The day with dianne Louise

2 Chronicles 30:17 (AMP) For many were in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves [become clean and free from all sin]. So the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for all who were not clean, in order to make them holy to the Lord. Hezekiah had sent an invitation throughout the land to come and celebrate the Passover together. The people had not been following the ways and customs of the Lord because his father Ahaz was a bad man and he had shut up the temple. Therefore the people had not walked in the Lord's ways, they had become slack. As leaders of families we can corrupt the ways of the Lord and those around us will walk in their flesh, yet when we get it right, repent and turn we can bring those around us, with us. Parents fail to understand the role of priesthood they have in their families. Many, as they go through life become worldly and live for themselves and their fleshly appetites. Yet, repentance is a wonderful gift from God. It cleanses, purifies, rest...

2 Chronicles 27:6 (MSG) Jotham's strength was rooted in his steady and determined life of obedience to God. Steady, finding steady is a challenge and staying fixed even greater yet Jotham found it. What was it that nailed him in place? He was obedient to God, the word of God had pride of place. There are so many opinions and ideas floating around, our flesh constantly wants to redefine the word of God according to experience. Yet keeping the word pure and unaltered is power. We hear so often 'God knows my heart'. The word tells us that the heart is corrupt above all else. We are told to love the Lord with our whole heart. I wonder why that is? Perhaps our hearts are slippery little suckers that, uncontrolled, duck and weave and avoid the light of truth. Wise is the man or woman who knows their heart and therefore nails themselves to the word of God and lives out of that truth. Hebrews tells us that 'the word of God is sharper than any two edged sword, peircing ...

2 Chronicles 24:17 (MSG) But after the death of Jehoiada things fell apart. The leaders of Judah made a formal presentation to the king and he went along with them. Jehoiada was the priest who brought up King Joash , mentored him and stayed by him. Joash did what was right in God's sight right up until the death of Jehoiada then he listened to the wrong people and killed Joehoiada's son Zechariah for telling him off. How easy it is to begin well, especially when you have a rod up your back. again and again the kings fell away from following God with their whole hearts as they neared the end of their reign. Was is an arrogant assumption that I am king now and have done good so far so all I do is right? Was it a false belief that I am anointed and therefore right? Was it peace and prosperity and a false sense of safety? Humility is an ongoing process, one we must choose, daily, just like a shower. I cannot become enamoured with myself and then step outside God's p...

2 Chronicles 20:22 (MSG) As soon as they started shouting and praising, God set ambushes against the men of Ammon , Moab , and Mount Seir as they were attacking Judah, and they all ended up dead. King Jehoshaphat had received word that a horde of the enemy was coming to destroy Judah. He fasted and prayed and had the priests and people seek the Lord and pray. God answered, 'when you go up against the enemy, you will not have to lift at hand against them.' They had to go out ready for war and expect God to go before them. This required them to trust the word of the Lord. Many are the enemies of the righteous BUT God is on their side. When we seek Him first and put Him up there higher than any other God, He is delighted. Let God arise His enemies be scattered, Let God, Let God arise! Give Him room to be Himself, let Him do what He alone can do. He is our Advocate, He is our provider, He is our reward, He is our Counsellor, He is our Comfort, He is All. Amen! I love You...

Acts 20:24 (MSG) But that matters little. What matters most to me is to finish what God started: the job the Master Jesus gave me of letting everyone I meet know all about this incredibly extravagant generosity of God. What matters little? Paul had told his people that God had shown him that he was about to face imprisonment. Staying focused can be difficult when stuff happens, or is threatening. For me the area of greatest concern is the threatened trouble. I am learning to not let it dictate. My focus should be Christ and His purposes and not the storms that threaten. There are souls, hungry, lost souls who need to see Jesus in me. Once having found peace I am reluctant to let it go. I have a very good friend who once said to me, 'Di let peace be your governor .' This is wise advice. My God goes before me. He went before Paul. Although the Jews wanted a nasty, immediate end for Paul, he was imprisoned for quite a while, but was treated well. The enemy of our souls wants our ...

