Posted on by Lesley

You Hold Me

Your peace envelops me. The distractions of the world seem so very far off and last week seems a million miles away. There is no busyness, no worries of things to do and of those left undone. There is only You and I, Lord. I feel Your comfort and Your strength holding me up and You won’t let me go.

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Phillipians 4:7 ESV

“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.”

Isaiah 40:29 ESV
Posted on by Lesley · 5 Comments

Temporary Absence

Hello my friends. I wanted to let you know that I’m feeling a bit poorly just now. It started last Thursday and we think I could have gastroenteritis. It seems to be getting worse instead of better, but maybe that’s the way of it. I’ll try to look in and read your posts, but that’s about as much as I can manage for now. I hope to be back properly before too long. Best wishes to you all.

Posted on by Lesley · 4 Comments

The Cure for Spiritual Blindness

The following excerpt is from God’s Power for Your Life by A W Tozer

Not just wicked men, but good ones as well, can be inwardly blinded to the point of self-deception. Yes, even good men and women can be so deceived as to miss heaven in the final analysis. How tragic to live your whole life believing you are on the road to heaven, and then to find out, when you cannot change, that you were deceived!

Remember these words spoken by Jesus: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in they name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23)

How are we to avoid hearing those dreadful words? Surely, there is something we can do to prevent ourselves from being deceived. What is the cure? How am I to deal with any kind of spiritual blindness I might encounter?

Take heart – there is a cure. “For ye were sometimes darkness,” Paul wrote to the Ephesian Christians, “but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). These men and women once walked in darkness, but they came to walk as children of light. At the root of this transformation was a personal encounter with the Holy Spirit through the Word of God.

Jesus is the cure, and only the Holy Spirit can apply this remedy to restore a person’s life and chase away the darkness of the soul forever. (emphasis is mine)

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,” Jesus proclaimed, “because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18). Light is available to all who seek. That is the secret. Those who seek God earnestly and desperately shall surely come into the glorious light of His presence.

Posted on by Lesley · 6 Comments

Take Refuge in God

Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
    for in you I take refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
    until the disaster has passed.

Psalm 57:1 NIV

Prayer

Oh, Lord, exalt Yourself above me and all that I am – possessions, friends, comforts, pleasures, reputation, health and life – everything. Test me, Lord, and see whether I can really leave everything in Your hands. Bring my life into line so that I will not be fully myself, but fully in You, knowing the truth that I can take refuge in You. Oh, Lord, set in motion a chain of circumstances that will bring me to the place where I can sincerely say, ‘Be thou exalted above the heavens’. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

All hail the power of Jesus’ name!

Let angels prostrate fall;

Bring forth the royal diadem,

And crown Him Lord of all;

Bring forth the royal diadem,

And crown Him Lord of all.

Edward Perronet (1726-1792)

Posted on by Lesley

I am lucky to be me

Sometimes life is hard.

Possibilities are impossible.

Understanding is

misunderstood.

Hope is hopeless.

But every belief I have and

Everything I’ve learned in life

Leads to this:

There are others in the world

With bigger mountains to

climb

With bigger oceans to swim

With bigger divides to cross.

My mountains are speed

bumps in the road

My oceans are narrow

streams

My divides are cracks in the

sidewalk.

I am blessed beyond measure

I am abounding in love

I am lucky to be me.

Joanne Hirase-Stacey

Posted on by Lesley

The Faithful Remnant

The Faithful Remnant

Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.

 “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him.  And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.

Malachi 3:16-18 NIV

More than Conquerors

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?  Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.  Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

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 the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:31-39 NIV

Posted on by Lesley · 4 Comments

A Prayer for Ukraine and Russia

Heavenly Father, hear our prayers for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine and Russia.

Lord we ask for peace for those who need peace, reconciliation for those who need reconciliation and comfort for all who don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Lord may your Kingdom come, and Your will be done. 

Lord God, we ask for you to be with all – especially children who are suffering as the crisis in Ukraine deteriorates. Lord for those who are anxious and fearful. For those who are bereaved, injured or who have lost their lives. And for those who have lost loved ones. Lord hear our prayers. 

Lord, we ask that decisions makers hear Your voice. Parents protecting their families – deciding whether to stay or leave. Church leaders as they support and comfort people. And Lord we ask for wise actions from global leaders – who have the power not only to start wars, but to stop them too.  

And Father God we cry out for an end to this crisis. We pray for all your children, both Ukrainian and Russian, for there are no winners in war. We pray for mercy, peace, and truth – because You are light, hope, power, and love. Amen. 

Posted on by Lesley

Update and Prayers for Ukraine

Heavy fighting, shelling and air strikes across Ukraine have had devastating consequences for ordinary people. Over 5 million people have fled the country in recent days, and many more have had to leave their homes to escape the fighting. At Ukraine’s borders with Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova, huge numbers of people are arriving with only what they can carry. In many places there are long waits to cross and scant facilities waiting for them on the other side, with temperatures dropping below freezing overnight.

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