The day with dianne Louise

In those Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised in the Jordan by John. As soon as He came up out of the water, He saw the heavens being torn open and the Sprit descending to Him like a dove, and a voice came from heaven; "You are My beloved Son; I take delight in You!" Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels began to serve him. Mark 1:9-13 Jesus was baptised because He identified with mankind. He did not need forgiveness as He had no sin. When baptised He received affirmation by His Father who was well pleased by Him. The Spirit descended upon Him like a dove then drove Him out into the wilderness to redeem the past. The Israelites had sinned against God in the wilderness and Jesus honoured God through obedience in the wilderness. Jesus by His actions had arrested the consequences of sin and was paving the way for redemption. The old was ending the new abo...

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: 'Look, I am sending My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way. A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way for The Lord; Make His paths straight!" John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were flocking to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins. Mark 1:1-5 I wonder what made John, a man who dressed in Camel hair, eating locusts and wild honey believable? He preached a message of repentance. What made the people realize their sins and want to repent? Was it the promised Messiah? I imagine the Holy Spirit was in on the action, going before John and preparing hearts. What caused Him to do that? Prayer! Whose prayer? John's, Jesus', Mary's perhaps. All of this was to mak...

"Therefore fear The Lord and worship Him in sincerity and truth. Get rid of the gods  your fathers worshipped beyond the Euphrates River in Egypt, and worship Yahweh. But if it doesn't please you to worship Yahweh, choose for yourselves today the one you will worship: the gods your fathers worshipped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are now living. As for me and my family, we will worship Yahweh." Joshua 24:14,15 When we move into a new experience, a new land or up a level we always have to choose who we will give our devotion to. Young children growing up in a house where the father takes them to church often resent not being able to do their own thing and please themselves. Later this may develop into rebellion and a choice to walk away from church and honouring The Lord. However, they do not reckon on a loving God pursuing them or a praying parent. I am grateful that my God gave me a hunger for Him and He pursued me. I am gratefu...

The Lord has driven out great and powerful nations before you, and no one is able to stand against you to this day. One of you routed a thousand because The Lord your God was fighting for you, as He promised. So be very diligent to love the Lord your God for your own well being. Joshua 23:9-11 If God be for us, who can be against us? No one! Enemies make noise about their ability to harm, interfere and rob us but who do we cling to? Although those I depend on let me down who is greater? Through our God we shall do valiantly, it is He who treads down our enemy. Noise is easy, action without permission is impossible. Who do I run to? Who is my defense? Who is my rear guard? Who is God? Amen! Rest and let God be God! Amen!

So The Lord gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their fathers, And they took possession of it and settled there.'The Lord gave them rest on every side according to all He has sworn to their fathers. None of their enemies were able to stand against them, for The Lord handed over all their enemies to them. None of the good promises The Lord had made to the house of Israel failed. Everything was fulfilled. Joshua 21:43-45 God keeps his promises. Yet back in 18:1-3 Joshua is remonstrating with the seven tribes who had not yet taken their lands telling them: "How long will you delay going out to take possession of the land that The Lord, the God of your fathers, gave you? God has given us all exceedingly great promises but we must take possession of them. What causes us to delay? Perhaps bad teaching, perhaps bad believing, perhaps thinking this is all there is. We discover God's promises as we read His word and start to pray about His promises to us. Going to church ...

He gave Caleb son of Jephunneh the following portion among the descendants of Judah based on the Lord's instruction to Joshua: Kiriath-Arab (that is Hebron; Arba was the father of Anak). Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, descendants of Anak. From there he marched against the inhabitants of Debir whose name used to be Kiriath-sepher, and Caleb said, " I will give my daughter Achsah as a wife to the one who strikes down and captures Kiriath-sepher." So Othniel son of Caleb's brother, Kenaz, captured it, and Caleb gave his daughter Achsah to him as a wife. When she arrived, she pursuaded Othniel to ask her father for a field. As she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What do you want?" She replied, "Give me a blessing. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give the springs of water also." So he gave her the upper and lower springs. Joshua 15:13-19 Caleb not only said he would rid his land of the gi...

