"And this is love; that we walk in obedience to his commands."

Why do we do what we do?

2 John 6 “And this is love; that we walk in obedience to his commands.”

1 John 5:3 “This is love for God, to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome for everyone born of God overcomes the world.

Jim and I have travelled down to Christchurch area for a time, why? Because the Lord was directing our feet in this direction. End of story. But why? What has He got for us here? What are we ‘doing’ here? Why spend the money to come down here when we don’t see the finances coming in that will be needed to cover the trip? All sorts of questions arise as we step out in faith but end up not being able to answer all the questions that arise from various directions, various people in their hearts and our own, and yet we come and we come simply in obedience not knowing the outcome but knowing who our Lord is and that He has good plans for us.

Recently the Lord gave me a dream and it led me to the story of Jonah and his refusal to go where the Lord told him to go and the consequences that happened because of disobedience and then finally repentance came and he went where God had originally called him to go. He didn’t go initially because of fear I believe and for many of us we don’t step out into what the Lord calls us to do because of some type of fear, but then because of that fear it cripples us in some form until we come to a place of repentance and trust in the Lord and finally do what He calls us to do. When we do, like Jonah, I believe we will see things we never dreamed of or believed for.

A few years back we believed we were to go to China and it was the ‘last’ money that Jim and I had as such and so it was a huge step and once again we didn’t know why we were to go but we went out of obedience and eventually we understood why we were to go and it grew us immensely in our faith in the Lord to the point that when the Lord called us to go to Africa for three months once again with no money coming in or knowing the country or what we were to do there, but because of seeing the provision in the previous trips, we had the faith rise up in us to step out again and we saw absolutely amazing things happen on that trip that we never dreamed of. God is faithful and is able to perform all that he says he will do, if we will only but ‘obey’ not knowing the outcome.

There was an old song that was sung “Trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus” and it is so true. We so often don’t know the outcome of faith, but faith requires an action on our part in order to see the promises come true. We have promises over this trip to Christchurch, and at this point we can’t see them but we are here by faith, not in what we can do, but knowing that our Lord is faithful and will do what He said He will do. I write this not only to encourage others but ourselves in the Lord as we need to be reminded of what the Lord has done in the past to help us keep going in Him, to keep believing in Him when we may not see it yet.

May the Lord richly bless each one of you as you step out in obedience and love for Jesus into what he calls you each one to do.

Obedience and Commitment are big things in Gods Kingdom

Reading in Acts 7 this morning the story through Stephen of Abraham being told by God to " Leave your country and your people and go the the land I will show you" So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living. He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child." As I reflected on this and the journey of Abraham stepping out in faith into a land that he received no inheritance in but a promise of what was to come for his descendants of which we live in the fruit of that, I thought of todays generations in which often is only doing things that we want to do or that will benefit us personally as we live for 'today' not worrying about tomorrow. A sense of if it feels good then do it, if it doesn't then we will move on - perhap

6 legged sheep???

In the weekend I saw a vision of a sheep that had six legs. And what I believe the Lord is saying, there are many sheep, (followers of Christ), but they are trusting in their own strength and not in mine. When we trust in our own strength and abilities we forfeit the grace that can be ours, the enabling that comes from stepping out in faith in the impossible, the testimonies that give God the glory rather than the expectation of what should be because we have put our hand to something. God is the God of the impossible and in order for the miracles, the testimonies, we need to be a people that step out in what we can't do and allow God to come in and do the impossible. That may simply be asking the Lord to help you to forgive someone that has hurt you so much, to getting on a plane with no finances because the Lord has asked you to, to continue to stay in a job/church/marriage/relationship you don't want to because that is where God has placed you, to praying for a

The baby's been handed over

Several weeks ago the Lord shifted us out of the 'home office' into the 'market place' and in the process a spiritual shift happened - one of letting the 'baby' go, a releasing and handing over the batten, so to speak to others. In this process the nests that WE ALL have been in have been stirred up, shaken about, and pushed out, to fly in ways that perhaps we were too afraid to do previously. The amazing thing with God is that He knows the timing of all of this and where each one of us is at and what we can handle. Yes there has been a fluttering of wings in panic. Yes, we have had a few weeks of challenge as authority and structures get changed and challenged, frustrations coming to the fore, but love helps us overcome, love helps us to forgive, love helps us to see the good and not the dirt, love helps us remember our own failings and yet forgiveness and grace that the Lord has for me, that I can give to others, remembering it's the glory of G

Don't worry, you wont miss the bus.

Last night I had this dream and there were a bunch of people at my house and we all decided to go somewhere by bus. Because we had to lock up the house, Jim and I missed the bus, while the others managed to make it. I found myself getting a little frustrated with Jim as he seemed to be so slow in locking everything up. Jim & I got there just in time to see their bus drive away. We were left standing in the rain. But then the thinking came, its alright, we will just catch the next bus. Some of us may feel at times like we have missed our opportunity. That we have missed what The Lord would have us do, and in that we can get a little frustrated by people around us and even perhaps blame people for where things are at, at least I know I do at times. :) But I believe The Lord wants to encourage people today, including myself, that you don't need to worry, just rest and be at peace and you will soon get another opportunity. Like waiting for a bus at a bus stop, they come

Do you feel like you are being tossed around in the wind?

I believe there are some out there who feel like they are being tossed about from one thing to the other, not sure where they are heading or what they are believing for and this is a time when you just want to give up and walk away from the promises God has put inside of you. I want to encourage you to keep going and as it says in James 1:2 " Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." I know that sometimes you don't consider it all joy when you go through trials but believe me, it develops things in you that you will be grateful for if you don't give up and you will see fruit in your life and those around you should you learn to walk in patience and perseverance. These are times you don't want to be a lone sheep but instead get yourself around people of faith wh

Do you feel alone or discouraged today?

I was greatly encouraged this morning as I read 2 Timothy chapter 4. This chapter outlines some of Paul’s struggles and how people loved the world and followed their ways and in so doing caused much harm towards Paul and his ministry, but his hope remained in the Lord and His reward comes from Christ alone. Verse 10 “Demas has forsaken me” Verse 14 “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm” People can come and go out of your life. People can cause trouble, but we are called as Christians to endure hardship as it says in 2 Timothy 2:3 “Endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a solider”. 2:10 “Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.’ We go through many things in life, many challenges and it is easy to look to man, to get discouraged b

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