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“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is  the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17

Isn’t this is such good news!? To know that God did not just save us then leave us to get on with things on our own! No! Jesus told us that as soon as he was with the Father (which he is right now), he would send us the Holy Spirit as a “Helper”. Other translations say “Counsellor,” “Friend,” “Advocate,” “Comforter.” The amplified bible says: “Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby)”

The Holy Spirit living in us will help us, he will provide spiritual comfort, guidence and strength. He has promised to always be with us, to abide in us – that means that he actually lives within us when we give our lives to God. We can be assured that we always have the help we need no matter what situations we face. Sometimes we can forget this. We can go to church and small group, and have fellow believers around us to encourage us and help us in our walk with God, and this is all good for us to grow in God, but when we’re on our own facing situations at work or at home, we can forget that although our brothers and sisters in Christ can’t come to work with us, we carry the Holy Spirit wherever we go! He is our comforter, he is our helper, he will strengthen and guide us and is our “standby” for any emergency or anything we face, whether big or small.

Wherever you go, you are never alone. There’s never just “little ol me” on my own anymore. God is dwelling in you. He sees though your eyes, he listens to your heart and he is right there ready to guide, prompt, support and strengthen – you only need to ask! He’s ready and willing each and every time we ask Him for help! He doesn’t need to “come” and help you, he’s already there! He’s your instant support and strength to live your life God’s way – he’s your personal comforter and he is with you forever.

Is there any situation that’s too big for God? No! So, with God dwelling in us, there’s nothing that’s too big for us and God to handle together either!

I can do everything through him who gives me strength.  Philippians 4:13

Thank you Lord for your amazing promise that the Holy Spirit already dwells in us and will do so forever> Thank you that he is our comfort and our help.

Six active disciplines to practice

In my last post on this topic I spoke about how we have a passive and active role in our sanctification. Here, in my third and final post, I will talk about six active disciplines that can help our pursuit of sanctification.

1) Bible reading and meditation

How are we to know God more and understand his will for us if we don’t commit ourselves to reading, studying and reflecting on what he has spoken to us?

People always complain that they don’t “hear” from God. While I do believe that God can speak to us audibly (although rare) as well as through our conscience, I do believe that the primary way that God communicates with us is through the bible. All of it.

It was only the other day that I read 1 Corinthians 10:27-30 in which the Apostle Paul is talking about not eating food that has been offered to idols, not because it in itself is wrong but because it may cause others who see you do it and don’t understand to sin in the hearts by copying. At first I thought this was totally not applicable anymore and discarded it but then only a day later I was watching a film called In Bruges with a friend. Anyone who has seen this film will know that it is hilarious but is full of swearing (and I mean full).

The person I was watching it with is a fairly new Christian and even though I knew in my faith that there was nothing wrong with listening to the bad language I was causing them to sin in their hearts by showing to condone it and almost recommend it. We stopped watching the film after only 10 minutes but it was a real eye opener to me on how the bible is vital for our growth, even the bits that may not seem relevant anymore.

The bible is a big book though (or more accurately collection of books) and can be really hard going. But, just like with sanctification, we are not called to read it all and understand it all as soon as we become Christians. It is a process that will last a lifetime, we just have to keep reading, studying, memorising and meditating on it as much as we can.

2) Prayer

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” – Ephesians 6:18

Where reading the bible is the primary way in which God communicates with us, prayer is the primary way in which we communicate back again. We are called to have a relationship with God and the way we have relationships with people is to talk to them. The more open and honest we are with people, the closer and more intimate those relationships can become.

We are to pray always for anything and everything and everyone. Prayer needs to become as important to us as breathing. Whenever we are troubled we need to learn to turn to God and give it to him in prayer (Philippians 4:6-7).

Prayer can also be one of the hardest things for us to do though, especially new Christians. I remember sitting in silence for about an hour, while my friends encouraged me to pray, because I was too scared to pray out loud.

Thankfully, I am finally realising how important prayer is and am becoming more and more comfortable with it. I still have my moments where clam up or where I don’t pray anywhere near as much as I should but I’m growing like everyone else and I’m learning as I go. Things just seem a lot easier to deal with when I pray about them though…

3) Worship

When I first became a Christian I really struggled with the singing part of church. But as I have grown I have found it is so important and has now become vital to my walk with God. Worship is how we thank God and give him praise (Ephesians 5:18-20)

To further prove that God knows what He is doing, a recent study showed that singing is actually really beneficial to you from a mental and physical point of view.

The bible says that we’ll all be singing to God in heaven, so my viewpoint is we’d better get practising here on Earth!