Acts 19:2 (MSG) The first thing he said was, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? Did you take God into your mind only, or did you also embrace him with your heart? Did he get inside you?" "We've never even heard of that—a Holy Spirit? God within us?" This is an interesting way of asking are you born again? In fact a beautiful way. Do you know about God or does He dwell in you? I have know the Lord personally for many years but before I invited Him into my life I knew Him all my life with my mind and struggled to know Him more. There are many who know Him with their mind and do not desire to know Him more, sadly they never will. To go into eternity without knowing Christ would be devastation, emptiness. I am so blessed to have known Him and to be able to raise my children to know Him and my grandchildren to know Him. Yesterday I took my grandson fishing in a local pond for rainbow trout, they stayed away. However a group of four young boys de...

2 Chronicles 14:11 (MSG) Then Asa prayed to God, "O God, you aren't impressed by numbers or intimidated by a show of force once you decide to help: Help us, O God; we have come out to meet this huge army because we trust in you and who you are. Don't let mere mortals stand against you!" Asa and his father before him knew how to step out and trust God, they followed after the ways of David. We are faced, again and again, with a show of force of the enemy. The world will tell us, the cancer is powerful, it will kill you; you are a small business and you will be swallowed up; you are old and your bones are fragile so be careful etc etc. I now have two dear friends facing cancer and both are determined to find God and they are. I stand with them and say use me Lord, I will pray and I will stand against the enemy. The key to Asa's victory was that he had cleared out all the idols and God gave him peace. A king rose up to try and take his peace but God routed him and ga...

Acts 18:9-10 (MSG) One night the Master spoke to Paul in a dream: "Keep it up, and don't let anyone intimidate or silence you. No matter what happens, I'm with you and no one is going to be able to hurt you. You have no idea how many people I have on my side in this city." This sounds familiar. Elijah had the same message. I am sure many of us have. Discouragement is a huge tool of the enemy. He keeps us so busy with the noisy rabble that we can't see the loyal. Paul well knew 'if God be for me, who can be against me', he wrote it himself. When we know God is for us then all things are possible. Having peace in the storm sure helps. I have that peace. I am where I am supposed to be, I am not struggling to be anything other that what I am. Knowing who we are and what we are meant to be and do is half the battle. Favour and miracles come out of peace. Peace comes out of knowing our authority and walking in it. Amen!

Acts 17:5,6 (MSG) Mad with jealousy........"These people are out to destroy the world, and now they've shown up on our doorstep, attacking everything we hold dear! This is called defending the indefensless ! On the surface it appeared that Paul was denigrating and opposing the Jewish religion. To a hearing heart he was in fact preaching the fulfillment of it. What causes us to become so enraged? Is it that deep down we are unsettled with the lack of fulfillment or progress of a matter. Along comes someone who simply reveals the truth and we hate it. We hate that we did not see it, we hate that we believed wrongly. So the bringer of 'truth' is chosen as the cat to kick. We need to be honest as to why we are reacting. What is the disappointment? What is going on deep down? Why don't we want to face the truth? Why are we jealous over a lie? Why do we hold wrong opinions as 'dear'? Jesus said 'the truth will set you free', so be free, accept the way ...

2 Chronicles 7:14(AMP) If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. IF is a small yet powerful word. It requires preceding action followed by an action of another party. 'If you do this then I will do that'. It requires participation of both parties. Being a christian requires action. The Lord tells me what that action will be. Be humble, pray, seek His face as if we are dying of thirst and only He will satisfy. Be humble! This prevents the kingdom of self taking precedence. Our world cries out 'it's all about ME!' but the Lord cries out 'it's not about you!' There is a rest in humility, when I am not grasping, conniving , controlling, manipulating, why it's quite......peaceful. Pray! This is a sacrifice in itself. Prayer meetings are the worst attended meetings yet most p...

Acts 16:31 (AMP) And they answered, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ [give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping] and you will be saved I have know the Lord for many years, since I was 19. I have read Acts many times but have never seen the above scripture fully. ' Take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself up to Him'. It could not be any plainer than this. 'Take yourself out of your own keeping', but we keep doing this don't we? Why if it is to be it is up to me, right? wrong! When things go wrong and we doubt the course we are on, instantly we are surrounded by those who say 'you have to do this or that'. I am going to do this, I am going here or there, doesn't scripture speak to this? 'How do you know oh man where you will be tomorrow? Is it not better to say if the Lord allows I will go here or there.' Something to that effect. Recently I had such a happening. Afte...

