The day with dianne Louise

This is what the Lord says: Preserve justice and do what is right, for My salvation is coming soon and My righteousness will be revealed. Isaiah 56:1 There is always a temptation to short- cut, under pay, under perform, give less, hold back. When I am giving a gift I say to myself, "What would a rich person do?" I want to be seen as generous. I want generosity to be such a part of me that generosity flows through my world. Today I was talking to a man who works to help stricken farmers and I offered my services free of charge. I love the farmers and want to help them in their plight. I would do more but know that  God gives me all He wants me to disperse. I can trust Him with the flow of resources. On Friday night I am having a work Christmas party and have invited people who may be interested in buying a painting. They are all up for sale. What I make goes to the farmers. We need to cultivate generosity, it is a source of blessing to others. It blesses the giver! Be generous...

You will indeed go out with joy and be peacefully guided; the mountains and the hills will break into singing before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of thorn bush, a cypress will come up, and instead of the brier, a myrtle will come up; it will make a name for Yahweh as an everlasting sign that will not be destroyed. Isaiah 55:12,13 Now, who wants to go out to work today with joy? I do! I remember the first time I experienced such joy, the night I opened my heart to Jesus. The next morning, without much sleep, I went to work dancing on air. I had found the lover of my soul, we were now friends. After searching for Him for 19 years I found Him and would never let Him go. Joy and peace, the type God gives, far outweighs the false peace we might experience from a day off, a holiday, a sweet movie or book. When the peace is tested, God's peace stands, all else fails. Jesus told the crowds that their Heavenly Father gives them good gifts. If we ask for...

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways." This is the Lord's declaration. For as the heaven is higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts that your thoughts. For just as the rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and provide seed to sow and food to eat, so My word comes from My mouth and will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosepper in what I send it to do." Isaiah 55:8-11 The longer I live, the better I know this to be true. My thoughts are full of agitating worries and self-depreciation or self-aggrandisement at times. Although I know that the best place for my thoughts is God, I have to make them go there, however, they automatically think about how things affect me. My thoughts need constant training and shepherding, they are wayward when left to themselves. Our flesh is sinful and ...

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call to Him while He is near. Let the wicked one abandon his way and the sinful one his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, so He may have compassion on him, And to our God for He will freely forgive. Isaiah 55:6,7 Another Scripture in Song comes to mind. Oh I am showing my age, but it came out of a time of revival and therefore it is cherished. This was the era I was saved into and my pastor was Bill Beard. He was a man of the spirit. We had tent crusades for our holidays. The last one I went to I was heavily pregnant and everyone fell down, except myself and a few very old people. I had laughter. Wow what a time. It is time to seek the Lord again for His kingdom to come on the earth. I want the reality of Him, not just the status quo. Exciting services and awesome music pale in His presence, He is the best. I want a manifestation of God on the earth, in my city. He rebukes gentler and more surer than any other, He encourages and picks up better ...

"Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost! Why do you spend your money on what is not food, and your wage on what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and you will enjoy the choicest of foods. Pay attention and come to Me, listen, so that you will live. Isaiah 55:1-3 As I read Isaiah I hear so many songs that have been written over the years, some scripture in song, others using words from the scripture. This is so refreshing! Jesus Himself said: " whoever believes in Me, as scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from them." John 7:38. In John 4 Jesus is in Samaria and speaking to a woman who comes to the well to draw water. He began talking to her about living water. The living water flows out of the well of salvation. As we choose to believe in Him a well of life is established in our hearts and here the Holy Spirit reside...

"Do not b afraid, for you will not be put to shame; don't be humiliated, for you will not be disgraced. For you will forget the shame of your youth, and you will no longer remember the disgrace of your widowhood (divorced status). Indeed your husband is your Maker- His name is Yahweh of Hosts- and the holy One of Israel is your Redeemer. Isaiah 54:4,5 Humiliation and shame are two companions, or should I say, petty freeloaders, to a divorcee. This scripture tells me the shame is over and as I place my faith and trust in the Lord, He establishes me. Amen! Praise God, I can trust Him. His word is true, truer than my feelings and the voices in my head. As I settle in Him I will see the new come to pass.

Poor Jerusalem, storm tossed, and not comforted, I will set your stones in black mortar, and lay your foundations in sapphires. I will make your fortifications out of rubies, your gates out of sparkling stones, and all your walls out of precious stones. Then all your children will be taught by the Lord, their prosperity will be great, and you will be established on a foundation of righteousness. You will be far from oppression, you certainly will not be afraid; you will be far from terror, it will certainly not come near you. If anyone attacks you, it is not from Me; whoever attacks you will fall before you. Look, I have created the craftsman who blows on the charcoal fire and produces a weapon suitable for its task; and I have created the destroyer to cause havoc. No weapon formed against you will succeed, and you will refute any accusation raised against you in court. This is the heritage of the Lord's servants, and their righteousness is from Me. Isaiah 54:11-17 The Lord brought...

Enlarge the site of your tent, and let your tent curtains be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your ropes, and drive your pegs deep. For you will spread to the right and to the left, and your descendants shall dispossess nations and inhabit desolate cities. Isaiah 54:2,3 Another promise! There is a change coming! No longer will you live in smallness but you will be enlarged. Get ready! Make room for the growth that is coming your way! I claim this promise over myself. I know I will not stay as I am, I know I am ready for growth. The last two years I have laid the foundation and now I am ready, I wait patiently for it to emerge. The kingdom of God is filled with promises, we must be tuned in and ready, poised even, in condition, ready for all the promise entails. I remember listening to a message by a great travelling speaker about a man who was single and who wanted to be married. The man asked this gent what does she look like? The man described her. Then the speaker said, ...

