Intimacy

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.
John 15:4-6 NLT

Intimacy with Jesus is so important. Without intimacy with him, we are unable to produce fruit. Within intimacy, we produce much fruit. Without intimacy with him, we wither. Within intimacy, we flourish. Knowing this, why would we do anything apart from him? Because apart from him, we can do nothing. But yet knowing this, how often do you find yourself doing something apart from him? This is evidence of needing more of him and drawing closer to him in intimacy.

If Jesus is not yet within you, he stands at the door of your heart, knocking. Will you let him in? If you welcome him in, he will come in and commune with you!

“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.
Revelation 3:20 NLT

Jesus loves you more than you can imagine or comprehend. He knew you before you were born; in fact, he knew you before you were conceived!

You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
Psalm 139:16 NLT

Jesus is your creator, and he calls you close. He deeply desires intimacy with you through spending time with him, learning his character, and living in obedience to his words. He is so full of love, words cannot describe the love he holds in his heart! Did you know that he intercedes for you? Jesus prays for you.

Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
Romans 8:34 NLT

The love of Jesus comes from the love of the Father in heaven, for Jesus and the Father are one. The Father was the one who sent Jesus to earth to save you from the way of this world and bring you into his life – eternal life.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 NLT

The Father waits patiently, looking for your return every moment. He doesn’t care about what you’ve done. He loves you far more than any sin you have committed. There is nothing on earth that can separate you from his love.

“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.
Luke 15:20 NLT

If you find yourself away from Jesus today, come back to him through prayer. Ask him to come into your life and take control of it. Submit yourself to him, and allow his love to wash over you and transform you. As this happens, thank him for his goodness and kindness, his mercies and his love.

Inner Peace, Continued

In this post, I want to continue on the topic of inner peace and its fruit. Let’s look at Matthew 14 again.

About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. ²⁶When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” ²⁷But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” ²⁸Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” ²⁹“Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. ³⁰But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. ³¹Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
Matthew 14:25-31 NLT

Peter’s focus on Christ and faith in Him resulted in a miracle that was not possible if he had done the logical thing and stayed in the boat. The wind and waves that created the storm which was intended by the enemy to harm the disciples became the platform that Peter walked on. The very thing that wanted to take his life was forced to carry him to Jesus. Isn’t that beautiful?

As believers in Christ, I believe we are called to step out in faith in circumstances that would normally be perilous. The storms of life that come at us can and should be used to bring us closer to Jesus, not destroy us.

I had a vision a few months back in which I saw many interwoven golden lines. They connected people and events together and represented God’s intricate plan for everyone. I saw that it was all connected. Then I saw the enemy try to destroy God’s connections. However, each time he moved something out of place, God moved two or three new things into place to compensate, making it even better than before. So the enemy was wasting his time touching anything, and I saw that the more the enemy touched God’s plans, the better it became for believers.

This is confirmed in scripture; God will always use everything in our lives to draw us closer to him when we love Him and are walking in His will. (Romans 8:28)

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Romans 8:28 NLT

Yet sadly, we will not get to this place if we are cowering with fear “in the boat” with other people. God is calling you to greater things, and it’s up to you to step out in faith and fix your eyes on Him.

There seems to be a common thought that many people have, including Christians, which sounds something like: “I need to know what’s going on in the world to know how to deal with it”. However, respectfully I don’t see how this lines up with scripture. God didn’t tell the Israelites to think about how many ways they could die in the wilderness. He asked them to trust Him. As it turned out, it was their focus on the carnal (things of this world) that kept leading them astray. Time after time God performed miracles for His chosen people, but they kept forgetting the miracles past and started to complain about a new problem. Because of their lack of faith in God, they were refused His promised rest. Hebrews 3 and 4 put this very clearly.

That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear his voice, ⁸ don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness. ⁹There your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw my miracles for forty years. ¹⁰So I was angry with them, and I said, ‘Their hearts always turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’ ¹¹So in my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”
Hebrews 3:7-11 NLT

The Israelites tested God in the wilderness despite seeing miracles for forty years. They had a habit of seeing what was wrong – no water, no food, hostile nations, etc. instead of focusing on God who always provided a solution. This habit of testing God was attributed to unbelief. And it is written that without faith it is impossible to please God.

So it is clear that focusing on the troubles and worries of the world can lead to unbelief if left long enough. And if God became angry with His chosen people, will He not be angry with gentiles who do not listen to His voice? Therefore it is crucial we fix our eyes on Jesus and stop looking at the circumstances around us.

Where is Jesus calling you right now? What is he whispering to you in the secret place? Be obedient to Him, and watch Him perform miracles in your life. There is a promise from Jesus I want to leave with you.

Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
John 14:21 NLT

Jesus promises that those who obey His commandments will be loved by Him and will see Him!

