Happy New Year!

I thought that since today is the last day of the current year I'd better write something. The past year has probably been the most difficult year of my life so far. I can be honest and say I am glad to see the back of 2011 and so am trying to look forward to 2012.The great thing about this time of year is the fact that even though the past year has been truly awful I can still praise God for all that He has accomplished and for all that He has done in my life.
It is amazing how God can meet you even in the hardest of situations, and to be honest that is the best thing about 2011, as there have been so many hard situations that I have found God in the strangest of places. 
My prayer for the coming year is that I would only look to Him, that I would stop worrying about man's opinion of me and just look to Him. I am so grateful that I serve a God that loves me and values me and that is all that matters. If man doesn't like that then that is how it is. Jesus is Lord and nothing else matters. Thank you Lord for 2011 and for showing me that its not about me, its not about others opinions, its not even about church - its about us bringing the Kingdom of Heaven into our lives and the lives of the people around us. Let's make 2012 a Kingdom building year! Have a blessed 2012!

God's word is His bond!

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll.  And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll
Today I've finished the last chapter of the Bible. The above verses are verses 18 & 19 and I believe that they are relevant to us today. All of the Bible is relevant, however I believe that we need to take notice of these two verses at the end of the book.
These verses are saying that we have to make sure that we don't add anything to this prophecy or take anything away. John is being warned to write down what he's been shown without exaggerating or removing anything.
I think we need to do this to the whole Bible. This is the word of God. So often we hear people saying that they don't believe in Creation, or even in the birth and resurrection of Christ. This book is the truth. We need to make sure that we don't try and change God's word to suit ourselves. As we approach the New Year let's make sure that we resolve to take God's word as it is; let's make sure that we read it, pray about it, learn from it, live it and believe it. AMEN

The choice is yours...

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children
What a great piece of scripture from Revelation 21. In the previous chapter we see the end of Satan, and in this chapter God brings His own to Himself. What a great inheritance we have. We are children of Almighty God and with that in mind we have so much to praise God for.I think sometimes we forget that God is our Father, we are His children, we are His family. Without God in our lives then we are nothing, without our Heavenly Father we are empty vessels wandering through life pointlessly doing what we do for no benefit but our own.
I know that God puts each of us in our various positions so that we can make a difference for His Kingdom. If we don't look to our Heavenly Father and do what He has called us to do then what is our life about? We have a choice, do we choose to follow the way our Father would want or do we choose to listen to Satan's voice and give up our inheritance for the here and now?
We have a God that loves us so much that He wants to be in our lives, He allows us to choose whether we give Him access, but if we don't then we are choosing to give up everything. Make a choice today - make it Jesus, there is no better choice that any of us can make. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last!

Celebrate!

Revelation 19 tells of the wedding feast of the lamb. This chapter also tells of how Satan and his army will be defeated.
It's Christmas day and I was thinking what has this reading got to do with today? What does this reveal to me today? I believe that Satan's defeat began that first Christmas. Even though from the beginning of time, God had a plan to stop Satan in his tracks, it all came into being in that manger in Bethlehem. Jesus was the answer, Jesus still is the answer, and He came to this earth as a baby to stop Satan and to show us how God wants us to live.
Christmas is about celebrating the fact that God invaded earth and chose to help us out from the mess we'd made. The beginning of the New Testament is about the birth of Jesus, and the end of the New Testament is about Jesus conquering Satan and bringing all suffering to an end. We have something amazing to celebrate today. I've read the book! It's a great ending! Let's celebrate our Saviours birth and rejoice in the fact that He rules all! Death has been defeated! Satan you are next! 

Happy Christmas! Jesus is Lord!

Happy Christmas

In Revelation 18, John describes what will happen to Babylon. He describes all the riches that will be lost because of the sin committed there.
This got me thinking about this time of year. It's Christmas day tomorrow and the vast majority of people will not even give a thought about the true meaning of the day. Most will be so busy with the stuff that Jesus won't even get a look in.
In Babylon they had unimaginable wealth. Every country wanted to do business with them. In society today we put so much value on the things we have, the place we live, the wealth we have that we forget about the important stuff. More importantly we forget about Jesus!

