Released and Free…

Matthew 6:14 “For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you”

Daily we’re offered the opportunity to become offended with people. It may be with our politicians, pastors, friends or strangers. No matter who offends us, if we don’t deal with it, our future becomes incapacitated.

This weeks verse clearly shows us why we need to forgive. It simply says that our heavenly father doesn’t forgive our offence unless we forgive others. We must learn how to forgive and release people who offend us.

So, how do we know if we’re carrying offence? If we clearly remember the pain and hurt of the event then it’s likely that forgiveness towards that person is still in process in our life. We must continue to release people from the blame for what they’ve done so we can be released from the clutches of offence.

This week let’s work on forgiving those who have offended us. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to release them and forgive them. Then commit to pray for them just like you would pray for yourself. As you do this any bitterness in your soul will leave and hindrances to your future will dissolve.

We’ve done this and it works, so we encourage you to do it as well. Get ready because as you apply this principle to your life it will propel you forward into God’s amazing plans for your future.

Doing it all…

Philippians 4:13 “For I can do ALL THINGS through Christ, who gives me strength”

Some days we think we’ve conquered the world only to discover that there’s still a long “to do” list left. It has taken every ounce of strength to get this far so the rest will have to wait for another time. Everyone experiences days like these.

Today’s verse reminds us how to achieve victory every day. You and I can do somethings & many things in our own strength but we can’t do ALL THINGS. If we want to achieve our full potential we need help. We must obtain it through Christ. He gives us the strength and ability to do ALL THINGS, even the seemingly impossible!

So, how do we access Christ’s strength to do ALL THINGS just like the Apostle Paul? It’s simple, we ensure that Jesus is the central focus of our life. We place Him above and before everything else. We honour Him first in every arena of life – private, public and personal. Jesus gets the best of our time, our resource and our relationships. We vigilantly keep every arena of our lives focused on Jesus.

As we do this the gates of blessing from heaven open and Christ’s strength floods our life. So, this week, re-arrange your life to honour Jesus even more. It takes many simple decisions throughout the day to achieve this and then the promise of Philippians 4:13 will overtake your life and joy will become your constant companion.

Heart Attack…

Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for it determines the course of your life.”

Nowadays wherever we go there are people guarding things. Wether it’s the palace, the airport or the shopping centre. People are on guard and protecting whatever they think is valuable.

Proverbs says that you and I should, above everything else, be guarding our hearts. Our heart carries our desires, motivations, and intimate purposes. So, think for a moment about how much energy, finance and time is spent protecting other things while our hearts are left open to attack. We should be guarding it ABOVE ALL ELSE.

There’s very good reason why we do this. Our heart determines the course of our life. Matthew 12:35 says that a good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart. If our heart isn’t protected and healthy then we’ll become sick and eventually discover ourselves far from God’s course for our life.

So, if life is not heading where it should, then our heart is probably under attack. This can happen through gossip, offence, anger, competition or neglect to name a few. But our heart can be made well and restored when we guard it and action Gods Word in our lives.

This week let’s check in with our heart specialist: the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to tell us what’s up and how to rectify it. Before long our life’s course will be restored and we’ll be producing good things from the treasury of a good heart. Above all we must GUARD YOUR HEART!

The Tough Get Going…

James 1:12 “Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. The reward is life and more life for those who are loyally in love with God.”

Looking at a garden on a hot day reveals the plants that are up to a challenge and those that are not. Some plants wilt and quickly dry up never to be seen again. Others simply stand strong and stick out the heat. These are the ones that continue to have life.

Some people wilt like a plant in the heat whenever a challenge comes their way. Others rise up, meeting challenges head-on, sticking them out to the end. This verse calls them “mighty fortunate” and says they are rewarded with life and more life. Why? Simply because they got tough and rose to the challenge, sticking it out to the end.

There is only one-way to meet a challenge head-on: by being loyal and in love with God. As we do this, above everything else, we become equipped to succeed no matter how hot or desperate the battle becomes. When it’s over we get rewarded with so much more life than we had before.

Let’s meet our challenges head-on this week. Let’s not wilt and die but rather gain abundant life by simply obeying our verse. Remember the challenge is worth winning so that we receive our reward. Whenever we’re loyal to God and His Word, every challenge we meet head-on is sure to produce abundant life!

Summer

Above and Before…

Proverbs 4:7 “Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!”

The journey of life can become busy and overwhelming at times. People rush everywhere trying to do everything they possibly can. Often rapid-fire decisions are made with little forethought. These often prove to be big mistakes that carry a great cost.

In life we need to slow down! Our verse lets us know that God’s way to a successful life is to get His Wisdom above and before everything. This means that God’s Wisdom must come before our plans, desires and schedules and must be placed above our emotions, circumstances and feelings.

Whenever we disregard Wisdom we are heading towards disaster without knowing it.

We can never rush Wisdom; it takes time and energy to gain it. Our bible is chocked full of Wisdom for us to live by. It is there so we can successfully navigate every part of life. The key to getting Wisdom is to slow down and take our time to read, ponder and apply God’s Word to our lives before we do something, not after.

Whenever we prioritize God’s Word in our life we are prioritizing Wisdom in our lives.

This week put God’s Wisdom above and before our personal wisdom. Let’s SLOW DOWN and allow Wisdom to seep into the very depths of our hearts. Allow Wisdom to become the foundation of every decision made. Before long our lives will be flourishing and we will be a people of Wisdom.

