The day with dianne Louise

“Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Paul had sought the Lord for healing/deliverance from what he called ‘a thorn in the flesh’ three times. However above was God’s reply. I have sought the Lord for healing of my ears again and again but still they ring and block my ability to hear people. I must admit that my faith is getting a good work out. They have not stopped me from attending college, going out and learning to communicate to people.  “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭30‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬ The scripture in Isaiah reminds me to trust in the Lord only! He is my refuge and strength. He is my provider. He is the way! Judah was wanting to ...

“Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.” Isaiah‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬ The Lord was reproving His people in Judah with these words. Sacrifices without heart He despised. He wanted their hearts for what matters. Where are our hearts? Do we think if we come to church, sing a few songs and put a bit of money in the offering we have completed our duty? My church back in Australia doe not take an offering. It relies on the hearts of the people being honest. They either pay online or put it in the box at the back of the sanctuary. I wonder how that works? However, what God is saying: care for orphans and widows first! Help those wrongly oppressed. Is that being done? I have attended a church here in Kathmandu that has homes for orphan children and widows. I was impressed! It seems God cares for such as these. Amen!

“He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” ‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬ I understand this principle but then I am not always sure what He, God, thinks is a non-viable branch. When I think a branch just needs pruning it is cut off. In all our lives we constantly need pruning. Whilst it is painful, He sees it as necessary. Even though I do not understand I must submit to His ways. He sees the fruit He wants on His vine, He is the gardener, I am not. Jesus told His disciples that the Father is the gardener. It is interesting that the Father is typified by being a gardener. I love gardening. I do not have a plot of soil but I do have a balcony and pots. My flatmates and I are now growing coriander, chillies and hope to source some mint. We have attempted to grow things in the past with a modicum of success. When things fail they are dug up and removed. I love bonsais and have created several. These...

“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.” Proverbs‬ ‭9‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Jesus said, “ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭NLT‬‬ There is a lot of worldly wisdom floating around. It deals with finance, health and fitness and relationships. However, it does not give the life that is available in God’s kingsom. Wanting Him and His ways of doing and being right brings life and godly wisdom. If we want good judgement seek the Lord! If we want eternal life, seek the Lord! He is the source of all that lasts, fulfills and makes rich. Rich is relationships, rich in doing good to others and rich in our relationship with Him!   https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=dQdfs5S6jyA&si=i1ZijSys3UGBb4cq

“You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬ This was a special offering for the poor in Jerusalem during a drought. Paul was collecting throughout the area he had ministered in to bring aid. This request comes with a promise of God’s provision. Prior to these scriptures Paul said: “Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Generosity produces a harvest, an abundant harvest. God will provide back in response to our giving:  “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. T...

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Whilst ever I see myself holding the Lord’s hand, I know I am in Christ and allowing Him to steer my life. When I sense I am surrounded by a destructive attitude, I must repent and go back to the Lord. He is my solace and safety. Sunday night I did not sleep well and woke with a foggy head and sinus pain. I was determined...

“He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.” Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬ I am at a place of needing the renewal of my strength. I am watching those I love be taken away to new ventures, my need is to keep going as I have exams coming up, my head hurts, I have a friend facing possible jail time for telling the good news, and have other friends suffering because they defended me to those greedy for easy gain. All that can be shredded is being shredded. But, my God is ever present and faithful! He is my strength and song. Although I do not know, fully, the path ahead, He goes before me! He is my solace! I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever, I will sing, I will sing! I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever, I will sing of the mercies of the Lord! With my mouth will I make know, His faithfulness, His faithfulness! With my mouth will I make know His faithfulness to all generations! (Chorus) I am grateful I have those who love me. My flatma...

“After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.” Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭4‬:‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Jesus waited 30 years to be filled with the Holy Spirit at His baptism, He was then driven by the Holy Spirit into the desert to fast and pray. The disciples had it easy, they prayed for 10 days. Jesus, the forerunner did the leg work, they benefited. However, the disciples had started with five hundred and on Pentecost Sunday there were only 120. Today is Pentecost Sunday! Today we remember, today we can step into the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I cannot treat today as an ordinary day, I must be expectant of what God wants to do through me here in Nepal. Will you seek and pray with me? https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=MMmpcAqeNZE&si=834_fQIbOSmvj1X_

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬ When Jesus said, “even to the ends of the earth”, He saw in His mind what that looked like. I am sure the disciples had a more limited version. However, they did find themselves in far flung places. Paul had purposed to go to Spain, James the greater went there, Matthew was sent to Ethiopia, Thomas went to India, Andrew went to Russia and Ukraine, Jude and Simon the Zealot went to Iran and Iraq and Batholmew went to Armenia and India, Peter went to Rome and John to Ephesus. The Americas were not mentioned, nor Australia. However, the English, French and others took the gospel there. Their forebears had received it from the Apostles. God took untrained, unschooled fishermen, tax collectors, zealots and other unknown people and used them to take His ...

