Tag: help

Categories
Uncategorized

The Fence in the Wind.

At church this morning my wife shared a picture with somebody. It was such a good picture that I thought I just have to write about that one. 🙂

The essence of what she said was, I’m reminded of the time when we had all them high winds and our fence was looking a bit unstable. It looked as if the wind was going to blow the fence down. Then my husband went and got a big piece of metal and put it into the ground and then used a piece of rope to hold the fence in place. (I effectively made an industrial strength tent peg and guy line.) Having God, Jesus in our lives is a bit like that metal and rope in place. He supports us when we would otherwise be blown down.

I told you it was good.
I also think that it is very much so true.
We can all have winds which can blow against us, some of which could overpower us if we are left to stand in our own strength. Having Jesus in our lives gives us an extra strength that we can call on, so that we don’t need to rely fully on our own strength, but can look to someone who is greater than us to help and guide us in all that we do.

In order to gain access to this extra strength, all we need to do is ask for God, Jesus to come into our lives. It can be as simple as asking, “Jesus, please come into to my life, help me to know You.”

If you haven’t already asked Jesus into your life, then I ask you to consider doing so. He can be the extra help and strength that you never knew you needed. He has so much Goodness for you if you will just ask Him in.

Below is a prayer that you could use to ask Jesus into your life.

Jesus,
Please come into my life.
I invite you into my heart and life, all that I am.
I may not fully know what it its that I’m doing, but I invite You, all the same.
I’m sorry that I’ve not done this before and I am sorry for the things that I gave got wrong in the past.
I ask that You will help me from this point onward.
I ask that You will be an extra strength in my life, so that I can be a stronger version of who I am.
Help to to hear and follow Your ways.
Thank you that You accept me as Your child.
Amen.

If you have just said this prayer for the first time, then can I encourage you to tell someone.
If you know someone who is a Christian, then I would encourage you to tell them of your decision to ask Jesus into your life.
I would like to personally say, “Welcome to the family and may your Lord God Bless you Greatly!”

Categories
Uncategorized

A Modern Day Plank in the Eye

This is going to be one of those posts which goes into the slightly crazy realm.
But when you think about it, the idea of having a plank in your eye is a bit crazy to start off with, so it looks like I’m in good company. 🙂

The intention of this is to bless and not to cause offense.
The plank in the eye picture, told by Jesus, (Matthew 7: 3-5) was basically saying, you fool, just look at what you are doing.
This post goes along the same lines.

When I look back at my own actions I can see that I have, at times, taken on the place of the fool. This is because I have been one of those well intentioned idiots (That the church can sometimes be so full of 🙂 ).
Being well intentioned is great, now if we can only add some wisdom to the mix, then we could have a church filled with well intentioned wise people.
What a thought that is. I pray that Father will speak to you through this.

A man was walking through a park, having a good day. The sun was shining and all seemed well.

As he walked around the corner he came across another man who was lying on the floor.

This man was in a bad way though.
He had clearly been attacked and was in need of urgent help.

The first man on seeing this, thought to himself, I must help this man who is so clearly in need.

So he went to the man in need and asked him, “Sir, please tell me, what can I do to help you?”

The man in need just wanted to be left alone, so he just tried to ignore him.

But the first man would have none of it.
So he shook the man in need and insisted, “Sir, I can clearly see that you are in need, so you must tell me, what can I do to help you.”

The man in need still just wanted to be left alone, but instead said, “Well, I am a bit thirsty. If you could get me a drink of tea, then that could be nice. I have some money in my pocket and there is a tea shop just around the corner.”

This made the first man very happy. He took the money and he went off and bought the tea and gave it to the man in need.

The man in need thanked the first man and sent him on his way, relieved that he was finally leaving him alone.

The first man walked away happy, feeling good about himself.
He thought, that man was in need. I asked him what he wanted and he told me, and then I went and got it for him. I was a help to that man.

How silly of that first man.
He didn’t help the man in need.
An ambulance was clearly needed for the man in need, not a cup of tea.

In our churches, can we be like the first man?

Can we see people who are in need, but not know what is needed to help them.
Can we then go up go these people and metaphorically shake them and ask, “What can I do to help you?”