"Rejoice, childless one, who did not give birth; burst into song and shout, you who have not been in labour! For the children of the forsaken one will be more than the children of the married woman, " says the Lord. Isaiah 54:1 I love promises! Promises have to be believed to be received. Has God given you a promise? Then trust Him for it to come to pass. Here God is speaking about barrenness and lonliness which leads to helplessness. In disaster, we can feel very vulnerable and helpless, it takes time to heal, I should know. After divorce it has taken me around 12 years to heal. I wanted a quick fix but God is into permanent fix and as a nurse I know deep wounds take a long time to heal but if you pack them right they will heal. Same with our souls and spirits, no different. At present we are experiencing extremely high temperatures and fires are breaking out all over the country. People are losing everything, and if that was not enough there is a huge amount of the inland i...

We all went astray like sheep, we have all turned to our own way; and the Lord will punish Him for the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep silent before her shearers, He did not open his mouth. He was taken away because of oppression and judgement; and who considered His fate? For He was cut off from the land of the living; He was struck because of my people's rebellion. They made His grave with the wicked and a rich man at His death, although He had done no violence and had no spoken deceitfully. Yet the Lord was pleased to crush Him severely. When You make Him a restitution offering, He will see His seed, He will prolong His days, and by His hand, the Lord's pleasure will be accomplished. He will see out His anguish, and He will be satisfied with His knowledge. My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will carry their iniquities. Therefore, I will give Him the many as a port...

Yet He Himself bore our sicknesses, and carried out pains; but we in turn regarded Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced because of out transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; the punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds. Isaiah 53:4,5 We see here the servant suffering for others, this is Jesus. If we can truely grasp all this scripture entails we see Jesus paid for our sicknesses, pains, transgressions, iniquities, lack of peace and wounds. I especially love the verse: 'the punishment for our peace was upon Him.' Peace comes with a cost, I did not deserve it, but wanted it, He, therefore paid the price for me. Thank You Lord! When I am in pain, I can call on freedom, it as won; when I am wounded, I can call on healing, it was won. When I lack peace and am in turmoil, I can call on peace, it is won! Oh praise the name of the Lord our God, oh praise His name forever, for endless days I will sing His praise, oh ...

Who has believed what we have heard? And who has the arm of the Lord been revealed to? He grew up before Him like a young plant! And like a root out of dry ground. He didn't have an impressive form or majesty that we should look at Him, no appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; He was despised, and we didn't value Him. Isaiah 53:1-3 Feeling ugly, despised, rejected? The Lord of all creation came and dwelled among us and chose not to be a pretty boy so people would like Him, but an ordinary boy so God would like Him. He lay down His beauty for you and I, so that we would never feel unworthy because of looks. We are rejected by others, constantly, some of us are more affected by rejection than others. I have had a lifetime of rejection and although I know my God there are times it sneaks through and I get angry with myself for allowing it in. Sometimes I...

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" The voices of your watchman- they lift up their voices, shouting for joy together; for every eye will see when the Lord returns to Zion. Isaiah 52:7,8 People who bring good news are a salve to the soul. People who know how to minister to the spirit are a drink of cool water on a hot day. People of insight and compassion warm the aching heart.  Conversely, people who attempt to minister out of head knowledge dry up the saliva. Oh! What a burden they are! If the tap isn't on, don't wring the hose, all you do is destroy the hose. I long for spirit moving people, ministering from spirit and not soul. There are times I am drained and only spirit will suffice. When you want water, a dry crust can make you choke! As Christians we must do life with others. However, today I said: 'I understand the herm...

I- I am the one who comforts you. Who are you that you should fear man who dies, or a son of man who gives up like grass? But you have forgotten the Lord your maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. You are in constant dread all day long because of the fury of the oppressor, who has set himself to destroy. But where is the fury of the oppressor? The prisoner is soon to be set free; he will not die and go to the a pit, and his food will not be lacking. For I am Yahweh your God who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar- His name is Yahweh of  hosts. Isaiah 51:12-15 The oppressor is Satan, pure and simple. In a day when such a statement is ridiculed because the owner of the name has downplayed his image and made evil good,  confusion is rife, another of his tools. We have an enemy and it is not our neighbour who annoys us, or our brother who causes us grief. Scripture tells us in 2 Cor 10:3-5 that the enemy is spiritual: for though we live in...

The Lod God will help Me; Therefore I have not been humiliated; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know I will not be put to shame. The One who vindicates Me is near; Who will contend with Me? Let us confront each other. Who has a case agains Me. Let him come near Me, In truth, the Lord God will help Me; Who will condemn Me? Indeed, all of them will wear out like a garment; A moth will devour them. Isaiah 50:7-9 This scripture is speaking prophetically about Jesus. Luke 9:51 says that Jesus set His face like a flint. He knew that His Father was for Him. In John 14:11 Jesus says: the Father is in Me and I am in the Father. He was confident that He was one with the Father. Jesus had many confront Him, the Pharisees continually attacked His deity, His righteousness, His integrity, they judged Him severely. Yet, Jesus stood resolute. If God be for me who can be against me? What can I learn from this? I can take these scriptures to heart and make them mine. I am His treasure, ...

