Tag: prayer

Categories
Uncategorized

The Vast Battle

There was a vast battle going on between two armies.
One army was far superior to the other.
Both armies knew what the outcome of the battle would be, but the battle still raged on.

In the end the superior army won the battle.
There was a time of great rejoicing and celebration.
After this time though, the superior army looked around at each other and said, “What do we do now then?”

One person piped up, “That was so good and effective, lets go back to where we started from and do it all over again!”
So they did…???

This time however as they were advancing on the battlefield they had a very real sense of déjà vu. “We’ve been here already, why are we having to go through this again?”

The battle had already been won!
How silly of that army to give away all that ground.
The enemy would happily take any ground that is given to it and then try to hold onto it for as long as possible, always knowing that it would always loose in any battle it faced.

Instead of trying to relive an old battle and past glories the superior army should have gone forward onto the new frontier and taken new ground instead.

Can we be like the superior army at times?

When we pray for things in the spiritual, we have the victory in Christ.
He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings and every knee will bow at his name.

We may struggle to see this though.
Instead we can sometimes go back over old ground doing the same things and saying the same things, when in actual fact we’ve already got the victory and we should now be moving forward onto the new ground, to the new frontiers where Christ is leading us.

Father,
Thank you, that in you we do have the victory.
Help us to see this in a greater way.
Once we have the victory, then help us to see the new ground to take.
Help us to always keep moving forward with you.
To remain in step with you.
Amen.

Categories
Uncategorized

Forgiveness is Key

Forgiveness is key is hopefully something which we can all agree on, after all Jesus did say to us (in the Lords prayer) forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Sometimes this is not an easy thing to do though, and all the more so if we think that the one who has wronged us, doesn’t deserve our forgiveness.

The world will tell us that we should only forgive those who deserve it, but that is not Fathers way.
Father tells us to forgive unconditionally.

If someone has wronged us badly or is continually hurting us then how are we to follow this command?

It helps to know that forgiving someone is for our own good.

It releases us from the pain, hurt and bitterness which unforgiveness causes us.

I think of the hurt, as a hammer that keeps coming down on a hand that is under it.

If you are able to remove your hand from under the blows of the hammer then you should do so.
It’s much easier to forgive if the hammer blows are taken away

But what if you can’t take your hand out of the way of the hammer Blows? Do we still forgive?
Yes I believe I the answer is.

You see when we forgive, even though the hammer blows keep coming down, we then welcome the gauntleted hand of God to come over our hand and absorb the greater part of the blows.
We may still feel the thumping of the hammer, but the blows can be greatly reduced by inviting Father into the situation by forgiving.

Do we remain in this situation though?

Hopefully the hammer blows will be removed, but what if they are not?

It’s at this point that we need to hear Fathers voice that much more for His direction.

You see you can attack the hammer or you can let the hammer keep raining it’s blows down. Whatever you do, it’s best to keep in step with Father.

If Father tells you to remain still, then do that and wait for the bigger hammer to come along and take out the hammer that is hitting you.
He can do it.

Or Father might tell you to turn your hand around, catch the hammer and crush it. (The source of the hurt I’m talking about, not necessarily a person. 🙂 )
If he leads you to do this then you are doing it in his gauntleted hand with his strength added to the mix.
It may well still be a tough journey but you are not alone if you invite Father into the situation….by forgiving.

I can still remember seeing a program about forgiveness.

There were two guests that I can remember.

The first was a parent of a child who had been very badly treated (tortured and killed) by a very bad abuser.
The parent couldn’t forgive the abuser.
The effect of this could clearly be seen on the parents face. She took the hurt and bitterness with her wherever she went.
The audience (the world) all agreed that she was right, not to forgive, even though the pain she was in was clear to see on her face.

The second, was a parent of a child, who had been killed by a terrorist bomb.
The parent had forgiven the bomber who had killed their child.
The audience could not understand this. They were asking, how can you do that, and stating that the bomber didn’t deserve the parents forgiveness.
You could see by looking at the parents face that he was at peace.
The parent explained that it wasn’t the easiest thing he had done but that he did it any way.

Looking at the two side by side I could see the benefit of forgiving and the consequences of not forgiving.

It is for our own good that we are called to forgive.

By forgiving we can then claim hold of Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.

Sometimes we might need to be honest with Father and tell him that we don’t want to forgive and ask for His help with the issue of our unforgiveness.
If we come to Father and ask for his help then he will be there to help us.

