"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee" – Isaiah 26.3 (AV)

The Bible says that the Lord will keep in perfect peace the man whose mind is stayed on Him.  What does this mean to have your mind stayed on God.  The word stayed here means to ‘lean upon, be established, take hold of, and be steadfast’.  Those who keep their minds fixed and steadfast on God will be kept in perfect peace.  Many years ago there was a saying which, thankfully, I haven’t heard in a very long time.  People used to say: ‘Sister So and So was so heavenly minded that she was of no earthly good’.  I thank God that I haven’t heard that saying in many years, I would want to jump on the person that says that.  You cannot be too heavenly minded, the more minded of Jesus you are, the greater your influence in the earth.  If you keep your mind stayed on God and trusting in Him, you will be kept in perfect peace.  You will never be troubled by this world’s needs and problems.  Now I didn’t say you wouldn’t have needs and problems, I said that they wouldn’t trouble you.  There are lots of Christians that spend their lives worrying about this need or worrying about some difficulty.  Have you noticed that it’s always the same folk that have all the burdens, all the problems, all the difficulties – that’s because while they are keeping their minds stayed on the problems, they will never be free of them.  Those who keep their minds stayed on God are kept in perfect peace and wholeness.  Problems don’t stay around long for those kinds of people.  Fix and establish your mind on the Lord today and keep it stayed there.

Suggested Additional Reading:  Luke 12.22-34

"Oh how I love your law, it is my meditation all the day" – Psalm 119.97 (NKJV)

Yesterday we began the month by looking at the verse in Isaiah 26.3 that says that if we keep our minds stayed on God we would be kept in perfect peace.  Today I just want us to develop that thought by saying that our minds and thoughts should be on the Word of God.  Instead of worrying over the needs and problems that we have, we should rather meditate on the answer to those needs according to the Word.  In our reading today we see that the man who delights in God’s Word will meditate and ponder God’s Word all day long. The Psalmist says again in Psalm 1, that the one who does that is a blessed man.  It goes on to say that he will be like a very fruitful tree that is planted next to a river.  Keep your heart and mind fixed and established on the Word of God, it will lead you in the way that you should go, and reveal to you the answer to the needs and problems that you may face.  Worrying about the needs or the situation is never an option; Jesus said that we cannot change or add to our life one bit by worrying.  Meditating on and believing the Word is our only option, remember what the Psalmist says in these verses ‘Oh how I love your law, it is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies’.  Got a need?  Need an answer?  Lacking in wisdom for a particular circumstance?  Well get the Bible from off the shelf and begin to read it where the Lord directs you and then spend the time prayerfully meditating what it says.  You’ll soon see that it will begin to reveal what you should do.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Psalm 119. 97-105

"The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness" – Luke 11.34 (AV)

The eye is one of the most intricate parts of our body that God created, the Bible calls it the light of the body. The eye can focus quicker and sharper and can capture images far better than the world's best cameras.  A person can move from one object to another very quickly and the eye is capable of refocusing so quick that we don't even notice.  But the eye, even with all these capabilities, is only able to focus on one object at any one time.  We cannot focus clearly on more than one object at any given time without moving our head.  This verse says that if our eye remains single, our whole body will be full of light.  What does this mean to remain single?  Our focus should be single, we cannot be looking at two things at any one time.  If we have our eyes on the problems and circumstances around us, we do not have them on Jesus.  If our focus is on Jesus then we shall be full of light, and we will see clearly where we are going.  We cannot focus on two things, we cannot serve two masters - we must remain single minded and single focused.  We must have one purpose and one vision; the more things we try to focus on, our vision soon becomes blurred.  Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Luke 11.29-36

"He must increase, but I must decrease" – John 3.30 (AV)

John the Baptist learnt the secret of living God's way, to let Jesus have the pre-eminence and he himself to get into His shadow.  Our chief enemy is not the people around us, those we live with or attend church with; neither is it the devil.  Our chief enemy is ourselves, the I in us.   Jesus taught a parable about a rich man who was very successful. His land yielded many crops and one year he had a real bumper harvest.  This man thought about His success, and particularly the problem he now faced that he had nowhere to store all this new grain.  He decided to replace his barns with much bigger ones and then retire on the profits that they brought.  The short parable highlights his problem - and it wasn't that he had no barn big enough to store his crops; His problem was his 'I'.  Turn to that parable and count how many times he uses the pronouns 'I', 'my', 'myself' - You will find that there are at least ten references to it.  His focus was internal, He was king in his world and that's not the right way to be.  It's not about me, my, myself or I; it's all about Jesus.  Even as Christians we can fall into the I trap - I'm doing this, I don't want to do that, that's not the way I do it, I'm right you're wrong.  Even in our witnessing or testifying we talk about 'I' when we should be speaking of Jesus. We too should learn the secret that John the Baptist learnt - He must increase, but I must decrease.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Luke 12.16-21

