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Let your Dreams Set Sail

April 22, 2015Uncategorizedbible, Christian, Christie Wimber, church, daily, Daily devotional, Daily readings, Devotion, encouragement, encouraging, faith, guidance, Hope, inspiration, Men, New Wine, Prayer, Strength, Women, WorshipFace in the Sunlight Leave a comment

“For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11

I love the ability God has given us to dream, to use our imagination. Imagination, I feel, is something used so little now compared to years ago. I remember playing regularly on a ladder that was laid flat on my Nan’s back yard with my brothers and imagining it was a huge ship. You weren’t allowed to step off it or you would drown in the sea (unless it was lunchtime, in which case nothing mattered but food!). We would imagine great voyages and fighting with pirates. Children seemed to use their imagination so much more before the types of toys they have now that are all singing and dancing. My son loved the Tweeny ‘Jake’ and I was so excited for him when my mum bought him one for his third birthday. I knew he’d love it! It was quite a surprise when he opened it and all he did was shake it and say “What does it do!”

We live in an age where everything is done for us and sometimes become lazy even in our dreaming and especially in working with God to make those dreams come to fruition. I had dreams in my heart that had faded due to busyness and illness. In January 2015 God spoke to me through a word a friend gave in church and it changed my life. She said “I feel God is saying there is someone here who is like a ship that is stuck in the harbour and God is saying that while ever it sits there it’s getting damaged. God is saying it’s time to set sail out onto the ocean”….I knew this word was for me and in relation to the dreams in my heart.

Are there lost dreams in your heart? Do you need to begin dreaming again? Helen Burns once said “While ever there is breath within you God can use you and do great things in you” Dream big – don’t just get stuck in one place, and allow God to work in those desires He has for you and has done since you were planned in the secret place.

Beauty in Dark Places

May 1, 2014Uncategorizedbible, Christian, Christie Wimber, daily, Daily readings, encouragement, encouraging, faith, guidance, Hope, inspiration, New Wine, Prayer, Strength, Women, WorshipFace in the Sunlight Leave a comment

On Sunday, Alison Kennedy (a missionary from our church) was home from China and came to speak. Preaching is not something she normally does but she shared the wisdom God had placed on her heart so beautifully and so faithfully.

One of the most powerful parts was when she showed a photograph of a pool of water where all the sewage goes. Next to it were some beautiful yellow flowers. She asked us “Which part of the picture are your eyes most drawn to?” Everyone agreed that they were most drawn to the lovely flowers. She shared how interesting it is that we are immediately drawn to the beauty in the picture.

She said this…”We need to have our eyes wide open, to ask God to see beauty where we wouldn’t normally look, because even in the darkest places there is beauty to be found.” What an incredibly wise and profound statement.

I’m definitely going to make this my prayer from now on. Maybe you feel the same :).

Living Hope

April 28, 2014Uncategorizedbible, Christian, Christie Wimber, church, daily, Daily readings, encouragement, encouraging, faith, guidance, Hope, inspiration, New Wine, Prayer, Women, WorshipFace in the Sunlight Leave a comment

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” 1 Peter 1:3-5

Wow!!!! I read this today and was totally blown away by the depth of promise in it. First of all I love the phrases of ‘His great mercy’, ‘new birth’ and ‘living hope’. If you’re feeling a little low today or (like me) have gone back to work, dwell on this and feel your heart and soul rise….In His great mercy He has given you new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus. What an incredible and uplifting statement of truth! It really struck me that it says ‘living hope’. Sometimes we feel a whisper of hope or experience a moment of hope in a situation and then it seems to dissolve away. Not this hope! It is living and constant, it’s organic. As if that isn’t enough we are then promised an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade….precious and kept in heaven just for us. If you are struggling with something or need a word of encouragement, remember this…He has delivered you, brings you wholeness and healing, promises you eternity in heaven and until then you are shielded by God’s power. If you need to, speak this truth into your heart over and over again until you start to believe it!

