The day with dianne Louise

““You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.” Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Today in Kathmandu is rainy, smoggy and I must go to college for an exam. Yesterday I was told that the Nepali government is calling churches to see if they have foreigners involved. The government does not want us mingling with Nepali believers, it seems. So, I will go where I am free to go and speak to those I am free to speak, other foreigners. As the crush comes, God has a plan. The light set on a hill cannot be covered, it must shine. The Lord has a way of reaching others with His message. My behaviour counts. Courtesy instead of reaction; honour where there is dishonour; gave where there is hardship. If I cannot show these I am indeed a poor specimen of Christianity. Shine  Jesus Shine! Amen! https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=jDUeeePTXrw&si=PfkrNNtNRXS0EMLf

“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬ The human body is so wonderfully complex it amazes me. Just as the universe is way beyond comprehension so is the human body. Although many choose to kill others, babies in the womb, unwanted children, and old people, God still values us greatly. In the beginning we hear God say, “let us make man in our image and our likeness!” We are image bearers.  Just one human cell is so complex, the more we discover the more we realise how amazing we are. I happened to see this on Facebook. If you Google the Human cell you get this information: The human cell is an  unimaginably complex, "third infinity" system , far more intricate than any human-made machine. Composed of ~37 trillion cells, the human body functions through a city-like internal environment with organelles (mitochondria, nucleus), a cytoskeleton, and specialized molecular machines, operating und...

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Last night I read a testimony about a young Afghanistan man who was to be executed for his faith, but was spared five times. Eventually the Lord freed him from the prison. He marvelled as he walked right past guards and found the front gate open. This young man was miraculously spared. Each one of us has an opportunity to be spared from hell. Hell was not created for mankind, it was made for Satan and his fallen angels. Yet, he works tirelessly to convince mankind that God is not necessary and they may as well live for themselves. Those that choose this wide path to destruction will eventually find that they have been deceived, and in fact they had sold out to Satan. I am grateful I chose the narrow road to life. I want heaven to be my home. How ...

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.”  2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬ The born again experience transforms us from a carnal being into a spiritual being. Our spirits are made alive. We have a fountain of life that needs to flow out of us. That fountain will never dry up as the Holy Spirit is in residence. However, we can block the flow by unbelief and disobedience. Conversely, releasing it is a blessing to ourselves and others. Yesterday, I discovered another Christian at college. A man, who is a funny little Australian man, turns out to be a believer. When he came and sat next to me, while waiting fo...

“And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord—his name alone will be worshiped.” Zechariah‬ ‭14‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬ This verse speaks of the second coming of Jesus. In verse 5 Zechariah says: then the Lord God shall return and all His Holy ones with Him. Some versions say saints and angels. Jesus will return to rule the earth for 1,000 years. I am expecting to come with Him and to rule and reign with Him. I imagine the reason I am in Nepal is to prepare for a future work in Nepal. I am constrained to learn the language.  In that day seeing the Nepal I know giving up their many gods will be miraculous. They are a people who live to worship in local shrines and temples. Will they turn these shrines and temples into places to worship the Lord? The people of Nepal long for justice. My God is a God of justice. However, He will expect to be their God and worshipped as such. The type of justice metered out in the learning to worship Him only will seem cruel. Ve...

“God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” ‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Yesterday as I sat waiting for my class to begin, I sat outside the decripid buildings on a rotunda. An elderly woman dressed in monk garb asked to sit near me. I invited her up. I knew this was a God moment. I asked why she was in Nepal. She said, “I am a Buddhist nun and Nepal is a Holy land.” I said , “Israel is a holy Land!” She replied, “ yes I suppose there are many.” I asked how long she had followed the Buddhist beliefs. She replied “since in my forties”. I replied, “I have been a Christian since I was 19”. She tried to compare both however I stood my ground. I told her any good deeds I do is because of the Holy Spirit’s presence in my life. They are a result of my love for Jesus. I said “we are basically selfish at heart”. She replied, “that is what we must fight against!” I replied, “we are unable to successfully fight against sin without the power of God in ou...

“This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Every time we are tempted to think we are so good because of all our serving, we fall into the enemy’s trap. Paul explains the difference between works and faith well in Romans. We are saved by faith in the work of Jesus alone, not our own. The early fathers of God’s people were saved through faith alone. The law came and only showed how sinful humans really were. Even though Moses brought the law from God he had a living faith in God. Few after him caught the importance of a living and active faith.  King David was one who did. The works I do is because of Jesus and I do them led by the Holy Spirit. He initiates and empowers me. He is my strength and understanding. Yesterday I discovered how wrong my feelings were. I felt tired and not wanting to go to College, but di...

