"Never judge a book by its cover...you'd do far better to get to know The Author †". I've been judged and accused of many, many things by others. Some of them lies, some of them were truth and things I needed to pray, ask forgiveness for and humbly request God's help to change me. At the end of the day though, I don't exist to get public approval or for the opinions of others. I exist to be a humble signpost to God. Do I often fail at that? Yes... regularly. Is God's grace sufficient? Totally. It wasn't my friends, popularity or anything down here on earth that saved me from my pain and emptiness. It was simply and completely undeserved grace through faith in Jesus that saved me. And so, my focus isn't down here... It's on the One, the only One who had the power to save a broken, hurting, addicted lost boy like me. And He can save you too... from whatever it is that hurts you. Nothing is a match in the ring for the power and authority of His love for you. I challenge you to let go and trust Him and watch what He can really do... Call out to Him.
A humble follower of Jesus lifting up His Name
I wanna share something God put on my heart and has had it there brooding for quite some time... I've prayed, studied and observed the church in the book of Acts for quite some time now and have to say that to date I have never seen a church in our current day and age that even comes close to what that church was and did. This church was a total explosion of the power, love and grace of God and grew exponentially on a daily basis. Just stop and think about that for a second... daily. This church didn't just have a structured religious Sunday service and a midweek bible study - it operated 24/7. The doors never closed. It was a place of prayer, refuge, help, love, peace, inclusion and family. The leaders there had a problem they had to resolve and do you know what that problem was? The leaders of the church were so busy waiting on tables giving out meals that they couldn't do the "normal" church functions. I'm not sure about you but I haven't seen that sort of problem in a church for a long, long time.
Leaders that willingly humble themselves and serve others. Leaders actually down on the peoples level. Just like Jesus hey. You see, these leaders actually got it. They actually understood and took hold of what Jesus said and did and ran with it - and God blessed it massively! Servant hood... plain an simple. There were no exalted positions, no hierarchy, no big salaries or fancy chariots rocking up in the car park before church. People would actually give up their riches to help each other. Can you imagine that? People would actually sell houses and land and give it to the church not so the leaders could get rich, fat and lazy but so that it could be distributed to help those who actually had need. It's what God wanted the Kingdom of Heaven to look like and because they captured the heart of God and made it real - God blessed it powerfully. People flocked to it and wanted to be a part of it because they didn't need to be convinced of Gods love by some fancy, hi-tech stage show presentation - they actually felt God's love the moment they arrived. The love was real. It moved, healed, gave and spoke. It looked like Jesus.
One of the biggest things that God revealed to me about the original church in Acts was this. Equality. No one was any better than anyone else. Love was the binding force that leveled out all of the useless positions that we so often see in the church today. Yes, I said useless and I won't apologize for it. Those given power by God are given it to help others - not themselves. Jesus taught this in Matthew 23 when He said to us "Call no man Father because you only have one Father and He is in Heaven, Call no one teacher because you have one teacher who is Jesus." Jesus also went on to say that we are simply brothers and sisters - equals. Sinners saved by the grace of God and that we exist simply by His grace and of no merit, effort or achievement of ourselves. Can you imagine a place where anyone could walk through the doors of a church and was accepted because of God's love, grace and mercy and not because of the acts that they had to prove to those in power? That place existed once and God used that church powerfully like a wildfire in that corner of the globe... we need that again. We need to capture that heart again. A heart that thinks, feels, sees and acts like our Father does. A heart that shows love, mercy and grace to all and where selfish ambition, greed and self exaltation dies at the door. It's time the real church arose, woke up and showed the world what true love is!
Leaders that willingly humble themselves and serve others. Leaders actually down on the peoples level. Just like Jesus hey. You see, these leaders actually got it. They actually understood and took hold of what Jesus said and did and ran with it - and God blessed it massively! Servant hood... plain an simple. There were no exalted positions, no hierarchy, no big salaries or fancy chariots rocking up in the car park before church. People would actually give up their riches to help each other. Can you imagine that? People would actually sell houses and land and give it to the church not so the leaders could get rich, fat and lazy but so that it could be distributed to help those who actually had need. It's what God wanted the Kingdom of Heaven to look like and because they captured the heart of God and made it real - God blessed it powerfully. People flocked to it and wanted to be a part of it because they didn't need to be convinced of Gods love by some fancy, hi-tech stage show presentation - they actually felt God's love the moment they arrived. The love was real. It moved, healed, gave and spoke. It looked like Jesus.
One of the biggest things that God revealed to me about the original church in Acts was this. Equality. No one was any better than anyone else. Love was the binding force that leveled out all of the useless positions that we so often see in the church today. Yes, I said useless and I won't apologize for it. Those given power by God are given it to help others - not themselves. Jesus taught this in Matthew 23 when He said to us "Call no man Father because you only have one Father and He is in Heaven, Call no one teacher because you have one teacher who is Jesus." Jesus also went on to say that we are simply brothers and sisters - equals. Sinners saved by the grace of God and that we exist simply by His grace and of no merit, effort or achievement of ourselves. Can you imagine a place where anyone could walk through the doors of a church and was accepted because of God's love, grace and mercy and not because of the acts that they had to prove to those in power? That place existed once and God used that church powerfully like a wildfire in that corner of the globe... we need that again. We need to capture that heart again. A heart that thinks, feels, sees and acts like our Father does. A heart that shows love, mercy and grace to all and where selfish ambition, greed and self exaltation dies at the door. It's time the real church arose, woke up and showed the world what true love is!
