THE PATHWAY AND FAITH

Our God is simply amazing! He knows everything; He sees our needs (He sees all our desires but promises to satisfy our “needs”: I want a 1960’s Fender Strat - (that’s a guitar by the way) but I defiantly do not “need” one!!) He loves us without condition and He delivers on His promises “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper and not to harm you”

We set out on our walk in our Christian life and at the start we are usually excited, buoyant, energetic, enthusiastic, infectious etc. And after we have been on that walk for a while and we find it’s a long and sometimes difficult one the edge goes off of our excitement, we are less enthusiastic not as “up” as we possibly should be and we wonder if we are on the correct path and if we should keep going.

Well Father God has given us a tool we can use to maintain our focus and to keep our enthusiasm and to boldly march out on the pathway He has set even when it is beset with obstacles and hurdles to get over:

FAITH

But what is that?

Politicians tell us to have faith in their policies but they let us down. Leading figures in sport, entertainments etc. ask us to put our faith in them but they let us down. Mum and Dad, Husband and Wife, Son and Daughter, Friends and the Church all tells us we can trust them but they let us down. We are not too good at this.

BUT God does not let us down. He will ALWAYS fulfil the purpose and plan He has in my life and yours. He will ALWAYS deliver on the promises that He makes and on that foundation alone we can place our FAITH

I know my path has been laid out before me by Almighty God. I do not always know where the path will lead and I cannot always see the end of that path but I know that God has a reason for everything going the way it does and being the way it is. It's not always clear to us but it is His plan nonetheless.  That’s where we can use that tool, that piece of armour He gives us – FAITH – sometime hard to define and explain but I know I am guided by my Faith and it means I know my pathway is going to bring a good outcome even if I don’t know how I will reach the end I know that the end will be what God has called me into

So we can sit down on our posteriors and do nothing and stay really safe and never be on the true pathway and never realise what it is God ultimately has planned for us OR we can take a step forward onto the Pathway accept that we may make mistakes and know that we are trusting on God because we cannot do this thing on our own and we can use the FAITH that God has given us all and finally reach the destiny that Daddy has prepared for me/us

God Bless

A New Start

Well January 7th 2013 was definitely a new start for me.

After spending 6 months out of work and using the Job Seekers Allowance system to try and simply "tread water" for my family and me, God delivered on His promise.

It is not the first time and it will not be the last time that I quote from Jeremiah 29 and verse 11:

" For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"

But when you are right in the middle of your life falling apart, your finances in rack and ruin (even if much of it was your own fault) when you receive nothing but rejection at job interviews for the strangest of reasons which are never explained ("We feel you would not fit our company culturally" - WHAT???!!!) and when you keep "trying" to do things your way, it's hard to embrace the truth of that verse, the promise from God and remember that God NEVER breaks His promises.

Whilst I did not experience anything approaching the things Job went through I do feel as though I was given a glimpse of the circumstances he was presented with. And Job remained firm on God's promise despite the circumstances he found himself in. And the truth is I am sure Job must have thought at times "what have I done??" he stood firm and trusted God.

Well I do not claim to be a Job, but I do declare that even with doubts in my mind at times I continued to seek after God, continued to ask Him to open the right doors to give me the right opportunities to show me the right path and I declared that I would hold onto the promises declared in Jeremiah 29.

The plans He has for us are to prosper us to give us a hope and a future.

Well PRAISE GOD that is exactly what He did. Not just giving me THE JOB (within the business world) that if I had free choice to walk into every job, this would have been the one, but to go beyond that. Isn't that just like a loving Father. Not satisfied with giving us what we ask for and what we need (a job, an income) He goes beyond that and blessed me with a salary that is the highest I have ever been paid. HALLELUJAH. I don't say that to boast I say that to give the glory back to God. And when I eventually finish the current story I am trying to write about where we are now, it can be clearly seen why that additional blessing is so important right now.

But then God KEEPS ON BLESSING:

During my last year with Heinz I worked with a simply amazing guy, a Christian, whom I miss and love dearly, Peter Eilers. We have maintained contact through Facebook and one day I truly hope that we can get together again. Peter and his wife have moved back to the USA and are living in Seattle. I cannot tell how fantastic it was to work alongside this Christian brother. Also during the last year I had discovered three or four other Christians in the wider procurement team, Peter had introduced me to a weekly prayer group that met and even amongst the new employees that came on board during 2011/12 a really strong Christian guy joined and tried to start a similar prayer gathering in the new European office in Zeist Holland. So things were really quite exciting in the company.

