Wait!

“For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”Zephaniah‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Imagine Jesus living in your home, your community! How would you behave? I imagine if it were me, I would defer to Him, make room for Him and see His take on things that happened. Wouldn’t you?

Here is the good news: if you are a Christian living in a Christian community He is here among us. We are His church. We can defer to Him and ask His advice.

So many things we bumble along with, when we could seek advice. Ask Him! Read His words to you !

I currently have many things I need advice on. It seems things are taking longer than I want in organising our base in Sindhulpalchok. Yet, I sense His hand, and His voice, “wait, trust me!”

For someone who is used to getting things done, promptly, this is a challenge. Yet, as I wait, He moves. It is not all up to me. Amen!

Treasure

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Message Bible has more to say about treasure:

““Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.”Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭MSG‬‬

In Australia we have just witnessed severe bush fires in the State of Victoria. Many lost homes, livestock and vehicles, in fact all was lost. People have spent their lives building and collecting treasure only to have it destroyed in a day, in fact a short period of time. As they know nothing else they will rebuild and recollect.

What was Jesus saying in the above scripture? How do we relate to this scripture? Do not collect what can be destroyed here on earth but what is stored in heaven. What does that look like for you? For me it meant selling everything in Australia and moving to Nepal. Here I rent but still have furniture. Yet, this furniture is a useful tool. It is where people come and sit, eat and sleep. It is where I study, sew, paint, and more. I am about to create another place where these things can happen, a place close to those I hope to help. The furniture is simpler but adequate.

I am trying not to collect stuff for comforts sake, but rather use my resources for people. As I faithfully tithe and pray for the stretch over my finances, they stretch and are useful in so many ways. I am amazed in how God is stretching my finances, food, health, time and more.

I know I have a home in heaven, with lots of wonderful neighbours. Heaven has enough treasures for all eternity. I don’t need to collect them down here. Amen!

True humility

“True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life.”Proverbs‬ ‭22‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

How do you know if you fear the Lord? The answer is: you are probably humble. How do you know if you are humble? You first reaction is to go to the Lord and not react.

I know when I am reacting and not humble, my head hurts right in the centre front and I become angry. Submitting this reaction to the Lord and asking His way is life and peace. Unfortunately, I am not alway humble. I want to be and this is a goal.

The result, Proverbs tells me leads to riches, honour and a long life. The opposite is poverty, dishonour and a short life. The difference is stark. Each day I must choose. Each time an opportunity comes to humble myself I must choose. Life or death?

 

This proverb ties in with another: do not lean on your own understanding: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This is the path! Amen!

Ever ready

“You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭40‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Have you ever had a surprise visit from someone? Were you prepared? Was your  house in order, fresh biscuits made, and time to give them?

Jesus will not require biscuits, but is looking for souls ready for Him. How can I be ready? I can be in close union with Him, living as He advised in John 15, abiding in the vine.

Is there activities you need to delete? Activities you need to include? Have you failed to obey Him in some area of your life? Time to repent and obey!

Jesus told several parables about being ready. One was about ten virgins invited to a wedding feast. The grooms was slow in coming and they all fell asleep. When the announcement came that the groom is here, five were ready, five were not. Five has brought along spare oil for their lamps. The five unprepared raced off to buy oil and returned too late.

Are you ready?

Surrendering my life

“If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.”Mark‬ ‭8‬:‭35‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The only adventure worth taking is surrender. Giving up the grasping for our perceived life is true life. Flowing with the Holy Spirit is life indeed.

He is waiting to take us on the ride of our life, if we would just surrender. Surrendering our finances, our goals, our perceptions, our fears all lead to an unimaginable life of joy in the Holy Spirit.

I just woke from a dream in which the Holy Spirit was Lord. It was fun and filled with peace. This is what I want. Anxiety does not figure here, just peace and rest, and joy.

Can you surrender today?

Young preachers

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This is the day of the rising young! I rejoice to see them rise up and preach. We have a particularly young man in our church who is involved in Sunday school. After our church service the teacher leads the children in reporting what they had learned. This young man ends up preaching, he can’t help himself. I believe he is annointed to preach.

As an older woman I am wanting to raise up the young. They have a place and a vital part to play in church in these days. 

I am to mentor, release and bless the young. They have a freshness that blesses. However, they need protection, prayer and training. 

Jesus chose young men as His disciples. He can learn from Him. Even before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit He sent them out two by two to preach, Heal the sick and cast out demons. When they were filled with the Holy Spirit they were like a house on fire.

Let us release the young! Amen!

All that I am

“Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.”Psalms‬ ‭103‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This is a psalm of David. There was a time when he did forget the Lord. When he stayed behind in Jerusalem and didn’t go to war, he was walking on his rooftop and saw a lovely woman bathing. He lusted after her and took her even though she was married to Uriah. He subsequently made this woman, Bathsheba, pregnant and tried to cover his sin, going so far as to murder her husband.

I just awoke from several dreams in which I had forgotten the Lord and became mixed up with unbelievers in a wrong way. My flesh ruled in these dreams.

My flesh has been fighting me fiercely of late and so has my enemy Satan. Critical thoughts, selfish and vindictive thoughts, all manner of wicked thoughts have been crowding in. I’ve had to recognise them and reject them.  Some have stayed longer than they should.

Yesterday my colleague in the work to be done in Sindhulpalchok was in a motorbike accident. Praise God he was not severely hurt. He has some minor head injuries.

Last night I listened to a biography of Amee Semple McPherson. She was a great healing evangelist. However, she spent too much time ministering and suddenly disappeared, people assumed she was dead. She claimed to have been abducted but was accused of an illicit affair with a man in her church. Neither was proven. Perhaps she was taking a rest.

I must guard my heart, my mind and my behaviour. I want to stand before the Lord and know I did not compromise.

Being a great person does not protect us from sin, in fact it invites more attacks and temptations. I don’t want to be a great person to anyone on earth, as long as my Heavenly Father is pleased that is all that matters! Amen!