On this page I have posted some of the thoughts God has given me over the years that focus on the soul. The soul consists of the mind ….. the will and the emotions. Our soul is the way we think ….. choose ….. and feel. When self centered this part of us can take us to places we may regret. When God centered ….. it will help us live the life He created us for!
Reflection
What do you see when you look in the mirror? The image we have of ourselves is often distorted by low self esteem. It’s like looking through a filter that highlights all our imperfections and flaws. We are drawn to the lines on our face ….. the blemishes on our skin ….. and the extra weight we are carrying. Next time ….. try to look past all that and see someone who is doing their best to live a good life ….. working hard ….. and giving to others. God’s idea of beauty is very different to ours. He is more concerned with your heart than your outward appearance!
Jesus Paid Your Debt
Have you done something you regret? We all have! Do you carry a guilty conscience with you every day? You don’t need to! The Bible says ‘We have all sinned and come short of God’s standard.’ That’s why He made a way for us to be forgiven. It requires someone who has never sinned to die in our place. Imagine you are on death row for a terrible crime you committed. You are guilty and you have been given a death sentence. Just before you are led to the death chamber ….. a guard comes and tells you you are free to go! Someone else has offered to die in your place! How would you feel? That’s exactly what happened when Jesus died on the Cross. He paid the debt we could not pay! I don’t know about you but that makes me incredibly grateful!
The Struggle Is Building Your Faith
Is life a struggle? Welcome to the human race! We sometimes think that God is there to make life easier for us ….. to get us out of tight spots ….. to provide for our needs. When I read through the Bible I see people who struggle! It’s almost as if God gives them a promise and then makes it almost impossible to fulfil. He promises fruitfulness but they experience barrenness. He promises possession of land but they experience conflict from enemies. And yet ….. God chose to teach us through our trials ….. and build our character through our struggles. He chose men and women of faith ….. and faith has to be tested! His main aim was to make us realise that we depend on Him. He wanted a relationship with us. The great men and women of faith learned to be prayer warriors. Turn your struggles into prayers ….. not that God will get you out of the situation ….. but that He will be with you through it!
God Open Doors
When God opens a door ….. no one can shut it! It doesn’t matter how much it costs ….. or how many other people are inconvenienced. When it’s your time to go through ….. that door will open up for you! Wait patiently until that time. I hope that encourages someone out there today!
Change Tracks
Have you ever noticed how one negative thought leads to another ….. and then another ….. and so on until it becomes a saga? It becomes like a recording that plays in your mind ….. like a familiar song you can’t get out of your head. This happened to me just yesterday while I was doing my ironing! I found myself going down that well beaten track of negativity ….. and I asked God to ‘Please erase it from my mind!’ I felt Him say ‘Change tracks! Play another record! And play it until it becomes so familiar it takes the place of the old one!’ And so I put on a podcast that was full of truth and hope. And you know what? ….. It worked! With so much negativity around us we can easily slide down that slippery slope. But if ….. as soon as you hear the first note of that old song ….. you change tracks ….. you will soon be singing a different tune!
God Can Move Mountains
Mountains remind me of God’s majesty! They speak of strength ….. duration ….. greatness! But God is not a mountain ….. they are just one of His masterpieces! In fact ….. He controls them ….. and He can move them if necessary! So no matter how huge ….. or impossible your problem may seem ….. know this ….. God is huger! And nothing is impossible to Him!
Potential
A few months ago ….. we had almost given up on our frangipani tree! It seemed lifeless. We brought it indoors and nursed it ….. and it began to sprout new leaves. Now look at the beautiful flowers it has produced. If you are feeling hopeless today ….. know this ….. your potential doesn’t depend on how you feel or on your circumstances. It’s on the inside! God has put it there ….. and only you can stop it from coming out!