"But I tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every idle (inoperative, nonworking) word they speak" – Matthew 12.36 (Amplified)

Not many Christians actually realise the truth contained in these words of Jesus.  We are actually going to be judged by the words that we speak.  Every idle word that comes out of our mouths is going to have to be accounted for.  We need to learn very quickly that we don't just shoot words out everywhere unless we mean them.  We use phrases such as 'my feet are killing me' or 'that scares me to death' as part of our everyday speech and it didn't ought to be so - they are idle words, we don't mean them, if we did we should expect to drop dead.  We need to start watching the words that come out of our mouths especially in these current times. We should not speak words of death, disease or failure.  We should speak words that are creative, words that will bless and encourage, words that will build up and edify.  If the things we said came to pass within a few minutes of us saying them we would change our vocabulary instantly.  So listen to your speech today, the things you say to your workmates, friends and family - then ask yourself the question 'do I really want that to come to pass in my life'.  You may get a surprise at what comes out of your mouth - but don't be condemned, just repent of it, then out loud say 'I take those words back, they are inoperative and idle words'.  Then speak a faith confession to negate them.   Here is something to think about:  Before you say anything stop and think, 1. Will what I say give praise and honour to God; 2. Will it build up and encourage the hearers; 3. Does this line up with God's Word; 4. Would I want what I say to come to pass and 5. Does it really need to be said.  If the answer is no to any of the questions then don't say it.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Matthew 12.31-37

"They will pick up serpents; and [even] if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well" – Mark 16.18 (Amplified)

Jesus was sending His disciples, and that includes you and me, into the whole world to preach the Gospel.   As part of their mission He told them to preach the Gospel; to baptize those who believe; to cast out the demons; to speak in new tongues, to walk in divine protection; and to heal the sick.   No where in what we call the Great Commission did He ever say to pray for those who were sick – but to heal them.  But Brother Peter, surely it is God that heals.  Yes, the healing comes from God but it flows through you, the Scripture says that these signs will accompany those who believe in and minister in the name of Jesus.  The Scripture then lists those signs that I have just mentioned.  Are you a believer? If so, then you can heal the sick in Jesus name.  Your part is to believe in the name of Jesus and to lay your hands on the sick person in the name of Jesus.  God then says that the sick person will get well – note that it says they will get well, not may get well or probably will get well, they will get well.   As preachers we often have those coming to us for ministry and yes there have been times when folk have gone away ‘not healed’.  Now this Scripture does not promise that healing will be manifest instantaneously, but it does promise that they will get well.  That healing could be instant but then the healing process could take a few weeks. There may also be occasions where the person doesn’t receive it for whatever reason or negates it, but one thing is for sure – healing always comes, whether it is received or not.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Mark 16.1-20

"And a widow who was poverty-stricken came and put in two copper mites [the smallest of coins], which together make half of a cent." – Mark 12.42 (Amplified)

Jesus sat against the treasury while they came and gave their offerings to God.   He noticed that the rich came and put vast sums into the treasury, some probably did what He referred about on another occasion when He said that they made a show of what they did, making sure that they were being seen to give alms, and making long prayers so that they were heard.  Then Jesus noticed a widow woman who, this verse says, was poverty-stricken, she came up to the treasury and dropped in just two small copper coins.  Afterward Jesus commended what this woman had done.  The rich gave what they could afford to give, but this woman gave all that she had.   Poverty did not stop this woman giving to God.  As a leader in a church I’ve heard it too many times, ‘we can’t afford to give an offering because we have too many bills to pay’.  With that attitude you will never have enough to give to God, but unless you give to God you will never have enough.  Listen to me, you had better get something to give to God because that’s the way out of that poverty trap.   Christ has redeemed you from poverty, start believing it, then sow a financial seed to Him, and then reap the harvest of that seed.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Mark 12. 28-44

"I have told you these things, that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy and gladness may be of full measure and complete and overflowing" – John 15.11 (Amplified)

I believe that there are two main characteristics that Christians should have, that set them above all other people in the world; they are LOVE and JOY, and this is clearly seen in this chapter.  Jesus said that He had taught them these things so that their joy would be full.  What things had He been teaching His disciples, well in this chapter the three main topics are  – (1) Abiding in Him, having our life sustained through fellowship with God; (2) Continue living in God’s love, and also loving our fellow man; and (3) Keeping His commandments.  He said that doing these things would make our joy full or complete.  Joy has the effect of permeating through our whole body, it begins in the heart and rapidly spreads through our being so that the evidence of it is shown in our demeanour and appearance – it puts a smile on our face and a song in our hearts.  When our car, or an appliance or piece of machinery isn’t functioning properly we do some diagnostic checks to see where the problem is.  Likewise if our joy level isn’t right then run these checks. Are you fellowshipping with God, are you abiding in His love, are you abiding in His Word.

"Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD" – Psalm 150.6 (AV)

This isn’t a request or something that is optional for a Christian, this is a command from the One who alone deserves all the praise.  Praise the Lord, everything that has breath is to praise Him, praise Him when we come together as the Body in the Holy sanctuary.  We praise Him when we are on our own when no one else can see us.  We should praise Him when we are out and about – the Message translation says in verse 2, ‘praise him under the open skies’.  For everything that He has done and will do, we praise Him for His mighty acts, praise Him for His goodness and His abundant greatness. Every musical instrument and expression should give Him praise, the trumpets, flutes, organs, stringed instruments, cymbals and other percussion instruments.  Then we should praise Him with our voices, with dancing and, as my Father says often, we praise Him with ten-fingered instruments, the clapping of our hands.  We ought to praise God, it is our responsibility before Him to offer that sacrifice of praise.  We do not need any other reason than who He is.  When they praised Him in the holy temple with everything that they had, then the Glory of God filled the house of God.  The final words of this psalm say ‘praise ye the Lord’ – you praise Him, lift your voice right now and give Him thanks.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Psalm 150.1-6

"Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things!" – Psalm 72.18 (NKJV)

God is a God of wonders, He only does wondrous things, everything He does is wonderful.  Many years ago my father, Les Warren, was preaching a message and he said that the Lord had the WOW factor, that is, that He is the Wonder of Wonders.  The Bible is full of the miraculous, it is jam-packed with different signs and wonders.  We all know what signs are, they point to something else, in the case of the miraculous, they point to the One greater than the miracle.  But what are wonders?  The dictionary defines them as strange, unusual and remarkable things, they are God's wonderful deeds.  The American preacher, Kenneth Copeland, once said that a wonder is something which causes you to say 'I wonder how that happened'.  It has been said that God moves in a mysterious way - now most people understand that to mean that you just don't know what God will do, and that's how they use the phrase, 'well brother you just never know, maybe He will, maybe He won't, He moves in mysterious ways'.  Basically they use that phrase to shroud their unbelief.  Mystery in the Scriptures, particularly the New Testament, does not refer to something hidden or inexplicable, but rather truth that is revealed.  When God moves in a 'mysterious' way He reveals Himself, or makes Himself known and manifest, through the wondrous things that He does.  God is revelatory, He's always revealing Himself, He did to Abraham, Moses, to the prophets, and He reveals Himself to us.  That's why the next verse goes on to say that because of those wondrous things He does that the whole earth shall be filled with His glory.  Aren't you glad you serve a God who only does wondrous things.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Psalm 72.1-20  

No weapon that is formed against you can prosper, whether it be a weapon of war, a lie spoken by an abusive tongue, persecution or torture.  These weapons that the enemy uses against us are rendered useless because we have a covenant of peace with Almighty God, El Shaddai (see verse 10).  Jesus promised us in Mark 16.17-18, and we touched on this verse a few days ago, that if we believe in His name that certain signs would follow such as laying the hands on the sick and seeing them recover and casting out demons.  Well one of those signs that Jesus promised was that of protection, not just from natural forces like accidentally picking up a snake, such as Paul did on Malta or drinking a deadly poison.  He also promised us protection from our enemies, if they try to harm us with poison or torture us with snakes.  We have this covenant promise that no weapon formed against us shall prosper.  Now that doesn't mean that we can go out and deliberately drink poison or handle snakes, we are not to put the Lord to the test in that respect, but we can trust Him for victory if we find ourselves in that situation. This verse even tells us that we should condemn every tongue that rises up against us.  By nature we tend to retaliate, argue and defend ourselves, but that is not what the Scripture says - it tells us to condemn the words so that we gain the victory.  No weapon formed against us can prosper, we are children of the Lord and this victory is our heritage, our right - it is part of that covenant of peace.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Isaiah 54.1-17  

