free themselves from the burden of guilt? 

Yep, you guessed it - no-one! 

We can't do this ourselves. We can try to forget, but it creeps into our minds when we least expect it and weighs us down. The consciousness that we have hurt people and done what's wrong can tarnish our minds in many ways. 

If we have got away with something we can be wracked with guilt and a feeling that we need to be punished, we can even punish ourselves. We can focus on our wrongdoing until we even allow it to become part of our identity. 

It's not an intentional thing, it is a recognition that we have stuffed up, the problem is we can focus on that. We all do things wrong, get things wrong and say things wrong. It's good that we recognise and regret the things we do wrong, it's good that we recognise we are not perfect. 

But then what? 

It's not good to dwell in our sin, or fester over our guilt, there is no positive outcome to that. So, how can we get over it? - Wipe it away and be clean again? 

This verse reiterates what we already know - we cannot make ourselves pure, we cannot decide we are clean. We can't do it!

We can and will remind ourselves regularly that we are not clean or pure, that we are in fact imperfect beings incapable of cleaning up our hearts and releasing us from guilt and regret. That we can do, but we can't free ourselves from the memories, the guilt and shame. 

What's the answer then? The answer is, we need forgiveness. We cannot forgive ourselves because we are corrupted beings, we sin and don't have the strength to overcome the guilt. 

But.......THERE IS GOOD NEWS:

You can be forgiven

You can be free from guilt and shame

You can be clean

Your heart can be pure! 

How???

Well, we already discovered we need to be forgiven. We can't forgive ourselves because we don't have the power or purity to do that, but there is one who does. His name is Jesus. He is God's son. He lived on Earth, lived perfectly, he never did anything wrong. Then this perfect man was killed. He died pure and clean so that we can be forgiven for our wrongdoing, so that we can have freedom from guilt and shame and or hearts can be made new. 

Jesus took the very real, painful punishment for your sin. He stepped in so that you don't need to punish yourself any longer. You can be free from the reminder of what you've done. Your identity can be renewed in him as one with a pure heart. 

You cannot purify yourself, only someone who is pure can purify you, that person is Jesus. Don't live in guilt and shame any longer. Accept Jesus for who he is - the mighty son of God who has lived and died for your sake, for your freedom. 

He knows what He's doing

Today, I'm thinking about Proverbs 21:30. Here are a few different translations which give you a gist of what it's about;

ESV:

No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel 

can avail against the Lord. 

Message:

Nothing clever, nothing conceived, nothing contrived,
can get the better of God.

NIV:

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD.

Now, if you believe in God this is amazing news! No matter which version you read, the message is pretty clear;

Nothing can outdo God. 

Nothing can win against Him

No-one can out smart Him

No situation can confuse Him. 

As a Christian this gives me confidence. God's plans WILL succeed. 

If you think about your life, you can probably recall times when it seems things were falling apart, going wrong, or that you were in danger. Maybe it seems God wasn't even there. 

However, you're still here aren't you? You are still living and breathing. You survived. 

The enemy works to take us out, but nothing can 'get the better of God'. 

Our every breath is accounted for by God, our every step is known by God. 

I can recall events, even in the past week were I have felt lucky to be alive. I know that God has protected me. He has given me a life to live, and I will live it for as long as I'm meant to. Nothing can change that.

God has brought you and I through some tough times. He has protected and refined us. His plan has not changed.

This gives me confidence. God has given us all a part to play in this Earth, the truth is, the enemy will try to wipe us out one way or another, but God will have His way. Nothing can stop Him.

When God speaks to you, you have assurance that it will happen. God knows what He is doing. We can reason our way out of things, but, 'No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord.' So, you might as well stop arguing with God.

As a believer in God, you're on the winning team, you can have confidence that no matter what is going on around you, God is in charge. He dictates what is going to happen and He will comfort you, He will walk alongside you, and He will send angels to protect you. 

No longer a slave to fear

I’m no longer a slave to fear, 

I am a child of God

These are the words of a song, as we sang it in church this week, I realised that this is my testimony. I am no longer a slave to fear, but I am a child of God. 

Listen to the song here:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f8TkUMJtK5k

I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

This song really resonates with me. I don’t know about you, but I have often been scared of a multitude of things. Making up little routines so I could manage, hiding away whenever possible particularly when in a room with lots of people. I know Hod has worked in my heart because I am not the same person I was 10 or 20 years ago. I was bound by fear, now I am free. If you want to know that freedom too, then allow God to change your heart.

This has been my slow realisation over my life. I can not deny that Jesus is real, or that God exists. He has performed such change within me. I am not the same person because I have been born again. My heart, mind and character have changed because God has adopted me.

One verse that says, ‘from my mother’s womb you have chosen me’. For me, I wasn’t a planned for child. Not exactly expected or wanted at that particular time. However, God chose me. He chose my life, ‘love has called my name’. 

It doesn’t matter what happened in your early life, love is calling your name. You have been chosen, not necessarily by your parents, but by God. When you start to believe and trust in him, you are ‘born again into a family’. You have a new family, you are not alone. You have a share in God’s family, his blood even ‘runs through your veins’. There’s a completeness and certainty about being in God’s family. You can’t deny you’re part of God’s family when you have his blood and DNA within you! No wonder the fear I felt has gone as I believe in God and who I am.   

God has drowned my fear the more I have learnt about Him and trusted Him.  He splits seas, drowns fears and rescues us. He performs amazing feats for us. 

God achieves the impossible on our behalf, why? Because you are a child of God! 