We can can sometimes think that to forgive someone, we need to go and look at the person we need to forgive in the eye and then forgive them to their face.
This is not the form of forgiveness that I am talking about.
The forgiveness that I am talking about is that which is done in our heart in our Father’s presence.
If Father prompts us to go further then we do need to listen to Him, but it is the choice we make in our hearts which is the starting point that counts.

Father,
Thank you that you do care for us and that you do forgive us.
Help us to follow your ways.
Help us to forgive others when they have wronged us.
Help us to bring those things and people who hurt us to you.
Help us to work things through with you so that we can truly say, yes I do forgive unconditionally as you call us to.
Amen

Categories
Uncategorized

A Definition of Heaven and Hell

Have you ever had one of those conversations with someone who isn’t a beliver when the topic of heaven and hell comes up?

It kind of goes, I’m going to hell where there’s going to be a great party with lots of fun. You can have heaven to yourself, floating on your clouds and playing your harps.

It generally leaves me thinking, you haven’t got a clue.
Hell is a place of pain and suffering!
There’s not going to be any fun in hell!

To try and challenge this idea I try to offer a better picture of heaven and hell. It’s listed below.

Think of the best time in your life. A time when you thought this is the best. I want to remain here for as long as I can.
Heaven is going to be sooo much better than that.

Now think of a time which was the worst time in your life. A time when you thought this is the worst and you would do anything to get away from that moment.
Hell is going to be sooo much worse than that.

Now which one would you like to be heading to, bearing in mind when you reach your destination you won’t be able to change where you are.

Using this picture, generally, changes the dynamics of the conversation.

For me it’s the only way I can have any real picture of what heaven and hell are really like.

I have made the choice to accept Jesus as Lord and Savour and as such I have a hope that I shall see him in Heaven one day instead of the pain and suffering which will occur in the other place.

If you haven’t already already asked Jesus into your life then you can do so now if you would like to ensure that you will be heading to the better location.

You might say that you don’t believe in either place and as such it just doesn’t matter, but what if you are wrong?
Are you willing to gamble with your eternal resting place? (These are big stakes.)

I would like to challenge all who do not follow Jesus to at least look into these issues so that you can make an informed choice and as such, then play an active role in the decisions you make for your final destination.

Father,
I thank you that you are real.
I thank you that you are my Lord and Saviour,
I am sorry that I do get things wrong at times and I thank you that you do forgive me as I bring my failings to you and try to do better.
Thank you that we can all know You.
Thank you that when we ask you into our lives, then you do say yes to us.
Help us all to say yes to you each and every day.
Amen

Categories
Uncategorized

We are only meant to bring the loaves and fishes.

If you have been watching The Chosen then you might already know what I’m going to be posting this week.

In the live streams and a number of interviews Dallas has spoken about this.

He has stated several times that it’s not our place to make the miracle happen, we only need to bring the loaves and fishes.

It’s so true when you think about it.

We are not able to make any kind of miracle happen. It’s just not in us, regardless of what we might think.

The disciples were only asked to bring what they had, which turned out to be the loaves and fishes. They didn’t have to produce the miracle, that part was left to Jesus. But they were part of the miracle by bringing what they could, the loaves and fishes.

The same is still true for us today. We only need to do our part and leave the miracle to God.

The question is, will we do our bit?
Will we bring the loaves and fishes, or will we make our excuses?

If we do want to see God move in a greater way, then we need to be willing to bring the loaves and fishes.
Father wants to include us in his work and hence he asks us to bring what we can, the loaves and fishes.

Dallas also talks about, just because we bring the loaves and fishes, it doesn’t mean that the miracle will happen.

This can be a tough point for us.
After we have gone through the effort of bringing the loves and fishes, then we can tend to have this expectation that something will happen, after all, we’ve done what you asked for… didn’t we Father.

Sometimes we will feel as though, we have fallen flat onto our face, being left with the thought of, “What have I just done???”

If we have followed Fathers prompting, then we have done just what we need to. We might get to see what it was all about at a later date, or we might not, it’s all in Fathers hands.

Do we have a heart that wants to say yes to Father, just like the lady who danced in the park (one of my earlier posts)
The Lady who Danced

If we can all come to that place where we are all willing to bring our loaves and fishes, regardless of what happens, then how much more will we be helping Father to see his purpose fulfilled, not only in our lives but also in our wider communities.

Can you imagine a church were everyone is willing to bring their loaves and fishes to Father, regardless of what happens?

