Honeycombs

I have been encouraged over the years by the writings of ordinary people, like me, who have something to share about Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour: I would like this little corner of my blog to be on a similar theme and I've shared with you some of the things I've experienced in my own Christian walk or that has blessed me This is just a short testimony -

My mam and dad used to send me to Sunday School when I was about 12. It was a little Gospel Mission that was held in a local school hall and there seemed to be hundreds of children attending each week. The Sunday school teachers used to do a bible drill - we held our bibles to our side and said 'sheath swords, draw swords' and then held them in the air. We were given a bible verse to find and the first one who did so was given a sweet (I did at one time wonder if that was the only reason we went but I don't think it was - I think as youngsters we were just hungry to hear stories about Jesus). One week I found the verse first, got the sweet and to this day can still remember the verse "Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee".

I also listened to one of the Sunday school teachers telling us that Jesus was standing outside the door of our hearts and knocking. He wouldn't force his way in but wanted us to open the door. You know something, I gave my heart to Jesus that day. (Rev. 3:20).

I can't remember if I was different but I do know I said the Lord's prayer everynight, the 2 bible verses I knew and then asked the Lord to look after my family. This became a tradition and I never faltered in the way I prayed over the coming years.

A lot of time has passed since then, I married, had a child, moved house several times and the Lord has never once let go of my hand, even though I've let him down so many times along the way.

From that first asking of Jesus into my heart he slowly guided me until the day I fully realised my need of him and committed my life to him in a real way and became 'born again'. I was baptized at the age of 35 and am still today trying to walk in my Saviours footsteps. I get it wrong a lot of the time but He is so faithful, he never condemns me just lovingly picks me up and puts me back on my feet and shows me where I need to be.

My son is a Christian as is my daughter in law and they try to bring their 3 children up in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The years have not been easy at times but Jesus said I am with you always even unto the end of the world ' and  'I will never leave you nor forsake you' and I have hung onto these versesover the years.

I cannot imagine a life without my Lord and Saviour and I would say to anyone who does not know him, he truly is the only one who will never leave you.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, put your trust and faith in him and he will be with you always ...

Voice of Hope

You will see this was written a couple of years ago and I never did get it published on my blog as my computer has been playing up for a good couple of years but I have finally got a new one and hopefully I will be blogging a lot more so here goes with one from quite some time back.

Voice of Hope
I can't quite believe it but we are into April already and I can remember asking myself at the beginning of the year if I wanted to make a new year's resolution.
Once again the answer was no - I really don't make resolutions anymore simply because I know there's no hope of me ever keeping them.  I used to spend ages making them and thinking, "I'll not eat as much chocolate, I'll lose weight, I'll pray more, I'll be more patient or kinder", but do you know, I never kept any of them  .It took me ages to make them and only an instant to break them. So I think by far the best thing is not to make them at all and I wont have to hope I'll be able to keep any of them.
But I did ask myself what I hoped for in 2010.One of the things I've found, as a Christian, is that I have a totally different outlook on hope and what I hope for. The reason being because my HOPE is in Christ my Saviour. 

Titus 2: vs 11-14 says For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and wordly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world;Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

One of the things I so easily forget about as I go into a new year is that blessed hope and this year I asked myself - could this be the year of our Lord's return.  We only have to look at the news to see what's happening in Israel and around the world to know that we live in desperate times, so could this be the year that we hear the shout and find that we're going up to meet the Lord in the air.  This is my hope and I believe it should be the hope of every believer in Christ.
I get excited when I read scripture that tells me about the Lord's, return and, well, I'm not going to write about whether I believe it's pre trib, mid trib or a post tribulation rapture but I do know the rapture will happen. 1 Cor 15:51 says Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
The rapture is an 'end times' event where Jesus Christ returns for His Church and believers who are alive and remain shall be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  1 Thess 4:16 says For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
You know, we don't have to wait until the church gets everything right, as some people think, before the Lord comes back. I don't see in scripture that the church has to restore everything first; I see a Saviour who will come for his church at any time and I'm reminded of that when Peter says -But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night (2 Peter 3:10)
We, the living saints, should be waiting for the rapture - that is our HOPE. Jesus himself says in John 14:2-3 "For I am going away to prepare a place for you. And when I have gone and have prepared a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself that where I am, you also will be".
We just need to be watching and looking for that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour. We need to be crying out Maranatha 'Come Lord Jesus'.
I know for a lot of people their hope is in worldly things. When something goes wrong in their lives they just hope things will get better - if only they would put their trust and hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jeremiah 17:17 says Blessed is the man that trusts in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. 
Paul even opens his first letter to Timothy by saying that he is an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ which is our hope.  Paul here, knows that Christ, and He alone is our hope, and I like to remind myself of HOPE by thinking of it as a type of acrostic -
We are Happy
We are Overcomers
We are Peacemakers
We are Entering in