The Lord God has given Me the tongue of those who are instructed to know how to sustain the weary with a word. He awakens me each morning; He awakens my ear to listen like those being instructed. The Lord God opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I did not turn back. Isaiah 50:1-5 This passage is believed to be soaking about Jesus as it goes on the say: 'I gave my back to those who beat me, and to those who tore out my beard...' Yet the above I take to heart and listen. I am here for others, when I see them hurting I call, I give an encouraging word. I must keep my spirit sensitive to the lord so He can lead me. Last night as I left church iMy thoughts turned to someone who was missing and had let friends on Facebook know he was struggling. I called and we had a good conversation, he did need encouragement, the fact that someone noticed and called was most important. Each of us have experiences in life which soften us to the plight of others. This is the foundation on which ...

Can the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of the righteous be delivered; I will contend with the one who contends with you, and I will save your children. I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh, and they will be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. Then all flesh will know that I, Yahweh, am your Saviour, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. Isaiah 49:24-26 So often the evil man seems so inpenetratable but we need to see with the eyes of Christ. If God be for us, who can be against us! There is a promise here: a promise for our children. Many of us have children who are removed from the Lord, they have been blindsided, deceived and lied to. This promise is one of restoration. We must trust Him and hang onto His promise. He is the avenger, the defender. We can trust Him. We don't need to avenge ourselves. Amen!

"As I live"- this is the Lord's declaration - you will wear all your children as jewellery, and put them on as a bride does. For your waste and desolate places and your land marked by ruins- will now be too small for the inhabitatanta, and those who swallowed you up will be far away. Yet as you listen, the children that you have been deprived of will say, "This place is too small for me; make room for me now so that I may settle." Isaiah 49:18-20 This passage carries a promise. Who has been deprived of children? I have been deprived of my grandchildren and it has hurt, yet there are those of you who have been deprived of children. This passage speaks of restoration, a promise is coming to pass. It is so easy to focus on pain and loss, however if we refuse to seek the  Lord in our pain, we will never  hear the promise of see it come to pass. For something to come to pass groundwork needs to be done, sometimes it is us who must change in order to be ready for the ...

Zion says: "The Lord has abandoned me; the Lod has forgotten me!" "Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the child of her womb? Even if these forget, yet I will no forget you. Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me. Your builders hurry; those who destroy and devastate you will leave you. Look up, look around. They all gather together; they come to you." Isaiah 49:14-18 Have you ever complained that God has forgotten you? That family and friends have forgotten you? I am sure you have, it is something we can all experience at times, I have. Our disappointment all stems from us thinking our life should go a way we think it should go, often in fact God has other plans. The people we think that should care, don't because they really are on other assignments. In our pain we grasp and struggle but what we need to do is rest and wait on the Lord. He is not always chatting to us either and this is ...

And now, says the Lord, who formed me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him so that Israel might be gathered to Him; for I am honoured in the sight of the Lord, and my God is my strength- He says, "It is not enough for you to be my Servant raising up the tribes of Jacob and restoring the protected ones of Israel. I will also make you a light for the nations, to be My salvation to the ends of the earth." This is what the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, says to one who is despised, to one abhorred by people, to a servant of rulers: "Kings will see and stand up, and princes will bow down, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the holy One of Israel- and He has chosen you." Isaiah 49:5-7 At first glance I thought this was about Cyrus, but he would not be a light to the nations, then I realised it was prophetically speaking about Jesus. He was despised and rejected by men, yet his death would open the way for both Jew and Greek, and all ...

This is what the Lord says: "I will answer you in times of favour, and I will help you in the day of salvation. I will keep you, and I will appoint you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land, to make them possess the desolate inheritances, saying to the prisoners: "Come out!" And to those in darkness: "Show yourselves!" They will feed along the pathways, and their pastures will be on all the barren heights. They will not hunger or thirst, the scorching heat or sun will not strike them; for their compassionate One will guide them, and lead them to springs of water. I will make all My mountains into a road, and My highways will be raised up. See, these will come from far away, from the north and from the west, and from the land of Sinim. Shout for joy, you heavens! Earth rejoice! Mountains break into joyful shouts! For the Lord has comforted His people, and will have compassion on the afflicted ones. Isaiah 49:8-13 We can see from these scripture ho...

"There is no peace for the wicked!" Isaiah 48:22 Have you grown up hearing this saying? Have you used it yourself? I have and remember it well but did not know where it came from, I honestly thought it was a man made idea but here we see, it is a God made idea. It is usually something we spit out when wronged or have seen evil men do evil acts. But what is it saying? If knowing God's ways and living in them brings peace like a river then not knowing them brings lack of peace. What is a wicked person? The dictionary says: evil or morally bad in principle or practice; sinful; iniquitous: wicked people, wicked habits. Paul the apostle says: all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 The world calls a person who does extremely vile things wicked but perhaps all are wicked, who refuse to yield to the Lordship of Christ? After all God is the judge of what is right and what is wrong. In Psalm 14 we see the basis from which a lot in the New Testament believ...