What the first man should have done is call for help by calling for an ambulance.
Shouldn’t we be metaphorically calling for an ambulance?
Shouldn’t we be putting a call into Father to ask for guidance and help instead of asking the hurt one, what can I do to help you.

Sometimes, the hurt one might be able to say, “Are you crazy, call for an ambulance.” But sometimes the hurt one might just want to be left alone, even though it is doing them no good.

I once shared this picture with a friend, although it was probably in a more garbled fashion.
The response I got was that I was asking for the impossible and expecting people to be able to read minds.
In the human realm this could be a valid point. After all, how is anyone meant to know what is going on unless they are told.
But I am not looking for human strength.
No, I am looking for what is possible with Father invited to the party.

I’m not looking for the impossible but for the Him Possible.
The Him being Our Lord God Almighty.

If we can bring Father into the mix, then the impossible does indeed become Him Possible!

Father is our ultimate help line.
Father is the one we need to be connecting with in order to obtain the answers for what is needed.

Can we seek Father and his will, in order to be a true blessing to those who are in need?

Father,
Please help us to look to You in all things.
Sometimes we can see where something is wrong and help is needed but we don’t have the answers for what is needed.
In them times, then please help us to look to You that much more.
Help us to bring relief to situations instead of just shaking things up.
You are the One who can lead and guide us so please help us to be quick to look to You, and to follow Your lead.
Thank you that You are there to help us.
Amen.

Categories
Uncategorized

You are what you eat.

Healthy food leads to a healthy body.

But what about the spiritual food you eat?

Do we look after our inner self by taking hold of the truth that Father has, and speaks to us?
Or do we listen and give to much attention to what the enemy tries to speak and feed to us instead?

When put in this simple way, then hopefully we all can say that we want what is good for us.
But will our actions follow this thought through?

When we are feeling tired and a bit (or a lot) run down, it is at these times that the enemy will redouble his efforts to make his voice that much louder.
He may try to tell you that you don’t matter, that nobody sees or even hears you and all the other untruths he will endeavour to speak to you.

If we feed on the lies of the enemy, then it’s not going to be good for us. An unhealthy appetite leads to an unhealthy body.

So how can we try to have a healthy spiritual body?

First we need to know that we have a choice about which food we feed ourselves on.
The enemy may well want to hide this simple fact from us, but we do indeed have a choice as to what we take into our hearts and minds.

We then need to try to choose the things which are good for us.

We need to take on Father’s words to us.
His written word, and also His promptings He gives to us to follow His ways.

We need to spend time with Father, otherwise known as prayer.
We need to spend time speaking, and listening to what Father has to say to us.

We need to spend time with other believers, otherwise known as fellowship.
We need to spend time building others up as well as allowing others to build us up.
When believers come together, it is at these times that father can show His Love, to His people, through His people.

In short we need to try and have prayer, word and fellowship in our lives in order to have a healthy spiritual appetite.

I have heard these three disciplines described as a three legged stool.
With all three legs in place, you then have a solid base on which you can sit on.
Take one of the legs away, and you you then have something which just falls over.

Having a healthy appetite when times are good should put us in a good position for when times are not so good.
Knowing the Good food that Father has for us, can mean that we know where to go when times are pressing in on us, so that we can then ignore the words of the enemy and instead feast on the goodness that Father has for us.

But what if you don’t have a healthy appetite?
What then, if you are in times of trouble and you are feeding on the wrong things?

The good news is that you can always change your diet!

Remember the first point I wrote about.
You can choose what it is, that you take in.
You can choose to take in and believe what Father says to you.

He says that, YOU ARE IMPORTANT!!!

You are so important that God sent His only son to die for you on the cross!
As God’s word States in John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

We need to try to take on the truth that God speaks to us.

When I was struggling in the past, I used to have a song that I would listen to.
I used to think that it would comfort me as it spoke to me the reality of where I was.
The truth is though, that it was not a good song to listen to.
It was a depressing song.
One that spoke of no change and loneliness.
Instead of comforting me as I thought it was, it was only compounding and confirming to me that I was lonely and telling me that it wasn’t going to change.
Very Bad food to be feeding on when you are feeling low.

