Pause and calmly think of that!

I am always amazed how a scripture I have read many times can come to life in a new way one day. I love how the Holy Spirit whispers 'today this has new meaning'.

Psalm 46:10-11 is one we all know well but today I read verse 11 in the amplified bible and it took on new meaning. 

'Pause and calmly think of that!'

Calm is one word I have never been very good at applying. You can be assured you will not find my name in the dictionary as an example of calm. The sad reality for me is that I have allowed the opposite to reign in my life. One definition of calm said freedom from agitation but I seem to stay in a permanent state of agitation. 

I wouldn't even mention pausing, I don't remember the last time I paused. I can't blame motherhood either because I've always had this predisposition for chaos. Usually it's self inflicted chaos too. 

But what if I did pause and calmly think upon the fact that the Lord of hosts is with me, that the God of Jacob is my refuge, my strong tower and my stronghold? What would that do to my storm? What would that do to this healing bruised reed? 

If God is with me why am I worrying about the bills, where to live, food? This is the same God that said,

““So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

Matthew 6:31-33 NLT

Now pause and calmly think about that!

If God is my refuge why do we battle with sin and the evil attacks of hell? Why do we come under so much condemnation and live in defeat? This is the same God that died on a Cross to free us from sin and tore the veil in the temple, the veil of separation!

“So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.”

Hebrews 6:18-19 NLT

If God is our strong tower and stronghold, why are we fighting in our strength? Why do we think our plans and our schemes and our ideas can do anything? Why do we spend more time in our churches on entertainment programs to bring people to churches than on our knees praying for our communities? Don't we realize we are fighting spiritual battles and our King is overseeing every detail of a war that is already won? 

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”

II Corinthians 10:3-5 NKJV

We all know the Martha and Mary's story. I'll be honest sometimes it frustrates me because there is so much work to do but Martha was the one Jesus reprimanded. 

“But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.””

Luke 10:41-42 NLT

I need to rewrite these two verses to say "my dear Lesley, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. So come sit at My feet in My presence and you will discover the peace that surpasses all understanding and overwhelming joy that no one will ever be able to take from you! 

Pause and calmly think about that!

Back to Matthew 6:33 "seek you first the kingdom of God". It's His job to take care of the details, but we won't let Him. If we get to see a replay of our lives from Heaven's perspective when this life is over, I am dreading mine. I know there will be lots of times He was in the room patiently waiting for me to come sit at His feet and give Him my burden and let Him take care of the details. Instead I was pacing, crying, fretting, worrying. If I could just have paused for one minute and calmly remembered who I am and who my Saviour is then maybe I could experience what Mary did.

We only ever hear Psalm 23 read and sung at funerals but we have missed a precious blessing and promise if we are waiting for death for this. He wants to give it to us now, here, in the land of living. But we won't pause long enough to calmly think about it. 

“The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.”

Psalms 23:1-6 NLT

Death isn't the darkest valley, David knew about valleys and he was very much alive when he wrote this. I know many of you right now are in such a deep, dark valley you can't even see your own hand in front of your face. Please, please don't be afraid He is right there beside you and He has prepared a feast for you in the midst of your enemies. Now if you will pause and calmly think about it what a way to get back at hell right now for the chaos and nightmares it has unleashed in your life. Sit down and let Jesus refresh you, and we aren't talking bread and water here, it's a feast. More than you can imagine, the kind you need a nap after because there is so much food. So instead of sitting crying in the dark as your enemy would want, you can enjoy a feast in fellowship with Your Savior. 

I am praying for spiritual eyes at the minute. Not just to become more aware of the devices of the enemy but also to be more aware of the Holy Spirit and what the Holy Spirit is doing in my life that I can't see. In 2 Kings 6:15-17 Elisah's servant is so afraid of the enemy army around them but Elisah asks for his spiritual eyes to be opened and the boy sees the legions of Heaven's army all around. "Don't be afraid, there are more on our side than on theirs!"

We are surrounded by a great heavenly host. Jesus Christ sits at Gods right hand interceding for us. God's plan for your life is to prosper you and no weapon formed against you will ever prevail. He promised He will complete the work He started in your life. And the best promise of all, He promised He would come back for us and that He has prepared a home for us with Him forever.

So sweet friend pause and calmly think of that. Now stop worrying and come sit at your Saviour's feet and let Him strengthen you. Speak His promises over your life and family. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. So those lies that are being spoken into your life bring them into obedience of Christ. 

The Lord of hosts is with us! Selah!

Joyfully watching!

The scripture of the day on K Love last week was,

“Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.”