God Was There
So much of life is ordinary ….. routine ….. everyday stuff. And then there are the really difficult times ….. sickness ….. loss ….. heartache. We can pray for things to change and we can wait ….. and see nothing. But ….. suddenly ….. there’s a breakthrough! And we realise God was there all the time ….. producing something wonderful on the inside. It wasn’t a waste of time! It was a miracle!
Focus On Jesus
We are spending a few days at my ‘happy place’. After five minutes of this view ….. I began to feel the tension leave my mind and body. As I focussed on the One who created the vast oceans ….. separated them from the land ….. and set their boundaries ….. the craziness of the world began to pale in comparison to the greatness of our God. Peter was able to walk on water while He focussed on Jesus ….. but as soon as he turned his eyes towards the waves ….. he began to drown. Whatever ‘storm’ you are facing today ….. keep your eyes on the One who calms the storm ….. heals the sick ….. provides for the poor ….. and brings order out of chaos! I’m not talking about being in denial ….. it’s about seeing things from God’s perspective. That’s where the power to make a difference comes from.
Your Times
No doubt your calendar ….. like mine ….. is starting to fill up. Work ….. family ….. and other obligations will probably account for much of the time. But where there are blanks ….. highlight them in yellow. These are your ‘times’. Times when you get to choose how to spend them. Choose something that will restore your soul. Then you’ll have more to give to the many demands made on the rest of your time!
Am I Ok?
One unspoken question a lot of us have is “Am I ok?” We look for affirmation from people as though they were the ones to determine our value and progress. If people set our standard ….. we will be in varying degrees of ‘okayness’. Only God can give you your worth because He made you. Without Him, we were definitely not ‘OK’ ….. but in Him we are to die for!
Keep On
So much of the Christian journey is about perseverance ….. endurance ….. and determination. That’s because we are facing so much opposition! We are going against the flow ….. pushing back the forces of darkness ….. and resisting the devil’s attempts to make us conform! Jesus said “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” If you are struggling ….. don’t give up! This is not the time to rest ….. but it’s coming! For now ….. we must:
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 NLT
Enjoy The Process
There is a season for every purpose under heaven. God’s timetable is different from ours. His ways are higher ….. His thoughts are wiser ….. and His plans are greater. He will never be late ….. or early ….. He’ll be right on time! So enjoy the process. It’s not time wasted. He’s producing something wonderful on the inside.
Brokenness
We live in a society where once something is broken ….. it is considered useless and is thrown away. But God sees things very differently! He is drawn to brokenness ….. He knows that a broken heart is a receptive heart ….. a repentant heart ….. a thankful heart and a heart that is willing. ‘A bruised reed He shall not break’ ….. He will not only mend ….. but renew such a person. The brokenness then becomes their testimony.
Be Still
There are times when you need to go to a quiet place and just be alone. Life fills our minds with all kinds of thoughts ….. many of which are not true. Those thoughts need to be processed through the filter of the Truth. Jesus said, ‘I am the Truth’. If what you believe doesn’t line up with Him ….. let it go! If you are carrying a burden that is too heavy ….. let Him carry it for you. His word to you today? ‘Be still and know that I am God!’
Small Steps
Is God calling you to step up? So often we set goals for ourselves that are unobtainable ….. or unsustainable. Of course we start with a hiss and a roar ….. but we soon give up and feel defeated. But small steps in the right direction will get you there. Change one thing in the diet ….. read one chapter of the Bible ….. pray for one person each day. Small changes lead to lifetime differences.
Bridges
Bridges are built out of a desire to reach places that are otherwise inaccessible. While one person says, ‘I can’t cross the river so I’ll stay here’ ….. another says ‘ I must find a way to reach the other side!’ In doing so ….. they open up a way for others to do the same. Don’t settle ….. get building!
Open Your Hands
Sometimes we can’t receive what God wants to give us because we are holding on to something else. It may be something good ….. like a promise or a God given dream. It may be something not so good ….. like an idol or something that takes God’s place in your life. No matter what it is ….. it is stopping you from receiving God’s best for you right now. Open your hands ….. and let Him replace it. You won’t be disappointed!