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If you truly want to follow me, you should at once completely reject and disown your own life. And you must be willing to share my cross and experience it as your own, as you continually surrender to my ways.”  Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬ ‭TPT‬‬ Do you have things that annoy you? Yes! My landlord using my bin to overflowing with no room for us! There being no power for boiling water, so I put a pot on the gas to boil and the power comes on! I think I am being tested, and yes found wanting. Why do petty things annoy? Because I am still in the flesh at those moments. I am reminded of how upset Jonah was at th Lord’s grace towards the Ninivites and yet he was also annoyed that the plant the Lord provided died. The Lord asked him why he was angry. The book ends before we discover if Jonah repented or not. I cannot let my book end with such a question. Repentance is not an option. Father forgive me for my irritability and sinful behaviour. I need your grace an...

“For God will never give you the spirit of fear, but the Holy Spirit who gives you mighty power, love, and self-control. So never be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor be embarrassed over my imprisonment, but overcome every evil by the revelation of the power of God!”  2 Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭TPT‬‬ In the past when I operated as a pastor I saw the full rage of gifts of the Holy Spirit move through me. Now that I am serving in Nepal I need to stir up the flame and not fear to step out in faith and be used again by the Holy Spirit. I had wondered why these gifts no longer seem to be evident in my life and now I know I must fan the flame and step out in faith. Paul’s imprisonment may have been a cause for embarrassment, especially if Paul’s enemies were criticising him. Timothy needed to boldly defend Paul and minister in boldness. In verse 6 Paul states: “I’m writing to encourage you to fan into a flame and rekindle the fire of the spiritual gift God imparted to you when I lai...

“Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.”  ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬ When I first became a Christian in 1973 this verse had been made into a chorus. I had it on a LP record along with many others. The newness of knowing Jesus as saviour and Lord was life changing. Today as I read this verse and read the commentary in my study Bible, it reminds me that God will not always be found. If we keep repeating sin we may go from forgiveness to judgement. That judgement will not be nice. In 2008 I was working as a nurse and had shared the gospel with a woman who was a difficult patient but I sensed the Lord wanted me to persevere with her. I did for some time. I even went to visit her when she went home from hospital. She refused to repent and about a year later I heard she had gone blind and was in a nursing home. As a Christian I know a relationship with the Lord and am required to live in union with Him. In that union I cannot persist in a sin that I know d...

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.”  1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬ One thing I have found, watching the war between Israel and its enemies, is that the enemy never saw them coming, most of the time. One lesson I’ve learned from watching the war, is the proactiveness of Israel. They did not sit and wait to be struck, but they struck first. I must behave as a warrior, I must recognise I have an enemy and be vigilant and strike first. The Holy Spirit within me alerts me to danger and, if I heed Him, I can not be surprised by the enemies tactics. I know that anybody, Christian or not, can be used by my enemy to attack me. I must be prayerful, and cover those I am in close contact with in prayer. I must watch over my own heart for the same...

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”  2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬ This verse encapsulates the song Jesus Messiah by Chris Tomlin. All out hope is in You Jesus! However, this verse comes at the end on a discourse on is reconciling the world to God through Jesus Christ, the verse, “  “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”  2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬ If I am a new creation in Christ I am made in His image and have the same commission: to open the eyes of the blind, and set the captives free. I can no longer live for myself, I have work to do, souls to win! We have a role to play, we are His ambassadors to a fallen world. We have good news! Jesus is that news! An ambassador goes into a foreign land and represents their own country working out trade agreements between their own land and the land in which...

“And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!”  Mark‬ ‭13‬:‭33‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Just when men mock, God does the impossible! Right now many in the world have turned against Israel, few stand with her. I have never known such a time of deception. The hardness of hearts and wickedness has become grievous. Yet Israel prevails! Nonetheless the gospel is reaching many. Muslims are having dreams and visions and turning to Jesus. I am praying for similar for Hindus.  Yesterday, here in Nepal, it was New Year’s Day. I have never seen so many people out and about in one day as yesterday. People thronged to local attractions to picnic and have fun. Where they stood with Christ is shown by the wearing or not wearing of tikkas, the red paint on the forehead. Thousands upon thousands are in the valley of decision. Jesus had a lot to say in Chapter 13 about the end times and we would be wise to attend to it. When the gospel has reached all mankind then the end will com...