God's Word for us today is this:  'Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts'.  We are to be engaged in doing what the Spirit of God leads us to do.  It is a sad fact that many people are trying to establish churches and ministries using their own might or power - whilst it might be able to be done, it will also use up so much energy and burn you out.  Doing what the Spirit leads you to do is going to be successful without human effort or intervention.  How many times have you sat in a church meeting and heard an announcement like: 'We are going to have this series of meetings next month we need to ask God to bless them'; or you hear someone pray 'Lord bless all the children in the world'.  Whilst there may not appear to be anything wrong with those two statements, it would be better for us to announce 'We need to seek God to find out what He's blessing so that we can get involved in it'.  God doesn't want us slogging ourselves through our own might and power trying to achieve something for Him, He wants us blessed, and that will come by being obedient to the Spirit of God.  The church in Sardis were trying to build their own reputation, the church was being built on human might and power but God told them, as He did all the churches, to hear what the Spirit was saying.  What is God saying to you today?  Has He been speaking to you over these last few weeks about something.  Have you come up with an idea that you want to test to see if God will bless it?' - take time today to seek God and find out exactly what the Spirit is saying to you, if you do it His way you will be guaranteed the blessing.

Suggested Additional Reading: Revelation 3.1-6

Following on from yesterdays reading, now we look at the next verse in the chapter.  Mountains are always synonymous with problems and difficulties, either that we face or come against us as an attack of the devil.  The mountain in this verse came as a direct result of doing what God wants, the man of God was told not to do it by his own might or power but by the power of the Spirit of God.  This mountain was an obvious attack for doing that.  Do you remember in the Gospels that often the disciples faced difficult situations, some outright attacks for following Jesus word.  There was the time on the lake, Jesus had told them to cross over so that they could minister to the demon possessed man who dwelt in Gadara.  As they journeyed, doing what He had told them to do, a great windstorm arose on the lake and put their lives in jeopardy.  Jesus woke up from his rest at the back of the boat and spoke to the wind and the waves and rebuked them, and the storm ceased.  Jesus also told us to speak to the mountains of difficulties and problems.  This is what this verse also tells us - the shouts of 'Grace, grace to it' bring the mountain down to a plain.   Grace has the ability to flatten any mountain, so if you are facing a mountain of difficulty today speak to it - yes speak to it, that has to be done out aloud, you cannot think it.  Speak grace to it  - that mountain will become a plain.

Suggested Additional Reading: Mark 4.35-41

God's purpose for us is that we grow and develop or mature in our walk with Him.  That's the reason why He often calls us to come up higher to a new level.  In this Scripture, Jesus told His disciples to launch out into the deeper water.   We are called to go out to the deep water, that's where we are out of our depth, so we have to trust Him.  Faith will take us out of our comfort zones into territory that is unfamiliar, we need that so our faith can develop and so that God is glorified.  When you are out of your depth you cannot take the credit for what happens, Peter couldn't take the credit for the great draught of fish, he had been out all night and had got absolutely nothing.  When he did what Jesus told him to do, fish from every part of the lake swam towards his net and God got the glory.  When we are in our comfort zone we can soon become complacent, and that is dangerous.  Complacency will cause our spirit to become stagnant.  The Bible says that God chooses the things that are foolish, weak and base to confound the great and mighty, that's life in the deep water.  Launch out into deeper waters, get out of your comfort zone, take some faith risks and put your neck on the line and see what God will do through you.

Suggested Additional Reading: 1 Corinthians 1.26-31

"The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)" – John 10.10 (Amplified)

Jesus came to earth so that you and I can have and enjoy life, in abundance that is a full and overflowing life.  Jesus identifies the devil as a thief whose sole purpose is to take from you, did you notice those three words in the verse, each one has to do with taking – steal, kill and destroy.  Jesus did not come to take from you, although many people think that He does.  I’ve got to give this up, give that up, I can’t do this, I can’t do that.  Jesus came to give you life in all its fullness.  I once heard a preacher say that a failure we often have in the church is that we get men saved quickly with great enthusiasm then let them get bored and they drift away.  Jesus doesn’t want you to give up living so that you get bored, He wants you to have and enjoy life to the full, until it overflows.  So if you see that the devil is trying to take your health, you know Jesus wants you to enjoy healing, if the devil tries to steal your money, you know that Jesus wants you to have His prosperity.   A lot of Christians even have a low or unworthy concept of God, they think that He is about to jump on you to prevent you from having fun – God wants you to enjoy life, enjoy health, enjoy prosperity, that’s why Jesus came.

