Self Control trumps strength

There's no point at all in being super strong and tough if you lose your cool under pressure and your buttons are easy to push. Someone who has self discipline and control over their temper, their desires, their emotions and their will is far superior to someone who can conquer an entire city through strength. Remember, it was a ragged little teenage shepherd boy that listened to God's voice who took the head off of a war hardened killing machine giant monster of a man on the battlefield. Strength didn't win that day and it rarely does. God's strength and wisdom is shown the most through the self awareness of our own deficiency and our need for and request of His help. God loves you. 

Meekness is not Weakness

Don't mistake meekness for weakness. It takes a whole lot more strength to "turn the other cheek" and "not return evil for evil" than it does to take the easy anger fueled path of revenge. God asks us to obey what He says and leave retribution to Him despite how we feel. He is the only one who sees clearly to judge correctly and is the only one perfect, impartial and with the authority to measure out what punishment is required. Judgment of others is not our right or responsibility - our task is to test the fruit of people's heart and if necessary remove ourselves from that behaviour or environment if God requires it of us. Psalm 1 explains this very well. God asks us to be kind, be humble, consider others in all things and to pray for our enemies and those that wish harm on us that God would open their eyes and help them to change through His truth and love. Revenge is never a tool that God uses, it's a cruel weapon of our enemy the devil. We show God, His love and His truth that sets free to this world when we obey what He asks of us and behave the way He instructs. God is good and He knows best. God loves you. 

Stay Humble

Life can be pretty interesting. One day you can be poor and the next day come across a large sum of money. One day you can be a nobody and the next day suddenly hugely popular and famous for something. Whatever happens in life - don't lose yourself in people's opinions. We as humans so often guard ourselves against negative opinions but very rarely check ourselves when flattery and praise starts flooding in. What do you become if you suddenly got rich, famous, popular and influential? Do you change and morph to suit the opinions and success that put you there...or do you remain solid in who you are and what you're here to do. Always remember that it's God who exalts and brings low - not us. "For He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble" - James 4:6. Stay humble, don't trip on others opinions whether they're good or bad and let God sort out the rest. He knows best and He loves you. 

Test the fruit

Jesus taught this powerful truth... Often we may not agree with the choices others make but God tells us to test the fruit - not the outward appearance. Jesus was teaching us here that the offspring or result of wisdom and it's application in our lives is to be judged not by the initial act but by its outcome. Many times in the Bible this rings true. Think of Joseph and his unfair imprisonment that lead to the salvation of his family from the famine. Think of Naaman the Syrian who was told to wash seven times in the Jordan river to be cured of leprosy. Think of Jesus who faced an unfair trial and was murdered simply for bringing light and love to this world and for being the Son of God. The tough road of certain death that Jesus walked would have looked hopelessly morbid at the time but God knew it would lead to our salvation and the hope for the entire human race as well as the rightful restoration of Jesus as the reigning King. God's wisdom is not like our wisdom. It is much higher and requires an enlightened mind and awakened spirit to even begin to understand it - yet even a small child through simple faith can grasp and understand it's deep mysteries. This is the power of God. Trust in God and His ways. He always knows best and has great plans for you. God loves you. 

God will make a way

Romans 8:28 - And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Trust in God. Trust His purposes. His ways are not our ways. They are much, much higher than ours. All He asks is that we simply acknowledge Him and trust Him. He can use even worst circumstances for our good and the good of others. Remember Esther, Job, Moses, Joseph and of course... Jesus himself. Stand strong in faith. He has a plan. God loves you. 

Keep your eyes on Jesus

Don't let the haters derail you from the purpose God has called you to. If you follow Jesus they will hate you because you're not like them and you don't belong to this world as they do. Jesus actually promised in the Bible that you will be hated by this world if you follow Him. There's no need to hate them back, they are simply being controlled by an evil puppet master the devil. The devil is the origin of the hate and they are simply puppets being controlled by unseen spiritual impulses despite thinking they are exercising their own free will. This is precisely why Jesus prayed "Father forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing". When hatred attacks don't return evil for evil, instead overcome evil with good as the Bible tells us. Think of their hatred as an opportunity that God has provided for you to pray for your enemies that they will come to know His love, hope, mercy and truth that sets them free from the grip of the devil. God has the power to save and transform anyone, even the absolute worst offenders. Remember Paul the Apostle was once a murderer that hated and hunted christians then Jesus powerfully transformed him into the man who carried the message of the Gospel to the outside world as well as penning over two thirds of the New Testament. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Trust in God and in His power to redeem and deny hatred the opportunity to use you. God loves you. 

Let your light shine

Throw back to my custom cut out grip. Believe and Live. Disregard the ridicule. Let your light shine as Jesus said. The devil is going to try every thing he can to get you to hide your light but here's the thing... He can't actually stop you. He has to convince you to stop. This is exactly why Jesus said "Let" your light shine. It's up to us to let it shine or not. Be the hope this World needs to see. Let them see Jesus in you. God loves you. 

