God's Got This One

I'm going to be a little soppy here, and this is against what I usually like to do when writing or posting in the public domain but I'm just going to come out with it....I'm in love.

Most of you know it, some may not know much about it but there is a girl who I am crazy about, who I cherish every second of being with, who I can't get enough of even if it is just on Facebook chat, who I think is the most beautiful person to ever existed in the whole wide world (Jesus aside), who makes me laugh, who encourages me, who loves me more than I could have imagined a girl loving me. 

We live in different countries, we are from different continents but we both know Jesus, we both accept Him as our Lord & Saviour and we both desire to love Him above all others. The different country thing is something we want to change but the more we find out about being in the same place, the harder we realise it will be. This has been very hard & discouraging at times and it has been especially hard the last few days as we find out even more.

We feel God has brought us together and called us together and we are trusting Him in this but it is hard for us both.

Tonight I went out to spend time with God and He showed me several things.

Firstly, I have become so consumed with the worry about this and thinking about this that I had forgotten what God has actually put me here for...to worship Him and to glorify Him. I have not been doing that in this situation.

Secondly, I have been chasing fulfillment in being in the same place as my love rather than in the arms of my first love, my true & eternal love, Jesus Christ. This has led to me being unhappy as only Christ can fulfill us and further away from glorifying Him.

Thirdly, God is SO BIG. There is nothing He cannot conquer and nothing that even comes close to standing against Him. If this is God's Will as we both believe it to be then He will make this happen in His perfect timing. It is so easy to forget that.

I feel a lot better now Praise God, He has led me back to where I need to be, where I should be which is focusing on Him and His Perfect Love and loving Him with every ounce I have and achieving what He desires me to achieve. He will sort out the rest because He is Good and can give us more than can ever hope for or imagine and He gives us good gifts. God has got this one and I look forward to seeing what He does. One day we can look back at this post and Praise God for His Power and faithfulness!

Maybe you are consumed by something that is distracting you from what you are meant to be doing, maybe you are chasing fulfillment in the wrong thing and maybe you are overlooking God's Power in the problems of life.

If that is you then maybe God is speaking to you through this post, urging you onwards to His arms where He will say, 'I got this one!'.

The War of Life

Sir Winston Churchill

These are words that WERE NOT spoken by Sir Winston Churchill about World War Two:-

'It was one of the best periods of my life, the war. All the brutality, death, hate, disagreement...it was so much fun to lead it. I was really sad when it all ended.'

Why didn't he say this? Because NOBODY in their right mind loves war!

But war is the situation we all find ourselves in. Deep down in our souls the battle between what were made to be and what we selfishly want to be rages on. We want to be popular, attractive, happy, rich and have everything we need or want and will stamp on anyone to get there. God has a better plan, put your trust in Him and you will find true happiness and the other stuff often comes along as well. CS Lewis puts it wonderfully,  'Aim at Heaven and you'll get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you'll get neither'.

This battle is what Paul referred to as the 'struggle against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.' (Ephesians 6:12, paraphrased). We want things that bring us pleasure, even if they are only short term, even if they hurt others, but God wants what is truly best for us and for everyone.

Some give in and let the selfish desires reign, and wonder why true happiness eludes them.
Others struggle to figure what is right and what is wrong and which way to go, they do the thing that seems right to them but that doesn't always make it the right thing.

I feel, even as a Christian, that I have been in both of those camps. But there is a third camp I want to be a part of and just felt called towards when spending time with God last night.

This camp is a camp that depends on God for everything. Knowledge, provision, guidance and strength. This camp prays and waits on God.
I think it's amazingly true that whatever the question is, prayer is the answer. Prayer is our biggest weapon in the war of this world. When I feel low, when I feel like I'm losing, when I feel that it's impossible...prayer is where I let God in and He just has this astonishing way of showing you the way out or making a way for you. He never lets us down.

The biggest reason I fail in anything in life is because of a lack of prayer. They say 'Fail to prepare, prepare to fail'. The ultimate preparation for anything is to pray so I have decided to rephrase the quote- Fail to pray, prepare to fail.

One of my favourite proverbs is Proverbs 16:3 which says, 'Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and He will establish your plans'.

Give your plans for today, tomorrow and your future to God...your plans to grow closer to Him, your plans to come through the hard times, your plans to be a better person, your very plans themselves and see what He does. He has never let me down when I have turned to Him, just need to work on turning to Him more often.

Too many Christians like myself are losing the spiritual battle, I'm missing out on so much. When I pray my problems seep away, God gives my great advice, encouragement and blessing and I couldn't be more full of joy afterwards. Let's turn this battle around, let's pray like there is a war going on...because there is.

Jeremiah 29:13

Jeremiah 29:13
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.


Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.


I always find that my most amazing and special moments with God (Those moments mean I can never be an atheist just as much as I can never believe my Mother doesn't exist...I've met her!) come when I really make an effort for Him. Instead of during a rushed token gesture at the end of the day, it is the times where I go out and make time and get myself free of distractions when I have the best times. Of course, God meets you in the rushed times as well and there have been good times there too.


My point is...I have heard many complain that they never know that God is there for them and that they don't know what He thinks or wants them to do.


My advice is to make time, find a quiet place, remove all distractions and get in touch with the Creator :-)


Psalm 37:7
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.


Revelation 3:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

A Chilean Miner's story

I was reading Alpha News yesterday and it had an interview with the miner who was in charge of prayer, by the end of their ordeal 22 of the miners had come to faith in Christ...this is a section of the interview that blessed me and I hope will bless you too. It also fits in nicely with the suffering themes I've done this week :)

'We began to pray every day. We'd hold hands in a circle twice a day at 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock. We began to be touched by God's Spirit and as I led the prayers, somebody began to say 'Amen, amen, amen'.

I thought who's that? Who's praying? And God suddenly brought him out. Osman was his name and he said, 'Lord, I used to know you, but now, if you take me out of here I will serve you the rest of my life'.

'Good', I said, 'Lord now I have a disciple. Hallelujah!'

So that's how it began and we began to pray every day. I taught each one how to pray - and even taught them songs. It's a wonderful thing to sing when you're happy but it's even better to sing when you are in a crisis. You feel the presence of God come in there...

The whole atmosphere began to change under there and this invisible God would visit us. He doesn't need doors to come into a mine. He doesn't have to perforate a rock to go in. He just came into the mine where we were. That's our living God, He responded to our prayers'

The power of prayer

I think after the weekend I had, the tiredness and aches took hold a little today and led to my mind driving me crazy a bit in work today.

There is only one answer to this and so often it is the last thing I do - prayer!

I sat in Ponty Park and just let God speak to me, within 15 mins my mood went from troubled to overjoyed as God gave me love, guidance and a joy that seemed to come from nowhere for no reason.

If you are ever looking for an answer or comfort in a tough time...there's no better to turn to too than God Himself :-)

Psalm 9:9
The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.


Psalm 61:3
For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.


Psalm 118:8
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.

Pray

Had never heard of this song before today but it certainly means I see Justin Bieber in a new light and it raises an important point. If we want to see change in our world and our lives we need to realise that if we don't ask we don't get!

The Parable of the Persistent Widow - Luke 18:1-8

 ¹ Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. ² He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. ³ And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
   ⁴ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’”
 ⁶ And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸ I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”