Daily Devotion

Put your Face in the Sunlight

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I took this photograph on the 5th January on a beautiful winter’s day. Whilst looking up into the tree’s boughs with that stunning backdrop of deep blue sky, I was thinking of how the bare tree represents a blank canvas of the year to come and that in a few months buds will form and then out of that, an abundance will grow until the tree is covered in growth. It made me think of a year ahead of potential and all the new things, relationship building and accomplishment that would come.  

Then, a few days later, it began to rain…and rain…and rain and the incessant darkness of every day drowned any motivation I had. I understand that New Year comes directly after Christmas, and it’s a great time to celebrate it, as all the decorations are still up. However, it’s probably the worst time (particularly in Britain) to start afresh. People are looking to the new year ahead and making plans and resolutions…and shortly afterwards, it is generally a period of time when we feel the least animated and motivated for anything. We come into this new year, and God speaks a word over it, and we’re excited for what’s to come. Then, it’s often diluted or almost dissolved by the winter months. Unlike many, I usually don’t really mind the winter. I like getting comfy cosy and warm with You Tube screensavers of crackling fires and fairy lights, but even I am fed up of the incessant rain.

Not only that, but we are constantly hearing of dark happenings around the world and it makes things feel uncertain and unsettled. Fear starts to knock at our door and our thoughts scramble.

I’m not trying to make this blog sound depressing, and the sun has begun to appear and reign in the skies once again, uplifting hearts and bringing fresh anticipation of the spring. This doesn’t change what’s happening in the world around us but it brings fresh hope.

As you take a stroll in the warmer air and smile as you see the bright yellow daffodils and colourful crocuses, open your heart for God to remind you of the word He spoke over the year many weeks ago. If you didn’t get one in January, ask Him for one now. There are still 10 months left of this year and so much He wants to teach you and do through you. Today, put your face in the sunlight of God’s presence and let His warmth refocus and reignite you. He’s got you! No matter what this year holds, He is with you.

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Psalm 143:8 NIV

Get out of bed, Jerusalem! Wake up. Put your face in the sunlight. God’s bright glory has risen for you. The whole earth is wrapped in darkness, all people sunk in deep darkness, But God rises on you, his sunrise glory breaks over you. Isaiah 60:1-2 MSG

TADA!

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A wonderful time for many is almost upon us, but it is SUCH a busy time. I’m 54 years old and I feel like my life should be slowing down a bit, but honestly, at the moment (and for most of this year), it feels like it’s speeding up. Can any of you relate? Sometimes I feel like there are so many thoughts in my head of things I need to do, and the list is getting longer. I’m convinced that much of this is to do with the chaotic world we live in. Have you seen the Kitkat advert? A man’s sitting at his desk, overwhelmed with the work he has to do, so he decides it’s time to take a break. As he leaves his desk and walks out of the office, hundreds of post-it notes follow him and stick to him from head to toe. At this time of year, many of the things we need to do are in preparation for a special time, but it can still make you feel like you’re drowning in your “to do” list.

For the man in the advert, it’s a Kitkat that brings relief but I believe that it’s God who can truly bring us peace in the chaos. He’s with you every second of every day and it’s hard for Him, because when we’re so distracted, He can’t bring us rest. Though it feels like it’s so difficult to switch off and rest in His peace, He’s waiting to take you to a spacious place where He can bring you rest. Miraculously, He can do that right in the midst of the chaos…we just need to give Him a small amount of time and attention. Funnily enough, that’s what Christmas is meant to be…a time of peace! God sent Jesus to earth ultimately to bring us into freedom and relationship with Him. He’s here to help you.

I find it really helpful to commit my day to Him at the very start and ask Him to order it. When I do that and recognise His presence right at the beginning of my day, it’s amazing how much I can get done and how much things fall into place.

I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

A friend once told me about the “tada” list. It really helps you to focus on the positive. Instead of looking at your “to do” list at the end of the day and thinking “I still have soooo much to do”, look at it and think “tada” I got this done, this completed and I managed to do this and that. What I didn’t get done, I’ll do tomorrow”. Just a thought and it really helps me.

Today, commit your day to God to manage and see how many things “tada” you got done!

Have a wonderful and peaceful Christmas and New Year. He’s got you!

Quinoa!

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I’m so sorry it’s been so long since I’ve been able to blog.  Life has been a chaotic whirlwind this year and we have been having our kitchen done…dern dern dern!  Never would I have thought there would have been so much involved in this and so much more to be discovered that needed to be dealt with!  Anyway, finally, we were enjoying the peace that filled our workmen free home and our beautiful new kitchen.  Everything seemed so clean and so neat and tidy…until…quinoa descended! 

We’ve been trying out one of the well known companies who deliver fresh food and indeed all the ingredients to make a delicious meal and it’s going really well.  One of the items, however, on this sunny Tuesday, was quinoa! Glen, who does all the cooking in our house, as I’m unable to due to my health condition, had never cooked this before.  He was completely unaware of its need to escape the bowl and hide in every crevice!  Yes sure, we enjoyed eating the meal but every time we thought we’d got rid of it, more appeared!  In fact, we were finding bits of quinoa for days afterwards, so it is now banned from our lovely shiny new kitchen!

Of course I’m joking about something trivial, but it’s like when you have something troublesome in your life that you keep having to deal with.  Something that you know you need to learn or something that God is trying to teach you and it keeps on cropping up at the most uncomfortable times. You think you’ve just got on top of it and it rears its ugly head again.  It keeps on getting in the way of you just moving on with your life.  

