The day with dianne Louise

Luke 3:8 (MSG) It's your life that must change, not your skin. And don't think you can p ull rank .... After a while of being in any particular position we tend to pull rank, perhaps it is a part of our sin nature. I know when I do just that, eg my history as a RN, I miss what someone might be saying that is important. When I was pastoring it was easy to do to seal a matter, if I am honest. What does that do to the person I am pulling rank on? How does it affect their self life? I imagine it belittles them. Now that I am working in the world of finance I imagine that in a moment of flesh I will do the same. Yet what is God's priority? My life must allow others to have opinion so that I can be challenged and change. if necessary. My God I ask for the grace to be humble enough to keep listening. Amen!

Deuteronomy 8:2 (MSG) Remember every road that God led you on for those forty years in the wilderness, pushing you to your limits, testing you so that he would know what you were made of, whether you would keep his commandments or not. My God is with me, before me, beside me, around me. He knows what is coming and is interested in how I handle that which comes my way. Because of circumstances that occurred on Friday last as Monday neared my emotions were friable. However, I said to myself, stay focused , stay calm, who says what I feel is what will come to pass. I was awake at 3am and receiving a revelation about needing to embrace compliance (work related legal stuff) and then it would not hinder me. I did and enjoyed my day, in fact was inspired to make an appointment to see someone re business, did and was successful. No all the problems I was facing have not all gone, yet, but they will. My God has a strategy, He has a plan and as I yield to Him I discover new and better ways. ...

Deuteronomy 6:6 (MSG) Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you I have struggled to read the books of the law, inside part of me is saying yeah yeah! let's get on with it. Yet the God I love is a vital part of the law, He created it. Why did He say 'write these commandments on your heart'? Ah!perhaps I have discovered a part of me that is not too interested in embracing all of God, including the finer details of the law. Then how can I say His laws are written on my heart? My wayward parts are protruding! My God is taking me to law whether I like it or not and to kick and squeal is so unbecoming. In my work environment I am faced with law and cannot move unless I fulfill it's requirements, in my church environment I am faced with OH&S law, to move on I must stop and do due diligence. What good is there in the law? Law is a part of justice. In the financial world the sellers are becoming tied to due diligence ...

Deuteronomy 3:2 (AMP) And the Lord said to me, Do not fear him, for I have given him and all his people and his land into your hand; Many will come out against us and stand in the way, attempting to intimidate, but what does God say? What is God's plan for our lives? Where is He taking us? What is His word about our circumstances? If God is for us then we will defeat ALL that comes against us, don't back down, keep going, one foot in front of the other. King Og who the above scripture refers to was a BIGGGG dude but God is bigger and His word is greater. No matter how BIG our enemy they will fall and bow the knee to our GOD! Amen! This king was not even in Jordan, he was before the promised land but the children of God started being possessors, overcomers as they approached the promised land. Oh my soul I encourage you, lift up your head, stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord, stay steadfast, keep focused, stay on track and DON'T BACK DOWN. Amen!

Mark 16:10 (AMP) She went and reported it to those who had been with Him, as they grieved and wept. Good news often comes after an event that leaves us grieving and weeping. Our spirits need to be open to the voice of God. What is He saying? The disciples were so devastated by the death of Christ that they had lost their hearing. Messages were being received but the horror of the trial and crucifixion had crushed them. God always has something to say in the depth of despair, if we choose to turn to Him He is there. My week has been a time of one trial after another and on the natural front a whole lot of krap is going down, BUT God is doing something, I am aware that I am still walking towards a day, a day of life and favour, a day of change. If GOD be for me then who can be against me? If God has signed the authority then who can deny it? Last night a saw a living example of this. A woman tried to move into a house she thought she had a right to but her behaviour undid her a...

Numbers 34:2 (AMP) Command the Israelites, When you come into the land of Canaan (which is the land that shall be yours for an inheritance, the land of Canaan according to its boundaries) I must know my boundaries because they exist. To carry on in life oblivious will cause grief to myself but more especially to others. As a faith walker I am not able to just set my sights on anything I please and decide to take it, I must know it has been given to me by my God. Ah but when I know it is mine I must take possession of it. I am driven to persist until it is mine. Until I know my boundaries , exactly, I push forward in the direction my possession lays. As I push forward I begin to see more clearly, it takes shape. As I push forward I encounter the enemy who comes out against me. The enemy of my soul does not possess the land he is just blocking it. He does not possess healing, he possess infirmity and wants them to be raised above God's gift of health and healing. It is my job...