Christmas is or should be about giving God the glory for what He has done for us. If we look at the Christmas message we see our creator choosing to come to earth as a man so that He could pay our debt! What's not to celebrate about that? We should celebrate, we should want to praise God all day! So why do we choose to eat so much that we feel ill, drink so much that we feel ill and buy so much that we are in debt? That's not what Christmas is about!
I appreciate that this chapter of Revelation is not about Christmas, but it is about greed. It is about the punishment of a country that wanted more! Let's not be like that, this or any other Christmas. I'm not saying that we shouldn't give presents, but what I am saying is that we must make sure that in amongst all the partying and the greed fest that Christmas has become that we miss the one thing that is important - God came to earth as a man to save sinners! Happy Christmas everyone! God bless you and yours!

 

He won't let you down!

You have always been, and you always will be the holy God. Rev 16:5
Today I've read two chapters again of Revelation, chapters 16 & 17. They reveal the wrath of God and of how God's army will defeat Satan and his army.The above verse shows us that God has been there forever. There is not a time that God hasn't been. I think this verse set in amongst all of the rest of the chapter gives us a real hope in a situation that is going to be really difficult.
When we are going through tough times it is important to remember that we are never alone. God is always there. He knows what we are going through, He sees what is happening in our lives. We need to trust Him and know that no matter what, He is and always will be God!
Look to Jesus today. There is nothing that He can't handle, there is no burden to heavy. Let's face it in these two chapters of Revelation serious things are happening in the world and that doesn't faze Him. There is nothing in heaven or earth that can stop Jesus from loving us, so all we have to do is trust Him. He won't let us down - He won't let you down!

Don't wait!

Today once again I've put 2 chapters together. Revelation 13 &14. These two chapters have their similarities and I've never noticed this before. In chapter 13 John shows what will happen when Satan is allowed to rule the earth. The beast will be worshipped and all those who don't worship him will be killed. In chapter 14 John shows what will happen if people do worship the beast and receive his mark. They will be condemned to an eternity without God.
These two chapters are not easy reading, and to be honest most of Revelation is the same. However, just because something is hard to read doesn't mean that we shouldn't take it seriously. God is showing us through Johns words that we have a choice. We serve a God that doesn't force himself on us. He doesn't make us do things that we don't want to. He doesn't even say 'You WILL believe in me'
In chapter 13 the beast is saying 'You will serve me, you will worship me or else!' God doesn't do that, he allows us to make our own way in life, whether right or wrong. We are not robots, we have been given free will, however having free will means that we can and so often make mistakes. We need to realise that those mistakes are what will condemn us.
My God is a God of mercy, however He will one day be a God that judges a lost world. If you don't know Him today, do yourself the biggest favour you can ever do! Ask Him to be your Saviour, ask Him for His forgiveness and give your life to Him now! 

The Battle is Won!

Revelation 12 talks about a battle between the angels and a snake or Satan. John shows us that in this battle Satan is defeated and God's army wins.
We serve a God that has already won the battle. Death has been defeated at the cross. However we still sometimes walk about like we have been defeated. I know personally I've felt really low over the passed few months. I have really struggled with things going on around me.I can honestly say that without God things would've gone really pear shaped. 
As I sit here thinking about this passage of scripture I'm listening to the song 'Our God is Greater' We need to realise that no matter what the situation, whether we have financial problems, job worries, family issues, health issues or are just generally low - the battle is won. The ending of the book is a good one! Jesus has defeated everything. We need to pick ourselves up by the boot straps and know that our God is greater than any other. He is Lord of all and so that means He is Lord of the situations that we find ourselves in this morning.

Greatest gift!

