The day with dianne Louise

2 Corinthians 7:10 (MSG) Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets. Again we must examine 'bitter or better'. There are times when things comes from left field and hit us by surprise. There are times where we know things are tough and we will get through. Yesterday I had things both ways. I had competed in a triathlon event on Sunday. I struggled but completed it. Yesterday I was washed out and energyless . My mum is visiting so I am obliged to entertain, which is not hard as she is great to have around. My body ached and my attention span was poor. After dinner I suddenly broke out in a rash all over my trunk. It is still there and very itchy. I am not prone to such things and cannot explain it. It is just another thing on top of a difficult week financially. Yet I must tru...

Psalms 73:2-4 (MSG) But I nearly missed it, missed seeing his goodness. I was looking the other way, looking up to the people at the top, envying the wicked who have it made, Disappointment can draw our focus away, when we fail we can measure ourselves against others and while our focus is on others we miss the One. If our head is turned away we miss the glorious sunrise, the majestic sunset, if we are not tuned in and at peace we don't hear the noise of the quiet. If our thoughts and concentration is on our failure and the success of others we are looking earthward and fail to see the glory above. We fail because we walk in our own strength , we fail because we plan wrongly, we are mistaken in our view. I will package my failure and give it up for the reward of peace, I let it go and refuse to let it bind me. I choose freedom, I choose peace, I choose the Way of Life. Amen!

Psalms 71:20-21 (MSG) I've been to the bottom; Bring me up, streaming with honors; turn to me, be tender to me, Does God hear this sort of prayer? Yes from the man who wrote it. He had spent his life in a relationship with the Lord. In the movie ' Eat, Pray, Love', Julia Roberts realised she did not like her life and in desperation knelt on her bathroom floor and prayed for the first time, she wanted out of her marriage, she did not want to know God she just wanted Him to fix something. Nothing happened. When I was 19 I realised my life was a mess, I was in a relationship I did not like but more than that I knew I was desperate for a knowledge of God inside, I wanted to be clean inside, I prayed and struggled for several hours, then God spoke to me. It is not enough to want to be out of circumstances we do not like, it is important that we know we need to be clean inside and want a relationship with the only one who can clean us up. God is not a grocery store or more...

2 Corinthians 5:20 (MSG) We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences .......... One of my favourite stores is Myer, a large upmarket store. Why? They have a section devoted to fragrance and because we all love fragrance we will go there and test their wares. This has the effect of filling the whole store and even the outer court area with delightful fragrance. It is attractive! I have just said we love fragrance. Do we realise how much we love it in our relationships? Why do we like to be around certain people? Each of us carry a fragrance. Are we like Pepe la Pew? a skunk with a repellent fragrance? or like Myer filled with the most sought after, most expensive of fragrance? How is fragrance developed in us? We are squeezed by life's experiences and by choosing we become a most delicate (for women) fragrance or a most attractive spice (for men) fragrance. Our fragrance tells of who we are. It tells a lot about us. Befor...

2 Corinthians 4:7 (MSG) If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. Money, power and glory often motivate mankind. In the deepest part of our heart the truth lies. We may be able to sanctimoniously fool the masses but we do not fool our God. We may not acknowledge Him as our God but one day, our day of reckoning will come and we will stand before Him. Saying 'no I believe there is no one God or we are all God's' might sound good now but what if you are wrong? Shall the pot tell the potter he is not a potter, 'why I crafted myself just by thinking when I was but clay'. Even a little child can see through such foolish thinking. One of my borders took philosophy as one of his subjects, it became evident in his speech. In his effort to become wise he became foolish. Allowing our minds t...

God is already beginning to arise, and His enemies to scatter; let them who also hate Him flee before Him. Psalm 68:1 God is ever ready to arise, but waits for us. We have to 'get it'. Who are we? What do we have in our hand? In whose army are we? What sort of power has the man up front? God wants to dance with us in triumph. If I have already won, what is the problem? Why do I act defeated? Why do I behave as if He hasn't heard me when He has? Why do I assume He is not there or does not care just because He has His own time-line? The vision He gave me is of a happening that is still to come. His slowness is for my benefit. Because He is slow I have to dig deep into faith, because He takes his time I have to trust, my values are being tested, my resolve is being tried. Do I really believe, am I really sincere? Do I really want what He has shown me? Did Jacob really want Rachael? Did Abraham really want Isaac? Did David really want the Lord's plan or his own? Will I...

Psalms 62:1 (MSG) God, the one and only— I'll wait as long as he says. Everything I need comes from him, so why not? Why not indeed. I am being perfected in patience. He will have his way of that I am sure. My last border has gone and I am alone. I have invited the Lord to fill my house with Himself and He has. Although my circumstances don't look good I am at peace and I praise Him for He is good. He is my provider, He is my companion, He is my wholeness, He is my blessing, abundance, my prize. All good things come from Him. Amen! 'In darkness in trial my soul shall sing of Your goodness, You kindness, my offering of praise my God never fails, my God never fails '(song).