Freedom

“Now, the “Lord” I’m referring to is the Holy Spirit, and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭TPT‬‬

The trick is to know where the Holy Spirit is moving. In Nepal many Nepali pastors want you in their churches. Whether it is a status thing or a financial thing I am not sure. However, where the Holy Spirit is that is where there is freedom for me.

I have been attending a bible study group with a pleasant bunch of people. However, yesterday before the bible study I spent time with some on fire Pakistani refugees and experienced the gift of prophesy moving on me for the first time in 6 months.  The husband of the family was a spirit filled pastor who happened to be writing a book about the Holy Spirit. This experience caused the latter one to pale. Being with the Holy Spirit is better than being with nice people.

In September I fly home to Australia to attend two conferences. Both are on-fire conferences and I am praying into those experiences. I want to retun to Nepal with a house fire in my belly.

Chase the fire! Amen!

Betrayal

“Jesus looked at him with sorrow and said, “A kiss, Judas? Are you really going to betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”Luke‬ ‭22‬:‭48‬ ‭TPT‬‬

Judas had walked with Jesus, lived in union with Him for three years, been given the responsibility of the treasury, been annointed to go and preach to the lost. Yet, here he was leading the haters to capture Jesus. This he did with the sign of a kiss.

A kiss is intimate. When we greet family and dear friends we do so with a kiss. We do not greet enemies with a kiss, they barely rate a handshake. How could Judas stoop so low? He had been intimate with Satan that’s how. How long had he harboured attitudes that he hid? How long had offence been allowed to grow in his heart?

If we harbour offence, bitterness, disillusionment in our hearts we are fodder for our enemy. Many can be offended at God not blessing them as they thought He would. Many can be offended at brothers and sisters in Christ for misdemeanours gone unchecked. Offence leads to betrayal because the offended one already feels betrayed. 

Have mercy Lord! May Your kingdom come, You will be done! Amen!

Reconciled

“But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.”Luke‬ ‭22‬:‭60‬-‭62‬ ‭NLT‬‬

How bad would this have been? Fear caused Peter to deny Jesus. When Jesus looked at him, how hard would that have been? The realisation that you have denied the man you said you would follow to death, to see the eyes of that man.

Have you ever denied someone you said you would defend? Have you given up family or friend to their enemy?

Peter would have been greatly depressed and unable to forgive himself, yet Jesus did forgive him. After Jesus rose from the dead He made time to have a special breakfast with Peter by the lake and ask him three times, ‘do you love Me’? Each time Jesus told him to ‘feed my sheep’. Jesus restored Peter. Restoration is good indeed. He will restore all who have sinned, because all have sinned. He has given us the role of reconciliation. Amen!

Divine encounters

“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭22‬:‭42‬-‭44‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I am so grateful that these passages are recorded. I have experienced times when it was as if heaven came to spend time with me before a disaster or difficulty or accident occurred. I remember, particularly the day my mother had a stroke. My time with the Lord that morning was particularly beautiful. Even when I sat to have my breakfast I sensed a divine presence sitting with me. It was a Sunday morning. The presence strengthened and encouraged me. Within 30 minutes my mother had a stroke. It was a difficult time but one we came through with God. I could see my mother had lost strength down her left side but with the right medication, within three days she walked normally.

Onky last week I had a divine encounter and went off swimming. On the way I sensed the presence of God. On the return trip I fell onto the main road, due to poor road conditions. As a I fell I looked down towards all the traffic and it all stopped. A young man came down to assist me, but apart from a few scratches I was fine. In that moment I knew I was loved.

Heaven is so involved in our lives. I praise Jesus for His example. He prayed intensely, so intense was His prayers that He sweated like great drops of blood. He is my example. I will follow His submission. His submission encourages me.

How good is our saviour!

Pray that you will not enter temptation !

“Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”Luke‬ ‭22‬:‭39‬-‭40‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus knew what stress the disciples would soon face and warns them to pray. However, they fell asleep, and subsequently ran away, Peter faced the temptation to lie and succumbed. When the cock crowed he was grief stricken as he recognised that Jesus was right and that his self-confidence was flawed.

We also need to pray so that we do not enter temptation. Prayer is not just an afterthought, or a repetition of the Lord’s Prayer, but rather a lifestyle of prayer. A life bathed in prayer has no room for deception and doctrines of demons. Being in good fellowship with others also allows us to be exposed to cross-examination, and the truth. Reading God’s word puts it as the centre of truth for our lives.

After Pentecost we see the disciples live differently, they were made alive and on fire for prayer and the reading of scripture. The baptism in the Holy Spirit turns a clay pot into a gold pot. It is the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit that makes a difference. 

Pray! Amen!

God changes us

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”Luke‬ ‭22‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This is the first time Jesus has so directly discussed the effect of sin with His disciples in so personal a way. He had said, ‘repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’, He had forgiven the woman caught in adultery and told her, ‘go and sin no more’ but as for the disciples, and more importantly, Peter, it was the first. He had rebuked him with ‘get behind me Satan’, when Peter tried to counsel Jesus not to talk about the cross, but had He spoken these words to Peter or to Satan who was influencing Peter? I suggest He spoke to Satan.

Jesus spoke to Peter about his denying he knew Jesus. Peter could not believe he would do such a thing, he protested and said, ‘even if all of these forsake you, I won’t!’ Peter had a view of himself that had not been tested.

In Nepal persecution of Christians is common, we see Nepalis jailed for their faith and foreigners deported. Only this month there was an article in the news saying, ‘go away!’ This was directed at us Christian foreigners. The current head of the immigration department does not like Christians and wants them gone. Preachers are preparing their congregations for persecution. This is cruel as many foreigners have contributed to the building of Nepal, however, fact is replaced by bias.

We do not know how we will behave under persecution. We many speculate but not know until tested. Peter found that when tested he did indeed deny he knew Jesus. When the cock crowed it cemented Jesus’ words and he went away and wept bitterly.

Jesus said, ‘when you have repented’. He knew Peter would repent. Jesus instructed Peter to strengthen His brothers. I wonder how he went with that? After Pentecost Perer was as bold as a lion. The Holy Spirit makes us like that. However, before receiving the Spirit he was a fisherman, afterwards a powerful preacher.

God changes us! Amen!

What a waste

“Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men Lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves. “You have stayed with me in my time of trial. And just as my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right to eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭22‬:‭25‬-‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Judas was still present when Jesus said these words: “you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel”. Where was he in his head?

Did he not want to serve? Was the talk of dying and rising from the dead too much for him? He had been one of those commissioned to go out and preach, heal the sick and drive out demons, yet, Satan entered his heart. This can only happen with a willing participant. Where had he been in his heart?

What a waste of a life! Don’t waste your life!