As you see, The Lord has kept me (Caleb) alive these 45 years as He promised, since The Lord spoke His word to Moses while Israel was journeying in the wilderness. Here I am today, 85 years old. I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out. My strength for battle and for daily tasks is now as it was then. Now give me this hill country The Lord promises me on that day, because you heard then that the Anakim are there, as well as large fortified cities. Perhaps The Lord will be with me and I will drive them out as The Lord promised. Joshua 14:10-12 Another bold lion. Caleb and Joshua were the only two who came back from the original scouting party 45 years earlier, with a good report. Patiently, Joshua and Caleb waited, and now it was time to inherit. Caleb boldly boasts of being just as fit as he was 45 years previously. I know that people at any age, will always feel young inside. I wonder if Caleb was actually as young as he thought. Today I spent some time in the art...

On the day The Lord  gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to The Lord in the presence of Israel: "Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and moon, over the valley of Aijalon." And the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance on its enemies. Isn't this written in the Book of Jashar? So the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed it's setting almost a full day. There has been no day like it before or since, when The Lord listened to the voice of a man, because The Lord fought for Israel. Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp at Gilgal. Joshua 10:12-15 Joshua had faith to make this command. I have experienced similar, mind you I have not prayed for the sun to stop still, that is awesome. I have prayed weather related prayers and seen answers. These prayers come from deep in my carer(my spirit).  Deep love motivates it. It seems when I am grieved for people my prayers are heard. This would have given Joshua ...

Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: "Don't abandon your servants. Come quickly and save us! Help us, for all the Amorite kings living in the hill country have joined forces against us." So Joshua and all his military force, including all the fighting men, came from Gilgal. The Lord said to Joshua, "do not be afraid of them, for I have handed them over to you. Not one of them will be able to stand against you." So Joshua caught them by surprise, after marching all night from Gilgal. The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel. As they fled before Israel, The Lord threw large hailstones on them from the sky.. Joshua 10:6-10;11 The Gibonites were blessed indeed, now they were being defended by Joshua. Considering they had deceived Israel by pretending to be strangers in the land they had evaded their own slaughter but now they were tools used to attract their enemies and allow God to deal with the inhabitants of the lan...

When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they acted deceptively. They gathered provisions and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys and old wine skins, cracked and mended. They wore old, patched sandals on their feet and threadbare clothing on their bodies. Their entire provision of bread was dry and crumbly. They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, "we have come from a distant land. Please make a treaty with us?" Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions, but did not seek the Lord's counsel. So Joshua established a peace treaty with them and let them live, and the leaders of the community swore an oath to them. Joshua 9:3-5;13,15 The men from Gilgal would probably be praised by Christ, he actually praised a similar character in a story He told about a man who had been caught doing wrong by his master who went out to his masters debtors and had them write down their debt to a lesser amou...

At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the Lord, the God of Israel, just as Moses the Lord's servant had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the book of the law of Moses: an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool has been used. Then they offered burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings on it. Then on the stones, Joshua copied the law of Moses, which he had written in the presence of the Israelites. All Israel, stood on either side of the ark of the Lord's covenant facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Afterwards ,Joshua read aloud all the words of the law- the blessings as well as the curses- according to all that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read before the entire assembly of Israel including the women, the little children, and the foreigners who were with them. Joshua 8:30-35 Joshua was a man of presence. He loved The...

The Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take the whole military force with you and go and attack Ai, his people, city and land. Treat Ai and it's king as you did Jericho and it's king; you may plunder its spoil and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city." Joshua 8:1,2 The first time the Israelites went out against Ai they were defeated because one of the men had secretly disobeyed God's order not to take anything from Jericho, now, after having dealt with the man and his family they were given permission to take spoils. This time, again, as with Jericho, God have them a strategy. The strategy worked, of course. Previously they had gone in ther own understanding. We are constantly faced with challenges and things we must conquer. How will I do this? I am facing challenges because I do not have all the answers, but God does. He has me out of my depth, a good place to be, for here, I rely on Him. This week I look to travel to Brisb...