God gives Wisdom

Life can be really tough and we all need more wisdom to get through this journey and to better follow Jesus. The awesome news is that God gives wisdom to His children generously every time we ask Him humbly in prayer. He promises it in James 1:5 and He is ALWAYS faithful to His Word. In fact, He holds His Word above His Name and there is nothing higher than His Name... apart from His Word. So if you need wisdom for something... ask! Jesus said "Ask and you will receive." God loves you. 

Jesus Saves

Everywhere in this world I see just about everyone trying to be something. People trying to be the hottest thing. The latest thing. The coolest thing. This whole world is geared that way because of the unseen powers and the ruler of this world that has it all set up like that. This whole world is a lie and is under a very powerful lie. The world says...Be the best you can be. Be known. Build a name for yourself. Become popular. Become sexy. Become successful. Become rich. Be better than everyone else. But the truth is this. This whole world one day will be gone. Everything you see will be gone. The earth, the planets, the sun, the moon and everything in the universe will be gone. All our advancements, knowledge and clever reasoning will be gone. We humans think we are so smart down here with our science, our logic and all we discover but the truth is we are just tiny little creations of a much, MUCH more powerful being. That being has a Name and His Name is Jesus - the Creator of all things seen and unseen. When all this around us is gone and we stand before God - none of what we did down here is going to mean anything unless is was done for His Kingdom.


All our money, all our popularity, all our fame, all our influence, even all our good deeds are all going to be gone unless they counted for His Kingdom. All those high flying celebrities with all their perfect looks and perfect bodies aren't going to mean a thing. The Bible says "God is no respecter of persons" so it doesn't matter how good you think you are down here - God sees right through you and when we all stand before Him one day all those things down here won't count for anything. In short, when we all stand before God He will be looking to see if Jesus is in us. That's the only thing that redeems us from the corrupted sinful beings that we are. Unless we believe in Jesus and what He did to save us then we are still corrupted beings that are in debt for our sins. All your conquests and achievements aren't going to mean a thing. All your amazing talents aren't going to mean a thing. None of those things will matter unless you believed in Jesus the Lord and Saviour of the world. So don't follow all those sheep that are plunging headlong into oblivion, pretending to be imaginary kings and queens building castles made of sand that will all be washed away when the tide of this world comes in, instead follow the Shepherd who has life and who holds the only meaning for our existence.


Build a life that has a foundation build on solid and impenetrate rock that is Jesus that can't be moved or shaken despite the size of the storm. Follow the one who brings meaning and purpose to our very brief existence here on earth. His Name is Jesus and He came and died for our sins. Sin must be paid for and the payment is death. There is no negotiating with God.  We are all in debt because everyone has sinned but the awesome news is that Jesus came to cancel our debt by making the payment for us. His sacrificial death was the payment for our sins and is our salvation and redemption. All we have to do is simply and humbly accept His incredibly gracious gift through simple faith and follow Him as He leads us. You can read more about God's amazing gift of salvation in John chapter 3 online at www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+3&version=ESV. 

Please feel free to contact me if you want to know more about Jesus and His amazing gift of life that saves and redeems us. God loves you. 

God loves you

Forget what all the bitter haters out there say... Go with what God himself says. John 3:16 very clearly spells it out in black and white... "For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son. That whoever believes in him will not die but have everlasting life". The devil wants you to believe the lie that you're not loved, that you're worthless and hopeless, just something to be used and abused but God very much says the opposite. God loves you and values you so much that He chose to make a way to save you through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus. He has awesome plans of good for you and wants to give you an amazing life not death. So let go of the lies and run to the truth. God loves you. Have an awesome day!

Hope Rewritten

When I was a hurting, confused and a very broken 14 year old boy she saw in me the man that God said I was... I had no ability to see it or believe it yet she could could see it clearly because God had opened her eyes. God used that girl to show me what true love is. Selfless love. Pure love. Love that seeks nothing for itself but only the good of others. I only saw myself as worthless, damaged, useless and with no future. The lies swirled in my head every minute of every day... "You are nothing but a product of a broken and shattered home... You have no hope... You will repeat the cycle of pain." One brother became my enemy and tried to take the very thing that I held most precious - the girl I loved - as his own. The other brother became a drug addict and a dealer and ended up facing jail on criminal charges for armed robbery. Home became a place that was no longer safe to live with even my own mother turning on me and absolutely no relationship with my father since my parents divorced when I was 4 years old. Hostility, aggression, manipulation, deception, witchcraft, pride and fear reigned and still does in their lives to this day.

But God had a plan... It took time but He never gave up on me. Abuse is all I have known from family but God revealed Himself to me as "The Father to the Fatherless" as it says in Psalm 68:5. He broke all the lies that were said over me and rewrote me with love, value, dignity and honour. He opened my eyes and brought light where there was so much darkness. He is the reason I am alive today. He saved me from suicide, depression, addictions and so much more. He is the single reason I am who I am. Today by His grace I stand as a husband of 14 years and a father of three sons raising them to know the God that loved and saved me from my sins and the darkness of this world. By His power I will not repeat the cycle of my ancestors, instead I will be what He says I am. A husband and a father. There is always hope. You don't have to repeat the cycle either despite what has happened to you. God can help you just like He helped me. Call out to Him. He will hear and be exactly what you need Him to be. God loves you.

