I know a lot of my failings, and there are many more that others can see in me or that God can see that I don’t recognise yet. They will be shown to me at the right time, or at Gods timing for my life. It amazes me that He uses me with all my failings, warts, sins and all. God loves me and uses me for His kingdom as I am right now, and not who I will be 10 years from now, because who I will be then will be a different person. I know I am on a journey, but if I stop learning and growing in God, then I won’t be any different, but will stand still. To be different, I have to grow, learn and change my attitudes and heart to be more like God, then I will change into a more Christ-like child of God.
When I look in the Old Testament at some of the old “heroes” of the faith like Samson, Solomon and perhaps David, they were never super spiritual. God used them as they were for His kingdom and His purposes. They didn’t change for God to use them, they didn’t change who they were in God. We have consequences of living a sinful life, but God made us because He loves us.
We need to pray and ask God what He wants us to do for Him; who He wants us to speak to; how He wants us to live for Him; how we follow Him.
Who I am
30 Jan 2014 6 Comments
in Christian Worship, God, Prayer Tags: Bible, Celtic Christianity, Christ, Church, Creator deity, David, follow, God, heroes, kingdom, Lord, love, old testament, Prayer, Religion and Spirituality, samson, seeking god, solomon, worship
God is Sovereign over all
29 Jan 2014 4 Comments
in Christian Worship, God, Jesus, meditation, Prayer Tags: Celtic Christianity, child, Church, Creator deity, faith, God, grace, Lord, love, Praise, Prayer, Religion and Spirituality, seeking god, sovereign, sovereignty, Thankfulness, worship
God gives us a calling on our lives, and what we do for Him is a calling. No one can hold God back, He is sovereign. He is love and His grace is new every morning.
What better reasons do we need to praise and worship our Lord and Heavenly Father?
We fail every day. Our lives get in the way, our pride, our minds. He never fails, never lets us down. How much of what we do is an offence to God? Maybe we need to sit and think about how we do things or how we speak to ourselves or others. Our flesh is strong, and we seem to battle all the time. Gods sovereignty is being watered down within our churches and how we view Him. He is God, He is our Maker.
Nothing can surprise God or shock Him. He knows all and knew us before we were born. He knows what we go through and weeps with us. He feels what we feel. He is there, and never goes away.
Praise is what I can bring. I can worship because I have nothing else to bring sometimes. I can praise when I am in a place where I am low, happy, content or in despair. Praise lifts us out of the mire.
Faith is believing when we dont see God, or dont know what to do. Keep your faith in Him who created dust into His child. He created you because He loves you.
Which Heart?
26 Jan 2014 1 Comment
in God, Jesus, meditation, Prayer Tags: Armour, battle, Bible, God, heart, Jesus, Lord, Prayer, Religion and Spirituality, seeking god, Spirit, word
There are so many ways of describing our hearts and attitudes towards God. Looking into it, I have seen four types of heart that I have seen or experienced.
A calloused heart, one that is hardened to God and His Word.
A shallow heart that has no roots and no depth spiritually and possibly in life.
A distracted heart that is pulled many ways or is torn about what to do.
An open heart that is receptive and responsive to God and His Word and Spirit.
We need to keep a daily intimacy with God, and base ourselves in His Word. If we live more in prayer and the Word, we have a better grounding when the trials and troubles come our way. We will be able to put on our spiritual armour and battle knowing from the Word that God is always there. We can fight with the Word and use our sword to cut through doubts and distractions.
God changes us if we let Him. He gives us a hunger for the Word and lets us live in a new way so we put ourselves under the ownership of our Father. We begin to see new habits forming that make us more like Jesus every day.
The Word of God is our direction. Use it. Change my heart Lord to an open heart for you and what you have to say to me.
Can I praise in everything?
23 Jan 2014 1 Comment
in Christian Worship, God Tags: christian, Church, Praise, praising, thankful, Thankfulness
We are called and commanded to praise in all situations, but how hard is it really? Is it something that we can make ourselves do, or is it too hard and we have to force our mouths to say the words of praise to God that He deserves?
Out of our mouths can come death, life, praise, birth, positives, negatives and everything else in between. Can what we say over ourselves or others cause that much damage? Can we really build ourselves up or down with what we say mentally or verbally?
I really believe we can. We have the power of life in our mouths, not just our hands or actions. If we tell someone about Christ, but talk bad, or down about others, or even complain about or church family or life, what example are we setting. On the Monday mornings in the office or school yard, are we complaining about how boring the service was, or how someone was mean to us? How are we to get others to church or to believe in our Lord, by that kind of talk that makes us no better than anyone else? We are looked at differently. People put higher expectations on us when we say we go to church, or are a Christian. They need to see and also hear a difference, see and hear a different kind of living.