Then The Lord said to Joshua, "stand up! Why are you on the ground? Israel has sinned. They have violated My covenant that I appointed for them. They have taken some of what has been set apart. They have stolen, deceived, and put things with their own belongings. This is why Israel cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run from their enemies, because they have been set apart for destruction. I will no longer be with you unless you remove from you what is set apart. Joshua 7:10-12 What do we know belongs to the Lord? Vengeance and glory are two, the tithe is third. We cannot exact the price if sin against us from a perpetrator without playing God. We cannot boast in ourselves and fail to give God due glory without suffering ignominity. (Lack of fame) We cannot withold the tithe and expect to be blessed financially.  What we sow we reap.  God is just and righteous and if we enter His territory His rules apply, just as gravity applies. All things are ...

But the city and everything in it are set apart for destruction to The Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and everyone with her in her house will live, because she hid the men we sent. But keep yourselves from the things set apart, or you will be set apart for destruction. If you take any of those things, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster on it. For all the silver and gold, the articles of bronze and iron, are dedicated to The Lord and must go into the Lord's treasury." Joshua 6:17-19 One man disobeyed and brought defeat on the Israelites and when discovered he and his whole household and all that he had were destroyed. At present in Australia there is a suspected disease, that is carried by bats, affecting the horses on a particular farm. Any animal testing positive with the disease will probably die. Now if, because of fondness for a particular horse the farmer did not disclose the disease, he would infect the horse communi...

When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, "Are You for us or for our enemies?" "Neither, " He replied. "I have come as commander if the Lord's army." Then Joshua bowed with his face to the ground in worship and asked Him, "What does my Lord want to say to His servant?" The commander of the Lord's army said to him, "Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so. Joshua 5:13-15 The man may well have been Jesus, as whenever an angel was sent he refused to have himself worshipped. Also this experience mirrors Moses' experience with God before he went back to Egypt to set the people free. Joshua was about to receive direction as to how he was to deal with Jericho. The orders given were strange indeed and would have intrigued the Israelites  and severely bothered the inhabit...

While the Israelites camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they kept the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month. The day after the Passover they ate unleavened bread and rosted grain from the produce of the land. And the day after they ate from the produce of the land, the manna ceased. Since there was no more manna for the Israelites, they ate from the crops of the land of Caanan that year. Joshua 5:10-12 God had faithfully provided manna for the past 40 years. What would it have been like to actually have to harvest grain, crush it into flour and make their bread? The promised land required more effort. The Israelites had to go out and harvest the crops. I imagine the women would have had to do this as the men were unable. Who would teach them what to do? I am sure there were a few bad batches to start with. How would they crush the grain? Meanwhile the inhabitants of the land are quaking in their boots. I imagine they would have been strategizing how to figh...

When all the Amorite kings across the Jordan to the west and all the Cannanite kings near the sea heard how The Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, they lost heart and their courage failed because of the Israelites. At that time  The Lord said to Joshua, "Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelite men again."Joshua 5:1,2 What a testimony to the powers and principalities. When a people trust their God and obey His leading mighty things happen. Not only do the natural people look in wonder so do the unseen lords. God was definitely amazing. He gets His people through the river, gobsmacks the neighbors and then does something crazy, He tells Joshua to circumcise all the men. Now they will all be useless until they heal. If ever they were vulnerable it is now. Amazingly the neighbors are so fearful they stay away. Is there a principle here? The circumcision shows dedication to The Lord. Their victory was going to cost ...

After the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan, The Lord spoke to Joshua: "choose 12 men from the people, one man for each tribe, And command them: take 12 stones from this place in the middle of the Jordan where the priests are standing, carry them with you, and set them down where you spend the night. In future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean to you?' You should tell them, 'The waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the Lord's covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan's waters were cut off.' Therefore these stones will always be a memorial for the Israelites." Joshua 4:1-7 From out of a great miracle a memorial was created. In my country we have memorial gardens, walls, cemeteries to remember the ones who sacrificed for our freedom. This memorial was to remember their God  who did a mighty thing on their behalf. God has done much in my life, what about yours? How can you ensure you never forg...