So last week during a "chat" conversation with a colleague at my new company IBM, I mentioned that we had been blessed with six children. This lady had just returned to the business after maternity leave hence the discussion around children. I had probably used the word "blessed" twice. She typed into the chat box "I hope you don't mind me asking but are you a Christian?" A very quick reply went back with "No I don't mind and Yes I am" - There was an almost audible hallelujah - "so am I" came back the message. I was the first other Christian she had found in the organisation - I just think it was another one of those very special Godincidencies.......................

So a promise from God fulfilled, a new start, a financial blessing and to top it off within the first 4 weeks I make contact with another Christian

Just hold onto His promises, His timing and His goodness will pour out into your life

Amen

WAITING FOR REVIVAL

REVIVAL:

I hear people talking about it and see people posting about it and I am all for it BUT it appears sometimes all people are doing is waiting and searching for it………..well some old news for us all…………the waiting is over REVIVAL is HERE and REVIVAL is NOW!!!!!

You see REVIVAL starts with ME and YOU wherever we are in our day to day lives. At home, work, socialising, shopping, playing sport, simply everywhere that we are. We just have to be willing to step out of our own plans and step into what God opens up for us each and every day and react to the opportunities He provides. And it’s no good waiting till you are being really “good” because in truth it will be too late then, we will be made “pure” when we are in Heaven and there would be no need for REVIVAL. No God can and will use us regardless of our circumstances; He will use us despite those circumstances and not because of them.

I am delighted to be part of some wonderful people who meet regularly in prayer and worship in response to a prophecy given over a year ago that national revival will come to the UK and it will emanate from Norfolk. We are a diverse group of people where denomination is completely ignored and we are focused on praising our Heavenly Father and seeking His guidance in all that we do. We fervently believe that the time is coming, that it is nigh, that a great move of His Holy Spirit will descend across Norfolk moving out over the UK. However I do not think anyone associated with that group is sitting at home, or in the chair or pew of their church just “waiting” for revival to come. Every church, every individual, is learning to step out into situations we would not normally do and be used by Daddy God to rekindle the flame that once burnt passionately in this land for the things of Heaven. Think of the word. REVIVAL is to “bring back”. You cannot REVIVE something that was never there.

So: If you are waiting for REVIVAL you may have a long wait. If you want to see this county (Norfolk or wherever you are), this country (England or wherever you are) REVIVED to the glory of the Father then GET UP and BE SOMEWHERE where you can BE GODS LOVE and where you can, through the strength of His Holy Spirit, be a CATALYST to trigger REVIVAL in your town, village, community, street!!!! REVIVAL is HERE it’s NOW and it’s through YOU!!!

GOD BLESS

AN UNTOLD STORY

So after previously trying to be way too clever with these thoughts and musings four months ago I am going to try and put these together in a far shorter way.

Firstly may I remind you of the verses I was pondering over:

Luke 2 vs. 36 – 38

“Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.”

Do you ever wonder why you read about an odd character in the Bible and do not get the “full story” of who they are? They appear once and then they are gone. No, or very little, history on their background and noting to say what happens in their future.

Do you ever consider the significance of such characters?

I do not believe anything in the Bible is there by chance, or in error. Everything written has been done so in accordance with God’s will, the writers, writing, in tune with the prompting of the Holy Spirit their hands and thoughts guided by Him.

So in the Bible there are just these three verses recorded that contain this woman Anna. That’s not a great deal but it is more than some people in the Bible get. So what do we know fairly certainly about Anna from these three verses?

Her name was Anna

She was a daughter of Phanuel
She was a prophet(ess)
She was a member of the tribe of Asher
She was widowed after seven years of marriage
She was now very old
She was holy and devout and she regularly practiced prayer, praise and fasting
She spent most of her life in the House of God – the temple

So the above few highlighted comments are obvious and easy to see within the passage. So what is their significance?

Anna: Anna is probably derived from “Hannah” but both versions of the name carry the same meaning which is “favour” or “grace”. An interesting point is that the first “Hannah” I can find in the bible was also a Prophetess, and she was the mother of Samuel. There are also strong parallels between the birth of Samuel and that of Jesus.

