Hey, so I was reading the Bible the other day and I prayed before I started reading that God would speak to me and teach me what He needs me to know. I always do that before I read the Bible and God always and without fail teaches me something - because He loves me and also because I always have so much to learn from Him. Sometimes its something really basic and simple... and sometimes its something really deep that just blows your mind to bits. So I was reading John chapter 21 which is after Jesus had died and come back to life. He sees the disciples on the lake in their boats downcast, depressed and feeling lost and calls out to them telling them to throw their nets on the other side of the boat to catch some fish. They do and they catch the biggest load of fish they've ever seen - in fact it's enough to fill two boats. The disciples then tow their boats to shore and have a very unique and remarkable breakfast with the risen King of all Kings... Jesus. Here's the bit that really struck me. While they are eating and talking on the beach Jesus says to Peter "Peter... Do you love me?". Peter replies immediately "Of course I love you!" Jesus answers "then feed my sheep...".

Interestingly Jesus asks this same question to Peter two more times and by the third time Peter is sad and offended to be repeatedly asked this very heart tugging question. Here's what God revealed to me... Right before Jesus was dragged away to be crucified Peter denied Jesus three times by the words of his mouth. He openly told others He didn't know Jesus and didn't follow Him. To be blunt, Peter made a point of being quite angry and annoyed that He was associated with Jesus. By doing this Peter brought a curse upon himself. Proverbs 6:2 talks about this type of self cursing and says "you become trapped by your own words". In Matthew 10:33 Jesus also said "He who denies me before men, I will deny before my Father in Heaven." Here's the thing, the Bible is infallible and eternally perfect in it's laws and precepts so this means that Peter truly was stuck. He had no hope to help himself out of what he'd said and what he'd done. He truly was trapped by the words of his own mouth. What Jesus did by asking Peter "Do you love me?" and giving him the chance to respond taught us the power of two things. Number one... the power of our own words. But far more importantly that that... the power of Love.

You see, when Peter said three times out loud in reply to Jesus "Yes, I love you" he unknowingly broke the curse that he had put on himself three times before Jesus death. It was love that broke the curse of death holding Peter's future in failure and shame. Jesus was teaching us a very powerful truth here. Be very careful about the words you say, especially the ones you say about others and yourself. The Bible says in Proverbs18:21 that "death and life are in the power of the tongue..." and Jesus showed us this to be true when He taught Peter the power of his own words to bring death and life upon himself. In obedience and through faith in Jesus, Peter was set free of the curse he had brought on himself and at the same time was released into the life and position that Jesus had for him - to lead the very first church and tend to Jesus followers while He was gone. You may have seen the movie 'The Matrix' and might remember the epic scene where Neo is sparring with Morpheus in the virtual dojo. Neo is struggling with the concept of the Matrix and Morpheus says to him "Neo... in here there are rules... some can be bent... some can be broken..." While the Matrix is only clever sci-fi movie - Jesus was the first one to speak like this and what He said wasn't just a clever concept or an interesting ideology... He was speaking the truth.


The fact is there are rules, there are consequences, there is cause and effect for what we do... but there is always a higher law. The law of love. It can be seen several other times in the Bible. In Matthew chapter 17 a foreign woman comes to Jesus begging His mercy for her daughter that's severely oppressed by a demon. Jesus replies to her "I wasn't sent to help you, I was sent first to the Jews". She pleads on His mercy asking for just a crumb... just the tiniest scrap and Jesus responds telling her that the faith she has in Him has set her daughter free. The same happened again when Jesus attended a wedding in Cana in John chapter 2. Jesus mother Mary comes to Him and tells Him they've ran out of wine asking Him if He can help them. Jesus replies and says "It's not my time yet to be known for doing miracles..." Mary then looks at the servants and says "You do exactly as He says...". What happens next is the very first recorded miracle of Jesus... the water in to wine. Many times this happened - The Centurion who believed in nothing but Jesus spoken authority, the woman who touched the corner of Jesus robe, the two blind men who followed Jesus pleading His mercy for their sight the be restored, and the thief on the cross that finally saw who Jesus really was and humbly asked for His mercy.


So why and I saying all this? I'll tell you why. We are all fallen, we all sin and we all make mistakes. Sooner or later in life no matter how careful you are you are going to get stuck somewhere along to the way. It might be something you do - a bad choice - or it might even be something someone else does to you. Either way, life isn't perfect and you're going to need help. The rules will say "too bad, you brought this on yourself - you made your bed now sleep in it..." but there is a higher law... Love. So if that's you and you're stuck, call out to the King just like these others did and appeal to His love and mercy. He never turns away anyone who comes to him humbly and broken seeking His help. If you appeal to love you will be replied with exactly that... Love. It doesn't matter how badly you've messed up - His love for you is greater. If doesn't matter how deep the hole is you've got yourself into - His love for you is greater. It doesn't matter how far gone you think you are - His love reaches further. It doesn't matter how lost you feel - His love will find you. If doesn't matter how broken things look - His love will put the pieces back together.

