Never stop praying, joyfully

“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I find I can be more joyful as ai ensure I have time of worship each morning. I seek the word of God for my life each morning and His wisdom in decisions I make, constantly. I refuse worldly enetertainment and listen to preaching on UTube. I cannot afford to stop in the ‘pleasant looking places’ because I have seen the faces there, they are not joyful.

I am constantly pushing forward. Lately my language class has become very difficult. The teacher is now speaking only in Nepali. I have to attempt to glean what he is saying from the text he also uses.

Tomorrow I go, again, to Sindhulpalchok. My colleague has things planned for me, a full schedule. I leave after class tomorrow afternoon and take a three hour rough ride in a micro bus. Fortunately, I sleep in a soft bed the first night. The next night I am on the floor in a church in thick jungle with a pit toilet. I am speaking in a church Saturday morning and showing a movie Saturday night (the Jesus movie in Nepali), Sunday I speak in a school or two about trafficking. Then I catch the same bus back to Kathmandu. College again Monday.Fortunately I have a holiday on Tuesday.

I cannot do all this without my God’s strength. He is my source and supply. So far, I am managing on my government pension. I also pay two translators $200/ month each, to translate David Pawson’s Bible teaching into Nepali. However, to do the work before me I will need support. I am praying into this space and have written to my church at home. The Lord holds the purse! Amen!

A lamp

“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭105‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I like the Passion translation of this verse:

“Truth’s shining light guides me in my choices and decisions; the revelation of your Word makes my pathway clear.”Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭105‬ ‭TPT‬‬

I must take truth into my life, especially in areas I have been deceived into believing a lie. My enemy trades in lies. The word of God has truth for every lie.

I must be open to know that I have been deceived. I discover this the more I press into God and open my heart to His word.

Deception comes in the form of wrong thinking. It can also be in wrong senses and feelings. I can be trapped by a sense from the pit that masquerades as truth. I must test everything! This is especially true if I have depended on ‘feeling’goodness around me.

May true goodness and mercy follow me and deliver me from all my enemies. Amen!

Be alert

“Be well balanced and always alert, because your enemy, the devil, roams around incessantly, like a roaring lion looking for its prey to devour.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ ‭TPT‬‬

If we don’t think we have an enemy, we are already deceived. Our enemy hates those who believe. He hates it even more when we do things that promote the gospel. I know when I am on track as the opposition starts.

Last week my colleague in human trafficking prevention in Sindhulpalchok was threatened with blackmail. Fortunately, his blackmailer was convinced that my colleague was not as rich as he thought. When he discovered that my colleague could not pay and would not pay the blackmailer went away. The blackmailer threatened to go to the authorities claim wing he was proselytising, this is illegal in Nepal. 

What this did was sharpen my awareness of caution in what I do and say. Yesterday there was a news report that missionaries had convinced a woman to convert to Christianity promising that al would be good and took her to a church which asked for a 10% tithe. When all her problems did not disappear the woman asked the pastor for her money back and when it was not forthcoming she went to the media. Now there is a storm in a teacup brewing.

If we promise a bed of roses as a Christian we do a disservice. When we fail to disciple correctly we do a greater disservice. Our own folloishness works against us. May wisdom guide us!

As I prepare to go to Sindhulpalchok I ask for great wisdom. Lord, keep my eyes and ears open to Your truth! Help me take the message of life to the downtrodden with wisdom and grace. Amen!

Strength is in You

“How enriched are they who find their strength in the Lord; within their hearts are the highways of holiness!”Psalms‬ ‭84‬:‭5‬ ‭TPT‬‬

We do not need to be told, “You are strong!” We need to be told, “Your God is strong, you have become strong because you trust in Him!” Our ego needs deflating! Pride needs destroying!

Satan’s sin was pride. He knows it well and tempts us with it. Last week fellow students praised me because I was studying Nepali at 71. I accepted their praise but it is God who enables me. I said, ‘ the ability to do something is all in the mind!’ I stole His glory! I repented, but am aware that it is easy to accept glory when it really belongs to another, the Lord of glory.

Within humility and trust are found the highways of holiness. Holiness is something I seek. I will find it in humility, and truthful confession. Amen!

Run the race

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So many saints known and unknown have gone before us. They are watching our race. How will they see our race, our preparation and our diligence? We will have all eternity to speak to these and hear their testimonies.

What is my testimony looking like! Does it engender faith in those on earth who watch? Do they see my humanity? Do they make allowances or do they criticise? What matters most is that Jesus be evident. 

Do the saints of old look on and sigh? ‘No don’t do that or don’t go that way!’ Or are they cheering me on? I want to live a good and righteous testimony. Is anything hidden or is all seen?

The One I most want to please is my Lord. I have had a dream in which He praises me for my endurance. However, I cannot assume all will be well, I must apply myself to my faith! There is an eternal picture here and it is that which is important. Amen!

Power to live a godly life

“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.”2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Do you ever think, ‘I can’t be good today!’ ‘I don’t have the power to beat this temptation!’ Then you are wrong as Peter tells us above. We have His divine power to overcome. You might say, ‘But I don’t feel any different! So, since when does how you feel dictate the powers ability to help. If you believe you have it and step into it, you have it!

For the longest time I have had a battle with a particular temptation and most times lost, because I tried to beat the feeling. However, I’ve discovered the battle is in my mind not my flesh. There have been many books written about the mind being the battlefield. Joyce Meyer wrote a good one: Battlefield of the Mind. Paul teaches us the we must defeat strongholds in our minds: “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.”2 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We discover this strength as we spend time getting to know Him. He is our source and supply! Amen!

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=eNz7hieSO_A&si=Ap6yHPrlKPY7Cocf

He has done great things

“For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.”Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭49‬ ‭NLT‬‬

These are Mary’s words when Elizabeth had proclaimed how blessed she was because she believed in the word of the Lord through the angel and was to bear the child Jesus.

Before her another woman sang a song when she became pregnant and bore a child, his name was Samuel. The mother was Hannah. She had sought the Lord for a son and prayed that she would give him up to the Lord, and that is exactly what she did. Her child was Samuel one of the greatest men of God in the Old Testament.

When God’s word to us comes to pass we should give Him praise and honour. The results are not our doing but His. He goes before us! He keeps us! He is good! Amen!