Prepare ye the way of the Lord {Introducing Jesus to the outside world}

We both heard it! My friend and I had gone into the cafeteria in the garden centre to have a drink.  As we walked through the area displaying the artificial flowers for sale we could hear a voice on the cafe radio saying 'Where is Jesus?' If my friend had not heard it too I would have doubted hearing correctly. However, when we got into the cafe there was nothing on the radio to indicate that anything to do with religion was being spoken about. It was hot and stuffy inside the there and my friend said ' Shall we sit outside?' There was an outside area designated for customers with chairs and tables, so we paid for out drinks and went and sat down at one of the tables. There was a lady sat at another table who had her leg in plaster, and beside our table was a large pond with lots of fish in it.

The Lord had been calling my attention to evangelism for some time. Shortly before I had gone on holiday to Lancashire a person I had not seen for a long time asked my friend and myself to visit a home for the elderly to sing the songs and read the poetry that we have been inspired to write since becoming Christians.  I had felt a little apprehensive the day before we went there because I had not sung or played my guitar in public for some time.

That morning I was reversing out of my drive thinking about this. The CD player had started automatically when the engine had been turned on, and the first song that began to play was 'Prepare ye the way of the Lord'. After the Lord had spoken several other things to me from the scriptures I had been able to go to the home the next day with far more confidence, believing that it was indeed the Lord's will that I should do so.  How true the scripture 'We can do all things in Christ Jesus Who strengthens us.'

Sitting there in the cafe garden, I suddenly had a revelation that God was continuing to speak to me about evangelising to the outside world and was confirming it through hearing 'Where is Jesus', then moving outside to the garden to have our drinks.  I felt the woman with the plaster on her leg represented the spiritually lame outside, and the fish represented the catch that would be had because the Lord had made us 'fishers of men'.  This is the scripture that has been impressed on my heart for many years.

On the three occasions I had seen my friend while I was on holiday there had been much discussed and prayed about concerning evangelism to the world, and I felt that our last day spent together that week ended in such a beautiful way in the garden centre, with the Lord reminding me of the importance of introducing Him to the outside world.

The Lord speaks to us in many different ways, and He continued to speak to me about my part in spreading the gospel to the outside world.  While I was in Lancashire, I sketched out on a stretched canvas two tigers at a waterhole.  When I returned home and started to paint it, I noticed that the picture I was painting it from was a leaflet for the WWF, {world wildlife fund} and written across the front of the leaflet was 'Your gift of a legacy could make all the difference in the world'.  That same morning I had noticed that, where I had been wearing my sandals on holiday, the sun had burned stripes on my feet between the straps and I thought 'Gosh, they remind me of the tiger.'  It suddenly fell into place why tigers had been cropping up in my life for some time.  I felt it was to bring my attention to the words on the leaflet, that the Lord was saying through it all that whatever gift He has given me is part of His legacy and must be used to make a difference in the world, the marks on my feet emphasizing the fact that my feet must be shod with the gospel of salvation.

When I arrived home there was a letter from my brother in Australia in my mail, and in it he mentioned a book which he had acquired written by an American evangelist called Rick Warren.  It is called 'What on Earth am I here for?' For me this says it all.

As the scriptures say 'Everyone who calls out to the Lord for help will be saved, but how can they call to Him for help if they have not believed?, and how can they believe if they have not heard the message? and how can they hear if the message is not proclaimed?'

Romans ch. 10 vs 13 and 14.

 

Harmony

 In these troubled times I just feel led to share three of my poems with you .

Freedom - the right to choose

How can it be called 'freedom'
having the right to choose
if when I have to have my own way
then others have to lose 
For who's to say that I am right
and all around are fools
not one can have perfection
while all have their own rules
No - freedom is not when things suit me
'Freedom'...is when there's harmony

The way to Your heart

Not by good looks or prettiness
are You influenced my Lord
neither colour nor creed, high position or fame
can cause You to change Your Word

You're not tempted by what's on the outside

to change justice or judgement or truth

and neither can Your Holy wisdom

be acquired through age or through youth

For the way to Your heart is through Jesus

He's the narrow road we must all take

the Lamb without blemish - our Saviour

Who was sacrificed for mankind's sake

He's not only our Mediator

He's a teacher and councillor too

He's the One used when You my dear Father

said 'Behold I make all things new'.

The Witness

He came like a sun in this darkened world

to bring knowledge of God and His ways

bringing light for man's blinded eyes to see

giving warmth to man's soul with His rays

When His time came to go - to return to His home

He did not leave the world without light

but established His church as a witness to be

like a moon shining bright in the night

Let us not be double minded

 'I haven't had chime'  My mouth was saying 'chime', a mix of the two words ' chance' and 'time' because there were two words in my mind. (The mind was responding to two instructions, causing confusion). Regarding healing, or walking in the way of the Lord, if the natural mind is saying what the world has taught it and the mind of Christ (the Spiritual) is saying another, surely the body will respond in the same way as my mouth did. We must be fully convinced in our minds regarding our actions, so therefore it must be the mind of Christ that we have to instruct us, not the natural mind when we are born again of God's Spirit. For the scriptures say that he who is double minded will not receive anything. ( James ch. 1 vs. 7 and 8 ). We can persistently ask God to increase our faith for whatever we ask of Him in Jesus's name until we get a positive response.

