We were meant to live for so much more, but we lost ourselves. - Switchfoot
Do you remember Adam and Eve? Or Enoch? Or Noah?
They walked with God. Why? Because they were blameless (yes I know Adam and Eve sinned and pulled themselves away from God, but the Bible says He walked with them in the garden before that time).
Someone once said that we've been fed a lie from Satan that holiness is a long process.
I believe they were right.
I am not in any way saying that I am completely holy, in fact I'm talking to myself as much as anyone else in this case.
The same person who said that, also said that getting rid of the sin in her life didn't cleanse her, didn't make her holy, because that was her own doing, it was self-righteousness from Satan, only when her evil nature had been eradicated by the grace of God through faith in the blood of the Son could she be called holy.
I was listening to that oldies hit ''Aint what you do it's the way that you do it' the other day and came back to a passage from Mark about the Widow's offering - which talks about how it doesn't matter how much you give, it's the way you give it - with a gracious sacrificial heart, or a self-righteous self-preserving heart?
It's not about ridding your life of sin, as important as that is, it's about having a complete change of heart, a transplant. A different attitude towards life!
None of us will be perfect until we die, but with an attitude of grace and salvation, we can live a life that is pleasing to God. Through His Son, we have been given the opportunity to do as Noah, Enoch and Adam & Eve, and walk with God! But we must come before him with a blameless heart, washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Thank you Father - what an awesome God you are.
Sunday, 30 May 2010
Sunday, 16 May 2010
A Wave
Today I did something I never thought I would do. Not because I didn't want to, but it didn't seem plausible.
I spent 2 hours or so praying in the woods with 4 of my best friends.
We prayed for prophesies and words of wisdom, we prayed in praise and thanksgiving; we prayed for each other, encouraging each other with words from God and praying over struggles in our lives. It was like something I imagine the church in Acts doing.
This morning a lady in our church brought a picture right at the end of the meeting about a wave. How God was building and building the wave until it was massive, and then it crashed down... and when it crashed it covered a huge expanse.
Whilst we were praying in the woods God lead us to a stream/river thing. It was small but significant. There was a muddy little puddle running from the lake a few meters away to the stream, and the water trickled down in a microscopic waterfall. It wasn't pretty to look at, it was tiny and minute, but it was joining this incredible little stream that no doubt went on for many more miles than we could see. I feel that God is preparing us here in the South of England for a wave of salvation, just as was brought in church today; but its not going to come from big events and evangelistic preaching in the streets. It's going to come from humble prayers in the woods from his followers; the compassionate tears of the faithful in their rooms, for the lost, the desperate crying out and stepping out.
Lord help us to draw close to you. Help us to know you better. Send your wave of salvation Father, do not make us wait. We are thirsty. Save those who are lost, heal those who are hurting, redeem those who are captive, and restore those who are broken. Call up the freaks and weirdos, the losers and loners, the outcasts and the misfits. Call up the popular kids, the smart kids, the sporty kids. Send your wave.
Send your wave.
I spent 2 hours or so praying in the woods with 4 of my best friends.
We prayed for prophesies and words of wisdom, we prayed in praise and thanksgiving; we prayed for each other, encouraging each other with words from God and praying over struggles in our lives. It was like something I imagine the church in Acts doing.
This morning a lady in our church brought a picture right at the end of the meeting about a wave. How God was building and building the wave until it was massive, and then it crashed down... and when it crashed it covered a huge expanse.
Whilst we were praying in the woods God lead us to a stream/river thing. It was small but significant. There was a muddy little puddle running from the lake a few meters away to the stream, and the water trickled down in a microscopic waterfall. It wasn't pretty to look at, it was tiny and minute, but it was joining this incredible little stream that no doubt went on for many more miles than we could see. I feel that God is preparing us here in the South of England for a wave of salvation, just as was brought in church today; but its not going to come from big events and evangelistic preaching in the streets. It's going to come from humble prayers in the woods from his followers; the compassionate tears of the faithful in their rooms, for the lost, the desperate crying out and stepping out.
Lord help us to draw close to you. Help us to know you better. Send your wave of salvation Father, do not make us wait. We are thirsty. Save those who are lost, heal those who are hurting, redeem those who are captive, and restore those who are broken. Call up the freaks and weirdos, the losers and loners, the outcasts and the misfits. Call up the popular kids, the smart kids, the sporty kids. Send your wave.
Send your wave.
Friday, 14 May 2010
You ARE beautiful.
I heard a song once that went like this:
There could never be a more beautiful you, don't buy the lies, disguises, hoops they make you jump through, you were made to fill the purpose that only you can do, there could never be a more beautiful you.'
And you know what? He's right. There will never be anyone quite like you ever again, and there has never been anyone like you before. People may like to describe you by comparing you to other people; 'She has hair as blonde as Britney's and a nose like that guy off Eastenders', but really there is no one like you... NO ONE. You are unique, and SPECIAL. And God has set out a specific purpose for you, he has planned the days of your existence before you even existed.
That, friends, is why it is not enough to say that God loves the world.
Because the world is made up of millions and billions of people who are all different.
It's not even enough to say that God loves everyone.
Because everyone is so different.
God loves you.
Specifically you. As the individual that you are. He loves the way you look, your quirks and personality. He loves you in spite of the blemishes and sins that scar us and make us doubt our own beauty.
It doesn't matter what the world says. It doesn't matter if your friends think you're a failure, or that you're ugly, or that you're stupid... because God thinks you're AWESOME. He loves you so much that he gave his only son and chose you to know him. He chose you for a specific purpose. We just have to work out what that purpose is (sometimes we can just ask him :D). The belt of truth in Ephesians isn't just about the truths of Jesus dieing for our sins, it's the whole truth; the biblical truth, and it's important that we take this knowledge of God's love for us and the confidence we can gain from him and wrap it right round our waist and tie it tight so no one can pull it away from us... because it holds us together.
So friends, hold on to the truth and know that you are special, and loved by your Father, for being you. You are beautiful, and nothing anyone ever says or does will change that fact.
There could never be a more beautiful you, don't buy the lies, disguises, hoops they make you jump through, you were made to fill the purpose that only you can do, there could never be a more beautiful you.'
And you know what? He's right. There will never be anyone quite like you ever again, and there has never been anyone like you before. People may like to describe you by comparing you to other people; 'She has hair as blonde as Britney's and a nose like that guy off Eastenders', but really there is no one like you... NO ONE. You are unique, and SPECIAL. And God has set out a specific purpose for you, he has planned the days of your existence before you even existed.
That, friends, is why it is not enough to say that God loves the world.
Because the world is made up of millions and billions of people who are all different.
It's not even enough to say that God loves everyone.
Because everyone is so different.
God loves you.
Specifically you. As the individual that you are. He loves the way you look, your quirks and personality. He loves you in spite of the blemishes and sins that scar us and make us doubt our own beauty.
It doesn't matter what the world says. It doesn't matter if your friends think you're a failure, or that you're ugly, or that you're stupid... because God thinks you're AWESOME. He loves you so much that he gave his only son and chose you to know him. He chose you for a specific purpose. We just have to work out what that purpose is (sometimes we can just ask him :D). The belt of truth in Ephesians isn't just about the truths of Jesus dieing for our sins, it's the whole truth; the biblical truth, and it's important that we take this knowledge of God's love for us and the confidence we can gain from him and wrap it right round our waist and tie it tight so no one can pull it away from us... because it holds us together.
So friends, hold on to the truth and know that you are special, and loved by your Father, for being you. You are beautiful, and nothing anyone ever says or does will change that fact.
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