The Garden Shed
The garden shed is often a place where we store things we don’t want people to see ….. but things we are not ready to get rid of. Is there a ‘garden shed’ somewhere in your heart? A place where you put unpleasant memories on a shelf and think ‘out of sight ….. out of mind’? Or where you hide a habit in a dark corner thinking no one will know? Someone always knows ….. and that someone is you! It won’t go away until you turn the light on it. Acknowledging your problem is like turning on the light. It will chase away the shadows of guilt and shame and you will begin the journey to freedom!
How Big Are Your Dreams?
How big are your dreams? Many little boys are impressed by diggers or excavators and dream of driving one some day. I wonder if this crane operator ever dreamed he’d be doing this! Seeing this sight yesterday gave me a quick lesson on perspective ….. and challenged me to think about the size of my dreams. God is so much greater than most of us realise ….. and His dreams for us are way bigger than our wildest dreams!
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9
God Knows You
Ever wondered how God can be interested in you when there are 7.5 billion people on the planet? It’s because He’s so big He holds the universe in His hand. He knows you intimately. He designed you from the beginning. He knows your name ….. the desires of your heart ….. what you’re going to say before you say it ….. He knows your innermost thoughts. He’s a good Father and you can trust Him with every detail of your life. Like any good father ….. He will let you know when you are on the wrong path and lead you back to the right one. Are you ready to trust Him?
Weeping Willow
The ‘weeping willow’ is a reminder that sorrow and tears are a part of life. We are emotional beings ….. and we have feelings. Those feelings must be expressed in a healthy way or else they will cause harm. Jesus showed us how to deal with strong emotion when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. He expressed His fears about facing the cross ….. and then yielded the outcome to the will of His Father ….. knowing He loved Him and would act in His best interest. Another time we read ‘Jesus wept’ ….. at the death of His friend, Lazarus. Don’t be afraid to express your feelings.
You Have Tremendous Influence
You may not feel very powerful ….. but you have tremendous influence. As you go about your daily life ….. at work …..school ….. shopping ….. driving ….. at home ….. your life touches others. Whatever you carry in your heart will emanate towards them and affect them. They will either be attracted by the sweetness ….. or repelled by the sting! You choose!
Your Times Are In His Hands
When life seems to come to a standstill ….. stick your head out of the window and enjoy the fresh air! Stuff happens everyday to disrupt our plans ….. and we have 2 choices. Get impatient, angry and lose it ….. or know that ‘My times are in His hands’! Be in the moment ….. maybe there’s a reason for the delay!
Your Testimony Is Powerful
Your story is the most powerful story you can share. It may not seem very exciting to you …..but to someone else it may be just the encouragement they need. The valleys ….. challenges you’ve faced ….. even your failures ….. all point towards God’s grace and faithfulness. People identify with a simple testimony and you will realise that everything you’ve been through was not only for you ….. but for someone else!
Dreary Seasons
I woke up this morning to a misty rainy day ….. not that I’m complaining! We so need rain here! But the weather ….. like life ….. can affect our mood. If you are going through a ‘dreary’ season ….. it helps to remember what life is like when the mist has cleared. It is still there. You are just seeing it through a cloud of oppression ….. fear ….. disappointment ….. or worry. One of our greatest weapons is hope! Hope will see past all the obstacles to what is real!
The Bog
The area of the Gardens where these water lilies grow is called ‘the bog’. A bog is a muddy, slimy, pond where frogs and other creepy critters love to hang out. Does that describe your past ….. or even where you are now? Well you can either be sucked into the mire ….. or ….. like the lilies ….. float on top of the water and make it beautiful.
Fellowship
One of the best things about belonging to a church is the fellowship. You get to spend time regularly with a group of people who come from all walks of life ….. but share a common bond. They are on a journey of discovery. Some are just starting out ….. others are further down the track ….. but their common goal is to get to know Jesus and represent Him in their daily lives. Fellowship doesn’t mean you necessarily like everyone or see eye to eye ….. but it does mean you learn to love them anyway ….. because that’s what Jesus does! Love my church family!
