Faith for life

God, literally, is a man with a plan. I know that sounds cliche, but he has a plan, or plans , for all of us; whether we choose to follow them, or not, is another matter. But the fact still remains: he has desires and designs for your life. In Isaiah 25:1 it says: 'Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago'. NIV Isaiah 25:1 A lot of fairy-tales start with the all-too-familiar line: 'Once upon a time' and end with 'And they all lived happily ever after'. I think these lines have been used so much, in so many fairy-tale stories, because they are full of intrigue, mystery, hope and definite expectations of happiness. Without a doubt, our relationship with God is the most important and joyful relationship we will ever have; and it breaks my heart that so many people in our world do not know, have not seen or felt, the limitless love of God. And thi...

Canon J John says it best:  "A missionary is not someone who crosses the sea... A missionary sees the cross". Those of us who really see the cross, who, with understanding, picture Jesus, lovingly exchanging his purity for our shame, are never the same again. We become new people. A lot of people say that they believe in God. That Heaven is 'a nice idea'. They go to church a couple of times a year, or, on the odd occasion, when they are invited to a wedding. They sing the hymns with a smile and leave a donation to the church as they leave; feeling great, yet, very much, the same person. Those who see the cross, who look to the cross in times of both despair and joy, who praise Jesus' sacrifice, who long to be more like Jesus, who live their lives according to his will, are missionaries; people who are constantly seeking to become better human beings because they know Jesus.  They have made Jesus Christ their mission in life.  Some...

From the chaos You composed A song that all creation knows You took a mess, and You made life You said, "Let there be light." Word of God, God from the start Recreating human hearts Make us like the moon at night A mirror of the light. With just a word, set the dark to flight Sing to the world, "Let there be light!" Thank you so much to The City Harmonic for those amazing lyrics. For what words could possibly add more profound meaning to a night like bonfire night? Tomorrow evening, remember that a man called Guy Fawkes should not be our focus, this November 5th. He isn't anyone special. God, the creator of the entire world, the earth you love so much, is the light in dark places;  when all other lights go out. "And God said "Let there be light", and there was light" (Genesis 1:3)

One thing I have never really liked, is camping. It's wet, it's messy and dirty. The food isn't great and you're normally trapped in the middle of nowhere. You may go hiking, mountain biking or rock climbing; none of those appeal to me. But I'm sure, that after a long day of walking in the rain and stuffing your face with food, when your feet hurt and your muscles ache, the most appealing thing is your tent, and cuddly sleeping bag. So what is so appealing about a tent? Well, it's not exactly a warm house and a proper bed, but it's a more than welcome shelter from the cold and rain. It's cosy, it's safe and it's yours. In the Old Testament, there is a dwelling called the 'tabernacle'; also known at the 'tent of meeting'. Inside this majestic tent, was the presence of God on Earth; and from it God produced awesome signs and wonders of his majesty. The tent was holy, and it was treated as such. It was the most important plac...

Yesterday, today, tomorrow, Every worry, joy or sorrow... God is in control. All the ones you care about, Their wellbeing and whereabouts... God is in control. Your hopes and happiness and health, Your welfare, work and earthly wealth... God is in control. All of life is grace and blessed; All that happens, for the best... God is in control. "Do not be anxious in anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus"  NIV Philippians 4: 4-8

'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or the sword?... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us . For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord' NIV Romans 8: 34-40 God created everything in the world; everything we experience. When Jesus died on the cross, to create hope and salvation for us all, he conquered every evil in this world. And this passage from Romans reaffirms that nothing can separate us from the love of God.  In the past, during difficult times, I've often thought: 'God doesn't understand what I'm going through'... 'Why is he letting me struggle?' 'What if he's never dealt with this before...

We all have things we love; things that we think about every day. We dedicate our lives to so many wants and desires, and doing what we will enjoy and will make us feel good; but where have you put God among it all? Where is his place in your life? In 2 Peter 2:19 it says: "for people are slaves to whatever has mastered them". God doesn't just disappear when you think you have no need for him. He is with you always, even when you're enjoying yourself too much to notice. My question is: how do you feel, knowing he sees everything you do? Would he be proud of what you're living your life for? It is scary, just how easy it is for us to be mastered. We can be mastered by our careers, our relationships, our home, our bodies, our desires, our possessions... the list could go on forever. Without realising it, we start placing almost everything in our life, before God and our need for him. We completely depend on earthly things to make us happy, to provide our ultim...

If you are struggling today; if a situation you are facing is overwhelming and suffocating you, then stop fighting with it yourself, and, instead, choose God. A big mistake, when you fear, is to worry too much about the future. Will my future be bleak? Have I screwed up my future? Do I even have one? You may have noticed, that I have not written a blog post in almost a week. Why? Because it was a rough week, and, rather than fight back, I gave in to my fear. No matter how strong my faith can be, sometimes I am reminded that I am a faulty human being; naturally weak and lazy. It is God who is able to make me strong. I worry about my future every day of my life. It is, easily, my biggest source of anxiety. Because, I want to be happy, I want to be fulfilled, I want the bright future every one else has got. I want peace. But I have to keep reminding myself that God is my shepherd! He is guiding me towards a wonderful future, but he needs me to cooperate, to say 'yes' to him,...

