Hey brothers and sisters, Just want to share with you a Psalm that really encouraged me. Last week I was really struggling with some unanswered questions and unresolved scenarios and I prayed before bed for God to help me. It wasn't a long eloquent prayer - just a simple cry to my Father in Heaven for help.

I was woken up by His voice at around 3am and was clearly told to read Psalm 86. I immediately did so and it was precisely the answer I needed from Him. My mind was put at ease, my heart was still and my body became at peace.

We serve an amazing God who loves and hears us. If you need Him... Call out to Him.

He wont give you the same answer He gave me - instead He will give you the answer that's perfect for you.

God loves you.  

Be still... And know I AM God. 

I've been on a bit of a journey the past few weeks. A journey that's revisited some of the most painful experiences of my life. Not really a journey I wanted to take or one that anyone else would sign up for but now I understand God's purpose in it. You see, He has a plan in everything and has the ability to use everything for our good. It displays His sovereignty over all things - even in chaos. So... This journey has come to a conclusion. I was woken up at 3 am New Years Day and knew I wasn't going to be getting back to sleep because there was a question that needed to be answered. On my phone I have 3 daily Bible verses that I look at every single day the very first thing when I open my eyes in the morning expectantly wanting to hear from God. They are three completely different apps and always three completely different verses... But not today. The first one I looked at really hit me. It was exactly the answer I needed. I checked the second verse and today it's the same as the first. So then lastly I checked the third and... well it different than the others. But then I realized it was displaying yesterdays verse so I hit refresh.

That's right. The third verse was exactly the same. Take what you want from that but I knew in my heart exactly what it meant. Now the question at the end of my journey was this... "Mark, what is the answer to pain?" I knew the answer immediately because of what God's done for me in my life so many times before. It was simple. The answer to pain is... Love. The answer has and always will be Love. It was love that rescued me from all the pain of my life but somehow I'd got lost and overwhelmed in the pain again and forget the way out. The way out isn't a person, it isn't a drug, it isn't money, it isn't sex. The way out isn't down here. The answer is inside you. In your heart. The answer is Love because you are loved by God for who you really are - not what you've done or whats happened to you. It's Gods love that saves us from our pain. Thankyou God for hearing me and helping me out of my pain yet again. Oh and that verse is below. Happy New Year. God loves you.

[ Isaiah 43:19 - Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. ] 

Depending on what part of the world you live in - in the next few days the world celebrates Christmas. Some see it as excuse to overindulge, Some see it as a good reason for a holiday, some as a time to reflect over the past year...

For me though... I celebrate it as a remembrance of when the greatest weapon against darkness was unveiled upon this Earth. For me, it's a reminder that God's immeasurable and insurmountable grace was poured out and somehow contained in a human vessel that we call JESUS.

It's totally absurd that it even happened - that the One called LORD who breathed out suns and stars in a moment became a tiny, vulnerable baby for one single purpose... To die sacrificially to save us.

What a remarkable story of redemption. What amazing love. What a truly awe inspiring God.

This Christmas... Remember The Reason.

His Name is JESUS!  

God put this on my heart to share as something I've walked through especially the past few years. I wasn't sure what to call this process but the words "reflective wisdom" came to mind and pretty much fits the bill I think. What I want to say is this... I believe in life there are two ways to learn wisdom. The first one is through your own experience. What I mean by that is that a certain type of wisdom can be learnt by you going through something in life and then looking back on the events and choosing to approach the same matter differently the next time that set of circumstances presents itself again. I would call that "adaptive wisdom". It's the ability to learn from your mistakes and failures and to move forward gleaning a new perspective on the same problem. If you read the book of Proverbs in the Bible it covers this type of wisdom quite a lot. God often uses things like this in our lives to help us to learn and grow. Think of when you're hammering a nail into wood and you hit your thumb with the hammer. Pain tells you it hurts and to avoid doing the same action of smashing your thumb again. It's a natural process of humans to avoid pain and learn from it.