"But as for that [seed] in the good soil, these are [the people] who, hearing the Word, hold it fast in a just (noble, virtuous) and worthy heart, and steadily bring forth fruit with patience" – Luke 8.15 (Amplified)

This verse comes from the great or master parable, the Parable of the Sower.  Those people that hear the Word, seize it, hold on to it, are like good ground that produces a harvest.   That harvest of fruit comes through patience.  We have a misunderstanding of patience, for the dictionary defines it as ‘quiet and self-possessed waiting’ but this is not the case of patience in the Bible.  The Greek word here translated patience really means ‘consistent or constant’, and that’s what will produce the results in your life.  If you need a healing in your body, you need to hear a word on healing, seize it and hold it fast, be consistent in your faith on it.  That means when your body doesn’t seem to respond, in fact it may even feel worse, you still stand on that word of God you have held on to.  Consistency will produce the required result – there may be times that you don’t realise that the manifestation of healing has come. It will dawn on you that you haven’t had the pain in several days, this verse says that the fruit is produced steadily.  If you need a financial harvest, you do the same, get a word, hold on to it and be consistent in it.  Be aware of the birds, rocks and thorns that want to destroy that word in you.  Your situations may not change overnight, but they are being changed, you just need to hold on and stay consistent and constant.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Luke 8.1-15

"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one" – 1 John 5.7 (AV)

Today the Irish celebrate their patron saint, St Patrick.  St Patrick was born in the fifth century, spent some years in captivity as a slave in Ireland before being freed.  Patrick left for England but God called him to go back to Ireland where he preached the Gospel to the Irish people.  Whilst we cannot be certain, it has been attributed to Patrick that he taught the doctrine of the Trinity by using a shamrock, the national emblem of Ireland.  This doctrine, although not mentioned by name, is all over the Bible.  We see the Father, the Word (Son) and the Holy Spirit in creation and in many places.  They work together in bringing together salvation for man.  Right from the first sin in the Garden of Eden up to the cross we see the three working in harmony.  After the cross we still see the three in harmony.  Jesus only did what the Father revealed to Him, the Spirit takes the things of Jesus and reveals them to us.  We have the Holy Spirit who acts on the Word (Jesus is the Word according to John 1.1,14), as soon as the Word is spoken, the Spirit gets to work to bring it to pass in our lives.  At creation God spoke the Word and the Holy Spirit who was hovering over the face of the waters got to work to bring that word to pass.  If you want to see the full salvation of God in operation in your life, begin speaking the Word concerning the need over your life and give the Holy Spirit something to work with.

Suggested Additional Reading:   John 16.1-14

"Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls] " – Matthew 11.28 (Amplified)

Here is a golden invitation from Jesus ‘Come to Me all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest’.  Are you labouring, this word has carries the idea of being fatigued and weary such as you would feel after a hard days work but not exclusive to work.  Are you weary and fatigued in your spirit, do you feel like this because of some difficult times that the family has been through or are going through at this moment in time.  Are you heavy laden, that is carrying a heavy load of burdens and cares.  Jesus invites us at these times when we feel low and weary and cumbered with many burdens to come to Him.  He gives us His rest – just listen to the words from the Amplified version, ‘I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls’.  There is healing for your spirit, soul and body, He gives you His rest.  The secret, when we are feeling like that, is to throw ourselves on to Him and receive His rest.  There was a time few years ago when I needed that healing rest.  It was at the time when my mother went home to the Lord, the night she went, we had been up all night with her and spent the next day together as a family.  That night I went home physically and emotionally drained, I didn’t want to eat or do anything but sleep.  I lay on the bed and reached for my Bible, which was on the table next to the bed, as I opened the Bible, its pages fell open on a certain Scripture, which did me the power of good, I soon fell asleep and woke up feeling great.  When we throw ourselves on to the Lord He knows what we need and gives us His rest.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may get us a heart of wisdom" – Psalm 90.12 (Amplified)

This is a good piece of advice that we would do well to take note of.  How much of our days are wasted?  If we were to give an account of how we spend each day, how much time would be unaccounted for.  The average person has a lot of wasted hours.  This advice from the Psalms invites the Lord to teach us how to make the most of every day.  When we approach our day like that it will give us a heart of wisdom.   A wise heart will control every facet of our lives.  The Scripture says that ‘out of the heart are the issues of life’ (Proverbs 4.23).  Time is one of those things that can pass very quickly, and we can soon find ourselves wondering where it has all gone.  If we number our days and manage our time effectively this will produce in us a heart of wisdom and we will find that we won’t be missing the opportunities that the Lord gives us.  I find it very helpful to note down at the start of the day those things that I want to achieve or accomplish and appointments that I need to keep.  Structure it into your prayer life, prayerfully note down those things that the Lord directs you and those things you want to accomplish, you’ll be glad you did as it will open up the whole day for you and give you a heart of wisdom.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Psalm 90.1-17

"Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." – Malachi 3.10 (Amplified)

God considers it as robbery from Him if we withhold tithes and offerings from Him.  The tithe is holy to the Lord, it is the firstfruits of how God has blessed us.  Withholding the tithe (one tenth of your income) opens up the door to the curse being operational in your life.  Even though you have been redeemed from the curse it will still manifest itself if you do not bring the tithe to Him.  This is the only place in the Scriptures where God says that we are to prove Him.  He says ‘Bring the tithe to Me and prove me in this, I will open up the windows of heaven and pour out the blessing on you in abundance’.  The tithe is your covenant connector to the blessing, when you bring the tithe to the Lord, He has promised to pour out the blessing on you.  He will also rebuke the devourer for you; the devourer is anything that takes your money.  How many times have you noticed that there is always something pulling on your money, the car needs fixing, the kids kick holes in their school shoes, the washing machine breaks down.  Have you noticed how these things occur at the most inappropriate times – that’s the devourer seeking to take our money so that you can’t put it into the kingdom.  Bringing the tithe shuts the door on the curse and the devourer and places you in a position to receive the overflowing, abundant blessing.

"But earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and best gifts and graces (the higher gifts and the choicest graces). And yet I will show you a still more excellent way [one that is better by far and the highest of them all--love]" – 1 Corinthians 12.31 (Amplified)

This verse of Scripture closes 1 Corinthians 12, a chapter that deals much with the Gifts of the Spirit and which continues into chapter 14.  Paul here encourages the Corinthian church to earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and best gifts, but then he goes on to say that he will show them a more excellent way.  Greater than all the gifts and graces is what he deals with in depth in the next chapter – LOVE.  Love is the operating force behind everything that we do.  It was love that was God’s motivation for sending Jesus, ‘for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..’.  As Paul goes on to declare at the beginning of the next chapter we can have ‘prophetic powers (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God's love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody); Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or in order that I may glory, but have not love (God's love in me), I gain nothing’ (Amplified).  Without the force of love at work in us all our prophesying, praying, preaching, faith and giving is futile.  Love - it’s the most excellent way. Take the encouragement of 1 Corinthians 14.1 for yourself today ‘Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire [this] love [make it your aim, your great quest]’ (Amplified).

"Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you" – Isaiah 49.15 (NKJV)

Around this time of the year in the United Kingdom we celebrate Mother’s Day (it falls during May in the USA and other countries), this is a special day where we honour our mothers.  Across the country, children will give their mothers a clutch of spring flowers, or other suitable gift as a token of their appreciation and love.  It is a mothers love that is referred to in this verse.  God asks His people ‘Can a mother forget her child who is being nursed at her breasts, will she not have love for the one whom she bore’.  Of course we would expect the answer to be no, there is not one true loving mother that could forget her nursing baby.  However we know that from what the media report that there are mothers that abandon their babies, leave them on hospital doorsteps.  In our church family we support children’s ministries that look after those that have been abandoned and have seen the heartache that these children go through.  ‘Can a woman forget her nursing child…  Surely they may forget’ - It’s possible, but it’s not possible for God to ever stop loving or forget you.  Zechariah 2.8 tells us, ‘he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye’.  He will never stop loving us, He will never leave us, He will never abandon us even if at this present moment in time we may feel like He is a million miles from us – we will always be the apple of His eye.

"As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them" – Acts 13.2 (AV)

Many people want God to speak to them and yet they wonder why they never seem to hear from Him.  This verse teaches us a secret to hearing from God.  "As they ministered to the Lord" then the Holy Ghost spoke to them and told them to send Barnabas and Saul on the mission to which they had been called.  As they ministered to the Lord, as they worshipped and served God, then He spoke to them.  The Old Testament says the same thing when it uses the phrase "Wait on the Lord".  If you want to hear God speaking to you, then you need to be speaking to Him, serving Him, ministering to Him and listening to Him.  God will surely speak, in fact the probability is that God has been speaking to you often and you haven't heard Him.  Maybe you've been so preoccupied with the problem and meditating on it (worrying) that it has clouded your ability to hear Him speak.  Start focusing on God through worship, spend some real quality time ministering to Him, not just five or ten minutes grabbed hurriedly in the morning before you leave for work, but real quality time.  It may mean that you'll need to take some time out of your schedule, get away if possible, get alone with God with no distractions and no telephone. That will show the Lord that you truly mean business with Him and then you will hear Him speak.  The boy Samuel heard God speaking to him, but you see that He first spent time ministering to the Lord.