The fears I have had have held me back. They’ve kept me silent and scared. It’s easy to start living your life around fear, I know, I’ve done it for most of my life. But, why live like that? Living with fear is crippling. God wants you to be free. You can be free, it is possible I am living testimony of that. 

God makes us His sons and daughters, because of Jesus we are heirs to the biggest kingdom that exists. It’s an unshakeable, everlasting kingdom, yet we can get worried and scared about the things of everyday life. 

You, like me, don’t need to continually live in fear. God’s perfect love has power to drown it when you trust Him and ask him to do it. Let this song be your testimony too.

I’m no longer a slave to fear, 

I am a child of God

Joy - full

John 15:10

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. 

There are some great promises here. Great promises of joy and love. 

We can have complete, unending joy - great pleasure and happiness. 

So, where is it???

I would think most of the time, we don't feel the great pleasure that is joy. We may feel contentment, but joy?

Jesus insists that his own obedience to the Father, the fact that he has kept the commandments, is the grounding for his joy. 

He has done what his father God has told him to, and so stayed in his love. He has acknowledged and displayed God's love in and through his obedience. 

This is what leads to joy - Through obeying what we are told to do.

When we do what we are told we are showing respect, trust and love in the person we are obedient to. Just think about it from a parents point of view. They ask you to do something, if you do it they are proud of you and they see your love in action. This then leads to them being happy and showing their happiness to you, you then feel happy and more loved. It's like a cycle - Put obedience in, give others joy, you then feel joy and want to be more obedient.

When we feel loved, we feel joy. 

We can feel loved when we are obedient to God, our everlasting parent, then we can know what joy is. One of the wonderful things I noticed about these verse is not only do we get to be joyful, but Jesus also finds joy in us! How amazing is that?! 

Jesus can find joy in you when you show your love for God by doing what he asks! Wow! 

Spread the joy! 

Risky Comfort

Are you comfortable? If yes, then you're in a risky position. 

If we are comfortable with our lives then we are unwilling to change and can be unmotivated to do much. If you've got a comfy bed for example, it's easy to settle there and not want to get up, to rest longer than we know we should. 

Same with life. If we are comfortable with our; family, job, home, income, activities, then we can easily get through life. Going from one thing to the next with a breeze and being unmotivated to change anything. There is no challenge. 

On the other hand, I'm sure we can all think of a time when life has been uncomfortable. Maybe there's been family fall out, job loss, boredom even. In those circumstances we are motivated and challenged to change something. Then we can spring into action in order to make sure our lives become more comfortable. 

I've been thinking about this because I'm quite comfortable with my life. I love where I live, the house, location, friends, groups we are involved in. I am comfortable with these things. 

Then what happens if along comes an opportunity for change? What would my reaction be? No thank you, I like things how they are?  I am comfortable here. It would disrupt things and I am quite comfortable right now thank you very much. This new thing scares me.

As I considered this reaction I thought about how it is risky being comfortable. 

It's risky because you don't realise what you could be missing out on. If you never take up a new opportunity then you never know what benefit it could be. It would mean change of course, but sometimes change can be a positive thing, I found I could quite easily reason myself out of doing anything and stick with the easy way. What about the house, dog, kids....? However what if the change could be beneficial to all those things? 

So should we choose the most comfortable path? What benefit is that long term? Is this life about living comfortably? About having nice things and nice people so that we are comfortable? Or is life more of a journey? An adventure where we are called to explore and investigate? 

Be like the wind

John 3:8

The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

We should be like this. 

If we are part of God's kingdom and have received the Spirit, then we should be coming and going declaring God's truth like the wind. It should be as evident in us as the power of the wind. The truth of God in our lives should be heard by those around us, unmistakably.

People can't tell the source or the destination of the wind, but they can see the effect.

The effect of the Spirit should effect those who are around us. They won't know why or where it comes from, but they know that our presence shakes them up a bit.

We should be like a whirlwind. Stirring things and thoughts up so that people do not know where we get the knowledge/wisdom/love and goodness from, but their lives are changed by it. They experience something new and different that they don't understand but which is tangible and real because God and His Spirit are real and really at work.

If you are a Christian reading this, then you have access to the Spirit. You have this almighty powerful wind within you. So, how strong is your wind? Are you a gentle refreshing breeze? Or are you a powerful hurricane? 

If you're living by the Spirit it should be noticed. Just like someone drunk on spirits is noticed, so the Holy Spirit should be evident in us. 

We should stand out and bring a 'breath of fresh air' whether people appreciate it or not doesn't matter. We should be making an impact on those around us. 

Would those in your life testify to this about you? That you leave your mark like the wind does? 

Or, are you living to be comfortable where you are? Living so not to make waves? 

That is not the way of the Spirit, it ruffles feathers and shakes the trees. 

This world is not our home - This is a place to impact with the Spirit, a place to be transient, willing to move, to display who God is. 

Are you purposefully doing that? Open your eyes when you're on the way to work/school/shops, what do you notice? And how can you spread the Spirit there? Yes, it will be embarrassing, yes you will feel awkward and Ill-equipped, yes you might mess up and look like a wally. Am I selling it to you yet???? But there is a BIG BUT, what are you living for? 

To be comfortable in this world? 

Or to be living for something eternal? 

Are you demonstrating the wind of the Spirit in your life? 

If you do go for it, then at some point you will feel like you fail. Don't dwell on it. The wind doesn't stop when it knocks a bin over or shakes a tile loose, pick yourself up and go like the wind to wherever next you're going! The wind doesn't stay still, it keeps moving. It is noticed wherever it is. Don't worry about mistakes or 'failures' God has His plan which is greater than what we can see. 

Be prepared. 

Be awkward.

Be weird.

Be uncomfortable.

Be like the wind.