The day with dianne Louise

So Satan took Him to Jerusalem, had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, " If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: 'He will give His angels orders concerning You, to protect You, and they will Support  You with their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.' And Jesus answered him, "It is said: 'Do not tempt the Lord your God.' Luke 4:9-12 Just as Jesus was tempted with testing the Lord in reference to a promise He has made to us we are constantly tempted to be foolish in respect to our bodies, our Spirits, our minds. Scripture tells us: we have the mind of Christ; your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit; God will not go back on His word, especially in regard to the one: He who confesses with His mouth Jesus is Lord will be saved. The temptation is subtle. So subtle that we take risks that are unwise. We are unwise with our bodies, we eat wrong things, we drink unwisely, we read ...

The Devil then said to Him, "I will give You their splendour and all this authority, because it has been given over to me, and I can give it to anyone I want. If You, then, will worship me, it all will be Yours!" And Jesus answered him, "It is written: worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only." Luke 4:6-8 Jesus was tempted with power and authority. He rejected it because He knew where He was going and what would be His.  We are tempted to serve to get. The lust for money and power drives many to distraction. Jesus was telling us what He chose, He is our example. I choose Him, how about you? If we are seeking to build a life, a business, a family only to get, then we are mistaken. Our first choice is the Lord, then others. As we approach 2016 many are making plans, I am, how about you? What are the motives for our plans? Let's make unsure they have a firm foundation. Amen!

By Jesus answered him, " it is written: man must not live by bread alone." Luke 4:4 Bread represents a fleshly appetite. What was His reply to Satan saying? I think He was saying, fulfilling fleshly appetites isn't enough. We are more than flesh. We are made to carry a spirit and that spirit also needs feeding, sometimes at the expense of the flesh, as in fasting. Jesus was also saying, "Yes I am hungry, but I will trust my God to provide what I need, when I need it, according to what He knows about Me." Have you found yourself judging God as being slow? I imagine we all have, yet God knows our end, we don't. He knows exactly when He needs to provide. Many live for the flesh and their appetites, denying the spirit food at all or leaving it on a starvation diet of cockroaches and rats. This sort of diet leaves our spirit malnourished and ineffective, and in danger of death. A strong spirit sustains a man. Proverbs 18:14

Then Jesus returned from the Jordan full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for 40 days to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over He was hungry. Luke 4:1,2 Jesus had spent 30 years in obscurity and now that He had been acknowledged by the Father and filled by the Spirit, the first thing that happened was He was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Had he not been tempted growing up? Where were the things that would visually tempt Him, Women, power, pleasure? Yet here He was in the wilderness. John the Baptist had lived in the wilderness before he was launched into His ministry. The children of Israel spent 40 years in the desert before receiving their promised land. In the desert they were tested and trained to rely on God. Why does God choose a desert? It is harsh, inhospitable, hot and unfriendly. It is a furnace and a refiner and a place where obedience is learned. When Jesus had finished His f...

When all the people were baptised, Jesus was also baptised. As He was praying, heaven opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a physical appearance like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: You are My beloved Son, I take delight in You! Luke 3:21,22 There are times we need to hear what Jesus heard. There have been times the Lord has said to me, "I love you!" These are often times when I have stuffed up and know I don't deserve the proclamation. Today, as I sat on the hospital bed holding my 84 year old mum who was in pain and feeling very ill, she said to me, " you are a good person." I had only just been berating myself for how I had handled something at the hospital. I did not think I was a good person. I just love my mum. I walk with a 72 year old woman who has also told me how much she appreciates me. Again this has been after I have stuffed up and was giving myself a hard time. Now, there are plenty of ratbag people in this world who mistreat us an...

Now the people were waiting expectantly, many of them debating in their minds whether John might be the Messiah. John answered them all, "I baptise you with water, but One is coming who is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to units the strap of His sandals. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Luke 3:15,16 Jesus is not just a prophet, or a good man. He is the Son of God. John was only able to call men to repentance and show the way. He did what he came to do, announce the coming, build the expectation and nothing more. He was a light in a dark place. We are here for a purpose. The purpose is not just for ourselves, to build our own kingdom. He are lights in dark places, yet because we have the Spirit of Christ we have the power of Christ to lead people to Christ and do the works He has given us to do. Yet, we only have a brief, an assignment. We must work the work of the kingdom for soon the day will be  too dark and we will not be able to do what we have been gi...

And John went into all the vicinity of the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: 'A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight! Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low; The crooked will become straight, the rough ways smooth, And everyone will see the salvation of God.' He then said to the drowns who came out to be baptised by him, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. Luke 3:3-8 John went before Jesus but who went before John? I would say the Holy Spirit. Hearts needed to be prepared to hear this message. Four hundred years and there had been an absence of the presence of God. How hungry can you get for the spiritual? We are His witnesses and are to bring in the harvest. If we work with the Holy Spirit we will say...