Today's chapter in Revelation is chapter 11. This tells of the two witnesses that come and prophecy on the earth. They witness about God for 1260 days and no one can stop them.This got me thinking about my witnessing to others. Am I committed when I tell others about Jesus? Do I stick with it even when it seems pointless. These two men are unstoppable because God has given them the authority and power, however, we have the authority and power too.
The God that they serve we serve too. The God that they are prophesying about is the same God that died for us all.
I know that we are not called to stand on the road for 3 1/2 years, but we are called to be witnesses. We are called to make disciples of all nations. We are called to be a light shinning in this dark and lost world.
We have a lot to be thankful for this Christmas. We have a Saviour that chose to come into this world as a baby so that we could know God. Why wouldn't we want to tell others about Him? Why wouldn't we want to show others His light? Let's give someone the greatest gift they could ever get this Christmas - let's be a witness to the world and give them Jesus. There is no other gift that we could give that is greater.

Look up!

I decided to read chapters 8, 9 and 10 of Revelation all together. They kind of role into one another so it seemed the most logical thing to do. These chapters are full of things that are not easy to think about. Each chapter tells how God will allow various things to happen to the world at the end.
The thing that struck me about all of this is one small passage in chapter 9, The people who lived through these terrible troubles did not turn away from the idols they had made, and they did not stop worshipping demons. They kept on worshipping idols that were made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood. Not one of these idols could see, hear, or walk. No one stopped murdering or practising witchcraft or being immoral or stealing. The amazing thing about this passage, is the fact that even though terrible things are happening in the world, people still carry on as normal. People are still not doing things the way that God would want.
Even today we live in a world that is struggling. There is famine, war, financial problems the list is endless, but yet the human race carries on its own merry path of doing what it wants. We need to turn to God, we need to look to the one that has all the answers. We need to repent and allow God to work in our lives. We need to come to a realisation that this life is not about us, its about our relationship with God! Look up - its the only way!

Powerful!

"Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom, thanks, honour, power, and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen!"
On reading Revelation 7 today, it was the above passage that caught my eye. The fact that God is powerful. I think we forget sometimes how powerful He really is.
God created the earth by the word of His mouth! He raised Jesus from the grave! He can calm the storm with one word! He can heal the sick, and bring the earth to the end of its days in a blink of an eye.
We so often at this time of year think of gentle Jesus, meek and mild. This is not the case though, as He is more powerful than we could ever imagine. There is nothing that God cannot do. We need to remember that we serve a Powerful creator, who chose to die for us so that we could be forgiven. Let's make sure that we remember that our God is an awesome God! The victory is His! He's won!

God has no favourites!

The kings of the earth, its famous people, and its military leaders hid in caves or behind rocks on the mountains. They hid there together with the rich and the powerful and with all the slaves and free people. Then they shouted to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us! Hide us from the one who sits on the throne and from the anger of the Lamb. That terrible day has come! God and the Lamb will show their anger, and who can face it?"
Revelation 6 for me needed reading a couple of times. I must be honest I was a little lost. But then I came to the end of the chapter which is the above verses. The thing that really struck me about these verses was the fact that the famous people hid from the wrath of God, the military leaders, the rich and the powerful hid as well as the slaves. 
Let's think about this for a minute. We think so much of the rich and famous, we read about them, some people aspire to be like them, however, God has no favourites. Each person on this planet no matter what colour, creed, rich, poor, famous or unknown will be judged. It doesn't matter how much you have in the bank, or how many fans you have, you are still the same as anyone else in God's eyes.
The only way to solve this problem is to have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He came to save a lost world. He came for everyone, and so it doesn't matter what status we have in life as long as we know our Creator. If you don't know your creator, do it now! It won't cost you anything, but it cost God everything!

Prayer - important or insignificant?

Then I looked and saw a Lamb standing in the centre of the throne that was surrounded by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb looked as if it had once been killed. It had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent out to all the earth. The Lamb went over and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who sat on the throne. After he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders knelt down before him. Each of them had a harp and a gold bowl full of incense,  which are the prayers of God's people - Revelation 5: 6-8
What a fantastic picture of Jesus. Jesus, the lamb that was sacrificed to take away the sin of the world. We are so fortunate and I don't think we realise how grateful we should be. In the Old Testament we would've had to make sacrifices for our sin but Jesus died so that we don't have to do this any more, in fact He became the ultimate sacrifice for us, paying the debt that we owe.