Jesus ( the Word of God ) is always the same, Yesterday, today and forever. He never moves from one mind to another, but we can. He speaks to many kinds of people - His disciples, the Pharisees, and the outsiders. He regards no man in the flesh, He is Spirit, as is God, and we must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. He regards us how we are and who we are Spiritually when we are born again of His Spirit.  We can be anyone and likened to anyone written about in the Bible Spiritually. Just as John the Baptist went in the Spirit of Elijah ( His mission was the same as Elijah's, warning the people that they were disobedient to God ), so we too can, and will, live our lives according to the Spirit that is in us.  

After a flower has been picked, if it is kept and pressed in a book it will keep it's colour. This reminds me of when we are born again, being kept by the Word of God and the pressure of that Word giving us eternal life, even though we have been cut off from our worldly source of life.

 These are some flowers  and leaves that I dried in a book to add to the very relevant scripture in the picture.

My praise for my beautiful Saviour as I celebrate CHRISTmas this year

I just want to share two songs I have written, that I may have shared before, but which speak of Jesus and my experience of His love and sacrifice.

JESUS WENT TO THE STABLE FOR ME

Jesus went to the stable for me 

born in a human likeness was He

a babe in a manger He was to be 

 just as the Father told Him

There He lay with the cattle and sheep 

placed on a bed of straw to sleep

every word in His heart to keep  

just as the Father told Him 

'You shall have everything you see'

 Satan said 'if you worship me'

'To God alone will I bow' said He

 Just as the Father told Him

Jesus went to the mountain for me 

spoke with Elijah and Moses did He

There He was given all authority  

just as the Father told Him

Jesus came in the Spirit for me
comforter, counsellor, healer is He
and from the curse I have been set free
just as the Father tells me
Now my heart and my mind are stirred
I must act on what I have heard
and I shall live by God’s every word
just as the Father tells me

HE HAS RISEN

He has risen with healing in His wings

He has risen with power in His hands

and the river of the Spirit has gone forth

for the healing of the lands

He has risen as the Saviour of the world

sent from God to set men free

and His voice is calling to the people

saying ‘ Come and follow me’

So hear the Master calling

He’ll take your pain and strife

Yes Jesus will lead you back to God

and everlasting life

God bless all who visit, and have a lovely time at Christmas

.......... but God causes the growth.

 I just wanted to repost this post that I wrote in 2015 when we lived in Wales, as a blogger friend wanted to see pictures of plants I had grown from pips and I couldn't manage to get them up :-} 

 

Years ago I planted four separate

things in pots of soil.

Two were acorns.  They eventually

grew into two small oak trees,

which I brought with us when we
moved here over five years ago,
and have in tubs in my back garden.

 

I have always loved growing things,

and get quite excited when I see the

first signs of the plants emerging

from the soil.

Another thing I  planted was a fig, that too in a pot of soil, and which gradually grew into a small fig tree.   I  also brought this small tree with us to this house.  I put it into the ground and it has now grown to about three feet high. 

 

The amazing thing is that it has actually produced three figs this year for the first time.

My husband loves figs so I am hoping that these will eventually ripen enough for him to be able to eat them.

 

The fourth thing that I planted was a grape seed.  This plant had always been in a pot outside all through the year, until we came to live here.  Then I put it into the front porch which is like a greenhouse when the sun is out.  

 

About a month ago I put it back outside and I have to say that it appears to be thriving better there than it did indoors. 

Perhaps one day I will get a greenhouse and see how it does in there.

There is something in all of this which really speaks spiritually to me about having humility in the Lord.

 

Although I have thoroughly enjoyed watching these plants grow,  there is no way that I could take any credit regarding the actual growth of the plants.  I know how to place the original seed in the ground, and I can encourage it to grow by watering it, but that is all that I can do.  All credit regarding the growth goes to God.

The same applies to my calling in the church, which I believe is evangelism and, strangely enough, I have to say that just like my grapevine  thrives when outdoors I too love being outside sharing the gospel.  However, I may plant, I may water, but it is God who causes the growth, and all credit and glory can only go to Him.

 

This is emphasized in 1 Corinthians ch. 3 v. 6 and 7  where the apostle Paul says 'I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused it to grow.  So neither the one who plants counts for anything, nor the one who waters, but God who causes the growth. '

 

 

 

 'Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.'