I now have a much better appetite of listening to praise and worship music instead!
Good praise and worship music. Yes, there is such a thing.
Bethel church music and Elevation Church music are very often played, via YouTube in my home. Revival in Belfast by Robin Mark is another great album to listen to.
I’ve even had the US marines singing these are the days of Elijah in my home (courtesy of YouTube). When they get to the part of “lift your voice”, they then give a BIG shout. You need to see it at least once. Have a search for “America’s Marines Singing “Days of Elijah”” if you haven’t seen it.

There is so much good food out there to feed on.
We just need to make the choice to choose the food that is going to be good for us, instead of the lies that the enemy tries to feed to us.

Try to seek out Father and all the goodness that He has for you.
It is the better choice.

Father,
Thank you that we do matter to You.
Thank you that we matter so much to You that you sent your only Son to the earth to die for us so that we can know You.
Help us to feed on the goodness that you have for us.
Help us to always look to you first and foremost.
Thank you that You do Love and care for us.
Amen.

Categories
Uncategorized

Something Good Is Coming From This!

This is the title of the latest sermon from Pastor Steven Furtick from Elevation Church.

It took me two viewings to actually understand what he was saying.
That might sound a bit silly, as it’s a very simple message, but the bit I missed was ….the who, he was saying this to.

It makes a big difference when you realise just who, the who is.
Yes, Steven did effectively say that, this is a statement for those who are Christians.
But I do believe that the statement applies most to those who are actively seeking Father.

I do think that it’s not so much for those people who go to church on a Sunday and do all the right things on a Sunday, to then go and forget it all on the Monday, and the rest of the week, only to begin the process on the next Sunday. (I do hope that I’m not describing myself here 🙂 )

I do believe that the statement applies, most of all to those who take the Lord with them, all throughout the week.
The ones who try to apply what Father is speaking to them at all times.
(I did say try and not do, I fall short on this one as well.)

When you understand the who the statement truly applies to, then it starts to make sense.

It applies to those who are looking to follow Fathers promptings!

Lets look at the Israelites as they left Egypt.
Steven did speak about the Israelites plundering Egypt, when they left.

How did they plunder Egypt?
They were told to ask the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. Exodus 12:35
The Lord had made the Egyptians favourably disposed towards the people, and they gave them what they asked for.

The Israelites were given an instruction….(and here’s the important bit) they followed the instruction.

Simple, really, isn’t it.

The Israelites could have been told, whilst still in Egypt, under bondage,…. Something Good Is Coming From This!

How many would have believed it, if they were told this message?
We are in bondage.
We now also have to go and get our own straw (and the like) and your trying to tell me that something good is going to come from this???
Are you sure???

For those who DO TRUST and OBEY, then the answer is a resounding
YES and AMEN!!!

If there were some Israelites who were too frightened to ask the Egyptians for the the silver and gold….. then how much would they have left with.
None, most probably.
I wouldn’t want to be that person.
Could you imagine the conversation on the way out.

Wow, look at all that the Lord has given to me, What did you get?
Nothing, I was too frightened to ask for anything .  😦
Oh dear, looks like you made a mistake there then…???

Obedience leads to blessings whilst disobedience can lead to missing the blessings.

This is why the who he is saying, “Something Good Is Coming From This!” matters so much.

So going forward, what can we take from this?

Seek the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, body, strength and soul, and then, know that, ….
Something Good Is Coming From This! (What ever this may be.)

If you are in a place where you feel that your all is next to nothing, and worth very little, then you need to know that, that thought is a lie from the enemy!
It doesn’t matter how big your all is, it’s what you do with it that matters the most.

I think about the widow who put in two very small copper coins into the offering. Mark 12:41-44
Jesus himself praised her, for her actions, because out of her poverty, she gave her all.
Father is not looking at the size of your gift.
He just wants all of you.
He wants you to Trust and Obey Him.
If we can do that, then blessings Will follow, …. and then ….
Something Good Is Coming From This!

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Isaiah 40:31
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

___________________________

I have just re-read and re-thought about what I wrote yesterday.
I do still think that it is valid, but I also now understand that it is not what Steven said.
He said “Something Good Is Coming From This!” and he applied it to all who are Christians.
That was his only validation for who the message was for.

So am I wrong in what I have just written???
I think yes and no.
I may be wrong, in that Steven was claiming the statement as a promise for all Christians, where as the above thinks slightly differently.
Steven did claim it for those Christians who felt that they could not claim it for them selves.
But I do still stand by the idea that Father will bless you that much more if you will seek and follow him.