This chapter also shows us a picture of our prayers. Our prayers are like fragrant offerings to God. Incense was used in sacrifices too, as a pleasing aroma to God. Our prayers are the fragrance that is pleasing to God. I love this vision. I love the thought that our prayers are taken to God in golden bowls, and that God Himself waits for them. 
We need to take our prayers seriously. We need to make more time for our prayers. Our prayers are so important to God that He has them delivered first class, in golden bowls and presented to Him on bended knee. I know that I need to make more of my prayers, what about you? If our prayers are important to the Creator of Heaven and Earth then I think they should be taken more seriously by the ones making them. 

Let's worship!

Revelation 4 is very descriptive. In this chapter John describes the creatures that worship God. The best thing however for me is not the descriptions, but in fact the way that John shows that God is constantly worshipped.What a great picture. Seeing God worshipped as He should be. This made me think, do I worship God? Do I worship God enough? I believe that everything I do should worship God, but does it? When I get up in the morning am I excited about spending the day with the Lord? When I go to work do I do everything during the day to worship God? I know that is how it should be, however if I were to answer these questions honestly then I would have to answer not all the time.
I think sometimes we can squeeze God into our lives. Sometimes we even just give Him Sunday morning. This is not how Almighty God should be honoured. He is the Creator of the Heavens, He is the Creator of the world, He is the Saviour of the world. We were made to worship Him, so that is what we should try to do. Worship God with every breath, worship God with every part of our lives, both in Church and out. Everywhere, all the time!

The Fullness of God

Chapter 3 finishes with the Church of Laodicea. This church is called 'Lukewarm. The last thing we want to be is lukewarm Christians. Jesus commands us to go and make disciples of all men, but if we are lukewarm that is not going to happen. It's like being in no man's land. We need to make sure that we are firing on all cylinders. Jesus didn't go to the cross for us to be complacent in our faith. We are not meant to just go to church on Sunday and nothing else. We are the family of God, a chosen people, blood bought sons and daughters of the living God.
We have so much to be thankful for, we are saved by grace. We should want to shout from the rooftops that Jesus is Lord. We don't want to get into the trap that the church of Laodicea got into. They were complacent and so not living the fullness that they were called into.
I want to live in the fullness of Christ. That means that I have to make sure that I am firing on all the spiritual Cylinders that are on offer. Let's make sure today that we are fully charged and that we totally rely on God. Say no to complacency and hello to the fullness of Christ. 

Keep the faith

Revelation chapter 3 begins with the Church of Philadelphia. This church kept going through everything, they are week but yet they keep going.
We need to be like this, no matter what happens, we have to hold on to Jesus. If you are going through the valley - hold on to Jesus, if you are struggling with trials and temptations - hold on to Jesus.
We have the truth of life itself, we are free through the blood of Jesus. We must hold on, we must keep going, we cannot let Him down. Jesus never said things would be easy, He never promised that life would be a bed of roses. However, He did promise us that we would have life in all its fullness; that He would never leave us. 
If you are going through stuff at the moment, then stick to Jesus, He will never leave you down. Remember that He always keeps His promises. Keep your faith in Jesus, He is the only hope that we have.

Kingdom builders!

Today's scripture is Revelation 3, and the church in Sardis. John starts off rebuking the church from the off, unlike the previous churches where he encourages them first and then tells them off.
John is concerned about their lack of get up and go. They have received the gospel, however they are not acting upon it. They are complacent. They are Spiritually dead. Everything around them seems to be ticking the boxes, but that is about it.
I believe this is something that the church today needs to look out for. We are so busy playing church that we forget the point of being church is to glorify God. We are meant to be bringing people into the Kingdom, but if we are just comfy Christians then we are not productive Christians. If we are so busy having meetings about stuff or organising the next social event, whilst having our usual Sunday service, then how is that reaching the lost? How is that showing others Jesus?
We need to make sure that we are not complacent in our faith, but active in our faith. We need to work out our faith and walk in the Spirit.
I know we can all feel a little complacent at times, but we need to rise ourselves up and ask God to renew our strength and reinvigorate our passion for His Kingdom. Let's make a difference in someone else's life today, let's make sure that we are not just pew warmers, but are Kingdom builders.

