God loves you. His love for you is far greater, grander and more powerful than how you feel. Don't trust your heart because God knows and tells us that our hearts are faulty, unpredictable and unreliable - a much better place to put your trust is in the One who made all things including your heart. He cares deeply about how you feel yet His truth and promises remain as absolutes at all times - far, far above our feelings. This gives us peace knowing that His love and mercy is constant regardless of how we feel about ourselves because He is far greater. So no matter how you feel and what your heart tells you, know that you are always loved by God and that He wants to help you in your life. Trust in Him. You're worth more.

[ 1 John 3:20 - For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. ]

God put something on my heart to talk about a few weeks back and has kept adding to it every few days with more from His heart. He made it clear to me that now's the time to share so here goes. In Hebrews 13:1 it says "Let brotherly love continue" - other translations say it like this "Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters." Here's the interesting part... It says the word "let" which means that the onus and responsibly is on us to make this happen. This also means that we have the ability to stop this from happening. You see, God is love and God is perfect so as far as love is concerned coming from Him - there's no problem there. So that means the problem has to by logic exist with us, with our selfishness, our greed, our ambition and our desire to be famous, rich and hold power over others. It's by our selfishness that love gets smothered and dies. It's also in our selflessness that love thrives, grows, expands, feeds, clothes and reaches others. What God put on my heart is simply this - when we believe in Jesus as our Saviour are all brothers and sisters - there is no position, no hierarchy, no top dogs and no one that's any better than any one else.


The Bible says very clearly in Romans 2:11 that "there is no respect of persons with God" - what this means is that He sees us all the same. So if that's how God sees us, why do we concern ourselves with seeing others as better or lesser than ourselves?  The way He sees us is that no one is any better and no one is any higher than anyone else - we are all simply just little children who cannot survive without the love of our Father in Heaven. Here's where I believe it all goes wrong... Like I said above, God's love and His view of us is perfect so it means that the error must and has to be in us as humans. To illustrate this God showed me a picture I want to share with you. There's 10 kids who play together in a playground. They are all about 5 years old and they love to run and play and eat together and are all friends. They all range in ages slightly because of their birth dates but they don't care at all - all they care about is sharing each others company and playing together. After all they're kids and that's what kids do. For these kids, life is great. They love to play, share and help each other. When one kid falls over and scrapes their knee the others help them up and give them the care they need. It truly is a great picture hey. Well, theres one kid who is older than all the rest by just a little bit.


This kid is faster at running, better at climbing, comes from a family that's pretty well off and is great at speaking and telling stories. Naturally this kid becomes the pseudo leader of the pack and the kids follow this kids lead in generally everything this kid says and does without questioning it at all. This pattern goes on for weeks, then weeks turn into months, and months turn into years. After a few years this kid has developed in his mind that because everyone follows me and does what I say then I MUST be better than them all - it's only logical and makes sense... right? It's subtle at first but this mind set creeps in slowly but surely. Soon, this kid can ask for parts of other kids lunch and they will surrender it to him. He can ask for kids to give him some of their money to do the things he decides and they do. He can decide selectively who he wants to play with and the kids fall into line and obey. He can even decide whether or not another kid should be helped or not when they fall over depending on his verdict of why they fell. By now the picture of innocency of kids just sharing and playing in a playground is long gone. It's now become about ambition, power, greed and control. Stay with me because it gets worse...


One day this kid that's decided he's better than all the rest finds a yellow plastic ring on the ground on the way to the playground. The little whisper in his head says "go on... try it on, I bet it fits your head like a crown...". By now the kids ego has grown so big that he doesn't even stop to think and just puts it on his head and struts into the playground. He announces his arrival and tells the kids "I'm your King, you will now only reference me as King or Your Majesty". Some of the kids cheer, others silently go along with it and a few protest under their breath but haven't got the heart to say or do anything because of the power the older kid holds after years and years of playing this game of control. Now... I'm wondering who here has worked out where this is going. I know the story sounds far fetched and ridiculous but this sort of thing is happening all over the world in the Name of God and God is greatly displeased and is most definitely NOT for this. Jesus taught us in Matthew 23 about how we are to view others and made it very clear that we are to call no one here on earth Father - because we have one Father which is in Heaven. He also said we are to call no one master or teacher because we have one master and teacher which is Jesus.


What Jesus did when He taught this was destroy all the useless and pointless hierarchy that we as mankind build and brought in the pattern of the Kingdom of God in its place. The pattern of love, unity and humility. As humans we naturally look for leadership and when someone stands up and says with a plastic crown on their head saying "I'm the king now" we often fall into line and obey without question. The truth is we should only obey, serve and have our allegiance to one King and His Name is Jesus. He is the only one to who our complete trust can be given because He is the one true, just and holy Son of God - all others are inferior copies.  He is the only one to whom our hearts can be trusted in full to be not be betrayed, hurt and manipulated. Now I know I'm going to make enemies by saying this but trust me when I say making enemies isn't something I'm not accustomed to at all. If anyone on this earth tells you to do anything against the teachings of Jesus, if they elevate themselves above you, segregate themselves to special areas assigned for the elite, make themselves out to be something more than you in God and use this to further their own plans and ambition - then they aren't of God.


Interestingly Jesus gave a compliment to a man in the bible and called him the greatest man born among women yet this man lived alone in the wilderness, wore camel skin and ate honey dipped locusts. What this man we know as John the Baptist did do was lead people into the Kingdom of Heaven and just like God he made no distinction for position. He welcomed all including the prostitutes, thieves, murderers, criminals and all the outcasts of society to a Kingdom of love, peace, truth and life through repentance in Jesus. He didn't have a special area for the pretty people or the well to do ones - everyone got baptised in the same river Jordan.  It was the religious leaders of the day that had the yellow plastic crowns on their head, the ones who's hands smelt of money from the constant dipping into the treasury of the temple that hated John and the ways of God he brought to people. They hated him because they held the power over people and they wanted it to stay that way for as long as possible. For that very reason, these same leaders also rejected and killed Jesus as He was the biggest threat to their manipulation. The Kingdom of Heaven brings balance, peace and love and levels out the false kingdoms built by man. From my experience and from the Word of God, find the money trail and you'll find it leads to control and evil in the hearts of men and women.


One of the single most significant things that happened when Jesus finally died that day on the cross was to do with the veil in the temple. Before that day only a high priest - someone with title and bloodline - could enter the innermost part of the temple to meet with God himself. When Jesus died - that curtain separating the most intimate area where God was met was torn from top to bottom. What God was saying was this "Now... all can come. I hold no distinction, all are welcome because of my Son and His sacrifice for you". God encourages us to seek Him, ask Him questions and to test all things. He isn't looking for mindless robots that do the same thing week after week on a structured routine - He clearly says "I seek people to worship me from their spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). He doesn't expect us to blindly believe what He says and He also doesn't expect you to blindly believe what others say either. He wants you to know and understand the truth and we know and understand that by having a direct, personal and meaningful relationship with God our Father through Jesus Christ and the by Holy Spirit's help. The Bible says in 1 John 4:1 to "Test the spirits because not all that say they are of God are actually from God and many false prophets have come into the world".


The heart of God is this - we are called to be simply brothers and sisters in Christ to love, serve and help one another. In Romans 12:10 "it says to be devoted to one another, preferring one another". Jesus also taught the principle that to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48). If someone is given a huge gift in music, speaking, business or anything else - then it was given to serve and help others and not for fame, greed or personal riches.  James 5:17 tells us that Elijah - the guy that prayed and called down fire and rain from Heaven - was a normal guy just like you and me. A normal guy that prayed and sought God and found Him. Jesus taught us in Matthew 18 that the greatest in the Kingdom of God is the one that serves - not the one who has many servants. Jesus himself was the example of this when He willingly laid down His crown as the King of all Glory to become a servant to us to help us, heal us and ultimately die for us. If you want to know who the true servants of God are - don't judge it by the car they drive, how big their church is or how big the crowd of followers they have - look for the selfless, caring, humble heart of Jesus in them and through them. Can I encourage you today that if you believe in God, make the one person you do have your absolute allegiance to, the one you learn from and obey, the one you seek for guidance and truth, and the one who's example you follow to be Jesus. Everyone else is simply just another little kid in the playground but He is the true King that loves us and is worth following, worth listening to and worthy of our love and devotion. I pray that God gives you peace, love and truth as you seek Him. God loves you deeply. 

