“...Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord....

“...But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:5-8

We give lip service to our trust in God, but when things go to chaos, where is the first place we run?

Are your roots firmly planted in God? Or on man?

God is our sole provider. ALL things flow from his throne, out the gates of heaven and to His people. Wisdom, healing, comfort, love, provision... Sometimes He chooses to use others, but that is not who has provided your need. Make no mistake, God knows your needs far better than any human ever will. He's been a Father for a long time:)

Father remind us to call your name first in our time of need. Let us not just want from you, but want you. As you fill us with the spirit of your Son Jesus, we know that you satisfy any earthly longing that things here could never fill.

"He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away." ~Jesus
Matthew 16:2-4

My heart skipped a beat when I read this verse this morning. "...but you cannot interpret the signs of the times..." We live in a bubble. Under a protective rock here in North America. We go about our daily business unaffected by natural disaster, famine, mass inhumane death... and yet those are the very things that would keep us in the wait for Jesus return. Our blessings are really now a curse. In not experiencing trials, we have fallen asleep in the longing for Jesus return. We are lazy in our urgency for people to hear the gospel and respond. It sometimes takes years of courage to present Gods love. What if the harvest is before us, and the workers are not just few, but the workers are on break? or haven't even gone to the job interview to be hired?

Father, convict us heavily under your will to see all saved. Bring us through a time of repentance so that we can journey with you and bring the rest of the harvest You have prepared for your kingdom come.

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you...

...If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well...." ~Jesus
(John 15:18, 19, 22, 23)

"To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?" ~St Paul (2 Cor. 2:16)

It should not surprise you when a word of truth is spoken from your lips and people despise you for it. It also should not surprise you when people hate you for no other reason than they recognise your unwavering dedication to truth, and the narrow path you choose to follow because of your love of the Saviour, Jesus Christ.

You must know that if you are a believer, and you have never felt hate or intolerance from the world for your beliefs than there may be something wrong. Jesus tells us on his way to the cross that the world will hate us because of Him. He goes on to tell us we do not belong to this world, but to a kingdom beyond this world, the eternal family of God.

"I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me... ~Jesus

Are you being the aroma of life or death everywhere you go? Do you recognise Christ in others when you are in public? Do you recognise evil around or in others? Jesus was either hated or loved, there wasn't any in between. In a world that offers tolerance, we are called to speak the untolerated. The Jesus of today is still either loved or hated. The message of eternal life, healing, relationship with the creator isn't a tolerance kind of message. You either choose it or you reject it. You cannot be inactive. And you will be hated by some when you speak it, in love, out of Jesus compassion for a fallen world through you. But to others you will be a lifeline to the eternal.

I don't know about you, but I am willing to be hated by the world to risk more Children in heaven. More rejoicing in Heaven, more of Gods pleasure on us, in us, for us. Grab all the ones you can as you continue to run the race. I want to explode through those gates clothed in my Jesus splendour, and wait in anticipation to see even the ones who originally hated walk through in full understanding of the the one to saves.

Jesus give us your boldness with the understanding that we are on a mission for you. Separate, refine, heal and release us to do what we have been created to do... love and be loved.

He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds / acts to the people of Israel
Psalm 103:7

Are you satisfied with merely knowing and watching the act of God in your life, or do you have a longing to know His ways?

Are you content with experiencing His provision without ever knowing God Himself?

OR

Are you like Moses, who wanted to experience God Himself, not just God's activity?

Are you a person who wants a "friend" in your life for what they do, or for who they are? The very nature of who they are has drawn you in, what a shame it would be for you to experience their talent or share with them in their stuff, and never hear their heart, or know who they are.

God did not only send His son as a sacrifice for us to be welcomed into heaven, but to bring us into full knowing and understanding of Him, as in the garden. Do not miss the second half of that. Observe the acts of God, be blessed by them, but then look beyond them to the revelation of who God is.

It is far greater to experience the "who" of God than to experience the "what" of God.

"And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." Luke 22:44

How can we expect God to change our world unless we enter into a place of prayer that breaks our heart as the Fathers heart breaks?

How can we know where Gods heart is at unless we enter into a deep place with Him of complete selfless surrender and abandon all else?

It is easy to say half hearted prayer for those around the world or in our own communities that are in need of a saviour. But would you risk your own comfort, enter into the pain God experiences, taste and see and feel what it is to truly love, truly sacrifice?

"We long for Petecost in our lives and in our churches, but there is no Pentecost without Gethsemane and a cross." (Blackaby)

We pray for change, for revival, for entire communities to be transformed, but we are not fervent, unmoved until God is specific and tells us to move. Wait upon the Lord. In the pain. In the pain of others. In the pain of others that God has... and will deliver us from if we allow it.

What is holding you back?

Father Give me a restless heart until it is satisfied, filled and unified with Your heart, the depths of your will and your love, for the ones that are still waiting to brought into the family by You. Help me enter into your presence in whatever state you require of me, and strip me from all selfishness. I am so sorry for my self centred way of life. Give us stamina and endurance in our prayer to you. Go before us today, and help us know what it is to love the way you love, and see things the way you see things.

Mark 14:3-9

While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages[a] and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you,[b] and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

"You will never know until Eternity all who received a blessing because of your righteous life."  Henry T Blackaby

My heart skips a beat when I read this.  It makes me want to do more, be more, strive harder, but then Jesus softly reminds its not about doing.  It is about being in Him.  As we come closer to the Heart of God, encounter his presence, the more you radiate Him from your life.  There is no do.  Acting out of who you are, your true, healing, on its way to eternity self in the growth of the Holy spirit that blesses others.  What you do will be an outpouring of who Christ is in you.  Slowly the you will fade, and the Spirit that has access to infinite love, wisdom, riches, joy, will work through you.  You will do out of being.  Being hidden in Christ.

Proverbs 27

Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
but an enemy multiplies kisses. vs.6

Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the pleasantness of a friend
springs from their heartfelt advice. vs.9

As iron sharpens iron,
so one person sharpens another. vs.17

Recently I have a conflict with a friend. It was heated, it was hurt-filled, it was unpleasant to have selfishness on my part be magnified. To have pride silenced and hear how blind self-centred-ness is part of my person still. It took everything in me to shut up, my own thought, the need to be right, the need to win, and listen not only to how I had offended, but how I had affected the other persons heart.

It is important in every relationship to repent after an offence has been made. This is the only way trust can then be rebuilt. God lives through us in our relationships. I was blessed to have her then tell me what a blessing through Christ ,I have been to her. I always thought that I had to do things to be a blessing. But through this conflict have learned that we can be a blessing by being, not always doing. By being everyday more and more of Who Christ has made us to be. By acting out of the place Jesus himself meets you everyday, it is an outpouring of blessing to others. It really only has to do with Us being in and through Christ.

This conflict in so many ways has been a blessing. My relationship with this person is stronger, Our significance in one another lives re-affirmed, and Christ's suggestion to work it out a glorifying testimony of our lives being lived out for Him. We need to commit to getting to the end of a conflict with our brothers and sisters. As painful as the journey might be to get there, we need to expect it this side of Heaven. Relationships come with deep hurting, heart wrenching conflict. God expects us to work it out. We are his family, and in this home we need to always work it out. It is not a suggestion, it is a command. If we are ever to gain ground here on earth, there must be conflict resolution, forgiveness.

Father let us not just do, but be a blessing to one another, and to your world. Let forgiveness reign, and do not let us do these things half way. Let us know your love for others in the fullest of ways and abide in your love, "so that they may see our good deeds, and glorify our Father in heaven."