How can I say this with such a surety? Because I was lost, broken, trapped, addicted, hurting, alone and with gaping holes right through me - and it was His love that found me, healed me, teaches me, keeps me and completes me. So if that's you, appeal to His love and simply pray calling out to Him "Jesus, I need your help... please help me" and He will. This is why we can come boldly before God asking for His help - not because we are any good or have done anything worth any merit - simply because of His love for us. God loves you.

[ Psalm 51:17 - The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God ]  

It was God in His perfect love that created this world. It's God's love that sent Jesus to save us from from sin and death. It's God's love that feeds us, guides us, heals us, teaches us, reaches us and keeps us. His love is a choice. A free gift of grace to all. Receive His love and receive life everlasting, relationship unending and purpose beyond imagination. God loves you! 

Yeah, you hear them too dont you? When you're alone... When you're still... When you're quiet... The voices that say you're worthless, ugly, forgotten, damaged, useless, unloved and unworthy of love. It doesn't matter how many friends you have, how much money you have, how many things you collect... The voices are still there huh. I'm here to say there is a voice that's more powerful than all the echoes of the rabble. It's so much more powerful than you could ever imagine. It is the voice of truth, the voice of value, the voice of identity, the voice of true strength, the voice of peace. It is the very voice of love. You know who I'm talking about... We all have a longing for that voice to complete us, to answer all those unanswerable questions. He is the only one who has the truth and once you know the truth you will be truly set free. Freedom and life beyond your wildest dreams. Call out to Him, seek Him with all your heart and you will find the answers you need... You are worth more † 

One of my absolute favorite verses in the Bible... [ Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? - James 2:15 ] Don't stress if you have to work hard to make ends meet for your loved ones, to do good to others, and when helping others comes at a high cost to you. God's mercy, grace and love is poured out on those who serve others like Jesus did. Pure, simple, humble sacrificial love. The more you give to others - the more God gives back to you and what He gives to us is worth so much more than any of the riches that this world has to offer. Peace beyond comparison that cannot be bought, identity settled forever that can only be given by our Father in Heaven, and life everlasting that explodes with passion and light because of our King and His Kingdom. God loves you.

I went for a run in the mountains behind where I live and found a stack of abandoned mines, old rusty mining equipment and these really run down concrete bunker type shelters there. Inside we're hundreds of empty coke cans and bottles, chip packets and the walls lined with the most amazing art I'd seen in ages. See, most people see graffiti and automatically think "rebellion" "delinquent" "criminal" "misfit" "antisocial" and all the usual stereotypes that go with youth culture. I came from pretty much that side of the tracks growing up so I probably have some sort of affinity to it by association but what I see is this... Some kid has taken the time to get hold of enough paint colours, imagined, planned, started, endured and completed their work of art that has no rules - no boundaries - no critiques and exists only for the purpose of expression. Now here's the good bit... Think about a rainbow for a second. What purpose does it serve apart from reminding us of Gods promise never to flood the world and to just look awesome?

They're always an amazing arc, they're always colorful and they always show up right after dreary downpour. To me - a rainbow is God's graffiti. It's His expression of mind blowing art simply because He can. So the next time you see graffiti, stop and think about the kid that did it. Yeah, they've probably got issues - probably a lot of them - but the truth is they are an amazing, intricate and immensely valued person loved by God. I got written off by many in my life as a waste of time, a rebel, a 2nd class bottom feeder but I know today they we're nothing short of dead wrong. God in His amazing mercy opened my eyes to the value I never knew existed and in doing that He helped me to see the hidden value in so many others I come across in life. God loves you. You're an amazing person and I can make that statement with absolute certainty because I don't even have to meet you to know its true. It's true of every single creation of God. It's true simply because God says so. Have an awesome day because God made you awesome! 