Does God have emotions? Does He feel anything towards you?? Absolutely yes God has emotions! The Bible says many times about God feeling very sorrowful because of mankind hurting, killing and taking from each other. God also feels angry at injustice and oppression and tells us as followers of His ways not to hurt, rob and oppress one another but to help to stop oppression, greed, deception and abuse in this world. Love is exactly that, an action motivated by a higher cause and our higher cause is The Highest cause. God also has mercy for us and remembers that we are only made from just the dust of the ground. God doesn't have unrealistic expectations of you, He knows and loves you for who you are - the Real You. He is for you and wants to help you in every step of your life (Jeremiah 29:11). He is also our comforter in our tough times, our peace in our storms, our strength when we're weak, our fire in the battle and our hope when all the other lights fade.


The Bible says we are created in the 'image of God' which means we took on all that He is just in a lesser form. So just like us, He also has emotions and feels things too. He knows and cares about how you feel right now whether it's sadness, anger, loss, fear, happiness, peace or success and He wants to be with you in it and through it (1 Peter 5:7). He wants to carry your pain and celebrate your triumphs. Unlike us though, His emotions don't ever dictate His actions or change His character or behavior towards us - He is eternally love personified. That's why He's such an amazing Father because He truly is perfect all the time. So no matter how many times we fall and fail, He is always there faithful and just to forgive us when we come to Him and confess our sins (1 John 1:9). He is the Father in the story of the prodigal son just waiting for us to turn and come home (Luke 15). He doesn't treat us as we deserve or repay us for all our wrongs and for that I'm so thankful (Psalm 103:10). He really is such a good God to us. Have an awesome day because you are so loved by God.

[ Song of Solomon 8:6 - Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD.]

In the very beginning there was nothing but blackness. Endless, deep, thick, measureless blackness. Blackness like none of us know or will ever know. A place completely and totally devoid of light. A place where there was no change, no seasons, no sun, no moon, no stars, no shadow, no contrast, no sunrise, no sunset, no shade and no time. Then... there was a fateful conversation between The Three that changed everything. God said "Let's Create...". And so our home was born. This giant spherical rock we know as earth began as nothing but an uncharted water planet. A huge, deep, vast linking plane of water upon water. Out of the three that conversed it was the Son that chose to be the one to make this world. While the Father watched and the Spirit of God hovered over the lifeless dark waters, it was the Son that spoke the words that changed everything. In the total, supreme, majestic and unchallenged authority that He held - the words "Let there be Light" was uttered. And there was light. This is the first scene of our world. Out of all the planets in the universe ours is the only water planet.

We can search high and low using all our cleverness and invention yet to date we haven't found another planet suited to support life. All the others are simply giant floating rocks and spherical gas spheres made for one purpose... decoration in the dark, inky blackness of a universe that has no end. This place we call Earth is special because the Son made it special. He made it special because you are special. He fell in love with this place and all His creation the very moment He dreamed everything we see, know, touch and feel. He is the light bringer. But sadly, this place once again fell into darkness when we - the creation - sinned and chose to do things on our own. You see, without Him there was and is no light. Just turn on your TV and you'll see that darkness spreads across the globe like a cancer. Greed, Lust, Corruption,  Selfishness and Death. Like an unchecked plague of disease - darkness blinds, deceives, suffocates and kills all we know and see that is good. The One who made this place saw the darkness creeping across His masterpiece and He knew immediately who it was that needed to fix it. We couldn't and He knew that. The only way to defeat the darkness had to be one who was stronger than the darkness. So the Creator set down His rightful crown beside His Father to wear a very different crown...

A crown of sharp pain, shame, loneliness, rejection, sin and death. He chose to wear a crown made from the darkness, from all the worst that this place had become. He chose that path of darkness... for you. He could have just screwed up all that He made like an artist crumples up an unwanted sketch - but He didn't. Because of His immense love He said "I'll go. I'll fix this". And so the Creator came back as one of us to teach us, lead us, heal us - then ultimately to die and rise again for us to show us true love and real life. He came back to die for you to bring you into what He made and always intended... relationship in the light. He's actually never stopped bringing light. That's what He does and always will do. So if your life is darkness right now and the blackness is surrounding and suffocating you - call out to the One who made everything. Call out to the one who made the vast expanse of space, the One who breathed this planet we know into existence and the One who formed you and knew you long before your very conception. Call out to the God of water, fire, wind and earth. Call out to the One who brings light to the darkness. Call out to Him because He wants to save you. It's one of the best things He is... A Saviour. He has many names but we call Him JESUS. You are loved. 

Who said this light of mine has to be little? Jesus...this world is so dark and little lights just arent gonna cut it. So make me burn bright. Make me into a flaming beacon of hope, truth and love. Set me as a roaring bonfire on a hill thats impossible to miss. Burn up all of me that isn't of any use for your Kingdom. I will become nameless for you, a true soldier that needs no glory and no payment only identified by the armour given by my Commander. Purge me with your perfect flame. Make my eyes like yours, flames of fire that see in the darkness seeking the hurting, the lost and the fallen and bringing them into your hope. I do not fear the fear, I invite it. Drench me in your oil. The sacrifice is ready...so send your fire like you did in the days of old when the prophets called on your Name. I won't hold you back Lord. For I am only a spark, but with your untainted breath I can become the wildfire you always intended. So breathe your incomparable life into me and ignite the embers for your Kingdom! 

[ Luke 12:49 - "I (Jesus) came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!" ] 

Every so often God speaks to me and asks me to put up an offer to pray for people on here which I'm always more than happy to do so. I believe in prayer because for one I love God more than my own life and prayer is communicating with God - and two I've seen what prayer can and does do many times in my life both for me and for others.Today though God led me to do something a little different. Stay with me and I'll fill you in. In Matthew 18:19 there is a verse that Jesus gave us called the "prayer of agreement". It goes like this..."If two of you who believe in Jesus ask anything of their Father in Heaven in Jesus Name - that's His plan and purpose for this world - It will be done on earth". The reason I quote this verse is because there is power in the Word of God. There is power when brothers and sisters believe together in God. And most importantly there is power in the Name of Jesus. Why is there power in the Name of Jesus? I'll tell you why. Hebrews 11:3 tells us that everything we see is made from the things we can't see. What this means is that this physical world hinges on an unseen spiritual world. Here's where it gets real.

Both the spiritual world and the physical world were created by Jesus, He is the Lord of Creation of both all things spiritual and all things physical - both seen and unseen. He holds absolute authority over both worlds. So if you need something to happen in the physical world - then you need to pray for change in the spiritual world. And the only way you can have authority to change anything in the spiritual world is to appeal to God in the Name of the One who created that world... Jesus. So now that I've got that part out I'll tell you why I'm talking like this. Our world is at war, there are unseen forces that afflict and plague our people all across the globe. They don't care how young or old you are, your skin colour, your financial situation, your connections and anything you think that you are. It is at war with us simply because we are created in the image of God. Some of the powerful generals in the army that oppose us are Fear, Anxiety and Depression. They are powerful giants that hold people down, suffocating them and robbing them of the life and peace that God intended for them. Here's where we come in.