I do think that this is one of those cases where Steven is correct and so am I.

I can say this as, I have been in the place where I couldn’t claim Gods promises for myself.

I thank Father for all those who stood by me (the seen and unseen) and kept me standing, when I didn’t have the strength to do it on my own.
I am thinking about the time when me putting my two small copper coins into the offering was to just turn up on the Sunday morning and then just survive the rest of the week.

I thank Father for the people like Steven who will claim Gods promises for others when they are unable to claim them for themselves.
I am here to tell you that no matter how dark it looks to you, it can and will get better.
So please, just try to put your two small copper coins into the offering, whatever they may be.
They are acceptable and Father will honour you for it.

Father,
Thank you that You are for us.
Thank you that You Love us.
Help us to trust You with all things.
In good times and also not so good times.
Help us to look to You in all things and to be able to Trust and Obey You. Our Lord God.
Amen

Categories
Uncategorized

Accept, Repent and Forgive (a practical example)

My phone screen is broken.

It just happened. One minute it was fine, the next it had a short drop (about 2 to 3 feet to the floor) and the next it was broken.

All peace has left me.

AAAARRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!

Now why did you do that?

Not even two months old, and you are now broken!

Why did you have to land on that sharp edge and crack the screen?

What have I done to deserve this?

OK, it’s pity party time for sure.

As I then spent most of my energy trying to work out what to do next, I just couldn’t stop the thought of, “I’m just going to sit here now and sulk.” (Boo Hoo.)

I know, not very grown up. But there I was. Having my own little pity party, when a thought came to me.

You wrote a post a short while ago, “Accept, Repent and Forgive, there is power here.” Well, are you going to put it into practice now?

At the time I was not to pleased with that thought.
My phone is broken, was my recurring thought.
This is going to cost me money. (No I don’t go in for all the insurances you can get.)

And I just have to accept THAT!!!

Well, what else can I do? Just carry on with a pity party? (Not a good option.)

OK then, here goes.

I ACCEPT THAT MY PHONE IS BROKEN!!!

Try again.

I ACCEPT that my phone is BROKEN!

One more time please.

I accept that my phone is broken. (Hopefully you get the idea, it took a few tries to actually accept it.)

I’m still not OK with it, but I do accept it.

I am still upset, but funny thing, a lot (or a bit) of the anger has gone.

Now Repent.
I’m sorry I got so annoyed.
I’m sorry I was sulking.
I’m sorry I chose to jump into pity party mode so quickly.
Please Lord, help me to do better.

Now Forgive.
I forgive myself for dropping the phone.
I forgive myself for not have a decent phone case or screen protector on the phone.
I forgive the manufacturer for selling me a phone that so easily breaks. (Yes, I needed to do that one as well.)

Well OK, I’ve done all of that.
So now, how am I?

My phone is still broken, but, I’m starting to feel a bit more OK.
Not OK that my phone is broken, but I am starting to feel OK in myself.
Is that a trace of a smile I can feel at how silly I have just been?
Pity party, indeed. Who needs one of them?

I still need to deal with my phone, but at least now I can do it on an even keel.

I guess that there really is power to this Accept, Repent and Forgive idea.

One question though Lord.
Did my phone really have to die for me to learn this lesson all over again.

Father,
Thank you that there really is power to this Accept, Repent and Forgive idea.
Thank you that it works with the little things as well as the big things.
Thank you that we can come into Your presence if we are quick to follow Your prompting.
Help me to always hear Your prompts, and then to be quick to follow You.
Amen.

Categories
Uncategorized

A Diamond in the Dirt is still a Diamond

I see a diamond, but it’s covered with dirt and general mess.

When the light falls on the diamond there is very little sparkle to be seen.
The dirt and general mess is the part that is mostly visible.

But the diamond is still a diamond, even though it is hidden by the dirt and mess.

When the rain comes and washes the diamond clean….then it’s a different story!

Then the light falls on the Diamond and it SPARKLES!!!

The beauty of the Diamond is clear for all to see!

_________________________________________

The Diamond is Jesus is our lives, as we allow Him to lead and direct us.