1 Chronicles 29:3 (AMP) Moreover, because I have set my affection on the house of my God,.... 1 Chronicles 29:9 (AMP) Then the people rejoiced because these had given willingly, for with a whole and blameless heart they had offered freely to the Lo rd. King David wanted to build the Lord a house but God prevented him, so he did what he could, he gave out of his treasure to build. David's generosity inspired the congregation and they gave. The giving made them glad. Giving blesses me. Yesterday I freely gave time and energy to make a couple's wedding a blessing. I enjoyed it. I bought food and decorated and created an atmosphere that blessed. Last night I was blessed. I was reimbursed for what I had spent and more beside. This in turn inspired me to give further, I have offered one of my paintings. Giving opens our hearts and joy comes, I am sure than scientifically we release endorphins, this can only be good for us. When we freely give we experience release, blessi...

1 Chronicles 26:6 (AMP) ..... who were rulers in their fathers’ houses, for they were mighty men of ability and courage. In David's time there were a lot of 'mighty men'. Yet before David and after David we do not hear of the 'mighty men'. What was it he had that would cause these men to be great? Was he a great leader? Did he know how to see the potential in a man and draw it out? Did he praise lavishly? We know he had an excellent spirit as he was sensitive to the hand of the Lord and when in sin quick to repent. He knew how to honour those in authority, he knew how to serve. He would not even beat a man who was giving him a hard time as he let the city, in case it was God who caused the man to rail against him. Perhaps he also knew how to honour those under him, perhaps because he honoured the Lord he saw with different eyes. We know David was not perfect but God loved him. I think I like that kind of endorsement. Amen!

Proverbs 16:6 (AMP) By mercy and love, truth and fidelity [to God and man—not by sacrificial offerings], iniquity is purged out of the heart, and by the reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord men depart from and avoid evil. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, this is so evident when we are tipped. What comes out then? Self pity? Anger? Doubt? Fear? When what comes out, is out we, if our heart is soft to the voice of the Holy Spirit, it is convicted of any sin. It is interesting that mercy and love, truth and fidelity to God and man purges our heart of iniquity. Why not self-righteousness? I cannot protect my sin or it becomes a stumbling block between me and God. I protect my sin when I defend my 'rights'. Before God I know, really know, I have no rights. Recently I had a string of things go wrong with my boss, I was looking really bad. I suspected that I had a prideful demand for things to be my way. When I acknowledged my sin to God and became a servant gr...

1 Chronicles 21:1 (AMP) SATAN [an adversary] stood up against Israel and stirred up David to number Israel. Isn't this unusual? Satan stirring up David to number Israel. This was, apparently, an obscene act in Israel because of Joab's reaction to David. We think of satan stirring us up to do all sorts of things but I would hazard to doubt that anyone would consider it a sin to number the congregation, number the supporters. What is the Lord saying? further down the scripture tells us that it was the reliance on man and not God. I don't know about you but I constantly battle to keep my eyes on the Lord especially in difficult times. Yet scripture tells me 'my help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth'. What does numbering our earthly support do to us today? What is the cost? confusion? My God You alone are God! Amen!

1 Chronicles 19:3 (AMP)But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun , Do you think that David has sent comforters to you because he honors your father? Have his servants not come to you to search, to overthrow, and to spy out the land? Hanun had bad counsellors, yet his father had been a good man. What makes us listen to bad counsel? Immaturity, insecurity? Good counsel heals, matures, grows. Good counsel can come from stable, sound individuals who have a history of walking straight. I have such people in my life, good sound leaders and friends. I think I don't ask their advice as much as I could but I am glad it is there when I do ask. Being a woman inclined to be emotional I have to surround myself with soundness. At times I find it difficult to discern between emotional charge and faith. Sometimes what I consider faith, in the light of day is emotional foolishness, praise God not everyone I know is like me. Thank you Lord for good friends. Amen!

1 Chronicles 16:11 (AMP) Seek the Lord and His strength; yearn for and seek His face ........ He is my strength and my song, He is the strength for my bones and I rejoice. I do not have to be strong because He upholds me. He restores unto me the joy of my salvation. I have sought Him continually and He has been my reward. The Lord is taking me to mine, mine that had been stolen is now being restored. Time makes us forget but He does not forget. He knows what it was He put in ours hearts and the desires He has for us. Restore all Lord! Amen!

