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“With this news strengthen those who have tired hands, encourage those with weak knees,say to those with fearful hearts “be strong & do not fear” Isaiah 35:3

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What is your worst nightmare? Maybe you feel you’re in the midst of your worst nightmare right now? Whatever you or I believe is the worst thing that could ever happen, we have a God who says to us today, “I am with you.” He is unchanging, and His loving faithfulness towards us is unwavering. God is with you I have been captivated with Psalm 46 this week. Where many of the other Psalms open with a description of what’s happening in the Psalmist’s life, or how he is feeling, Psalm 46 opens from the first verse with the reminder that God is with us, and closes in the last verse with the same encouragement: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah” Psalm 46:1-3 “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah” Psalm 46:11 The Lord of Hosts (Yahweh Saboath) The Psalmist reminds us just who it is that is with us. “The Lord of hosts.” God, our loving Father, commands the hosts of heaven and earth, angels and men, and every other creature. The title ‘Lord of hosts’ emphasises His glory and might, and the incredible wonder that it is this glorious God who chooses to be with His people. In our peaceful times, God is with us. In our ‘mountain shaking’ crisis times, God is with us. He is always with us! The storm may continue to rage around us for a while, but God gives us the precious gift of His continual presence. He Himself is our safe place, our strength, and our source of peace. He is with you whatever your circumstances today. Jill 💜

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” Eph 3:20 HE’S ABLE Whatever your circumstances, God is able. The Lord isn’t subject to those things that limit us – those things we know & perceive as ‘normal.’ God is supernatural & can do anything, for anyone, at any time. We expect God to act & move as we would, or according to the limitations our minds place on Him, because we can’t comprehend His ‘otherness’. Who else do we know, after all, that is All powerful? HE’S WILLING As well being able beyond our comprehension, God is willing. It isn’t enough to have a head knowledge of God’s ability. After all, what changes for us unless we personally know, & believe that He is also willing? In Luke 5, a leper came to Jesus & said, “Lord, if you are willing, I can be healed.” Jesus replied, “I am willing.” (See Luke 5:13 NLT) He says the same to you & me today. ABOVE ALL WE CAN ASK OR THINK God is bigger than our imaginations. I love the way the essence of this scripture is captured in The Passion Translation “He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination!” Eph 3:20 These are words of overflow & abundance, not ‘just enough to get by!’ God is able to do, not just what our limited human imaginations can envision, He far exceeds that. He goes beyond that which we have the capacity to imagine! THE POWER THAT WORKS IN US God’s Spirit is at work both in & through us. It’s this truth that makes impossible things, possible in our daily lives. His full potential is resident within us. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:1-4,16) This means corporately, as the Church & as individuals. This is no small thing! Yet many still live as though they were just a B&B to the Holy Spirit, somewhere He’s ‘allowed’ to visit now & then. Then they wonder why they feel powerless. God has plans & intentions, far beyond your greatest imagination. If you're a follower of Jesus, His Holy Spirit lives in you, enabling you, giving you His supernatural strength as He works out those plans & purposes in & through you. Jill 💜

“Pray without ceasing” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (ESV) The verse is short and to the point. We are to pray continually. Much ‘ado’ surrounds the subject of prayer, when really it’s just conversation between us and our Father. It’s important to have a daily, set-aside time that’s just for connection with God, where we shut out all distractions (Matthew 6:6) but in addition to that, it is possible, and vital, to live each minute of the day in constant, flowing, fellowship and conversation with Him. I sometimes have to remind myself that He’s in the car with me, as I hang out the washing, while I’m walking around the supermarket. It’s as if the Lord says to us through this verse “don’t shut me out, include me in every minuscule part of your life”. Look at it this way: if you were to spend all day, every day with your spouse, but you seldom acknowledged their presence, or asked what they were thinking, hardly ever spoke to them except to ask for something, and rarely listened when they spoke to you, your relationship would be a very ‘lean’, one-sided, meagre partnership indeed! Yet that’s how we treat the Lord at times. We spend so much time talking about the Lord as if He were not in the room, we attend seminars on prayer and read books on prayer, when all we really need to do is just talk to Him, and listen to Him. The heart of God longs for connection with His children. He looks for ways every single day to catch your attention and speak to you, throughout your day. Does He have your attention? Jill 💜 #prayer #praywithoutceasing #prayerchangeseverything

“everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord” Ezra 1:5 After all the Christmas festivities, many of us turn our thoughts to the coming year, reflecting on where the last year has brought us & where we hope the next will take us. Those reflections sometimes come with pain or regret over mistakes made, or trying circumstances unchanged. The prospect of starting a new year sparks fresh hope & expectancy, ‘maybe this year.’ Then, as we return to our routines in January, with every intention of approaching the new year with renewed vision, we start to find that everything is the same as it was when we left it in December: same demanding boss, spiritual battles, financial problems, health issues, obstacles, same to-do list, same, same, same! 70 YEARS IN CAPTIVITY I wonder if this is how the Israelites felt, year after year in their long years of captivity in Babylon. Did they think, ‘maybe this year’? Finally, one incredible day, King Cyrus released them to return to their homeland to rebuild God’s temple. (Ezra 1:2–3) 70 years. That’s a lifetime! “Then rose up the heads of the fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem” Ezra 1:5 Those words seemed to leap right off the page as I read them. There was a group among these beloved ones of God that had not let their hearts become hardened to the Spirit of God, or their spiritual ears dulled to His voice. These people were in a position to be stirred by His Spirit when the time came & they moved into action. FOUND READY TO BE STIRRED & TO MOVE If your life feels ‘same old same old’, take encouragement from the truth that your life is not all about you anymore. When you became Jesus’ disciple you made the choice to lay down your life & follow the One who laid down His life for you. We are ambassadors of His Kingdom. What a privilege! Yet we lose sight of this in the hum-drum of the daily grind. Our hearts so easily become dulled to His voice, His prompting & stirring. Let’s be found among the ones whose spirits are stirred to partner with Jesus! Jill 💜

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7 Storms in life often seem to come suddenly and unexpectedly, don’t they? You’re happily trundling along, everything ticking over just the way it should, when seemingly out of nowhere, one small thing triggers another small thing and before you know it, your peace-filled little world is a typhoon! As Christians, we aren’t exempt from problems, but we do have a ‘secret weapon’ that prepares and enables us through life’s roughest storms – it’s called “The Peace of God” Peace is Jesus’ gift to us. This is what Jesus told his disciples, as he prepared himself and them, for his impending crucifixion: “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27 We need to note something very important about this peace that Jesus gives: It’s the peace of God. God literally imparts His own peace to us; it’s His – He shares the peace of His own heart with us. In Philippians chapter four, the scripture we opened with, Paul writes, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding….” Jesus said that it is a peace that the world cannot give. It’s a supernatural peace that floods our hearts and minds when everything around us screams ‘hit the panic button!’ Peace isn’t something we have to fight and struggle for, or pray and beg God for; He has already given it – peace of mind and heart is already freely available to the child of God – you, and me…… Jill 💜 (A short excerpt from the book ‘‘A Mustard Seed Life’, by Jill McIlreavy. This material is protected by copyright.)

“How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.” Luke 1:25 (Read: Luke 1:6-25) It’s coming to that time of year again, when families get together to celebrate Christmas. These times, though special and joyful for many, are often dreaded by others. The “concerned” questions of certain relatives or old family friends can make those who are still single, childless, unemployed, still not promoted at work, or have still have not “achieved” anything of any great significance in the eyes of those asking the questions leaves many feeling that there’s something wrong with them. ELIZABETH’S PLIGHT I can imagine the plight of Elizabeth, who was childless after many years of marriage. While it’s hard for us to identify with her sense of shame in our day and age, in Elizabeth’s culture, to be childless was seen as a sign of God’s disfavor (see 1 Samuel 1:5–6) and could even be considered shameful. Elizabeth lived righteously, (Luke 1:6), but her neighbours and relatives may have suspected otherwise. Nevertheless, Elizabeth and her husband continued to faithfully serve God. Then, when both were well advanced in age, a miracle happened. God demonstrated that He had heard Elizabeth’s prayer (verse 13). PERFECT IN ALL HIS WAYS God loves to show us His favor (verse 25). It may seem, at times, that His answer is delayed, or that your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling, but God hears every prayer. His timing is always right, and His wisdom is always perfect. For Elizabeth and Zechariah, God had a very special gift: their child, John, would become the Messiah’s forerunner (Isaiah 40:3–5). WAIT PATIENTLY FOR GOD Do you feel inadequate because you seem to lack something—a university degree, a spouse, a child, a job, a house? Keep living for God faithfully. Waiting patiently for Him and His plan, just as Elizabeth did. Whatever our circumstances, God is always working in and through us. He knows you. He hears your prayers, and is forever faithful to answer - in His timing, not yours. Keep trusting in Him. Jill 💜

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