The dirt and general mess is all life’s struggles and troubles which would try to hold us down.

The rain is Fathers time of cleaning, when he washes away our struggles and troubles.

There will be a day when ALL our struggles and troubles are washed away.

But in the here and now we might only see a partial rain fall, (Father is able to send heavy rain fall in the here and now as well.)

Even though we might be covered in the dirt and mess, if we have Jesus in us and allow him to be our guide and lead us, then we have the Diamond within us.

It might be hard to see at times, but if he’s there, then He’s THERE!!

Small sparkles of the Diamond will show through, even though it’s covered in the dirt and mess, if we allow Father to lead and guide us through life’s struggles and troubles.

Father,
Be the centre of all our lives.
Help us to keep looking to you, for our help and guidance.
As we look to You, then please lead us.
You are Lord God Almighty and are able to help guide us in all things.
Thank you.
Praise You!
All Glory to You!
Amen.

Categories
Uncategorized

Forgiveness and Reconciliation are Two very Different Things

Forgiveness and reconciliation have been on my mind for a while now. It has probably been working round my mind since I wrote the post, forgiveness is key.
https://wannabechristiandoorman.com/2021/09/03/forgiveness-is-key/

When I went through the process of forgiveness one time, I was then left with the thought of… I now need to make contact with the person I have forgiven.
After all, I have now forgiven them, so I shouldn’t have a problem with them anymore.

I now look at that thought and think that it could possibly be a lie from the enemy.

In order for a relationship to be restored there may be a need for reconciliation.
I do believe that need was present for me, but at the time I didn’t see it.

Instead I effectively thought that I had to restore the relationship.
Again, I now think that was a subtle lie from the enemy.

For a relationship to be restored then both parties need to come to the party in order to work at reconciliation.

Hence the reason for this post of, Forgiveness and Reconciliation are Two very Different Things.

So, if we have gone through the process of forgiveness, does that then mean that we then need to go through the process of reconciliation?

I do believe that all situations are different and there is only One Person who can answer that.
And that Person is ….
Lord God Almighty,
Our Father in Heaven,
King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
The One who Loves you with an everlasting Love.

As Wannabe Christian Doorman I just have to shout that out every once in a while.

Back to the post, and yes, I do think that we should always be seeking Father when we have a question of where do we go next.

Reconciliation is always going to be a good thing to hope for, but sometimes, it just might not be possible or even safe to consider. (Especially in the instance of abuse.)
Again, I’ll say, please, let Father lead your steps.

Even if we can’t be reconciled, then I still believe that we need to forgive. If you are struggling with forgiveness then please consider reading forgiveness is key, (a link is at the top of this post).

So if we have gone through the process of forgiveness and we now want to tackle reconciliation, then how can we do this?

Have you guessed the answer yet?
All situation are different and you need to be lead by Father. (There seems to be a running theme here 🙂 )

A picture does come to mind though.

I see two lands, who were at war with each other. There are two borders with a no man’s land in the middle.

There are many choices of what you do next.

Running away from your border and hiding is a choice.
As I have already said, this could be a valid choice for some.
For safety or other reasons.
Listen to Father’s voice for his guidance.

If Father directs you to go up to your border and wave, then try that.

Father could direct you to find the middle ground.
That would be entering into no man’s land.

Father might even direct you cross past no man’s land and enter on into previously enemy land.
If you feel lead to do this then please, be sure it’s Father who is directing you. Finding yourself in enemy land when your not wanted without any back up is not not a good place to be, but if Father is directing you, then you will have back up.
He is Lord of Lords after all.

When all is said and done, seeking Father and his guidance is always going you be the best option.

We can always seek others for help and prayer, but do let Father lead in this also.
Share what needs to be shared.
It’s a case of not everyone needs to know all the details in order to pray for you. They might only need to know, “I have an issue with something, please pray for me so that I’ll know what to do.”
Having one or a few people who know some or all the details could be helpful, but (and I’m saying it again) seek Father for who this person or people should be.

Father,
Help us to keep you at our centre at all times.
Whether we have big thing or small things to deal with, help us always to look to You.
Thank you that you do care for us and Love us and that you will guide us if we come to you.
So help us always to look to You.
Amen

Categories
Uncategorized

Leave the Stones on the Ground.