I used to be a hater playin for the other side...
Till the True King came along and showed me how to kill my pride...
He taught the secret to my peace was the willing end of me...
So I took His hand and followed and it's His Truth that made me free...
Who knew all along that my freedom was so near...
The end of hatred, self and death and the final end of fear...
See this King holds the power to set any captive loose...
He offers all the keys to life and leaves it up to us to choose... †

There's gonna come times when God will ask you to leave the safety and comfort of the place you are in and come and follow Him. Just like He asked the disciples in the Bible, He still asks new disciplestoday to leave what they are doing and follow Him. God never forces anyone to do anything but He does promise that if you trust in Him, He will provide and never ever leave you. Several times in my life God has presented me with this type of crossroad. Either stay with the comfort, possessions and lifestyle that I have - or let go of what He asks me to and follow Him to where He's leading. Did I know where He was leading me? No. I just had to trust Him that He is a good God and that He is faithful regardless of how things looked and keep asking for and listening to the still small voice of God telling me to go, wait or stop. Has the roads that I've walked with God been paved with gold, lined with sweet smelling roses and surrounded by magical butterflies? No... Very often it's been just me and God one step at a time climbing a dusty, dry mountain path. But I will say this, Sometimes it's been really hard but I wouldn't change a single thing.

You see - the roads I've walked with Jesus has taught me more about myself, more about God, more about this world and whats really going on and more about how to care for others and build God's Kingdom than I ever would have learnt just staying where I was. Faith is just that - walking forward by God's voice and following Him to where He leads you even when you don't know the landscape or have a plan B. He promises that if you seek Him with all your heart and don't hold back anything from Him that He will also do the same for you and not hold back any good thing that you need for the journey. And best of all He promises to walk every single step with you! So when that day comes that you're at the crossroads and it's either stay in comfort or let go and follow Him - can I encourage you to take His hand and follow Jesus. There's no adventure found in comfort but each time you choose to follow Jesus your life will be radically changed forever. So don't be afraid, instead consider it a privilege. You are being called to follow by the King of all Kings!

[ 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 gave me this bible verse yesterday and it made me really think... Romans 15:7 "Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory". It made me think about how Jesus has accepted me and showed me love when I didn't deserve it at all. It made me think about how He sacrificially died for me when I was a sinner and an enemy of God. It made me think about the fact that He is faithful and always forgives me every single time I confess my sins to Him because of His great love. It also made me think about how Jesus was the friend of sinners and how He accepted and welcomed the outcasts, the lonely, the hungry, the addicted, the lost and the broken - and that He very much still accepts and welcomes them today. So what this verse means to me is that God is wanting me to be just like Jesus. Not high and mighty and full of self righteous pride and religious pedigree but instead a humble servant that shows His love, truth, forgiveness and mercy to all - even when it's not deserved or earned. Yeah, I wanna be like Jesus because I can see clearly that the world doesn't need more false religion, another best seller self-help novel, or another big name to go to the nations - it needs more simple, humble selfless love. Because after all... God is love.  

I wanna share something God put on my heart about the love of God and how much Jesus is to me. First though I need to give you a bit of a back story. You may have read in my other posts that I came from a broken home. My parents divorced when I was just four years old and my Dad left home leaving my Mum to raise me and my siblings. I'd see my Dad every second Saturday but sadly all I remember is bitter fighting and arguing between my parents. I grew up very lonely, very lost and with my identity extremely damaged as a result of my home life. But that's not the whole picture... My Dad came from Holland and moved to Australia when he was about 30. He also came from a badly abusive and violent home and as a result didn't speak to his own mother for over 20 years. I know very little more than that because his past is shrouded in secrecy and pain. My Mum also came from a very toxic and abusive home with an alcoholic father that used to beat her and her 10 brothers and sisters. She grew up interstate and had to move states because she just couldn't bare to think of her boys being exposed to what her family was.

I never understood why she did that until very recently. She shared with me some of the horrible atrocities that happened in her family and between her brothers, sisters and father that aren't even able to be spoken of. Sadly as a result of both my parents backgrounds I not only grew up in a broken home but I have a broken family line on both sides. To this day I've never known what its like to have a grandparent, I don't have any relationships with aunties, uncles, and I don't know what it's like to have cousins. Because of the pain in my own immediate family my siblings went down their own paths during their teenage years - one took the path of drugs and crime and ended up in jail - the other complete disconnection from our family and the endless pursuit of money and success. So that's where I come from... brokenness, pain and loneliness. Now, sorry to start off like that but I'll get to why in a second. As a very little boy a man shared a verse with me from Psalm 68:5 that always stayed with me. He wasn't a very nice man and he didn't even like me at all but what he said was the truth. Interestingly I've learnt that God can use the truth to reach us from very strange places. He said "God is the Father to the fatherless..." It always stuck with me. It took a long, long time for that truth to really unravel and become real but I can say to you that this truth forms one of the biggest parts of my identity today. I've missed out on a lot in this life as far as family connections that probably most others don't even think twice about - but I found something that changed me forever.