Every year His parents travelled to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. When He was 12 years old, they went up according to the custom of the festival. After those days were over, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but His parents did not know it. Assuming He was in the travelling party, they went a day's journey. Then they began looking for Him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for Him. After three days, they found Him in the temple complex sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all those who hard Him were astounded at His understanding and His answers. When His parents saw Him they were astonished, and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have anxiously searched for You." "Why were you searching for Me?" He asked them. "Didn't you know that I had to be in My Father's h...

When they had completed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The boy grew up and became strong, filled with wisdom, and God's grace was on Him. Luke 2:29,30 Jesus did not stay a baby, He had a mission and His parents had the task of raising the Son of God. What a task! What an honour! What a challenge! Imagine have the role of parents to the Son of God! As a mother of two children I remember the joy of training my children, teaching them about God, discovering their individual bents. Jesus' parents already knew He was the Son of God, but how do you raise such a child? Do you constantly reaffirm who He is and what His destiny is? How did He respond? Well, I presume. He had no sin nature. Wow! I wonder what that is like, to raise a child who does not want to sin. What a difference!  The above scripture says 'He became strong,' was that physically or mentally and spiritually? Probably all of the above as he w...

There was also a prophetess, Anna, a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well along in years, having lived wih her husband seven years after her marriage, and was a widow for 84 years. She did not leave the temple complex, serving God night and day with fasting and prayers, at that very moment, she came up and began to thank God and to speak about Him to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Luke 2:36-38 At a time when there was a lack of divine prophesy, here was a prophetess. There had been prophetesses before but none in the pervious four hundred years. Both Simeon and Anna, it appears, prophesied. Anna had only been married for 7 years. If she was married at 12, then she would have been 19 when her husband died. She did not remarry. How did she survive financially? I imagine she was supported by her family. We are told the name of her father and so he may have been a significant man. Perhaps he too was involved in the temple in some way. Anna ...

There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel's consolation, and the Holy Spirit was on Him. It had been revealed to Him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he saw the Lord's Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, he entered the temple complex. When the parents brought the child Jesus to perform for Him what was customary under the law, Simeon took Him up in his arms, praised God and said, " Now master you can dismiss Your slave in peace, as You promised. For my eyes have seen your salvation, You have prepared it in the presence of all peoples- a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to Your people Israel." His father and mother were amazed at what was being said about Him. Then Simeon blessed them and told His mother Mary: "Indeed, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed- a sword will pierce your own soul- that t...

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard, just as they had been told. Luke 2:20 The Angels had appeared to the shepherds and they believed and followed the sign given to them, that they would find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a feeding trough. They found Jesus and worshipped Him, then they went and reported all they had seen. What has God done in your life? Who have you told? Do you recognise what He has done, have you stopped to think what He has done, have you thanked Him for what He has done? Gratitude starts the cogs of reporting all that God has done for us. Today I spent most of the day alone, I had thought my granddaughter was staying but the message was not given correctly.  I had plenty of time to thank the Lord for all He has done so far, there is much. At 7pm I went for a walk with my neighbour and was invited to dinner. I have to cultivate gratitude so that God gives me latitude to speak of His goodness. I did n...

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole empire should be registered. The first registration took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So everyone went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, in Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was pregnant. While they were there it came time for her to give birth. Then she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and she wrapped Him snugly in cloth and laid Him in a feeding trough- because there was no room for them at the lodging place. Luke 2:1-7 While the whole world spins on an agenda that it considers more important, our God arrives in humble beginnings. Caesar Agustus was the ruler and considered more important than an infant of obscure beginnings in an out of the way place called Bethlehem. Caesar wanted to know who he had and h...

" and child, you will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give His people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins," Luke 1:76 Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, said the above over his new born son. John's role was to tell people about the coming saviour. In chapter 2:11 the Angels told the shepherds about Jesus' birth. In Chapter 3 of Luke the Father said, "You are My beloved Son, I take delight in You!" In Matthew 28:18 Jesus commissioned His followers to go and make disciples. We, believers, are His disciples and we are sent to make disciples of all nations. Let's go and be bearers of good news to those lost in darkness. Amen!

If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory of God rests on you. None of you, however, should suffer as murderers, a thief, an evildoer, a meddler. But if anyone suffers as a Christian, he should glorify God in having that name. 1 Peter 4:14-16 There are those of us who will be experiencing ridicule for being a Christian, right now. My prayer for you is that the Lord sustains you, meets you face to face and blesses you with His presence. May you know the beauty of His all encompassing presence that far outweighs any ridicule and persecution you may receive. He was cast out and rejected for us. If we are cast out and rejected because of Him, we are His. He is our reward, the only reward worth shouting about. Houses, family and community are a bonus but He can meet our emotional need to belong. Amen! Heaven forbid that we suffer for wickedness in ourselves. If we find ourselves in such a place repentance can cleanse us from all sin. His forgi...

Dear friends, don't be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you as if something unusual were happening into you.  Instead, rejoice as you share in the suffering of the Messiah, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory. 1 Peter 4:12,13  I heard a good message about this exact scripture only recently. The preacher asked us if we were glad that the pilots who flew our aeroplanes had been tested to see if they could fly. We all said yes we were glad. He then said, are you glad that your chairs are tested to make sure they can hold you up, again, we all agreed. We could see where he was going. Testing allows the maker to see if His product isworthy of marketing. We are His product. Our God wants to set us among the needy, the dying, the lost. Will we do what we are sent to do? Next time you are tested, think about this, my God is making sure He can trust me to carry His glory. Amen!