Nothing Is Wasted
Are you having difficulty seeing where your life is heading? Do you have lots of bits and pieces ….. but no structure? My advice is ….. give the bits and pieces to God! He is a master builder! He specialises in making something amazing out of our rubbish! Nothing is wasted ….. there is a purpose for everything!
Ugly Duckling Syndrome
Many of us grew up thinking something was wrong with us ….. because we were different. We desperately tried to ‘fit in’ ….. but were left feeling rejected and lonely. Remember the story of ‘The Ugly Duckling?’ His story turned out ok ….. and so will yours! God doesn’t do ‘ugly’ ….. or ‘insignificant’ ….. He only does ‘Good’! You are His! Now that’s a label I can wear!
Everyday Life
Life is a lot like this picture. There are a few things that stand out ….. but the majority is made up of varying shades of green. Your life may not look very exciting ….. days of the same old routine ….. not much excitement ….. bo … ring! But every one of those meals you prepare ….. taxi runs to and from school ….. times you clean the house ….. go to work ….. or whatever you do daily ….. are significant bits of an overall beautiful picture!
Trust Me!
One of the aims of our few days away last weekend was to hear more clearly from God. I seem to connect with Him best while walking ….. and especially on a nice long sandy beach! So with great anticipation ….. I waited for my ‘message’from Heaven! By the third day ….. I heard loud and clear the words ‘Trust Me’! ‘Surely that’s not it!’ I thought. Two words? But as I continued to ponder on them ….. I realised they are probably the most powerful two words in the English language. They are the answer to every question ….. problem ….. and dream! We so often want an answer that is specific to our needs. He says ‘Trust Me!’ We look for a way out of a difficult challenge. God says ‘Trust Me!’ We want to see our dreams fulfilled. He whispers ‘Trust Me!’ Those words ….. when obeyed ….. can see battles won ….. lives changed ….. and things that don’t exist become reality. Of course I still ask my questions ….. but before I get them out ….. I hear those two words ‘Trust Me’! I hope that helps someone today!
Design
Everywhere I look in nature ….. I see design. Our kids are being taught that it all just happened randomly. No wonder so many people have low self esteem ….. and feel like they were an ‘accident’. Accidents produce chaos and mess. Intentional ….. purposeful design ….. produces order, symmetry, balance and beauty.
Grief
Have you suffered a loss? Does it feel like a part of you has been cut off? The wound of grief is painful and raw. It feels like you’ll never be able to go on. But in time ….. as the wound is exposed to the Healer …..the Comforter ….. the One who is acquainted with grief ….. the pain begins to lessen and you find you can go on. You never forget ….. but you remember without the pain!
How Satan Works
This photo is a great illustration of how the devil works. The tree represents your life. The roots ….. your belief system. His method ….. lies! He attacks the roots by questioning your beliefs ….. and by slowly eroding the way you think. Erosion takes place over time. Everything looks ok above the ground ….. but underneath there is instability and insecurity. Why does he attack us? Because he hates truth! He twists and turns it like these roots until we no longer know what’s right or wrong. Right now the devil is working overtime to bring confusion and division. He asks ‘Did God really say …..?’ So we need to know what God did really say! God’s Word is the standard which exposes the lies.
The Word Of God Is Like A Mirror
The Word of God can be likened to a mirror. It shows us what we are really like! It can’t change us …..it can only reveal what needs to be changed. Maybe a hair out of place ….. food in our teeth ….. dirt on our face. It’s then up to us to remove it! God gave us laws to show us we need a Saviour! There’s no way we could ever live up to them no matter how hard we try. God’s standard is 100% perfection. Anything less than that is sin in God’s eyes. In the Old Testament ….. God required animal sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people. But they had to be made over and over. Jesus ….. God’s only Son ….. was and is the answer to this problem. He became our once and for all sacrifice so we could have a relationship with God. If you see something in the mirror that needs changing ….. don’t walk away and ignore it! Acknowledge it ….. and ask Jesus to help you change.
