The day with dianne Louise

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10 NLT Discouragement is a killer. If we know this is a strategy of the enemy they we must be prepared with good scriptural firepower. We don't have to accept the barbs of the enemy.  A Boy scouts motto is: be prepared. This should also be a Christian motto. We have become too laissez- faire! Who told you you didn't have an enemy? Who told you there is no satan? If Jesus believed in him and did battle with him that is good enough for me. Be prepared folks! Amen!

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10 NLT Our enemy, the devil, comes against us with discouragement and fear. These are his weapons and ours are the word of God and our faith in our God. Our enemy's goal is to destroy us, make us ineffectual and to marginalize us: take us out of the picture. We must recognize the enemy and rebuke him and have a meeting with our saviour. Our commander in chief is our God, He is also our father and friend. What is the Lord saying? This is more important than anything else. If you cannot hear Him remember His promises and the words spoken over your life. Remind the Lord of them. This helps build up your faith and opens the door in communion with your God. He is there! Amen!

But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. Psalms 56:3 NLT Part of living a focused life is being able to experience fear, rebuke it and decide to keep moving anyway. I find that of I give time to the 'what ifs' I am trapped in a web of anxiety. Therefore I acknowledge they may be around but if I don't chose them as an option, I will pass them by. Jesus chose to stay focused past the cross. He knew he had to go to the cross but the promise of what was on the other side took him through the cross. We will go through problems but we don't have to stay in the grave. Amen!

But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? Psalms 56:3‭-‬4 NLT David wrote this psalm when he was seized by the Philistines in Gath. The whole psalm is very applicable to those hounded in social media and those vilified by the news reports. I am gratified that in Australia our Prime Minister has gained a reprieve because he has bravely and boldly administered in the times of Covid19. His counterparts in the US and Britian are not doing so well. It must be a very difficult time for them. Prior to the Covid19 outbreak the news media hounded our PM mercilessly. He administered through a severe drought and then bush fires that ravaged thousands of acres of forest, killed many amd burned down houses, not to mention destroying thousands of wild animals. Yet all the PM did was not good enough, for some. Nasty, critical voices railed against him. Praise God the voices are si...

Commit your actions to the Lord , and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3 NLT Action Man! These words create an image and unfortunately, or fortunately for you, they create an ideal of what we should be. If I am responding to the Lord, you can't stop me, however if mankind is attempting to motivate me, I am a couch potato. A long time ago I decided that the word 'should' was going to be eliminated from my life. The reason being is what I 'should' do constantly was in my face and motivating by condemnation. Now I put God first and His principles are my motivator, mostly. I say mostly because I am still capable of failure. Back to plans. I have, over the years, made many illustrious plans only to see them decimated. However, now I wait on the Lord as I plan and then commit them to Him. His timing is always a factor and I must trust Him for it. Much better outcome!

Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place. Proverbs 16:3 MSG Another two verses are also important: Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word. Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good; God probes for what is good.Proverbs 16:1,2 We are inspired by a vision but God sees what else is coming, the tests amd trials. Anyone who welcome 2020 with vision and great plans will find them tested right now, yet now is a real opportunity for the entrepreneur. Some amazing developments are taking place. Our vision may inspire us and those we share it with yet much like prophesy it sees a future glorious hope. Now we must climb over the briar to obtain the prize, we must strengthen ourselves in resolve and the Lord. Amen

Love God , your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that’s in you, love him with all you’ve got! Deuteronomy 6:5 MSG This morning I considered what loving with all my strength looked like. It is interesting that the Message Bible interprets this as: all that you have got. All that I have got means all of me, not just my occasional thoughts, occasional bible study but treating Him as my new heartthrob. Everyone who has been in love knows what it is like to be desperate to see the one you love again, not eating well, not sleeping well but thinking continually about that person. This is all of me! Give it a try! Amen!

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5 HCSB We may understand the command to love with all our hearts. We know how to fall in love and perhaps to love enduringly with committment. We might understand that our souls are the real us: our mind, will, emotions. We get that! However, how do we love with our strength? We use our strength to hold on and not walk away from a task, a difficulty, an illness, loving a difficult parent or sibling. This has to do with character. Strength is something associated with winning. We usually think of it as something we have in our prime. However, strength is something we gain through development, through tough times. When we have made it and are receiving accolades let us not forget our God.  When the tough times end let us remember our God. Amen!