Mark 15:34 (AMP) My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me [deserting Me and leaving Me helpless and abandoned]? My Jesus was abandoned so that I would be safe. When it feels like (only feels like) all have abandoned me there is one who remains, He is here. Abandonment is horrible! I can sit in the soot and scrape my sores and feel sorry for myself or refuse self-pity and turn to the one who is there. If God be for me WHO can be against me? I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world. My God is on my side. All things work together for those who love the Lord and who walk according to His purpose. Today is the day of victory! Amen!

Mark 14:34 (AMP) And He said to them, My soul is exceedingly sad (overwhelmed with grief) so that it almost kills Me! Remain here and keep awake and be watching. We all have moments when we are desperate and others, close others, fail to stick with us. The disciples were asked three times to watch and pray but they fell asleep. Jesus was alone. The disciples did not have a revelation of what was about to happen nor the consequences of it, they were blind to the big picture. Not until Christ rose and went to them and explained what had happened did they get it. The Resurrection brought revelation, the lights went on. In life we need to understand that although we are desperate our significant others will not necessarily 'get it' until we are renewed, risen from the death experience we are going through. This does not mean they love us any less, just that they don't 'get it'. Like Christ we will have to go through our crucifixion alone, but like Christ we will...

Mark 13:31 (MSG) Sky and earth will wear out; my words won't wear out. Everything wears out EXCEPT the power of the word of God. It cuts through everything, all weapons formed against it are but dust. 'I will sing unto the Lord for He has triumped gloriously the horse and rider thrown into the sea. The Lord my God my strenght my song ......' He is greater, His power is greater, His words are greater. He is GOD! Amen!

Numbers 23:7-10 (MSG) Then Balaam spoke his message-oracle: Balak led me here from Aram , the king of Moab all the way from the eastern mountains. "Go, curse Jacob for me; go, damn Israel." How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I damn whom God has not damned? From rock pinnacles I see them, from hilltops I survey them: Look! a people camping off by themselves, thinking themselves outsiders among nations. But who could ever count the dust of Jacob or take a census of cloud-of-dust Israel? I want to die like these right-living people! I want an end just like theirs! If God be for me who can be against me? (who can be our foe if God be on our side?) Romans 8:31 Although mine enemy satan is like Balak , a causeless curse cannot alight. My God surrounds me with His love, He upholds me with His smile, I am kept safe by His hand. Even though Israel was internally a pain in the neck to God, to an external observer it was His, beloved. No matter what I am or need to...

Mark 12:17 (MSG) Jesus said, "Give Caesar what is his, and give God what is his. In our waywardness we endeavour to not pay to the government the taxes they require. If we are wayward in that can we also be wayward in giving to God? As we justify our behaviour do we really know the way to truth? Is it all about our own fun and pleasure? What does God say? Today I found myself trying to organise tickets to a football match and finding people to come with me. When people cannot say straight out 'I don't want to go' they can waste time and become annoying. However if I then act out of annoyance then I will err and regret my behaviour. Before God I am accountable for what I spend my money on, if I am in annoyance I could miss a God appointment or a God investment. As I also was not sure I should spend $95.00 on a State of Origin ticket why should I get annoyed when others don't know what they should be doing? Lord I ask for your grace to be wise and have self c...

Mark 11:22-24 (MSG) Jesus was matter-of-fact: "Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. That's why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you'll get God's everything. To embrace means to lovingly welcome in, take it all in, it requires a change of perspective, it requires dedication, commitment . A 'God Life' is different to ordinary life. An ordinary life is bereft of God's presence, His miracles are absent. A God life sees differently, thinks differently, speaks differently. I can't feed on stuff that will pull me back to 'ordinary' rather extraordinary. Yesterday I went to a funeral of a lady who had impacted her family with her love. She left a living memory. As I watched the proceedings I asked myself 'what do I want my grandchildren, my children, my friends to say about me when I die?' I want them ...