We are the children of light, we are the ones who have hope, we are the soldiers in the army of God, we are the ones who believe in Jesus that He is Lord and able to save all who call on Him. What I'm here today to ask for is that if you are being afflicted by Anxiety, Fear or Depression list your name and I will pray for you and so will my brothers and sisters that Jesus has mercy on you and breaks your unseen prison. If you also know of someone in your life that also suffers from these things, list their name for them and we will pray for them on their behalf. Jesus said that if two agree then it will be done, how much more so then if a hundred or a thousand agree? Let's pray for our fallen brothers and sisters in Jesus Name that the Holy Spirit will be given without measure like it was in the days of old when a teenage boy faced a war machine giant on the battlefield... and won! Lets raise the sword of prayer, faith and hope in defiance against the cruel oppressors that torment those we love. Lets stand up for those who have all but lost their strength. Lets appeal together in one voice to the Lord of all Lords, the King of all Kings, The Living God and the Ever Present Saviour of this World that He sends help from His sanctuary to break the prisons that hold our brothers and sisters all over the world.

Lets make Heaven ring and hear once again the cries of the race of men and women for redemption from slavery. It's time to raise your voice. It's time the army of God is known. It's time we fight for freedom and for our kind. The armour God gives His soldiers isn't just so you can cope and survive this world... It's given so you can run into battle, full of brilliant blinding light and take back territory from our enemy. Our God gives power freely to all who kneel before Him so let us pray and become what He intended us to be - soldiers of light who fight for the freedom of others in the Name of our King. Our battle is not with flesh and blood and what is seen, our war is fought in faith, prayer and obedience - yet the outcome is very much seen in this world. I was once a slave to Fear, Anxiety and Depression and was set free by my King Jesus - now I am sent to make war with those that held me for so long. God loves you for more than any words can describe and it's time our brothers and sisters who are in pain know that too. So who is with me? Who will run into battle for the fallen, the broken and the hurting? Who will kneel and become mighty for others? It's time they tasted freedom in Jesus Name!

[ Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, "I am a warrior." - Joel 3:10 ]    

A few days ago I skated along the foreshore, blasted up and down the jetty a few times past unsuspecting tourists then cruised along the marina where all the big hotels and million dollar yachts are moored. I sat there at the end of the weir sitting on the breakers looking over the fancy boats, posh restaurants and towering apartments and thought to myself "I've got something that all this money can't buy... The Love of God" I spent a good percentage of my life chasing the dollar and did a fairly good job of it with a corporate management job, motorbikes, cars, and all the latest boys toys but the truth was none of it even came close to filling the deep gaping hole in me. Only when I completely gave up my ways and let go of all that so called "pursuit of success" and all its empty achievements - and chose to do things God's way did that hole finally get filled by the love of my Father in Heaven. Today I sit here in the warm sun with my skateboard, some good beats, a trillion dollar view of the sun lighting up the ocean that money can't even dream to buy and a cool breeze as my companion - and right now I have so, so much more than I ever did. I have freedom, peace, identity, purpose, love, mercy, relationship, grace and truth given to me by God himself. Those are the things I value the most in life now. The things that last forever and ever. And nothing anyone in existence says or does can separate or change the forever settled fact that God loves me. God loves you too 🐼br>

[ Romans 8:39 - Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. ]  

You know one of the best things about God is that He's not like us. The truth is we as humans aren't really all that faithful even when we try our best to be - and we don't naturally have mercy for one another when people do us wrong and hurt us. By instinct we protect our own interests first but God isn't like this. If He protected His own interests He would have just written us all off a long time ago because we are all broken, fallible and prone to hurt Him over and over again. But He doesn't write us off - instead He opens the doors of mercy to us brand new every day even when we don't deserve it and we often earn quite the opposite. He is also faithful. Extremely faithful. As a matter of fact He is perfectly faithful. He ALWAYS keeps His Word and ALWAYS keeps His promises. In a world of so much uncertainty, He is our certainty. God loves you. You are worth far more than you know. 

[ Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. - Lamentations 3:23 ] 

I hope today you're having a great day. I hope that you're enjoying the gift of life that God has given to the absolute full because that was His intention when He gave the gift to you when you were born. He wishes only good for you and has plans of amazing things should you choose to follow Him and His ways. Today I need to speak about something and I don't mean it to in any way make you feel sad or add heaviness to your day - that said I must obey my God when He speaks. I truly hope and pray that you do have a great day full of happiness, joy and peace... but there are many out there today that will not. This is not a message for those whose lives right now have peace and joy - it is a cry for those who do not and are near the edge. I found out this morning that my sisters ex-boyfriend took his life in the past few days. He was around 30 years old and left behind a 12 year old son as well as a 1 year old daughter. His life was one of sadness, pain, loss and grief. He was an amazing guy who like me loved skateboarding and almost became pro in his late teens. He ran a landscaping business and knew how to work hard. Yet, He suffered with depression, loneliness and pain which ultimately led to his death.


He battled alcohol and drug addictions which took their toll on his physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health as well as inflicting great pain on all who loved him and knew him. Why do I write this? Because I too held the cold blade of suicide once. I went to the very edge of oblivion - the point of no return. I too heard the voices that said "end it all... it's time to just lie down and die... you're not worth anything and if you kill yourself the pain will stop...". I'm heretoday to tell you that the voices are lies. They come from a liar and the father of lies. I'm here to raise the sword against death and depression and to name it among my people as an oppressor and a thief. The greatest lie the Devil can ever tell is that if you take your life - the pain will stop. The thing is this, he knows its not a lie that's easy to pull off and he has to set up a lot of things to get it to happen. I'm here today to tell you how his game works. First he brings pain into your life. Maybe it will be theft, maybe it will be rape, maybe it will be betrayal, maybe sickness, maybe rejection. Trust me when I say he has a toolbox full of instruments he knows how to use very, very well. Next he adds to that pain with more pain. His plan is to pile on as much pain and suffering as possible while whispering to you in the silence that you're worthless, you're nothing and you'll never be anything. He does this to erode your beliefs and to try to make you believe the lies he tells.


Then... when he knows you're at your weakest... when he knows its the most strategic time... when everything is in place... he tells the greatest lie ever... "Go on, end it all... you know its the answer...the pain is too much... just end it all". I'm here to tell you today that the devil is a liar. He lied to me too and he nearly pulled it off. I heard him that day say to me "pull hard left on the steering wheel and drive your car off this bridge and it all ends..." But something that day stopped me. I don't care if you don't believe me but I know that day there were someone else's hands that pulled the wheel back towards the road. I know who those hands belonged to and I think you do too. What I'm here today to tell you is this. The answer to your pain is not suicide. Yes, the pain is horrible and it needs to die but the answer isn't ending your life. The answer to your pain is in a person. The answer to your pain is in an exchange. The answer to your pain is in a King - and that King's name is Jesus. That King became pain for you so that you don't have to carry it any more. I don't want to scare anyone by saying the things I'm going to say but trust me when I say I've seen first hand the power of my enemy the devil. For years and years I had visitations, voices and often woke with unexplained bruises all over my body the next morning.


I've seen how truly powerful and devastating the power of witchcraft and deception is and how well he can use it to attack and destroy us as humans. The devils war has always been with us - he hates us and has always wanted to corrupt and destroy us simply because we are the creations of Jesus - the Master to whom he rebelled against. Now here's where things get real. I've also seen the power of my King. I've seen His absolute authority, I've seen His fury towards those that wish harm against His children. I've seen His power to restore and redeem things that were shattered and utterly broken. I've seen Him heal diseases that have no cure. I've seen Him transform people to be the complete opposite of what they were. I've seen Him breathe hope and life into seemingly hopeless situations. I became a christian at the age of 8 years old but for most of my life only knew Jesus the guy that died for me, a skinny, effeminate Jewish man with long hair that paid for my sins with his death. I was always thankful for what He did but I barely knew Him at all. It wasn't until my life came to the very brink of death, when all hope had faded and I couldn't continue on any more that I finally sunk the knife into pride instead of myself. It was once pride died that My King arrived. I suffered badly for years with depression which drove me to suicide yet all it took was a single encounter with Jesus as my King to change everything.