I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” John 16:33 HCSB Courage is not necessarily a part of our natures. So how do we get it? By having fearful situations to face, facing them and learning that we now have an ability we didn't have before. The apostles learned this when they lost Jesus to the cross. Then Jesus returned, but was off again. This time telling them to go into all the world. Scary stuff! As we face each obstacle we grow. Overcoming one obstacle is not the end of things, another is on the way. The Father is interested in having us, His kids, reflect the same character as His Son. He promises never to leave or forsake us. So... hang on the ride begins and your Father is along for the ride. Amen!

I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” John 16:33 HCSB Knowing how to walk in victory is the Christian's lot. We still live in a world affected by Corona virus but we can have victory in ourselves, in our attitudes and what we choose to do for others. Now is not a time to draw back or retreat, now is the time to be proactive, now is a good time to show the love of God. What does the love of God look like? Caring and compassionate behaviour. Looking out for others, praying for others. Dont live in a bubble, love. Amen

“Stop your fighting — and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.” Psalms 46:10 HCSB Isn't it interesting that the NLT has the above verse as: be still... Whereas this one says: stop fighting. How interesting! What an interpretational difference? Right now we must be still and yes stop all our own efforts which would include fighting. There is nothing we can do in power, but pray. Our prayers are mighty for the pulling down of strongholds. Amen!

“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” Psalms 46:10 NLT If ever this command is come to pass, it is now. In all nations that I am aware of, people are staying at home; in lock down. So many people have posted that this time is good. Here in Australia people are sitting out on their driveways once a week to have a meal whilst everyone else does the same. These people are connecting with neighbors like never before. This is good. God is at work behind the scenes challenging hearts and minds, showing a better way. This is the beginning of a better way.

But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ Acts of the Apostles 2:21 NLT Another word for everyone is all. If I empty out a container and remove all of the contents, then all not some are removed. . If the bible says all, it means all. In grace there is not a grading process: nicer people first, nastiest last. No! The beauty of God's grace is it is poured out on all people, nice amd nasty. In fact God delights in taking nasty people, turning them upside down and gloriously setting them free. Once free they know what they have been forgiven and are forever grateful. Don't try and tell God the rules. He made them, abides by them and surprises us by them. His grace is full of mercy and forgiveness. Accept it! Amen!

But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ Acts of the Apostles 2:21 NLT Everyone means everyone. Noone is deleted or passed over. Noone is too bad to receive in repentance and humility. We are not the arbiters of God"s grace. It is His to give, ours to receive. If you, sinful man, decide to give your child what he asks for will not God? God is not a man that He should lie. What He says He will do, He will do. You can trust Him. Amen!

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” Acts of the Apostles 4:12 NLT We must come to truth. The truth will always come out, maybe some time later but it will. Do we want to live in fear of the truth or embrace it and live for it? Our world is reeling under the Covid19 virus. Blame is being flung back and forth. Both China and US blame each other, most of the nations in the world blame China. Sometimes things happen and are unfortunate. In Australia a ship carrying highly infected passengers who were allow to disembark has been kept at bay for weeks while an investigation took place. The action of allowing infected people admission to a community has led to widespread infection in that community. Blame here is being bandied about. Constant attempts are being made to deflect the blame. Before the Lord we are all guilt and need a saviour. Those who have found Him amd made Him Lord know the joy of forgiveness. Tonight on the ...

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it.” Acts 4:12 HCSB We cannot.save ourselves. The current pandemic shows this. As much as we like to lean on our own strength, it is unable to save us. Reliance on God Almighty is the only way through. He has charge of the finance, the way the health. As much as mankind is enamoured with the kingdom of self it will fail. The Kingdom of God is the only Kingdom that is eternal. He has all the power and all the glory. The heat of the moment contains us. How will we arise from this crucible? I pray we are better for it. Amen!