God is our refuge and strength

Whatever it is in life, however young or old you are... God is there for you if you just humbly call out to Him and seek Him. He resists the proud like water on a ducks back but opens His wings of compassion, strength, provision, healing, peace and safety to the humble who seek Him. God loves you

Healthy Spirit

Many people would say fitness starts in your mind but from my life experience I disagree. I used to suffer from depression, anxiety, fear, lust, over eating, addictions and so many other demons that haunted me until Jesus set me free and changed my life. My own wife had a little trouble dealing with the change not because it was a bad thing (quite the opposite!) but just because it was so radical and so fast a change. I used to overweight, lazy, unmotivated, depressed and generally not a nice person to live with or be around for most of my life. Jesus came and ripped out of me a spirit of death which is the origin of depression and then targeted all the other demons that ruined me life. I use the word 'demons' literally not figuratively. They are actual beings that attach to humans and affect their behaviour. In my case they caused all of the above horrible effects. When Jesus did what He did He removed the source of my problems. My problems were of a spiritual nature even though the symptoms presented appeared physical. Once the spiritual problems were resolved and corrected my mind and body naturally followed. So, I believe fitness hinges directly on your spirit and it's well-being. Get your spirit cleaned up and re-aligned as it was always meant to be and your mind and body will follow. God loves you. 

STAY AWESOME

Find the truth then hold onto it above all else. You ARE awesome. It's not about how you feel, it's not about what others think of you, it's not about what you have, it's not about who you are with, it's not about what you don't have, it's not even about what you think about yourself. The truth you base your life on has to be much higher than all those things. It must be an absolute truth. An unchanging truth. It must be a truth that's not from this world. There's only one place to get that kind of truth. It's from your Creator and what He says about you. He is perfect in every way and He is never wrong. This is what He says about you in His letter to us. Psalm 139:14 - "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." So there you are... Hard evidence in black and white. God says you're awesome so stay in that truth and STAYAWESOME.

The Power of Good

Don't underestimate the power of good in this world and those who choose to seek and bring good instead of evil. Evil may flaunt itself in this world through witchcraft, seduction, terror, despair, depression, anxiety, greed, murder and corruption but the power of good and those that seek it will triumph over evil. Evil may have it's day but good will win the war. God asks us to not return evil for evil but to pray for our enemies and help them when they are in need. God does not promote or assist those who are evil but He promises to be strong tower, a refuge, a sword and a shield to those who choose good and follow Him and His ways. His promises never ever fail and He is not in any way weak to help, intervene and fight for you. All He asks from you is to stand in faith on His promises like a good soldier. Obey His voice. The fight belongs to Him so just stand. He is a strong God, full of power, mercy, peace, justice, love and He fights for His children who belong to Him. You don't need to fight against others - just stand. God loves you. [ Exodus 14:14 -
The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." ]

Let Faith Grow

I was driving home tonight after picking up a pizza to eat with my wife and kids and God spoke to me about faith. God does that sort of thing a lot to me. Often I'll be skateboarding, driving, going for a run with my dogs or sometimes even just alone at home and He'll grab my attention and start unfolding some wisdom I didn't know and didn't have a grasp on before. God's wisdom is usually very simple yet very deep at the same time. Sometimes it's so obvious that we miss it in fact. So what God spoke to me was this... Faith is a seed. We don't earn the seed or buy the seed. The seed of faith is given to us by God (1 Corinthians 2:9). The cool thing about that is that it takes the pressure off of us to "work our way" to getting faith. It's simply a gift, just like salvation is. So faith is a seed. A gift from God. Now we don't make the seed grow either. It's very easy to fall into the trap of false religion thinking that the more stuff we do, the more our faith is going to grow and we're going to become awesome in front of everyone that sees us. The opposite is actually true in fact. The more we do, the more we get in the way of what God actually wants to do. Put simply, we are the dirt. I know that doesn't sound super exciting but it's true. After all, we are all made from dirt (Genesis 2:7). So if the seed is a gift and it's God that makes it grow... the what is our role? Well, just like the example above of the dirt our role is to be humble, submissive to the master gardener and patient. Dirt doesn't parade itself, dirt doesn't get impatient when things don't grow, dirt doesn't take any credit for what is grown. Dirt has no control over the weather or whether water comes or not. Dirt can't make the sun shine. Dirt is just... well dirt. It's a part of the process of a plant or tree growing but it's probably the most humble part. That's us. Another great example of how faith works is the example of an empty vessel. God talks about this in an extremely poetic way in 2 Corinthians 4:7 where it says "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." So if you want the gift of faith that God has given to you to grow, learn the ways of the dirt. Simple wisdom yet very deep. God is good. Feel free to tag someone or use this yourself, it's God's wisdom not mine. Have an awesome day.