It might be you getting a huge $400 speeding fine while driving to teach you the value of others lives and to respect the law. The same thing might even be a "wake up call" to help you to grow up, get control of your anger and not treat life and others so recklessly. I know for me that when these types of things happen my first response is to be very upset but later if I choose to submit to the Spirit of God it brings me to a place of thankfulness and repentance. For those of you who are not familiar with the term "repentance" it simply means to turn around and change. Wisdom is gained when repentance is given place in our lives. Put simply, when we get to a place in our mind that we foolishly think "we are always right" then we no longer learn and wisdom begins to die. You see, Wisdom is not a set of trophies on a shelf - a much better way to explain wisdom is that it's organic like a muscle. If it isn't used daily - it starts to weaken and then die. Now, the second way to learn wisdom is even more valuable than the first. Have you ever wondered why in the Bible and especially the Old Testament that there are so many stories of people doing the wrong thing and suffering for it?


King David and his sin of murder and adultery is a good example. King Solomon and the greed that corrupted his heart is another. Cain hating his brother which led to murder is another. The list goes on and on of the people that chose poorly and paid dearly for it. I'll tell you why there are so many stories like this... God wants us to learn from their mistakes. This is the second type of wisdom - reflective wisdom. It's the ability to see the pain and hardship that others have in their lives caused by poor decisions and to choose to avoid that path yourself. Now please understand my heart on this - this is most certainly not an excuse to judge and condemn others - instead its the process of discerning what happens in others lives and deciding to avoid having that happen to you. The book of Proverbs in the Bible talks about this kind of wisdom even more that the first type. It says in Proverbs 7:4 to "Treat wisdom as your sister, and insight as your closest friend." Many think this is just a clever analogy but I completely disagree. Wisdom is not just a collection of knowledge or a string of good decisions.


Wisdom is an entity. It's a Spirit that is given by God. Check out Ephesians1:17 if you don't believe me. So what I'm really wanting to say today for all who want to hear it is this... God wants to give you wisdom for your life to help you, to guide you, to teach you and to keep you. All you have to do is ask. He has no special respect or partiality for anyone down here - He sees us all the same and gives generously to all who ask. Just remember, God's wisdom is not like the wisdom of this world. It will often go contrary to what many others may say and think but the outcome of God's wisdom is always peace. God loves you. 

[ James 1:5 - If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ]   

Call me weird or whatevs but I'm gonna use skateboarding as a way of explaining Faith. You see, when I first started skating several years ago I was awful. And I'm not just saying awful as in "OK... but not great" I'm talking AWFUL as in faceplant, lose skin and ruin good clothes just about every time I visited the skatepark. I even had kids there tell me I should find another sport. Thing is, God gave me skateboarding as a gift when I suffered really bad with depression. I weighed almost 20kg heavier back then and was as pasty white as wallpaper from doing nothing but watching bad movies, bad TV and playing violent xbox games all day. Skateboarding was God's way of saying "You were made for much more..." Looking at me back then I would have strongly disagreed with Him.. but He was right. Over the next year or so He did some MAJOR renovations to me which turned my life completely upside down. Major "excavations" is probably a better description because it was a case of getting rid of a whole lot of stuff that was bad for me in a very short time period. Why am I saying this? Well, I was pretty convinced that the fat, lazy, unmotivated, addicted and depressed guy I was back then was all I was ever going to be. Thankfully I was so wrong. Faith is a journey. It's an adventure where you learn, grow and change. Don't worry if you don't look anything like what you think you "need to be" to get things happening. God has a habit of unlocking hidden things and bringing them out to the light. After all, He is the God that makes all things new. So step out in Faith - because God loves you and He's got this.

