Encouragement Friday 9th May 2003

"Why do I keep on sinning?"

So many 'good' Christians seem to struggle with this, but are they as good as they think? Remember that the heart (inner man, the person behind the face mask that no one but you and God can see, the inner conversation that you have going on all the time, the desires that no one else can see, the hatreds that you encourage, the mixed motives that we all have from time to time) Yes the inner man is deceitful above all things.

Discover what Kirk Cameron says about this aspect of the Christian life, the flesh life in our Articles Section.

Encouragement Tuesday 21st April 2003

The King is coming:

What a wonderful change in my life has bee wrought since Jesus came into my heart,

Encouragement Saturday 19th April 2003

You can know God's direction for your life.

You know folks, there are people who are still reading their horoscopes in the newspapers and magazines. If you are not a Christian then I could understand why you felt the need to do such a thing, because life without Jesus Christ is directionless, or is at the mercy of our feelings, emotions and earthly drives. However, if you are a Christian and consult the horoscopes (stars) then you are being extremely foolish.

You are following a created persons interpretation of the created order and trying to derive meaning and direction from it. Here is how the stars work. The person who supposedly looks at the stars for guidance, follows so called time tested (scientific) formulae and then comes us with a few general guidelines for people who are born under certain celestial conditions. if you were born with Mars in your sign, they say, you are strongly influenced by people born under say the influences of Mercury etc etc... Then they build a whole scenario of what people born under these star signs are supposed to behave like. You look at them and say to yourself, that's exactly how I behave, then they have you hooked.

Divination

People have used such things for countless generations for direction, the Bible calls it divination.

DIVINATION, n. L., to foretell. See Divine.

1. The act of divining; a foretelling future events, or discovering things secret or obscure, by the aid of superior beings, or by other than human means. The ancient heathen philosophers divided divination into two kinds, natural and artificial. Natural divination was supposed to be effected by a kind of inspiration or divine afflatus; artificial divination was effected by certain rites, experiments or observations, as by sacrifices, cakes, flour, wine, observation of entrails, flight of birds, lots, verses, omens, position of the stars, &c.

2. Conjectural presage; prediction.

Some people used to read 'tea leaves' in Scotland, Tea leaf reading was when a person had drunk a cup of tea, the dregs in the bottom were said to be aligned in certain ways and a diviner could understand or interpret them and tell that person's future.

Other forms of divination include; accupuncture, reflexology, and all related treatments that are off-shoots of accupuncture. Mediums, Spiritualist Churches,

What's wrong with Horoscopes and all forms of divination?

It's looking at the creation rather than the creator. God has always revealed His ways of living on this earth. He has given us a guide book for daily living - the Bible, and yet people prefer to listen to trees, wind, tea-leaves, chankaras, so called channels. God is a jealous God and all these things are idolatry. It's bowing down to something other than God for direction.

Some Christians are horrified when I tell them that to cousult with the stars in Newspapers is equivalent to idolatry. Yet that is what they are doing when they allow their lives to be run, ruled or governed by someone's interpretation of some part of the created order.

In the Bible people who did such things were to be killed. The death penalty was upon the heads of all people who did such things; both those who were the diviners and those who consulted them. The reason God pronounced the death penalty is because it replaced His central role in the lives of his people. God has always wanted to guide his people, and hates it when we turn away to other forms of guidance. He is a jealous God, jealous for our affection and faithfulnesss. It is equates with adultery in the Bible and also with prostitution. Going to someone other than God for basic direction in life.

How should we be directed and guided in daily life?

God's Word

Consult God's life manual- the Bible, For within it's pages are the words of life.

The Bible says of itself in 2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV) 'All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.'

Before you read the Bible daily, come to God in prayer and ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit afresh, to forgive you your sins, to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

(unrighteous UNRIGHTEOUS, a. unri'chus.)

1. Not righteous; not just; not conformed in heart and life to the divine law; evil; wicked; used of persons.

2. Unjust; contrary to law and equity; as an unrighteous decree or sentence.

Then ask Him to open up the Bible to your understanding, to help you see how you can live according to His principles and precepts and how to put them into practice in your daily life.