Numbers 16:3 (MSG) They came as a group and confronted Moses and Aaron, saying, "You've overstepped yourself. This entire community is holy and God is in their midst. So why do you act like you're running the whole show?" Even though there was rebellion in the camp Moses knew who he was and who was on his side. Usually it was God saying, 'okay stand back I will kill them all.' This time when Korah came with his henchmen Moses instructed them to present themselves with censers filled with incense before God. Again when Moses knew God would intervene He said: Numbers 16:30 (MSG) But if God does something unprecedented—if the ground opens up and swallows the lot of them and they are pitched alive into Sheol—then you'll know that these men have been insolent with God." This is exactly what happened. The ground opened up and swallowed the offenders. The funny thing was this did not stop the rebellion. The people started on Moses and Aaron and God sent...

Numbers 13:1-2 (MSG) God spoke to Moses: "Send men to scout out the country of Canaan that I am giving to the People of Israel. Send one man from each ancestral tribe, each one a tried-and-true leader in the tribe." God told Moses to select tried and true leaders. Perhaps these were they that helped Moses rule the people, this was a test for them. After 40 days they returned with a report. 10 of the 12 gave an evil report, there was no faith in them. 10 inflamed the people against Moses, inciting them to find a new leader. I wonder who began the mumbling? who thought more highly of themselves than they should? God's anger burned against them and they died of the plague. They had an effect on the people, their hardness of heart and unwillingness to follow the Lord as GOD showed when the people decided to go into the promised land after God had said 'No'. Leaders have an effect on the people they lead. Their heart attitude will infect the people, especially if ...

Numbers 11:11 (MSG) Moses said to God, "Why are you treating me this way? What did I ever do to you to deserve this? Moses was over the children of Israel who were whining and complaining because they wanted meat to eat. God's anger had flared against the children of Israel because of their whining . Yet he took Moses' complaint in his stride. He answered him: Numbers 11:16-17 (MSG) God said to Moses, "Gather together seventy men from among the leaders of Israel, men whom you know to be respected and responsible. Take them to the Tent of Meeting. I'll meet you there. I'll come down and speak with you. I'll take some of the Spirit that is on you and place it on them; they'll then be able to take some of the load of this people—you won't have to carry the whole thing alone. Moses again complained to God, 'where am I going to find meat for all these people? Again God answered Him: Numbers 11:23 (MSG) God answered Moses, "So, do you t...

Mark 8:34-35 (MSG) Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Numbers 10:9 (MSG) When you go to war against an aggressor, blow a long blast on the bugle so that God will notice you and deliver you from your enemies. Following rather than leading, following rather than running in blind panic brings it's own set of challenges. The children of Israel had to follow the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. After the Lord had given them the law and established a place for His presence in their midst He instructed them how to follow. Jesus Himself was teaching that we must also follow. I don't have a physical Tent of Meeting to erect, I am the tent, I don't have physical sacrifices to make, I am the sacrifice. Yet, although I do not have the same res...

Numbers 6:24-26 (MSG) God bless you and keep you, God smile on you and gift you, God look you full in the face and make you prosper. Ah! this speaks to me of a God encounter. 'God bless me and keep me'. At this moment I feel like a sailor all alone out on the ocean. I am alone but for my God. He keeps me. The God who created the universe bothers to keep me. He hides me in the palm of His hand, I am safe and secure with Him. He feeds me, He clothes me, He loves me, speaks to me, enjoys me. 'God smiles on me and gifts me.' My God has given me Himself first, He has given me the knowledge that I am made in His image and can do anything I choose to do. I can because He smiles on me, He loves me. 'God looks me full in the face', He is not ashamed of me, He delights in me, best of all 'He prospers me'. I know what it is like to look on my grandchildren and want to bless them with all I have, as they work with me I give myself to them and together we deli...

Mark 7:24 (MSG) From there Jesus set out for the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house there where he didn't think he would be found, but he couldn't escape notice. Hungry people have a way of finding food! Jesus, the revealed son of God, defying the Pharisees and bringing hope to the hopeless was a breath of fresh air. May I be a breath of fresh air to the lost, may they find rest in my company, may they hear life in my speech, may I give them food indeed and living water. Lord bring me the lost, cause them to come! Fill me with Your grace. Amen! Friday night I met with a group of 'singles' looking for the one, again I found that person. A woman I had found previously brought a man who's wife had left him for another woman. The agony of being betrayed and discarded for another man would have been great but to have his very manhood thrown in the dust would have been truly grievous . Lord have mercy! At the same gathering was a woman who had a religious spirit ...