Phanuel: Phanuel’s name means “the face of God”

A Prophet(ess): A prophet is a spokesperson for God. The prophet challenges, warns, directs, encourages, intercedes, teaches and counsels God’s people. He/she brings the word of God to the people of God and calls the people to respond to that word. The prophetic ministry begins in the presence of the Lord. When the prophet knows the heart and mind of the Lord, he/she speaks the word of the Lord to his people. He/she stands before the people, as one who has stood before God. Because his/her words come from the heart of God they are powerful and effective

Tribe Of Asher: is among the ten lost tribes of Israel

Widowed: in these times a girl became a woman around the age of 14 or 15 and this was the usual age of marriage. We then know that she had been widowed at a very young age, around 22.

Age: I have found two streams of thinking about Anna’s age. One that she was now 84 at the time Luke wrote this, and some say that what Luke was saying was that after the death of her husband she lived for 84 years as a widow before she met Jesus as a baby. That would have made her around 106 years old. Either way she was not a young person, but one that had been through some real "life" experiences as so many of us do.

Dedicated: we are told she was devout and also that she visited the temple DAILY. She did not live there but made it her duty to visit the temple each and every day.

So why do I believe these three verses are significant and important?

Here is someone who at a very young age was dealt a terrible blow, the loss of her partner. At that stage she could have just turned away from God, hated Him for that happening, abandoned the teachings she would have received and basically given up on life. But that was not Anna. She chose to dedicate her life to God. She chose to persevere each and every day faithfully spending time before Him just waiting for His promises for her and for mankind to come to fruition.

Surely she must have felt like giving up – haven’t we when things are a bit tough, when things don’t happen the way “we” want or the way “we” expect them too and when things take far longer than we have the patience for. I am sure there were those times but I am equally sure that she got through those times and remained faithful attending the temple on a daily basis.

And just when she may have been thinking she was too old and she had missed whatever God had planned for her suddenly God’s perfect timing came about, and she was in the temple when Joseph and Mary brought Jesus as a baby to the temple. After this she didn’t sit back and think well that’s it now I can relax. No it says that she “talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem”!! She continued in the ministry she had been given proclaiming the arrival of Jesus Christ

We may not see our purpose in God’s plan, we may not think there is anything left for us to do, BUT God has plans for all of us until our final day, and we need to be Anna’s faithfully seeking God’s purpose for our lives each and every day and keep pressing into Him without ceasing

Three small verses rarely referred to at Christmas but have so much to say to each and every one of us

God Bless

FINALLY: THE RETURN

Well hello everyone, yes I have returned. I cannot really believe that over 4 months have passed since my last post on this blog site.

 

So much has been going on in my life that I let my focus shift away from what I think God was using within these blogs and I have now been brought back to them. Some of what has happened and the experiences that I am now going through will unfold in these pages over the coming months.

It was a recent coffee with a good friend that made me really think about these blogs and their value. This guy is a superb bloke, a husband and father, and has a challenging job in a challenging industry. I think he will probably read this when he sees the various posts and links again, and I hope he will not mind me saying the following.

 

He said something profound to me about this site. The reason it had a profound impact is that he wasn’t what I had thought was my “targeted” audience.

You see I predominantly write about what I think is being revealed to me in my Christian life through Father God, both the good things He highlights but also my short comings and therefore sometimes the short comings of the “church”. As far as I am aware my friend is not a regular church goer, and as I think back I don’t think we have ever gone onto any depth about what he may or may not believe about God, however he is someone who’s company I enjoy and whose stories I enjoy sharing through his own writings.

 

Anyway we had a bit of an open chat about what was going on with my life and he said he hadn’t seen the blogs for a while and that “he had missed reading them because he enjoyed what they had to say”, in particular he enjoyed “reading a truthful analysis of where I was at in my Christian life”, which as I have said can be great places as well as difficult ones.

So I reflected on that over the past week and have decided to try and commit time to continue writing this blog. There are new things taking place in my life, some amazing challenges and lessons learnt, and some amazing blessings even in the midst of hard times, and a new freedom through a negative situation. Now there is a lot in that sentence that is cryptic and a lot I have to decide on how much to unpack and how vulnerable I make myself, not that I am afraid of vulnerability, I just have to know that it is for His glory and not for self enhancement.