Ask God to show you a Christian fellowship where they also believe the Bible to be God's word, and try to live by the Holy Spirit in accordance with God's word.

God doesn't want anyone to be aimless, but don't consult with the stars, mediums, etc All forms of divination are idolatry and bring the same punishment upon your head as it did the people in the Old Testament. It's a sin to do something God has specifically told you not to do.

Encouragement Thursday 3rd April 2003

Forgiveness

Hi everyone. It's been a little while since I wrote last, but I have been busy learning.

Have you ever been told that you must forgive someone, and inside you know you just don't feel like forgiving them? In fact, you actually like thinking of horrible things that could happen to them. Perhaps, you are disgusted by the evil thought you have towards someone, and you knew you should have forgiven them years ago, but somehow can't bring yourself to do it. Even though you know your Heavenly Father means is for your own good.

Need help forgiving then click here

Encouragement Thursday 3rd April 2003

Check out: Who wants to be a millionaire?

& Psychotherapy under the spotlight.

Encouragement Monday 31st March 2003

What a wonderful God we serve; BUT Are there many hindrances blocking your way to closeness with the Lord Jesus Christ? Getting around hindrances is what we must do. 

Encouragement Sunday 30th March 2003

Today we’re are discovering God's 3rd Main Purpose in our lives; "That we were called as Christians to become like Christ."

Once again though we need to know, “How does God do it?” How does God help me grow spiritually? How does God make me like Jesus Christ?” Well, there’s a couple ways we know immediately.

These are just two ways God changes us to become like His Son, Jesus Christ.

He also uses the situations we go through in life to modify our character, so that we conform to His.

He will use the good and the bad, to mould us and make us new.

When you are like Jesus, what is life like?

You will be more; loving, kind, gentle, patient, good, forgiving, generous, peaceful, faithful.

Look at the things Jesus did, not the things you imagine he did. Look in the Bible and accept as you would a sworn testimony in court, the things the Gospel writers say about Jesus. Look then at what he did, his actions with the poor, the sinner, the religious self-righteous, those society looked down upon and those who were rejected by everyone. Jesus got alongside them he touched them and set them free. The more you become like Jesus the more he will use you to set people free from the things that bind them. That's good isn't it?

Pray:

Can I humbly suggest, that if there is any area of your life that is not growing more like Jesus today, that you come to Him in prayer now. Come to Jesus asking first of all for forgiveness, then ask Him to cleanse you, and finally ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit and change you to be more the person He created you to be.

Can you do that?

Encouragement Thursday 27th March 2003

What to do when you've failed God.

The Apostle Peter, one of the followers of Jesus Christ failed to live up to his boast, to fight for Jesus till death. Jesus knew Peter would deny him so he said, "Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times." Not once, not twice, but three times in one night this big powerful fisherman would deny his Jesus. Have you ever failed to life rightly for Jesus? I know I have, many times. But what do we do when we fail God? How can we cope when we have faith Jesus? 

Encouragement Wednesday 26th March 2003

It really is wonderful when we hear what God is doing in the life of another person. Jesus told us to be ready in season and out of season. We have just such a story in our people story section. Click Marcia's picture to jump there quickly.

Encouragement Monday 24th March 2003

Yesterday we had our first Baptism of the year for Benjamin Floyd Gray.

It was a great encouragement to see so many people turn out in their 'Sunday best' for this event. I know that Sarah and Gary Gray were really surprised and excited to see so many of their friends. For us as a Church, it's always great to be able to tell people the Good News of Jesus Christ, that they too can enter into a relationship with God, that they can come into God's family, and be members with us on our way to heaven.

In the sermon I tried to demonstrate God's first act of love towards us. I took along a giant Snoopy for this effect and told them the story of how I came across him.