When the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of the people. Now the Jordan overflows it's banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan, their feet touched the water at its edge and the water flowing downstream stood still, rising up in a mass that extended as far as Adam, a city next to Zarethan. The water flowing downstream was completely cut off, and the people crossed opposite Jericho. The priests carrying the ark of the Lord's covenant stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed on dry ground until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan. Joshua 3:14-17 Imagine how the inhabitants of Jericho were lined up on the walls watching all this transpire. What would the sight of such a mighty miracle done to their hearts? I imagine they melted like wax. Is God wanting to do such a miracle in your world? You may be stuck in the ri...

Then Joshua said to the priests, " Take the ark of the covenant and go ahead of the people." So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them. Joshua 3:6 The ark represented God in the midst of the Israelites. The priests were the servants of The Lord. They went out carrying God before the people. In the New Testament we have the presence of The Lord within and we are the priests. There is no longer a separation between us and God. We are called to step out in faith with the presence of God within. Our faith speaks to our world and leads our children. My world must be impacted by Christ in me. As I step out in faith, into the swollen river, and a heavy weight of responsibility on my shoulders the world holds it breath. Will she make it? What we see in this scripture is submission to to order to go. The priests were not flapping and shrieking about the order, they calmly went. They had spent three days preparing for this moment and a lifetime for their call. What...

Joshua started early the next morning and left the Acacia Grove with all te Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan and stayed there before crossing. After three days the officers went through the camp and commanded the people: "when you see the ark of the covenant if The Lord your God carried by the Levitical priests, you must break camp and follow it. But keep a distance of about 1,000 yards between yourselves and the ark. Don't go near it, so that you can see the way to go, for you haven't travelled this way before." Joshua told the people, "concecrate yourselves, because The Lord will do wonders among you tomorrow." Joshua 3:1-5 The Israelites were about to experience a miracle and partner with The Lord in a mighty act, the destruction of Jericho. To be a part of this miracle there were to be ready, of a mind to follow The Lord and follow instruction. They had to take time to prepare themselves, thy had to concecrate themselves.  They were not to be e...

Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men as spies from the Acacia Grove, saying: "Go and scout the land, especially Jericho." So they left and came to the house of a woman, a prostitute named Rahab, and stayed there. Joshua 2:1 The word used for 'spies' is also the word used for footers or messengers. These were not green beret soldiers we now see used for such activities. They went to the house of a prostitute. Unless God led them there why would they go there? Perhaps the house was like a tavern where they could go and listen, perhaps there was another reason. Whatever the reason, thy found what they had come for. Rahab confesses how her city lived in fear of the tribe of Israel. The news came with danger as an opportunity for Rahab to gain brownie points, would it be with these strangers or her king, she chose the strangers.  She knew that what they represented was more powerful than her king. She asked for favour and was granted protection. Then she hid them. On re...

They answered Joshua, "everything you have commanded us we will do, and everywhere you send us we will go. We will obey you, just as we obeyed Moses in everything. And The Lord your God be with you, as it was with Moses. Anyone who rebels against your order and does not obey your words in all that you command him,will be put to death. Above all be strong and courageous! Joshua 1:16-18 Joshua has just been made leader and is a little concerned as to how things will go. He have his first order, saying to the Gadites, Rubenites and Manassehites that alrhough they had their land on the wilderness side of the Jordan they were to cross over and help their brethren fight for their lands, before settling. I could well imagine Joshua's relief when he received this response. The Jordan was in flood, Moses had just died and now he had the task of leading and fulfilling the promise made to the tribes of Israel. Isn't it interesting that they also encouraged Joshua to be strong and cou...

This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth, you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. Joshua 1:8 I must pull this passage of scripture out from the whole I quoted last night and study it some more. I love the word of God because I love to trowel through it looking for gems. I am back in this passage because I found a diamond. The word used for success here is 'sakal'. This word is found frequently in the Wisdom literature to describe one's mastery of the world and insights to ifs challenges. The 'whole instruction' describes God's revelation in the forms of the previous books of the law of Moses. * The previous 5 books was all Joshua had. I am grateful I have more. I have prophets and psalms, books of history, proverbs and best of all, books about my Saviour, the New Testament. I look for what my God is breathing on and feed on that. There...

After the death of Moses the Lord's servant, The Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, who had served Moses. "Moses My servant is dead. Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites. I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads, just as I promised Moses. Your territory will be from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great Euphrates River- all the land of the Hittites- and west to the Mediterranean Sea. No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance.  Above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. This book of instruction must not depart from yo...

Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus - the great Shepherd of the sheep- with the blood of the everlasting covenant, equip you with all that is good to do His will, working in us what is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ. Glory belongs to Him forever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20,21 Our God is working in us for His own good pleasure and for our own benefit. We could resist Him feeling like a puppet, when in fact something is always yanking at our strings: either self, encouraged by darkness or the Holy Spirt as we yield. If I want to be god, I am walking out I to uncharted territory  unaided and at the mercy of all that would come against me. If I do this I must remember not to rail against The Lord when things go wrong, because I  have made myself lord. However, as I yield to The Lord of glory, I am gloriously changed into His likeness, empowered and enabled to overcome all the comes against me. I think it is a no brainer which is the...

For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the most holy place by the high priest as a sin offering are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jeaus also suffered outside the gate, so that He might sanctify the people by His own blood. Let us then go to Him outside the camp, bearing His disgrace. For we so not have an enduring city  here: instead, we seek the one to come. Therefore, through Him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess His name. Hebrews 13:11-16 Again the author of Hebrews is drawing a parallel between the Old Testament and the New. The sacrifices instituted by God, through Moses, required a lot of animals to be slaughtered and their bodies to be burned outside the camp. Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, outside the city of Jerusalem. He drew a parallel, as He was the lamb that was slain for the sins of many. We are told in the gospels that we need to take up our cross an follow Him. What does ...

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Don't be led astray by various kinds of strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established by grace and not by foods, since those involved in them have not benefited. Hebrews 13:8,9 Throughout the book of Hebrews the author has established Christ as the new high priest. By doing so he does away with the old way of offering animal sacrifices and only eating certain foods. The old way did not result in life and grace but the new did. When people who have loved the old way come to Christ there is a tension. I remember when I came to Christ I had been brought up in the Catholic Church and it has a lot of ritual and formalism, which I had been fond of. I have to transition to a way of doing church that had no formalism and ritual, or very little. In that process I had to lay down the old and all it's trappings and embrace the new and not try and bring along any old ways just to appease my emotional connection, it...

Remember your leaders who have spoken God's word to you. As you carefully observe the outcomes of their lives, imitate their faith. Hebrews 13:7 I follow great people on Facebook and Twitter because I want I be impacted by greatness. The lives of these people I watch and imitate. The pastors of my church are younger than I but I respect them as godly leaders who lead well and therefore I honour them.  Honour releases blessing. There are certain ministries whom I say to The Lord about; 'I want to go where they are going Lord.' I know full well that I therefore will pay a similar price but because they have gone before I can learn from them. Refusing to honour or submit or wearing blinkers in regard to the path ahead is inviting destruction. Wisdom begs instruction and good leaders give instruction, through their lives and their teachings. If both match you have a winner. Leaders that walk in faith are a particular blessing to me. Because I know this is the path for me. Choos...

Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself said, 'I will never leave you or forsake you.' Therefore we may boldly say: 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?' Hebrews 13:5,6 Ok! What does the love of money look like? What does the love of anything look like? Excitement by presence of it; mourning the loss of it; possession of the thoughts and intentions.  As much as I like to think I do not love money, the fact that I feel bereft when it is lacking, and pleased in it's abundance might just indicate I am not free of its tentacles. Yes, God is setting me free but hey there is always room for improvement. I have come to know The Lord as my provider, He has not failed me. He is so good. He is now blessing me and I am constrained to not count and focus on the amount and let my mind run with possibilities but trust Him for wisdom in how to manage. Now, this is a terrible admission for a fi...

Marriage must be respected by all, and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge immoral people and adulterers. Hebrews 13:4  How should marriage be respected? I think to discover what this means we new to look at the relationship between God and His people in the Old Testament. God constantly spoke of their relationship as a marriage and as the house of Israel as the unfaithful wife. What does unfaithfulness look like? It looks like: I place my own interests above yours and more importantly I will love what I want to love, I have room in my heart for more than one love. God accused His people of promiscuity. They prostituted themselves with other gods. What does faithfulness look like? I will keep myself for you and forsake all others. When temptation comes along, I will flee. I will stay so close to you that I cannot be tempted. I will deal with all issues and not give the accuser room. I will give you room to be a person in His image and not demand you be my god, m...