Mark 6:8 (MSG) He sent them off with these instructions: "Don't think you need a lot of extra equipment for this. You are the equipment. No special appeals for funds. Keep it simple. I love it when the Lord organises. I am aware of my need to be organised, constantly, but there is life when I organise my world His way, simply. Yesterday was hard, especially when my lack of ability, naivety and lack of organisation was patently obvious. At times like this my insides say 'see you are out of your depth, go back, go back blaa ! Blaa !' Yes Blaa ! That's all it is Blaa ! My God what do You say? 'You do, do tell, You believe I can be that person?' Ah! Life! There is a cost to become that person, hard work, diligence, determination, no time for self pity, self-indulgence, no time for blaa ! I see the Lord, amidst all that he beckons me to and I must follow, I must go there. I must strap up the feeble limbs, strengthen the shaking knees and say 'Press on!'...

Leviticus 26:3 (MSG) 3 "If you live by my decrees and obediently keep my commandments, Leviticus 26:11-12 (MSG) "I'll set up my residence in your neighborhood; I won't avoid or shun you; I'll stroll through your streets. I'll be your God; you'll be my people. To have the Lord 'set up residence' and 'stroll through our streets' we no longer have to make sacrifices of animals and grains but rather as we accept Christ we become living sacrifices. I am grateful that He empowers me to live right, to be all I need to be, all I have to do is will to live right. I praise Him that He now resided in me and not a tent or a building. I love the fact that we can have fellowship anytime at all. He watches the football with me, He walks through the parks with me and reveals His glory. Because he lives in me I want to honour and love my neighbour. His justice lives in me. My God loves justice and mercy and He lives in me. May there be no walls that pr...

Mark 5:36 (MSG) Jesus overheard what they were talking about and said to the leader, "Don't listen to them; just trust me." Jarius had come to Jesus because his daughter was very ill. As they approached his house the crowd told him his daughter had died, the worst sentence of all, yet Jesus said 'don't listen to them; just trust me.' There are many voices that tell us the state of our lives. 'You can't do that you are too young (or too old).' At present I have a voice in my life saying 'why do you want to do that, you are not good enough, you haven't got what it takes.' Inside I am standing up and saying 'ah but you do not know who is on my side and who has called me.' I remember when I was in my early 20's and wanted to study midwifery, the matron of the hospital stood in my way and I had to push, she did not like it but she did yield. Moses faced a Pharaoh who would not yield and suffered as a consequence. As Mos...

Mark 4:20 (MSG) "But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams." The seed of the word of God is powerful, holds in the ability to produce great things. It is up to me to provide good soil. Good soil has been prepared, fertilized, it is deep enough for the plant it will produce. I care for my garden and delight in beautiful plants. I once planted a hedge in poor soil and it struggled to grow, this caused me not to like hedges very much. Yet I have seen many a successful hedge. I had failed to dig out the poor soil and supply the good soil that the hedge required. I must consider my own soul. I want God's greatness, His abundance, His blessing. These benefits will not grow in poor soil, I must be diligent with my garden. Jesus gave illustrations about this in His parables , He talked about a man who planted a vineyard and did not receive any fruit but the gardener said 'my ...

Mark 3:5 (MSG) 5 He looked them in the eye, one after another, angry now, furious at their hard-nosed religion. He said to the man, "Hold out your hand." He held it out—it was as good as new! Jesus was being harassed by the hard hearted who wanted to bind Him to a set of rules. His compassion wanted to heal a man on the Sabbath . Today God wants to set captives free, the lost are everywhere. I must choose to upset those who would have me comply to a standard that reeks of religiosity at times. Those who are religious carry ropes and their words are metallic, I hear chains of bondage, I smell decay. I must allow my God to be GOD always, in every place, and every time. There as withered souls waiting for the new rain. Come Holy Spirit pour through me and let it rain. Amen!

Leviticus 16:33 (MSG) He purges the Holy of Holies by making atonement; He purges the Tent of Meeting and the Altar by atonement; He makes atonement for the priests and all the congregation. This scripture is talking about the work that Aaron had to do as a priest, it is a type of the final act of Christ. He did it all. I can mentally assent to the finished work of the cross but fail to appropriate all that has been done. My God has set me free from sin, sickness, bad attitude and wrong thinking but I must enter in. I must work out my salvation. By this I mean I must exert effort to take what is mine, to enter into a new friendship I must get up and go to meet that person, to enter into a deeper relationship I must walk a path of laying down my fears, attitudes and lusts and reach out. I must exert effort. To take all that my loving God has for me I must get up, press it and take the prize. If I want to win a marathon I must enter into training, discipline myself to eat right, g...