 

Ephesians ch. 3 v. 20

 

 

                                                                                              

We can not judge by what we see

My husband often says ''That doesn't look right.', about a situation, or 'that person looks (so and so)'.  I say 'How do you know what 'right' is, regarding a situation or judge a person by what they look like on the outside ?'  We can never tell by the small amount we know of a situation, or the outside looks of a person, what is going on fully regarding the situation or what the person is like on the inside.  We never see the whole picture.

When I was a prison visitor on a lifer's wing there was a man who cried daily saying that he could not forgive himself for killing his best friend with a claw hammer. I told him that God would forgive him because he had been on drugs, and he did not fully know what he had been doing, and was now repentant. He changed gradually and came to the Lord. There was another person who on the outside looked like a movie star, very handsome and liked to chat. He felt no regret that he had killed someone.

I was once working in a temporary office for a construction company when we were living in Kambalda, West Australia, I had to walk across the large water pipes to get to the office, as there were scorpions and deadly spiders and snakes on the ground. I went to walk up the steps of my office and saw what I thought was a very large black beetle with a red stripe on it's head on one of the steps. I stepped over onto the next step to avoid it. When I went into the office I told one of the men about it. He went out to have a look, came back in and said to me 'That is not a beetle, that is a red back spider eating a black beetle.' I was so glad I had stepped over it as the red back is quite dangerous. 

When we look at some creatures we may think that the larger they are the more dangerous they are, but that is not always so. The red back is more dangerous than the Tarantula , which is much bigger. So we can never judge by what we see, and if we saw the whole picture many of us would think, and act differently,.

If our God judged us by what He saw in us we could never be approached, or accepted by Him. He knows everything about us, whether it be on the inside or the outside, yet He still loves us and wants us to be saved. Jesus sacrificed Himself regardless of our ways and thoughts, and that is true, unjudgmental  love. We can not judge others by what we see or know of them, as the war is spiritual, not against flesh and blood. Ephesians ch. 6 v. 12 What we can do is pray for one another, and for all men everywhere to come to the knowledge of our  Lord Jesus Christ. 

What we, as human beings may see as 'God' through the carnal mind can be very different to how we see Him when we are born again of His Spirit. Many times, when my blogger friends come over to my blog I will say 'Hi, nice to see you', yet I am only seeing a picture of them. When God comes into our lives through believing in Jesus, even though we do not actually see any picture of Him we can truly say:- ' My ears had heard of you, but now I see You':-  Job ch. 42 v.5 . We see God the Father through Jesus, the Word of God made flesh.

Don't miss the boat

Because of what is happening around the world now, which I believe is related to the prophesy in Matthew ch. 24 vs. 7 and 8:-  'Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.'

I feel led to repost this post from my other blog which is :-

http://fatherithankyouforjesus.blogspot.com/  for those who might not know the Lord but who come to read my blog.

A beautiful romance

Listen all you people there's a story to be told
a wondrous tale of beauty talked about in days of old
It speaks about a mystery -  a beautiful romance
how the God of all creation gave this world a second chance

a second chance to walk with God - to become His holy child
to be rescued from our wretchedness and to Him be reconciled
by believing on Jesus, the lamb who was slain
that we might be accepted by the Father again

No more to be in torment, no more to be in shame
when we trust on our Saviour and the power in His name
Yes the Father sent Jesus just to save you and me
He's the bread sent from Heaven - He's the life giving tree

So turn from your hard labour, come out from slavery
for the Son of God released you on that day at Calvary
don't let sin be your master - come shout, sing and dance
for the Lord God of heaven has given us a second chance












...... for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places; all these are the beginning of sorrows.   Matthew ch.24 vs.7,8

......  and the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men everywhere to repent; Because He has appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He has ordained; whereof He has give assurance to all men, in that He has raised Him from the dead.   Acts ch.17 vs.30,31

...... when the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory; And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.    Matthew ch.25 vs.31,32


What do you see?

Open your eyes to what's happening my friend
look around you ....... what do you see?
all the things that you read of and watch on tv
are just as God said it would be
Will you listen and enter God's sanctuary
which was purchased by Jesus' shed blood
or will you turn a deaf ear to God's warning
like they did in the days of the flood?


What's that you say Noah? ( in hindsight )

What's that you say Noah
it's going to rain
and God's told you to build a big boat
just look at the size - it will take you all year
and you really believe it will float ?

What's that you say Noah
God's bringing a flood
He's destroying the whole of mankind
It's the way we've been living - it hasn't been good
you'll be saved while we're all left behind ?

What's that you say Noah ?
You're crazy - you're mad
to believe what God tells you is true
for the life that we're living is not really bad
maybe you should try living it too 

What's that you say Noah
God's closing the doors ?
Well .... maybe it was wrong to gloat
and 'though now it's too late
if we'd all changed out ways
maybe we'd all be in the same boat 

For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.   Matthew ch.24 vs.38,39

At that time two people will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left behind.  Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.     Matthew ch.24 vs.40,41


Don't be the one left behind!

'The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some people understand slowness, but is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to perish, but wants everyone to repent ' 2 Peter ch.3 v.9