"Or did God ever try to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?   To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD Himself is God; there is none other besides Him" – Deuteronomy 4.34-35 (NKJV)

December 26^th 2004 will be remembered for many years to come as the day that the sea came crashing in on the unsuspecting people of the Indonesian islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand and other regions of South Asia.  The Asian Tsunami brought devastation to millions and cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.  An earthquake on the seabed of the Indian Ocean triggered a series of giant waves that fanned out across the ocean at tremendous speed wreaking havoc as they hit the shores.  Within minutes people’s lives were dramatically changed as the waves brought death and destruction.  Like that tsunami, when God comes to town, He comes with great power and glory, so that men may know that He is God and besides Him there is none other. He delivered His people up out of Egypt with mighty signs and miracles, the wave of His glory rolled in on Egypt, His people knew that it was the deliverance of God and not of their own doing.  He continued to supernaturally protect them and provide for them, they should have been in no doubt that it was God and there is none other beside Him.  When the tsunami hit South Asia it destroyed everything in its path. When the wave of God’s power and glory rolls in it will destroy everything that is of the flesh, so that man’s trust is not in his possessions, his security or even his life, but in the One True Living God, besides Him there is none other.

"So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them" – Numbers 6.27 (NKJV)

The last few verses of Numbers 6 contain the words of the priestly blessing that the Lord told Moses and Aaron to invoke on the people.  As the priests spoke this blessing over the people, God says that they are putting His name on them, and when they put His name on them, God Himself will bless them.  In the blessing the priests spoke the name of Jehovah over the people three times, putting His name upon them.   As Christians we have the name of Jesus, His name is above every other name.  God has highly exalted the name of Jesus and given Him the name that is above every name.  When we speak the name of Jesus over people, we are putting His highly exalted name on them and God Himself will bless them.   There is an old song which I really like written by the Gaithers, which says ‘Jesus, There’s Just Something about that Name’.  There’s something about the name of Jesus that brings freedom, victory, healing and release to people.  Be a blessing today by invoking the blessing on someone, that’s not just saying ‘bless you’ to them – speak the name of Jesus over them because at His name every thing that is named must bow its knees.

"That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures" – Proverbs 8.21 (AV)

There are many Christians and some preachers and teachers who deny that God wants you to be blessed and prosperous.  However this verse clearly tells us that God causes those that love Him to inherit substance and wealth and He fills our treasuries or storehouses.  God causes those who love Him to inherit substance.  Don’t you love to give good things to your children, well so does God.   As I was meditating on this verse this thought came to me: The Lord causes them who love Him to inherit substance and wealth so that their treasuries are full.   Where do these people get the idea that prosperity is so wrong?  God wants you blessed so you can be a blessing to others.  If you are getting by with just enough to meet your commitments how are you going to be able to meet the needs of others, or finance the gospel to other nations?   It’s a very selfish attitude that says ‘us four and no more’ – you need to inherit substance and have your treasuries full to fulfill the will of God for your life, that’s why God wants you blessed.

Suggested Additional Reading:   Proverbs 8.1-36

"Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God" – Psalm 50.23 (AV)

The giving of praise glorifies God, but actually the word translated as offer here means ‘to sacrifice’.  We are to offer God the sacrifice of praise; that is we offer God praise even when we don’t feel like giving it to Him.  When the going is tough and hard, and problems are all around us we still give Him thanks.  If symptoms of sickness are trying to attach themselves to our body, we still give Him thanks - that’s sacrificing praise. This does not mean that we thank God for the problem, sickness or difficulties - rather we thank God while we are going through them.  Earlier in the psalm the same word is used in verse 14, ‘offer unto God thanksgiving and pay thy vows’.  We can see from the context of the reading that it involves bringing a sacrifice.  Asaph obviously had the bringing of an offering on his mind when he wrote the psalm.  That’s how we are to bring our praise to God, like we would a financial offering, purposefully and cheerfully.  The New Testament tells us that we are to ‘continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name’ (Hebrews 13.15 NKJV).  That way of living not only is becoming for an upright person but also glorifies God and gives us the victory in Jesus.