Wouldn’t that be a miracle all on it’s own?
Everyone doing what they are meant to be doing, when they were meant to be doing it.

That almost sounds like it could be the start of something so much bigger. Revival perhaps?

Father,
Please start with me.
Help me to be willing to bring to You my loaves and fishes.
Help me to think more of You and less about everything else.
Help me to know and trust You that much more so that I want to say yes to You that much more quickly.
Thank you that you do accept me where I am, but please continue to lead and guide me.
Amen

Categories
Uncategorized

“I’ll Raise a Hallelujah” is a battle cry

Do you sometimes think that a certain song can being sung in wrong way?

That’s how I feel about “I’ll Raise a Hallelujah”. (Bethel Church)
I sometimes feel that people can sing it, a little bit too happily.

Yes that’s right, I did say too happily.
So why would I possibly think this?

For me, that song is a Battle Cry!

It says to me, “I WILL Praise my God, even when it hurts”.

You just need to just look at the words and you might start to see where I’m coming from.

I’ll Raise a Hallelujah, in the presence of my enemy.
I’ll Raise a Hallelujah, louder than the unbelief.

I’m gonna sing, in the middle of the storm.
Louder and louder, your gonna hear my praises roar.

Are you starting to see why I think this song is a Battle Cry?
When making a Battle Cry it just works better if you deliver it with a ROAR rather than a smile.

I have to admit that there is no wrong way to sing the song, but for me, I do try to declare the words in the song from somewhere deep within.

I think that the song captures the essence of what Habakkuk, one of the Old Testament prophets, was saying.

Habakkuk 3:17-19
Though the fig-tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the sheepfold and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.

When the song was written it was in a time of impending sorrow.
A little boy was very ill and things were not looking good.
If you would like to hear the full account then search on YouTube for “The Power of Praise – Miracle of Jaxon Taylor’s Healing”

The song was written at one of the darkest points of that time.
It was written to say “Yet I Will Praise the Lord, even though it looks bad”.

The feelings of happiness were probably less at that point in time, but the declarations that God is Good were that much louder!

Then miraculously he became better.
After the doctors were saying there was nothing more they could do, after all the prayers and praises, then he then was healed.
It’s worth watching the video.

So what can we take forward from this?

Sing the song in a happy way, praising God, if that is where you are at.
But also, try to declare the words as what we want our will to be.
Use the song as a Battle Cry in harder times, in order to declare that God is Good, what ever is happening around us.

Father,
Thank you that we can Praise you at all times.
Thank you that we can Praise you in the good times but also when times are not so good.
Help us to look to you in times of trouble, so that we can lean on you to bring that something extra to keep us going in our times of struggle.
Thank you that You are with us and all we need to do is to call out to you.
Amen

Categories
Uncategorized

Do we come to God with our needs or our wants?

When we come to God, how do we approach him?
Do we come to him with all our wants and desires asking him to approve and rubber stamp how we think things should be done?
Or do we come to him with ears open, wanting and willing to hear what he has for us?

When we look at it this way, we would all probably say the latter.
After all, we all know that Father has our best at heart and hearing from him should be our number one aim.
So why is it then that we can all fall into the trap of coming to God with our wants?

It seems silly when you think about it.
It can be a bit like the patient who went to the doctor with a paper cut.

The patient went to the doctor and shouted out, “I’m in extreme agony, HELP ME!”
The doctor saw the patient and immediately replied, “Yes, come in and I shall attend to your wounds.”
The patient was in fact in need of urgent medical help.
He had been in some sort of battle with something and as as such had many wounds which needed attention or he was going to die.
As the doctor attempted to see to his most urgent wounds the patient screamed out, “What are you doing? It doesn’t hurt there, the pain is coming from the end of my finger. Look.”
The doctor looked at the finger, but couldn’t see anything, so he carried on to do his life saving work. But the patient insisted, “Look at my finger!”
The doctor looked closely at the finger, and saw a tiny paper cut.
He dismissed it and again tried to save the patient’s life.
The problem was, each time the doctor tried to do his work the patient kept coming back to his finger.
It got so bad that the doctor exclaimed, “I can’t save you if you don’t let me!”

The doctor knew what needed to be done!
He had the ability and wanted to do what was needed.
But the patient wouldn’t let the doctor do his work.
How long will the patient survive if this continues?

So do we ever find ourselves in the place of the patient?
Do we come to God with what we think should be done to the extent that we do not listen to him?
God is more interested in our needs than our wants.

