Blessed

““But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.”Jeremiah‬ ‭17‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Ah but there is more:

“They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”Jeremiah‬ ‭17‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As rumours of war swirl, God is faithful and I need not fear. Today in Kathmandu there are two protest groups assembling, both hate the other and oppose the other.  China is reading for war to take back Taiwan and oppose those who would try to intervene, Australia being one. Australia is surrounded by Chinese war machines should they dare. Australia is caught with minimal defence, but God!

This event will purify the church and get her focused on her God! Currently she is distracted with ease. Ease dulls the minds and comfort isolates from truth. However, it does not prevent the enemy from preparing to devour.

Today I had planned to go to a NGO service provider on behalf of a refugee. I would have had to go through the mass of men assembling to demonstrate. I will need to find another way, perhaps email. God knows the need of my refugee and He is not hardened to his plight. I can trust Him!

Lord may Your kingdom come, Your will be done. Amen!

Prayer

“The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Peter believed that the end was coming soon, perhaps he thought it would come in his lifetime. As we Christians study the scriptures and watch the unfolding of godlessness in our world we also say, “the end is near”. However, Jesus said when the gospel has been preached to all nations, then the end will come. We , therefore, need to go and preach the gospel, but, importantly, we should pray that all will hear.

Jesus said, ‘stay alert for you do not know what day your Lord is coming…. You must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect’(Matt 24:42-44). A way to stay alert is to stay in prayer and reading the scriptures.

Jesus used the analogy of a man who, if he knew when the burglar was coming to break in, would have stayed already and not allowed it to happen. Satan wants us lulled to sleep. 

Jesus warned that the devil roams around seeking someone to devour. He devours those removed from fellowship, lulled to sleep by entertainment, and not having their lamps burning brightly, because of lack of oil. The oil is the Holy Spirit. 

Stay alert! Stay in Christ, pray without ceasing! Amen!

Clothing

“You are always and dearly loved by God! So robe yourself with virtues of God, since you have been divinely chosen to be holy. Be merciful as you endeavor to understand others, and be compassionate, showing kindness toward all. Be gentle and humble, unoffendable in your patience with others.”Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬ ‭TPT‬‬

My challenge is staying gentle. When I see compromise with the devil, allowing him to steal, kill and destroy I become angry. This causes me to be harsh and it is not the people I should be harsh with but Satan. I invariably have to repent and apologise.

Jesus became angry at the hardness of heart: “Then looking around at everyone, Jesus was moved with indignation and grieved by the hardness of their hearts and said to the man, “Now stretch out your hand!” As he stretched out his hand, it was instantly healed!”Mark‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬ ‭TPT‬‬ 

This is what I want to walk in! Unbelief really gets my goat! Therefore, I want to display the kingdom of God and not retaliate against those with hard hearts. Help Lord!

I want to walk in the power and authority of my God, not wimp out in some corner somewhere! I find so much unbelief! I am constantly battling this beast! Many prayers are unwhealming, limp, wet rags! Our God is looking for those who believe Him! Amen!

Work hard

“Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.”2 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

These words were written to Timothy by his father in the faith Paul. Paul knew how to work had and he suffered in his doing. 

What has God given you to do? Are you applying yourself diligently? I am in Nepal learning the language so that I can speak fluently to Nepali people the word of truth. However, whilst being a student I am advocating for three Pakistani families. Today I travel 40 minutes on a motorbike taxi to visit a Lutheran group who works with UNHCR to assist refugees. I am hoping to obtain a grant to assist a couple who are tailors buy their own sewing machines. I have been told to keep knocking, and so I will.

Later in the year I hope to have obtained a research permit and visa to travel to a place called Mugu in western Nepal. It is remote and inhabited by Tibetan descendant, a tribe called Karnarong. In June I am travelling to China and Tibet to prepare for this project. This trip is expensive but God has shown me how to fund it. He has also showed me practical ways to help my refugee families, my fortnightly stipend stretches in amazing ways. As I go to God with a desire to be obedient He helps me. It is not about me following my heart, but His.

Although I am 71 I have much energy and drive to fulfill the work before me. I do not have time to be lazy, I have a mission to accomplish.

I watch my son and grandchildren embark as evangelists back in Australia and am pleased that they carry the torch there.

What is your task?

Temptation

“We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously.”1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬ ‭TPT‬‬

I have found that investigation of solutions and seeking God in prayer works. However, sitting in the problem and wailing does not provide an escape. Neither is, ‘I’m going to beat this thing!’ Sometimes I must seek to understand the source of the temptation before I can solve it.