Now the end of all things is near; therefore, be serious and disciplined in prayer. Above all, maintain an intense love for each other, since that covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God. If anyone speaks, it should be as one who speaks from God's words; if anyone serves, it should be from the strength God provides, so that a God may be glorified through Jsus Chrsit in everything. To a him belong the glory and the power for ever and ever Amen! We are closer than ever to the end of all things, our God is coming soon! Amen! What a glorious day that will be, but let Him not find us being lazy and unprepared for we will give an account of our behaviour. Peter exhorts us to be serious and disciplined in prayer. Prayer and relationship with God is what sustains us. He is the vine and we are the branches if we fail to draw on His life, through ...

Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, equip yourselves also with the same resolve- because the one who suffered in the flesh has finished with sin- in order to live the remaining time in the flesh, no longer for human desires, but for God's will. 1 Peter 4:1,2 This scripture engenders a few trains of thought: We have to be resolved to suffer, die to ourselves, If we suffer in the flesh, then it is possible to be done wi sin- interesting! We can spend out time in the flesh no longer living for human desires but God's will. Now, does this make you think: 'That's it then! I'm off to be a monk,' or 'I'm off to be a nun.' Ha! I would excuse you for thinking that. Down through the centuries many have done so,moment with good results, some with not so good results. Personally, I think the greatest challenge is to stay in society and not walk in the flesh. How is it possible? I'm glad you asked! The more I let go of my own understanding, wait, r...

In that state ( made alive in the spiritual realm) He also went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison who in the past were disobedient, when God patiently waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared. In it a few- that is eight people- were saved through water. 1 Peter 3:19,20 When Jesus died on the cross he went down to hell and took the keys of death off Satan, he then went and preached to all who had died before He came. I had always imagined He preached to those who held true but this scripture tells me otherwise. We are impatient but God is patient. While Noah was building the ark, some 100 years, God patiently waited for others to believe and be saved. We see here that He went back to those same people and told them the good news. They had an opportunity to repent and believe. I wonder how many did? I See the great crusades of Franklin Graham and his son Will and also Daniel Kolenda. Souls are still coming to Christ. Yet we who wait are struggling with i...

For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God, after being put to death in the fleshly realm but made alive in the spiritual realm. 1 Peter 3:18  We need to be very careful that we become so used to living our natural lives that scriptures about sin and out need for redemption are offensive. I can see this happening in my world around me. Songs about our sin and need for redemption do not go down too well. Television can be a part of this indoctrination. Television with shows about life and what we can do tend to prop us up and cause us to not want God. I love documentaries and tonight I watched two and even now I can taste the independence and will of man in the atmosphere. At the Christmas carols on Saturday night, two nights ago, there were carols about our sin and need for redemption. I remember thinking these won't last long. It is only with a revelation of sin, through the Holy Spirit do we repent and change....

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 1 Peter 3:15,16 Gentleness again! What can we learn from this? God loves the gentle, kind, quiet answers not the hate filled, judgement based retaliation. Loving quiet and gentle lives speak to our neighbours and those we seek to touch with the gospel. Yesterday, on Facebook I was confronted by an angry, emotional retaliation to criticism a Christian businesspman in our community had received. To me it came out of left field, I did not know why he did what he did, he did not explain, for the benefit of the unenlightened. He had assumed that all in his world knew where he was coming from, we didn't. We retaliate when we are attacked and frustrated by the actions of others. God wants to take us beyond fr...

And who will harm you if you are deeply committed to what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear or be disturbed, but honour the Messiah as Lord in your hearts. 1 Peter 3:13-15 There are many things that will attempt to pull you away from what is good. Thoughts about failure, based on human reasoning, of course; guilt; annoyance; impatience (a big one). Tonight I conducted a competition night at the local skate park. I am endeavouring to make friends with lost people. If you look at the money raise for the surface reason, I failed. However, my God was watching. I am creating relationships and building trust. One young man gleefully told me he had a great time, the best yet, another came up and hugged me, he was so grateful. I am a 62 year old woman wanting to love an element of my community that, in God's eyes, are just as important as the rest of my city. I also enlisted two more mothers to the cause, my committee is g...

Now finally, all of you should be likeminded and sympathetic, should love believers, and be compassionate and humble, not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing, since you were called for this, so that you can inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:8,9 Being likeminded is a challenge, yet it is possible. Loving God and serving His kingdom's principles instead of our own is first and foremost. If we are all seeking Him, following Him, then we will be of a like mind. Being sympathetic again is easy if we are filled with His desires and purposes and not our own. For He is love. Loving believers is a sinch when we abide in Him, because He does. Being compassionate is easy for one whose focus is on the Lord and not the flesh. Jesus was the most compassionate of men. Being humble is possible as I walk behind Him, He was the humblest of men, He did not see His eternal position as one to be grasped, He had it and lay it down for us. Not paying back ev...

Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives with an understanding of their weaker nature yet showing them honour as coheirs of the grace of life,miso hat your prayers will not be hindered. 1 Peter 3:7 When I think about how to try and explain what I sense the Lord wants here, I think about being a parent. I am responsible for my children but I should not stress them with my being unreasonable and constantly being at them. They are a weaker vessel than me, I have had, should have had, more experience in God and therefore more in the well to draw from. As I cherish the character God has put in them, the individuality them possess, the uniqueness they have, I know how to best serve them as a parent and guide them to the future when they can make choices for themselves. I can only imagine this is what the man has to do when faced with all that he marries. If he chooses to think of himself, he will resent the effort required and reject his wife. Yet if he quietly embraces his role He wi...

In the same way, wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, even if some disobey the Christian message, they may be won over without a message by the way their wives live when they observe your pure, reverent lives. Your beauty should not consist of outward things like elaborate hair-styles and the wearing of gold ornaments or fine clothes. Instead, it should consist of what is inside the heart with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very valuable in God's eyes. 1 Peter 3:1-4 We can see from this passage that God values gentleness and quietness. Loud, crass conversation  and use of bad language, bullying, arrogance, primping, mincing, and all forms of affectation are grossly offensive to our God. Who do we seek approval from? We all have a neighbours who are expecting visitors and the effort to impress are enormous: new balcony, new garden walls, immaculate gardens and flowers, cooking, cleaning. It is exhausting to watch. We are going to ha...

He did not commit sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth; when He was reviled, he did not revile in return; when He was suffering, He did not threaten but entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; you have been healed by His wounds. For you were like sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. 1 Peter 2:22-25 Jesus trusted the One who judges justly and died for our sins. It seems that such a perfect creature should not suffer for the worst, but He did. How is that just? Our problem is, we are born into sin and have a sin nature. We are incapable of being acceptable to God on our own terms, yet relationship is what we both long for. We had a problem that needed a solution. The solution needed a perfect answer, a sinless answer.  Jesus, chose to come, because He is sinless and chose to pay the price, death on a tree, s...

Household slaves, submit with all fear to your masters, not only to the good and gentle but also the cruel. For it brings favour if, mindful of God's will, someone endures grief from suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if you sin and are punished, and you endure it? But when you do what is good and suffer, if you endure it, this brings favour with God. For you were called to this, for Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in His steps. 1 Peter 2:18-21 We live in an era when we rail against injustice, create wars and fight for our rights. Yet there are gentle souls caught as slaves, some as sex slaves. Yesterday I read about a woman who had fled Africia to Europe with the refugees. She has been a sex slave for 12 long years. She fled without her children and found herself at a boarder which denied her entry because Africans were not a race that was being accepted. When I read her story I grieved for her and prayed God's mercy up...

Submit to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the emperor as the supreme authority or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good. For it is God's will that you silence the ignorance of the foolish people by doing good. As God's slaves, live as free people, but don't use your freedom as a way to conceal evil. Honour everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the Emperor. 1 Peter 2:13-17 Isn't it interesting that we must submit to every human authority, because of the Lord. He desires it. He desires that we behave well. By doing good we silence the ignorance of foolish people. I think that when we rail against our government because they are lenient on certain ethnic groups or hard on others, we can set ourselves up as judge and jury and give them a tongue lashing. Whilst we in the west live in a democracy, it does not mean we can set ourselves up as judge and jury over those we...

Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and temporary residents to abstain from fleshly desires that wage war against you. Conduct yourselves honourably among the Gentiles, so that in a case where they speak evil against you as those who do what is evil, they will, by observing your good works, glorify God on the day of visitation. 1 Peter 2:11,12 Here is the crux of the matter: we are strangers and temporary residents. 'This world is not our home, we are but passing through.' (Song) Living for Christ is our aim, not living for self and indulging our fleshly appetites. Houses, cars, money are all trappings of this world, the kingdom of God is where we are headed. Amen! Fleshly desires wage war on us. They don't cohabit, they are at war with us. Why? We gave our lives to Christ and His kingdom is at war with the flesh. The flesh lusts for comfort, the kingdom of God for what is right and honourable and the winning of the lost. We are challenged to rest whilst at war. We are co...

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9,10 We have all watched movies of times past, dark times without technology and flush toilets, times without machines at all. I happen to love movies of early England and for a period of time read loads of books about such a time. I remember when we first had television I was about 12 and during one school holidays, daily on the ABC was a show about Elizabethean England and Francis Drake. Now it only takes a bit of Imagination to see yourself in dirty streets, with the stench of no sewers, no antibiotics, poverty and bad medical practices. Ugg! Whilst the romance of Robin Hood tells a different tale, my points are valid.  Now imagine a powerful, benevolent Lord...