If God tells us to look at, or do something, are we willing to listen to him?
Do we hear his voice well enough to know that it’s him when he speaks to us?
Do we trust him enough to follow his lead?

Father,
Help us to all know your voice that much better.
Help us to trust you, that much more so that we are willing to follow You.
Help us to be obedient to your ways and to follow your promptings to us.
Amen

Categories
Uncategorized

Pray for the nation

What I am bringing this week is something I wrote before I had the blog up and running.
It was written during the restrictions which were in place to control COVID. You know, all those restrictions nobody liked.
I am posting it now as I feel I am being lead to.

I woke up a couple of nights back after having a strange dream. I can remember some of the details but not in any kind of order???
I was left with a picture though.
I feel as though it was meant to show what it can be (or could possibly be) like at the top of the government.

It was a picture of a rocket ship on the launch pad, fuelled and ready to go with the pilot sitting in his seat.
The pilot is meant be represent the prime minister.
He is the one to launch the rocket into space.
He will lead and direct the craft making decisions at the appropriate time in order to see that all goes well.

Does success fully depend on the pilot?

I think this is one of those yes/no question/answers.

The pilot has to make decisions based on information that has been given to him. If he is given bad information he could make bad choices which could lead to the rocket crashing and burning.
If he is given good information then he can take the right decisions which leads to success and glory for all.

It was at this point I felt compelled to pray.
Lord, let good information get through to the prime minster and cut off all the bad information.

As I dwelt on the illustration I thought “Is the pilot responsible for the rocket being on the launch pad?”

I believe the answer is no.
There were the engineers who designed and made the rocket. There was the mathematician’s who have worked out all the sums needed for the engineers to do there bit.
When you continue to consider the picture there is even the fuel in the tanks waiting to be burnt in order to achieve lift off.

All these things are out of the pilots control.
He has to trust that every one else has done their bit correctly so that lift off can be achieved.

So who are the engineers, mathematicians and the like?
Government on the whole is one possible answer.

But the one that struck me was, who represents the fuel?
The part that costs huge amounts of money, that will just be burnt.
I kind of think it is us, the people. Without money (taxes) for the fuel the rocket is going nowhere. But I also think it also goes further than just taxes.

I feel as though it is what will we, the people, will do and act as the fuel for the rocket.
Will we be good fuel or bad? Will we be the good fuel that pushes the rocket into space or will we be bad fuel that causes the engine to stutter and fail, which could lead to a crash?

We all have our part to play. We all have a need to make and do the right things to ensure we are good fuel. We all have to do our bit to achieve success.
We may not like the things we currently need to do to achieve success but failure really shouldn’t be an option.

Making the right choice might be inconvenient or painful, but if it is the right choice then we should do it. (Whatever that right choice is.)

It was at this point I was reminded of a train caught in a tunnel which was on fire.
There was a group of people who came out of the train and walked up to the front of the train. Most people of the group wanted to carry on walking up the tunnel away from the burning train, but there was a fire fighter who Knew different.
He said “If we walk up the tunnel where the smoke is going We Will Die from smoke inhalation. No, we need to go down past the burning train in order to escape! It will be hard and painful but is is our only chance to survive.”
The people of the group listened to the fire fighter and they survived.

So the question is, will we do our bit and do all we can to achieve success?

That was the place I got to when I wrote this.
As I have thought about this I also think that the picture is true for smaller groups, such as churches for instance.

In all groups we have a leader, and those who follow or work with the leader.
The leader has their part to play but not everything depends on the leader. We all have our part to play.

The question is, will we try to be good fuel or bad fuel?
Will we try to do our part to achieve success for all?

Father,
Please help everyone in all that they do.
I ask that you will give wisdom to all our leaders so that they can make good choices. I ask that they will be given good information and that bad information is removed from them.
I also ask that you will help us all to do our bit, both for our nation and also closer to home.
That we will be willing to follow your prompting and your guidance so that we can all be part of the solution, doing our part you have for us to do.
Amen

Categories
Uncategorized

How do you react when you are having a bad day?

Lets face it, we all have bad days from time to time.
We all can have days that leave you crying out AAARRRHHH!!!!!!!!

So how do you act or react when a bad day comes your way?

Do you scream out at anyone near you? (unfortunately those closest to us can bear the brunt of this.)
Do you go and hit something? (hopefully not breaking whatever it is your hitting, and most definitely hopefully not a person or pet.)