 As so many of us are often striving for perfection, we struggle with those niggling things that keep on arising.  I know, you know already but let me tell you – no-one is perfect and you cannot fix everything neatly.  There are many things we have to learn over a period of time and that involves living life and facing that particular issue in different ways.  Maybe it’s because of something that happened in the past and now you overreact when a similar situation arises.  Maybe it’s a fear of something and an area in your life where you find it hard to trust God and certain circumstances trigger it.  It might be that anger arises in you too easily and you find it hard to control it.  There are many many examples I could use but all of them point to the same thing. We need to accept that learning and healing takes time and we can either go with the process or we can resent it.  One is the path to peace and the other to frustration.  

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV in the Bible says:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Today, at this point in your life, choose to relinquish control to the God who loves you beyond measure and trust that He will take you on this journey of life in His perfect timing.  He’s got you! 

In His Hands

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It’s Good Friday today and though we think about it regularly, it’s the day we particularly choose to remember what Jesus did for us on and through the cross. If He suffered such a terrible death, why do we call it ‘Good’??  It’s hard for us to imagine what Jesus went through, which would have been terrible and absolutely excruciating, and He willingly did that so that He/God could have a close relationship with you and I and so that the sacrifice would be paid for the debt of all we do wrong, so when we pass away from this world, we will spend forever in heaven with him.  We know that transition is quick because Jesus said to the repentant man on the cross beside Him, “I promise you—this very day you will enter paradise with me.” Luke 23:43 TPT

Christ suffered for our sins [the wrong things we’ve done] once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18 NLT

Now, because of His sacrifice, Jesus is with us in everything we do.  He is with us when we go through the difficult times and He is with us when we celebrate and feel great. Thanks to His incredible sacrifice, when you go through hard times in your life, you can look to Him for help and for comfort.  Christians will often use the phrase “place it in His hands.”  The Bible says in  1 Peter 5:7 TPT 

“Pour out all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you.”

Incredible! So, how do we actually do that?

It all centres around sharing and believing.  When we keep things inside, they often build up, and our anxiety can rage.  We need to believe that He’s there and He’s listening.  You can literally talk out loud to God/Jesus or do it in your mind and heart and tell Him how you’re feeling.  You don’t need to use elaborate language, just chat with Him like you would your partner or a friend.  It’s amazing how much better you feel in sharing it with Him, but so much more than that, you’re actually giving Him permission to work in your life and on your behalf.  The really difficult thing is not ‘placing’ it in His hands, it’s ‘leaving’ it there.  We want to be in control but the truth is we can’t be anyway.  Jesus says in Luke 

“Does worry add anything to your life? Can it add one more year, or even one day?” Luke 12:25 TPT

We need to believe that God is in control.  He can see far beyond what we can, and to truly trust Him,  we need to “place things in His hands” and BELIEVE that He will take care of us.  On this “Good” Friday, remember that Jesus made the way to be able to stand with you in all you face, and thank Him.  

Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, [7] then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ. Philippians 4:6-7 TPT

You’re wasting my time!!!

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I have a wonderful doctor who is so compassionate and caring but still, on a cold Tuesday morning when I’d seen her about something valid and she’d been amazing, I walked out of her surgery with my mind racing, thinking that I’ve wasted her time.

A week later, I stand in the hospital room, gowned and ready to be x-rayed and two rude operatives refuse to do the procedure for various reasons.  They’re being awkward and it’s deeply embarrassing, and I walk out with that reinforced thought of “You’re wasting my time!!!”

Yesterday, I had to go and have my knee drained and a steroid injection put in.  The consultant didn’t believe I needed it to be done until she pulled a load of yellow fluid from it and all the while, that age old line is ringing in my ears “You’re wasting my time!!!”

Please hear me here, I’m not criticising the NHS as they do an amazing job.  I know it’s the enemy using people and situations to have a stab at me and pull me down.  You see, many years ago when my daughter was a baby, I took her to see a doctor who I’d been under for a long time and she was always really lovely.  On this particular day, I don’t know what had happened previously, but she was out of sorts.  My baby had been ill for several days and I had sat up with her all night trying to get her temperature down.  As instructed “if you’re ever concerned about anything, bring her down”, I took her in.  I was abruptly told “SHE’S WASTING MY TIME!!!”, “YOU’RE WASTING MY TIME!!!” and it’s stuck with me for the rest of my life.

Have you ever had that happen?  Someone in your past said something to you when you were vulnerable and it comes back every now and again.  Satan wants to pull us down in any way he can.  He wants to pull us out of the fight, the race of life, and make us weary and he will use whatever he can to do it.  

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. [9] Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. 1 Peter 5:8-9 NLT

If you’ve ever seen the film Gladiator, you’ll know that just before the fight at the end, the evil Commodus has a knife thrust into Maximus’s side to grind him down, so he has much less strength to fight. That’s what the enemy tries to do with us.  He presses on an old wound and brings it back time and time again.

So what do we do?? Whenever it happens and that lie is reinforced, we need to turn to God to dissolve it with His Truth. No matter how people choose to treat you, He always has you close to His heart.  He gets you, he understands you, he cherishes you and loves you more than you can every imagine.   If you keep focusing on Him, eventually that lie will lose it’s power and you’ll grow strong again. 

Sometimes this process takes a long time and we have to persevere with it but if we ask the Holy Spirit to help us, He will give us the strength to keep going.  It’s funny isn’t it, it’s always the negative things that we remember.  Though we’ve had many really positive experiences, the bad ones are always the ones that seem etched in our memory, but God is always here to speak affirmation over us…we just need to ask Him. 

For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty saviour. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. Zephaniah 3:17 NLT

I pray over you today, that God will wipe away those lies that have hung over you for many years and that He will sing beautiful songs of affirmation over you.