We are happy - because we have a Saviour who is always there for us, who never fails us or lets us down and because of this
We are Overcomers - no matter what the world throws at us, when storms of adversity surround us, we may feel down but Christ helps us to overcome our circumstances and we know his Peace.  I only have to think of my own circumstances and it never ceases to amaze me that when all around me is in turmoil and there's rantings and ravings I so often find I've become a Peacemaker and I'm sure that's because my hope in Christ helps me to know his peace, the peace that passes all understanding (Phil 4:7), because He is the Prince of Peace.
I also know that I can Enter in to the holy place and pray for these situations because of the shed blood of Jesus and because my hope is in Christ.
When I was praying the Lord seemed to show me at 3 a.m. one morning a type of Tsunami. He seemed to be saying to me that just as a tsunami has devastating effects on the lives of others, so it will be for those who don't know the Lord Jesus, those who don't Hope in him. It will be like a wave hitting and washing over them and they will be lost for eternity.  We really do need a heart for those people, for those who don't know Christ.
We do live in desperate days and time is getting shorter. There may be people in our homes and wider family circle who don't know the Lord and we need to be telling them about Jesus. It's almost as if over the years I've thought to myself, well they heard the gospel when I first knew Christ so it's OK, but you know it's not OK. Jesus didn't let go of my hand. He didn't give up on me or just let me hear the gospel once. I heard it from Sunday School teachers, I heard it from a Christian aunt and I even had someone praying for me, someone who I didn't really know, a great grandmother praying for her children's children before they were even born.
My great grandma Murray had Hope in her Saviour and that hope saw a great grandchild come to know her Saviour too.
I heard a song called the Voice of Hope when I was driving to visit my family. This song had me crying as I drove and it showed me so many things. I was reminded, on my visit, of the adversity that can come into peoples lives but you know there is a voice of hope out there. A voice that whispers to every man, woman and child "I am the way, the truth and the life, No man comes to the father but through me". This voice of hope is an anchor in any storm. If misfortune has come your way, whether it be the break up of a marriage, a sickness, money problems, this voice of hope will hold onto us until all these storm clouds pass.
If your circumstances look to be so bad there seems to be no way out, this voice of hope will make a way. Your circumstances may seem impossible but this voice of hope can make possible the impossible. He will make a way out if you just ask him.
This voice of hope is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, amidst any adversity, and He just wants us to bring everything to him so that if we still find we are in difficult times the Holy Spirit will help our hearts to rise up within us so that we can still sing His praises
.I hope that if anyone reading this does not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour they will put their hope in him, that they will repent of their sins and follow Christ.I
've realised that this year I want to follow so close to my Lord that I hear every word he says to me, I hope I'll be close enough to hear him call my name, even if it's only a whisper. I hope the wordly things that seem to crowd in ever so easily will again drift away as I hear the still small voice, and as I go through 2010 I'd like these words to be on my lips - MARANATHA - come Lord Jesus

I just heard this beautiful song by T Graham Brown and wanted to share it with you.  For anyone in need of a touch from the Lord right now, for whatever reason ...

Clear the Stage

Prayer meeting with a difference tonight. Mark played us Clear the Stage by Ross King - wow - if you want the Holy Spirit to move in lives this was the song to do it. There was complete silence when the song had finished and when people eventually did offer up prayer it was a very humbling experience. Take a listen, I'm sure you will know what I mean, and I don't think any more words from me are necessary on this post.