Or do you just crawl off to a quiet place to hide and wait for the day to end singing, The sun will come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, will be OK. (Just like the little girl with red cotton candy curls sings in a film.)

None of the above options really help us that much.
They may be a small release, but is there a better option?

I believe there is a better option.
Like all better options it’s not an easy one to put into practice but it can bring a release that goes to another level.
One that can bring in a victory.

So what is it I hear you say?

Seek the Lord your God and call on him to help you!

Simple really, isn’t it…???

Maybe not so simple when all you want to do is all of the above.
So How can you do it?

You could try the, singing a song idea.
No not the song mentioned above but a different one.

Incidentally, do you know who the true author of that song, “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow” is …???
I’m not talking about who wrote it but the one who inspired it…???

I believe it is the enemy himself, the deceiver, the father of lies.
Before you go off and call me whatever it is that’s in your mind right now, please, just give me a chance and I’ll explain.

What is the message of that song….???
Give up on today! Today is done! You have been beaten today, so just give up and try again tomorrow. (It sounds all the more convincing if you say the above with a bit of a growl in your tone of voice.)

The problem with singing that song today is that tomorrow still has troubles of its own to deal with, which will try to lead you to singing the same song over and over again.
A song of eternal defeat.

This is why I believe this song is a song from the enemy!

There is a different song you can try to sing in its place.

This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made, that the Lord has made.
I WILL rejoice, I WILL rejoice and be glad in it!, and be glad in it.
This is the day that the Lord has made.
I WILL rejoice and be glad in it!
This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made.

As I have said it can be a hard thing to put into practise, but it can bring about a victory. (Even if it is only in your heart and mind but this is where the victory has to come first).

There is an incidence in the bible where we can see this principle in action. Can you guess which part I’m thinking of….?

Well, I’m thinking of Paul and Silas when they were locked up in the inner cell of the prison, with feet fastened into stocks. And this was after having been stripped, beaten and flogged. Acts 16 vs 16-40

Well, they were having a VERY BAD day!
They were Roman Citizens and should not have been treated in such a way.

We may think we have human rights but they had Roman Rights!
They should have been protected by Rome!
We can see how they should have been protected in Acts 22 vs 25 when on another occasion when Paul was about to be flogged he asked
“Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t been found guilty?”
On that occasion Paul wasn’t flogged because of his Roman Citizen Rights.
But back in chapter 16 he had his rights abused.

He had every right to complain!
He could have said “I am a Roman Citizen, How Dare you treat me this way!”
But he didn’t. instead he (and Silas) looked to their citizenship in GOD!
He looked to a higher power.
Father in Heaven.

How did they look to their Father in heaven?
Well they were both were singing, even though they were beaten, battered and bruised.
They were singing even though they had had such a very bad day.

When I first read this passage I had a bit of a romantic view that God must have enabled Paul and Silas to worship after having such a bad day. After all, how else could they have done it? Surely God must have inspired them with power from on high…???

I now think that the reality is some what less dramatic. I now think that they were singing because they needed to. You see, I think they knew they needed to draw close to God and singing was the method they were using to do this.

This turned my thinking on it’s head.
They were singing because they needed to, not because they were inspired to by a power from on high. (How ordinary.)

What happened after they had been singing for a while?

They not only saw the victory in there hearts and minds but also in the reality of their situation.

There was an earthquake, the doors were opened and even the jailer and his house hold came to salvation. (You need to read Acts 16 vs 16-40 to get the whole account.)

This all happened because they made the decision to sing rather than complain.

The miracle happened after worshiping.

So can we do likewise?
When things don’t go our way instead of doing all the wrong things can we instead turn to God, using whatever method works for you to enter into his presence?
Can we try to seek His face, His help and His assistance?

It is the better option.

Father.
Help us to always look to you.
When times are good and also when times are not so good.
Help us to seek and trust you always.
Amen.

Categories
Uncategorized

How Do You Pray when you feel you just can’t do anything?

Have you ever found yourself in a place where doing anything seems impossible, where even the simple tasks are a major chore to do?
If you have, then how do you pray when in such a place?

When doing anything seems impossible then praying can seem like the last thing you want to do.
It’s in these times that it could be the most important thing to do!

So how can you do it?

If you can, then using the Lords prayer can be a good starting place.

If I’m struggling, then using The Lords Prayer gives me a model of how to pray.
I take each line, one at a time and dwell on what it means for me in the here and now.
I’ll demonstrate with the first line.

Our Father in heaven – Yes you are my Father, my Daddy. The one I can go to. You are there for me, thank you that you are there for me.