He took from me what didn't belong. He laid hold of it and removed it with His passion, His love and His strong arm of authority. He didn't just take away my depression - He annihilated it. He utterly destroyed it before my very eyes and made a point of showing me that years of torment and suffering all died in the space of seconds before the presence of His power. When He did what He did He opened my eyes to who He truly is - not just a man that lived an died for me - but the King of all Kings. The Lord of all Lords. The roaring Lion of Judah against who none would dare or can oppose. He showed me just a glimpse of His true authority as my King and it was terrifyingly powerful. I still have shivers even at the thought of who He truly is - yet in all His awesome earth shaking power He fights for me. He showed me the power of His love and His unmatched authority to make anything that stands between His children and His love fade into ash and disappear into the winds of His breath. What I'm here today to say is is... The answer to your pain is not death. The answer to your pain is transformation. I am everything that I am todaybecause of my King. I found the answer and the thing I was looking for all along. I found it in the power and the authority of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ - the only one who has the power to transform a wretch like me into a child of the King.


He alone has the power to take from you the pain and suffering in your life and transform you too into what He says you truly are. Trust me when I say you really have no idea what and who you really are until you seek the King and His mercy. He took a slave and an addict like me and turned me into a soldier for His Kingdom. Now I don't fight for my survival, I fight for the freedom of others who suffer like I did. I'm not here today to tell you how to be free - only Jesus is and can show you the way. I can tell you it's not the latest book in the stores, it's not a movie that's going to do it, it's not a series of affirmations or chants, it's not you giving more money, serving more or working harder. The answer to your freedom is you giving up and letting Jesus the King reign. It's you saying "I'm done Jesus, I can't and won't do things my way any more... I give you my life... take it and use it... I need you Jesus...". I know for sure that there is someone out there that needs this, that's on the brink like I was, that's hanging from the edge from your last few fingers... This is for you. Hand over the keys to those doors you've kept locked for so long and let the war drums begin. Give Him permission and He will fight for you.


Trust me when I say this... I've seen how these fights go down and no matter what it is that faces my King in the ring - it all ends very, VERY quickly. Give Him FULL access to your heart and your life and watch and see the true power of His love for you. If this is you right now and God is speaking to you from this while you're alone please read Psalm 18. This is how God feels about your pain and how He feels about you. You matter greatly to Him and you're worth more than the pain and the lies. I pray thattoday God intervenes and reveals Himself to you like He did to me as the King of all Kings full of power and authority and willing and able to save all who call on His Name. There is always hope. God loves you.  

"This road you called me to walk... It's just too hard. I can't do this alone... I'm exhausted..."

I PROMISE YOU YOU'RE NOT ALONE. I WILL NEVER ABANDON YOU. ONE STEP AT A TIME SOLDIER. WHEN YOU FALL I'LL CARRY YOU. 

"This place I'm in is just too dark... the blackness swallows up everything that's good..."

I HAVE NO PROBLEM SEEING IN THE DARK. TRUST ME. JUST FOLLOW MY VOICE AND YOU'LL BE FINE. 

"This sword you've given me is just too vast. It's way too big for me..."

RIGHT NOW - YES. BUT I'LL TEACH YOU TO GROW INTO IT. LEARN FROM ME. ALL I ASK IS FOR YOU TO NOT LET GO OF MY WORDS. BURY THEM DEEP IN YOUR HEART. FOLLOW MY LEAD AND I'LL DO THE REST. 

"I trust you Lord... even though I can't even pretend to do this in my own strength I will move forward on your command. Not because I believe in myself... but because I believe in You and your Kingdom. So bind these broken fingers to the hilt with your perfect cords of love, hope, truth and justice. I'll give my all until I am fully spent - because that's what You did for me that day. I will stand and fight for the broken, the oppressed, the hurting, the voiceless and the forgotten. I don't care how many bruises, cuts and scratches I get. I don't care if I get no pay and no reward. I don't care if no one notices what I'm doing. I don't care if my name is ripped to shreds by lies and accusation. I'll forge on, not for me... but for the others that haven't tasted true freedom yet. Lord give me strength for the battle. Teach me to fight for others like you did, in sacrifice and in pure love. For your glory, your Kingdom and your Name. I bow before you my King with very little strength as a humble child. I offer the little I have for your Kingdom...†"

RISE MY SOLDIER! I GIVE STRENGTH TO THE WEAK. I MAKE MIGHTY MEN AND WOMEN FROM LITTLE CHILDREN. I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS. THE BATTLE IS MINE AND I WILL DELIVER THE ENEMY INTO YOUR HANDS. STAND MY CHILD.

[ Exodus 14:14 - The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. ] 

God knows your hidden pain. He knows and understands those things you struggle to explain to anyone. The things people said and did that you were powerless to avoid and that sting deep in your heart day after day. He also knows why you do what you do even though you hate repeating it over and over. He knows what you're going through. He knows when the things you had planned aren't working out as you might have thought and when things are taking longer than you expected or would have liked them to. Take comfort in the fact that He knows and cares for you. Faith is not about a magic procedure, special secret chants, the latest book or finding the hidden way to getting everything you ask for when you want it - Faith is simply about relationship. It's about relationship of humble children with a loving Heavenly Father in simple respectful reliance. The truth is that we can't really do a lot to help ourselves of our own efforts. We aren't strong enough, smart enough or connected enough. Sometimes when things do go right for a decent run we think that maybe it was all to do with how good we are or how talented and clever we think we are... But the truth again is the only reason we ever succeed is all because of God and His immense love, mercy and grace for us. The only reason anyone is anything at all because God helps us - and many times we often don't see it or realise it. You see that's how amazing God and His love is - it has nothing to prove and wants nothing in return.  He just wants you to be loved an receive His love and He wants to help you in your life both in the great times and in your struggles.  I pray today for you my brothers and sisters that God's love comforts your heart and gives you the strength and peace you need for your trial. Everyone has trials and there's always love, mercy and grace available for you from your Father in Heaven in truckloads for whatever comes your way. Stay strong because God loves you. 

[ "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." -2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ] 

OK, I'm throwing down a challenge for today! If you're up to it, join me :) Here's the deal - Do your best today to encourage three people. Try to make it something meaningful and not just something about someones outward appearance - go a bit deeper and try to look for something unique or something about someone's character to encourage. You would be blown away at the effect it has even if you don't see it right away. If just 100 people did this today then at least 300 people get encouraged! Imagine if those people went on to do the same? The results would be exponential and enough to change a city. A few of those people might just be close to giving up or worse so you might be the last word of life and love that helps them get back up and into the race of life. Do it freely, expect nothing in return and I can promise you this, you'll have an awesome day yourself. I'll start the ball rolling. You're awesome, there's no one like you. I'm talking about the real you, the you inside that doesn't age. The part of you that passion, life and all of your interests flow from - that part is awesome. It's a gift from God. Stay Gold :)

I became a christian at the age of 8 years old. I grew up in a broken home with my single mum and two brothers. I accepted Jesus as my savior in a dusty old run down public school classroom after school in a bible stories class my mum sent me and my brothers to. The lady spoke about these amazing stories from the bible like David and Goliath, Adam and Eve, Noah and the flood and then Jesus. She told me that this guy called Jesus who was the Son of God died for me and in my place to take my sins away and to make a way for me to be with God who apparently was my Father - I thought that sounded like a pretty bad deal for Jesus, dying so badly and all that - but if He was willing to do that for me I'm up for it for sure. Hey, I was 8 - I'd take anything that was free :) 

I then went on to learn about Jesus and His ways and one of the biggest things that stuck out in His teachings was that He said the two greatest commandments that sit far above all of the ten commandments and all the prophets in the bible are to "love God with all your heart" and to "love your neighbour as yourself". I had huge problems with this though. I also grew up in a country where men are told that if you feel emotion you are weak. And loving yourself was a sign of arrogance. It wasn't that I didn't want to do this though - I had no idea how to love myself or others. You see I was broken. I was a young boy who hadn't been shown love very much and had seen so much pain so I had no idea how to love others or even accept love. I couldn't accept praise for anything, I couldn't be hugged, I couldn't even look in the mirror. I lived most of my life hating myself for the simple reason that I must be worthless - it was only logical - history has proven to me and by all the things that have happened to me it must be true. The voices inside echoed day after day reinforcing the same. I heard this concept of God being a Father but He wasn't that to me in my mind - all I knew was pain. 