So my next blog will be to close out the series I had left hanging at the start of June and just write it up in a much simpler format than I had previously attempted as I share why three verses in Luke (Luke 2 vs. 36 – 38) are so significant, and how those three verses just demonstrate, as did my conversation with my friend, that we can never fully know the impact we have on those around us when we simply allow God to lead and we follow His leading

God Bless you All, forgive my absence and I pray that God provides me insights that can be shared to encourage His people.

Amen

Three Verses – The Series (Part Three)

The Role Of The Prophet (Part Two)

Luke 2 vs. 36 – 38

“Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. (or some translations say for four score and four years which is 84). She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.”

I continue in my study on the above three verses the introduction can be found here and the first part of The Role Of The Prophet can be found here

I would like to continue expanding the role of the prophet and will touch on a further two aspects Worship, Encouragement

Again where I have used “he” to describe the prophet I also mean “she” at the same time.

The Role Of The Prophet – Worship

The prophetic ministry often plays an important part in worship.

Paul said “Let two or three people prophesy, and let the others evaluate what is said. But if someone is prophesying and another person receives a revelation from the Lord, the one who is speaking must stop. In this way, all who prophesy will have a turn to speak, one after the other, so that everyone will learn and be encouraged. Remember that people who prophesy are in control of their spirit and can take turns. For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.”

(1 Corinthians 14:29-33)

Prophecy inspires God’s people to worship. During worship the bringing of prophecy leads to a real encouragement of God’s people, and we need to see more and more of this in our church families today.

The bible talks of professional worshippers and prophets, (professional in that they were called or set aside for these roles, recognised by the church for the gifting that they had) and were responsible for leading the worship in the house of God.

So if you have ever wondered if there was a Biblical “role” for the Worship Leader in yours or any church this provides some insight in that there were people set aside for that task and they performed a key role on behalf of God’s people:

“David and the army commanders then appointed men from the families of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to proclaim God’s messages to the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. Here is a list of their names and their work: From the sons of Asaph, there were Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. They worked under the direction of their father, Asaph, who proclaimed God’s messages by the king’s orders. From the sons of Jeduthun, there were Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six in all. They worked under the direction of their father, Jeduthun, who proclaimed God’s messages to the accompaniment of the lyre, offering thanks and praise to the Lord. From the sons of Heman, there were Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. All these were the sons of Heman, the king’s seer, for God had honoured him with fourteen sons and three daughters. All these men were under the direction of their fathers as they made music at the house of the Lord. Their responsibilities included the playing of cymbals, harps, and lyres at the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman reported directly to the king. They and their families were all trained in making music before the Lord, and each of them—288 in all—was an accomplished musician. The musicians were appointed to their term of service by means of sacred lots, without regard to whether they were young or old, teacher or student”

(1 Chronicles 25 vs. 1 – 8)

The Role Of The Prophet - Encouragement

I mentioned prophecy as an encouragement in the section on “Worship”

Encouragement of the people of God is a really important aspect of the prophetic ministry.

“But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them. A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church”

(1 Corinthians 14 vs. 3 & 4)

Prophets can build up and strengthen the church. Silas and Judas were two prophets who encouraged the church in Antioch.

“Then Judas and Silas, both being prophets, spoke at length to the believers, encouraging and strengthening their faith”

(Acts 15 vs.32).

The Bible gives a number of examples of prophets who encouraged the leaders of their nation to act boldly: here are just a couple:

“Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of God’s people began to obey the message from the Lord their God. When they heard the words of the prophet Haggai, whom the Lord their God had sent, the people feared the Lord. Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave the people this message from the Lord: “I am with you, says the Lord!” So the Lord sparked the enthusiasm of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the enthusiasm of Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the enthusiasm of the whole remnant of God’s people. They began to work on the house of their God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, on September 21[c] of the second year of King Darius’s reign.”

(Haggai 1 vs. 12 – 15 NLT).

You see here that firstly the people feared the Lord – that is that they knew the honourable place that God should hold in all our lives, fear here meant reverence and awe and not frightened panic. Then we see the prophet encouraged the people of God by sharing what God had revealed to them in that “He was with them” and then as a result of Haggai’s words the people were enthusiastic, they were encouraged.

In Norfolk right now are we not an encouraged, enthusiastic and encouraged people because of the prophecy given over this county that revival will start with God’s church in Norfolk, and don’t get left behind that is happening NOW!

And we read of Haggai again in Ezra:

“At that time the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem. They prophesied in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jehozadak responded by starting again to rebuild the Temple of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them and helped them”

(Ezra 5 vs. 1 & 2).

