Two options

“The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.”

‭‭Nahum‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I have moments when it seems I am immersed in trouble, at these times the Lord is my refuge as I seek Him and run to Him. I must do the seeking. The enemy of my soul attacks my physical being with something new each time. Each time I must seek the Lord for He is my health and strength.

When I was in Australia last the doctor suspected I had haemochromocytosis (high iron). My Father had this. It is genetic. I’ve just had tests, not a problem. Just because there are disasters waiting does not mean I must embrace them. When I returned from Australia I had what seemed to be the precursor of a stroke. All tests were negative. What these episodes do is deplete my finances. I have a friend who houses young people. One of her young men was in hospital with suspected parasites in his brain, not so. All he ended up having was constipation. That episode cost her 77,000R. My episode cost similar. A friend gave her 30,000R but she was left with carrying the remaining cost.

Why does the enemy attack? Because we are invading his territory. We are taking ground from him. As we read the Old Testament scriptures we see the enemies ever present BUT so is God! He is our refuge. He loves to do the amazing through and with us. In the New Testament we see Paul face many trials and persecutions. At one time he was stoned to death BUT arose. Now stoning would hurt, a lot! Paul was shipwrecked, scourged, hounded out of places by the Jews. Eventually Paul was behedded, but not beofre he did great things with the Lord working in him.

If you think playing it safe is the best place to be you are wrong. The enemy of your souls is deceiving you. How will you stand before the Lord and say, “I knew you to be a harsh judge so I hid my talent in the ground!” What will he reply? 

“But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭26‬-‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Eternity has only two options! Which will you choose?

Good deeds

“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

First we must have good deeds. What are they to you? My heart is filled with ideas for me to do. My spirit is singing praises to the One who gives me those good deeds to do.

I have just spent the weekend travelling to a place called Pokhara in Nepal. My purpose was to talk to people who recycle waste. I was looking to solve two problems: poverty and a land polluted with recyclable waste. To reach Pokhara I travelled on a bus. The trip took seven hours going and 10 hours returning overnight. I arrived back in Kathmandu yesterday at 5am. I went home, rested and had breakfast, went to have a blood test, as I was due for a check up after a supposed mini stroke. I then went to college which took all morning and returned to the hospital for the results and an appointment with my doctor. I was given the all clear and went to an appointment with another recycler here in Kathmandu. I had an excellent meeting and returned home to cook dinner, shop and make a birthday cake for a friend’s birthday in Wednesday. I ama wake at 3:30am with my spirit singing praises to my God and vision filling my mind. I am 71.

My life is not spent, rather it has begun! As  I learn Nepali I am wanting to go out to the villages to speak, train and assist. I want to be an agent of transformation in Nepal. For now the Lord has given me an area called Sindhulpalchok. It is mountainous and much is remote. Just as well that I like trekking.

My goal is to stop trafficking and transform villages from rubbish dumps to places of life, one village at a time. I want to teach women to read and write their names, so that they are empowered. I want to provide micro loans so that these same women can bring their familes alive with enterprise.

I want to teach them all about the source of life, remove the darkness, bring healing and light. What have you been given to do?

Millennial Jerusalem

““Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭60‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The whole book if chapter 60 speaks of a future Jerusalem inhabited by Jesus. It paints a glorious picture.

Many Christians take this verse and apply it to themselves. Whilst we are called the lights of the world and encouraged to see ourselves as light this chapter in Isaiah is about Jerusalem.

This encourages me to see what Jerusalem will be like in the Millennial period when Jesus rules and reigns for 1,000 years. I often think what it would be like to be on earth during Jesus’ reign and what it would be like to experience 1,000 years. I am almost 72 and to me this has been a long life with many memories. What would 1,000 years be like? Especially serving Jesus! It would be a glorious time.

Eternity then begs recognition. Those who die in Christ will experience the joys of eternity with Jesus in a heavenly home described in The Book of Revelation. What a glorious place!

Be ready

“You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭40‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Are you ready? The time draws near! Many are coming to Christ! The worldwide revival has begun and will culminate in the coming of Jesus. 

This does not stop me! I will continue to work until Jesus returns. I want to usher in the revival here in Nepal.

We need an open heaven over areas we minister to, this is needed in Australia, as well as other parts of the world. We can usher this in in heart felt worship and living a God-focused life. We can leak the presence of God, as Bill Johnson puts it.

Come Lord Jesus come in power and might!

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=R6qL709aNis&si=1X6pPCPSqgCnE1iv

A woman of God

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭31‬:‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A woman who fears the Lord says and does what He is doing. To be able to say that she seeks Him and follows His ways.

A woman who cares onky for her looks, is consumed with self and spends all her time amd money on image.

Being caught in the web of deceit is not a good place. In that place the enemy controls much like having puppets on strings. However, a woman who fears the Lord is free in His presence.

A woman of God prays instead of giving opinions. She waits for God to speak and then she talks out of His reserve. I do not always do this and can recognise the hollowness when it is just me.

Scripture tells us think on what is good and clean and lovely and things above, not things of the earth. We are all going into eternity and will live there forever. The life on earth is a learning place. We prepare for eternity.

Choose life!

The cross

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.”Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I just watched Roland Baker speak about the cost of serving the Lord in Madagascar. He, and Hedi his wife, have been on their desth beads several times. They have face climatic disasters, financial disasters, threats by terrorists and more. Whilst he did not say all this I know from following them they are true.

I have a dear friend here in Nepal who is under attack, again, as one of her young charges is in hospital and the tests done and to be done are costing a mountain of finance. I was there myself four weeks ago. It looked like I had a mini-stroke. After much expense and tests showing nothing serious I was discharged on blood thinners.

There is a cost of following the Lord! There is a cost in serving Him. We know this and still we follow. We could not fathom a life without Him. In all things He provides and is with us.

The trial is not fun but we live to tell the tale of what God is doing because of our faithfulness. That is the adventure!

What is sin?

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We may not like the title ‘sinner’ but that is what we were and still struggle with. We were born into sin and apart from the free gift of salvation we are unable to be sinless . However, as one who Christ died for I have been given the priveledge of being filled with the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit is a deposit of God’s power enabling me to walk in a way that is sinless. By the power at work in me I can be free from the dictatorship of sin.

Sin is, basicaly, missing the mark of sinlessness. I have no power in myself to be holy. It is Jesus who is holy. I must walk in faith in the work He has done in me.

Jesus died for us all, we do not have to earn His free gift of salvation, but accept it by faith. Salvation is being rescued from certain death, spiritual death . Spiritual death sends us to eternal fires, spiritual life to eternal life with Jesus.

We can reject all this as ‘mumbo jumbo’ and determine to live for ourselves, however, we are deceived by the one who would take us to eternal death. Satan hates God and hates us. Our destruction is all he seeks. He knows his end and wants to destroy humanity by taking it with him.

Choose life!