Skip to content

“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

Search for:

Home
Contact
About
Pinterest
Book Reviews
My Shop
Facebook
Instagram

Contact

This is a contact page with some basic contact information and a contact form.

Name(required)

Email(required)

Website

Comment(required)

Blog Topics

Let’s Connect on Social Media ⬇️

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
LinkedIn
Amazon

My New Book

I’ve been honoured to be featured in this wonderful publication ‘Undeniably God Ministries’ 👇🏻

Follow MustardSeed Blog on Instagram

“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 💜

“You will answer me, God; I know you always will, like you always do as you listen with love to my every prayer.” (Psalm 17:6) I would suggest reading Psalm 17:1-9 Whenever David, the singer-songwriter King of Israel sought a safe place, he looked no further than the Lord. In verse 8 of this Psalm he writes to the Lord, “Guard me as you would guard your own eyes. Hide me in the shadow of your wings.” (Psalm 17:8) When we consider the almost constant threats David faced, the words in verse six reveal the depth of his unshakable confidence in the Lord: “You will answer me, God; I know you always will, like you always do as you listen with love to my every prayer.” (Psalm 17:6) David was convinced his true safety was found in the Lord his God. The good news for us today is that we can have the same confidence. God, who promises to never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) is the One we trust with our daily lives. Although we live in a world that is sometimes often unjust, sometimes dangerous and seldom peaceful, our God gives us peace and assurance, both now and forever. He is our safe place. We don’t need to fight for our rights or vindicate ourselves; we have a Father who sees to it that justice is done (in His timing, and His way). “O Lord, hear my plea for justice. Listen to my cry for help. Pay attention to my prayer, for it comes from honest lips. Declare me innocent, for you see those who do right.” (Psalm 17:1-2) All we need to do from our side is see to it that we keep our hearts focused on Him, our eyes fixed on Him, our spiritual ears open to His instruction, as David wrote in Verses 4-5 of this same Psalm. I have used the Passion Translation here, because it captures the essence of this scripture so beautifully, “Following your word has kept me from wrong. Your ways have molded my footsteps, keeping me from going down the forbidden paths of the destroyer. My steps follow in the tracks of your chariot wheels, always staying in their path, never straying from your way.” Run to, and stay in, your Safe Place today, Jill 💜

There was something about this beautiful rainbow hovering right over this abandoned, derelict old wreck of a factory.... it caught at my heart as I got out of the car. Sometimes we believe we are abandoned, that our lives are ‘derelict’, a wreck, beyond repair or hope. But God’s promises never fail! He will never leave you or forsake you. 🌈 Jill 💜

“Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God.Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up & thrown into the sea,’ & does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.” Mark 11:22-23 Jesus also said that all we need is faith the size of a mustard seed. That’s a tiny portion of faith! Why then do we so often struggle to believe that God will answer THAT particular prayer? A SHIFT IN EMPHASIS: Try reading the first part of that verse again. Except this time, instead of focusing on the word ‘faith’, emphasise the word ‘in’. “Have faith IN God…” When I allow the Holy Spirit to make that small shift in my heart, I take the focus off my self effort & fix my gaze on the One who makes & keeps promises. While faith is required in prayer, of more importance is my personal relationship with the One to whom I pray. When I know His beautiful character; the vastness of His great love for me, His faithfulness & willingness to care for me, then I understand that it is His heart’s desire to answer my prayers. The more I get to know the heart of my Father, the more I understand who it is that I place my faith in. The closer my relationship with Him, the more clearly I can see the kindness of His heart, hear the tone of his voice & feel the tenderness of His words. Paul wrote: “I know whom I have believed & I am convinced that he is able ...” 2 Tim 1:12 The Passion Translation puts it like this: “for I have an intimate revelation of this God. & my faith in him convinces me that he is more than able...” 2 Tim 1:12 Paul could say this with confidence. He knew that God is faithful to answer prayer because he had intimate knowledge of God’s heart. He knew that God was willing & able. Paul had faith IN God. Faith flows as I seek to know His heart more intimately, not the other way around. If you are praying for something, shift the focus of your gaze from your need to the heart of your Father who loves you beyond measure & seeks to connect with you. He has heard your prayers! Psalm 139:3: “You read my heart like an open book & you know all all the words I’m about to speak before I even start a sentence!” Jill 💜

“A Mustard Seed Life; what happens when ordinary people put their faith in an extraordinary God?” Available at Amazon ❤️ ‘A Mustard Seed Life’ is a daily devotional /light study, with a theme for each week, covering a six month period. #christmasgiftideas #christianbooksandbiblestudies #christianbooksnonfiction

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.” (Isaiah 26:3-4) PEACE: Do you need peace today? Peace of mind, the peace of knowing that even though everything seems to be ‘all over the place’ in your life at present, it’s all going to be ok? Peace is Jesus’ gift to us. He promised to give us – literally– His peace. ( John 14:27 ) It’s a supernatural peace that doesn’t ‘make sense,’ because everything within screams PANIC, but your heart says “I trust Him.” Sounds almost to good to be true, but it is!! Where is peace to be found? This question is answered clearly in Isaiah 26 (above) WHERE?: Peace is not found in trying to figure out God’s will for my life; it is definitely not in pre planning, making sure I have a great backup plan, or in running about trying to control the circumstances & people in my life. The Peace of God is found only in trusting the One Person who controls all those things that I don’t understand. The Person of the risen Jesus. He isn’t shocked, surprised, or caught off guard by my circumstances, He is thoroughly trustworthy, faithful, intentional in His plans & purposes & He is unstoppable! HOW? How do we experience this remarkable, supernatural peace -the kind of peace that doesn’t vanish the moment disappointments or difficulties come?…..by keeping our minds ‘stayed’ – focused, fixed unwaveringly on the nature & character of Jesus. The more you reflect on who He is: His glory, wisdom, grace, faithfulness, righteousness, patience, His unshakable commitment to his eternal promises, the easier it becomes to lay aside those fears regarding the unknown future & trust the One you know. He is the One who has had everything perfectly figured out since before time began. As your heart begins to ‘make the connection,’ & grasp hold of the truth that He is good & worthy not only of your trust but of the worship of your whole heart. Then your whole heart will be flooded with His peace. Jill 💜

Follow on Feedspot

©Copyright

© Jill McIlreavy at Mustard Seed Blog. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s owner/author and guest authors is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and to Mustard Seed Blog, with appropriate and specific direction (URL link) to the original content. Please respect the hard work and study that we bloggers put into each blog post- plagiarism is taken very seriously.
Plagiarised content discovered will always be formally reported.
Thank you. Jill