The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord ; for He laid its foundation on the seas and established it on the rivers. Psalms 24:1‭-‬2 HCSB He laid the foundation of the sea amd established it. The universe did not create itself. It was designed and constructed by a master artist and builder. His name is Jesus! Foolish men and women refuse to believe in our God. They would rather believe the stars aligned and mystically created. What foolishness! The living God made us amd is wooing us to Himself. Those who claim Him as their own will spend eternity with Him. Those who reject Him will join their deceiver in a lake of fire. Stark reality! We must give up our foolishness and believe God is real. Amen!

The earth is the Lord ’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths. Psalms 24:1‭-‬2 NLT Nations fight against nations over land and sea territory. Why? They believe it is theirs. Yet they are on earth but for a short time and then gone. We have all heard the term 'squatter'. This is someone who decides to take up residence on a part, perhaps a small part of your land and won't budge. Eventually they will claim it as their own.  Our English forbears did this to the aborigines. In fact they did worse, they killed for the land. Yet, this scripture tells us it all belongs to the Lord, we are the squatters, even if we have a mortgage to prove it. If it all belongs to the Lord then we are accountable to Him for our usage. Would He be pleased? Have I honoured Him with all that He has given me? I pray I have. Perspective is good. It lessens the feelings of deism we may collect.

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 NLT The Holy Spirit gentle reveals truth to us and it in turn convicts us of error and a need to change course. He does not heap on us guilt or condemnation. Today I had to read a play called Othello. In this play by Shakespeare, the villian Iago went around whispering evil into the minds of the men he sought to destroy. He succeeded in destroying the lives of innocent people all because of a desire for  revenge. He showed me just how vile our enemy is. We all have thoughts come into our heads about people not really loving us or in fact hating us. I choose to counter these with praising God for the love of these people. This gives him nowhere to go.

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. Romans 8:1‭-‬2 NLT No lust of the flesh can hold the Christian who stands in the power of the cross. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. The law of the Spirit of life is more powerful than the law of sin and death. Jesus rose from the dead and defeated death, He paid for our sin so that we do not need to walk in them. Walk in the power of the cross and watch it go to work in your life! Greater is He! Much greater! Amen!

Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. 1 Corinthians 13:6 HCSB What is unrighteousness? Have you ever thought about this? How about we consider it. While we might say: I don't kill people or rob banks, I pay my taxes, rates and bills. However, what am I saying to friends and family? What do I watch and read? How do I speak about my government? How do I speak about the neighbours? Are things more important to me than giving to the needy? Do I waste money on what would be considered as luxuries, continually? Do I give the Lord His portion of my wage? All these 'little' sins are unrighteousness. Do I love to be able to please myself? Am I affronted by preachers talking about sin? Perhaps I need to have a heart to heart with the Lord and allow Him to finger what displeases Him. Why not?

Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. 1 Corinthians 13:6 HCSB Love is not a feel-good thing that changes its loyalty. It is constant in truth. It is built on God's principles and His word.  I will become annoyed with how others behave because my expectations are grounded in me and what I want. If I am grounded in Christ and His ways I will lay down my opinions for the truth. Christ-like love is forgiving and understanding. It accepts that others have limitations and allows them to be who they are. It prays for others rather than demanding from them. Love is filled with grace and mercy. Amen

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 1 Peter 1:3‭-‬4 NLT Our confidence would not be in our banks if they failed to keep you money safe. Yet we struggle to believe that our faith in Christ has stored up for us treasures in heaven. We would like like to dictate when we received a blessing: usually now! However, God knows timing better than us. His plan is bigger. Our blessing includes those who we will pass on the blessing to: are they ready to receive? Is the need God wants to supply in others there yet? He alone knows and we must trust Him. Amen!

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. Isaiah 53:6 NLT Straying is so easy. It just takes continual distraction for a period of time and suddenly we have lost focus. I remember a preacher once saying that just as a boat captain needs to maintain focus when coming in to shore, so does the Christian. The boat pilot cannot afford to run aground on rocky outcrops. If he does he runs the risk of foundering the boat. The Christian cannot lose sight of the markers along the road of life. The markers are the principles in the word of God. These principles are unchangeable. God's word never changes. Our emotional stance does if it is allowed to rule. We can't afford to allow changeable emotions to rule. Amen!