I was due to preach in my last church on the Lost Sheep, and how Jesus told of the shepherd leaving the 99 sheep in the open field whilst he went to look for that one lost sheep. I asked Father God to give me something that would get the message across to people today, and true to form (because God loves our communication to be a strong impact upon people's lives) He led me to a skip (a large metal container full of rubbish). And it was drizzling with rain, the kind of rain that soaks through into every nook and cranny of your clothes. And lo and behold, there sticking out of the skip was what looked like a sheep's bottom. My 14 year old daughter was with me, and as I approached the skip, I reached up and pulled this sodden sheep out. My daughter shrieked, "Dad. What are you doing, put him back!" However, I was delighted when I discovered it was not a woolly white sheep at all, it was a dog, a SNOOPY. It was huge and wet, dirty, and covered in orange 'for sale' labels. Obviously they hadn't sold him and had just thrown out him into the skip. He looked so sad, that I walked with the dripping, dirty dog, back to my parked car and told him to wait there until we finished shopping.

I took poor old snoopy home and stuffed him into our washing machine, put him on a 1200 spin cycle, and then pulled him out. He was white, but still heavy and very damp. So I stuffed him into our tumble dryer and left him for an hour spinning round and round (demonstrated with Snoopy's head whilst preaching). When I pulled him out he was; white, fluffy, warm, cuddly and lovely. I gave him a huge kiss and a hug. I even took him to bed that night with me and cuddled up to him. (The Congregation all laughed and sniggered when I told them how jealous that made my wife feel).

I told them how Jesus did exactly that from heaven. He came into this sin saturated world. He looked for sinners who were stuck into things, trapped in sin and covered with the sores of sin. He loved people and set them free; blind people were given sight, lepers were cleansed, a woman caught in the act of adultery was told to go and sin no more, a tax collector who had cheated people was changed when Jesus spent time with him in his home. Jesus takes us, sin saturated people and cleanses us and makes us feel good and clean inside and out, then I demonstrated how Jesus loves us by giving snoopy and big kiss and a cuddle. Jesus will come into your life and make you a member of His family, but He will not force his way in. He loves you too much to take away your freedom. He really wants to pull you out of the skip of sin, take you home and clean you up, he does it far more gently than I did with Snoopy. But the effect is the same.

Will you come to Jesus Christ the Lord, the creator of the whole universe, who made you and me, to be forgiven for all your sins, given a fresh clean start, a new heart, a new life, and a new future with a family of brothers and sisters who will help you on that journey. Come to Jesus Christ now, turn from your sin believing in Him and you can do it right where you are sitting today. Trust in Jesus, He will set you free too.

I then asked who wanted to hold Snoopy, and gave him to Gemma who held him for the remainder of the service, but didn't want to let him go again. But I had to take him home with me.

Are you a lost sheep? The thing about being lost is that sometimes we don't even realise it. Sheep get lost just nibbling and nibbling and nibbling, then when they stick their head up for a moment, they realise the flock has moved on. Then they begin bleating. So many people that I know get started into something sinful. Just once they tell themselves, and before they know it, they are trapped into a cycle of sin. They begin bleating within, desiring to be free from their sinful lifestyle; drugs, alcohol, sex, one disastrous relationship after another, stealing, power to control other people, hurting themselves and others, being successful more than anything else in life. All of these things can be sinful, and the LORD Jesus will still deal with you as He did the Lost sheep, He loves you too much to leave you like that. Will you TURN to Jesus Christ right now?

I don't care if you think you are a Christian already, if you are stuck in the skip of sin, you still need to be set free. Victory over besetting sin is possible, but it is only possible in the power and strength of the Holy Spirit.

"Be free in the Love of God, let His Spirit flow within you."

Encouragement Sunday 23rd March 2003

My friends, at the time of conflict in our world. Let each one of us who loves peace pray that this war will not be prolonged, that the Iraqi troops will surrender and then enable the world to help them form a stable government that respects it's people and neighbours. Pray for the relief and the supplies that the people of Iraq need to feed the poor, and the medical supplies to help those who have needed them for years.

O Lord and heavenly father, help the people of Iraq to come to faith and trust in Jesus Christ send out labourers into the rich harvest field. Let concerned Christians spread the message of your love for all people quickly. Flood that nation with the whole Bible.

Let us not forget to pray and support our own troops out in Iraq and the Gulf region. Also the families of those who have been killed serving their country.

Encouragement Thursday 20th March 2003

In time of WAR you may be afraid. Click here to find the peace you need.

Encouragement Saturday 15th March 2003

What a wonderful God we serve. How's your service going?