This is what the Lord, your Reedemer, the Holy One of Israel says: "I am Yahweh your God, who teaches you for your benefit, who leads you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to My commands. Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea. Isaiah 48:17,18 God teaches us for our benefit, and if we are clever, we listen and learn, instead of resenting change. He leads us in the way we should go, if I am clever I will follow, for then I will avoid the pools of the dead. If I pay attention my peace flows like a river, full and strong and just like the waves of the sea, my righteousness would be strong, attractive and refreshing. Isaiah 30:21 says: you will hear a voice behind you saying,"this is the way, follow it, whether it turns to the right or left." Jesus said He is the good shepherd and at He leads us into good pastures. May I hazard to guess that often times we are in places He never intended us to be,...

I- I have spoken; yes, I have called him; I have brought him, and he will succeed in his mission. Isaiah 48:15  This scripture is speaking of Cyrus, King of Persia (Iran)'who would deliver God's people from Babylonian rule. He was a good ruler who allowed people he ruled to have freedom of religion, Now, if God speaks about a pagan King like this, how does He speak about me, His child? Ephesians 1:3-6 tells me: 'praise The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens. For He has chosen us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favour and will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He favoured us with in the Beloved.' Paul, the writer of Ephesians goes on and it is well worth the read to grasp the depth of God's favour to,us who choose to become His. Amen! Now if...

"Listen to Me, Jacob, and Israel, the one called by Me: I am He; I am the first, I am also the last. My own hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; when I summoned them, they stood up together. All of you, assemble and listen! Who among the idols has declared these things?" Isaiah 48:12-14 Again, I love these word pictures: 'and My right hand spread out the heavens; when I summoned them, they stood up together.' All who have hands use them to spread dirt or sand, at least once in their lives. See yourself doing that and then imagine God do it, but He is spreading the heavens, with  thousand and thousands of galaxies, millions upon millions of stars, imagine how big you would need to be to do that. And if this was not enough He tops it off with, calling them all to stand up and become three dimensional. Awesome! Recently I bought the card below for my youngest granddaughter's birthday. Every child loves pop-ups, I still do. Who remembers h...

Look, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. I will act for My own sake, indeed, My own, for how can I be defiled? I will not give My glory to another. Isaiah 48:10,11 We can focus on the fire of affliction, our state when we come through the affliction, how we feel, or the good news of God. Yes I have been through the fire and tested in the furnace of affliction but now I am through, let there be no smell of smoke on me. When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, there was no smell of smoke. This resulted in the King honouring their God and them as well. If they came out with revenge in their hearts do you think God would allow them to be honoured? In fact they may not have made it out. God must get the glory. He is our deliverer. He is our reward. We must allow Him room to do what only He can do. Amen! God has a plan,mHe wants to bless us, His way and we must yield. Humility hurts but it sure produces good fruit! Amen!

From now on I will announce new things to you, hidden things that you have not known. They have been created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today, so you could not claim, 'I already knew them!' You have never heard; you have never known; for a long time your ears have not been open, Isaiah 48:6-8 This scripture is a part of a passage spoken to rebellious Israel. However, I find this portion standing out to me because God is doing a new thing in my own life. My challenge, always,neither a God is knowing the rules, completely, in any given situation. My struggle is always, especially in business, knowing what the world teaches me and its ways to build a business, and God's ways. For the longest time I have felt mocked by the world's opinion. However, today I sensed in the spirit a shift. My industry, financial planning has been plagued by complainces that have squeezed us, almost dry. Today was one such day. We now have to have all our clients op...

So take your stand with your spells and your many sorceries, which you have wearied yourself with from your youth. Perhaps you will be able to succeed; perhaps you will inspire terror! You are worn out with your many consultations. So let them stand and save you- the astrologers who observe the stars, who predict monthly what will happen to you. Look, they are like stubble, fire burns them up. They cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. This is not coal for warming themselves, or a fire to sit beside! This is what they are to you- those who have wearied you and have traded with you from your youth- each wanders his own way; no one can save you. Isaiah 47:12-15 Our society has wandered so far away from the living God, feasted on filth, walked in corruption and listed for more. Even as terror strikes they turn from their God, they ban Him from the schools, the forces, the political arena. They they cry out when suffering comes and blame Him for not caring and allowing the...

You were secure in your wickedness, you said, "No one sees me." Your wisdom and knowledge led you astray. You said to yourself, "I exist, and there is no one else." But disaster will happen to you; and you will not know how to avert it. And it will fall on you, and you will be unable to ward it off. Devastation will happen to you suddenly and unexpectedly. Isaiah 47:10,11 Deception can last quite a while, until the deceived is sated and then the deceiver will attack and destroy. The difficulty lies for the believer who is affected by this person and is having to stand, and stand, and stand, learning humility and grace. David, the psalmist, suffered while he waited, so did Joseph, so did many others, yet God used the evil man for a purpose. Inflated as the evil man was in his pride, God used him to sand the Saint. He thought he was sooo great and invincible, but he was but sandpaper. When sandpaper has done its job, it is thrown into the rubbish and disposed of. The ...