Acts 11:2-3 (MSG) When Peter got back to Jerusalem, some of his old associates, concerned about circumcision, called him on the carpet: "What do you think you're doing rubbing shoulders with that crowd, eating what is prohibited and ruining our good name?" 'Ruining our good name'. What is it that ruins our 'good' name? Us? How exciting! Perhaps God is interested in breaking our perceived reputation. The basics must be there, the core that is important to the Lord, putting Him first and honouring His word. What do we consider important? That we think we are loving our community? That we think we are challenging our community with truth? That we think we are the most relevant? Does it matter what day we meet? does it matter how we meet? He is about to break out of the box! Amen!

Acts 10:15 (MSG) The voice came a second time: "If God says it's okay, it's okay." Peter had been receiving a revelation from God about the Gentiles. Up until this moment he, like the other disciples had believed that salvation was for the Jews. Funny thing that! Jesus had said to go into all the world and preach the gospel yet his disciples had not 'got it'. We Christians have beliefs set around immature revelation. We take what we see and create a vision, a belief, a way of acting, a structure around it. Throughout history we see God's people restricting the gospel to only one movement and each successive one was persecuted by the preceding one. What are we Pentecostals persecuting? If we are not already we will be soon, guaranteed, it is in our sin nature. Where is the Holy Spirit now? where is the wind? How do we stay open to the Spirit? My God is constantly surprising me. I think I have the vision, but no, I get to a place and it has turn...

Acts 9:40 (MSG) Peter put the widows all out of the room. He knelt and prayed. Then he spoke directly to the body: "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes. When she saw Peter, she sat up. Peter, ah Peter! Foot in mouth Peter, impetuous Peter, frightened Peter who disowned the Lord. Peter is seem praying for the sick and raising the dead. Later in Acts we see that Paul takes Peter to task for his duplicity. Yet for all his faults Peter is doing the stuff. We don't hear of Luke or John raising the dead or Paul for that matter. Jesus loved Peter enough seek him out and repair the damage he had done in denying Him. Yet in that encounter where Jesus asked him three times if he loved him Peter did not get the real meaning of what Jesus said, so Jesus went to his level. Peter had something that was different, he was the one who stepped out on the water, the only one. He was the one who dived into the water and swam ashore when he saw Jesus and wanted to be with him. Perhaps...

Acts 8:5-6 (AMP) Philip [the deacon, not the apostle] went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ (the Messiah) to them [the people]; 6And great crowds of people with one accord listened to and heeded what was said by Philip, as they heard him and watched the miracles and wonders which he kept performing [from time to time]. 1 Chronicles 7:2 (AMP) The sons of Tola : Uzzi , Rephaiah , Jeriel , Jahmai , Ibsam , Shemuel (Samuel)—heads of their fathers’ houses, descendants of Tola . THEY WERE MIGHTY MEN OF VALOUR IN THEIR GENERATIONS ; their number in David’s days was 22,600. Philip was a deacon , not a man of war, not a descendant of anyone in particular but He was a man of God. He was a willing servant, someone who waited on tables, that is when the Holy Spirit was not using him to heal, preach the gospel, be translated. In my church the men's ministry is powerful and the men of the house are mighty in God. Men who submit themselves to good leadership flourish lik...

for thou hast been a shelter unto me, and a strong tower from the enemy, when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Ps 62:1 Yesterday I was thoroughly gutted, so devastated I was numb, so numb that I still cannot speak BUT I went to the wells of salvation. I want to hear what God says, it is His opinion that I value most. He is the only one who can put the right perspective on things. I want what He wants and the rest, well I don't care for it. Ps 35:10 All my bones shall say 'Lord who is like You ? You who delivers the poor and the afflicted from him who is too strong for him, yes, him who snatches away his goods?' Ps 36:9b but those who wait and hope and look for the Lord shall inherit the earth. Amen!

Acts 7:49-50 (MSG) "Heaven is my throne room; I rest my feet on earth. So what kind of house will you build me?" says God. "Where I can get away and relax? It's already built, and I built it." It is ludicrous to think we can box God. When we see the heavens, it's expanse and all that is in it, He fills it with Himself, we are in awe. Yet He chose to live in this temple, in human flesh. In all of time all He wanted was relationship. When we try to imagine what sort of house God would want, we dream up all sorts of schemes but He is happy in us. We come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, some are pretty, some ugly but inside He dwells. What sort of God is this? No fancy temple, no fancy performance just being at home in us. No rituals, no sacrifices, no incense, no gongs or bells. No crawling all the way to see Him. Thank You Lord! You are simple yet so great. I praise You for Your heart towards me, Your love unties all knots, smooths all tumultuous se...