“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Last year a friend of mine an I attempted to go to a remote village to do research and speak to the people in a particular village about Jesus. We were prevented. It was most frustrating! However, I then picked up a call to another area to educated the children about trafficking. It has had its own challenges. Every move has been resisted. When we want to go with good news into an area that is bound in darkness we face an enemy who resists us. This does not mean, “Don’t go at all!” But it means pray and see what God will do. If I have a cure for disease in an area then it would be cruel not to take the news to the people. I have such a cure for the blackened soul. I have a light in the darkness. I have a healer for all maladies. Yesterday I sensed someone praying ...

“Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety.” Proverbs‬ ‭29‬:‭25‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Fear rather what God thinks is better! The fear of God is deep respect and honour. I am aware that as a child I grew up very timid. I had a school bully who kept me in line until I was 17 and she left school. The freedom I experienced was amazing. Until I finished school and became a nurse. The nursing system has it own bullies, which I discovered in management at the hospital. We all have a bully and his name is Satan. He and his minions seek to keep us pushed down and believing that  are worthless and unable.  However, how does God see us? How does He see our situations? What does He call us? He calls us beloved! He calls us sons and daughters! He goes before us and follows us with love and mercy! When He brought me to Himself He began to show me His freedom. He does not judge me but lifts me up. People may form opinions about me but He knows me! I am His! He is mine! Opinion...

“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.” Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Paul spells it out plainly here! He goes on to tell us what the attributes of both flesh and spirit are: “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.  But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in ...

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬ I read something recently that reminded me of how grace controls my life. If I am good, I am good because of the Holy Spirit that dwells within me, if I am Holy it is because of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. I can claim no glory for myself. The good I do is through the indwelling presence of God. How do I know this? Without Him I am a sinner filled with fleshly desires and corrupt attitudes. He has His ways of revealing this truth to me. Paul says it this way: “I am crucified with Christ and I now live by faith in the Son of God who loves me and gave Himself for me”. Galatians 2:20 By remaining aware of this I am kept safe from egotistical manoeuvres and attitudes. If I do anything worthy of praise it is because of Jesus and He must receive th...

“Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!”  1 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬ My young Nepali friend who had charges made against him for ‘religious conversion’ has been spared jail time whilst his enemies collect evidence. Normally a person is put in jail for 27 days. We who prayed are grateful, as is our young friend. Our young friend was doing much good, he had built a children’s home, was building churches and...

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” ‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬ I am having to make a major financial decision by tomorrow and as yet I have not heard guidance. I am in a position where faith and wisdom disagree. A man of God once taught me: “if faith and wisdom disagree, choose wisdom every time”(Phil Pringle). My challenge is finding the wisdom of God, I have man’s wisdom. Perhaps the Lord has spoken and I’ve not heard or listened. I need clarity! Bill Johnson says God does not always tell him what to do but wants him to move then God directs, especially if he is at the wrong door. Perhaps this is the way. I cannot rely on the wisdom of man, it is fraught with emotion. Jesus said, “I am the Way!” I will follow Him! Amen!

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬ To be able to receive rescue we must first admit we are in trouble; to receive assistance we must first admit we cannot do something; to receive salvation from sin we must first admit we are sinners. What is a sinner? Someone who has missed the mark of perfection, who insists that they are good enough by their own judgement, and not by God’s. If we go through life insisting that our determination of goodness is enough, when we finally die and stand before the sinless, perfect Christ and tell Him His goodness is not what we needed, where will we go? If heaven is not an option what is the alternative? Hell was created for Satan and his demons and fallen angels, however, his goal in life is to take as many of God’s children with him by deceiving them into thinking they, not Christ,  are the judge. Satan’s sin was pride, and elevating himself above God’s throne. ...

““Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves. But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me. When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” Matthew‬ ‭10‬:‭16‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬ It is interesting that this is the scripture for today! My Nepali friend who has charges against him has been allowed to stay out of jail whilst his opponents gather evidence. Normally the accused is imprisoned for up to 27 days. My friend was free to return to Karhmandu some 5-6 hours drive away from where he was charged. This is a miracle in itself. Our God is indeed great...

