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