Having Peace at all Times

Two years ago in March 2020, I was headed for Cambodia in the face of a new and alarming pandemic. It was my first overseas trip at one of the worst times to travel, yet I felt at peace. Around this time I got an impression in my spirit. “If you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, you will have peace. If you keep your focus on the world, you will have turmoil.” This impression has stayed with me ever since and has proven to be true. When people around me have been fearful, I have had God’s peace. I don’t say this to boast, because it is not a peace I have made. It comes from Jesus, so I will boast in Him!

Jesus said that we may have peace in him in John 16:33.

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.
John 16:33 NLT

Jesus has already overcome the world! If He has overcome the world, there is nothing outside of his dominion and control. He is the author and finisher of our faith, so it’s not our place to worry about this world. The position we need to take is one of pure devotion to Him, fixing our eyes on Him.

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Isaiah 26:3 NLT

With our eyes focused on Jesus, we aren’t looking at other things. This is a really important truth to exercise. Simon Peter, the apostle, learned about fixing his eyes on Jesus when he stepped out of the boat to walk on water.

About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. ²⁶When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” ²⁷But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” ²⁸Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” ²⁹“Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. ³⁰But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. ³¹Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
Matthew 14:25-31 NLT

We can see in this passage that when Peter looked to Jesus and stepped out in obedience, the result was a miracle. He was walking on water when no one else was doing it. As a result, he is the only recorded person in the Bible besides Jesus to have walked on water. (Other accounts of water miracles were different, such as the Israelites who walked on dry ground when fleeing Egypt). So, therefore, when you are obedient to Christ, being focused on him, you will do things not done before.

Also note that when Peter looked at the wind and the waves, he began to sink. The wind and the waves can be thought of as a metaphor for the cares and troubles of the world. When we focus on what’s going wrong around us, we begin to sink and lose faith. And without faith, it is impossible to please God.

What we can do to combat this attack on faith is to focus on Jesus. Talk to him and lay everything in his care; Pray to him and let him carry your burdens.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Philippians 4:6 NLT

So I want to encourage you to make it a habit to focus on Jesus. Whenever you find yourself focused on other things, refocus your gaze again. When this habit becomes a lifestyle, your inner peace can never be robbed. I pray you can see that this peace is not dependent on external circumstances, but only dependent on your inner focus on Jesus.

Fighting Dragons

Dear friends, From a young age, as young as I can remember, I have been in the middle of a spiritual battle. Most of my earliest memories are nightmares of evil creatures coming to torment me in my dreams. I have already spoken of some of these horrors in previous posts, so I will not go into detail here. However, I want to revisit this topic because there has been a significant update to this story.

I have slept peacefully for many nights since dealing with those demons of the past; However, over the past months I have had multiple dreams in which Satan came to me to kill me. The first two dreams were especially intense, the first of which he was in the form of a dragon, breathing fire, flying around, and using several different tactics to attack me. In the second dream he was in the form of a man and he used smooth words to trap me. In both of those dreams I was shown that I needed to face him myself instead of relying on other people to win this battle for me. I couldn’t depend or rely on my spiritual leaders to set me free; God would give me the strength to face him myself.

In each instance I prayed into the dreams and sought God desperately because of their intensity. After prayer each time, I felt a powerful peace come over me that couldn’t be penetrated. Some time passed, at least a couple of months, before I had two more dreams in the same night.

In these next two dreams, I could see that God the Father was watching over me. I again faced a dragon that wanted to harm me. However, this time things were different. A brother stood by me and submitted his heart to God. He truly lay himself down in the presence of God. His heart was in complete worship to God. I could see that God the Father was looking at my brother and me standing there, facing the dragon. Then my brother started forcefully praying against the dragon! He started asking God to rebuke it, curse it, and smite it!

Well, it’s safe to say God wasted no time in doing the very things asked of him! He struck that dragon down right where it stood. That wretched thing couldn’t move after only three strikes! I stood there amazed. I was just given the key to win the fight against dragons!

Again, I was facing another dragon. This one was much like the first, intending to harm me. I felt fear start to creep in until I saw God appear again. He turned and looked at me. As soon as the father looked at me, I felt peace come into me. I remembered the previous dragon fight and submitted myself to my Father, right before the dragon in front of me. I truly surrendered everything, holding nothing back. Once I had entered that place of worship (I felt a change in my spirit), I started praying against the dragon. God responded promptly and struck the dragon down. It was utterly defeated!

Once I awoke, I put this prayer into practice immediately. I felt the results immediately in my spirit and I was soaring! I felt so free and so powerful. I knew I had a huge amount of authority, given to me by God.

I remembered the verse in James that says:

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7

Over the years of facing spiritual battles I have prayed James 4:7 many times, but never with the success I recently had. I believe there is a grace that God gives when he reveals something specifically to us. The verse was no less true before my dreams as it was after, yet it was only when I held the revelation of the verse for myself that it was truly effective.

