God is still here!

It's been a looooong time since I have last posted so it seems very fitting to update you on what's going on in my life.

You may have noticed (and even 'liked') the following verse posted by my Facebook page earlier today:-

Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you;    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you and help you;    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

I think this verse is one I will attach to the last two years. In these two years I have had to make some difficult decisions, struggle through some difficult moments and endure pressure beyond what I have had in my life before.

In these years I have been far from the ideal servant, whilst everything has eventually made it's way to God's hands sometimes I was reluctant. Sometimes you think you can handle it or it's too small for God but when it's too small for God it often then snowballs into becoming too big for you. The pressure and time needed to concentrate on my exams has meant less time for God and important disciplines in my life being disrupted, many of which I am still trying to rebuild now.

However I can comfortably, easily and safely say that despite my shortcomings, despite my reduced situation at some points, God has been here. He has been my God. He has strengthened me and upheld me with his righteous right hand!

Around last October God gave me notice. He told me that my life was going to change and I should expect it. I appreciated this because I always find change hard to adjust to.

God has again been as good as His word. I managed to pass my exams and become a fully qualified accountant. My girlfriend and myself found an opportunity to serve God in one of the most deprived areas of Cardiff, Tremorfa. She is moving to this country to live and serve there in 11 days time. I will be joining her in serving and striving to join her living there as soon as I can. It is something I have always dreamed of doing and since we have started going up there seeing the area, the Church and the fellowship it has only further confirmed that this is where God wants us each time. I am very excited to have Caitlin in the same place but even more excited for how God can use us and the people already serving in Tremorfa to further His Kingdom.

Furthermore, since I am qualified my role at work is set to advance further which is exciting but also scary since I am certainly having to come more and more out of comfort zones.

Lastly and more trivially, our much loved family cat sadly passed away and our much loved football team, Cardiff City, made it to the Premier League.

So, as you can see, change is afoot!

Cardiff City are a good symbol for the last two years of my life. It was a long, long struggle with much patience needed and many low points along the way but they finally did it and whilst I have needed much patience and had some low points over the last two years, God hasn't let me down and has me exactly where He wants me. Only by His Grace and Power.

My message simply is, don't give up on God, don't even be negative about the state of your life. God is looking out for you, He is there for you, His righteous right hand is upholding you at whatever moment you are at in life right now.

Our individual 3-2 wins over Man City are coming in that blind but beautiful future ahead of us, but only by God's Grace.

Imagine

Just imagine, imagine this scene for a second.

Someone comes to your house, knocks the door and asks to come in as they have something really important to tell you. You sit them down on the settee and they explain this to you...that thing, the most precious thing, the thing you really want most in the world exists. It is being held by someone who wants to give it to you and they are waiting in your local park, waiting for you to come and claim it.

One person responds by telling the person they are a liar and that it isn't true. They accuse the person of having their own motivations for wanting you to go to the park and play along. They never seek, they never even attempt to find out if what the person said was true.

One person is deeply confused and torn by what they have heard. They don't know whether to believe it or not and wander a little bit from their house in a little search to find it but give up before they reach the park They think that they don't really want the gift anyway and that once the person realises who they are they wouldn't give it to them anyway.

Another wanders to the park to see if the person is there. They go and see the person sitting on the swings. They go back to their house realising it was true but never go and claim the gift. Just seeing the person and believing they are there is as far as they ever go/

The next person goes to the person, takes the gift and enjoys it's wonder for a while before giving it back and going back to how they were beforehand. They don't believe it's really for them and are happier settling for life without the gift as it's feels more secure & comfortable to them.

The last takes the gift, they take it and keep it close to them forever because it's so precious to them and they see it's true value. They never let go and experience the wonderful benefits of that gift forever.

If you are the first person, you need to seek out this person and find out whether it's really true or not because you might just be missing out on the thing that will change your life forever. You need to at least say you looked good & hard for it.

If you are the second then you need to forget the lies the enemy feeds you and have the courage to find this out for yourself. Like the first person this can change your life forever and you need to have at least searched for it.

If you are the third person you haven't got fair enough to get any benefit from it, you might have seen it and you might believe it but the gift still isn't yours. Go further and see what happens.

If you are the fourth person, the person in the park is still there. You can claim that gift back and you have another chance. Make the most of it and trade what's easy for what is good. You only have one life so live it!

