Fighting Unfit

Well it's been such a long time since a post, heck I'm even surprised I am even writing this post as it has been so long and I thought this blog was behind me!

Today hasn't been a great day because I have been ill but I always find I am more reflective when I am ill.

A lot has happened since my last post, the most life changing of these things being my marriage to the wonderful Caitlin :)

With the marriage we moved to a new house in a place called Tremorfa. Tremorfa means 'sea town' in Welsh and it is in the south easterly part of Cardiff about a mile from the city centre. It has a reputation for being rough and sometimes peoples attitudes towards it remind me of the way the Jews spoke of Nazareth in the Bible. So far we have only found some of the loveliest people and had no problems whatsoever, our God is mighty.

We moved to Tremorfa to be a part of Belmont Baptist Church and Ignite's mission to bring the Gospel and God's blessing (for there are many blessings along with salvation!) to an area with 91% unemployment (according to one survey I read) and allegedly 2/3 illiteracy.

I can already see and, I truly believe, God's work in this area and it is such a blessing to be a part of it with such a wonderful group of brothers and sisters in Christ.

However because of this, the enemy is at work. Satan will hate nothing more than his strongholds that cause the awful things that have afflicted the world and particularly this area of it being demolished by God's work through us.

I realised today that the spiritual battle is alive within me, I realised that those moments of self doubt, temptation to do other things than be with God and unwise or fearful choices I have made have been, in part, Satan fighting against me.

There is a problem when you are in a fight but more so when you don't know you are in one.

Please pray for me that God's will shall be done in my life, in our lives as a married couple and in this lovely area that we now call home.

Christian brothers and sisters, know the battles you are fighting, give them to God and fight the good fight of faith.

Those who don't know God, know that you too are in a spiritual battle. Satan would hate nothing more than for God to be in your life and for you to be blessed beyond all recognition and bless others as a result.

1 Timothy 6:12
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

2 Corinthians 10:5
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

John 3:16-17
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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Misconceptions - 3. I am not good enough to be a Christian

One of the most common things I hear people say, and it saddens me because it really isn't true, is this...

'I am not good enough to be a Christian'


Let me get this straight, none of us are good enough to go to Heaven. The standard for Heaven is perfection and only Jesus has lived a perfect life BUT


Jesus died for imperfect people


Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.


God doesn't just say He Loves us, He demonstrated it through Jesus. Christ gave up His perfect life on the cross in exchange for all of our imperfections. Martin Luther called it 'The Great Exchange'. 


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.


This offer is open to anyone in this world.


Jesus helped imperfect people

• John 8:1-11 - Jesus defends a prostitute and forgives her when others want to stone her. 
• John 4:1-26 - Jesus speaks an adulteress who has been through five divorces.
• Luke 19:1-10 - Jesus eats at a Tax collectors house, even when others condemn Him for it (V7)

Jesus picked imperfect disciples

• Peter denied Him three times but was forgiven and went onto be a warrior of the early Church.
• Paul persecuted and killed early Christians and called himself the 'Chief of Sinners' and confessed hardship at doing right (Romans 7:14-15)
• Thomas doubted Him when He returned

God turns the bad into good

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.

I know that there have been lots of bad things happen in my life, but I can see how God used them for the greater purpose and some of my bad times have been a large contribution in the happiness I feel now. RT Kendall says that this is God showing us that we should not be guilty about the past, because it is forgiven and He has worked in into good. 

As you can see, the disciples all let Jesus down, King David messed up with Bathsheba and Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. Did this stop God working and doing great things in their lives? NO :-)

God loves you and He has cleared the way for you to be a Christian and be good enough for Him through Jesus. Don't waste any more time, who knows when Christ will return to bring judgement and Eternity for those who believe.