Let brotherly love continue. Don't neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it. Remember the prisoners, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily. Hebrews 13:1-3 What does brotherly love look like? Is it a smile and a word of encouragement, or is it more. The scriptures indicate more. What does remember the prisoners mean? Does it mean talk about them together, an occasional prayer or does it mean more? I remember when I lived in Sydney a man I knew was imprisoned for driving when he knew he had epilepsy. While driving he had a fit, crossed the road and killed three people. This episode brought him back to The Lord. Whilst he was awaiting trial he went to a connect group I belonged to. I got to know this man and knew of his plight. When he went to jail I wrote to him and encouraged him in his faith. His wife relayed that my thoughtfulness was appreciated. This ...

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us hold on to grace. By it we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28,29 How do I hold on to grace? Well, first I must have it. How to I get it? Buy it like wisdom and never let it go.  I must shop at the right place. I wonder where is that? Is it on TV? Is it at the movies? The club? In a book? Well, you are getting warmer. There is only one book that will lead to it, the Word of God, the Bible. Yet, the book in itself does not have it, it speaks about it but does not give it. There where do I find it? Jesus said: 'my grace is sufficient for you.' Ok! Jesus! Yes but how do I get it from Him? Perhaps if I ask Him for it? Yes! Asking believing and you will receive. So what does grace look like? Grace is love for the unlovely, forgiveness for the unforgivable, mercy for the merciless, peace for the troubled, healing for the broken, strength for the weak....

For you have not come to what has been touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm, to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words. (Those who heard it begged that not another word be spoken to them, for they could not bear what was commanded: 'and if even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned!' The appearance was so terrifying that Moses said, 'I am terrified and tremble,') Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels in festive gathering, to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to God who is the judge of all, to the Spirit of righteous people made perfect, to Jesus (mediator of a new covenant), and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel. Make sure you do not reject the One who speaks. Hebrews 12:18-25 The Old Testament, and in particular the exodus, was a terrifying experience. God's people got to know...

And make sure there isn't any immoral or irreverent person like Esau, who sold his birthright in exchange for one meal. For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected because he didn't find any opportunity for repentance, though he sought it with tears. Hebrews 12:16,17 I can agree that Esau showed he failed to respect the significance of his birthright, being irreverent even, by allowing his belly to dictate his actions but to say he was immoral, I don't quite understand. What does having morals really mean? We say someone is immoral when they are sexually aberrant. However, the dictionary gives a broader definition. That is, not conforming to socially accepted standards. In Esau's time a birthright (a right to a double portion) was highly prized. The firstborn inherited a right that was his alone and would make him significant in the land. Issac, Esau's father, was a prominent man with much possessions and therefore to be the firs...

Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and by it, defiling many. Hebrews 12:15 How can I fall short of the grace of God? Easy! By not bathing daily I run the risk of BO, if I fail to bath in the refreshing stream of God's grace I am more susceptible to critical thoughts and if I don't pluck these out they develop roots and my spirit becomes bitter. Bitterness is so easy to cultivate. It is like the common weed. Bitterness is not restricted to one set of circumstances but affects all because if the enemy successfully plants one lie he goes for a harvest. The worst part of allowing weeds into our garden is to face the task of weeding the whole garden. I see rental properties where the lawns are unkempt, there are more weeds than lawn. A person in the control of bitterness carries an odour of offense and they are prickly customers to deal with. You know that you will be te object of their ire as soon as you ...

Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness- without it no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14 In days gone by I would avoid conflict so as to avoid a nasty reaction from others. On the weekend I had finally had enough of a person on my Facebook page posting hate statements about our Prime Minister, it upset me. Now I knew I could be turning the hate towards me but I made a stand. I wrote a private message to the person involved saying how it upset me to have such hateful things constantly coming up on my page. In the spirit I knew when my message was being read and I prayed fervently for this person. Some hours later I received a hateful message back with the message: 'if you don't like what I have to say delete me.' I deleted them not wanting to enter into a battle that this person wanted. Having tondo this grieved me and I prayed most of the day. I am awRe that I was the only contact with godliness this person may have in their life and I was about to exit stage left. I wi...

Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline- which all receive-then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had natural fathers disciplining us, and we respected them. Shouldn't we submit even more to the Father of Spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but He does if for our benefit, so that we can share His holiness. No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed instead.  Hebrews 12:7-13 I remembered being disciplined by an earthly father who did not communicate the 'why' I was being beaten. I remember one particular instance wh...

For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won't grow weary an lose heart. In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. Hebrews 12:3,4 So our high priest endured the cross and the abuse so that we would not lose heart. How good is that? So when I feel like giving in to appetites and addictions I have a saviour who paid for my freedom. When I want to lash out in anger instead of grace and mercy, I have what I need, because someone bought that ability for me. Praise Him! Jesus resisted the temptation to run away in fear and in the process shed his blood. I don't have to run away, it has been dealt with. I have an armory of 'can dos' because He bought them for me. I don't have to find the money, it all has been paid for. Amen!

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a large cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfected of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God's throne. Hebrews 12:1,2 So what are the principles if overcoming?  They are: Lay aside every sin that snares; Let us run with endurance the race before us; Keep our eyes on Jesus. We have a cloud of those who have gone before watching and waiting for us to complete the race. I know that as I endure and see a brother or sister thrown down the towel and leave the race, I grieve. They belong and have become despondent, deceived into believing they don't have what it takes and that it was all about them. Of course I don't have what it takes  but the word promises me that He will strengthen me, I have Him...

And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Sampson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouth of lions, quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength after being weak, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead-they were raised to life again. Some men were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might gain a better resurrection, and others experienced mocking a and scourgings as well as bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, i n goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, since God had provided...

By faith the Israelites crossed the Red Sea as though they were on dry land. When the Egyptians attempted to do this, they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after being encircled by the Israelites for seven days. Hebrews 11:29,30 We know the Israelites were a complaining rabble but they had moments of glory. When they shut up and followed they were brilliant. What does this say to is? Abraham and Moses receive the most accolades from the author of Hebrews, so I'd hazard to guess that The Lord thought them worth following, without opinion. Although our culture touts freedom of speech as an integral right, sometimes it is wasted on complaining and we are best to shut up and follow. Moses heard vision from God, he did crazy stuff. He took a few million men, women and children into a sea and then a desert. Naturally this type of thinking is nuts, unless GOD is involved. Natural minds therefore criticised Moses and suffered the penalty. There were those who were bitt...

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharoah's daughter and chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the short-lived pleasure of sin. For he considered the reproach because of the Messiah to be greater wealth than the treasure of Egypt, since his attention was on the reward. By faith he left Egypt behind, not being afraid of the king's anger, for Moses persevered as one who sees Him who is invisible. By faith he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch the Israelites. Hebrews 11:24-28 I don't know where the record of Moses not wanting to be considered the son of the Pharoah's daughter comes from. I have just completed a study of the first 5 books of the OT and this was not mentioned. Perhaps there were other texts available. Exodus does mention he went out to see his people and saw their forced labour and endeavoured to help but ended up killing an Egyp...

By faith, after Moses was born, he was hidden by his parents for three months, because they saw the child was beautiful, and they didn't fear the kings edict. Hebrews 11:23 The reason given for the parents faith was: 'the child was beautiful.' This in itself is beautiful. We could imagine that if faith is involved the testimony would read: 'the parents sensed God had a plan for this child and in faith hid him.' Or 'an angel of The Lord visited the parents and spoke to them of Moses' destiny.' Love for our children leads us to believe and to have faith. Wen my daughter was born I had had 24 hours of labour and she was tired, finally being delivered by a Caesarean section. The doctors came to me and said they were concerned about my daughter and sent her to the children's hospital in Sydney. Divine faith entered my heart and I said: "there is nothing wrong with my daughter." The Doctor suspected fibrocystic disease but I knew she was well and...