Over this last week we have begun studying the 40 Days of Purpose material as a Church, and many have come back to me with real encouragement about the book, "The Purpose Driven Life" By Rick Warren. It's good to know that we are on track as a whole church. Some have been challenged, but mainly people feel encouraged and heartened by what they are reading.

This week saw the launch of our 'Community Meal'. On Friday afternoon between 12.15 and 1.30pm people can come along to our Church Hall on the main road through our parish and drop in for a very reasonably priced meal. However, the real reason is to re-build the sense of community that once existed here in Weston Mill. People are really hungry (not for my food) but for something significant to belong to. I know deep down that that hunger can only be satisfied by a personal relationship with Father God. However as a Church we don't do ourselves any favours if all we do is preach at people and don't serve them. Hopefully by building relationships between the community in this way, there will be a much warmer feeling towards the Church, and when we tell them we are doing it because of God's love poured into our hearts to reach them for Him, they will know that there is no other agenda, other than introducing them to the Saviour of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ, and hopefully as they response to His life transforming message of Hope and Faith they will become brothers and sisters in God's family. That's our hope anyway.

The first meal was really encouraging. Just look at these photos

Encouragement Wednesday 12th March 2003

When Sin Gets a HOLD on YOU!

The Besetting Power of Sin

As I go on in the faith, some Scriptures seem to jump out at me in different situations. When talking about death and life after death here is one that has spurred me to share the full Gospel time and time again, and to warn sinners (both Christian and non-Christian) about what may happen.

2 Corinthians 5:10 (KJV) 'For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.' (2 Corinthians 5:10-11)

Paul is appealing to the consciences of his hearers (I say hearers, because this letter would have been read out to the people in the Corinthian Church).  He is reminding them of a central truth of the Bible that at the end of time, the Lord Jesus Christ will judge all people who have ever existed. Those who have accepted Him will be welcomed into His Kingdom, but those who rejected Jesus Christ or who sinned will be sent to eternal damnation in Hell forever.

Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest (made obvious), which are these; Adultery, fornication (all sexual activity outside of marriage), uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.'

 No wonder Paul speaks of the terror of the Lord, some people that he was speaking with obviously needed strong persuasion. But could there be more to this 'terror' than we at first may think. Paul is reminding 'Born Again' Christians that they too must appear before the Judgement Seat of Christ. It is at this judgement that we will receive punishment and rewards before entrance into the Kingdom. So many Christians once they have done their initial repenting to come to faith, then live a sloppy Christian life. They slip into all kinds of sinful ways and excuse themselves by thinking that God will forgive them.

Could the 'terror of the Lord' possibly be a terror for us? Only if we have things in our life that Christ has not dealt with. If all things, all sin, all harshness, all bitterness is dealt with we have nothing to worry about. But if there is one person we cannot forgive now, or some sins that we cannot leave behind, then we will have to account for them before Christ. We are also informed in these verses that we will receive in our bodies (eternal bodies) the things done. What these things are we don't know, but the reason for receiving them is revealed: It is according to what we have done, good or evil. Our eternal bodies will reflect the good or evil we do whilst Christians. We will be forever marked in certain ways. We will be saved, but marked.

Some people now change the name of sin and call it sickness: For instance, Alcoholism is no longer considered a sin, but a sickness. Most recovering alcoholics realise that taking a drink is a choice, even though they have a low tolerance to it, they know that it only has a binding effect upon them as long as they drink it. Once alcohol is abstained from, they are gloriously set free from it's terrifying power. Alcoholism may be a sickness, but drunkenness is a sin. An alcoholic needs to be made aware that his choice to drink is just as much a sin as a compulsive thief or a repeating sex offender.

Therefore, knowing the terror of the Lord, do we do what Paul did and try to persuade men? Or do we feel that we must go along with the rest of society today and redefine the sins of the flesh as a sickness. Of course sickness may be a good term for some of these sins, but it leaves out the spiritual dimension, and gives the impression that men cannot help what they do because they are just sick, and are therefore not responsible.