4) Witnessing

Witnessing has always been the hardest thing for me to do. I know that when I step out and do it I feel closer to God and I long to see people saved but I am still fearful of people’s reactions and putting them off for good.

The only way for people to come to know about God though (not counting God stepping in like he did with Apostle Paul) is for us to talk to people about it. I long for people to ask me about my faith or even challenge me on some of my beliefs. Until then I’ll try my best to be salt and light in the lives of those around me and keep an eye out for opportunities.

5) Self-discipline/self-control

Self control is vital in all areas of our life. Our battle against sin is about learning to have self-control and resist the devil. It also helps us be structured and persistent with bible reading and spending time with God.

I’m not sure there is any way of learning self-control other than practising it. When temptations come about (and they will), practise self-discipline but saying no and resisting. Easier said than done but you won’t get anywhere without trying…

6) Christian fellowship

And finally, sanctification is regularly a corporate process in the new testament. We Christians are all in this together and we have been brought together as brothers and sisters in God’s family to care for each other and help each other along. We are to nudge each other in love and support each other when we are in pain.

The best way to find this kind of support is to get in to a God-loving church and a home group where you can find good friends who will care for you and you can care for them. Nowadays there are churches of all shapes and sizes.

If you believe in Christ and are not part of a group of Christians you are at risk. You are like a lamb that has wandered away from the flock and is vulnerable to the world. Another illustration is to think of Christians as individual pieces of coal and the church is the fire. When you take the coal out of the fire it will slowly grow dim and eventually go out. Put it back in the fire and around other Christians and it will fulfil its purpose and burn bright for God.

Our role and God’s role

Whereas justification is totally down to God and we contribute nothing towards it, sanctification is a co-operative effort between us and God. God wants us to be involved in our growth but doesn’t leave it entirely up to us…

God’s role in sanctification

Each member of the trinity (father, son and spirit) has a role in our sanctification:

God disciplines us as a father: He shows us the path to holiness  by correcting us in love when we stray. Hebrews 12:7-11 beautifully illustrates God’s discipline as a method of teaching.

Jesus earned our sanctification and became our sanctification with what he achieved here on the Earth (1 Corinthians 1:30). But just as importantly, Jesus is our example for sanctification. He came to show us how we are to live our lives. We are to pursue a likeness with Jesus (1 Peter 2:21 and 1 John 2:6)

However, it is specifically the Holy Spirit that works within us to change us and sanctify us. 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Galatians 5:22-23 and Galatians 5:16-17 all show how the Spirit within us works to change us.

Our role in sanctification

To begin with our role is a passive one: We depend on God to save us and allow him to work in us.

However, we need to be cautious so not to become lazy and fall back on the passive role and wait on God to do all the work. So we also have an active role in that we strive to obey God and take steps to increase our sanctification. Philippians 2:12-13 says we need to “work out our own salvation” and I love how Hebrews 5:12-14 tells us to grow up and train ourselves for God.

Both the passive role and active role are important but if we neglect our active role of striving to obey God we become passive, lazy Christians and if we neglect the passive role of trusting God and yielding to him we become proud and overly-confident in ourselves. The correct balance is vital!

To be continued…

The Three Stages of Sanctification

I’ve had a few conversations with people recently who are finding their walk with God a bit of a struggle. Perhaps it’s the winter blues, the thought of all that dark, cold weather. Perhaps it’s tiredness or perhaps it’s spiritual attack. Either way, we all know what the “correct Christian answer” is– seek God. Yet we all also know that sometimes it’s really tough to do this when we’re tired, fed up and don’t feel like making any effort at all.

So I thought I would give you (and me!) a few tips on how to beat the blues by seeking God!

Tip 1) Remind yourself that it’s not about feelings. I think this is the biggest trap we can fall into. Because we don’t feel “it” or feel like worshipping or feel like praying, we give up before we’ve even started. Feelings are unfaithful – God IS faithful! Therefore, let us trust in God & his Word more and in our feelings a lot less!

Tip 2) Remind yourself of the Truth in scripture. Pick out some encouraging verses of who God is and who you are in him (even if you feel it’s not true.. it IS true, so start claiming it).

Read them OUT LOUD, not in your head. The spoken word has power. Your spirit responds to the spoken word (faith comes by hearing) and you will find yourself being built up just by speaking out words of truth.