What kind of King would give up His rightful throne, set aside His crown and leave the safety of His home in Heaven to die to save us at the hands of cruel murderers? What kind of Creator would willingly and knowingly sacrifice Himself in the ultimate way to redeem His broken creations? What kind of majestic Lord and supreme ruler would choose to become a servant of servants to teach us the true heart of His Father? How absurd, how ridiculous, how contrary to all we know...yet so profound at the same time. What is this love? So powerful, so radical, so immense.
He must have known something about our worth that we don't know to go that far. He must see with unbroken eyes to see past what we do with these crude fleshly portals. Lord, please reveal that worth and truth to your children...help us to see like you do...Help us to give as you did... Help us to become like you... †
He must have known something about our worth that we don't know to go that far. He must see with unbroken eyes to see past what we do with these crude fleshly portals. Lord, please reveal that worth and truth to your children...help us to see like you do...Help us to give as you did... Help us to become like you... †
Have you ever met those people who it just seems everything in their life just goes right all the time? That their good days are nothing short of epic and their bad days even seem to outshine your good days like the sun compared to the moon? I'm here to tell you those people don't exist. Everyone has hard times - there are no exceptions in life. Some you can see and measure the effects from the outside, some hide it on the inside better than others but the truth is we all feel pain. We all hurt, we all bleed and we all need relief from what hurts us. So what do you do when the pain gets too much? Where do you go when the loneliness piles up as high as a mountain? What do you do when the words they said cut like knives? Where do you run? Is the bottle your answer? Maybe it's being in the arms of one you love? Maybe it's a drug of choice? Maybe accomplishments? More possessions? Maybe fame? Can your friends fix you? The simple truth is this - there is only one person who can mend your heart... The One who made it. There's only One who you can trust to work on your heart with the utmost precision and care it requires - the One who designed it. There's only One who can find all the broken pieces and put them back where they belong. Can I encourage you that if that's you, invite Jesus to that place of pain and allow Him to do what only He can do. He won't go there without your permission or consent because He loves and values you that much. He can make you whole again. †
[ 1 Peter 5:7 - Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. ]
[ 1 Peter 5:7 - Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. ]
I have nothing to prove and nothing to lose... I am simply a humble forgiven sinner who was shown extraordinary undeserved mercy by the Jesus the King of all Kings. It was my encounter with Him that changed my entire life within the space of 3 days completely shattering every shackle that held my soul. It wasnt my efforts, my lifeless religious acts or my futile will that finally set me free - it was the sheer power and authority of His love that blasted my prison of addiction, depression, sadness, shame, loneliness, suicide and death into ash that disappeared in the wind of His voice. I asked Him "why...? what was it that was different this time...?" His reply was "My love was always there and ready to save you...When you gave up your pride, I broke down those walls from the outside to bring you into the light." It was pride that was the last line of defense around my heart provided by my enemy the Devil to keep me chained. Once I sank the knife into pride, the towering walls around me came crumbling and crashing down under the immense weight of my Saviours love for me. I never knew what love truly was until that day. So vast, so powerful, so all encompassing. And then I realized that the one that had the power holding me prisoner all along was really me... Pride is a lie.
Gods ways are so much higher than our ways... And I'm so glad for that. He never has a bad day. He never has a headache or needs some "me time". He's never too busy, too tired or just sick of our problems. He is ALWAYS there, ALWAYS ready to listen, ALWAYS caring. He is THE perfect Father. He is Unfailing, Faithful, True, Secure and Immovable. So no matter how rough things are... You always have a higher place to appeal to... Your Father in Heaven. You don't need to settle for sloppy seconds or go through a middle man to get to God. The veil of the Temple was torn that day Jesus died to give you full and direct access to the Father. He loves you endlessly and wants close and meaningful relationship with you.
[ Isaiah 55:9 - For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. ]
[ Isaiah 55:9 - For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. ]
My King didn't go all the way up that dusty hill with a heavy, splintered symbol of death on His back for me to just sit around idle... He didn't surrender himself willingly to be accused, mocked and tortured for me to just sit back and smile... He didn't refuse the painkillers and take the easy way out that day when the sky plunged into blackness for me to play and party in the freedom He paid so much for... My Jesus didn't plunder hell itself leading the very capitivity that held us all captive now as His prisoner for me to just enjoy a golden ticket all expenses paid trip to Heaven. No... He died to buy my freedom with an absurdly high price and to make slaves into soldiers. He gave up everything to bring redemption, life and the power of God to the sons and daughters of men. His own words were "I came to cast fire on the earth and I wish it was already burning..." So start the blaze Lord... Let the wildfire begin again... Hear from Heaven as you did in the days of Elijah and send fire that burns white hot in our hearts. Awaken your army. For your Kingdom, your glory and for the freedom of all mankind! It's time their eyes are opened. It's time they knew the Truth.. Speak Lord, lead us. You are the true King †
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 ]
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 †
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