When I had the revelation of James 4:7 I realised that it is far more powerful than what it seems. The verse doesn’t describe the level of humility required, how far the heart needs to go to submit to God before you are in a position to resist the devil. I also didn’t realise that I needed to pray from that place of submission and ask God to take down the devil. I thought I had to resist him in my own strength.

So as you can see, there is a big difference when you understand something in your heart. When God showed me how James 4:7 works, I no longer came to incorrect conclusions. I got the essence of the revelation, not just the idea of it. It went past my head and into my heart. I pray he will show you too.

I want to encourage you to face your dragons, whatever form they may come in. When you are faithful to keep fighting and praying, our father hears you and will give you the specific strategy to defeat the enemy.

May the God of peace richly bless you.

Finding Peace In Every Moment

I find myself living in a broken and hurting world. I often see people in bad situations who, by making many small choices, found themselves there. However, I cannot be discouraged for long. I believe in a God who is able and willing to help every person who reaches out to Him. I understand this from my own experience at the age of sixteen. When I prayed to Him, He responded. Now a Christian, bad things still happen to me the same way, yet they appear less significant. At times I have found myself laughing at situations that would have intimidated me before meeting God.

Matthew 24:4-8 says ‘Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.‘

This scripture talks about some of the negative things that will happen. However, the hope of God and His salvation brings peace that cannot be understood by anyone who has not experienced it first-hand.

John 16:33 says ‘I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.‘

Do you experience peace that allows you to laugh in times of distress? God wants you to live in this kind of harmony. If you do not experience this, ask God to give it to you.

Worship

Worshipping God is powerful. When I open my heart and worship, every little thing fades into nothing. My perspective changes as I focus all my attention and energy. I can feel every part of me worshipping. As I sing, my words become a prayer. I experience a powerful sensation shoot through my body, often leading to tears falling down my face. This real and raw submission to God gives me more peace than I can describe, more love than I can understand, and the strength to face any situation.

I love worshipping! I have to set a timer on my phone or risk spending hours alone, inevitably making me late for something. The act of worship puts me into a timeless state. I lose all other senses.

John 4:23-24 says ‘But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.‘

As this verse shows, when we worship, we are connecting directly to God. God is seeking worshippers, but unfortunately, in this age, there are so many distractions that take our attention; Worshipping God changes that attention to God and aligns us with Him. If you aren’t feeling connected with God or haven’t experienced this, set aside 2 hours with no distractions, play worship music and listen to the words, making them your prayer. You will not feel the same after! (Ideally, 20+ minutes of daily worship will become a part of every morning.)

God Does it Better

The past few days I have been pushed to my limit. Waking up each morning to a work emergency that required my immediate attention is not what I would consider a good start to my day. These days didn’t allow me to spend the usual time alone with God each morning. This lack of connection has affected me. I have been leaning on my strength, and unlike earlier, the stress of living without God has built up.

Today I read from Job 40. The whole chapter God speaks to Job and his friends, reminding them of their power compared to His. These verses convicted me because I have been leaning on my strength rather than His.

If you were to look at yourself, do you find stress, worry or anxiety? Set aside an hour to reconnect with God. It will reset your heart and mind, removing those stresses and replacing them with love, joy and peace.

Isaiah 40:28 says ‘Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.‘ It is no wonder life is so much easier when I trust in Him! I want God to lead me and guide me!

Rest in God’s Presence

As I was kneeling by my bed listening to worship music, I felt refreshed. I felt the power of God gently flowing into my body, slowly filling me with peace and love. I love this feeling!

You can find peace and rest in God’s presence. If life is too busy, too stressful, or too intense, stop for 30 minutes and focus on God. He will fill you and give you strength to keep going.

Exodus 33:14 says ‘And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”’ In this verse, God is speaking to Moses. God reminds him he is not alone. With God’s presence, rest is found.

Finding Peace

I was in the middle of a lecture at university when I realised I had an assignment that was due 11:00 am that morning! I knew I missed out on those marks already. “How could this happen?” “How could I miss such easy marks?” “I’m stupid.” Voices in my head started yelling at me telling me I am not good enough. However, in the middle of these voices, I had peace. I knew that no matter what happens, God is with me.

It can be so easy to live a life filled with stress, anxiety, fear or doubt. Voices will try to discourage and bring you down when you make mistakes. The better way to live is with peace; it is very freeing! It’s like a bubble of protection is around your heart keeping you safe.

How can this peace be found? Keep your mind and heart with God (daily devotion and prayer achieves this.) Isaiah 26:3 says ‘You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you.‘ You will know when your trust is in God because no matter what life throws at you, peace remains.