Harmony

“May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.”Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Why does harmony not always exist? Selfishness has a big part to play in this. Selfish ambition causes us to reach for ourselves at the expense of others; to tear down the character of others to build up our own frail self-image.

The fear of missing out, losing what I have, making myself important so as to gain support all weigh in why I may abuse others.

However, what does Jesus say? “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John‬ ‭13‬:‭34‬-‭35‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Loving others like He loves me is laying down my selfish life for others. It does not give me room to self-promote or destroy others. Fear causes me to destroy others; love promotes others.
Perfect love perfects us in the knowledge we are loved.“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:18NLT

Tender mercy

“And so the Living Expression became a man and lived among us! We gazed upon his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father overflowing with tender mercy and truth!”John‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬ ‭TPT‬‬

The Passion Translation translates Logos as Living expression. In the footnotes it explains this:

‘Logos is more accurately understood as a self-revealing form of a message. Jesus Christ is the eternal message, the creative word, and the living expression of God made visible. He is the divine self-expression of all God is, reveals, contains and reveals in incarnate flesh.’

John wrote, ‘we gazed upon His glory’. John fully appreciated that He has Jesus, the Son of God as a friend. When he says he ‘gazed upon His glory’, he looked at God living among men and was totally awed by the experience. He saw the overflow of tender mercy and truth. To live with this would have blown away all he ever knew about God. He had only known the God of the Old Testament, the judge and dispenser of justice.

When we come to Jesus we have an about face from living according to rules we have believed are enough, rules given by a church denomination, and personal failures to a loving God, who says: ‘I have paid for your redemption, you are free from the bondage of sin, you are welcome into heaven just because you have faith in Me and the work I did for you on the cross’.

His mercy and truth are enough! Amen!

Character assassination

“The character of God is a tower of strength, for the lovers of God delight to run into his heart and be exalted on high.”Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭10‬ ‭TPT‬‬

One of the biggest poisons poured out on the world today is character assassination. Right now, post the US elections Donald Trump is coping it in spades. It seems this is what the media loves to do, a real tool of the enemy. 

If we find ourselves being used to sprout such vindictivism we need to repent and find God’s ways. Our God is just and true. He alone has the right to judge. Why attack people? Why not present truth instead and pray for our enemies.

One of Australia’s media greats is now in prison accused of assaulting young men. He will face court. This man poured out acid on his enemies. He is an old man and it is a sad way to end his days. 

Jesus gave us a better way, pray for your enemies. Allow God to deal out justice. As the scripture for today tells me He is my tower of strength, I can run to Him.

Our enemy tries to have us doubt our God. He pours out his hatred on the God who cast him out of heaven. He would delight in nothing more that for us to join him. Sorry buddy! Not going to happen!

My God is trustworthy and true and a tower of strength and the place I run to. Amen!

Him only

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭6‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This word was spoken by Moses to the children of Israel. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment,  “Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself.”Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭37-39 NLT

Although this came as a commandment first, we Christians are drawn to love Him, as He first loved us. No longer is it a ‘must do’ but a ‘want to do’. God freely gave us Jesus so that whomever believe in the work He did on the cross will have eternal life. This means gratitude! He saved us from eternal death and brought us into eternal life. Why would we want to be, do and go where we know He would not have us go?

Today I am battling with a problem: I am been invited to attend a Hindu wedding in a Hindu temple. The invitation came from a dear friend, however, my God is the lover of my soul, not my friend. I will go my Lord’s way only.

I want my God to have my strength, heart, soul and mind. I have energy only for His projects. He is where life is. Amen!

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Warrior prayers

“A warrior filled with wisdom ascends into the high place and releases breakthrough, bringing down the strongholds of the mighty.”Proverbs‬ ‭21‬:‭22‬ ‭TPT‬‬

A warrior in prayer does the exact same things. Prayer warriors do not just offer token prayers, they battle for the souls of men and women. Disasters are merely an invitation to fight in prayer, the rebuke the enemy and pour out God’s mercy and grace. A warrior does not see the enemy as all powerful, but evil and needing to be removed.

A warrior without wisdom acts indiscriminately. However, a warrior who has the mind of his lord and saviour acts with wisdom. A good warrior becomes accustomed to his lord. David’s mighty men served him loyally and there was nothing they would not have done for him. They were guided by his wisdom. 

When Jesus returns to rule the earth He will come as a warrior. Satan will be bound for 1,000 years. This is an aspect of Him we have not seen, yet it is an aspect seen in heaven. Jesus intercedes constantly for us, He is in warrior mode. We can join Him in warrior mode as we pray. Dress for battle, put on the helmet of salvation and take up the mind of Christ. Pray! Pray! Pray! Amen!

A great light

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.”Isaiah‬ ‭9‬:‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I am living in a land of darkness and have been praying for the light to come. This promise is good news.

The original prophesy given by Isaiah was talking about the darkness brought about by the Assyrian army. The verb tenses used are the prophetic perfect; in other words although they were speaking of the future they were written as if they had already happened. This was fulfilled when Jesus went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali (Matt 4:16). Yet, there is still power in these verses. A promise of light in the darkness is ever present.

What were the odds that Jesus would choose to live in Capernaum? Who would have guessed that Jesus was the answer all those years after Isaiah’s prophesy. God has unique and wonderful plans for the gospel to infiltrate dark places.

Already He is filling my heart with vision for remote parts of Nepal. He wants to go there, He has a plan. How wonderful to be a small part in that plan!

I had a burden to pray for my birthplace in Australia some weeks ago and yesterday my son informs me of a plan God has put in his heart. I am in awe of the workings of my God.

There is no place my God cannot go! I will trust Him! Amen!

Love looks like …

““So this is my command: Love each other deeply, as much as I have loved you.”John‬ ‭15‬:‭12‬ ‭TPT‬‬

These are the words of Jesus. His love for them kept Him pure and focused on the cross. He lived sinlessly so that He would give a perfect sacrifice. However, His love confronted them over their fighting for position, lack of faith and carnal solutions.

So how do we live as He lived? Laying down our lives for others, staying true to our calling and being a living example of love. Love covers a multitude of sins but is willing to confront. Jesus also prayed fervently for His disciples. We can and should do this.

As we pray for others we can realise that the problems they face are often spiritual. Dark forces work against them as much as us. Interceding for them will enable them to become all God has called them to be. Amen!