Don’t look back
‘Do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!’ Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV Author Ellen Vaughn continues: ‘3) We must also forget our successes. That doesn’t necessarily mean we must forget the great projects we have completed. We are to work and live with excellence unto God, and He takes pleasure in our successes as […]
Don’t look back
‘Do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!’ Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV In the words of the legendary baseball player Satchel Paige, ‘Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.’ That’s good advice! Paul bottom-lines it like this: ‘ I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking […]
What do you ‘see’
‘I am doing a new thing…do you not perceive it?’ Isaiah 43:19 NIV What do you see? Our life will manifest what you continually keep in front of you. Paul says, ‘We have the mind of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 2:16 NIV), and creativity and vision are part of the package. A blind man asked St […]
What do you ‘see’?
‘Look up…and count the stars…That’s how many descendants you will have!’ Genesis 15:5 NLT Vision is the God-given ability to see the invisible. Without it, ‘people…stumble all over themselves’ (Proverbs 29:18 MSG). When God told Abraham he would be the father of many nations, he and Sarah were old and childless. Naturally speaking, it looked […]
‘Indescribable!’
‘Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.’ 2 Corinthians 9:15 NKJV Paul says that the gift God gave each of us that first Christmas is ‘indescribable’. The Living Bible says it’s ‘too wonderful for words’. Consider this: Isaiah says, ‘Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given’ (Isaiah 9:6 KJV). Jesus was […]
Your provision is on the way!
‘Opening their treasure bags, they presented to Him gifts.’ Matthew 2:11 AMPC The Bible tells us: ‘When Jesus was born in Bethlehem…[astrologers] from the east came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is He Who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east…and have come to worship Him.”…and behold, […]
When it doesn’t ‘feel’ like Christmas
‘He sent me to…heal the heartbroken.’ Isaiah 61:1 MSG At this time of year, it’s tempting to buy into the myth that everybody else is enjoying a picture-perfect Christmas. The truth is, there are thousands out there whose lives have been forever altered by death, divorce, sickness, and financial problems. Tammy Hanson Maltby writes: ‘It […]
He gave His most precious possession
‘Thank God for his gift that is too wonderful for words!’ 2 Corinthians 9:15 CEV One afternoon a little girl stood outside Pete Richardson’s antique shop studying the treasures in the window. Then she went in and asked to see a string of blue beads. When Pete set them on the counter, she said: ‘They’re […]
Speak to the Enemy
‘We are wrestling with…the powers who govern this world of darkness, and spiritual forces that control evil.’ Ephesians 6:12 GWT SPEAK TO THE ENEMY-In his classic book, War on the Saints, Jessie Penn-Lewis writes, ‘The chief condition…for the working of evil spirits in human beings, apart from sin, is passivity.’ That’s why the apostle Peter urges us, ‘Stay […]
Let God settle it for you
Dear friends, don’t try to get even. Let God take revenge.’ Romans 12:19 CEV God has a solution-When someone has hurt or betrayed you, it goes against your grain to resist the instinct for revenge – especially when there is an opportunity to settle the old score and your friends urge you to capitalise on […]