By faith Issac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and he worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, as he was nearing the end of his life, mentioned the exodus of the Israelites and gave instruction concerning his bones. Hebrews 11:20-22 As Christians we will do many things, some constitute faith many not. The above did many things but only one was mentioned as faith. Joseph would have had his faith severely tested through years of mistreatment and imprisonment, yet this is not mentioned. I wonder why? At times we will second guess ourselves, in moments of failure or mistake we may go through times of introspection. I have being doing just that tonight. Today I made a statement that I thought at the time was right but on reflection not. I wonder why I said what I said. I know I was very tired and as I am still human, at least the last time I checked I was, I can fail. As a Chri...

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Issac. He received the promises and was offering his unique son, the one it had been said about, 'Your seed will be traced through Issac'. He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead, and as an illustration, he received him back. Hebrews 11:17-19 God always wants to know if He is first and Abraham delighted in his son Issac. Abraham proved his faith, his love and his God. I have, many times, laid down the prize and said, "God, You take it, it doesn't matter.' He then picks it up and gives it back, if it does not have me. If something is too precious to lay down, I have a problem. Jesus said, "He who lays down His life for My sake will retain it but he who refuses to lay down his life will lose it." Sort of like grasping at straws isn't it? Those who are His do not have a choice, there can be no other Gods before Him, they must die. Why is He so jealous? Because He is, because other ...

By faith, even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since she considered that the One who had promised was faithful. Therefore from one man-in fact, from one as good as dead- came offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as inimitable as the grains of sand by the seashore. Hebrews 11:11,12 It is fitting that a woman bear witness to the faithfulness of God. Just as Sarah was considered too old to have a baby, I am sure there are many who considered me too old to start a financial planning business. I have had my critics. My motives have been suspect, my ability to perform been doubted and yet here I am. I have fought the battle to exist, to progress and succeed. The promised land is mine, I have claimed the hill country. Finally I am experiencing breakthrough. I am looking to the Kingdom for my reward as it is to the kingdom I have given and given and given. I am seeing honour, support and fr...

By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went out to a place he was going to receive an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents with Issac and Jacob, co-heirs of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Hebrews 11:8-10 Imagine living forever in a tent. Us westerners like them for a holiday but not as a permanent arrangement. We see the displaced persons in Sudan and Syria living in tents. In winter in Syria it snows and I can imagine it would be bitterly cold. I visited a missionary friend once in Japan and her house has paper thin walls. Winter was wickedly cold and I refused to rise in the morning until the kerosene heater had warmed the room. The one good thing she does have is a heated toilet seat. However tent dwellers don't have such a luxury. Abraham had left a home that was sophisticated. They actually had...

By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. Hebrews 11:7 Noah was an old man when Gid spoke to him about building a boat, inland, not near water and he had never experienced rain. Do you think people thought he was looney? Yes! But who was in the boat and who drowned? The critics died, Noah lived. Isn't it interesting that righteousness. comes by faith, not works? What does that mean to you? Do you think that because you do not swear you are righteous; because you go to church; because you give? Where does righteousness come from? From faith in God, a God who delivers and makes right. Yet faith requires action. Faith in the spoken word of God requires an action. The action demonstrates faith and results in righteousness. Amen! Are you a Noah? I am not quite as old but yes I believe I am, because I am steppin...

Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For our ancestors won Gid's approval by it. By faith we understand was created by Gid's command, so that what is seen has been made from things that are not visible. By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as righteous because God approved his gifts, even though he is dead, he still speaks through faith. Hebrews 11:1-4 I have never quite understood why Abel was considered worthy to note as a man of faith until today. I understood Abraham being a man of faith; of Moses stepping out in faith; of David walking in faith but Abel, no. Abel's life was short, his faith got him killed. He obviously loved The Lord and brought an offering, perhaps his first and last. There is not much written about this young man who the writer of Hebrews includes in the hall of fame. I don't know about you but I want my name written in the Lamb's book of life an I wan...

For yet in a very little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he draws back, I will have no pleasure in him. But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and obtain life. Hebrews 10:37-39 When He comes I want my lamp buring brightly, I want Him to see me, because my lamp is so bright. I want eternal life. I want to be by His side in eternity. I want to be trusted with all He creates. I have no option but to live by faith, not by my own hand. Again and again we must lay down our treasure and if He picks it up it lives. Amen!