Spread your Wings

April 8, 2014Uncategorizedbible, Christian, Christie Wimber, church, daily, encouragement, encouraging, faith, guidance, Hope, inspiration, New Wine, Prayer, Strength, Women, WorshipFace in the Sunlight One comment

But those who wait upon GOD get fresh strength
They spread their wings and soar like eagles, Isaiah 40:31 The Message

I love this picture. A picture of a beautiful bird of prey, often so active, hunting and looking after it’s young. Here it opens out its large wing span and soars through the clouds. No need to flap its glorious wings but just glide on the thermals.
Being a person living with a chronic illness I am no stranger to fatigue. I find this verse so uplifting…..so comforting….that I can open up my heart and soar on the thermals of the Father’s love and as I do so He renews my strength. I’m not switching off from Him, not standing still. I don’t need to strive. It is in choosing to stop doing, that I gain everything I need. As I rest in Him I am moved by His love and His provision.

Are you too busy? Are you feeling tired, physically or emotionally? Choose to spread out your wings today and rest in the Father’s provision. Be still, lean into Him and let Him take control.

The Finish Line (New Wine Women’s Day Reflection 5)

April 1, 2014Uncategorizedbible, Christian, Christie Wimber, church, daily, Daily readings, encouragement, faith, guidance, Hope, inspiration, New Wine, Prayer, Women, WorshipFace in the Sunlight One comment

“It’s not where we start that matters…..it’s about where we finish.” A great quote from Christie Wimber, and so true. She shared that although Abraham had believed God’s promise for so long and not given up, Sarai decided to take matters into her own hands and told him to sleep with her maidservant. Ishmael was the product. At this point in the story Christie exclaimed “sometimes we live with the counterfeit so long that we begin to believe that it’s the real article”. How many times in our lives do we get to a point where we’ve waited so long for a promise to be fulfilled that we begin to settle for less? Settle for less than the Father’s amazing abundance. How many times do we try to force the promise to be fulfilled early, or in our own way? In this, we settle for the counterfeit. We grow impatient or frustrated and give up. We deceive ourselves into thinking that the counterfeit is enough.

I would like to suggest that it is not just WHERE we finish that matters (though that is essential), but also that it is so important TO finish.
If you have waited for a long time for something and you’re feeling weary, frustrated or impatient, I would like to encourage you…..Hang in there!  “Never stop expecting God to come through.” Worship Him and praise Him for how He’s working, even though you can’t see it and NEVER settle for less than the awesome blessing He has for YOU.

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him…… he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised Rom 4:18-21 para.

Hopeful vs. Hopeless

March 25, 2014Uncategorizedbible, Christian, church, daily, encouragement, Hope, inspiration, New Wine, Prayer, Women, WorshipFace in the Sunlight One comment

Hopeful or hopeless? (New Wine Women’s Day Reflection 4)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit Rom 15:13

Christie Wimber “The enemy can’t take away your promise so he’ll try to take away your hope. Live in the promise of what God has spoken”

How often does God speaks to us about something and we feel enthused and full of hope. He lifts our heart and our soul and we feel back on track. Then only a short while later we’re questioning ourselves…”Did God really say that?” “Was I just hearing what I want to hear?” “Maybe I heard wrong”. God’s Word does not dilute over time. His words last forever. If He makes a promise to you He will keep that promise.

It’s the enemy that wants you to question that Word, to doubt it ever happened, to worry, to lose heart. Here’s where we have to be strong and say to ourselves “Be still my soul and trust in God”. We need to make a choice to live in what we know He has shown us and when we’re struggling with doubt we need to worship and keep on thanking God for what He IS doing, because even if we can’t see anything yet, we can be sure He is DEFINITELY at work.

I love the picture that was going around on Facebook recently (above) with the two rabbits that are growing carrots. The one that has little growth on the top is all forlorn and the one with lots of green growth on top looks very pleased with himself. However, under the ground the carrot of the rabbit with little greenery on top is HUGE! He just can’t see it yet!