A friend shared a note with me (Put that Stone Down) about the woman caught in adultery, just recently.
John 8 1-11

As I read it, I couldn’t help but think how true some of the comments were.

One bit that stuck out to me was the question of, “How many people have we driven out of the church by pelting them with stones when we should have brought them to the feet of Jesus?”

I know that we don’t literally throw stones at people, but we can throw stones with what we say and do.
It’s with these stones that we could be driving people away with.

HURT. You hurt me by doing…..
OFFENSE. You offended me by…..
JUDGEMENT. How could you…… or How dare you……

The above are only three such stones, which we could reach for. I dare say there are many more.

The question I’m left with is…
When people do wrong to us, how then will we respond to them?

Will we be reaching to pick up the stones to throw at them or will we be able to bring the situation to Jesus’s feet?

Will we want to seek his wisdom or will we just want to reach out for all those stones, waiting to be picked up? (Which the enemy happily places at our feet.)

When someone does something wrong to us then we can tend to want to pick them stones up as quickly as we possibly can and hurl away with them.
Can we do better Though?
Instead can we try to come to Father and allow him to deal with the situation?

Jude 1:9 comes to mind.
“But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!'”

So, if the archangel Michael, when disputing with the devil left them stones on the ground and called on the Lord instead, then can we do likewise?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying, don’t deal with an issue or problem.
If something is wrong, then it needs to be dealt with.
If there is an injustice, then that needs to be dealt with.

The question is…
Will we deal with it in a way that pleases Father?
Will we bring it to His feet, for His guidance and help?

If you think that bringing it to Father is, letting the offender off lightly, then have a read of Psalm 10.

Verse 15 makes me smile.
“Break the arm of the wicked man;
call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
that would otherwise not be found out.”

The writer is not saying “I’ll break the arm of the wicked man” (one of the stones I didn’t mention) but instead is calling on God to intervene in the situation, and is calling on God to measure out His Justice.

Again, can we do likewise?
Can we call Father to the party instead of trying to deal with it all on our own?

Calling on Father instead of reaching for the stones is not easy, but it is the better choice.

Father,
Help us to not reach for the stones.
Help us to look to You instead.
Help us to look to You for our guidance and help.
Thank you that You are there for us.
Amen.

Categories
Uncategorized

Accept, Repent and Forgive, There is Power Here!

Have you ever had one of those moments when you feel like you are a caged animal, spinning in circles within your cage.
On top of all this there is an enemy outside the cage with a cattle prod, prodding you at every opportunity sending you into ever more of a spin.

Not a happy place to be. (Understatement, if there ever was one.)

When things go wrong, when the wheels fall off, that’s when it’s possible to feel like that caged animal.

What can we do in such a situation?

Accept, Repent and Forgive???

Please, don’t stop reading if I have just upset you.
I’m not trying to prod you with the cattle prod but just trying to look, to see if there is a better way to go, so please, do carry on reading.

Accept.
No I don’t mean, “This is my lot, and I’ve just got to live with it.”
When I say accept, what I mean is, to accept that this is how things are at this present moment. I may not like how it is at this moment but this is how it is. I may want things to change but this is actually how they are at this present moment.

If we can accept, then it removes some of the sting.
It takes away some of the fight in the situation, which the enemy wants to use to prod us with.

Accepting can help us to stop us feeling like a victim.
It can be us taking hold of the situation that we are in so that we can stop feeling that we are a victim of what has happened to us.

Like a lot of things which can bring life, this can be a difficult thing to do, but there is power in accepting the situation for what it is.

Repent.
After we have accepted, then we might need to repent.

Have we done anything which has caused or been part of the cause of where we are?

Yes, I did say part of the cause, as well.

Hopefully you know where I am going with this one.
Sometimes, something can happen, which causes us to react badly and then our actions add fuel to the fire. (Another cattle prod for the enemy.)

So, repent for all that we have done wrong. (A good daily practise anyway 🙂 )

When we repent, we take away the cattle prod from the enemy. (The enemy wants to hold onto as many of these as he can.)
Once we have taken it away from the enemy, we can then lay it down at Jesus’s feet.

Jesus is then able to deal with it!

Jesus might then just take the prod and say, “I have paid the price for this, it has no power over you and it is gone!”