Listen to Me, house of Jacob, all the remnants of the house of Israel, who have been sustained from the womb, carried along since birth. I will be the same until your old age and I will bear you up when you turn grey. I have made you, and I will carry you. I will bear and save you. Isaiah 46:3,4 I claim this as a promise to me today. There are times when all hell breaks loose and in those times the enemy seeks to convince that God has left us, is not and never has been for us. He is a liar and a thief. At such times I must remind myself: 'if God be for me, who can be against me?'Romans 8:31 there are times we need to mediate on the word and speak it over and over to ourselves. For me this is one of those times. I am an ting a breakthrough and the opposite is happening. I realise I have entered new territory and have an enemy who does not want to leave, he will. If we allow our enemy to overrun us we become salt without flavour, my testimony is my flavour. My testimony about God...

Seek Me in a wasteland. I, Yahweh, speak truthfully; I say what is right. Isaiah 45:19b No matter where we are, in a wasteland, a desert, prison, slavery, God can be found. He is faithful, true, reliable, honest and right. Today, so much is happening, we are struggling with the definition of 'normal.' Yet One remains steadfast and stable. I can run to Him and He knows the end from the beginning. I can only see now, He can see the future and I have to trust Him. My future is good! He said so! He does not lie! I am blessed and highly favoured of the Lord!. I may not feel like it, but He says I am, then I am!

"Heavens, sprinkle from above, and let the skies shower righteousness. Let the earth open up so that salvation will sprout and righteousness will spring up with it. I, Yahweh have created it. Isaiah 45:8 I love this imagery: salvation sprinkling for the heavens. Let the earth open up so that salvation will sprout and righteousness will spring up. This is my prayer! I pray this over my country, my state, my city, my street. I pray salvation to all who would plot evil, that the love of Christ would invade their hearts and minds and deliver them from hatred.  I pray for the nations of the world, that salvation would so rain down that hatred will cease. I know that diligence in prayer brings results. I know that intercessors praying have seen miraculous breakthroughs. The power of the love of God is greater than the hatred of our enemy, Satan. I can sit and complain or rise up and pray. I am a watchman for my area and must be diligent. Lord, use me to pray protection on my country, us...

The Lord says this to Cyrus, His anointed, wh ose right hand I have grasped to subdue the nations before him, to disarm kings, toopen the doors before him and the gates will not be shut: "I will go before you and level the uneven places; I will shatter the bronze doors and cut the iron bars in two. I will give you treasures of darkness and riches from the secret places, so that you may know that I, Yahweh, the God is Israel called you by name. Isaiah 45:1-3 God has chosen to use Cyrus from Persia to defeat Israel's enemies and restore her to her homeland. Here God is promising Cyrus hidden treasures. God tends to make His promises when all around us seems to indicate otherwise. The promise comes to encourage. Today we have seen more vicious brutality as he terrorists launched several attacks in Paris, killing over 150 people and injuring many more. Of all times, now is the time Paris needs a promise of hope, David was at his lowest and whilst away at war his enemies came and s...

The woodworker stretches out a measuring line, he outlines it with a stylus; he shapes it with chisels and outlines it with a compass. He makes it according to a human likeness, like a beautiful person, to dwell in a temple. He cuts down cedars for his use, or he takes Cyprus or an oak. He lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a laurel, and the rain makes it grow. It serves as fuel for the man. He takes some of it and warms himself; also he kindles a fire and bakes bread; he even makes it into a God and worships it; he makes an idol from it and bows down to it. He bows down to it and worships; he prays to it, "Save me, for you are my god." Such people do not comprehend and cannot understand. He feeds on ashes. His deceived mind has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself, or say, "isn't there a lie in my right hand?" Isaiah 44:13-15;17,18;20 Isaiah is telling us that to create an idol is foolishness, however we do it. We may endeavou...

Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to things of old. Look I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see It? Indeed I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. The animals of the field will honour Me, jackals and ostriches, because I will provide water in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people. The people I formed for myself will declare My praise. Isaiah 43:18-21 When God says He will do a new thing, that is what He will do. At times, we are stuck in the past, either in offense or mistaken illusions that it was better than anything that could be. Both ideas are wrong. I love new technology, new designs, new days especially, new mornings are beautiful! Yet meeting new people, sometimes takes effort. Tomorrow morning I am embarking on potentially joining a align group here in Tamworth, bush walking, mountain climbing and kayaking. Mm! What if the new is so much fun? What if we learn something new? ...

"You are My witnesses"- this is the Lord's declaration- "and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand I am He. No God was formed before Me, and there will be none after Me. I, I am Yahweh, and there is no saviour but Me. I alone declared, saved, and promised- and not some foreign god among you. So you are My witnesses"- this is the Lord's declaration- "and I am God. Also, from today on I am He alone, and none can deliver from My hand. I act, and who can reverse it?" Isaiah 43:10-13 Jesus said these words to His disciples when He had risen from the dead and was about to go back to heaven. Acts 1:8 John the Baptist was a witness, the voice of one crying in the wilderness. We are witnesses to God's grace. I will never forget God's coming and calling me to Himself. I am still grateful for that day. My gratitude compels me to share this grace with others. I was chosen to know Him and I do, I understand He...

Now this is what the Lod says- the One who created you, Jacob, and the One who formed you, Israel- "Do not fear, I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine. I will be with you when you pass trough the waters, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire, and he flames will not burn you." Isaiah 43:1,2 I remember years ago we sang a song written by Pastor Phil Pringle called: Fear Not! As I read these passages I hear the song and it is good to hear and sing over ourselves. I am wanting to step out and trust my God! He is wanting to bless me and have me trust Him. I want more of Him, His promises, His blessing. I want all that He intends me to have, I want to do great exploits. I cannot stand for an ordinary life, one limited and caged. As I watch the animals in the outback run through thousands of acres of land I am made mindful of freedom that He gives, this is what I want!  When F...