I couldn't sleep last night so I started praying at about 3am to God about some stuff thats been really heavy on my heart for a long time. I was talking to God about some of the things that happened this past year and in the previous years that really hurt and ripped my heart to shreds. Things I'd said and done just trying to help people but instead it all blew up in my face and seemed to only hurt the person and myself more than before I stepped in. The thing is with us humans is that when we fail we naturally give up. Logic dictates that if you failed you weren't fast enough, smart enough, strong enough or just not good enough for what needed to be. But here's where faith comes in... Faith isn't about how good, how strong or how qualified you are... It's about JESUS. Pure faith takes the focus off of you and your deficiencies and instead highlights the majesty, power, authority and love that JESUS has for us. Several things have happened over the years that would easily warrant me giving up trying to help people and sharing God's love and truth. After all, I've tried so many times and failed badly so, so many times.


But here's the thing... It's not about me. It's about JESUS. Im not perfect - but He is. I'm not strong enough - but He is. I'm not clean enough - but He is. I'm not good enough - but He is. So instead of trying to present myself as perfect, qualified and the answer to the World's problems - I'll present JESUS instead. So, where that puts me today is this... I'm getting back up to do what He called me to do. To share God's love and truth to anyone who wants it. To be kind even though I'm sure I'll get my heart run through again and again. To stand up when I know I'm certainly going to fall flat on my face over and over again. So if you need prayer for anything feel free to use the link to my website www.spiritburn.org in my profile and I'll gladly pray for you. Think of it as just a average guy that loves God talking to Him on you behalf. A humble soldier of the cross with a patched up heart from years of bullet holes fighting yet another day - because that's what soldiers do. So even if you don't believe in God - I do. So even if you don't believe in prayer - I do. Even if you're a complete stranger to me - you're most certainly not to God. So if you need prayer... Ask. God will hear you because He loves you.


Need Prayer? Visit www.spiritburn.org and click the 'NEED PRAYER' button and I'll be happy to pray to God for you. God loves you.

Lord, I bring before you my sacrifice...

It's not the best of me... It's not my wealth... It's not my talents... It's not my accomplishments...

I bring before you the thing I guard the most. The thing that is hidden from others but not from you...

I pile up today on the altar of sacrifice all my failure.

All my vain, selfish ambition. All my useless self serving accomplishments. All my failed ventures that I attempted on my own.

I pile them up. Higher and higher the mountain grows until it hides the sun itself.

Then I drench the heap with my bitter tears of vain dissapointment. All my sorrow through self justification and pride I pour on it from top to bottom until it runs into puddles around the sides.

Now, the sacrifice is ready. There is only one thing left for it to be complete...

Fire from God.

And so, as the ancient prophet called on your Name, I too call on the Name of the Most High God to send Holy fire from above.

Send your consuming fire upon my sacrifice so that I can see it burn to a crisp under the sheer magnitude of your power.

I do not fear your purging blaze for I know it heals, cleans and makes pure. It consumes all that is not meant to be.

So, let it burn. Burn until there is nothing left at all but ashes.

For there is only One God that can create beauty from ashes and only One God that can bring life from the dust itself.

Use me. I am at your bidding Lord. 

hey guys, can I share something with you? I'll be honest in saying I'm not perfect. To even insinuate that is such a joke. I have so many flaws its not funny - I've just learned to hide them from others and even from myself. After all, no one puts up horrible pictures of themselves on facebook and instagram - we put our best stuff out there. Well, what I wanna say is this. When we live in such a money driven world - I so easily fall into the trap of being materialistic and unthankful for all the things and the life God has given me. He has honestly given me so, so much. Far more than I ever deserve and He even helps me when I stuff things up. Which believe it or not is quite often. Is my faith in Him perfect...? No way. It's puny and tiny. I'm just glad He loves me and has patience with me. I remember a few years ago I was meeting a few guys to skate in the city skate park. You see before that I used to skate alone a lot in empty parks in the suburbs and was pretty happy just rolling around and with the few tricks I could do. I'd often find that I'd really meet God when I'd be there and He'd speak and teach me so much. I also learned how to have fun skateboarding for what it was and not for all the competitive hype that often comes with it. Just raw skateboarding. Straight up.