God is always faithful. Take a minute, and let that really sink in. He will always love you, protect you and wait for you to turn to him. His arms are constantly open, ready to embrace you and lift you up. It is far harder for us, as humans, to be faithful. We are never going to be anywhere near as faithful as God, not even to those we love the most. But we can choose to put our faithfulness to God at the forefront of our busy lives, and let him lead us forwards. Up until the past year, I was determined to be in charge of my life. I steamrollered ahead with my own selfish desires and stubbornly made my own decisions, based purely on what I wanted. It was during this time that I had a breakdown; where I struggled mentally, lost weight and sleep and felt very alone. And as usual, God stepped in to save the day.  And, for the first time, ever, I desperately reached out for him and told him that I depended on him to get me through this awful time. And whilst God...

It goes without saying, that you can't literally put God into a box. He's the creator of the entire world, so I doubt he would fit, and he's much too important. That's not really what I'm talking about. Do not put God into a metaphorical box, in your head. I was guilty, in the past, of limiting God's ability to work in my life, and help me through my problems. I used to think 'God can't help with this, he doesn't understand'... Thinking like that, will limit God's presence in your life. Because determinedly following your own path and desires in life, will tell God that you don't care what he thinks and what he has planned for you. The idea of surrendering your life choices and future to someone else is a very scary thought. I do understand that. But I know that I don't surrender my life to 'someone else', I surrender it to my best friend. It has taken me a long time to understand and accept something very basic...

Mankind is up against a lot. You know the saying, that 'life is like a roller-coaster'... well sometimes the twists and turns and downward-spirals we face, in life, can really make us want to scream, and be sick. Humans struggle day to day, all over the world, with hundreds of thousands of problems. We all know that life is full of amazing things, but we struggle too, and, often, we can feel WAY out of our depth. But, when you have faith, you possess the most powerful weapons in the world. Spiritual weapons. Read this passage from Ephesians 6: 'God is strong, and he wants you strong... Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon that God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith and salvation are more than words'. 'God wants us strong'... good! Because I don't like the idea of b...

This is a big question, a very popular one that is asked by Non-Christians; and my answer is going to be considerably shorter than you probably anticipated. Why does God allow suffering? I mean, he tells me to love him, trust him and give my life to him, and yet I see so many terrible things happen in the world... so much suffering, where is God among that? How can I trust him? Well, first off, are you telling me that God should dispose of all suffering? If the answer to that question is yes, then you're saying that God should get rid of you and me, and everyone else on the planet. We have all, at some point in our lives, caused someone else to suffer. We are not perfect. And if God should stop any and all suffering from happening, then there isn't much of a future for the rest of mankind. In fact, we would be the first thing to go. God does not cause suffering . Suffering is a consequence of the world that we live in. God hates seeing us suffer; remember, that he lo...

When someone asks you to pray for them, you can sometimes feel under a lot of pressure. I know that's happened to me, many times. You may think: What if nothing happens? What if I don't have enough faith? What if. Doubting yourself is natural. As human beings we are flawed, and we live in a sinful world. But, when it comes to God, doubting is pointless. When you pray for healing for someone, whether it be a physical illness, an emotional one or a spiritual problem, you are praying in God's strength, not your own. Without God you can do nothing, but with the Holy Spirit living inside you (God's gift to us), you can see miracles happen; today, right now. In the past year, since I truly became a Christian, living a life for Christ, I have seen people healed. I have prayed, myself, for people to receive healing, and they have been set free from pain, instantly. It is the most amazing thing in the world, because I can see and feel the Holy Spirit working through m...

'Faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see' (Hebrews 11:1) Life may be complicated, it may be scary and uncertain, but God sees our path. He has seen our fears conquered, our anxieties crushed and his promises for us come to pass. God hasn't promised us that life is going to be easy, but he has promised that he is going to be with us forever; leading us towards hope, peace, love and salvation. Trust him, because he sees all before you. He knows how to give you good gifts. "Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, would give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:7-10)

Sharing the gospel can be difficult. In the past, I struggled to talk to other Christians about the gospel, let alone Non-Christians. Firstly, I didn't know much about the gospel, so there wasn't much I could say about it. And, on top of that, I didn't know how to discuss the topic, without there being all kinds of questions asked that I didn't know how to answer. Questions like: If there is a God then why does he allow suffering, isn't he supposed to be loving? and How can you believe in God rather than evolution? And then that would be my argument lost. I thought those questions were too big, too sensitive. So, I had a problem. How could I answer those questions, and have people see the grace of God that I knew to be true?... Well, I can now answer both of those questions and more (which I will do in future blogs), which has given life to the way I share the gospel. Important - below is the way I learnt to share the gospel, using a method designed by The L...