“See, God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The Lord God is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.” Isaiah‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬ This verse is so apt for today! My Nepali friend faced court yesterday and was charged with ‘religious conversion’. He was afforded bail and needs to return to the police station today. He has many people praying for him. Jesus s his victory! The Lord whispers to my spirit, “he will be ok!” What an awesome God we serve! He goes before us and follows us with love and mercy! Yesterday evening my flatmate and I went walking and we met a woman I have not seen for two years. She remembered me and invited us to her house for a cup of tea. This woman and her husband have both survived leprosy and the woman, particularly, lost her fingers, she has only stubs remaining. Her husband complained of diabetes and stomach problems. I laid hands on him and rebuked the sickness and commanded complete healing. These people are church folk. I sen...

“Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.” Proverbs‬ ‭13‬:‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Finding the wise is a challenge! There is so much noise out there! However, the Holy Spirit know who they are. Proverbs tells me who they are. “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” Proverbs‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.”  Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬ These are few weeks of many verses found in the Book of Proverbs. The Lord is the source of wisdom, I am not! When I trust in myself and my own wisdom then I will fall. Today a dear Nepali friend faces court charged with proselytism. A good thing to be charged with. However, in Nepal an offence worth putting a man in jail for. He had also other charges made, which have since been dropped. May wisdom guide his defence!  This is something we hear from China and North Korea, Pakistan, India, Afganista...

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬ For years growing up, I was taught I had to earn my salvation. I was raised in a Catholic home. As a young child, there was a period of time where, in the dead of winter, I would ask my mother to wake me so I could go to church, daily. The Catholic Church did not teach me that salvation came through believing that Jesus was Lord, and confessing the same I would be saved. I laboured under a load of doing. It was not until I was 19 that I encountered Jesus personally and made Him Lord.  Many years later I found one of the priests who had ministered to me and I preached the gospel to Him. He was a very old man and I wanted to be sure that he found the Jesus I knew. Today I look for those who do not know Him and share my faith with them. Jesus is the best news I ever had. He is the saviour and liberator of all mankind. He is the only way, th...

“And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” Mark‬ ‭16‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬ What do we classify as ‘good news’? A clean medical report? A financial win? A successful bid on a house?  I think the best new I ever had was Jesus forgave me my sins and wanted me to walk with Him through life, in other words, He wanted a close relationship with me. I remember the night this happened like yesterday. I am still grateful! I woke the next morning and danced to work. I was sooo happy! Whoever asked why I was happy heard my ‘good news’.  Today I must carry the same joy with me so that whoever asks is told the story, ‘Jesus set me free!’ We want to tell others about our good news. Go armed and ready! Amen! Put on joy!

“The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” Psalms‬ ‭32‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬  Those who know the Lord and saviour have been given the Holy Spirit as a guide. He steers us to the right path. Our lot is to keep a listening ear and not to have a stubborn and self-willed heart. In this Psalm David deals with the effects of unrepentant sin and the joy of finally confessing his sin. When his sin was unrepentant he suffered in his body but healing flowed in repentance. A guilty heart makes for a troubled mind, a heart clean before the Lord is a free mind. Knowing we are right before the Lord is peace and joy. A listening ear is good! Keep the soil of your heart fertile to the word of the Lord! A fertile heart receives God’s word with joy and much fruit comes from it. The psalm gives the outcome of the wicked: ‘many pains come to the wicked!’ but ‘the ones who trust in the Lord will have faithful love surrounding them.’ I know which...

“Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” John‬ ‭20‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬ How was Jesus sent? Jesus announced this when He read from the scroll of Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,  Isaiah‬ ‭61‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬ There was one sentence Jesus omitted, the very last: “and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.” He constantly told people He did not come to judge the world but to set it free from it’s sin. We read this in John 3:17: “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” John‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Jesus portrayed what being sent looked like: He taught, healed, delivered from demonic oppression and fed. He also pa...

“It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Paul, in this chapter, is dealing with factions developing within the Corinthian church. The enemy was dividing the people with their loyalties. One was devoted to Paul and another to a man called Apollos. I am grateful for this message because Paul reminds us that it is God who gives growth to the seed. We can, so easily, become distracted and make idols of people, only to have them torn down before our eyes. I listen to many preachers and they are all different, but all good. They each have a different flavour. However, I find my time, alone, in the word with the Lord the best, because He is the best! He brings me revelation...