Well, after hanging around some "really good" skaters at this city park I ended up starting to feel like I was complete rubbish at skateboarding. You see, these guys were popping treflips and hardfips in their sleep - tricks I could only hope to nail. Truth be told though, these guys were pretty nasty womanising dope-smoking law breaking types who treated each other pretty darn rough but for some reason I got caught in the whole competitive materialistic side of skateboarding just by being there. It's funny how God works though. One day a new guy rocked up and I have to say he was the most remarkable skater I've ever seen. He rolled into the park, popped a kickflip then sat down in the shade. What really hit me wasn't his skate style or his tricks... it was the fact that he had no hands at all. You see, this guy was born deformed yet he didn't let even that stop him. One of his eyes was sunken in his face and I'm sure he probably didn't think he was hot stuff but I have to say that just seeing him skate at all hit me like a 50 carriage freight train at how unthankful I had become in such a short time. It also made me feel really sorry for getting caught in the hype of it all and not just being thankful for just being able to be free to skate. One day I'll share with you why I skate. Put simply it was a gift from God to me. A reawakening but that's for another time. Be careful not to lose perspective and become unthankful like I did guys, it's so easy to have your vision dazzled by the bright lights and all the hype but at the end of the day life itself is such an immense gift. God loves you.   

[DISCLAIMER - Before you proceed reading I issue the following warning. The content described below is of graphic nature. Skip reading this post if you are of sensitive temperament.]

The following is a vision God showed me quite a few years ago and has just now given me permission to disclose it in full detail publicly. I closed my eyes and then when I opened them I was in a large octagonal arena. The floor was made of cold, pitted concrete. The sides of the arena were surrounded by thick red ropes much like a wrestling or MMA ring. I was dressed in fighters garb, ready to go. My heart was already racing. Adrenaline coursed through my veins. In my mind I repeated the words "I can do this... I've got this..." I raised my fists in front of me ready to face my opponent. Whoever it was, I knew I could take them. I was born for this. Out of the shadows he came... The very first thing I noticed was his eyes. Such malice. Such undiluted hatred. He didn't even have to say a single word for me to know his intent. I could feel it in his presence alone. Pure evil itself. Never before had I seen a being that was so corrupted by bitterness, acrimony and spite. His form was that of a red dragon.


His skin was covered with weeping sores and just by looking at him I could tell that he harbored every disease known to man. His forked tongue uttered words I cannot repeat due to their abominable nature. He once was a jewel of perfection, beauty completed... but now all he resembled was a hideous monstrosity. He was once called and revered by his angelic name Lucifer - but now he was known as 'The Destroyer'. He wasted no time in formalities. I could sense in his body language that his sole purpose for me was pain. To inflict as much pain as possible and in the worst ways possible. I steeled my resolve and tensed my muscles ready for his onslaught. His first blow from a clenched claw filled fist was aimed squarely between my eyes. I managed to cross my arms above my face and block it but the sheer force and magnitude of his attack sent me reeling backwards. Before I could even regain my footing he had swiftly advanced and had me against the ropes. Another strike at my face which I blocked but this time he followed with deadly body blows to my ribs and thighs. It wasn't just the force of his blows that affected me so much but more his intent for me in that every time he contacted my flesh I felt death itself rob me of life.


I started to fight back and raised my fists again vainly swinging at his hardened scaly skin only to see my best efforts barely even make a dent. He backed off for a moment, almost as if giving me time to breathe but then launched at me full force and slammed me to the cold, unforgiving concrete. The wind escaped my chest and as my head hit the concrete my vision blurred and faded for a moment. I stood over me looking at me in utter contempt. A hatred not only just for me but for all of my kind. I tried to anticipate his next move but nothing could have prepared me for what he did next. In such fury and rage he dived on me and began to pummel me in a flurry of sledgehammer blows. Every single strike felt like the weight of an entire bus crushing me and then when he knew I was almost about to fade he reached down and grabbed a handful of my ribs and lifted me in the air. I realized then I was no match for him. I had trained for years and years yet my defeat came so swiftly. As he held me above his head he spoke the words... "you are nothing but dirt..." and then hurled me across the arena like a rag doll. The impact on the concrete broke several more bones and as I lay there in agony trying to get back on my feet I began to cough up large amounts of blood. My cuts and wounds screamed out in pain as I lay there in torment.