So honour will come to you who believe, but for the unbelieving: 'The stone that the builders rejected- this One has become the cornerstone,'  And 'a stone to stumble over, and a rock to trip over.' They stumble because they disobey the message; they were destined for this. 1 Peter 2:7,8 No matter how independent you are and how much you reject Christ, He is the cornerstone, the stone that begins the building and from whom all measurements are taken. It is as if a black man rejects his race, nationhood and ethnicity, he is still a black man. We were created to have fellowship with Christ, nothing else will satisfy. We were made in His image, no amount of rejection of the fact will change that fact. We can run from Him, but He is immoveable, the centre of all that we are. Eventually we will come to see all our self-efforts are futile. We trip over the truth, which is unchangeable. Our hearts smite us for our sin, we can drink away the pain, drug the pain, thrash our bodi...

Coming to Him, a living stone- rejected by men but chosen by God- you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it is contained in scripture: 'Look! I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honoured cornerstone, and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame! 1 Peter 2:4-6 From one who has suffered reject most of her life, I look at Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, God almighty who came to those He loved and they rejected Him. He has comforted me through the darkest of times and brought me through to the light. What He establishes is established and no demon in hell can move it, nor the strength of man. What God calls good, is good. I must trust Him to build me into His wall and not run out of past experience, nor fear of what is to come. When I rest and allow a him to build me, He does a very good job. We can be so impatient and throw away th...

For: 'all flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flowers fail, but the word of the Lord endures forever.'( Isaiah 40:6-8) and this is the word that was preached as the gospel to you. So rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, desire the pure spiritual milk, so that you may grow by it for your salvation, since you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 1:24,25; 1 Peter 2:1-3 We can see that in ou natural self, our flesh, we are transient indeed, like grass. How then can we purpose to puff ourselves up in vanity, assuming we are more than grass? I'd safely say because we become deceived. It is interesting that the word, preached as the gospel to us enables us to rid ourselves of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander which are all the first steps in the fall. We become deceived, James tells us, by our own evil desires. Ooh! That is getting to the heart of the...

By obedience to the truth, having purified yourselves for sincere love of the brothers, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again- not of perishable seed but of imperishable- through the living and enduring word of God. 1 Peter 1:22,23 There are many in Christ who struggle because they feel unloved. I know, having been one that there was a bit of a problem on both sides. For myself, I have to say being in a crowd where no one came and talked to me made me want to flee, so I had to choose to do the opposite, stay and push in. Last night at my church we had a Christmas production and an after party. My tendency was to escape the party and not enter in, partly because of discomfort and partly because I don't hear well in crowds. It takes all my energy to concentrate on listening and filtering out the ringing in my ears and the background noise that comes from a crowd. However, last night I stayed, partly because I has a guest and caring for her made ...

He has chosen you before the foundation of the world but was revealed at the end of times for you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 1 Peter 1:20,21 Wow! To realise I was a part of God's thinking way back when He was creating the planets and stars, is awesome. When I look at the world I live in and see so many driven by a different drum, a carnal earthy drum full of lusts and greed, I am grateful that He led me to His Kingdom. His Kingdom sustains me, refreshes me, heals me, fills me with hope and joy. His Kingdom existed before the world began and His Kingdom will outlast this earth and all it contains. I am set apart for a different path, a different walk, a different God. I am so grateful! For all eternity I will be grateful. No matter what collides with my path, it still remains and the enemy cannot defeat me because I follow the path-maker. As long as I keep my eyes on Jesus and follow ...

And if you address as Father the One who judges impartially based on each one's work, you are to conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your temporary residence. For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. 1Peter 1:17-19 The opening of this passage takes me back to the feeling I had under the law, when I was outside of a relationship with Christ. Judgement based on works and living in fear all smack of legalism. So, what does it mean? We are judged according to what we did with Christ, did I accept Him and live for Him, or did I reject Him and live for myself? The fear here is respect and honour for what I have been given, eternal life. What have I done with the free gift? Have I treated it with contempt and trodden it underfoot claiming my own righteousness was enough? The precious blood of Chr...

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. But as the One who called you is holy, you are also to be holy in all your conduct: for it is written, 'Be holy because I am holy.' 1 Peter 1:14-16 Our behaviour before Christ was done in ignorance. If we choose to go back to any of that behaviour, whether it be how we dealt with conflict, our attitude to sex, our attitude to our bodies, then we are going back to ignorance and another would be forgiven for calling us 'ignorant!' Whilst this would be offensive, it would be true. We have, in Christ, been given a new spirit, new strength and a new mind, the mind of Christ. We have no excuse for being ignorant. The Spirit of Christ is holy, there is no fleshly way there, no hidden sin, no lust, no selfishness. We are to put on Christ Romans 13:14. By putting on Christ we put on all that that entails: holiness, righteousness, purity, victory. Putting on Christ cannot be done in a vaccum, for t...

Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13 A mind that is ready for action is not a frivolous mind needing entertainment, it is focussed and fixed on a purposeful life. At any moment my Lord could return, what am I doing at that time? Would He be pleased? My hope needs to be set on the grace that is released to me as I walk in the revelation of Jesus Christ and all He has accomplished. Wow! This is awesome! I cannot limit His grace to me and I must accept to experience more I have to seek more. It does not happen by osmosis. Cultivate hunger guys, hunger causes you to seek Him and as you seek Him, you find Him and experience more of His grace. Amen!