Truth
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. The lines between good and evil ….. truth and lies has become more and more blurred. To the extent that we’ve changed the meaning of words like ‘wicked’ ….. ‘mean’ ….. ‘bad’ ….. to now mean the opposite. We have ‘fake’ news ….. ‘fake’ labelling on our food ….. how can we teach our children the truth? By teaching them that even though truth hurts sometimes ….. it always wins ….. and it demonstrates love.
‘Follow Me’
Whose tracks are you following? It’s good to have role models ….. people you admire and aspire to be like. But you have your own journey which is different from everyone else’s. There’s only one person really worth following ….. and that’s Jesus! He said, ‘Follow me!’ He will help you find your purpose ….. and lead you in the right way. He will protect you from unseen dangers ….. and take you on a journey you never dreamed possible!
Last week ….. my calendar was very full. As I contemplated the days to come ….. I began to feel overwhelmed but each event was out of my control. I prayed for strength and help ….. and the week turned out to be nowhere near as demanding as I had thought. So much of our stress comes from the anticipation rather than the actual! We are complex creatures! Spirit ….. Soul ….. and Body! The three work in conjunction and affect one another. Many physical illnesses are a result of our mental processing. But it’s also true that much mental disease is a result of our spiritual health. When God is at the centre ….. everything else will take its rightful place. Who you worship will determine how you think ….. and what you believe will determine how you treat your body! My prayer for you today is:
‘Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.’ 3 John 1:2
I was watching this butterfly flying around our garden the other day. Flitting from tree to tree and full of life ….. a true example of freedom! I guess if you’d been cooped up in a cocoon for days ….. you’d be excited too to be free. Jesus came to free us from the hand of the Devil ….. and to place us in the hand of God. Now that’s something to celebrate! True freedom is not doing what you like ….. but being free to choose what’s right.
Church is not about denominations or buildings. It’s about a global family who acknowledge Jesus as King! We might do things differently ….. but we all love and worship our King. Some express their love through loud music and dancing ….. others through quiet reflection ….. but Jesus is the One who unites us. And His Word is what we live by. That’s something we can all agree on!
The uncertainty of our future can take our minds to places of anxiety and depression. The ‘what ifs’ ….. can take us on a journey that brings stress before it happens. Joyce Meyer has a saying ‘Where the mind goes ….. the man follows’. How do we avoid going the wrong way? By changing our mind!
Psalm 23 says: ‘Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.’
I love that is starts with ‘even though’! Even in the worst case scenario ….. God is with us! The safest place we can be is in His presence.
It goes on to say, ‘You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’
Now that is the epitome of being an overcomer!
What does ‘home’ mean to you? Is it a place to return to each day ….. kick off your shoes ….. and relax in the familiarity and comfort of a place you love? Is it a place you long for ….. but work or other circumstances keep you apart? Or is it somewhere you make excuses to stay away from ….. because it’s filled with tension and stress? Whatever it is ….. invite God to be at the centre of your home. Unless He builds it ….. your labours are in vain.
It may be that you are in a dark place right now ….. but I encourage you to look forward to a brighter future. Don’t focus on the darkness. To quote Joyce Meyer ….. “Where the mind goes ….. the man follows.” Depression and anxiety begin with a negative thought that is meditated upon. Think about things that are lovely ….. truthful ….. worthy ….. and you’ll find the darkness will lift. Prayers and blessings to you all.
Well the summer break is over ….. and life is about to get busy again. Work ….. school ….. commitments ….. demands on our time ….. are underway. But we can choose whether to see them as a necessary evil ….. or a blessing! Work is a contribution ….. not just a means of earning. It’s ‘loving our neighbour’. It’s using whatever gifts ….. education ….. learning we’ve been given to bless others. So ….. instead of singing ‘9-5’ ….. sing ‘Hi ho! Hi ho! It’s off to work I go!’