2 Kings 22:2 (MSG) He lived the way God wanted. He kept straight on the path blazed by his ancestor David, not one step to either left or right. The above passage refers to King Josiah. He was eight when he began to rule yet it wasn't until he was 26 did he begin to clean out the land of all that had been put into place by a succession of bad kings. As I read the following chapters I see the level of pollution that had occurred in the land, it all began with Solomon. Solomon had built the Lord a house but also built heathen altars to sex-goddesses in the hills. He had begun well and for a man who was wiser than all others he was a fool because he chose natural wisdom over Godly wisdom, he forgot to seek the Lord. He had a grasp of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and that was about all. Gradually successive kings did not remove the pollution and so it took hold and certain kings added more. Manasseh was the worst. Solomon had laid a foundation, a foundation where a king c...

Acts 6:5 (MSG) They went ahead and chose— Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.... Stephen was chosen to wait on tables, yet God used Him greatly because he was full of God. Stephen was stoned for his beauty in Christ and his faith towards God did not dim in adversity. What has my God called me to do? I can do it full of Him, I can use whatever He has chosen for me to do as a tool to reach others for Him. Take me to the lost Lord and I will speak for You. Amen!

Acts 5:29 (MSG) Peter and the apostles answered, "It's necessary to obey God rather than men. Peter was on fire. He was speaking with boldness, He was commanding the Kingdom of God to come to pass, he was preaching, teaching, healing. This challenges me. I am of the same spirit and should not try to 'fit in' but boldly proclaim. Obviously there is a balance but I think the modern christian has been unplugged. Last night I had a girlfriend collect me to go to the movies. she was relaying how a bad storm was coming on Victoria, how the SES was on standby, there was to be flooding, disaster was coming. I said 'no, I will pray', and promptly I did. I was awakened by heavy rain around 2.30am and my faith was challenged, so I went to the Lord. I saw my Jesus in the boat on the sea of Galilee commanding the storm to be still, so I commanded the storm to be still and it was. Perhaps we should be commanding instead of praying. May the boldness of Elijah and Eli...

Acts 4:11 (AMP) This [Jesus] is the Stone which was despised and rejected by you, the builders, but which has become the Head of the corner [the Cornerstone]. The Pharisees rejected Jesus because He offended them, the Sadducee's rejected Jesus and His talk of eternal Life because he challenged them regarding Godly truth. Yet no matter what they might determine in their own hearts about Him, the Truth remains, He is God. Crucifying Christ did not deal with the burr in the saddle. Jesus returned in greater power and now 5,000 people had been infected with the truth. We can, through offence, walk away from Christ, we can, because of sin, turn away from His truth, but the fact remains, He is God, He is real, He is who He said He was. He is the anchor, He holds all things together, He is God. Last night I watched a programme on the ABC about cloning and how we humans can now determine our future and the future of our children. In other words we can meddle and play God. After watching ...

2 Kings 15:34-35 (AMP) He did right in the Lord’s sight, according to all his father Uzziah had done. Yet the high places were not removed; the people sacrificed and burned incense still on the high places. The sign of a really good leader is that they recognise how important the heart of God is in a matter. Even if a prophet does not come and say 'you should do such and such', they hold the Lord's heart close to theirs and want what He wants. There were many good kings in Judah but they failed to remove the 'high places'. The high places were not what God wanted. These were places where the people worshipped in a way not ordained by God. As parents, as teachers, leaders in any way it is important that we recognise the heart of the Lord first. What would he say about a matter. We cannot let things slide, allow slack motives, wrong interpretations of God's grace. In DivorceCare this past week we were looking at what the bible says about divorce and remarr...

Acts 3:16 (AMP) And His name, through and by faith in His name, has made this man whom you see and recognize well and strong. His Name represents all that God is, His name means faithful and true, His name means justice and mercy, grace, His name means power and majesty, His name means righteousness and truth, His name means Yes and amen! All He said and all he did was right. I can come to Him and put my life in His hands. I can trust Him with all I am and hope to be, for He is good. I know He will not abuse me because He was abused for me. I know He will not judge me because he was judged for me. In Him is peace, rest, protection, contentment, fulfillment, He is good so good. As I give Him room in my life His glory comes in, there is nothing He can't do, He is God. Oh Lord I am so blessed to know You, I praise You for You are good. Amen!