God's peace.

"Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints." – Psalm 85:8.

Peace is a commodity that can only be found with time spent seeking God. The world can't offer us peace because it has nothing in which to place its hope, trust and security. Kingdoms come and go. Leaders move in and out of power. Our only constant is God. He has been, is, and forever will be the Creator, Sustainer, and Lord of all. All authority has been given to him. He governs the change of seasons. He thwarts the plans of our enemy. And he longs to offer total and sustained peace to all who place their hope and trust in him.

Isaiah 26:3 says, "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." Our God has peace in store for us in every situation if we will choose to keep our mind stayed on him and trust him. The world says that peace can only come when you've worked your fingers to the bone and have finally attained all you want. You can only have peace when you have enough money, friends, the right job, or the right spouse. You can only have peace if friends, family, and bosses like you. God's way is to draw you into himself and offer you peace in the midst of your circumstances. He doesn't want you to wait until everything gets worked out before you can have rest—he's offering you rest right now.

He never changes

 "Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever". Hebrews 13:8

I love to check the weather app everyday. I even plan to do my washing by what it says. However I constantly surprise myself when I get disappointed by its lack of accuracy.
I plan days out because the day before it has shown a bright yellow sun and then I wake up to rain!
How can they be so wrong at times?

So many things we pin our hopes on are fragile and unreliable. Even in relationships we find ourselves getting disappointed with our spouses, kids, families and friends because they fail to live up to our expectations or they break promises. In life this will happen because not one of us is perfect and there will be many bumps for us to negotiate as we walk with people through situations.

But this should never alter how we relate to our Heavenly Father. He is the exact opposite; He is the one who is constant and consistent. He is unwavering and secure. His love and his promises to us remain the same, His commitment to us will not waver based on our performance it's based on his finished work.

When you feel shaken by others allow Jesus your rock to steady you today. We're all looking for certainty and for things working out for us like careers, house sales or finding the right partner. If you are securely anchored in his love your future is the safest it could ever be.

Don't limit your dreams

 “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.” Ephesians3:20-21 (The Message)

When we review our life experiences we are tempted to limit our expectations – of ourselves, of others and of God. I recently watched a documentary where young African girls were asked what they wanted to be when they grew up. They wanted to be doctors, teachers, nurses and lawyers. You then saw their external circumstances; living in shacks, struggling to get a decent education, not enough food and water and dealing with desperate family circumstances. I wondered how could they dream that big? Shouldn’t they just ‘manage their expectations’ and save themselves disappointment down the line?

God is not looking for you to settle – He’s encouraging you to dream dreams and blossom.

It’s not easy to dream when you feel it’s all up to you, but this verse reminds us that it’s God who can do anything. He’s the biggest dreamer there ever was. He’s been the inspiration for thousands of years of poetry, music, art, scientific innovation and social change. Wilberforce, the driver behind the abolition of slavery fought vested interests and overwhelming opposition because he dared to dream and trusted God to make the change in men’s hearts – and it happened!

Don’t limit your dreams to fit your circumstances – dream big because God can do anything!

Relationship not religion

 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me…learn to flow in the unforced rhythms of grace” Matthew 11:28-29 (MSG)

Religion has a real knack for wearing you out. Keeping up appearances, working hard and trying you tick all the boxes to ensure God’s blessing is tough work. In a world where activity is equated with success and the workaholic obsessive is held up as a role model, the idea of stopping, resting and going with the flow is like jumping from a plane without a parachute.

Jesus presents a completely counter-cultural view of life and religion. He invites us to look at things differently, to stop straining, stop trying to force it and start resting in Him. Rather than deciding to ‘take up the slack’ when it looks like God has taken His eye off the ball, learn to flow in the unforced rhythms of grace. Let go of feeling like it is up to you and learn to rest in the knowledge that God’s grace has it covered.

Trust in Him and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly; that’s not religion– it’s relationship.

It's not your job

 “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Tim 1:6-7

I have often read this verse and thought that I need to live more powerfully, love more and stop being so timid and fearful of others. But here the focus is not on me but on the effects of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Power, love and self-discipline are products of life in the Spirit.

When we are filled with God’s Spirit we live a life that does not focus on the external, where we see people and circumstances differently. When we live from the inside out, the Spirit of God gives us a sound mind – a mind that is stable, a mind that has the ability to see things as they truly are and to respond appropriately.

Rather than being fearful or thinking that I just need to get through, I see a life of victory, abundance and blessing and this gives me confidence and hope to live for God. You cannot produce the fruits in your life – God does. He brings about the changes – our calling is to live in the Spirit and to interact with the world from that place.

Be encouraged, it is not up to you to see your life and the lives of other changed – that’s God’s job, all you need to do is to fan the flame of His gift in you.