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. Isaiah 53:6 NLT Hundreds of years before Jesus came to earth the prophet Isaiah prophesied this message. He predicted that a man would come and pay the price to win us back from the clutches of sin. Sheep are notorious for wandering that is why they need shepherds and sheep dogs. Jesus Himself likened us to sheep and Himself to a shepherd, the good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. King David was a shepherd in his younger years. He fought with a lion and a bear to defend his sheep. Jesus fought something more insidious-sin. He overcame it, death amd the grave to bring us the keys to eternal life. Jesus is our way, our hope, our life. He said: he who comes to me, I will in no way turn away. We can trust Him with our life today. Why not invite Him in! Prayer: Jesus forgive me for going my own way. Please come into my life, be my shepherd and set ...

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. Galatians 5:1 NLT The law was involved with: do not eat, do not drink, do not go, do not say etc.  Some Christians will not drink wine, some will not eat pork. In Paul's day he even had to contend with those who ate vegetables only, we still have them today. Various diets come out saying you should never eat... or you should always eat... Do we follow diets, fads or fashions? Imbeded in each is a law. There is a law around exercise as well. How many laws are acceptable to us? When Jesus was asked what the greatest law was, He said: love the Lord your God with your whole heart and another like it was also important: love your neighbour as yourself. So...what about other laws? If the above two set us free, what do all these others do? Paul knew the answer in the above verse. Amen!

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. John 13:34 NLT Loving each other means patience and kindness but also speaking the truth in love. What is the truth? If I need to confront sin, I will but if I can leave it to the Lord I will. He is the determiner in this. Amen!

“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” John 13:34‭-‬35 MSG The world wants love. People are starved for love. Yet, again and again, they settle for sexual love or eros. Movies promote eros as the ultimate. However, if loving committment is gone it is no more than lustful fulfillment. People soon realise they hunger for a love that stays with them. Where is such a love found? This type of love is called Agape. This type of love endures long, forgives, and is committed. This is the love the world wants and needs. This is the love they need to see. This love is patient and kind. As we display this love to the world we show forth the spirit of Christ. Let His life shine in you. Amen!

He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross. Philippians 2:8 HCSB Humility results in obedience. Obedience leads to action. Action leads to results that are blessed. The results of the cross are still being experienced today over 2000 years since. Jesus opened a door that had been shut for thousands of years. His blood freed it from the rust of sin. Who would have known? God knew! Amen!

He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross. Philippians 2:8 HCSB We all know what being made humbled feels like, it can be embarrassing. Yet imagine how it feels to be God and allow your creation flog you and nail you to a cross. What caused Jesus to do this? We saw Him in Gethsemane sweating drops of blood and praying for a way out. The reality of the cross was terrifying. Jesus was indeed a man. Yet He finally says: not My will but Yours be done. He was obeying the Father. John 3:16 tells us that: God so loved the world that He sent His only Son. The Father acted out of love and the Son out of obedience. Jesus tells us: pick up your cross and follow Me. Each of us has a cross to bear. We must pick it up and follow in obedience. Amen!

“I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again. John 6:35 HCSB Jesus was not speaking naturally here. We all hunger and thirst, that is a part of how we survive. What was He referring to? Many crave importance, significance, pleasure, love, some seek adoration. Unfortunately the way of the world is through manipulation. Yet Jesus' words intimate another way. What is the way of Christ? How can He promise we will never hunger and thirst? He goes on the accuse His listeners of not believing. What would have happened if they did believe? Pleasure would be from a different place than where we look, currently. What is that place? Perhaps we will find it as we abide in Him? Try John 15.

Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. I have told you this explicitly because even though you have seen me in action, you don’t really believe me. Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don’t let go. I came down from heaven not to follow my own whim but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me. John 6:35‭-‬38 MSG Men and women search all over for the source of life. My astronomy club is one such group. They yearn to discover how the universe began: theories abound. Yet many refuse to turn to Christ. Why? Turning to Christ means laying down self-rule to adopt God-rulership; it means acknowledging personal sin and coming to repentance. Repentance is not an 'in' word these days yet it is what is desperately needed. Jesus alone can satisfy! Amen!

Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:35 NLT How do we show love? By showing forgiveness amd reaching out in kindness. This is one of the best things I have ever done. I am rewarded in so many ways. I had my brother over for lunch yesterday. We had had a broken relationship in the past but I knew the best thing I could do is demonstrate love by inviting him for dinner. He fixed my bike tyre for me and today came over to do another job for me. We went for a bike ride together today and it was good to have an excuse to get out on the road. I loved it...until I had another flat and then as I was wheeling my bike home the second tyre went down (We have a serious burr problem at present). My brother thought of buying burr proof tyres for me. How nice! I can see my brother is very happy to be friends with me again, as I am with him. Forgiveness and kindness work wonders. Try them!

Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:35 NLT Our world needs to see how we love one another. If it is to learn God's kind of love then we need to demonstrate it. Ask yourself today: how can I show God's love to my world? Ask the Lord how He wants you to demonstrate His love. God's love is forgiving and kind. It forgives wrongs done against it. It goes out of it's way for others and is sacrificial. It is patient and good, not motivated by feelings but by faith in a loving God. We will experience feelings in doing love, but feelings of His love that are not vainglorious. Amen!

“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” Psalms 46:10 NLT Isn't this scripture interesting! Just when we have no option but to be still God is commanding it. Why? So that He may be honoured throughout all the earth. What will happen when all Christian's truely honour their God? He will move sovereignty and draw all men to himself. Amen!

but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. Mark 16:6 NLT The women were looking in the domain of death but He was not there, He had been translated into the Kingdom of Life. Glory! No matter how hard the disciples looked, Jesus was not dead, they would never find Him. He tasted death for everyone. Just a taste. Death had never been and never will again touch Him! Amen! We all will taste death but be made alive in Him. Death is but a doorway to eternity. It no longer holds us down. We are made alive in Him! Praise Him! In all things we can laugh. They are but temporary! Remember eternity is coming!

And now, God , do it again— bring rains to our drought-stricken lives So those who planted their crops in despair will shout hurrahs at the harvest, So those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing. Psalm 126:4‭-‬6 MSG We are reeling from disaster. Is there a way out of this? Yes there is, not our way, no one but God has the road map. We need to trust Him! I watch the growing disaster of the Covid19 virus, especially in America and Europe. It is fast spreading to poorer nations as well. One small island in the Pacific was just devastated with a cyclone and they are needing help. I look to the hills, where will my help come from. My help comes in the name of the Lord. We must trust the Lord God Amighty. He is the only One capable of saving us. Amen!

Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. Psalms 126:5 NT Just as the disciple's tears would soon turn to joy, today represents the time between times. When these times are in our lives we must cling to our faith and trust that all Jesus said He would do, He will do. What promises have you received? Are they unfulfilled? Most of us could attest that Yes! I am still waiting. What did the disciples do on this day? They would have been in deep grief and mourning. This day was not a good day for them. How were they praying today? Open our eyes Lord! Show us Your way? Their grief would, in the matter of 24 hours, turn to inexplicable joy, yet they did not know that. For us who wait, let this fact keep our hearts and minds focused on the promise and let us trust that a new day is coming. Amen!

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. Romans 1:16 NLT I am constantly being challenged with the verse: will I share Christ with my world. It is one thing to write blogs but another to post scripture on my Facebook page where I am known. Daily I do post them, but deliberate over not offending. Why? Probably I like being liked too much. Yet that is foolishness when souls are at stake. Are you afraid to share your faith with the lost? Like me you must push ahead and do it anyway. It could be just the thing someone needs to open their hearts to the Lord. Now is a time of great need. No matter what people sound like, they might be covering a desperation for truth. Be a source of blessing! Don't cover up your light that wants to be seen. Amen!

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. Psalms 51:1‭-‬2 NLT There is nothing better than knowing you are washed clean of all guilt and shame. To know you are forgiven is so important. I still remember the day I came to Christ and the blissful joy of being forgiven for sin. I now living in a daily relationship with my saviour. Now is the day of salvation. Now is the best time to make peace with your God. Amen!

Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record. Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry. I know how bad I’ve been; my sins are staring me down. Psalm 51:1‭-‬3 MSG This Psalm was written by King David after he had been confronted with his sin: he had committed adultery and murder. I think most of us would not come close, as in murder. However, if you had and now am aware of your sin, read all of Psalm 51. Then read John 3:16 and know that God loves you and sent His Son to pay the price of your sin. Like David you will reap the consequence in the here and now but in God you will be clean. David lost the baby born of the union with another man's wife. He was devastated because he knew an innocent child paid for his sin. God knew that none of us is able to fully pay for our sins. Jail time is easy when we consider another has lost their life, but the guilt will remain until you meet Jesus who will cleanse you completely. In the book of Romans we ar...