Try some of the verses below as a starter, but on a good day try to pick out some scripture for yourself so that when a bad day comes along you can look at your personal list on the wall/fridge/in your diary and read them out-loud to yourself and to God. Turn them around too, so you are talking to God through the scriptures and thanking him for his blessings…

For example:

Thank you Father God that in ALL things you work for the good of those who love you, who have been called according to your  purpose. Romans 8:28

Thank you Jesus that you promise that you are always with me, by the Holy Spirit, and that you will never leave me. Matthew 28:20 & John 14:16

Thank you Jesus that I can do everything through the strength that you give me! Philippians 4:13

Thank you Lord that you know the plans you have for me. Plans to prosper me, and not to harm me, plans to give me a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Thank you Father God  that you have given me victory over sin and death through Jesus my Lord and my saviour. 1 Corinthians 15:57

Even if you don’t feel these scriptures and you actually just feel like your being a bit of a parrot, keep on going! You’re talking to your soul and feeding it with the truth, your also demonstrating to the enemy that you are choosing God’s word over his lies or your feelings. Remember that whether you feel it or not, God’s word IS the truth and it doesn’t change depending on where you are at or the day you have had.

Tip 3) Don’t listen to the lies! You know what the lies are – anything that speaks against the word of God. Anything that destroys rather than builds, anything that undermines who God is, what Jesus has done, or your relationship with Him. Choose not to dwell on these things. Like it says in Philippians 4:8, we should be thinking about whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy.. If it doesn’t fit into these categories, decide not to let yourself dwell in those negative thoughts. Even more so, don’t keep speaking them out over yourself!!! Just as the word of God spoken out-loud is powerful for building up, speaking lies over yourself has exactly the opposite effect.

Tip 4) God is always worthy to be praised. (Even if you don’t feel like it.) Pick a worship song that is easy and that you like (when you’re in a good place!) And sing it out loud to God.

Pick one that shows the greatness of God, or what he has done for you (rather than your response to him, which you may not think you can sing at that moment) For eg. “How Great is Our God” or “In Christ Alone.” And Thank God for being God! Thank Him for being constantly faithful, loving, compassionate and forgiving (even when you are not!). Thank Him that His mercies are new everyday Lamentations 3:23 (which means that even if we feel bad / fall into sin, he always has enough mercy to cover it all because of the blood of Christ, and He has the grace to give you a fresh start in Him every single day!)

Tip 5) Don’t give up easily! If you quote a couple of scriptures and attempt to sing a song and don’t get immediate results remember that although we live in a world that wants everything instantly, life really doesn’t work like that. (Just look at how awful instant coffee is! Yet people put up with it because they forget how good the real stuff is!). Press into God. Wait on Him and know that he’s listening to your prayers and he loves you with an unending love. Remember too that you may need to repent to get that connection back with God (esp. if you’ve been feeling negative as this can cause you to fall into sin more easily) Check your heart and ask for forgiveness, then go back and start again!

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

I think this verse in Philippians is so key to our Christian walk. Our thought-life works out into our actions, our feelings and our faith in God. What we spend time thinking about affects our whole life. For example. If we think that we are useless, we believe we are useless and then we act as though we have already failed, even before we’ve begun. This is true of so many things. If we think wrong, negative / destructive thoughts, then we are going to end up being negative and destructive in the way we act towards others and even ourselves. Sounds simple, yet often we forget.

This verse advises us to think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. If we spent more time thinking about all of these things, and less time wallowing in the negative I really believe we would start to see a difference in the way we act and feel too. We would also view God more as we should, not blaming him when things go wrong or doubting that he will help us through, but instead trusting in the Truth of his Word, knowing that he is always right and always pure and always admirable and eternally praiseworthy!

God understands that it’s often a lot easier for us to believe the negative, rather than the positive. To dwell on what could go wrong, rather than what is going right. To focus on the faults of ourselves and everyone else, rather than remembering that we are all made in the image of God and we are all loved by God. That’s why we do need reminding to think about what is true and noble and right and pure and lovely and admirable, excellent and praiseworthy and that’s why we need the help of the Holy Spirit. To start with it really doesn’t come naturally to us because we live in a fallen world, but with some self-discipline and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can improve our thought-life and keep reminding ourselves of the things that God wants us to think about. Let us remember that just as focusing on negative things bring us down, thinking about good things will have an uplifting impact on our lives and on our feelings and our walk with God.

By doing this we can also protect ourselves from attack. When the enemy tries to sow seeds of doubt or to tell us that we are worthless (these are lies), instead we can choose to think about who God says we are (the truth) and the fact that Jesus loves us so much that He died for us. In time we will start to think less negative thoughts, and have more positive thoughts in their place. (check out: James 4:7-8: Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.) As we resist those negative thoughts and choose instead to think about what God wants us to, our thought life will turn from darkness into light and our faith and relationship with God will mature in the process. Who’d have thought that thoughts could have such an impact!