Jesus might even ask us to look further at whatever we have laid at his feet.
He won’t ask this just to prod us as the enemy has been doing, but he wants to bring a healing touch.
Some healing touches can hurt, but if Jesus is doing the healing, then we can trust Him.
He will only bring touches which are for our own good.

One such touch is when Jesus looked at Peter after he denied him for the 3rd time.

When Jesus looked at Peter, I don’t think he was thinking “I told you so.”

I believe it was most certainty a look of Love.
It was more likely to be a look of, ….
I see you at your weakest point, and I still Love you.
I also see what you will become, and what you will do.
I see you on the day of Pentecost when you will stand up and speak to many and a great number of people will come into my house.
(I’d like to take credit for this thought but I think I heard Steven Furtick, from Elevation Church Speak it out in one of his sermons.)

In short, a touch from Jesus might hurt, BUT they are touches to heal and restore!

Forgive.
I’ve already written a post on this. It is…
https://wannabechristiandoorman.com/2021/09/03/forgiveness-is-key/

Short summery of the post.
We need to forgive in order to let go of the hurt, unforgiveness causes us.
We need to forgive because father asks us to. From the Lords prayer, forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

If you are struggling with unforgiveness then please do consider reading the post listed above.
The main thing to remember is that when we forgive, it is a release from pain.
It may be a painful process, but it IS a release that is available to us, if we can see it through.

So, I do believe that there is Great power in Accepting, Repenting and Forgiving!

They are not easy things to do when we are feeling like a caged animal, but if we can put these three words into practice then we can release a Great Power that is available to us.

We can bring the power of our Father to the party!

He comes to remove the cattle prods from the enemy!
He comes to open the door to the cage!
He comes to set his children FREE!

Our Lord God Almighty,
Our Father in heaven,
Lord of Lords and King of Kings,
You, who IS above all and Greater than all,
Thank you that you DO LOVE and CARE for us.
Thank you that you are FOR us.
Thank you that You come to set us FREE!
Help us all to come to You, our Hope and Saviour.
Lead and guide us in what we need to do.
If there are difficult things we need to do then please help us to take the steps that we need to, give us the strength to see things through.
Thank you that You are for us and not against us.
Amen.

Categories
Uncategorized

Somebody else’s problem.

This is an idea I came across when reading a well know Sci fi book.

The basic idea goes that, if you place a note on a known problem of “somebody else’s problem” then the problem becomes invisable.

The note acts like a cloaking device to make the problem appear to disappear. The problem doesn’t actually disappear, but people just stop noticing it, as the problem is now, somebody eles’s.

So, why am I writing about such a nonsense idea?

I do think that we can all be guilty, at times, of placing such a note on problems in our mind.

You know, when you see a problem, but just don’t quite know what to do with it. It’s at this point, where we can put a note on the problem, so that we then don’t even have to look at the problem anymore.
We might be vaguely aware that something is wrong, but we are no longer bothered by the problem as, it is… “Somebody else’s problem.”

Again why am I writing about such an idea?

I sometimes feel that Father would want to say to us….

That problem, which you have placed the note of “somebody else’s problem” on, well, I would like you to take that note off. You see, you could be part of the solution. Look to Me for My guidance and together, let’s make some progress on that problem.

I also feel that Father would, also (possibly) say something very different to those people who try to take on all of the world’s problems, all on their own. I think that he would say to such people….

You are not god!
Yes I see that you have a heart for all these things which are wrong, but you are not Me!
Most of these problems are not yours to deal with. They are Mine.
There are a few where I would like you to be part of the solution, but on all the others, place a little note in your mind about them that states, “Somebody else’s problem.” Of course you can always talk to me about all these things, but when I tell you to place a note on a problem then please follow My prompting and do just that.
Concentrate on the things that I lead you to and leave the rest to Me.

So now we have two very different statements which Father could be saying to us. Which one applies to you?

Both statements could apply to each and every one of us at different times of our lives.
The question is will we listen to Father when He speaks to us?
Will we be part of the solution when He wants us to be, and will we be able to leave things alone that He tells us to leave alone?

Father
Help us to hear Your voice that much more clearly.
Help us to know when to act and when to stay still.
Lead and guide us in all our ways, so that we can keep in step with You.
Amen.