Proverbs 8:34 AMP

This is a timely verse. We recently disconnected our television service so what news I get now is limited to the alerts the BBC News, Fox News and Local news apps on my phone deem 'breaking news'. The world is a much more peaceful place without satellite!

Last Friday's news was not great, the Dow closed with a dramatic fall. China is in crisis and it is spreading. As a former economics student, it doesn't take long to see the familiar signs of a financial crisis dawning, well actually we're probably well past dawn now.

For a while now my heart has been stirred greatly for the return of Christ and the great gathering of the church to Him. So when I see news of pending doom I find peace because these things are prophetically foretold. 

In the Bible it talks about the mark of the beast which will be the only way you can buy and sell.

“And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name.”

Revelation 13:17 NLT

That is prophetic. If the mark is the only way then we will no longer have currency as we know it. For that to happen I believe something so catastrophic will have to happen to the world markets that currency will collapse completely. 

I'm going into scary territory now. Trust me I understand, first time I sat under end times teaching I was 12 years old and it scared me to death. If you just look at the mark of the beast alone, isolated it is scary. However it is part of the final book in the Bible. The final chapter of humanity's story. And somewhere in there our Saviour Jesus Christ returns for His Bride and ends satan and evil forever.

I love that right after, the scripture above from Proverbs, states we are 'blessed' or 'joyful' it tells us why. Because the reader is watching at the gate. 

Right now I believe more than ever all the horses and horsemen mentioned in Revelations are saddling up their horses. They may even be mounting them. I picture horses snorting and stomping their feet in anticipation. Riders tightening girths. Weapons being given one last check. 

People that stood at the city gates sometimes could hear the thundering pounding of the horses of an army coming before they could be seen. If you listening closely I feel like we can hear that deep sound. 

The earth is shaking and the world is being turned upside down. So where will God find us? Jesus himself said when I return will I find faith? Are you worried what will happen to your retirement? Are you worried how you will pay next months bills or maybe even this months? 

There are only two things we should be worried about now. Firstly are we ready for His return? Is there oil in our lamps? Are we watching at the gate and the posts of His house? Secondly, are those that have been entrusted to our lives ready? Do they know about our Saviour?

Your house, your car, your retirement, your job, your stuff it's staying here. We just need to look to the Egyptians for proof of that. Their burial pyramids have been beautiful museums of relics for us because they thought they could take it with them. 

We will take people with us. I wish we could get a glimpse of hell sometimes because if we all did then I truly believe we wouldn't waste a second sharing the gospel and praying for our lost people. 

But we all got up this morning with living life on our minds. Bills, jobs, laundry, dinner, errands, wants, desires, plans, and on and on, on our minds. Maybe we stopped for two seconds to say good morning Lord thank you for waking me up. But then our feet hit the floor and the coffee flowed and busy, busy, busy, as if all we are building will go on forever. 

Yes the Lord may tarry longer but we will all die one day. Right outside my hometown last weekend 3 young men barely 20 years old died in a car accident. There is no tomorrow for them. A 40 year man drowned last week off the beach near us. His future here is over. 

But if you are Christian this life isn't the end, in fact it's the beginning. I love Lord of the Rings. There is a particularly beautiful scene in one of the movies where Gandolf is talking to Pipin on the eve of the big battle. He is telling him about the life that comes after, and you see in the shadow of the enemies growing aggression a peace comes. Because no matter how bad the battle ahead is, on the other side is beauty beyond understanding. 

“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry.”

Hebrews 10:35-37 NKJV

When I am discouraged this scripture gives me great comfort. I don't know about you, but I need endurance. There are days the battle is so hard. Yesterday I stood in the grocery store fighting back tears. Tired from the heavy load, discouraged and weary. If my confidence is in myself then I may as well cry because it's a lost case but it's not in me. I was fighting in my strength, using physical weapons and my reasoning. I had forgotten this is a spiritual war. My weapon is and will only ever be prayer. 

So I lift my head and returned to the gate to watch. I see redemption drawing nigh. I don't need to ask why this battle is so violent right now because the answer is the timer is almost done. Hell at best has minutes left to destroy us but I really think we're down to seconds now. 

Dear friend come get up and stand watch with me. Let's make a committment to pray for those around us that need to accept salvation. Let's encourage those saints that are so weary they don't think they can fight another second. They can't but Christ is fighting for us, we just have keep trusting Him. 

One of the sweetest Christian brothers God ever put in the life of my husband and I was an elderly gentleman called Joe. He has been home in Glory for a year now. Everytime he said goodbye he had a little saying that always reminding you of what our hope is to be in, so that is how I will close today.

I will see you soon, either here, there or in the air! God bless!