This is what God, "Yahweh, says- who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and what comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk on it- "I, Yahweh, have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will hold you by your hand. I will keep You and appoint you to be a covenant people and a light to the nations,  In order to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeons, and those sitting in darkness from the prison house. I, Yahweh, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another or My praise to idols. The last events have indeed happened, now I will declare new events, I announce them to you before they occur." Isaiah 42:5-9 We are called for a righteous purpose. What is that purpose? To be a light to the nations; to open blind eyes; set prisoners free. No small task, but when I see the plight of much of mankind I grieve. Evil men destroy the little people, the voiceless, the hopeless, those una...

"This is My servant; I strengthen Him, this is My chosen One; I delight in Him. I have put My Spirit on Him; He will bring justice to he nations. He will not cry out or shout or make His voice heard in the streets. He will not break a bruised reed, and He will not put out a smoldering wick; He will faithfully bring justice. He will not grow weak or discouraged until He has established justice on earth. The islands will wait for His instruction." Isaiah 42:1-4 Hundreds of years before Jesus' birth, Isaiah was prophesying about His character and behaviour. We see here God's intention towards Jesus. Jesus was strengthened by God, He was delighted in by the Father, He had the Spirit of God on Him. His very behaviour was just, He preached justice for all. He did not make a loud noise to be heard, He did not shatter the broken, the low and the lost. Jesus was a defender of the weak and lowly, of those cast out by society. His defence of the woman caught in the act of adulte...

Jacob, why do you say, and Israel, why do you assert: "My way is hidden from the Lord, and my claim is ignored by my God?" Do you not know? Have you not heard? Yahweh is the everlasting God, the creator of the whole earth. He never grows faint or weary; There is no limit to Hus understanding. He gives strength to the weary and strengthen the powerless. Youths may faint and grow weary, and young men stumble and fall, But those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; They will soar on wings of eagles; They will run and not grow weary; They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40: 27-31 Instead of Jacob and Israel we could put our names, couldn't we? Do you feel you are outside of God? Do you believe He does not care? I remember, long ago in my life, around the 18-19 mark, feeling outside, isolated and wanting in. I had friends praying for me, I had friends reaching out to me. However, I was facing the wrong way, hearing the call, but not knowing the way. Yet God was the...

"Who will you compare Me to, or who is My equal?" Asks the Holy One. Look up and see: who created these? He brings out the starry host by number; He calls all of them by name. Because of His great power and strength, Not one of gem is missing. Isaiah 40:25,26 I have a DVD called 'Indescribable' by Louis Giglio. In the DVD he gives us a guided tour of the galaxies and at the same time a reality check. We can take so much for granted, yet there is a creator. I am sorry but it takes too much faith to believe that no one started the chain reaction and that it all just happened. I have to believe in the One I know and I know what He said in the very first book of the bible, Genesis, is exciting and true, I paint pictures. When I describe how I begin, wih a blank, white canvas and then I draw the outline and choose the colours, if you were listening what would you say? 'I don't believe you did this, you are not talented enough.' Or would you admire the artwork a...

Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not considered the foundations of the earth? God is enthroned above the circle of the earth; Its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like thin cloth and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He reduces princes to nothing and makes judges of the earth irrational. They are barely planted, barely sown, Their stems hardly take root in the ground when He blows on them and they wither, And a whirlwind carries them away like stubble. Isaiah 40:21-24 I suppose some reading these scripture would judge God as being cruel and vindictive and reject Him but at what loss? If we judge God according to our paltry scales and find Him wanting, then we lose.  You might say: "I am sufficient in my anthood, I do not need to know such a maker," how sad I am for you. If our own ego is the seat from which we judge, how scary? Who created you? Yet you, the pot challenge the...

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has gathered the dust of the earth in a measure or weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in the scales? Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or gave him counsel? Who did He consult with? Who gave Him understanding and taught Him the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge and showed Him the way of understanding? Who will you compare God with? What likeness will you compare Him to? To an idol? Something that a smelter casts, And a metalworker plates with gold and makes silver welds for it? To one who shapes a pedestal, Choosing wood that does not rot? He looks for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not fall over.  Isaiah 40:12-14;18-20 These scriptures challenge our foolishness. How can we pray to something a man down the road makes. Why is it special because it is in a foreign land? What gives it power? Why do me worship idols of men who have ...

See, the Lord God comes with strength, and His power establishes a his rule. His reward is with Him, and Hid gifts accompany Him. He protects His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them in the fold of his garment. He gently leads those that are nursing. Isaiah 40:10,11 Who sees the Lord as strong? Because God is gentle and loving He is rarely seen as strong, but He is. A strong person is strong indeed when they don't flaunt it by humbly care and serve. God's strength is directed to never failing, always being present, never giving up no matter what comes. He is strong indeed. God's love never fails, no matter what, that is strength indeed when so many walk away. God's love is higher, deeper, wider than any. It believes all things, hops all things, endures and never gives up. His shows His love to those who seek Him, and often to those He seeks after. Those wanting to know him discover His ways, and they are good. His judgement is best, H...