Through my teenage years I tried to cope with this pain by various and some quite dangerous ways. I lived life on the edge all the time. Pushing every boundary - and why not? What was I worth anyway? I may as well go hard, all the way past danger and reason. My worth was only in what I could do. This went on for years and years. I accumulated lots of things - money, cars, motorbikes, TV's - basically everything that people seek after. Yet I was in the depths of misery. I had everything - so much more than others had - yet I had nothing at all. The thing I wanted always escaped me and kept me awake at night. There was a hole in me that ached so bad. A hole that could only be filled by a Father. Then my life went particularly bad. I  started losing my mind. I knew what was happening. I was caving in. Everything was collapsing into that hole and I knew I didn't have much time. Things were getting worse quickly. I went to see a doctor and she immediately diagnosed me with depression and anti-depressants. They only made things worse though. They flat lined who I was. I now felt less pain, but I also lost all my passion for life and anything at all. I became a walking zombie. I knew this wasn't that answer - it couldn't be. I said to myself "I can't and refuse to live the rest of my life like this". I'll share another time how God healed me totally and completely of depression and all my horrible addictions but I want to share what He did before He tore from me what tormented me didn't belong. 

I had a family breakdown which was something that was just  waiting to happen after the teenage years me and my brothers have had  and how it affected my mother. I drove home one day and pulled into the garage. That ache inside was so bad, it was no longer an emotional or spiritual problem - it actually hurt in my chest and I was struggling to breathe. My heart was shutting down and I knew this was serious. As serious as a heart attack. Then it happened. Through the windshield I  started to see my life playing back to me in slides like someone was showing me living photo scenes of my life. I saw my first job, my first car, my first motorbike. My first fight at school, my first bmx, the day my Dad left home. It kept going back further though. Flashing faster and faster. I saw my first day at school and myself drinking from the taps as a little boy, my first day at kindergarten climbing on the monkey bars and falling in bark chips. I saw myself crawling as a baby looking up with an innocent smile. Then lastly the scenes stopped and I saw a baby in a plastic hospital crib only 1 minute old with dried blood smeared across his forehead. I looked at the arm band and it hit me like a freight train. It was me. This defenceless smooth skinned little child lying there was me. Then I heard God say "When I look at you - I've always seen you as that. I loved you so deeply that day and have loved you long before you even existed. I am your Father." For the first time in my life my heart beated like it was meant to - in rhythm with my Fathers. 

A stone cold heart now became a heart of flesh because of love. Why am I telling you all this? Because I never loved myself. And because of that I could never really love anyone else. Now that God has shown me that I am loved eternally, incomparably and radically by my Father in heaven it changed every single thing about me. Now I value myself. Now I know I am worthy. Now I know I belong. Now I l know I have a future. Now I know for certain - I....am....loved. And now because of Him and His love, I understand the two greatest commandments. Love God with all your heart and love your neighbour as yourself. I love myself because I choose to believe what God says about me - not what history, my emotions, my accomplishments, my friends, my family, my enemies or anything else tells me - only what He says and He says "I love you". And now that I love myself the way God wants me to, I can properly and freely love others. Obviously I now also love God with all my heart because without His amazing love - I wouldn't be who I am at all. God is love. God loves you. If you don't know God as your Father and would like to, call out to Him. He will hear you. And He will answer with love just as He did for me. 

I pray for you today more than anything... that you KNOW God's love. Deep in your heart. Settled. Sure. Immovable. Because when you truly know you are loved by your Heavenly Father all the silly games stop, all the self deception ceases, all the petty justifications die, the outward parade ends, and religion finally goes to the grave. When you know you're truly loved by God you know that God sees and knows all of you. Every single part. Then you humbly bow before Him and simply just receive His love as a child. God loves you - far more than you'll ever know... I pray today He reveals that love to you more and more. - 1 John 4:16 NLT "We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in him. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them."  

Some say love is spelt in gifts. Some say love is spelt in affection. Some say love is spelt in respect. Some say love is spelt in attention. Some say love is spelt in service to another. Some say love is simply a chemical reaction. For me... none of those things saved and changed me. Even as nice as some of those things are - none of them were powerful enough to reach the real me that was lost inside under years of smothering lies and pain. The type of love that found me was a love that fears nothing, not even death itself. It was a type of love so radical, so offensive to the strong towering walls that were built around my heart that they began to crumble and fall under the sheer weight of the truth of its power. A love I had not known and would never know from a being that walks this earth - apart from The One called the Son of God. It was His love, His undying love that saved me, reached me, found me, cleansed me, raised me, teaches me and leads me. A love that stared death in the face defiantly and unafraid, a love that went to the grave burying and dragging my sin to where it belongs, and a love that exploded back to life three days later to live forever and ever! That love has a name. His Name is JESUS. It was love that saved me. His love. †

[ John 15:13 - Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. ] 

In God's Word we hear the terms "brotherly love", "brothers and sisters in Christ", "One spirit in God" but do we really believe it? Do we treat those that love God and His ways as our actual family - or is it just an uncomfortable catch phrase and a churchy cliche? Jesus challenged the thinking of the day in His time here on earth by asking the question "Who is my family?" He then opened His hands towards His disciples and said "These are my family". Jesus said this to change the narrow mindset we often have of family. Family not just those who were born from the same parents as you, Family is in truth those that are born again by the same Spirit as you! And when we really take this truth to heart that those that are followers of Christ are indeed family, it changes everything. You see - Family don't lie to each other, they don't cheat each other, they don't slander or gossip about each other, they don't ignore each other, they don't abuse each other, they respect each other, they guard each other, they confess their faults to each other, they forgive each other, they give to each other, they feed and care for each other, they listen to each other, they fight for each other and most importantly... they pray for each other. Jesus reinforced this truth one last time as He hung on the cross only hours before His death in John 19. He knew that His time to leave this mortal coil had come, yet He still cared deeply for the needs of His family. While in extreme pain and agony Jesus took a moment to instruct John to care for Mary His mother and to now call her his mother and for Mary to call John her son. Jesus cares about and for you deeply. You are valued, priceless and rare. And He wants us to have that same value and love for each other. Family - it's more than just a word, it's a powerful promise from the Kingdom of Heaven.

[ Romans 12:10 - Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. ] 

First of all, I'll define a sinner. A sinner is someone who sins. The simple truth is this - everyone sins. Every single person in this world has either lied, stolen, rebelled, hated, disobeyed, been selfish and hurt others at some stage. Even more than that, we are all born in sin. It's in our very nature from birth. For this very reason you don't need to teach a two year old how to have a bad attitude and throw a tantrum. It's in our blood. So that levels the playing field to start with hey. We are all sinners. Secondarily, sin is sin whether its big or small. I'll put it this way... You're on your way to a wedding in your best gear. You're standing outside the church with a friend and the horse drawn cart pulls up with the brides family inside. Unfortunately the horse ate a little too much for breakfast and decided now is a good time to relieve itself.


You do your best to maintain composure despite the rancid smell and step back to get some fresh air. The bride arrives next in a large black limousine and pulls up to the curb. As the driver reverses to park he runs over the horses 'deposit' and moist particles are sent airborne in your direction. You look down and your nicely pressed suit is now completely peppered and decorated with a substance not generally fit for wedding ceremonies or public appearances. Your friend also suffers the same fate only to a much lesser extent with much smaller spots sprayed over a nice white shirt. Why such a vivid example? Because now both people have 'less than desirable' additions to their clean clothes. Clearly both people would need these dirty clothes washed and to get changed into new clothes.Sadly though, it's often the ones with the big obvious stains that go to 'The Cleaner'. You would think it absurd for the friend that had smaller spots to just ignore it and put a suit jacket on to cover the spots and continue on with the day pretending nothing ever happened.