The love of my Father in Heaven. The reason I shared all I just did is for this reason. You are not a product of your family line. You are not a product of your pain. You are not a product of others mistakes and choices. You are not a product of hate, pain and abuse. You are not even a product of your mistakes. You are simply and unconditionally loved by God and I pray as you read this that He starts to reach into your heart with His love and show you that it's true. What God put on my heart is this... Romans 5:8 says "But God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." This simple truth is what really changed me. You see, take one look at my background above and it's pretty easy to see that I was a lost sheep. A poor little lamb stuck in the thorns and nettles just waiting there to be easy prey for a predator. I knew I was as lost as could be, my own heart told it to me every single day. I knew I was a sinner. I couldn't help but sin, it was the only nature I knew. But here's the good news... God saw me - a poor little boy, helplessly lost in a cycle of pain, abuse and loneliness and had great pity on me. It was His astounding mercy that motivated Him to send His Son Jesus to die for me and my crimes - and it was Jesus radical and undeserved love for me that motivated Him to obey and do what needed to be done. To become my sin. To become my pain. To become my emptiness and loneliness.

He was never responsible for all the things that happened in my life and in the lives of my family yet He knew that there was no way I could fix, help or save myself. So as an 8 year old boy in an old classroom after school when I was told that Jesus took my sin on the cross and died in my place and that all I had to do was accept His amazing gift by nothing more than childlike faith - I took it with both hands like a starving child being offered his first real meal. And the truth was not that far from that really... Because of my past I was starved for love and when shown this true selfless kind of love by God - I wanted it more than anything in my life. Somehow even as a very small boy I knew that it was love that was missing in my life and I somehow knew that nothing else was going to truly fill that hole. In the Bible Jesus is called the Good Shepherd and theres a very good reason for this. We are simply just lambs who can't really help ourselves or defend ourselves. Now imagine that a predator comes to attack the flock. By simple instinct any predator out there is going to pick the easy meal... They look for the stragglers, the foolish, the ones that strayed from the safety of the herd, the ones lost in the shadows, the ones trapped and held down in the thorns.

The shepherd knows and sees His little lamb is stuck and going to be ripped to shreds by this wild animal so instead of the lamb being devoured and torn asunder the shepherd yells and draws attention to himself and away from the trapped lamb. The little lamb watches on as the shepherd fights the vicious beast with His bare hands and the ensuing result is both the beast and the shepherd lay bleeding and dying in the dust. The predator is dead and the lambs freedom has been bought in blood and at the price of the shepherds precious life. This is the love Jesus has for us. He is that good shepherd, the predator is sin and we are those helpless lambs. The good news I want to share is this... Jesus has the power to transform. He has the power to make all things new. He has the power to transform little helpless lambs into lions that roar for His Kingdom and His glory. This is my Jesus. This is my King. This is what He did for me. He not only died for me and saved me... He also showed me the true meaning of love. And that's what I really needed all along. Your Father in Heaven loves you so much more than words can describe. I pray today that God uses these words to penetrate the areas of your heart that have been hardened by pain, sadness and loneliness and that His love starts to transform you like it did for me. God loves you.  

Lord, I can't walk the broad lifeless well-worn path of false religion that so many others blindly stumble along. I can't pretend like them to have arrived, to be cleaned up - and to now have it all together. I know I'm just that thief on the cross that never deserved your mercy - yet it was exactly what I needed to be made whole. You opened my eyes and now I know that all that self-righteous process and struggle was just a waste of my time and yours. Just another Tower of Babel in the desert of my emptiness. It was my heart all along that you wanted so desperately. Enough that you would even die for it. I can't pretend anymore... It must be real or nothing at all... And now that my eyes are opened I also can't stray and follow the crowds in rebellion to your ways calling it "my freedom" and abusing your good and faithful grace for me. I cannot betray the One who paid so much for me in blood, sweat and tears with my foolishness and pride. And so I must walk the narrow path... the uncharted road... and that's cool, I never fitted in their boxes and always preferred an adventure over repeated bland scenery. And so I gladly tread this unknown road before me. The way that others cannot see for it can only be walked by following your voice. So speak Lord, be my light in the darkness, lead me in the way I should go. Because I will not bow before another... and I will not follow another... Only you are the Truth. It was you that set me free. You alone had the power make make my brokenness whole. You alone could find me in the darkness and rescue me from all my tormentors. It's only you that I want. You are so much more than just an epitaph... you are my lifeblood, my parity... my plenitude. Lead me Lord...