Follow Jesus

Today's church in Revelation is the church at Thyatira. Each time John starts with words of encouragement, however he always tells them what they need to do to change. Today's church is no different. Thyatira, is told that they are doing well for the most part although they are being led by others. They are not always being led by God, they are easily influenced.
We can be like that today. It is so easy to get into bad habits, or even just be led by others into situations that are not appropriate and holy.
The best advice I could give in this kind of situation is advice that has been given to me many times - look to Jesus, read His word, pray in all situations and most of all trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
We need to make sure that what we do is pleasing to God. Why would we want to get ourselves into situations that are not in line with the will of God? We are called to be a Holy priesthood; in the world not of the world. The only way that we can make a difference in the communities that we live in is to be different. We need to trust in God and listen to what He is saying to us. And then act on it. Don't be influenced by others, don't follow the crowd, just follow Jesus.

No Compromise!

Chapter 2 of Revelation continues with today's church, which is the church of Pergamum. This church once again is praised by John, however he is also quick to tell them that they have compromised some things along the way. 
In today's society it is so easy to get into this position. We live in an era of political correctness, which is a posh way of saying we compromise a lot! Jesus never ever compromised. He was always true to Himself. 
I appreciate that we need to live in harmony with one another, however that should not stop us from living the life that Jesus has called us into. We are called to preach the gospel, the full gospel, not a namby pamby gospel. We have a Saviour that died for the WHOLE world. Therefore we need to let them know that Jesus is ALIVE! 
We must make sure if we hear something that is not biblical, we stand up and be counted. So often we as Christians don't have a voice, and the reason for that is because we stay quiet. We are not called to be mice, we are called to fight for the Kingdom. Jesus didn't die for us to roll over and say nothing, He died for us to have life in all its fullness. Let's remember that. We are sons and daughters of the Living God, we don't need to compromise, we don't need to stay quiet - we need to be all that He has called us to be and be Kingdom builders on earth!

Let's get Excited!

In chapter 2 of Revelation John writes to the church in Ephesus. He is encouraging them in the way they persevere. They keep going and work hard. However, he rebukes the fact that they have forgotten their first love.
When I became a Christian first, I just wanted to tell everyone about Jesus. I couldn't help but try in every opportunity to share the gospel. I guess as the years have passed, I'm not as full on as I used to be. I think that is very sad. I love it when I see a new Christian so excited about the word of God and sharing their faith. It's brilliant! So why is it that when we've been Christians for a while, we loose that passion?
I don't want to loose that passion, I want to be more excited now about my Salvation than ever! Come on church! Let's get excited about what Jesus did for us! Let's take every opportunity to glorify His name! Let's make sure that we don't loose sight of our first love like the Ephesians did - look to Jesus, He is the Saviour of the world. There is no other name by which we can be saved! Jesus is Lord - lets get excited!

My sheep know my voice!

I normally only write once about a chapter each day, but on reflection I don't think this is going to be the case with Revelation. The second half of Chapter 1 ends with, “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.  The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."
John is being told to write down what he is being shown by God. This might seem like an everyday occurrence but John is not given an everyday thing to write down. He is given words for the church which are not always easy to hear, not to mention in the later chapters which show what is to come - also not a pretty picture.
The brilliant thing about John in this book is his obedience. He has been told to tell the world something that is not easy listening but he does it anyway.  We can all learn something from John. We need to be obedient, we need to speak out the truth even if the truth is not flavour with others. We need to make sure that when Jesus tells us to do something - we do it. 
I always find myself arguing with God. I then after a bit of convincing manage to do as I'm told. If only I did what I was told in the first place it would make things much easier. I am much better than I used to be, I don't argue as much, but occasionally I will still put something off because its hard. 
John 10:27  says, My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me, If I know the voice of God then there should be no arguing I should just get on with it. We all need to be a little more like John and be obedient to God. Let's not worry what others think, just follow the one who knows.