Seek the Lord , all who are humble, and follow his commands. Seek to do what is right and to live humbly. Perhaps even yet the Lord will protect you— protect you from his anger on that day of destruction. Zephaniah 2:3 NLT What does it mean to seek the Lord? Well we all know what a job seeker is in Australia. It is someone who is looking for work. They go about their seeking by enrolling with a job agency or two and scrolling through jobs available. They have their resume made up and they are pro-active, well, the successful ones are. They get up early and diligently keep seeking until they find a job. Finding God in the first place is like this. It was for me. However, I now am diligent in my relationship as there is so much I still don't know. I seek God for His wisdom amd insight. Get seeking folks!

Seek the Lord , all who are humble, and follow his commands. Seek to do what is right and to live humbly. Perhaps even yet the Lord will protect you— protect you from his anger on that day of destruction. Zephaniah 2:3 NLT For the Christian doing what is right is trusting Christ to save them and living connected to Him. There is nothing I can do, outside of this, that will give me eternal life. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Noone can go to the Father through any other door but Jesus. No sacrifice or life of penitance will save except faith in Christ alone. I must trust Him for my health and provision. He does it best! Amen!

Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.  So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. Matthew 18:3‭-‬5 NLT I was out weeding this afternoon and saw all my little relatives. The two littlest girls: 2 and 4, struggled being told they could not play with their cousins. Their parents are trying to obey the social distancing rules. The girls saw me and wanted to come into my yard but were not allowed. They know they are well and if we all were not well we would be inside in bed.  This is much the same for us as Christians: we must choose to obey the Lord, even when we cannot see why. Not everything glossy is good for us. Today I was blessed with an replacement printer as mine had died. I downloaded the drivers and the printer works, just fine-tunin...

Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.  So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. Matthew 18:3‭-‬5 NLT I am surrounded by little children. On the left are my young neices and on the right a little boy. Across the road are children, my nephews and niece. The little ones on the left are particularly lovely and small. The youngest, ever since she could respond, would put her arms out to me to be held by me. This is an action I would expect from a child to her mother but I, her aunt, was always honoured this way. She is now mobile and toddles around.  As we are in isolation it is hard for this little one not to continue to show affection to me and also her grandmother across the street. I realise this is a hard time for the little ones. Her ol...

The earth is the Lord ’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. Psalms 24:1 NLT In Australia we struggle to afford to buy a property and believe that it is ours. Yet the above scripture tells us, no, it actually belongs to the Lord. Therefore, any glory we may feel at owning property is deceptive, we have short term tenure at best. What causes us to be arrogant and self-righteous? It is believing we have done or are doing something that gives us credability and a place to boast. God in heaven could laugh. Yet, He graciously allows us our games, until the end. Then we must give an account. Are you ready?

The earth is the Lord ’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. Psalms 24:1 NLT Last night I watched a National Geographic documentary about dogs. It was interesting. However, we all know that when dogs begin attacking their owners their days are numbered. Today we see mankind attacking the Lord and His people with a nastiness never been seen before. Yet the Lord is filled with grace and mercy, reaching out to those who hate Him. Why? John 3:16 tells us: for God so loved the world that He sent His only Son so that whoever believed in Him would have eternal life. The mess we are in is our doing. We have said we are our own gods. We want to be master and Lord. We refuse to choose godly ways but rather opt for selfish ways. We cannot blame a God we refuse to believe in or honour when it suits us. What is the answer? Repentance and yielding to the true God, asking Him into our lives and living for Him.  There is the rub! We must admit our own failure and our...