It is true that the more we sin, the more out of control the sin becomes, until eventually we loose complete control. The Bible actually talks about this in different places and calls it 'giving over'. Romans 1:26 (KJV) 'For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.' God merely lets go of sinners to do the things that they long to do without restraint. It is as if God has stopped calling to these men, has stopped restraining them. After the initial rush of excitement is over, there comes the horrifying realisation that they are trapped into their sinful condition. No wonder they feel powerless, the full grip of sin has a hold upon them. Hebrews 12 speaks of sins besetting power. Hebrews 12:1 (KJV) 'Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,'

I do not think enough is being said by ministers today about the besetting power of sin once it is allowed to run wild in the lives of the saints. Every alcoholic I have know has had nightmares, and terrors in their dreams. That's because God has let go of them and given them over to the desires of their hearts. Some homosexual men and women will tell of their nightmares. Thieves fear people breaking in and stealing from them. Sometimes Satan takes advantage of this dreadful situation and moves in to possess these people (all sinners are in the same boat and same danger; homosexuals, thieves, liars, adulterers, gossipers, slanderers, all sins can lead to a sinner being given over to their sinful condition). But I don't believe they are beyond help. I have known alcoholics come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, and go on to live a 'normal' life. Some have had the wonderful sense of being set free from terrifying dreams, and given peace. Some even return to a place where they can take alcohol in moderation (though these are few and far between). It seems that normally they must abstain from alcohol for the rest of their lives.

Since coming to minister here in Weston Mill, I have given up drinking alcohol, not because I was an alcoholic, but because some people were coming to see me who had severe drink problems. It didn't seem appropriate that I should be smelling of drink, when telling a man or woman to give it up for the rest of their lives. I wanted to see how hard it is for someone who was not an alcoholic to abstain completely, and to be honest some people treat me like a leper when they realise that I don't drink in some situations. When they ask if you want a drink at a bar-b-que for instance, and you ask for a coke or orange juice, they sometimes look at you strangely. As if to say, "We are all drinking, why don't you just let your hair down and get some of this beer inside you?" So I now know from experience how hard it must be for an alcoholic with peer pressure upon them, but it must be multiplied a thousand-fold when we realise their weakness and dependence, and the tendency to desire strong drink. However, it is still a choice. And if they give in to the temptation to drink, then the besetting power seems to be intensified.

But we have a God who is in the deliverance business. He is in the people transforming business. He gives us a new heart, new desires, new inclinations, and a completely different life orientation.

If you know people who are stuck in the power and grip of sin (whatever it may be) Christian or non-Christian, they are in a very dangerous state, and you should warn them like St Paul did, of the terrors of the Lord.

If you are held captive in any area of your life, then turn to Jesus Christ right now. Pray this prayer of repentance, confession and seeking his forgiveness for your sinful choices and giving in to temptation and the sinful desires of your heart. You may have thought (wrongfully) that it didn't matter.

Lord Jesus Christ, I come to you today in faith.

I believe that you died on the cross to set me free from sin's power.

Help me Lord to admit to you freely that I have sinned by my own choice, and that I have been enjoying sinning (if there was no enjoyment in sin, it wouldn't be so tempting).

Lord I confess that what I have been doing ..................................... (name them) is sinful, and I now feel my conscience is telling me it was wrong. Forgive me Lord Jesus. Will you please set me free from the besetting sin (it's grip on my life), so that I can live a new life praising you and worshipping with other Christians. Amen.

If you would like private help, advice or information then why not send me an email?

To: Don Davis  (Click the name)

Encouragement Tuesday 11th March 2003

Incredible! Fantastic! Marvellous! All I can say about this next bit of the Bible is that it is extraordinarily good when you come to understand it. My eyes have been opened afresh to this verse today.

Isaiah 26:3 (KJV) 'Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.'

For years I have memorised this portion of the Bible, but I didn't realise that I had only internalised the first part of the verse. It ties a very important Biblical Truth that is revealed in the New Testament in Romans chapters 7 and 8. That we find the perfect peace when we stop trying ourselves and let God work in us to change us to be obedient to His revealed will. I was only doing the first part of this verse; 'focusing my mind on God', and leaving out the most important part; 'trusting in Him'.