Read the passage through again and try to remember the list of things that God would have you think about – it’ll help you kick out the negative thoughts before they have time to set root

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy ." 1 Peter 1:13-16

Be Holy because I am Holy – This is quite a hard thing to talk about because on one hand there is Jesus – totally perfect, totally Holy, who lived a sinless, selfless life. Then on the other hand, there’s the rest of us…!

If we think we are "good" then Jesus reminds us that no matter how good we think we are, we cannot and will not reach his perfect holiness. Yet God tells us to be Holy because I am Holy.  

If we think we are "bad" and write ourselves out of God’s script, Jesus reminds us that all have sinned, yet through him we can be forgiven and presented fully cleansed and Holy before God ⁽¹⁾ – hidden in the perfect life, death & resurrection of Jesus.

So what then? If we sin and fall short of God’s holiness, then why bother trying? If we’re already Holy through Jesus, why do we need to make the effort? Yet God tells us "Be Holy because I am Holy"  

We have to carefully hold all these things in balance; We should never take for granted the forgiveness and grace that God has for us, instead in response we should endeavour to live lives that are Holy and pleasing to God. Knowing that sometimes we do sin and fall short of God’s perfect plan, but are forgiven and righteous because of Jesus. Knowing too that we do everything not in our own strength but by the power of the Holy Spirit living in us.⁽²⁾  

So how do we live Holy lives? Well the verse says to :

Prepare our minds for action; be self-controlled – We need not just "put our feet up" now that we know we are forgiven because of Jesus. Our faith is it’s not just spiritual, it’s practical too; we need to be prepared to live it out, to be self controlled – not just giving into our thoughts and feelings as though we have no choice or strength, but to choose to act right and to keep our thoughts and desires in check. God helps us to do this as we walk with him in his grace ⁽³⁾ and the more we do this, the easier it will become to live lives that are Holy.

Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed – We need to look towards our eternal hope and future in Jesus. Not to be distracted/disheartened by situations and circumstances that we are going through now. Sometimes we can feel like God shouldn’t let us go through the things we are going through, and we can allow these feelings to make us loose our faith or hope in God. We focus on the troubles (instead of on Jesus) and it feels like they are going to last forever… God tells us that these troubles are just "momentary" and He’s using whatever we are going through for an amazing eternal purpose ⁽⁴⁾ – we just can’t see it yet!

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance – God tells us "you know better than that now, my child." We can sometimes slip back into our old ways, our old routines and our old desires, which we know won’t give us fulfilment and will ultimately lead to destruction.⁽⁵⁾ In the past we didn’t know any better but now we do and we should be living in the light of our eternal salvation, no longer being led by our selfish desires.

So we should be Holy, because God is Holy & He has told us to be Holy. To do this we must be prepared to act out our faith, to choose to be self controlled, to focus on Jesus not on our circumstances/feelings, and to live in obedience to God’s word rather than following our evil thoughts/desires. But most of all, we must do all this in the knowledge of God’s love and grace… Trusting that he has given us the power to overcome by the Holy Spirit, but also if we do sin and fall short of God’s perfect holiness, Jesus has bridged the gap for us. That means we can get straight back up and keep on walking – free from any condemnation!! ⁽⁶⁾

Praise God!

(1) Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation- if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. Colossians 1:21-23 

(2) ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. Zechariah 4:6

(3) For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. Titus 2:11-13 

(4) For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 2 Corinthians 4:17 

(5) For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Philippians 3:18-22 

(6) Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. Romans 8:1-3

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18

Unlike my husband, who always seems to have a prayer to pray for everyone, I often struggle to know how to pray for people, and I found it a helpful exercise to dig out some of the prayers written in the letters of the New Testament. I figured that the apostles were pretty hot on praying,  so it would be good to learn from them!

Below are some of the ones I found in NIV version. I think it would also be a useful exercise to go to the Message bible version and look them all up again, as this uses every day (albeit American) language. So perhaps you could go and do this for yourself!

Notice how a lot of the prayers start in thanksgiving to God for the people who are being prayed for. I’m so thankful for the body (that is the church) that God has put me in and for all my brothers & sisters in Christ. Are you? We should thank God more for one another!

The other thing I notice is that often God’s "power" and "Spirit" come up in the prayers, often in relation to living lives which are holy & pleasing to God / doing good works. This is because without God’s power and Holy Spirit we shouldn’t attempt to do anything for God! I pray for the Holy Spirit all the time, but I don’t often ask for God’s power, so I thought this was a good thing to note too.

