Two Kings

The story of two different Kings. Proverbs 22:4 "The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches, honor and life."

God spoke to me tonight while reading this verse and brought to mind two Kings from the Bible that I've studied quite a lot. One King was chosen by the people. He was tall, handsome, strong, popular, self-confident and from outward appearance perfectly looked the part to be an awesome king. His name was Saul. When he became king it quickly went to his head and in his pride and arrogance he forgot about God and thought he no longer needed God's help. His pride led to direct disobedience to what God asked and as a result he lost his mind, his kingdom and ultimately lost his life dying dishonourably on the battlefield as a coward who killed himself rather than fighting to the death to protect his people. 

The second king God brought to mind was a young teenage boy. He wasn't the obvious choice among his brothers as a candidate for the throne. He held down the humble job of looking after his fathers sheep in the wilderness outskirts near his home. One day this boy visited his brothers on the battlefield to deliver supplies to his brothers as requested by his father who cared for them. This boys name was David. On the battlefield he heard and saw the giant Goliath badly dishonouring his country, his people and his God and said it needed to stop. God put it in David's heart to face the giant and as I'm sure you know - he won. 

The first King Saul wasn't humble and he didn't respect God and the result was that he himself was dishonoured and lost everything including his life. The second king David was humble. He feared and respected God and acknowledged that he needed God's help. The result of his choices was honour, riches and a long life as one of the most memorable and celebrated kings of Israel. 

So which king will you be? Just like the two kings above - your choice will determine the outcome. God is no liar and His Word is always true. What He says may not always happen right away it will ultimately end the way He says and as a result of your choice. I'll leave you with the verse I believe Joshua put extremely well...

[ I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live. - Deuteronomy 30:19 ]

God is our safe place in the day of chaos

I was reading this verse tonight to my kids before bed and explained it like this to them... "The Psalmist says that he sings about our God being a strong God. He sings out loud first thing in the morning because it just consumes his being about how good God really is. He is thankful to God for being the safe place and the shelter of peace to Him in the days when everything around him is crumbling down and chaos and hatred surround him like a flood." I pray that you too can know God like the Psalmist spoke of because the words he wrote about God completely echo my heart for what I know God to be. My refuge, my strength, my peace, my clarity, my hope, my destination and my Father in Heaven. 

Simple Wisdom

I was putting my kids to bed tonight and God put it on my heart to read them this verse. I get these daily bible verses on my phone every day and usually wake up and read them first thing in the morning - not out of religious repetition but out of a relationship with God and in an expectation of Him talking to me from it and teaching me something new. The Bible says in the proverbs "A wise man will increase in learning..." so the day you stop learning from God - you also stop being wise. So I read the verse out loud to them tonight and then asked my kids if they knew what it meant. My oldest boy says "No one has fully seen, heard or imagined heaven with God". The funny thing is that when I read this verse myself I mostly had an earthly view of it - not that reading it that way was wrong as God does promise us a lot of amazing things in the life we walk down here. He promises His presence that will never leave us, He promises healing for our hearts and our diseases, He promises provision of our needs, He promises the gift of the Holy Spirit to live inside all who believe in Jesus and so, so much more. But the way my little boy understood it is far more powerful than any earthly view. He was given wisdom straight from God to see the direct eternal perspective of what God promises in this verse. This world and all we see will one day be gone but the Kingdom God has built and prepared for us will last forever and ever. No one can possibly ever dream or imagine how good it really is going to be in Heaven with God until we get there. But that's just it - we walk by faith not by sight. It's amazing how God can gift such young children with the very simple yet profound wisdom He gives to teach an old fool like me another way to view His goodness, faithfulness and His promises. I hope this encourages you too. Have an awesome night. God loves you.  

Become Nothing

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 and pushes it this way and that. This whole world system is a lie and is under a very powerful lie (See Revelation 12:9 and 2 Corinthians 4:4) The world's philosophy says...Be the best you can be. Be known by all. Build a name for yourself. Become popular. Become sexy. Become successful. Become rich. Be better than everyone else. Jesus taught His followers a very different way... He told us to be the least. He told us to be the last. He told us to become humble servants that help, love and care for one another selflessly in truth (See Matthew chapter 20). He wants us to willingly empty ourselves of ourselves and become empty vessels that He can pour the power of
God into to be used in this world. Jesus calls us to "Become Nothing" for His Kingdom so then and only then will He truly be able to use us for His purposes.​ (2 Corinthians 4:7 & 2 Timothy chapter 2).


One day 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 done in front of people are all going to be gone unless they counted for His Kingdom. This is why Jesus said it's very important that when you give your money to those in need that it be done in secret and not to openly publicise your good deeds before others (See Matthew chapter 6). That type of behaviour is no different to the self promoting behavioural systems of this world and has no eternal value and is not counted for God's Kingdom.


Keep in mind when you gaze at the rich and famous of this world that all those high flying celebrities with all their perfect looks and perfect bodies aren't going to mean a thing one day. 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. The bible also says life is like a vapour that only appears for a short time then vanishes (James 4:14). There are no guarantees in life and no one can say how long they will live down here. You may live another 50 years. You may die tomorrow.  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. How famous you became and how well known your were for what you did down here wont mean a thing.


None of those things will matter unless you believed in Jesus as the Lord and Saviour of your life. 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 built on solid and impenetrable 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 have nothing of value to trade with Him to redeem us. 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 through this life. 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 DM me if you want to know more about Jesus and His amazing gift of life that saves and redeems us. God loves you.

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.