It will leave us frustrated beyond measure when we merely focus upon God's requirements, standards and laws. It is really important to know God's ways, desires and directives. His principles and precepts for life, but merely knowing them doesn't give the power to do them. Neither will it bring peace, it will only lead to frustration and probably people giving up.

Oh how many Christians could I have helped if I had only internalised this whole truth earlier in my Christian walk. There are countless scattered sheep who have given up the Christian life, frustrated because they have tried it, but couldn't keep it up.

The truth is, we cannot keep it up in our own strength. We can only do it, have perfect peac, to the measure that we trust in Him. When we have a problem with say, LUST, what do we do?

Many people have come to me and confided that they were having a problem with lust, and couldn't imagine not having a problem in that area of their lives. They had really been defeated by their lack of knowledge of the truth. "Know the truth and the truth will set you free" So here is the truth for all those who are struggling with LUST.

Focus you mind on God and you will discover that lust is wrong. Thinking about sex with others and taking pleasure from it was revealed by Jesus Christ as adultery. Lustful thinking is adultery. Knowing this makes us aware of our own shortcomings, for each person has probably drifted mentally into scenarios of lustful thinking. Imagining making love with a famous film star of good looking person. That's LUST, because lust is desiring something that we should not. It is also part of the other commandment not to Covet.

Therefore, we know the commands, and these are God's standards. We have done the first part of Isaiah 26:3 Isaiah 26:3 (KJV) 'Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.' Now all we have to do to find the; power, strength, release, desire to be obedient, and the changed will, is to do the second part and - TRUST IN GOD.

As long as we trust in our own ability to be obedient we will fail. We may succeed for a little while, but we need to hand ourselves over to God, trust HIM to work in us, and change our character, desires, will-power, drives etc. And HE will do it!

Here is a prayer for those who struggle in any area of life today, not just Lust.

"Lord I thank you for revealing you perfect will, your truth that sets us free. Lord that we can live the Christian life, when we open up ourselves to your divine power within us. Lord help me to trust You today with ............................ (you name whatever it is that you need help trusting Him with). Set me free Lord Jesus Christ from any sin  .............................. (name them) that has gotten a hold of me, and let me trust You Lord. Holy Spirit, You are our Comforter and Guide, You give us the strength within, I open myself to You. Please fill my heart with your presence, fill my mind with your thoughts, fill my desires with your desires, and let your love for other people overflow out of my full life to them. In the wonderful name of my merciful Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen."

You may also like to read Romans chapter 7 and 8. These chapters speak of St Paul's struggle with sin and how he overcame them in the power of the Holy Spirit in Romans 8.

May God our Father bless you today. Donald

Encouragement Fri 7th March 2003

What a wonderful God we serve!

Don't you just think it's great how our Father God is in control of all our circumstances in life, and that all the things that happen to us are within His overall plan. Just this last week I have really been encouraged in many different ways, but primarily in regards to worship and getting to know God's heart and love for all people more clearly.

It began with Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV) 'For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.' The NIV translates expect end as, 'a hope and a future'. God is going to do so much more with the lives of His chosen children, that we can either expect or imagine. And you are a child of God, chosen by Him, if you are a Christian. Think about that for a moment, God has plans specifically set out for you to follow.

God has also demonstrated His rich love for all people, even those who say they don't believe, by sending His sinless Son, to die a sinners death in the place of all the guilty sinners (us). The Lord's thoughts are not just like our thoughts, they are His plans, designs, desires for our lives. God has a plan for your life. You can either live in God's plan or your own at any single moment of your life. Father God knows in advance what way you will choose, so his plan for you is tailor made just for your life. He has prepared good works for you to do even before you were born, before the world was created you were in God's plan. Isn't it great to know that this great big universe that makes us feel so small at times, is just the right place to be.

I was walking on Dartmoor recently and when we got to the top of a hill we could see for miles, right out to Plymouth Sound and the open sea beyond. I said, "Do you know why God made the world round?" People who had come with us from church looked at me, (waiting to hear what I would come out with next) and I said, "He made the world round so that at any given moment wherever you may be, you are on the top of the world." We all laughed, but God really did make the world for mankind, and he made us responsible for the creation.