A voice was saying: "Cry out!" Another said, "What should we cry out?" "All humanity is grass, and all its goodness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fade when the breath of the Lord blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of God remains forever." Isaiah 40:6-8 The Christian has a message. The enemy of our souls wants that message stopped. He convinces that it is of no consequence, the people will not listen, it will have no effect. Just like in the passage above, more words of negativity are spoken but what is important is he command, "Cry out!" I have broken through the cloud of negativity, I believe and speak. I am expecting a result. I am starting like a trickle of water, but the trickle will grow. You only need a spark to set a fire, only a spark. I have plenty of sparks. At my church we are seeing a result for the fasting and prayer. Souls are being saved we...

A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; Make a straight highway for our God in the desert, Every valley will be lifted up, And every mountain and hill will be levelled; The uneven ground will become smooth and the rough places, a plain. And the glory of the Lord will appear, And all humanity together will see it, And the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 40:3-5 Ah! Here it is again! The thread! This scriptures takes us to Mark 1:2,3 Isaiah had just given us four chapters dedicated to Hezekiah and in 40 suddenly switches to prophesy again, prophesy about the coming Lord. As much as I love history, I love prophesy as here I find the voice of God.  Prophesy vibrates, much like a powerful piece of metal buried beneath a mountain of dirt. History is dirt, full of men's stories built layer upon layer. Some are faithful, but even the faithful display their flesh, they can't help it, they are humans. But where we see prophesy about the Lord, it is p...

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, " hear the word of the Lord of Hosts: the time will certainly come when everything in your palace and all that your father's have stored up until this day will be carried off to Babylon; nothing will be left, says the Lord. Some of your descendants who come from you will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the King of Babylon." Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good, for he thought: there will be peace and security during my lifetime. Isaiah 39:5-8 Hezekiah had received visitors from Bablon and showed them everything in his palace, all his treasures. This was foolish, in light of what Isaiah had to say about it. Yet Hezekiah here is showing his weak spot, he did not care that his children would go into slavery because of him. Hezekiah was riding high, he had been healed by the Lord and given 15 more years to live. When we have an answer to prayer and are riding high we ar...

In those days Hezekiah became terminally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amos came and said to him, " Put your affairs in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover." Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord. He said, "Please remember how I have walked before You faithfully and wholeheartedly, and have done what pleases You. And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: "Go and tell Hezekiah that this is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look I am going to add 15 years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the power of the King of Assyria; I will defend the city. This is a sign to you from the Lord that He will do what He has promised. I am going to make the sun's shadow that goes down on Ahaz's stairway go back by 10 steps." So the sun's shadow went back by the 10 steps it had descended. Isaiah 38:1-8 It appears...

In the fourteenth year of King Hzekiah, Sennacherib King of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. Then the King of Assyria sent Rabshakeh, along with6; a massive army, from Lachish to asking Hezekiah at Jerusalem. Then Rabshakeh said to them, "Tell Hezekiah: the great King,  the King of Assyria, says this: what are you relying on?" I say that your strategy and military preparedness are mere words. Suppose you say to me: "we trust in the Lord our God. Isn't ahe the One whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, "You are to worship at this altar"? Isaiah 36:1,2; 6; 7 Assyria was full of its own might, believed it was invincible and sold the lie. When they came to Jerusalem they came up against a King, Hezekiah, who trusted the Lord. This King went to God for help. In life we will come across big business, banks, investment houses and the like who believe their own story. But, when God take...

Search and read the scroll of the Lord: not one of them will be missing, none will be missing its mate, because He has ordered it by my mouth, and He will gather them by His Spirit. He has ordained a lot for them; His hand allotted their portion with a measuring line.  They will possess it forever; they will dwell in it from generation to generation. Isaiah 34:16,17 We become anxious over many things, we can be anxious that messages, scriptures etc are incomplete or missing but the prophetic word draws out what is important. God's word is living and active. it is the life in His anointed, spoken word that brings change. The Spirit of the Lord goes forth, the Spirit of God is the action force, the life force, it accomplishes what it is sent to do. I am less inclined to be anxious as I trust He has the measuring line, He has allotted what is mine and as I wait and trust, pressing in to Him, He manifests what is mine. I started learning this whilst fasting last week. I have continued ...

They will see the glory of the Lord, the splendour of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, steady the shaking knees! Say to the cowardly: "Be strong; do not fear! Here is your God; vengeance is coming. God's retribution is coming He will save you." Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer,  And the tongue of the mute will sing for joy, For water will gush in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; The parched ground will become a pool of water, And the thirsty land springs of water. In the haunt of jackals, in their lairs, there will be grass, reeds and papyrus. A road will be there and a way, it will be called the Holy Way. The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for the one who walks the path. Even a fool will not go astray. There will be no lion there, and no vicious beast will go up on it; they will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk on it, and the redeemed of the Lord wi...

Look at Zion, the city of our festival times. Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful pasture, a tent that does not wander; its tent pegs will not be pulled up nor will any of its cords be loosened. For the majestic One, Our Lord, will be there, a place of rivers and broad streams where ships at are rowed will not go, and majestic vessels will not pass. For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our King. He will save us. Your ropes are slack; they cannot hold the base of the mast or spread out the flag. Then abundant spoil will be divided, the lame will plunder it, and none there will say, "I am sick." The people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity. Isaiah 33:20-24 Where the lord is, men cannot master, bully, breach. Where the Lord is is safety, lawgiver, King. With the completion of the Old by the offering of the perfect sacrifice, the New began. The master, the Lord, is now able to come close, have fond fellowship, the stench of sin is co...