Pain now came in waves and with such an intensity that I could feel my life itself fading every moment. One of my eyes had stopped working altogether and I could no longer hear at all from the damage done to my body. My head was spinning and it hurt just to breathe. Tears began to stream down my blood soaked cheeks as I said to myself "I did everything I could and it wasn't good enough... I wasn't strong enough..." With the one eye that was still functioning I could see him crossing the arena with his large spiked tail now lifted in the air ready to deliver his final death blow. This was it... he planned to end me once and for all. Then it happened... Time itself stood still for a moment and everything faded to black and white. All the pain stopped. Everything stopped. And it was then that I could hear it... Like a voice inside. A familiar voice. "Call my Name... You were never meant to fight alone... Call my Name child..." I knew it was time. I had nothing left. There was no way I could win this fight and in the next few moments my evil foe would claim my life as his prize. With the very last ounce of strength in me I mouthed one word... I only had the strength left to say one word but it was the only word that needed to be said... "JESUS..."


Before I could see Him I could sense His presence. I knew He was there. As a matter of fact I knew He was there all along. Watching... Waiting... I saw Him step out of the shadows towards the arena. He was hooded and cloaked but His eyes gave away His true identity. He had the eyes of a King. The eyes of a Soldier. Eyes that knew no fear. He gently slid my broken body out of the arena onto the ground outside and then slowly lifted my head and placed a pillow under it making sure I could still see the arena. "Rest now child..." He said as He walked towards the ropes. "I'll take care of this now..." The dragon watched in disgust as He entered the ring muttering under his breath "I should be king instead of you...". Completely and totally unphased at the dragons sheer size and venom He walked right to the middle of the arena and then stopped. With His feet positioned at shoulder width and His fists clenched either side then He unlocked His true power. I saw His eyes ignite into flames of fury and then the hood and cloak exploded off Him in a force I can only describe as ten thousand volcanoes erupting all at once. The shock wave of His force and the magnitude of His energy is like nothing I can ever hope to describe.


He had a glow around Him that resembled an element I that doesn't exist anywhere here on earth. A combination of fire, water, lighting and mass. His appearance was nothing short of immense. Underneath He wore grave clothes like bandages that were now flailing in the wind that was emanating from Him. This was the risen King. The One who had conquered Death and Hell and now held them captive by His Word and His Will. I watched as the dragon trembled just at the sight of Him and could no longer even stand and fell to his knees. My enemy that battered and beat me so severely was reduced to a kneeling subject before My King. Then My King surged in such speed that could not hope to be measured. My eyes couldn't even keep up with His movements and in a moment He was there and had caught the dragon with one hand. I watched as His hand contacted the outer skin of the dragon causing it to sear and steam in reaction but that wasn't the thing that really made me sit up. There was a hole in His hand from where the nails were and through it I could see the eye of the dragon looking back at me. An eye that was once filled with so much pride, so much hatred, so much vengeance and consumed with bitterness now looked just like the eye of a rabbit caught in a trap. The dragon was totally and completely dominated.


Absolutely powerless before the presence of my King. The dragon knew it was all over, there was no fight. There was no contest at all. It was like comparing an ant to the sun. Then my Savior turned His head to me and smiled and in the flick of His wrist He sent the dragon hurling from the arena like a meteorite coursing through space at millions of miles per hour. It was over. He had won. Peace surrounded Him as He slowly exited the ring and came to my side and placed His hand on my bruised and broken chest. In a moment I felt all my life return to me. All my broken bones aligned and even the cuts and wounds sealed up as if they were never there at all. He looked at me and said "Why did you fight alone for so long child...? Anytime you need me just call my Name and I'll be here...". He then took my hand and got me back on my feet and said to me with a smile "Lets teach you how to fight soldier..." 

[ Romans 16:20 - The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. ]