“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 Do you know how easy it is for sheep to stray? So easy! ‘Ooh look there is another green leaf’. That is why they need a shepherd if not fenced in or tied to a tether. In Australia where paddocks are huge they are fenced in but if wild animals come they are in danger. In Nepal they have shepherds who take them out daily for foraging. Sometimes they have dogs to help.  I am convinced that Christians stray easily also. ‘Ooh! Let’s go there! Let’s watch this or read that!’ I am sure this is why Jesus gives us His Holy Spirit to guide us. We are not capable to staying on the narrow path, the wild looks inviting. We need the Holy Spirit, we need His guidance! Holy Spirit welcome! Please speak to my heart today and guide me on the right path. My emotions push me around and I'm prone to wander. Please guide me on the right path, 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 Yesterday at church we were challenged with ‘how much do you love the unlovely?’ We were asked how much we could love the pedophiles, traffickers and terrorises and want to see them come to Christ. I knew this would be hard. It was. I am now challenged to pray, not only that they  are caught but come to repentance and be saved from their gross sins. We were studying Jonah chapter 4. On another angle I was personally challenged with a scripture from 1 Cor 3:16 where Paul tells the Corinthians they are all God’s temple. My personal world which I share with the Lord quite happily accommodated the Holy Spirit in MY temple, but was challenged to accomodate others who I did not always agree with. Whilst Paul did go on to say, in 1 Cor 6:19-20 that I am the temple of the Holy Spirit, I think I received the message, ‘no prid...

“In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬ When I was small I’d often stay with my grandparents at their boarding house. The toilet was way down the back yard. At night this was a scary trip. My grandmother gave me a small torch to use. A torch elimates all the scary imaginations. I had the habit of sleep walking. One night my grandmother awoke to see me at the foot of her bed shining the torch at her. It was a freakish experience for her, especially as I was in a trance. As a Christian I am told I carry the light of God. I need to shine that light in a way that does not freak people out. Jesus spoke of good deeds. The importance of any testimony is the deeds that accompany the words. Am I loving, kind, considerate? Do I respect all people?  By staying connected to my God and loving Him I will automatically love others or my love for Him is fake. Today as I go out into the streets of N...

“Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬ I have never read this like this before. I believed I am the Temple and God lives in me, but here, Paul is saying, “all of you together are God’s temple “. This removes the idea of individuality and brings a corporate identity and a need to work together. This is probably what is needed in this day of selfishness. It is not all about Me but He. And He occupies all. The Corinthian church was divided with factions citing “I am of Paul”, “I am of Apollos “. We, today, are factional. We divide into conservative, pentecostal, evangelical etc and the lines are draw but in fact we are all God’s temple. We need to work together, not apart. Here in Nepal I attend an interdenominational church which collects all faiths together under the one roof. We al...

“You draw near to those who call out to you, listening closely, especially when their hearts are true.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭145‬:‭18‬ ‭TPT‬‬ I am watching my amazing God bless me as I trust, yes truely trust Him. The more I give Him the more He returns to me, pressed down, shaken together and running over. I now give 45% of my income to tithe and the work God has give me and yet the remained stretches so far. I can live on $600 a month and save the remainder. I have purchased a return ticket to Australia for way cheaper than expected, am looking at a lovely barrier reef holiday for one week and on my return to Nepal I am going by Denmark for a friend’s wedding. On my return flight to Nepal a few of us plan to go via Turkey and visit Ephesus. This is wow! For me! I know I am blessed! Currently I am studying Nepali at college and having a lovely time. I am learning a lot! Meanwhile I am establishing a work for a Nepali team to teach school children about the dangers of trafficking. I pay two tran...

“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 These words were spoken by Peter, he had gone from a fearful denier to a bold proclaimer. How did this happen? He was baptised in the Holy Spirit.  Denying the power of the Holy Spirit and reliance on ritual was what the Pharisees were about. Peter was addressing them. They could see they were ordinary, unlearned fishermen but the boldness of faith and the power of the scripture in their mouths amazed them. Peter and John had been on the way to the temple when a paralysed man begging for alms got their attention. The famous words, “silver and gold have I none but such as ai have I give to you, in the name of Jesus Christ rise up and walk”, were spoken. Grasping the man’s hand Peter  pulled him up. The man went walking and leaping, and praising God. He was overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit. I am greatly concerned for the church to...

“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”  Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬ I am praying that faith comes through hearing the testimony of those who know Jesus. I attend college in Nepal and in my class there are four people who do not know Jesus. I look for ways to share Him with them. As last weekend was Easter I wished a young Korean man happy Easter. He did not know what that was. I explained that on Good Friday we remembered how Jesus died on a crosss and on Sunday rose from the dead. Here in Nepal the Christian churches have a walk through the city to a venue where they worship and hear the gospel. This young man had seen this event. Yesterday the Holy Spirit had me take my ukelele and before class I played and sang a worship song, he listened respectfully. Whilst I am not allowed to proselytise Nepali people here in Nepal I can be a light in a dark place, I can worship Jesus in my own space. I can answer questions, ...