The day with dianne Louise

“And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world!” John‬ ‭16‬:‭33‬ ‭TPT‬‬ The disciples were struggling to understand what Jesus was saying about dying and in a little while they would see Him again. He told them they could ask anything in His name and He Father would do it for them. They thought they had finally ‘got it’ but Jesus tells them they will all desert Him and leave Him to face the cross alone. However, even in this knowledge He tells them this last passage of scripture. We may, at times desert our Lord or feel like we have, He has not given up on us and sees beyond our failure, just as He did the disciples. They were the closest to Him in human terms but they still ran in fear. We can be courageous, for He has indeed conquered the world and the ruler of this w...

“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬ What is ‘this’ mentioned above? “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬ We are made holy by the faithful sacrifice of Jesus. Holy means set apart. We do not belong to the world, we belong to Jesus. If we have accepted His offer of salvation we are now His. We therefore must walk and live as His. How do we live as His? We keep our eyes on Him, the prize. We run the race looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). We do not stop and sit in the mess, we discipline ourselv...

“But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world Lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew‬ ‭20‬:‭25‬-‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Jesus taught this as James and John had their mother come to Jesus and ask that her two sons be able to sit with Him in His kingdom, one on the right and the other on the left. When the other disciples heard about it they were indignant. This was not the only wicked thing they did, their request came just after Jesus had told them He would be beaten and killed by the leaders in Jerusalem. There seems to have been no compassion for His suffering just greedy desire. As I read these passages I am mindful that two people have w...

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  John‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Jesus is the ‘word of God’. As I study scripture I see Him everywhere. He holds the Old Testament and appears randomly among men. I can see Him walking with Old Testament saints. In the New Testament I see Him fully in the gospels and then His influence remains in the Epistles. In the above scripture John was testifying about the Jesus He knew for three years on this earth. There were others who knew Him the longest: his mother Mary and her children. However, He was not accepted as Messiah by His siblings until He rose from the dead. Now we can read their experiences in James and Jude. John has captured Jesus the best. He has been given divine insight. How he describes Jesus here is deep and meaningful. We know how treasured the Bible is by watching persecuted Christian’s receive their first Bibl...

“As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭19‬:‭36‬-‭38‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Today is Palm Sunday. Today begins the final week leading up to the cross. Jesus’ disciples and His followers were shouting praises because they believed He was the Messiah king who would deliver them from Roman occupation. They failed to realise He was about to do something abhorrent , they had failed to recognise their deeper need to be free from the penalty of their sins. We can come to God wanting Him to do something amazing, in our eyes, when He is more interested in our heart transformation. The only way we could become sinless is by the sacrifice of a perfect lamb. Jes...

“But in the depths of my heart I truly know that you, Yahweh, have become my Shield; You take me and surround me with yourself. Your glory covers me continually. You lift high my head.” Psalms‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬ ‭TPT‬‬ I can know this as I become more aware of the Holy Spirit within me. He is for me and not against me. He is interested in my welfare. He is listening to my heart cry. The more I wait on God,the more I know He is for me. He goes before me, He surrounds me with His love. I do not need to fear, He is with me. The more I read His word, the more that truth is in me, the more time I spend in worship the more my innermost being resonates with His songs. My spirit is alive! It is well within me! The psalmist goes on to say: “So now I’ll lie down and sleep like a baby— then I’ll awake in safety, for you surround me with your glory. Even though ten thousand dark powers prowl around me, I won’t be afraid.” Psalms‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭TPT‬‬ Daivid wrote this Psalm when he fled from his son Absalom. ...