Mark 2:27 (MSG) Then Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made to serve us; we weren't made to serve the Sabbath. As a child I went to church religiously obeying all church rules so as to be made righteous, yet it didn't work. This sort of upbringing caused my brothers and sisters to walk away from the church and choose, rather, to take Sunday as a family day, a day for their own pleasure. I completely understand! When I finally discovered the grace of Christ I wanted to be at church, it is no burden to me rather a delight. Church is where I can hear my Lord speak through the preached message, it brings life. Today I am tired after a busy week and am looking forward to the refreshing word, the cleansing word that sets me free. My God saw fit to rest after He had a busy week creating the world and all that is in it. He put in a good solid week, He didn't skimp. Imagine Him saying ' I am feeling a little tired right now, maybe I will hold back on the insect kingdom tod...

Mark 1:1(MSG) Watch closely: I'm sending my preacher ahead of you; He'll make the road smooth for you. When John the Baptist appeared the dry grass was set alight. It had been a long time since God had manifested Himself in their midst, they were hungry for Him. Yet John was the beginning. He was the breeze before the storm, the inkling that a change was coming. I come from country NSW and I came to know when a storm was coming. There would be a stillness then a breeze and with it an excitement as storms were few and far between. As a child I loved storms, I loved the thunder and lightning, it excited me because the rain had arrived. We lived on the edge of town near a huge area called 'the common' and I could see the storm approach. It is interesting that Isaiah says 'he will make the way smooth for you'. As a huge earth moving machine cuts out a road where none had been before so did John. Jesus was already there yet they did not know him. He had mov...

2Co 12:10 Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become. Today I am so aware of my inadequacy, lack of understanding and failure BUT I know my God lives in me. The things that cut me down to size are right except for one thing, Christ in me is my hope. In myself I am not clever, just committed, determined to follow not walk away. Now, my God You shine, You win the victory, you reign, You be God in my mistakes and failures, You be glorified. Amen!

Leviticus 5:4 (MSG) "Or if you impulsively swear to do something, whether good or bad—some rash oath that just pops out—and you aren't aware of what you've done at the time, but later you come to realize it and you're guilty in any of these cases; I am so grateful for Jesus, I do not have to buy animals to kill because of sin. Now when I unintentionally sin and realise it I can say sorry Lord and know instant forgiveness. I am so grateful that I have the spirit of God living in me, I have a companion. I am not alone. I am grateful that I do not have to continually look for ways of earning righteousness or be on my guard for breaking a law. If not for Jesus where would I be, if not for Jesus where would the hope be? Thank You beautiful One! Thank You for completing the link between the Father and me. Thank You that I am clean, because of You. Lord than You for hope! Thank You for a future! Amen!

Leviticus 3:16 (MSG) The priest will burn them on the Altar: a meal, a Fire-Gift, a pleasing fragrance. "All the fat belongs to God. To me fat represents richness, it belongs to God as does the blood which represents life. When an offering was to be made, if it was grain or cereal it had to be the finest and without yeast, which represents guile. If it was an animal it had to be young and without blemish, the best. Another interesting thing was that all bread offerings had to have salt, salt to be represents my flavour, the essence of who I am as a christian. How can I bring the Lord an offering and not give Him the best, totally free from deceit, guile, arrogance, resentment. It has to be flavoured with who I am, it must be vitally alive,full of flavour to my God. My offering must not be at the expense of someone else, their blood belongs to my God. I must bring the fat of my produce to my God. He is the cause of my blessing, He deserves honour for what He has done. My off...

Matthew 26:41 (MSG) Stay alert; be in prayer so you don't wander into temptation without even knowing you're in danger. There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there's another part that's as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire." I see this lazy dog, this is the part of me that doesn't want to get up when it is cold and go for a run or a ride on my bike. My constant battle is against the lazy dog. In all my appetites I have to choose the higher way. No, I will not go there, no I will not do that. On Saturday night, when I was fishing for souls I had to be sure that there was no part of me that was wayward, duplicitous , wanting it's fleshly way. I cannot allow any part of me to have a strong case for fulfillment outside of my God's provision. My enemy waits, lurking with his traps set, wanting to take me away. I cannot deceive myself with lies, 'oh I will only just stay talking until 2am', in a place that i...