Are you living you life right now, this moment, in accordance with God's will? I know that can be an annoying question, and you may even think, "Who does he think he is asking such a question?". But I ask it of you after having asked it of myself first. And I can tell you, that right at this moment in time, I am living in the will of God, and my hope and prayer is that it may continue for a long, long, long, long time. Amen! God wants you to succeed as a Christian, he wants you to be powerful, successful and strong, so that you can lead others to faith in trust in Him. Our strength doesn't come from within ourselves, but from God.

If you are feeling weak today, and don't know where you life is going, then why not just stop everything NOW for a few moments. Give thanks to Father God for something you truly appreciate, or someone you especially love. The sing your favourite hymn or a hymn you know well. Sing it again. Sing it again, and sing it once more, then soak your soul in God's presence. Listen to these words.

Jeremiah 29:10 (ASV) For thus saith Jehovah, After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Jehovah, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope in your latter end.

12 And ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

14 And I will be found of you, saith Jehovah, and I will turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places wither I have driven you, saith Jehovah; and I will bring you again unto the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

Encouragement Fri 28th Feb 2003

Hi everyone, I thought I would just throw some light on a wonderful verse from the Bible that has really encouraged me many times to share the Faith with people.

1 Peter 3:15 (KJV) "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"

When we sanctify the Lord God in our hearts, strange things begin to happen. You don't just wait until people come and ask you the reason you have a hope. When you sanctify Christ in your heart, He fills you with His love and you become motivated to share Him with others. You begin to do the things that Jesus did. It's wonderful. You don't just think about it any more, you actually begin to do it, and you do it without any other motive than to bring people to Jesus Christ. It's fantastic!

Just the other day I was meeting a wonderful brother who is having some problems, and over a breakfast in Dingles in the centre of Plymouth, I was suddenly filled with a desire to share Christ with people. So I offered the man who was serving at the self service till (check out), a coin with the ten commandments upon it (these are cheap little coins, but they really look good and people love to receive them). As I gave him the coin I said, "Here, this is for you." He said, "No, no your friend has paid." I said again, "NO, this is for you!" He took it looked at it and a look of puzzlement came across his face. I said, "It's the ten commandments. Have you kept the ten commandments?" He looked at me and shook his head and said, "I don't eh, I don't think so." I said, "Well you think about it and see if you can read that coin and I'll come back later and chat with you."

We went to eat our breakfast and after about 45min, I went back to the till again and ask the man, "Did you read that coin? And have you kept the ten commandments?" He said, "What is this all about?" I said, "I am a Christian, and every Christian has been asked by Jesus to tell other people about Him, but I just wanted to know if you have broken God's commandments, because if you have I have good news for you. Every sinful law breaker can be forgiven by Jesus Christ." He said, "that's great" Then I said, "Are you going to heaven when you die?" He laughed and said, "I don't know!" Then I handed him a ticket as below.

As I handed him the ticked I said, "Here is a ticket to heaven, If you read it and do what it says you can be sure you will be admitted."

The man smiled and thanked me. A lady was waiting to be served and was listening, so I turned to her and asked if she would like a ticket to heaven too. She said, "Yes please!" One of the other assistants came up and I gave her one. Then I said, "Ladies if you read this and discover you have broken the ten commandments, and need to be forgiven for any sin, you can turn to Jesus Christ today, who is God's Son, He came and died on the cross so that your sins could be forgiven and you could get into heaven. If you don't want to go to heaven just tear up the ticket. (Now here is the joke, that ticket is made from material that cannot be ripped or torn. They use it for car owners manuals and the material is impervious to water, oil, grease and will not be torn) It's wonderful when some brave person tries to teat the ticket, but they rarely do. Most people thank you and put it into their pocket of purse. All of these people were thankful to have received a nice ticket to heaven.

I left the young man, but before I left I told them I was a vicar in Plymouth. They said, "You don't look like a vicar!" Now it was my turn to smile!