Take heart today and make a choice to put your hope in God, who will NEVER let you down.

Faith or Fear? (New Wine Women’s Day Reflection 3)

March 22, 2014Uncategorizedbible, Christian, daily, encouragement, faith, inspiration, Prayer, WorshipFace in the Sunlight Leave a comment

Choose today to walk in faith or fear.

As Christy Wimber shared ” Faith is the capacity to trust God when there are no answers. God speaks a promise and we have to persevere through the problems to see it come to fruition. We have to make the choice to persevere.
We need to choose which to walk in
…faith or fear”.

I love the part in Disney’s Finding Nemo when the whale has told Dory and Marlin to go to the back of his mouth. Marlin is so worried because he has no idea what will happen and is holding onto the whale’s tongue for dear life! He’s afraid. Fear disables us. It stops us from becoming all we can be. It stops us from progressing. Dory’s great advice to him is to “Let go!” As he does, he falls only for a second as he trusts and is blown to freedom through the whale’s blow hole. I imagine his stomach would be flipping as is ours when we take a leap of faith, but as we trust in the unfailing power of God the feeling of freedom is incredible and the peace which comes through it is irreplaceable.

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind – 2Tim 1:17

Little Whispers (New Wine Women’s Day (Reflection 2)

March 20, 2014UncategorizedFace in the Sunlight One comment

Never underestimate those little inner whispers from God.

On Friday night Nicole (worship leader) and I were in our hotel room and she was preparing for worship the next day. She shared with me how she felt God reminding her of the verse in Isaiah 40 “Comfort, comfort my people”. In this case she felt God was longing to bring comfort through worship and ministry to the people that were in pain. At the time I thought this was great, and was looking forward to seeing what God would accomplish in people’s lives at the conference the next day.

When I saw the outworking of this though, I was blown away. It began with hearing about a whisper in Nicole’s heart the night before and the peak of it was during the conference, hearing such a deep cry of pain from women who had lost children that was so heartbreaking. A short while later a wave of peace came as the incredible healing power of the Father swept across the auditorium.

It struck me once again how important it is that we trust in that whisper of the Father’s voice in our heart. It’s easy to begin to question it in those moments afterwards as the enemy tries to steal it way. God knew the amazing work He wanted to accomplish on Saturday and as Nicole, Christy, Nadine, Anne Coles, Anne Calver, Jessie Joe and Jane were obedient He was able to reach deep into the hearts of people and work so delicately and gently.

I’m sure He can accomplish these things anyway, but it’s such an enormous privilege that He enables us to partner in it with Him.

What is He whispering to you today and how do you need to act on it?

Worship shifts our Focus (New Wine Women’s Day Reflection 1)

March 18, 2014UncategorizedChristian, Christie Wimber, church, encouraging, faith, guidance, New Wine, Prayer, Women, WorshipFace in the Sunlight Leave a comment

After having the pleasure of being a part of the worship team on Saturday at the New Wine Women’s day in Harrogate, I thought I would start my blog with some reflections on what was a brilliant day of worship, teaching and healing (as well as 1600 women getting together and having a great time!).

Christie Wimber shared how when you worship, you place your focus on the Father, and you’re saying to Him, “I put my hope and my trust in you, and not in myself.” Even when everything around you seems to be falling apart, it’s trusting that God is working and He knows what He is doing. It’s funny how when things are straight forward, we find it easy to focus on God, yet when things are out of our control, instead of keeping our focus, we tend to scurry around like ants, who have just had their anthill stomped on. Frantically trying to rebuild structure and regain control. God must wonder what on earth we’re doing! We have Him within us and beside us, waiting to be our strength and guide us through and yet we so often choose to focus on the problem.

Let’s make a conscious decision – in the chaos, when we feel anxious, in the mundane and in difficulty, to worship and praise our Father who is, as Christie Wimber shared, “ALWAYS working on our behalf” And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose” Rom 8:28