The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling seizes the ungodly: "Who among us can dwell with a consuming fire? Who can dwell with ever-burning flames?" The one who lives righteously and speaks rightly, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears from listening to murderous plots and shuts his eyes to avoid endorsing evil- he will dwell on the heights; his refuge will be the rocky fortresses, his food provided, his water assured. Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; you will see a vast land. Isaiah 33:14-17 Again, Zion represents the church. Therefore those who choose sinful ways instead of the Lords ways will tremble, their outward circumstances will affect them greatly because they do not love the Lord or His ways. However, the one who fears the Lord and honours His word, who walks in the spirit and not the flesh will dwell securely, he will dwell on the heights, his food provided, his water assured. A heart full of sin cannot find...

The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion wih justice and righteousness. There will be times of security for you- A storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the a lord is Zion's treasure. Isaiah 33:5,6 With the Lord there are certain things: righteousness, justice, peace, wisdom and knowledge but they are unavailable for those who do not fear the Lord. How do I know if I fear( respect) the Lord? I embrace His truth and do not want it to bend to accomodate bad attitudes, judgement, unforgiveness, hatred, anger, malice etc. when offence comes, as it surely will, how will I react, will I embrace truth as a loving friend or turn on it in revenge? Tonight at connect group, we watched another episode of the Bait of Satan- offence, called My Father, My Father. Basically it dealt with harsh treatment by those over us, be they parents, teachers, leaders. A person can easily be offended by harsh treatment. The lesson involved David and Saul. It was a g...

Lord, be gracious to us! We wait for you. Be our strength every morning and our salvation in times of trouble. Isaiah 33:2 I don't think the Lord needs us to ask for His grace, but hey it is good for us to ask. His abundance of grace waits for us, to bless us, it is new every morning. The more of God we seek, the more we find. In quietness and confidence will be our strength. This morning I heard the song: Holy Spirit You are welcome here, as I awoke. I thought the lord has chosen His song, so I played His song. The song embodies His desire, that I am focused on Him, welcoming His presence into my world, my life. That He is more important than all my needs. As I seek Him my needs are cared for. I put my mother on the train on Sunday and now He has me all to Himself. He is delighted, and so am I. Whilst earthly relationships are good and a blessing, there is one that is far better. As much as my mum loves me and is there for me, she is not God. I cannot expect to find in her what I ...

For the palace will be forsaken, the busy city abandoned. The hill and the watchtower will become barren places forever, the joy of wild donkeys, and a pasture for flocks, until the Spirit from heaven is poured out on us. Then the desert will become an orchard, and the orchard will seem like a forest. Then justice will inhabit the wilderness, and righteousness will dwell in the orchard. The results of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quiet confidence forever. Then My peoples will dwell in a peaceful place, in safe and secure dwellings. Isaiah 32:14-18 My spirit longs for the revealing of God, the revealed word of God and the revealed Spirit of God. All creation waits, longing for its creator to appear. Palaces built without God are empty places, hills and watchtowers can only do so much, but blessed is the one who sees the coming of the Lord. In Australia we have had a severe drought that is finally breaking. When you look at land held in the grip of dro...

Woe, you destroyer never destroyed, you traitor never betrayed! When you have finished destroying you will b destroyed. When you have finished betraying, they will betray you. Lord, be gracious to us! We wait for you. Be our strength every morning and our salvation in time of trouble. Isaiah 33:1,2 There is nothing more cruel than betrayal by someone who has not suffered betrayal themselves. The arrogance and self- righteousness is like steel. One who destroys, especially a young person, is so confident in themselves and what they are doing, it seems right, to them. Destruction and betrayal in Christianity, especially by other Christians hurts. For me it is like acid poured in my innermost parts, it hurts deeply, agonisingly. Yet, the is hope. As I trust in the Lord and allow Him to be my hope, things change. My God alone is my strength, my provider, my hope. Amen!

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and who depend on horses! They trust in the abundance of chariots and in the large number of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel and they do not seek the Lord's help. But he is also wise and brings disaster. He does not go back on what He says; He will rise up against the house of wicked men and against the allies of evildoers. Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit. When the Lord raises His hand to strike, the helper will stumble and the one who is helped will fall; both will perish together. Isaiah 31:1-3 The Lord was really cross that His people persisted in going to Egypt for help, when He had His hands open wide. All they had to do was repent and acknowledge He was God and capable of saving them, but they wouldn't. Are we so stubborn? Do we insist on doing things our way? What are the consequences?  In my youth we were taught the mountain principle. We learned it from the children of Israel...

For you people will live on Zion in Jerusalem and will never cry again. He will show favour to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears, He will answer you. The Lord will give you meagre bread and water during oppression, but your teacher will not hide Himself any longer. Your eyes will see your Teacher, and whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: "This is the Way. Walk in it." Then you will defile your silver-plated idols and your gold-plated images. You will throw them away like menstural cloths, and call them filth. Isaiah 30:19-22 I have, as a Christian, often heard the verse: whenever you turn to the right or the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: "This is the way, walk in it." However I did not now the verses around it. Isaiah is talking to a people who were about to be taken captive for many years, and h was giving a message of hope to them. When I lived in darkness of soul I needed to kno...