You love Him, though you have not seen Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that would come to you searched and carefully investigated. They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when He testified in advance to the messianic sufferings and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Angels desire to look into these things. 1 Peter 1:10-12 Just as we who have not seen Christ love Him, so did the prophets of old. I have just finished reading through Isaiah and all throughout the book Christ appears. Isaiah would have rejoiced in this. What...

You are being protected by God's power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials so that the genuineness of your faith- more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire- may result in praise, glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:5-7 Oh how I needed to hear this. Lately the enemy is piling on the what ifs: what is that pain, why  are you hurting there, why won't the pain go away. On and on he has been harassing me with thoughts of cancer and needing to go through more trials. Thank you Lord! I claim this promise as mine! Why do we put up with the lies? What makes us believe them? Why not rebuke them and watch them flee. I know the answer, I get busy and preoccupied and do not realise the source. I am glad my God is always alert and watching over me. Tonight I had invited a complete stranger over for dinner. What a b...

Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13 Whilst I have enjoyed Isaiah, plowing through condemnation and reproof was heavy and when I happened to follow a reference to Peter, I thought, ' I'm going there when I have finished here.' So here we are. What a good scripture. Soldiers on the battlefield have their minds set, ready for action. They cannot afford to be distracted or they may step on a mine, walk into bullet fire, be caught in the wrong place when a bomb drops. We have an enemy and we are in a war. Our minds need to be alert, ready for action, filled with the Spirit, ready to give out of the storehouse. There is nothing worse for a soldier to find themselves behind enemy lines and out of bullets. We are blessed we are able to refill constantly through prayer, reading the word and fellowship. This scripture also tells us the source of grace, th...

I will make peace flow to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flood; you will nurse and be carried on her hip and bounced on her lap. As a mother comforts her son, so I will comfort you, and you will be comforted in Jerusalem. Isaiah 66:12,13 I sense this is a promise of restoration. Tonight, for the first time, I was asked to be interviewed at church on a panel. I was grateful because for me it was like Jerusalem, the church, was playing a part in my healing. It made me more a part of the group of women at church. The promise of peace flowing like a river is every person's dream. We all want to dwell in peace, well, at least those of us who are aware of life, that is. The next part I am prophesying over myself and my business. Tonight I said it, I have been saying it over my staff, I have said it to individuals. We have broken through to the next level, I have shut the door on the past 12 years. You will be nursed and carried on her hip, infers that the church is in...

You who tremble at His word, hear the word of the Lord: your brothers who hate and exclude you because of Me have said, 'Let the Lord be glorified so that we can see your joy! But they will be put to shame. Isaiah 66:5 This seems a confusing verse, especially the text that says what the brothers say. However, this is indicating they are being false. They think they are the righteous ones, puffed up in the pride of thei sin, but they are the sinners and about to be dismayed. Ever had people be so righteous on you and by their acts and words put you down? I have. I remember a man who I had joined to work when I lived in Sydney. I had joined him out of fear, thinking that I needed help. However he did not help me and in fact put down all I wanted to do. When I realised my mistake and went to him to ask to be released he became red with rage, stood over me pointing his finger telling me what others, especially church leaders thought of me. I  knew my mistake, it was joining with the ma...

I will make known the Lord's faithful love and the Lord's praiseworthy acts, because of all the Lord has done for us- even the many good things He has done for the house of Israel and has done for them based on his compassion and the abundance of His faithful love. Isaiah 63:7 This is my task! I must make know the Lord, a his faithful love and His praiseworthy acts.  Today I heard a message from one of the pastors, I think it was Eric Johnson. He was saying that he once asked the Lord a dumb question: 'Lord why have I not gone through a financial crisis like the people around me who are experiencing bankruptcy? ' You would have to agree at there are some questions we don't want to ask for fear of attracting that exact thing into our lives. God answered Eric and reminded him of a time when he was doing it tough. Rather than moan both he and his wife began to praise God for the little things they did have, they fostered a grateful heart. He reminded me of myself, I ha...

All of us have become like something unclean, all our righteous acts are like polluted garments; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind. Isaiah 64:6 This is us outside of Chrsit. No amount of self-effort is good enough. The polluted garments here are literally menstrual cloths. Very smelly and unpleasant. The apostle Paul addresses this well in Philippians 3:7,8: But everything that was gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Every time you feel compelled to perform to earn, forget it. How can you outdo Christ. Yet, if you are motivated by Christ, perform well, do your very best. Amen!

He sent His glorious arm to be at Moses' right hand, divided the water before them to obtain eternal fame for Himself, and led them through the depths like a horse in the wilderness, so that they did not stumble. Like cattle that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest. You led Your people this way to make a glorious name for Yourself. Isaiah 63:12-14 God's mraculous provision did give Him fame, to those who sought Him. From time past to now, thousands of years have gone by but the stories still strike a chord. Yet He did what He did, not for fame, but because He loved them and chose them as His people. Through the centuries people have done great things, some good, some bad. However they are fondly remembered for their heart before their deeds. I am amazed that at funerals the dead guy is always a 'good bloke.' Yet, in reality we know that was not necessarily true. Why do people look for the good at funerals? Why not tell the truth? I don't k...