Wisdom

A Strong Year…

Ecclesiastes 3:11 “God has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot understand what God has done from beginning to end.”

Soon fireworks will be bursting in the sky, trumpets will be blaring and everyone will be celebrating the new year. For many it will be just another event but, for those who choose, it can become a defining moment in their journey with God.

Our family always enter the new year on a strong foot. We make sure that God is central and pivotal at the start so he remains the focus for the whole year, not just the day. Ecclesiastes 3:11 will help make this coming year strong and stable for you.

It gives 3 powerful keys on how to enter this new season:

  1. Don’t rush
  2. Search your heart
  3. Trust God

Don’t rush – Everything we do doesn’t have to be accomplished in one day. Some things take time. If we allow time to do its work then God will ensure that everything becomes beautiful.

Search your heart – Remember that God has planted eternity in our hearts. It makes good sense that we should search our heart and get an eternal prospective on our plans. Make a habit of checking every plan with God and you will have great success ahead.

Trust God – Ensure that your trust is in God. He knows the beginning from the end and every step in-between. There is no one trustworthier than God. When we put our trust in Him our lives stand on a solid and sure foundation.

We believe that 2013 is going to be the best year yet for you. Making God the central and pivotal point at the start is a simple key to having a strong year!

Faith, Hope, Love…

Psalms 95:6 “Come let us adore and bow down: Let us kneel before the LORD our maker for he is our God.”

As we approach the celebration of the birth of Jesus many people are busy organising last minute gifts to ensure that everyone is taken care of on the day. Christmas is a special time of outreach and inclusion, a time when we can share the love and goodness of Christ with others.

It is a time to stop and remember the reason for this season. We celebrate the love that God has for this world. His great love sent Jesus into the midst of all that was lost and dying. Jesus’ sacrifice allowed us to be reconciled back to God again as He laid down His life on the cross.

Now that is truly something that we should be thankful for. We should worship God because of it. As we come humbly before our Lord in this way we testify that we are His people and we are surrendered to His leadership.

This Christmas as we celebrate Jesus let’s also remember our maker and our God. Set aside time to adore, worship and bow down before him and express our love and adoration. Not only will this bring honour to God but it will also help to restore faith, hope and love to those around you.

Building Strong Families…

Psalm 103:17 “But the Lord’s love for those who respect him continues forever and ever, and his goodness continues to their grandchildren”

The foundations under any building are what cause it to stand strong. If they are faulty or inferior they won’t fully support the structure that is built upon them. If foundations are weak, they will almost certainly fail at sometime in the future.

Everyone wants their family to be strong and functional. Our verse teaches us how to build the strong foundation needed to achieve this. It says that as we show respect to God He pours out His love and goodness on us. But it goes further than that. He keeps pouring this love and goodness out onto our children and our grandchildren. Now that’s a strong foundation to build under any family!

It is not difficult to show respect to God. As we are obedient to His Word and live life the way the bible says our lives transform from being self-centered to being God-focused. We become a vessel of worship to Him and He responds by pouring His love and goodness into the future generations of our families.

This week why not strengthen the foundations of your family and effect the coming generations. As we make a choice to do things God’s way we cause His love and goodness to flood over us, our children and our children’s children. A strong foundation will be formed that will enable our families to stand strong through any storm. Prepare now for a strong family in the future!

Safe and Protected…

Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the Lord is like a strong tower. Those who do what is right can run to him for protection.”

I like looking at the picture that shows a tall lighthouse with huge waves smashing around it. The tower stands tall and solid while the ocean beats at it trying to destroy it.

That image always reminds me of Proverbs 18:10. It says that the Lord’s name is like this strong tower. It is a place that is immovable, safe and protected no matter what comes against it. It is a safe place where we can escape the violent storms of life and gain respite in times of difficulty.

Now, the key to entering our tower of protection is very simple. As we do things God’s way, the right way, we get access 24 hours a day – 7 days a week. We can run there no matter what is threatening us. We’re never shut out or excluded when we do things God’s way.

There will be times in life when we must run into His protection. He wouldn’t have provide it if we didn’t need it. So no matter what is threatening us, trying to wear us down or plans to destroy us God’s Tower of Protection is open for access. At these times RUN into His protection and everything will be OK!

A Word Hidden…

Psalm 119:11 “Your word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”

Children love a game of hide and seek. As one child counts to 10 the others hide. Then the hunt begins to find them. There are often squeals and laughter as each child is found. The better hidden you are the less likely you are to lose the game.

Today’s verse gives us a very important key to building our future. It says we are to take the Word of God and store it in our heart. It is vital that God’s Word is the very center, the heart, of everything we do in life.

The more of God’s Word we store in our hearts means the less likely we are to sin. We will not miss, forfeit or lack the fullness that God has for us when we have His Word in our heart. It strengthens us to remain close to Him and ensures that we won’t easily be led astray.

Each week we post a fresh encouragement from the Bible. These are great words you can hide in your heart. You can visit this blog anytime and read our archives. Why not visit it whenever you feel you have a little extra room in your heart that needs to be filled by God’s Word.

Remember God instructs us because He loves us. Let’s respond to His love by taking His precious Word and storing it in our heart. It will allow our life to prosper like never before and ensure that we are equipped to win in our future!