“For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬ The first to call upon the name of the Lord was the thief on the cross. For him to do this he would have had a revelation that Jesus was who He said He was, the Son of God. He said, “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom!” And Jesus replied, “today you will be with me in paradise!” (Luke 23:42,43). The thief was not a godly person, had not sat at Jesus’ feet, was not a disciple, he saw and believed. There will be many unchurched in heaven. Beside all the aborted babies who grow up there, there will be many who have such a conversion at death, then the rest of us. The heart of God the Father is that none be lost, He is forever reaching out. Let us be likewise! Amen! https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=dhU-Omwg2rU&si=DkrRiAotVGT148sR

“Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭2‬:‭38‬ ‭NLT‬‬ What Peter said is basically what is needed to be a Christian. I am not a Christian because I was raised by parents who took me to church; by living in a Christian country, but by actually having an encounter with the Lord. I still remember the night He came and showed me my sins, I was grievously aware of them and repented and asked for forgiveness. He then told me, “go to Anne!” Annie was a Christian friend who knew Jesus like I did not, she had a personal relationship with Him. I went and she opened my eyes to the scriptures. we prayed together and i knew had become a new being. i resisted baptism as I had been baptised as an infant, however, watching others be baptised and the change it brought, I joyfully joined in. A few weeks later I was baptis...

“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”  John‬ ‭8‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Jesus was teaching in the temple at the Feast of Tabernacles. One of the things celebrated at this feast was the light that God led the people in the wilderness by. The chandeliers in the women’s court would be lit all night and the people would dance. When Jesus said He was the light of the world, He identifies himself with the light that led the people of Israel. Whilst the light of the chandileers was temporary He was offering permanence. He used the words, ‘  I am’. God was know as the ‘great I am’. Jesus was giving His opponents fuel for their fire. For us who come to Him, He is our light when we are surrounded by darkness. Yesterday, I troubled my mind about a planned trip to Denmark for a friends wedding. I thrashed about doing my sums wanting to be wise. When the pe...

“He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” Matthew‬ ‭9‬:‭37‬-‭38‬ ‭NLT‬‬ There are many Christians but few of them are workers. I can also fail to see the harvest right in front of me at times. I can be distracted by fellowship with other saints. This happens on Sundays when I go to church, lunch afterwards and then coffee and sweets at my place, along with a game or two (this happens now and then, especially when one friend who lives further away from the city comes to church). Several of my friends and I like to play a card game called 5 Crowns, or another called Skippbo. We chat about the week and the future wedding in Denmark we will attend. It is usually my only chance to see these friends, unless they also attend our weekly Bible study and then they are busy chatting to others. As I reflect on the people in the harvest I interacted with yesterday I w...

“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 Back in 1974, I turned 21. For my birthday my husband to be gave me a Bible with this verse underlined. In 1974 we were all on fire and wanting to share the gospel of Christ. It is still a potent verse today.  Why did Paul write this verse? In verse 14 he wrote: ‘I am obligated both to Greeks and babarians. Who were Babarians? Not the Romans, but rather the people of Spain and Asia Minor. Again why did he write verse 16? Why would he be ashamed of the gospel? A crucified Jew being God seemed strange to Roman ears. The Romans despised the Jews. Those crucified were the lowest of low in society.  Onky the Holy Spirit could make any testimony powerful, and this He did. The book of Romans is a powerful letter about the truth of the gospel. Peopel are saved by faith. Faith is not the cause of salvation,...

“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭36‬:‭26‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Whilst this prophetic word was spoken to Israel, and speaks of a time in the mellennium, when Jesus will return to earth, it also applies to an encounter with Him now. A new heart is exactly what He gave me, a heart to love and obey Him. In the born again experience this transformation takes place just as soon as I confessed my sin, asked forgiveness for my sin and asked Jesus to come and live in my heart. His Holy Spirit came in and now resides there. This transformation was an act of grace on His part and faith on mine. Jesus loves us so much He had already paid the price for our freedom from sin and the gift of eternal life. I can trust in this! I can , by faith, live out of that new heart. It loves Jesus and it loves others. Amen!

“Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭25‬ ‭NLT‬‬ The books of Galatians was written to a group of people who had been troubled by the teaching of Jews who wanted them to be circumcised as a beginning point of salvation. Galatian’s tells them that Christ is the beginning of freedom and how to walk in the freedom won for them. He tells them ‘for through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness’. He goes on to say, ‘for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision not uncircumcision accomplishes anything, what matters is faith working through love’. Paul cites the evidence of the Spirit walk as: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,  goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. He has first given them the list of evidence of works of the flesh: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, disse...