Prayer meeting

We had a blessed time at the monthly church prayer meeting on Monday. We spent time praising and worshipping the Lord and then spent several hours in prayer. Hearts were broken for the youth of the area who did not appear to want anything to do with 'church'. We realise they may not want 'church' but we know that they need Jesus. Some of them appear so lost, walking the streets aimlessly with nowhere to go. Please pray they will come through our doors to the youth club that is run each Friday.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16)

Peace Be Still

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. (Mark 4:39)
A very happy and blessed New Year to you. As I drove home after visiting my family over Christmas (it's a 3 hour drive) I often talk to the Lord on the journey and this time I asked the Lord to speak to me from what I could see around me as I drove.  
Dark clouds covered the sky and torrential rain lashed against the windscreen, the wind was high and it wasn't very good driving conditions. As I peered through the rain I saw in the clouds a small circle of light shining through, it wasn't a brilliant light sort of hazy as if the sun was doing it's best to push through the clouds, but then the Lord showed me that there are many storm clouds in peoples lives, mine included, and often at the start of a new year we forget to leave the things behind us. We take everything that bothered us at the end of the year into the new. Often things like sickness, worry about a job and other burdens that just weigh us down seem like the storm , but I was reminded that no matter how dark the clouds may be the 'Son' can still shine through. The Lord Jesus Christ is the 'light' and He will shine through any storm clouds that come our way. All we need do is talk to him.

I recalled how, when the disciples were with Jesus in their ship and clouds had gathered and a great storm of wind arose and the waves beat against the ship filling it with water, it must have been a terrifying time for the disciplies, a bad night. The disciples were fearful and woke Jesus because they thought they would perish. Jesus showed his care and love for his followers when he spoke those words 'Peace be still' and, the bible says, there was great calm.
Jesus wants to do the same for us today. If we have taken any of the clouds into the new year with us then simply talk to the Lord.

Ask for his help in leaving behind anything that darkens your walk with Him, anything that will be a burden to you in the coming days. His words to you will be as they were to the wind and the sea 'Peace be still' - and there was a great calm.

Incy Wincy Spider and the 3 P's

 I had watched incy wincy spider weaving her beautiful web and here is episode two as the Lord certainly gave me something to think about and I call it Incy Wincy Spider and the 3 P's.

Patience, Perseverance, Peace
First of all the Lord showed me 'patience' - I for one certainly had patience as I stood and watched her weave for half an hour. And Incy Wincy had patience as she must have been weaving for well over an hour.
There are times when my 'patience' wears very thin but I realise that whatever I'm doing, I do need patience. For instance when I'm in the queue at the supermarket and in a hurry. The queue is moving slowly so I decide to change to another aisle only to find this one is even slower or the till jams or someone needs to change an item and if I'd only been patient and stayed at the one that I had been in in the first place I'd have been served by now.
Yes, 'patience' is very necessary. I once heard a little rhyme that went 'Patience is a virtue, virtue is a grace, Grace is a little girl who didn't wash her face'. I have no idea where it came from but whenever I think of patience being one of the fruits of the spirit or rather 'longsuffering' in the KJV I remember this little verse and give thanks for even the smallest amount of patience that I have.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Gal. 5:22)
Next I learnt 'Perseverance' - this spider persevered in making her web. Despite the wind blowing it too and fro, Incy Wincy hung on in there and completed the task she had started and the Lord again reminded me that at times I start something only to give up after a little while. Indeed 'perseverance' is very much linked to 'patience' in the KJV but some do we persevere.
I once picked up a pair of knitting needles only to find that it wasn't something I enjoyed as much as my mam did. I started a jumper and didn't persevere with it, I gave up and some 10 years later that wool was still on those knitting needles so my mam finished it off for me. It had been a jumper for my then husband but he outgrew it so mam finished it and my younger brother ended up wearing it.
Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them (in other words persevere): for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. (1 Tim 4:16)
Incy Wincy finished her web and then just rested right in the middle of it. The Lord showed me 'peace, be still'. Oh I know incy was so still in the centre of that web just waiting for her next meal to come along but shouldn't we be like that. After the toil of the day we should be still and wait upon the Lord. Our food is the reading of the word which does indeed bring peace.
We can be in the midst of the biggest storm we've ever been in, but Jesus himself is the one who can bring peace and stillness to the situation. He rebuked the wind and the sea and said 'Peace, be still' and He can have the same effect on any storm that appears in our own lives.
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm (Mark 4:39).

As much as I hate these creatures the Lord has taught me a valuable lesson through the 3P's and every time I see a spider I will think Patience, Perseverance, Peace.