When you did awesome works that we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains quaked at Your presence. From ancient time no one has heard, no one has listened, no eye has seen any God except You, who acts on behalf of the one who waits for Him. Isaiah 64:3,4 An impatient people will not wait and an impatient people lose what could have been theirs, God's presence and God's mighty hand.  The Lords constant words are wait and seek Me. Waiting makes room inside of me, it's pain is the excavation tool, digging deep. Humbling myself and allowing God to rule does the work. When He does comes a room is made ready for Him, He knows He can trust me because I have learned to wait and listen for Him. There is only on way worth pursuing and it is found by waiting. Enjoy!

Go out, go through the gates; prepare a way for the people! Build it up, build up the highway; clear away the stones! Raise a banner for the peoples. Isaiah 62:10 Gates are usually a part of security for a city. In our own lives we can opt to be barricaded in a safe place, behind walls and not willing to go out. Yet the Lord is commanding for us to go out, build up the highway and clear away the stones. Why? So that people may come. What are the stones? Offense, destroyed lives, brokenness. Something that once was alive and flourishing was has been destroyed. In myself I am convicted that I must make a stand for righteousness and not compromise. There are many times when I struggle to remain steadfast, it is like I am fasting my own desire for ease and lack of pain, so that I can make a stand and do acts hat oppose the work of the enemy. He has come in like a flood with lies and he has destroyed. My job is to face him off and rebuild he ancient paths to righteousness. I stand against a...

Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen on your walls; they will never be silent day or night. There is no rest for you who remind the Lord. Do not give Him rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem the praise of the earth. Isaiah 62:7 Watchmen were those who kept and eye out to alert the inhabitatants of danger. The leaders of God's people are compared to watchmen whose responsibilities included the encouragement of the people's relationship with God. Isaiah urged them o keep after God to maintain His efforts a restoring Jerusalm until it was truly 'the joy of the whole earth.' (Tremper Longman 111) A prayer warrior is also a watchman, they see things coming and pray disaster to be diverted, blessings to be poured out and God's hand upon His people. They also see the souls and pray them in. Impending storms do not need to destroy, fires do not need to ravage severely if the watchmen sees them coming and intercedes. God allows us to pray into situations, we may not...

Nations will see your righteousness and all kings, your glory. You will be called by a new name that the Lord's mouth will announce. You will be a glorious crown in the Lord's hand, and a royal diadem in the palm of your God. You will no longer be called Deserted, and your land will not be called Desolate; instead you will be called My Delight is in her, and your land Married for the Lord delights in you, and your land will be married. Isaiah 62:2-4 Here, the prophet is speaking God's word over the nation of Israel. However, when we see a scripture that speaks to us we can say, "That is mine Lord!" Whilst I identify with the devastation and desolation I also identify with the promise. Here God is promising intimacy with His people. As a Christian I can take this promise to myself and know God intimately loves me. Prophesy carries the fire of God and no matter how old it is, fire is still there. The bones of dead prophets had enough of God on them to bring dead peo...

For as the earth produces its growth, and as a garden enables what is sown to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations. Isaiah 61:11 There are times when I despair of God's people because they grumble and complain and do not see as God sees however this scripture gives me hope. My prayer today is that the Holy Spirit falls on a god's people and they come willingly with hearts full of praise. I pray for the lost that they will come, drawn to the praise and have eyes open wide to the glory of God. Yesterday I saw a Facebook post from Daniel Kolenda from CFAN he has another crusade going on in Ghana. I know the praise of a God will ring out from those crusades as those hungry for God gather. In fact there are more Christians now than ever before. There has been, indeed, a great outpouring of the Spirit of God. I think I need to focus on hat is happening in God rather than what is not happening in people. Amen!

I greatly rejoice in the Lord, I exult in my God; for He has clothed me with the garment of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a groom wears a turban and as a bride adorns herself with jewels. Isaiah 61:10 Here we see that salvation is like a garment we wear. A garment is visible, seen and enjoyed by others. What does it look like to them? Lovely, peaceful, attractive, enjoyable? This salvation, I wear, is fashioning me, the wearer, as opposed to what we normally do with our clothing, we fashion them. To top it all off I am given a robe, that goes over my garment, it is called righteousness. What does that look like? Gracious, temperate, courteous, modest, humble? These are the qualities of righteousness, that is, if I wear it. I am given two wonderful, everlasting gifts: salvation and righteousness, both are items you wear. Just as I choose what to wear each day, I must choose to wear these, they are mine. Amen!