A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. Proverbs 15:1 NLT I am watching social media be judge, jury and executioner against a ship that docked at Sydney and unloaded 600 odd Coronavirus sufferers. Many did not know they had the virus, they were incubating it. The state of NSW keeps defending the doctors assessment of the holidaymakers on the ship yet the critics are out with their knives. What everyone is forgetting: we had never been here before and the medics were flying by the seat of their pants. If anyone is lying, it will be revealed as the police are investigating. Meanwhile tempers are flaring against all those who brought the disease ashore. I know it must be very hard for all involved. We must be quick to listen and slow to speak. (Someone famous once said that- James I believe)

A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. Proverbs 15:1 NLT If an angry person attacks us, we may react, especially if discontent was brewing or trouble was already at play. However, there are times when we are attacked, we are not in the arena and may be perplexed: where is this person coming from? The best frame is when we are soaked in God and handle the attack with grace. I love it when I am in this place as I have self-control and am not at the mercy of my assailant. However, I am not always here. So, what do I do? Pray! Lord help me and wait and keep my peace. My God is the best handler of anger. He is like a lion tamer with an effective whip. His mercy and grace are mine for the asking and it is in abundant supply. Amen!

See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. 1 Thessalonians 5:15 NLT Pay back! This is something we all want to give others but not receive. What makes us so blind to our own faults and action? What makes us not trust our God? Perhaps this is why Jesus Himself told us to love our enemies and those who misuse us. To appropriate the truth in this we must stop, meditate and ask our God for help to yield. Not my will but Your will be done. Amen!

See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. 1 Thessalonians 5:15 NLT Revenge and retaliation are very much alive in Christianity. I have a few people in my world who are constantly posting vitriol against China at present. Suspicion theory weighs heavily in their lives. But do they really know what God knows? We cannot change the rulers of any nation by bad press, we change them by prayer. Government, who has access to more knowledge can change trade allowances, entries into the country and put embargoes in place. However, vitriol only makes us sour. China is the scapegoat at present and yes they are to blame for not dealing with the virus sooner. However, their face in the world is severely damaged and face is important to them. My prayer for them is that Christ might be seen as mighty in their midst. May we remember to live a life of prayer not blame and vengeance. Amen!

Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living. Amos 5:24 NLT In this chapter in Amos God is speaking through His prophet and saying: I dont want your rituals, your sacrifices I want you to love your neighbour as yourself and be just. Remember when Jesus was asked: who is my nieghbour He told the parable of the good samaritan who found a man dying by the roadside and took compassion on him and saved his life. I say to you: who is your neighbour? Who is God asking you to help?

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 NLT When I say: I will give you a rest, you would imagine a break from work, perhaps a holiday. However the rest Jesus offers enables us to endure through trials like we are experiencing now. This rest defies logic. Yet today by inviting Jesus into our hearts, He brings His peace. This peace surpasses understanding. We need this type of peace. Then, no matter what our circumstances, peace will rule. Amen!

You twist justice, making it a bitter pill for the oppressed. You treat the righteous like dirt. How you hate honest judges! How you despise people who tell the truth! You trample the poor, stealing their grain through taxes and unfair rent. Therefore, though you build beautiful stone houses, you will never live in them. Though you plant lush vineyards, you will never drink wine from them. For I know the vast number of your sins and the depth of your rebellions. You oppress good people by taking bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts. So those who are smart keep their mouths shut, for it is an evil time. Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed. Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of his people. Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to th...

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 NLT Are your burdens heavy today? Is your business suffering? Have you lost your job? Are you ill or is your family ill? From one who has lost almost everything, it is ok of you have Christ. He is my provider, my companion, my solace. He does His job well. I once heard a saying: when you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on. Trust God! Amen!

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NLT Right now we have a huge tussle over what the greatest love of mankind is. Jesus said: where your treasure is your heart will also be. What do we treasure? Do we love to be entertained? Do we love our leisure? I know this is Australia's biggest love. Other countries would rate differently. As we are affluent and we love to role in the dough. In poorer nations a good meal or even somewhere to live inside from the elements would be their love. The times we find ourself in are challenging our loves and treasures. Our God is coming for our hearts and He will not settle until He has them. Be prepared!

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NLT Many fear death and rightly so. What is waiting in death for many is horrible, a doorway to eternal suffering in an evil place, and yet they scoff. Jesus came to make a way into a better place, a place with Him, a place where all suffering is vanished. What logical mind would refuse such an offer. Jesus said: I am the door. He is the only way to eternal life. There is none other. Friend, if death frightens you, resolve this. Ask Jesus to be your door, give your life to Him. You will never regret it. Amen!