"...You do not have, because you do not ask.  [Or] you do ask [God for them] and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is [when you get what you desire] to spend it in sensual pleasures." – James 4.2-3 (Amplified)

Do you ever hear yourself or others say 'God never gives me..' or 'God never does that for me'.  Maybe the reason why is just as simple as the instruction found in James 4.2, "You do not have, because you do not ask".  You should not assume that because God knows what you need before you ask Him, that you do not have to ask.  There are many dear, faithful folk who hardly ever receive things from God, they think they are in faith because they're standing on the Scripture found in Matthew 6.8 that says God knows the things we need before we ask Him, so they never actually ask.  God wants us to ask Him for the things that we need, not because He's unaware or doesn't know we need them but rather because it shows Him that we believe what He says and we believe He is the provider of our needs.  Another reason we may not receive from God has nothing to do with not asking for the things we need but rather we ask incorrectly, that is we ask amiss, with wrong motives and intentions.   We need to keep in check our motives and intentions.  Are we asking God for something so we can impress our friends or is it so we can be a blessing to others.

"He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth" – Isaiah 53.7 (AV)

This verse declares twice that 'He opened not His mouth'.  Some years ago as I read those words the Lord spoke to me immediately and asked me the question - "Why did I keep quiet, why didn't I speak?"  As I meditated on that thought the Lord began to speak to me about the power of His words.  Many of the Bible commentators will say that Jesus didn't speak because He humbled Himself and accepted what He had to do; He didn't complain or grumble at the way He had been treated or retaliate with arguments, debates or opinions.  While that may be true to some extent, I believe the reason He didn't speak was because of the power that would be released as those words crossed His lips.    Every word that proceeds from the mouth of Jesus has creative power.  Had He spoken at that time, those very words would have begun working. Remember how in Gethsemane Jesus said to Peter "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?" (Matthew 26.53).  All Jesus had to do was just speak the words and as many as 80,000 angels would have been at His side to deliver Him.   Yes, Jesus knew what was about to be accomplished, He saw the souls of those that would be saved.  The Bible says that Jesus only spoke what the Father told Him to speak, so He could not 'destroy' the work of God just by opening His mouth and speaking even for a few seconds.  How many times have you said just one little thing to somebody in the heat of your emotions and regretted it as soon as the words passed your lips.  Words have creative power.

"For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid" – Mark 6.50 (AV)

Let’s look at the account that surrounds this verse:  This passage tells how Jesus came to the disciples walking on the water.  They had spent time in ministry; Jesus had just fed the 5000 with the loaves and fish and had sent His disciples on ahead by boat to the other side of the lake.  While they were journeying and rowing, the sea got choppy as the wind picked up.  During the fourth watch of the night, that is the early hours of the next morning between 3am and 6am, Jesus came to them walking on the water.  They were fearful and afraid and thought that they were seeing a ghost.  They all saw Him and were troubled at this sight but Jesus spoke to them and said ‘Be of good cheer’.  Joy in the midst of troubles will see you through.  When things come with the purpose of troubling you, do not fear but rather rejoice, be joyful, be of good cheer.  Don’t let fear rule the situation but let joy flow, a merry and joyful heart does good like a tonic. The night before Jesus was crucified knowing what His disciples were about to go through. They were about to face their greatest test - they would be fearful, confused, disappointed, discouraged, some would betray Him, and all would desert Him. As He sat down to eat with them He spoke to them and told them "Let not your hearts be troubled" (John 14.1) then He spoke to them and told them to remain joyful (John 15.11; John 16.33).  Jesus came that our joy might be full because He knows that joy will see us through even the darkest night.

"Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]" – Hebrews 4.16 (Amplified)

I remember many years ago we were holding a crusade in the church and we invited a group to come along and minister in song during the meetings.  Out of their repertoire of songs that they sang over the course of the 8 day crusade was one which asked the question 'Where could I go but to the Lord?'.  When you have a need in your life, whatever that need may be but particularly in the area concerning forgiveness; the only place that you should run is to God.  This verse puts it like this - come boldly to the throne of grace so that you can obtain mercy and grace to help you in your time of need.  Do not try to run and hide from God, He already knows what you've done or what you need.  King David learnt that lesson very quickly in his life, and when he needed it most he threw himself on God and found that mercy and grace.  Turn in your Bible to 2 Samuel 24; in this chapter we read that David was a mighty man, God had blessed him and given him great victories.  Because of these great victories David began to think that he was invincible and began to trust in the might of his army.  He decided to number his army, that is count them and take a census of his might.  This was contrary to what God had told him.  God judged that decision and gave him the choice of which judgement to receive.  David knew that at times like these it is best to run to the Lord, note verse 14, "And David said to Gad, 'I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man'".  Run to that throne of grace today, His mercies are great and He will give you grace to help in your time of need.