Because your shame was double, and they cried out, "Disgrace is their portion, " therefore, they will possess double in their land, and eternal joy will be theirs. Isaiah 61:7 The Lord's justice is the best. When you are robbed of all that as yours and cast out like a dog, He sees, He remembers and He comes. At times it has been so long that you would be forgiven for thinking , 'this is my lot from now,' but it's not. Just as a change in weather, at first, is not noticed, so the change in your world begins small. Soon a gale will be blowing and all the broken pieces will b blown away. Last night I held my first Christmas party in the office. I invited everyone I knew and not everyone came but a few that did were delightful, I made new friends. I sold one painting and perhaps another. These funds will go to the farmers struggling in drought. I refused to be offended by those who said yes and then did not appear, I refuse to wonder what was wrong with me but kep...

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour, and the day of God's vengeance; to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the Lord to glorify Him. They will rebuild the ancient ruins, they will restore the former devastations; they will renew the ruined cities, the devastation of many generations. Isaiah 61:1-4 The first three verses talk of Jesus coming to heal and restore, yet as His people this is also our task. Yesterday I turned 62 and as I look back on my time and consider the hearts of myself and those I have known, I realise how selfish we are, most of the time. It is al...

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines over you. For look, darkness covers the earth, and total darkness the peoples; but the Lord will shine over you, and His glory will appear over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your radiance. Raise you eyes and look around; they all gather and come to you; Isaiah 60:1-4 Even though there is intense darkness on the earth, the light of the gospel still shines and people are drawn to it from all over the earth. God's glory shines on us, it is not our own light, not own own goodness, but His. We don't need to try and find goodness in our own self, because if we truely are in Him, His is enough. God's light is what draws, not our clever marketing or our tireless work. Without the Spirit of God moving, nothing happens and we become frustrated. It therefore is important that we move wih Him. Jesus Himself said: "I only do what I see the Father doing." I would love ...

"As for Me, this is My covenant with them," says the Lord: "My Spirit who is on you, and My words that I have put in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouth of your children, or from the mouth of your children's children, from now on and forever, " says the Lord. Isaiah 59:21 I don't know about you but I claim this promise for myself as I want my grandchildren to follow the Lord. I also never, ever want to not have the word of the Lord in my mouth. I never, ever, want to not have the presence of God in my life. We can be so intent on having our children learn at school and be on track to a glorious future but if we neglect the presence of the Lord in their lives we rob them of a hope and a future for stability, soundness and peace. Left to our own devices we destroy. We may think our version of 'good' is enough but if it is far from the Lord, what does eternity look like. Eternity goes on forever and ever. If we do not walk wit...

The Lord saw that there was no justice, and He was offended. He saw that there was no man-He was amazed that there was none interceding; so His own arm brought salvation, and His own righteousness supported Him. He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; Isaiah 59:15-17 I love these passages. God's offense caused Him to act on behalf of the victims, He brought about salvation by His own actions. In a world where hard hearts live there is a God who is just, sees inequity and acts. Whilst we become offended and nasty, He becomes offended and useful. I also love finding where the concept of girding my breast with righteousness and my head with the helmet of salvation mentioned in Ephesians 6:14,17 comes from. How good it is to find a beginning of a concept and an idea that is divine! Isn't it interesting that if God can do this, so can I because He lives inside me. Yes!

Will a fast I choose be like this: a day for a person to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord? Isn't this a fast I choose: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the ropes of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to tear off every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your house, to cloth the naked when you see him, and not to ignore your own flesh and blood? Then your light will appear like the dawn, and your recovery will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the Lord's glory will be your rear guard. At that time you will call and the Lord will answer; when you cry out He will say, "Here I am." If you get rid of the finger pointing and malicious speaking, and if you offer yourself to th hungry, and satisfy the afflicted one, then your light will shine in the darkness, and your night will...

The righteous one perishes and no one takes it to heart; faithful men are swept away because of the presence of evil. He will enter into peace- they will rest on their deathbeds- everyone who lives up-rightly. Isaiah 57:1,2 We must face the fact that there are many righteous who are killed for their faith. We are seeing it now, ISIL are beheading Christians, various nationalities are persecuting Christians, our nearest neighbours in Asia do it. Our challenge is: what do I care? There are many petitions circulating in social media and the tendency can be to numb down and feel nothing because of the enormity of the problem. Yet I continually remind myself: 'what if it was me on a boat in the middle of the ocean, fleeing my country because of persecution, wouldn't I want someone to care? I must go to God and ask, "What would you have me do?" I know signing a petition and praying is the least I can do. Doing nothing is dangerous, what I sow I will reap. I know the coldnes...

I will bring them to My holy mountain and let them rejoice in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. Isaiah 56:7 Does this sound familiar? Jesus Himself became enraged at the money lenders and sellers of goods in the temple in Jerusalem. They were selling in the court designated for the foreigner. It was not a place of worship but rather a place of trade. See Matthew 21:13 If the unchurched come into our churches, what do they see? Do they see a house of prayer? They are in need when they come, their world is falling apart and they need a place of refuge. Is this what they find? Or do they see a well oiled machine that is caught up in a professional programme? Do they sense we wait on the Lord, do they feel His presence? We no longer have burnt offerings but we do have sacrifices of praise, we do give an offering to the Lord. At my church we have a scruffy looking guy with l...