If things in your pathway seem unclear ….. it could be that something or someone is blocking you from the light.
When we allow things or people to take our focus away from God ….. we live in their shadows. When the sun is overhead ….. the shadows are almost non existent. When God takes first place in your life ….. everything else falls into place.
There’s a saying that if you don’t stand for something ….. you’ll fall for anything. When we have no moral compass ….. every thought or idea seems to have some truth. We start to accept things that once would have horrified us. We make new laws to allow for these new ‘insights’ we’ve discovered now that we are ‘enlightened’. Jesus hated sin but loved the sinner. Loving the sinner doesn’t mean making the sin legal! It means lining it up against the truth so that the sinner sees the error of his ways and is sorry enough to change direction. God’s laws cannot be broken! We are the ones who are broken when we disobey ….. and that’s why we are living in a broken world!
Life is full of challenges! It seems that just when you are enjoying a break from the last one ….. another one looms up. A situation that takes you out of your comfort zone ….. a commitment you have to meet when you’d rather stay home ….. or something you are afraid of failing in. Being comfortable ….. staying home ….. and playing it safe might look tempting ….. but it won’t grow you or develop you. So accept that challenge! Meet that commitment! Face that fear! You’ll be glad you did! As the song goes ….. It’s the Climb!
I love the fact that no matter how old we are ….. we can still be young at heart. Ageing has a lot to do with our attitude to life. We can retire ….. or we can refire! Our bodies may slow us down ….. but our spirit can still be fresh. God always saves the best till last!
We are being advised to get ready for another cyclone in the next few days. We can do our part by unblocking drains …..removing unnecessary clutter from our properties ….. and stocking up on groceries etc. But ….. when it comes to ‘being prepared’ ….. there are things beyond our control. Just as we are warned by the Civil Defence when natural disasters are looming ….. the Bible is warning us of spiritual disasters to come. The same applies! We need to unblock our ears and minds ….. remove the clutter from our lives ….. and fill our hearts with good things. We need to find shelter in the shadow of the Most High ….. where we will be safe no matter what comes our way. The Boy Scouts motto is Be Prepared! Are you?
What do you fear most? Disease ….. lack ….. rejection ….. loneliness? Fear is one of the enemy’s most powerful weapons. Once it takes hold ….. it cripples us and dictates the way we live. It makes us defensive in order to avoid what we fear. God understands our fears but He doesn’t want us to live that way. There are 366 ‘Fear nots’ in the Bible! Abraham was a man of great faith but he still had fears. God addressed them in a dream. First He told him ‘Fear not! I am your shield!’ God protects those who trust in Him from danger ….. attack ….. sickness ….. and whatever else the devil throws at us. Next He said ‘I am your great reward!’ Abraham had refused to take loot from his enemies which could have come in handy in the future ….. but God saw his sacrifice and promised to take care of him in every way. Probably his biggest fear was that he had no son or heir ….. but God assured him He would take care of that too! Whatever fear you may have ….. there’s a ‘fear not’ for you in the Bible!
I’ve been thinking lately about our 1st Lady ….. Eve! I wonder what she was like …… I mean before the dreaded apple incident ….. she would have been perfect …… right? But what does that mean? We know she was a perfect helper for Adam ….. and complimented him ….. no doubt she helped him in the garden and gathered food for them to eat. But what did she look like? Tall, short? Was she pear shaped ….. apple …… banana? Did she have straight hair ….. or curls? The Bible doesn’t tell us much, does it? Maybe it doesn’t matter! Maybe appearance isn’t as important to God as it is to us! Maybe her perfection was due to her being created by a perfect Father, with whom she had such a close relationship ….. that she was a reflection of Him? And that’s how He sees all of us, my sisters! You are perfectly beautiful!
Sue's Views 