The truth is no matter how much you perfume or try to cover it up, you know what you've got on you. Sin is exactly the same. We all do it, We all need forgiveness. The great news is 1 John 1:9 tells us that Jesus is always faithful to forgive us when we confess our sin, no matter how big or small. A Christian can be defined as a 'sinner saved by grace'. Does this mean Christians are clean and perfect all the time? Certainly not. A Christian is simply someone who knows the owner of the laundromat personally. We all need Jesus. We all need forgiveness. This is why Jesus said "judge not or you will be judged". We just aren't cut out to judge, we are all flawed just like everyone else and need Jesus every moment of every day.


Jesus was known as the 'friend of sinners' and we are called to be Christ-like so it makes perfect sense that we should do the same. Religion is exclusive, but God's love is inclusive. We don't stay clean in God's eyes by excluding ourselves from sinners, we stay clean by choosing not to sin ourselves and by asking for forgiveness we we fall. So today, choose to be respectful, kind, friendly and inviting to sinners just like Jesus was - because in truth, we are all just sinners who need a Saviour. Our job is to simply present Jesus as our Saviour and let the Spirit of God do His word in their hearts

 [ Luke 5:32 - Jesus said "I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" ] God loves you!  

Hey, God loves you and because He loves you there's going to come a time when you're going to have to go into the wilderness. I'm not talking about becoming like Bear Grylls and eating raw wriggling fish from a mountain pond - the wilderness can be many things. You see God is unchanging and perfect but we are not - we always need to change and grow - and often the best way for us to grow is through trials and tests of our faith. Sadly as humans we naturally often prefer comfort but character isn't built while sitting in an arm chair with a remote in your hand eating tasty snacks. Faith, Trust, Ability, Character and Discernment are built in the tough times when our comfort often is taken away. For you the wilderness might be a new school, a new job, moving to a new state, it might be the end of a toxic relationship, loss, rejection or even a death in your family. The wilderness might also be things taken away from you that gave you comfort yet made slow and lazy like cars, motorbikes, people, position and money. Why would God take away things like this from us? Because He knows better than us and can see much further ahead. He knows what we really are and what we can really do and He knows the best way to find that truth in us and bring it out to be seen.

The wilderness is unfamiliar, vast and dangerous. It puts us outside of our comfort zone and brings our weaknesses to be seen and addressed. The wilderness is full of predators, disease and risk - yet it's the wilderness that brings out our insight, skills and resliance that we didn't know we had before. In the Bible many of the heroes of faith were sent into the wilderness and it was there in that wilderness that they found God and their character was formed and honed into what God truly saw in them. It was in the wilderness that God found and comforted Hagar after she was treated harshly and sent away by Sarah. Joseph found God in his wilderness in Egypt where God unfolded his promised path as the leader and deliverer of his family. Moses was sent into the wilderness and found God in the burning bush and his calling as the leader of God's people out of Egypt. Elijah was sent into the wildness and was fed by ravens in the middle of a famine while being hunted for his life by an evil witch. Esther's wilderness was a foreign kingdom full of danger and enemies yet she found the favour of God and became the Queen sent to aid her people. Ruth's wilderness was the sorrow of losing her husband and an unknown land yet she clung to God and found her path as the great grandmother of King David.

King David spent many years as a shepherd boy in the wilderness fighting the lion and the bear and it was there he was being prepared by God for war and kingship of God's people. John the Baptist lived in the wilderness as an outcast and a wild man yet he paved the way for the Son of God. But the greatest picture of the wilderness has to be Jesus. It was the Spirit of God that led Him into the wilderness to be tempted and tested by Satan the god of this world. Jesus faced the one who had once tried to take His throne in Heaven in three rounds while completely physically depleted yet walked away from fight the undefeated and undisputed champion. He met every single trial head on, He never backed down and stood firm as a rock in a storm as the true King He really is. So when it comes time for you to go into the wilderness, don't fear it. Be excited because many have gone before you into the wilderness and it was in the wilderness that they found two very important things. They found God and they found themselves. Make God your shelter in the wilderness, make Him your strong tower, your deliver and your sword. Put your trust in Him and not your experience, knowledge or skill and He will not fail you. God is with you and He loves you.

[ Proverbs 3:5,6 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. ] 

God loves your heart. So much more than words can describe. He values and seeks after your heart far more than anything else. He isn't after your money, your time or your required duty - they're all just things and actions. He wants you - the real you deep, deep inside. God is jealous for you because He knows how much you are really worth and longs for relationship with you. Jesus said "Where your heart is, that's where your treasure will be". God wants your heart in His hands because He knows its the safest place for something so deeply and intricately valuable to be. True relationship with God isn't about the things you do or the things you give - it's about the heart behind it all. Jesus spoke quite harshly to the religious leaders of His day in Matthew 23 saying that they had completely lost the point behind all the things they were doing in the Name of God. They paraded their righteousness in the streets before all, they built giant grand temples, they made sure they were known and revered by all and demanded to be referenced in lofty titles by the common man. Yet Jesus said they were like tombs that on the outside had been plastered and painted with brilliant beautiful white paint, decorated with flowers and all precious stones... yet inside was a rotting, stinking corpse.

You'd almost rather find that corpse lying in the street where all could see it and deal with it there than to see a cadaver dressed up like a show piece covered in makeup and jewelery like it's going to the Oscars. It's like having a delicious chocolate Easter egg with a dead baby chicken inside. Honestly I couldn't think of anything worse and God feels exactly the same. Here's the thing - God sees everything. Nothing is hidden from Him so really there's no point in trying to pretend to be something you're not. The real reason Jesus was quite harsh on the exalted religious leaders of His day (and today too) is because they lacked love and compassion and their main focus was to be noticed by people to get their praise, approval and money rather than after seeking the heart of God. God loves your heart and wants to have a deep, meaningful relationship with you - not just a once a week affair or some boring pattern of behaviour on a locked in  schedule. He wants you - all of you and that starts with your heart. Imagine you say are in a relationship with someone and you set a few reminders on your phone calendar to buy chocolates or flowers every two weeks and have a date night once a month on the first Monday. Some people would say that sounds great and that you'd be a great boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife. But then the truth is you spend every single second outside of those scheduled times thinking only about yourself, looking after yourself, buying things for yourself, helping yourself etc.

Imagine that every single time you gave a gift to the person you loved it was always out in public so others could see - or every time you went out for dinner it was to a place you know they love you and think you're awesome because you deliberately tip big there. See what I'm saying? Sure you've done some nice things but really was your motive behind it pure or self-serving? Now imagine you buy a puppy. You buy it a bed and feed it every night at 6pm on the dot. You throw a new toy outside every 2 weeks but you never ever spend any real time with your dog. Then when visitors come over you bring the puppy inside let it sit on the lounge, cuddle it in your arms and show it off to all your friends. That would be pretty lame hey. I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad here today but I wanna say that God isn't a show piece, a trendy accessory, a cool reason to socially gather - or even a puppy that you bring close to your heart only when others are around. Jesus spoke to a woman that was foreigner in John chapter 4 and told her that there is coming a time when those that are the children of God will no longer worship God in the designated traditional places - but instead worship God in Spirit and in Truth. So what was Jesus saying? He was saying that God wants your heart. He wants a relationship with you that matters when no one is watching or listening but Him. He wants it to matter or He doesn't want it at all.

There's nothing wrong with church attendance, giving money, praying out loud, giving your time and serving others but if your heart isn't in it for God - then it's completely pointless. How do I know? Because I spent years and years of my life doing exactly that. Mindless religious repetition when in truth my heart was full of hatred, bitterness, unforgiveness, greed and lust. I tried to find God but I tried to find Him my way doing the things I wanted to do that served my interests and all it got me was compounded pain and suffering. I memorised scripture, taughtsunday school classes, led youth groups, preached at church, sang songs, gave money, cleaned toilets, mowed lawns, prayed with the sick and dying - yet all of it was worthless because my heart didn't belong to God. I tried to find God and the peace I so desperately needed through religious duty but that's like trying to find your keys lost in the sand at the beach on your hands and knees using only a fork in your mouth to comb the sand. It's absurd, it looks ridiculous and just going about it completely the hard way. You wanna find those keys? Go get a metal detector - and He's called the Holy Spirit. Stop trying to fix a God shaped hole yourself. It's something only God can do and He can only do it when we stop doing things our way and surrender to His ways.