Not feeding on certain movies or books can keep you from the cliff, as in sexual temptation. Refusing to entertain fantasies about potential mates is another. I cannot give my mind to fantasies. I can only focus on what God has before me.

Food and drink can be a temptation to gluttony and greed. Not going there or having friends who go there is important. Get new friends! If you are strong enough set the pace for change with friends, if not, leave.

Lust for clothes, shoes, houses, cars can be managed by seeking God for His spending plan. If we think it is all ours, we have a problem. Seek God for what is seed and what is for food. Seed is for sowing, food for eating.

Temptation to lash out in anger is fleshly. Paul tells us in Romans ‘walk in the spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh’. God has a solution, seek Him! Mercy triumphs over justice. Think on that! Amen!

The rest

“Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Mark‬ ‭2‬:‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God rested on the seventh day of creation and all He had made was good! It sure was, it was perfect! When I gaze into the heart of an orchid and see a bird, I wonder at my God who created it. When I see very small birds I wonder at their structure, when I see small sea dragons I am amazed that God created the male to birth hundreds of young, very tiny creatures, all able to swim and live.

What a mind that designed all creatures great and small. So many intriguing creatures! What a work. We are worn out after designing one thing let alone thousands.

This past week I had to design an 18 day holiday in China, booking hotels, trains, planes, tours. It was exhausting! There were difficulties in Tibet as we had to leave on the last day of the tour, no looking around. I had to reschedule our train trip back to Beijing. As I had two spare days I slotted in Xian and the Terracotta Warriors. It meant cancelling one leg of a train trip and adding another. Fortunately my initial deposit was refunded. My brain was frazzled and the next day I took off to walk to the pool and swim. I could not apply my mind to any more planning, it refused, it needed a rest.

We need a day to rest our minds and bodies from work. In Nepal all things are considered work apart from sitting, sleeping, and resting. We westerners do not call planning and speaking to people about those plans work. We only count the actual going to a place of work ‘work’. However, God planned and created and it was work. 

I love Saturday and Sunday for on these days I do indeed rest. Today my friend Chelle and I will do a long walk, and later bake a cake for a friend’s birthday tomorrow. Tomorrow I walk to church and enjoy God’s people. Friends and I will lunch together at our favourite restaurant and later we will attend the birthday party.

Rest is to be enjoyed. It is a time of refreshment, fellowship and fun. Daily I rest in fellowship with my God. I desist from anxious toil and planning. Early morning works best.

Worship is a good form of rest! It is refreshing and enjoyable. It is not work. Today I will sing Jesus over all creation!

My favourite Nepali worship song:

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=G76jhOigXIY&si=Ht6EPwcbwIWae1SI

Iron on iron

“It takes a grinding wheel to sharpen a blade, and so one person sharpens the character of another.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭27‬:‭17‬ ‭TPT‬‬

I have a strong personality when it comes to defending the defensless and making a way for them out of poverty. In my work with the Pakistani refugees I am fighting for their good. However, my opinion on a matter is not the only one. I see the situation close to the refugee, I feel their pain, but God sees where they have been, how they have managed what He has given them. 

I am an advocate in a group called EDC (empowering displaced communities). I have to bang on doors for the refugees. I am good at banging on doors, however, not all doors open with provision, some with a question, some with advice. I am allowing this process to mould me into the person God wants me to be. He has a future task for me which requires me to learn my lessons well in this phase. It is not easy when a family has no food but what is the best solution?

Nepal has many professional beggars. They are not necessarily on the street, they are in flats with meagre possessions but they are safe from the rains that are about to fall. I was caught with a man who was providing a home for children who needed an education. At first I thought the children were orphans but most were not. There was one girl and boy who belonged to the man’s wife’s sister, who actually lived near to them. This woman had seen an opportunity to be free to earn money apart from her children. As a mother I found this baffling as I could not give up my children like this. 

Each day when the children needed breakfast this man would supervise and then he would retire to his bedroom and spend the day on his bed with his phone. This is not what I imagined I was funding. I turned off the tap.

If money comes in too easily we make the recipients lazy and unwilling to find work that would provide for the family and earn the man a good reputation. God knows who these people are, we westerners do not always know. Driven by guilt we part with funds too easily without becoming involved in the big picture.

It is good to give money but better to be a breathing part of the solution. This is where others come in, especially if those others have had experience we do not have. I prefer to employ or to find employment for refugees. This requires me to become very active and involved. This is a real solution! Amen!