I might dwell on that one line for longer or that might be all I think of for that time before moving onto the next line and repeating the process again.

If you can put this idea into practise then great, please try to do that.

It Will Bless YOU!

But what if you can’t even do that.
What if even that seems impossible.

There is still hope!

You are not so lost that you can’t be brought back!

When I in the past have reached the point where I can’t even say the prayer in that manner,  then I will just recite the Lords prayer.
Parrot fashion if I must but I still do it because even doing that has a power to it.

But what if you can’t even do that?
When I have been there in the past, then I have had another fall back option on prayer.

It’s one of the most basic prayers I have called out.
It’s only six words long.

Praise you.
Help me.
Thank you.

The order the words are used in can be different each time but I try to Praise Him, ask Him for help and also try to remain thankful for what I do have.

That last one can seem difficult to do when you think you have nothing but we all have something to be thankful for, if we look hard enough.

We have air in our lungs to be thankful  for. If we have a roof over our heads and food on the table then we have something to be thankful for.

It can be hard to say thank you, when everything else seems to be wrong, but we always have something to be thankful for.
If we can only open our eyes enough to look for it.
It can be a very hard thing to do but it is the right thing to do.

When I have said the six word prayer in the past I have tried to use the same method spoken about above. Trying to put some meat on the bones, as you say.

There have been times in the past when all I could do is say the six word prayer.

In them times I could only let my heart groan and cry out to Father with the words I didn’t know how to form with my mind.

I can say to you that Today in the Here and Now, I am soooo much Better!!

It can seem so hard if all you can do is call out the six word prayer, but PLEASE, DON’T GIVE UP!!

Father is there for you, and rooting for you.

You can overcome ALL things with Christ who strengthens us.

There is this power from God which IS available to us if we seek him, even if it is with only six little words.

I would like to offer a prayer to anyone who is in need.

Our Father, who is in Heaven.
Thank you that you care for us ALL.
We are ALL special to you.
You gave your son Jesus for us ALL.
Thank you.
Help us all to KNOW that we ARE LOVED BY YOU!
Bring a healing touch to ALL who are hurting.
Help them.
Bring a Help to them that WILL bring a release.
Enable those who are struggling to carry on in YOU.
Thank you that you ARE REAL.
The one True Living GOD who cares and LOVES US.
Help us all to remain in you.
Please guide our steps and lead us to an abundance in YOU.
Amen

Categories
Uncategorized

Tired of making Sparks?

I wasn’t planning on making this post but a picture came to me as I was going to work today, so I thought to just go with it.
I will return to our meetings in the park soon.

Anyhow, Tired of making Sparks?

Do you sometimes feel that you have these ideas that you try out, just to find that they seem to lead anywhere?
It’s like your trying desperately to start a fire, but all you see are the sparks of an idea.
You give it your all, but sparks are all that you see.
Then you reach the point where you can think enough is enough, and then it’s time to move on.

The picture I had was of one such person.

There were many sparks, but no fires.

The problem with many sparks but no fires is it can become very disheartening.
You can start to think,
What am I doing?
Why am I bothering?

In the picture, this was happening to the individual who was doing their best for God.

Father saw this and wanted to give some encouragement.
I believe the words Father wanted to say are as follows:

Well done good and faithful servant.
You’ve had all these sparks and have given them away freely.
You haven’t tried to keep them to yourself.
I am well pleased with you.
Do not worry about the fires that you haven’t seen.
It’s not yet time to see the fires that will come from the sparks that you send out. Some of the fires may be small but others will be bigger in due course. You will see the results one day.
Some of the sparks are starting sparks, some are feeding sparks but others could end up being igniting sparks!
You may or may not see the igniting sparks at the time, but you will in the end.
I Love you and am well pleased with you, so just carry on doing all that you are doing for me.
I am Well Pleased with you and one day we shall see all the results of your labours together.

I do hope that the above words are truly from Father and not just me.
But just imagine him saying them words to you, well done good and faithful servant.
When all is said and done, isn’t that going to be one of the greatest things he could say to us?

Father help us all to see what you want us to do.
Help us not to be too concerned about the results but just to be happy to play our part.
Seeing the results of something we have played a part in is always going to help us.
But even if we don’t see the results just yet, then please help us to not get disheartened.
Instead help us to know you are pleased with us, and continue to lead and guide us.
Please give us eyes and ears to see and hear you more clearly and a heart to follow you.
Amen