What God wanted from me was to give up. To stop doing things my way and 'Be still and know that He is God'. I thank God that He allowed my life to get to the point where nothing mattered anymore, where I considered ending it all because that was when I finally gave up and took Jesus hand and gave Him my heart in full. Because of Him now I'm a different man - now I have true purpose. Now I know I'm just a broken man thankful to God for His immense mercy, grace and love that I know I definitely don't deserve yet I so desperately need. I am the forgiven thief on the cross next to Jesus who if justice was served deserved all I had coming to me - yet Jesus said He would take it all for me. Now when I do what I do for God and it's because I truly love Him and want nothing in return or to be noticed or praised by anyone. God loves your heart. He knows who you really are. The real you. What's He's after is surrender. He won't force it on you because then it doesn't mean anything. He wants a willing, meaningful and fulfilling relationship with you - and that always starts with surrender. And when I say it always starts with surrender I mean it all started when the King of all Kings surrendered His throne to become a man and die for us in our place. He loves you desperately. Trust Him with your heart. It's the safest place it can be.

[ Luke 10:27 - And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." ]   

If you haven't had this happen to your phone yet consider yourself blessed. No one likes brokenness... well, almost no one... God loves you more than words and wants to help you in all areas of your life. Here's the thing about God's love... It's never pushy, it doesn't force anything and it always gives you a choice. You can see this type of love in 1 Corinthians 13. God obviously knows and wants the absolute very best for us as His creations on this planet but He never removes the choice from us. That's another way He loves us - He lets us choose. Many times in the bible this crossroad is pitched at us as "Choose life or death, choose peace or war, choose pleasure or promise" (Deuteronomy 30:19). God is a good God who loves to save and deliver us as many times as we call on Him - after all that's why Jesus is called our Saviour - because He saves us over and over. That said, there are a few things that can stop God working from in your life and bringing you the healing, restoration, peace and the provision you need and you might be surprised what they are. The average person would immediately think it's gotta be sin. It must be that if I'm a bad person and have done too many bad things then I've blown my chances with God and He's not interested in me anymore.


A lot of people think that God is counting up all the good and bad things you've done like Santa with a Christmas list and weighing up which of us is "better stock" from the human race and which ones need to be discarded. The truth is actually that none of us are any good, none of us measure up, none of us have any merit of our own even if we spent our entire life trying to be the best we can. Even more truth to add to that is that God has no problem pouring out His grace and love on us while we are in the middle of doing the wrong thing. Often it is His very grace when we don't deserve it that changes us the most. An amazing truth about God is that while God was speaking to Moses on the mountain giving Him the Ten Commandments for how we should live together and towards God, Aaron was down below on the plain led by the devil to create the idol of a golden calf and said to the people "Here, this is the god that rescued you out of Egypt...worship it". God sees and knows everything and could see exactly what Aaron was doing yet He was instructing Moses to put Aaron in charge of all the laws and the upkeep of God's ways. God's grace is that radical - it sees with eyes beyond who we are now and into who God sees us to be. He sees us for who we are as broken people that need help and wants to do exactly that as our loving Heavenly Father.


There are two things I've found that will stop God working in your life from my own personal experience and from what God showed me from the Bible. One is pride. God says in the bible "He resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). The other is unbelief. The Bible also says "without faith it's impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6). Jesus highlighted this when He said that He couldn't do many miracles in His own home town because they only chose to see Him as a Jewish carpenters son and not the Son of God. In the bible there is a very powerful story in Matthew 15 of a Canaanite woman who comes to Jesus pleading on His mercy that He helps her daughter who is terribly oppressed and tormented by a demon. This woman had no hope for a cure outside of Jesus and she wasn't planning on taking no for an answer. She knew that Jesus held the power to heal and save her daughter because she saw Jesus not as a man but as the King of all Kings and the Son of God. Jesus then tells this woman "I wasn't sent by God to foreigners, I was sent first to my people the Israelites..." But it's the woman's reply to what Jesus said that is truly mind blowing. She says "Yes...but all I need is a crumb from the Kings table... just a crumb and I know it will save my daughter!" She believed so much in who Jesus really was that even the smallest fragment from Him would change her and her daughters world forever. And she was right. 

The same happened with the woman that suffered with the blood disease for 12 years in Luke chapter 8. She said to herself "If I can only just touch the corner of Jesus cloak... just to brush my finger on the very corner of the Kings robe then I'll be healed." Both of these women got exactly what they needed from Jesus. Were these women perfect? No. But pride had died and faith was motivating them to move to Jesus. Jesus saw the brokenness of both these women and responded in love and mercy giving them the healing they needed. This is what God is looking for in us. Brokenness. He knows we are all just broken people, it's just us that need to get that revelation that we are broken and need God's help. Without adding to the Bible I wonder if there was a conversation in Heaven between God and the Angels... I wonder if He looked down and saw us on this planet dying, killing, stealing, hurting each other and said "Look at them, they are all so broken... someone needs to help them get back to what they're meant to be" I wonder if there were voices saying "But who will go? Who will help them...?"

I know who it was that would have been the reply. Jesus would have said "I'll go... I'll go and help them... After all I made them and I've never stopped loving them..." Other voices may have said "But they will kill you... they'll hurt you... they'll shame you... they'll betray you... they'll take everything from you and leave you..." Jesus would have replied "Yes... I know they will. They will do all those things because they're broken. But I'm still going. I'm going to help them because they're worth it. They're worth more than they know and I'm going to show them that... I'll go and die for them to save them" So if you need God to help youtoday, be broken before Him. He finds brokenness irresistible and loves to save all who call on His Name. Jesus became brokenness for you so that you can be whole. God loves you

[ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. - Psalm 51:17 ]

There are many stories of God's mercy in the Bible and most of them you've probably already heard before. I'll share a one that jumped out at me that I hadn't really seen before. God's mercy is another type of God's amazing love for us in that He doesn't deal out to us what we deserve. The words pity, compassion and grace also describe God's immense love for us in that He loves us for who we are - not what we do. The ultimate picture of God's mercy was Jesus - the Son of God - dying in our place bringing us the undeserved grace of God - but today I want to go back a lot further than that. Way, way back to Genesis. In Genesis 4 the very first humans to live on this earth Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. These two sons were very different as is the case in most families - Abel was great with animals and Cain was gifted with produce and growing things. God loves diversity and gives to each of us different skills and talents so we can all exist together and help each other with our different strengths. The problem was, Cain didn't see his brothers talents as something beneficial to him and became jealous of him. Abel was also a prophet of God who heard from God and spoke openly about God's ways which Cain also didn't like.

Because we all make mistakes, God called for both brothers to bring a sacrifice for the wrong they had done. God honored Abel's sacrifice but told Cain He wasn't happy with his sacrifice and to make it right. Cain became very upset that his sacrifice was rejected and rather than change his behaviour and simply bring what God had asked, He thought he'd fix the problem another way. A far more sinister way. Instead of listening to God, Cain listened to the poisonous whisper in his ear from the devil and decided it was time to take 'golden boy' Abel out of the picture - after all then there would be no more competition for God's favour. So Cain invited his brother Abel to come look at something in his field and when no one was watching he attacked him and killed him. Problem solved. No...not really. God sees everything and nothing is hidden from His gaze. So God called out to Cain and said "Where is Abel?" knowing full well where he was and saw the whole turn of events as it happened. Cain replied "I don't know, He's not my problem...". Now here's where it gets interesting. Abel was innocent, Cain was guilty. Cain had killed an innocent man so the simple solution was that Cain should die for his crime. Life for Life seemed only fair - after all Cain deserved it, he was a nasty, horrible murderer.