When you sanctify Jesus Christ as Lord in your heart, he will fill you with a desire to reach out to others, probably not in the same ways as I do, but you might just find yourself wanting to serve people, do something nice for a stranger or a member of your family. Offer to cut an old lady's lawn for free. Do the shopping for an old person, or better still take them shopping and bring them home again. It's amazing what Christ will begin to motivate you to do to share His love with people. When they ask you why you are doing something, tell them about the hope you have in Jesus Christ, be ready to tell them, practice in the mirror what you are going to say. Write it down and repeat it to yourself. Get practicing sharing Christ and don't wait for some big training session from your vicar or pastor, just get on with it, Jesus will give you the words you need to say. You will sometimes feel foolish, you will sometimes feel a failure, and you will definitely go home thinking, "Oh I could have said this or that or that way." Never mind, just be prepared to give a reason for the hope you have, and leave the rest up to the Holy Spirit who is working in the lives of people you wouldn't imagine.

1 Peter 3:15 (KJV) "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"

Donald.

Encouragement Thurs 27th Feb 2003

Just a closer walk with Thee dear Lord.

Play the music and sing the song, and walk with the Lord

Just a Closer Walk with Thee

 I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

 Refrain
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

 Thro' this world of toils and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None, but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

 When my feeble life is o'er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o'er
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

Encouragement Tuesday 25th Feb

Today as I was praying to the Lord a song came and flooded my mind. The words of the song are so wonderful here they are;

Lord you are more precious than silver,

Lord you are more costly than Gold,

Lord you are more beautiful than diamonds,

And nothing I desire compares to You.

Song by Lynn DeShazo 1985

The words came to mind as I was reading the daily proverb for the day which reminded me of one of Jesus' teachings about taking the lowest place at a wedding reception.

Proverbs 25:6 (KJV) 'Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men: 7 For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.'

In the New Testament, Luke 14:9-10 Jesus told us to take the lowest position so that when the person who invited us comes in and sees us sitting in the lowest position may come and take us to a position nearer the table of honour.

It's really talking about manners in public as well as in Church, and it will bring a good name to our Lord if we act properly and with respect to other people.

Imagine the shame of taking a seat in the place of honour and being asked to move when the place you are sitting in has been reserved for someone else? It is much better to look good in the eyes of God, than be shamed in public. Being a servant of God can be costly, but it is much better to be prudent, than presumptuous. Amen?

Encouragement for Sunday 16th Feb 2003

Has been moved to the Teaching Section. TRINITY

Encouragement for Sunday 9th February 2003

1 Corinthians 14:1
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.

2:For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no-one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit.
3:But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.
4:He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.
5:I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.
6:Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction?
7:Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes?
8:Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?
9:So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air.
10:Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning.
11:If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me.
12:So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church.

We are so strongly influenced by the modern world that we seem to only want what will benefit us personally. However, the Bible is counter cultural here. Instead of championing personal rights and privileges, God encourages us to become the servants of all. To take up our cross daily and to bear the shame that Christ bore. To go out into a world torn apart with all kinds of evil with the Life Transforming message of God's great love and forgiveness available to every single person; Jew, Greek, Slave, Free, Moslem, Arab, Hindu, Buddhist, Freemason, Jehovah's Witness, Mormon. No matter what the religion or colour or creed, we all need to come to SALVATION from the punishment of HELL won for us all by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Encourage men and women today to SURRENDER to Jesus Christ today, and you will be prophesying into their lives.

Each day as we live for Christ, are we using Spiritual gifts that build up the Church? Or are we engaged in the demolition business? Do we back-bite, back-stab, and criticise and tear down? There is another way! Use the God given gifts of the Holy Spirit to build others up in their faith and trust in Jesus Christ: Visit them, Pray for them , Heal, Give, Encourage, Challenge, Invite and Entertain, Serve, Clean, Walk with, be alongside, minister, hold hands, teach about Jesus and all God's principles and precepts within His Holy Book. These are just some of the things that we can do (our part) in building God's Church. Then when people see how much we love each other, they will be drawn in and attracted to our way of living (God's way of living).

Jesus said, "I will build my Church" Let us not be in opposition to our Lord by being complacent and hurtful to fellow Christians. Of course there is a right time to rebuke and correct, but let us excel in Gifts that Build UP the Church.

May the Lord Jesus show you how to serve Him better this next week.

Donald.
 

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