I know how hard it can be for myself to keep praising or to keep God in the place He should be. He has done so much for me, and saved me from so much, so why can it be so difficult to say Thank You? Start the day with thanks and praise and we will see a difference. Not maybe on what life throws at us, but certainly on how we view it and how we act and talk about it all. There is a big difference with praise. A thankful heart is a changed heart.
Praise at all times
16 Jan 2014 7 Comments
in Christian Worship, God, Prayer Tags: David, friend, God, Lord, maker, Psalms, Religion and Spirituality, seeking god, solomon, worship
Psalm 150 is a psalm full of praise to the Lord. David was probably looking at this as something personal. It was a normal way of living to praise his God in all circumstances.
We are not asked here to praise God, but it is a commandment to praise. We are told to praise God in whatever we are doing and wherever we are. It is kind of expected for us to be doing this anyway, as it was for David and his son Solomon early in his rule of Israel.
David didnt care if his praise was loud or full of instruments or even if it was just him on his own singing and worshipping his Lord. As long as he was praising he was happy. As long as he had breath he worshipped. He wanted to praise his friend and Lord, so why dont we? Do we want to worship our Maker, our friend, our God? if not, then why not?
When we let Him arise
11 Jan 2014 6 Comments
in Christian Worship, God, Jesus, meditation, Prayer Tags: Christ, Christianity, Creator deity, God, Jesus, love, Prayer, Religion and Spirituality, seeking god, Son, worship
As a worshipper, I love to praise my Lord. I love the closeness to Him, and how after I stop singing or praying, I can still feel Him close to me. Its like being in a cloud of light, soft and still. It can carry me through many a bad night when even though there is no sleep, there has been a night of being with my Lord and Friend.
God lives in our praise and worship. He inhabits it. He desires to hear our praise and the worship of His children. He waits for it, and is there with us during our day, still and sure.
Worship is our relationship and intimacy with God. He created Adam and even before Eve was created from her husband, there was a close and intimate relationship between Adam and God. Our Lord was looking for the worship that could restore what was lost when Lucifer was banished. We restore what was broken there, and Christ restores us back to His Holy presence. We can be with Him forever because of Jesus sacrifice for us.
God has a purpose for us all as well as our worship. He has a plan for us. We don’t see the plan if we sit around waiting for it to come to us. We have to make the decision to push the doors to see through prayer, if they are the way we are to go. Just because we maybe can’t see the plan yet, doesnt mean it isn’t there. It is like a seed that is in the ground. Just because we cant see it until just before it gets harvested, does not meant it is not there. We need to position ourselves in Him to see the plan. Prayer, worship and praise bring us in the right place with Him and all He has for us. He wants to bless His children, all of them.
Let God arise in your life. Let Him do His awesome work, and purposes that we cannot even imagine.
Am I thankful?
08 Jan 2014 4 Comments
As I was reading during the night, I started wondering about whether I was thankful for all God does in my life, or do I only bring lists of what I want and not what I really need.
Am I focused on what I have or what I don’t have?
Am I content or do I wish for more?
Do I remember my pain, or do I focus on the victories I have?
Do I remember my struggles more than I do my successes?
Am I thankful? Do I really thank God, or do I just bring a shopping list of what I want Him to do for me?
Do I have peace? Do I want what others have?
Am I praising God in all circumstances, or complaining about all that goes on?
Can I see Gods hand directing my ways, or do I push against Him all the time thinking I know best?
I feel that this year ahead of me is the time for me to sit back and answer these questions about myself. Even if I don’t like the answers to these questions, I have to keep going and allow His Spirit to lead me and guide me to what needs to change.
My Anchor
07 Jan 2014 1 Comment
in Christian Worship, God, Jesus, Prayer Tags: Advent, anchor, Church, eternal, hope, Lord, Parable, prodigal, refuge, seeking god
After Advent has now come to a close, I looked back on how I have waited on God through the Season and the Prodigal parable. He waits for us, ever watching for us to come home, like the Prodigal parable. He also like to chase and keep us in His ever watchful sight. Wherever we go and whatever we do, He is following us and is there with us, gently prodding. As with the prodigal, He waits for us as our Father, but what a party He throws when we do come home!! God is very concerned about all of us, even the prodigals. See what He can and will do when we come back home. He watches always, even if He seems a long way from us. He is never more than a whisper or a plea away.
Our sure and certain hope is our Father God. He is our very reason to keep moving forward. Never backwards into the past. He is our future, and He has ordained it for us. Maybe this is the reason for the home coming party? He knows our future, but He also knows all the things that have happened to us in our past that shape us or change how we see and do things. We need to take the positives from our past and take them into our future. If we take our negatives with us, how they pull us down, keep us depressed, keep us from victory. When we look back over our tragedies, losses and disappointments, we can see how God has covered us with His love and His hope.
Our true homecoming is yet to happen. We have yet to spend our eternity in our eternal home. With our Father here on earth though, we can begin our eternal story and adventure.
You are my Anchor
My light and my salvation
You are my refuge
My hope is in you
The Minstrel's Wife 
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