BF2013: Isaiah on My Mind…

Yesterday Isaiah was on my mind. Words of hope, promise and love. Light bulb moments beaming with fresh realisations about God. Understanding Him more. Rationalising why the world is confused by Him.

God speaks with truth, consistency and love. He cherishes us. His purpose for us was made clear. He hasn’t digressed from that vision. That purpose, and His love, never changes (see Isaiah 44:8).

                HE WON’T CHANGE HIS MIND … EVER!

Relief floods my heart, and as I close my eyes I gain some steps forward in my journey with Jesus. Feeling His closeness and the peace that ensues is pure joy.

The world doesn’t understand God, and yesterday I realised that God’s proclamations of His power and greatness are misinterpreted.

He’s not saying those things because He’s bragging, or because He wants to intimidate us into following Him.

                HE IS SAYING THOSE THINGS BECAUSE HE LOVES US. TRULY.

He is declaring His love for us. Reassuring us that we can turn to Him and rely on Him without fail.

 

We need to be as bold as God. We need to proclaim that WE ARE SAVED. WE ARE LOVED. WE ARE VALUED. WE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. Not to brag, but to share in love with others the joy that comes from knowing Jesus.

He is our living water. The only means of complete and thorough refreshment (see Isaiah 44:3-4).

He chose to give us His Spirit and blessing.

We are meant to THRIVE, and not just be.

Be bold.

Be brave.
Be courage.

Exude intrepidity.

Share His love. Share His purpose. Share His living water. Splash it out over all you meet. And remember that YOU are loved, cherished and made for His purpose.

Be Strong and Courageous...

Yes, this IS my 400th post and yes, I am supposed to offer a giveaway, but I'm not. I'm leaving that until the next post! Why? It's because the message in this post is more important. It's one that God is hammering home to me. His Truth.

It's about being strong and courageous. It's about never, ever forgetting that He will never, ever change who He is, lie to me, betray me, belittle me, abandon me, forget me, nor leave me.

It's about this...

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NIV

It's about the fact that I can rely on Him for the kind of love that I yearn for. That I can trust Him. That I will always be able to rely on Him for anything and everything. That I know He has my best interests at heart.

There are so many reasons why I love the Lord and all that He has done for me

One important thing, however, that I can do for myself is keep reminding myself that my past does not account for who I am now. That it's OK to make errors in judgement and wrong choices, because God is all over them. That's it's OK to feel how I feel, but that I'm to give those feelings to Him so that He can make clear in my heart why I'm feeling them.

There is just so much, but the most important thing is to remember to be strong and courageous, to not be afraid or discouraged, and that He is with me wherever I go and in whatever I do.

An Everlasting Sign...

(Please feel free to use this photo - taken and created by me, but please also include a photo credit and link back to this blog post. Thank you.)

The Beautiful Three...

Psalm 27:8
My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”

2 Corinthians 4:7
We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.[a] This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
Footnote:
2 Corinthians 4:7 Greek We now have this treasure in clay jars.

Isaiah 12:2
See, God has come to save me.
I will trust in him and not be afraid.
The Lord God is my strength and my song;
he has given me victory.”

Being Guided Through Life...

I sometimes feel a bit lost while traipsing through this amazing journey that I'm on. I flounder and I struggle with who I am supposed to be, what I am supposed to be doing, and why it - life - happens. But, thankfully I am blessed by an amazing Father who answers my questions of who, what and why.

While sitting here at my desktop computer that doesn't get used much now that I have my laptop (thank you for blessing me with that Lord!), I turned over to the latest offering on my God's Provision for Women perpetual devotional that sits next to it and I read this verse -

"He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way." - Psalm 25:9

And, in His amazing way of teaching, I have been reminded about my identity and purpose:

- Who I am supposed to be - guided by and humble in Him...
- What I am supposed to be doing - learning from and living for Him, and...
- Why life happens - glory for Him and His way!

It's all rather simple really, and has been put so clearly in the verse, but I will shake it up a bit now. He guides me, in whom He wants my ways to be humble and right, while He teaches me His way, which is humble and right and guided. Not my way, not the wrong way, and not the brash and proud way. HIS way...humble, right and guided.

On further study of the verse I realise that He is also telling me that for me to learn His way, which is right and humble, I must become humble in my ways. (Are you confused yet? And have I repeated myself? Probably on both counts!) To become humble though, I must quieten my ways, quieten my actions, and quieten my self. If I don't, He won't be able to get through all the noise and busyness and teach me what I need to know to live His way...humble, right and guided.

His Word is self-explanatory really, but only if we take the time to look at the words and extract His meaning from them and interpret His words for what they really are. Simple instructions on how to live life from our Father.

I've started a study of the book of Isaiah this week, and I've been blown away by the bluntness, and simplicity, of the first chapter. God, through Isaiah, tells how He is disappointed in His people, what they have become and why they have become like that. He also tells how they can return to Him, what they can become once again, and why they need to do it. Simple yet exact instructions of redemption from a Father who loves graciously and who offers His best and all with a wonderful twist…eternity.

Take a look at a verse today - a poignant one that has stood out to you - and see if you can extract God’s guiding, and most likely simple, message that He has in it for you. I’m glad I took a look at this verse the He provided me and gained a reminder of the who, what and why of me and my life.

Thank you Lord for showing me Your way, and for reminding me that the guidance and lessons I need to live life the right and humble way are right in front of me in Your Word; available 24/7 and given to me by your love. In Jesus Wonderful Name, Amen

Ramblings of Another Aussie...

I love blogland because it has helped me to discover that I am not the only one who has bad days, crazy thoughts, and weird hormones, hehe! While sitting here thinking that I really need to get up out of bed, I popped across to Naomi's page at Home Among the Gumtrees and learnt that I wasn't the only one who had a bad day yesterday, and who also needs to remember that kids are just that, kids.

Yesterday Jasmine and I had to be up and out of the house by 9am to attend a birthday tea party. We made it, and would have only been about 10 minutes late for the party, but on arrival at our destination, there was a Brisbane wide touch football tournament on! This meant cars and people everywhere, which also meant that my stress levels rose dramatically. So, back home we went to regroup and ring a contact, and then back on the road. We arrived an hour late at the party, and thankfully it was a fun time for all, albeit in the horrid and humid heat.

After I then dropped Jasmine off at her dad's house, it was time for me to go in search of a sofa bed for my mum's visit at Christmas. Two stores, $240.00 and a 15% discount later, I was home and ready to cool off under the shower and fan. On recollection of all this, it's made me think how interesting it is that we can change our physical circumstances easily with things like a cool shower and a fan, but it's the mental and emotional aspects that take the longest to resolve.

This is why it's important that, like Naomi did in her blog, I pray. I haven't left God's side of late, but I have been preoccupied in the physical circumstances with my life, and have been worrying about how I'm to deal with the mental and emotional aspects of it. I need to leave all my concerns to God and get Him to work them out for me, and guide me on the best route to take to resolve things.

Isaiah 35:3-4 reminded me just now of how God changes everything.

Here is a message for all who are weak, trembling, and worried: "Cheer up! Don't be afraid. Your God is coming to punish your enemies. God will take revenge on them and rescue you."

Thanks be to God for His reminder above, and thanks be to Naomi for reminding me that I am not in this alone.