The prophets stayed with the people and continued to help them whilst Gods people rebuilt the temple.

We all need encouragement and encouragement that comes from God is the very best we can possibly hope for.

In the next post I will pick up on some more of the Role’s Of The Prophet

Continue sticking with me over the next few posts because it all builds to the importance and relevance of these three simple verses in Luke

God Bless

Three Verses – The Series (Part Two)

The Role Of The Prophet (Part One)

Luke 2 vs. 36 – 38

“Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. (or some translations say for four score and four years which is 84). She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.”

I continue in my study on the above three verses the introduction can be found here.

On this blog I would like to start expanding the role of the prophet and will touch on three aspects Prayer, Receiving The Word Of God and Suffering. Please note some is my own writing and some from articles I have read which I believe make a point very clearly so have not changes the text but attributed it to them. 

The role of the prophet was varied, and understanding the role of the Prophet as seen in scripture I believe has helped me and can help us when we think or talk about the gift of Prophecy within the Spiritual gifts laid out in 1 Corinthians 12 and it’s use within the three verses from Luke

Where I have used “he” to describe the prophet I also mean “she” at the same time.

A prophet is a spokesperson for God. The prophet challenges, warns, directs, encourages, intercedes, teaches and counsels God’s people. He brings the word of God to the people of God and calls the people to respond to that word. The prophetic ministry begins in the presence of the Lord.

When the prophet knows the heart and mind of the Lord, he speaks the word of the Lord to his people. He stands before the people, as one who has stood before God. Because his words come from the heart of God they are powerful and effective.

A prophet can undertake a huge variety of roles and often does. A prophet may carry out every one of the role on an occasional basis but most likely he will settle/move/focus in one or two of these roles. Prayer is the foundation of every aspect of ministry. As God is a God who creates each of us as unique individuals He also develops His prophets in the same way so that no two are identical but each of them should be a reflection of God’s creativity and calling.

The Role Of The Prophet – Prayer

An important even vital part of the prophet’s task is prayer. Because he knows the mind of the Lord, he is in a position to pray effectively. He has a clear picture of what God is doing, so he knows where prayer is needed most. The prophet watches over the word of the Lord and prays it into being. He must not rest until God has fulfilled his word (Isaiah 62:6).

Prayer is essential to the prophetic ministry. It came naturally to the prophets in the Bible and was the life-blood of their ministry. Prayer was and remains our/their principal means of communication with God and lays at the heart of our personal relationship with God

The Role Of The Prophet - Receiving the Word of the Lord

Another key role of the prophet is waiting in the presence of God to receive the word of God. This means listening and if we/they are trying to hear the word of the Lord then it will always require waiting. The task of the prophets is/was to know the will of God, so that they can convey it to the nation. Their ministry consisted in handling revelation, i.e. the knowledge that God has revealed to them. From the earliest times prophecy was conceived as being the activity of God, rather than the activity of man. This is true not only for the receiving of prophecy but also for it’s delivery. When the prophecy actually conveyed the word of the Lord to the people he was deemed to be under the power of God. The hand of the Lord was upon him, empowering and directing the delivery of the word (Clifford Hill - Prophecy, Past and Present with some small adjustments)

The Role Of The Prophet – Suffering

A prophet is often called to suffering. Deep dealing at the hand of God will often be needed to prepare the prophet for receiving the word of God. Sometimes he may actually have to experience beforehand, something of what his people will experience.

As an example Jeremiah spent many years in captivity before his people went into captivity. He was often rejected and ignored he was even accused of being a traitor. Another prophet Ezekiel had to lie on his side for 390 days to symbolise the judgement that would come upon his nation. This suffering made the prophets extremely aware of their human frailty (see Jeremiah 20:7-10 where Jeremiah pours out to God concerning the suffering he is under at that time).

But it also equipped the prophet to give what was often a very harsh message in a spirit of compassion. A true message is nullified if it is spoken in the wrong spirit. Suffering softens the prophet’s spirit, so that he can give the hardest word, in a spirit of love. Suffering contributed to Jeremiah’s compassion.

So we start to see some of the differing aspects of a role in scripture often simply titled the Prophet

In the next post I will pick up on some more of the Role’s Of The Prophet

Stick with me over the next few posts because it all builds to the importance and relevance of these three simple verses in Luke

God Bless