If you are the fifth then you are like me. I had a pretty miserable life until I found the greatest gift, that changed my life and the thing that I always needed. The gift is Salvation. The gift is relationship. The gift is God's Son. The gift is Jesus. Jesus doesn't discriminate, all those who want Him can have Him.

Whoever you are, whatever you've done, whatever you think of Christianity...God loves you and He wants you to seek Him today.

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

The real haters

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/08/22/signs-attack-religion-ahead-democratic-convention/

'Just as the city of Charlotte, N.C., gears up to host the Democratic National Convention, an atheist group is mounting a billboard campaign attacking the religious faiths of President Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney.

The signs, paid for by American Atheists Incorporated (AAI) and appearing along keylocal highways, include messages such as: "Christianity: Sadistic God, Useless Savior." and "Mormonism: Magic Underwear, Baptizes Dead People, Big Money, Big Bigotry." AAI President David Silverman told FoxNews.com the signs are aimed at keeping religion and politics separate as the convention gets under way Sept. 3.'

The anti-Christian billboard actually includes that Christianity 'Promotes Hate, and calls it love'.

Jesus stood against many things and many people in the Bible, one group he particularly opposed were the Pharisees and he often attacked their hypocrisy.

Using hate to fight against hate is hypocrisy. But then Atheist adverts usually always seek to denigrate faith groups, most often Christianity. 

People who attack others such as bullies due to it due to their insecurity, could it simply be that they are insecure about the strength of their beliefs? Note that Christianity appeals to people telling people how great God is and what Jesus can do for you. From this evidence, Atheism appeals not by saying what is good about it or how it is right but by promoting hate against faith groups.

It's funny how 'Liberalism' tries to maintain that we should do whatever we want yet 'Liberal' groups seek to stop faith groups following their beliefs?

Isn't it strange how instead of combating religion these groups seek to stamp it out instead? 

I think they are worried they would lose the fight, since truth prevails and the truth is with the group can justify how it can know truth!

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!'.

I'm back!

Matthew 11:16-18
 “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:

 “‘We played the pipe for you,    and you did not dance;we sang a dirge,    and you did not mourn.’

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”

I read this passage today and boy is it true of much of our world today as it was 2000 years ago.

These people want people to treat them like God. People cannot stand not getting their own way, even in the slightest, and don't care who they hurt in getting what they want.

They will treat people like dirt and then get offended when the same treatment comes to them (you reap what you sow people!)

They treat God the same way, unless He dances to their tune they are not interested.

I debate people online and no matter what you say, no matter what you prove, they will come up with something to enable them to continue to suppress the knowledge of God in their lives. Just as they did 2000 years ago. 

There is only one God, and it certainly isn't any one of us. I know it's not me. I constantly fail, forget things, make mistakes, do things for the wrong motives...and I know we all do! 

God will never dance to our tune, in fact it is us that needs to dance to His. 

God made us, He has a plan for us and so many of us just want to throw back into His face, we have all affronted Him with her actions.

Yet, despite knowing this, God gave His own Son as a willing sacrifice to save us from the deep pit of mistakes we find ourselves in.

Let's stop putting ourselves above God, let's show respect for others and let's dance to the right tune!

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.

Cop-out

“Preach the gospel at all times; when necessary, use words”

St Francis of Assisi

I was thinking about this inspirational quote tonight. This quote has been a comfort and encouragement to many Christians over the years, myself included, and I still think highly of it BUT....

I realise that this quote holds me back sometimes, like it's okay not to tell people about Jesus and the amazing things He has done because I can just do it through my actions. I justify my silence by telling myself that it's okay because surely I am showing them through my actions.

Whilst we need to shine the light of God through our actions, it doesn't make up for or replace speaking the amazing truth of Jesus into the lives of those we run into, whether one-off's or regularly.

Of course we must remain wise and must never be forceful with this truth. If people don't want to know then we should pray for them and wait for God to bring them to a point where they are interested and be ready then.

But we should also remember that people we know and love are going to miss out on eternity, and that's a truth I cannot bear. I'd rather risk people's hatred now for trying to help them find God than risk them not being in Eternity.

Telling people takes courage, being a Christian takes courage. Pray for me and those who know he truth of Jesus that we may have courage and the right words to lead people to the best news in the world - Jesus Saves.