There are also other things I can note, but have a look for yourself at the themes and what types of things are prayed for.

Then perhaps you can get yourself familiar with them so that when you pray for people (together or on your own) you have a good starting point!

The apostles prayers:

I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. Ephesians 1:15-19

I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Philemon 1:6

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:9-12

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.  2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.  2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.  2 Thessalonians 3:5

Over the past 3 weeks we’ve looked at being Christ’s friends, God’s Children and members of the Body of Christ (the church). This week we’re looking at being "New Creations" and how we live this out.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

In Christ we are new creations! The old has gone, the new has come! How great is that? We are transformed when we accept Christ into our lives, we are no longer slaves to sin or to the ways of the world – we are free to be who God created us to be and to live lives free from sin and the things that pull us down. Christ has done it for us – his death on the cross conquered our sin and set us free.

I know in practice we often don’t feel like we are new creations, we live in a fallen world and have baggage from our past which can influence the way we think and react to things. Yet God’s word is true and if we hold on to it and speak it out over our lives, he will help us to walk in the freedom he has given us.

There’s also a “practice” involved. We need to choose not to go back to our old ways – not to lie to each other, but to know we have “taken off” our old self and “put on” our new self (Col 3:9-10 ). We have to renew our minds (Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Rom 12:2 ) and feed our minds with good stuff (Phil 4:8) and the knowledge of Christ and who we are in him (from reading the word), in order to know that our old self has been dealt with (For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. Rom 6:6-7 ) and to stand firm and live as new free creations! (It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Gal 5:1 )

It’s an act of will to choose not to keep confirming to our old habits and thought patterns and not to fall back into sin. We know we are no longer slaves to sin (Rom 6:6 ) so it doesn’t have the hold over our lives that it used to have – even if we like to think that’s the reason we choose to keep sinning. We could just say “that’s the way I am” but God has made us new creations! We need to actively “put on” these new selves, like a new coat in place of an old one. First we must discard the dirty old spoilt coat, and then we can “put on” the new beautiful one that God has created for us. (You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Eph 4:22-24 )

Sometimes our temptation is to put back on the old self because it might be more familiar and comfortable, we might think that we suit it better, but God has created us beautiful and clean and righteous!! Ephesians 4 above says “to be made new in the attitude of your minds ” and this is the key, because the truth is that we are new creations, but our head or thoughts might tell us differently – and we need to choose to think as new creations and not as the sinners that we used to be!

Read it again : Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Praise God for this promise! Let us continue to live our lives as new creations !

If you don’t yet know Jesus, or that you are a "new creation" speak to someone you know who is a Christian so that they can talk it through with you.

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

So often we try to figure out how God’s going to do something.. How he will provide something or step into a situation. We try to figure it out according to our own view on the circumstances and on the resources we can see around us. We can think that circumstances are hopeless if we don’t look at the bigger picture.

The truth is that God has unlimited resources and unending riches, and can meet all our needs in every circumstance. What he chooses to provide is not based on our limited view, but on the amazing unending resources that we have in Jesus!

He doesn’t provide for us based on our hourly rate or on the energy we have or the people we know, he provides for us based on what HE has (and incase you are in any doubt, this is everything¹ !!). God is Lord over all the earth² , all of earth’s and heaven’s riches were created by him and are for him to do with what He wills³ . Sometimes we forget this! Everything we own is God’s, everything owned even by people who don’t know God is still God’s! And he can give and take away according to his will.

If we have a loving father who has all things, can we not trust him to provide for all our needs? Because he’s a loving father he might not give us everything we want, he doesn’t want us to be spoilt children (!) But he will give us everything we need. Bear in mind that we may have slightly different ideas of our "needs" than God does, as we often might think we need something when really we just want it!

Do you have a need which you just can’t see in your mind, how God meet it? You don’t see where the finances, the support, the people, the energy, the perserverence, the dicipline or the time will come from? That’s good news! It’ll give you an opportunity to trust in God for your need, and to see how he provides for his children when they trust in him!

Ask him to provide for you according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus!!

Perhaps you currently don’t have any pressing needs? Perhaps you have plenty both spiritually and financially? Ask God to show you what/who he would like you to give to (time, money, care, support..) so that you can be his hands on the earth and help during another person’s time of need. Remember everything he’s given to you belongs to Him anyway!

¹⁾ The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; Pslam 24:1

²⁾ My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth . Psalm 121:2

³⁾ For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him . Colossians 1:16