Hope

Squelching in the Mud

February 23, 2015Christianbible, Christian, Christie Wimber, church, daily, Daily readings, encouragement, encouraging, faith, guidance, Hope, inspiration, Men, New Wine, Prayer, Strength, Women, WorshipFace in the Sunlight Leave a comment

“But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.” Psalm 33:18,19

I set out walking today having no idea of the state of the terrain. The sun was shining, the air was fresh and the sky blue. Everything felt just right for my walk. Shortly after I set out on the track the ground began to give way underneath me and very soon I was surrounded by mud. My feet began to slip in different directions and I had to walk very carefully and slowly.

As I waded through it at a snail’s pace the mud-filled track seemed endless. I began to think about a friend of mine who set out on an amazingly exciting journey in her life and just when she was feeling that all the conditions were perfect for it, it turned into an incredibly heartbreaking situation.

We all arrive at mud-filled parts of our journey at times in our life and when we do so the track can feel endless and the pain and disappointment can be excruciating. It’s difficult to keep your eyes on God as you’re so afraid of sinking, of sliding and of falling. Every step feels unstable and unsure. Everything seems grey, sludgy and messy.

It’s at these times when hope is such a precious gift…The hope that you will once again, in time, walk on fresh green grass and stony solid paths. It’s hard to focus, but if you ask God to fill your heart with hope and the strength to move through it, you can be sure he will. He will place large stones in your path so you can find a way through and stand and rest a while. He will cause streams to trickle across your way and wash your mud covered boots. He will uphold you so your feet do not slip. Whatever you’re going through today, let Him walk you through it one step at a time. Put your hope and trust in Him…He won’t ever let you down.

That Familiar Bed of Security

September 19, 2014Christianbible, Christian, Christie Wimber, church, daily, Daily readings, encouragement, encouraging, faith, guidance, Hope, inspiration, New Wine, Prayer, Strength, Women, WorshipFace in the Sunlight Leave a comment

Myself and my family have just moved house, which is why I’ve been absent from blogging for quite a while. In fact, I’ve been going through a fair few life changing events this summer, which I’ll blog about over the coming weeks :).

Way back in March when I began blogging I attended the New Wine Women’s conference, where Jane Achiloi shared some mind-blowing testimony. One of the stories which really spoke to me was about giving what you have and God blessing and using it. After a fair while of seeking God my family and I felt it was right to sell our house, pay off all our debts and for me to leave my job, which was crippling me, and go into ministry full time. It was a huge step of faith, as you can imagine, and I’m extremely happy to say we’re on the other side of it now and living in the blessing of God’s provision :).

God has caused everything to run smoothly, but it hasn’t always been easy. I remember feeling so strange and insecure on the day we moved out of our beautiful home, where we had lived for 16 years and brought up our children. As I stood in our rental house looking around at all the boxes piled up, wondering where on earth we were going to put everything, I had this overwhelming feeling of ‘What on earth have we done?’ During those moments I couldn’t imagine how we were going to settle into this new house. I dragged my tired body up the stairs and into my new, smaller bedroom and there was something safe and familiar….my bed! As I crawled into it and pulled the covers over my head I felt safe and secure. Psalm 4:8 says “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety”.

Whatever situation you are in today where you feel alien or insecure, our Father is constant and we can always crawl safely into His arms. He will never leave you or forsake you…Deut 31:6. Sometimes we just need to rest secure in Him for a while, until we feel safe again. No matter where we are, He is always with us.

Take Afternoon Naps without a Worry

May 21, 2014Christianbible, Christian, Christie Wimber, church, daily, Daily readings, encouragement, encouraging, faith, guidance, Hope, inspiration, New Wine, Prayer, Strength, Women, WorshipFace in the Sunlight Leave a comment

“Fear is not real. The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present and may not ever exist. That is near insanity. Do not misunderstand me danger is very real but fear is a choice.” ― Will Smith (After Earth).

During watching the film After Earth (which I wouldn’t particularly recommend) Will Smith made this comment to his son. I thought it was so incredibly true and I’ve got to be honest, I’d never really thought of fear in such simple terms….our worries about future events. We waste so much time worrying about the future, imminent and far off events, yet most of those worries will never become reality. If some of them do, we will spend time feeling sad, or hurt in the moment, so why do we put ourselves through those things prematurely? Our Father God will walk with us no matter what we face, no matter where our footsteps fall. There are some great promises of this in the Word…..

Psalm 112:6-7 says “Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD.” I love the way the Amplified Bible puts it in v7, it says “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is firmly fixed, trusting (leaning on and being confident) in the Lord.”

We can rest secure because we are assured in Proverbs 3:25-26 “Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.”

Trust in the Father who loves you, rest secure in Him and enjoy His peace which passes all understanding. He will NEVER let you fall :).

Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life;
don’t for a minute lose sight of them.
They’ll keep your soul alive and well,
they’ll keep you fit and attractive.
You’ll travel safely,
you’ll neither tire nor trip.
You’ll take afternoon naps without a worry,
you’ll enjoy a good night’s sleep.
No need to panic over alarms or surprises,
or predictions that doomsday’s just around the corner,
Because GOD will be right there with you;
he’ll keep you safe and sound.
Proverbs 3:21-26 The Message

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.