But God didn't kill Cain. He in His mercy said to Cain "Because of what you've done you now need to live somewhere else. It'll be better for you and everyone else if you start over in a new place". Cain realized that once other people find out that he was a murderer they would want to exact their own justice upon him and kill him. Cain pleaded with God "Once people see me they will kill me for what I've done to Abel". Again, God could have just let this be and let the ramifications of Cain's actions catch up with him - after all, Cain deserved everything that came to him after what he'd done. But God in His amazing mercy said "No Cain, no one will kill you or even touch you. I will put a mark on you so that if anyone even tries to kill you they will bring on themselves seven times the same fate".  So you see, that's God's mercy. We all make mistakes, there's not a single person on this earth that hasn't done something wrong. And if we all got what we deserved for what we did, then there wouldn't be any people left at all. The truth is humanity without God is utterly hopeless. You leave us be to our own devices for long enough and we turn on each other and kill and consume everything. It's happened throughout history over and over and over.


From ancient times where mankind conquered and killed to expand empires right up to the current World Wars and the ones that are still being fought and bled today over greed and power. So what's the answer for us all? How do you save a population that is hell bent on self destruction? You answer it with Mercy - and Jesus was that mercy embodied. He decided that rather than all of us die for our crimes - He would die once for us all. To end the killing - He would be killed. Jesus decided to show us the greatest picture of mercy ever. The cross is the very image of mercy. I know I don't deserve the mercy that God's given me for the things I've done in this life. I don't deserve to be forgiven and given another chance - but His mercy is far greater than my guilt and my shame. His forgiveness far outweighs my sins on the scales and trust me when I say I had my side of the scales stacked up pretty high. The simple truth is this - no matter what you've done, no matter where you've been or what you think you are - God's mercy for you is greater than all that stuff. God loves you and always has mercy for you. So if today you're feeling like the weight of what you've done is just too heavy, too much and too hard to bear - kneel before the King and drop it at Jesus feet and He will gladly take it from you. Jesus said "Come to me all you who are weary and have heavy burdens and I will give you rest". His mercy is always available and it's available to you. God loves you.

[ Psalm 103:10 - He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. ] 

Today I wanna share about one of my heroes. It's probably not going to be someone you'd expect or guess very easily. It's a woman from the bible who had amazing faith in God and truly powerful, humbling love for others. You're probably thinking its gotta be Mary the mother of Jesus... nope. Maybe Ruth... nope. Hmmm, Esther... again nope. Sarah...? No. This woman was very beautiful yet many did not see her true value, strength and character - they only saw her outer beauty. But this girl had so much more to her than what you saw with just your eyes. The inner strength and faith this woman had was enough to bring down an entire fortified city. Guessed who it is yet? Her name was Rahab. A true hero and inspiration to us all. Not only does her story get recorded in the book of Judges, she also gets a mention in the "Faith Hall of Fame" in Hebrews 11 along with huge names such as Abraham, Moses, Samson, Gideon, David and Samuel.

Rahab was a prostitute, something many looked down upon, judged and scorned - yet these same people would visit her in the dark hours of the night to fulfill the corruption of their hearts. I'll say this plainly, no girl wakes up on her 10th birthday and says "I think I'll be a prostitute when I grow up". Rahab was a slave to corruption. She didn't want to be a prostitute at all and I can prove it. She hated doing what she did but was forced into a horrible devaluing career path by circumstances beyond her control. You see the thing is this, God promised the land to His people as an inheritance and the city of Jericho was slap bang right in the way to them getting what God promised. Up until this point God had led His people with strong men of God like Moses, Aaron and Joshua but now it was time for a woman to take the stage. God spoke to the heart of this girl and told her what He was going to do, that the city would fall and that God's people would move in and take control of it. Rahab listened to God and trusted in Him and saw this as her ticket to freedom - not only for her, but for her whole household.

So when the spies came gather intel on the city - Rahab was ready, her heart was already prepared. She was ready to give up the life she had and take hold of freedom that came from trusting and putting her faith in God. The city falling meant she lost everything - her clients, her job and the few friends she had. But she was happy to let it all go. It was time for freedom and she knew it. She took in the spies, protected them from the city guards and helped them escape down the walls unnoticed. When the city fell and the soldiers moved in they were given strict orders to find and rescue this girl and her whole family. Because of her amazing faith, her entire family was saved and gained freedom. God spoke to me a few days ago with this phrase "I do not call the qualified, I qualify the called" then He asked me to speak about Rahab. Now I know what He meant. Jesus doesn'tlook on the outward appearance as we do, He looks on the heart. In this story Rahab was someone many would easily dismiss as dirty, lower class filth yet God saw amazing value and treasure in her that was used to bring salvation to all those she loved and God's people obtaining their promised land.

This girl was a true hero of love. Her love didn't just speak - it moved and acted. So don't you ever believe that lie that you're not good enough, that you've done too much andtheres no way God could ever forgive or use you for His Kingdom. God says "I use the foolish things of this world to confound the wise". Jesus will use anyone. Anyone who bows the knee before the King of all Kings is given full rights to His Kingdom. Complete and final adoption into the family of God and amazing purpose for your life. So today, just trust and believe in God - take His hand and He will lead you. He doesn't require you to jump through all the hoops of religion, He just says "drop what you're holding and come". He gives life and I can personally attest that it's a truly amazing life - far beyond your imagination and comprehension. Who knows, you might the catalyst to many others freedom around you... God loves you.  

The Bible talks many times about childlike faith, that God is our loving Heavenly Father, we are all brothers and sisters and that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to children. I always wondered why God had so many references to us behaving like children when it comes to faith and our role in God's Kingdom. I started praying and asking God to show me why this was and He opened my eyes to some interesting things. Pride is one of the biggest things that stops us being used for God, and God doing things in our lives. The bible says "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble". Lucifer fell from heaven and became the Devil when pride entered his heart. Pride is based on accomplishment, giftings, possessions and comparison to others. Pride is self reliance. God hates pride because its a deception. It's us believing that we are better than we know and thinking we are now good enough to do things on our own without giving any care to its effects on others. God can't and wont ever use pride. It's nothing but rocks in the clay that must only be broken.


Sadly pride is a common thread many times with the Kings of Israel in the bible where one King would love God, God would bless them, then the next King would get proud and forget God. Pride comes from the devil and is his clever tactic to build tall strong walls around your heart so that neither God or others can help you. Pride deceives us with a false sense of security saying "You're just fine the way you are, you have no need to change, no need to confess or repent, you're better than that..." Here's the interesting part... Little children under the age of 3 years old very rarely have pride. You see little children don't have a lot of accomplishments or experience because they haven't been around very long. They don't have a lot of possessions because it's only what their parents have given them. They can't really earn money or buy things nor do they have a job. They also don't have a lot of giftings that are evident because they havent developed yet. Little children of this age often don't compare how good they are with other 2 and 3 year olds - instead they'd much rather just play with them and have fun. And little children are extremely reliant on the parents or guardians in their lives for just about everything. Food, clothing, being cleaned up, reassurance, guidance, protection - the list goes on and on.

So what I believe Jesus was saying was that we are meant to view ourselves before God in the same way as humble little children that are reliant on Him for everything. For our guidance, our peace, our food, our protection, our clothing and our purpose in life. When you read the Lord's prayer from Matthew 6 with this in mind it makes sense. It's a prayer from a child's heart. I believe we're also meant to love others as children do. So just as little kids need hugs and encouragement, God knows we need to be reassured and loved too. And in the same way little children give love without expecting anything in return. They don't manipulate others using the name of 'love' to get things or gain public favour - they just love freely and purely out of natural need to be loved. This is why the verse says "we cry Abba Father!". It's not just a poetic phrase or a great illustration - it's how we are actually meant to behave towards God. Just like a defenseless baby cries out for food and reassurance so we are to cry out to God our Father who loves us for everything we need. And because of His enormous and radical love for us, He responds and gives to us in love. God loves you. I pray for you today that He blesses you and draws your heart to Him and His great love.

[ Romans 8:15 - So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father." ]