Windows On The Soul

We're all familiar with the standard chant of protest marches - "What do we want? .....", "When do we want it? Now!".  The peace movement in Israel is no exception, with their slogan of "Peace Now!". But it is King David in Psalm 118:25 that points us to God's priority, " Salvation Now " (Petersen's paraphrase). In His "Sermon on the Mount", Jesus tells us that all these worldly concerns are secondary to " Seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness " ( Mt.6:33 ). Whether they be clothing or shelter, food or drink, health and healing, security or peace - all our needs God will meet - our striving, concern or 'worry' must first and foremost be to establish our right relationship with God. And that relationship is only found in salvation through the sacrificial love of Jesus, available by faith when we put off the old "I-centric" attitudes and in humble repentance put on "Christ-centredn...

In 2 Tim.3:1-5 , Paul warns of the perils of the last days, including “ greed, boastfulness, pride, blasphemy, disobedience, unthankfulness, unholiness, unloving, unforgiving, slander, anarchy, brutality, treachery, head-strongness, haughtiness, decadence and spiritual impotence (having forms of godliness but denying its power) ”. The Christian gospel is a message of power, but a Godly power, and we are promised that we will receive power from Holy Spirit ( Acts 1:8 ). We are warned that the Kingdom of God is not in words, but in power ( Mt.6:13 , 1 Cor.4:20, 1 Thes.1:5 ). The spirit of Christ is the power unto salvation ( Rom.1:16 ) which impacts the church’s procreation. The power we have available by Holy Spirit is the power to heal ( Lk.5:17 ), for wonders and demonstrations ( Rom.15:9 , 1 Cor.2:4 ) and against spirits ( Mt.10:1 , Mk.3:15 , Lk.9:1 ). More importantly, Holy Spirit gives us power in our personal lives - over the temptations of all flesh ( Jn.17:2 ), the p...

So the circle turns. You are the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. I approached you as my Heavenly Father, Holy King; I close, reaffirming your Kingship, your omnipotence, your eternal "I Am". Lord, you have heard my petitions, you know my needs, and again you remind me that it is "Your Will" be done, that it is Your Name and Person who alone is worthy to receive Glory. Let my prayer Lord, always be, first and foremost, the seeking of your perfect will, the seeking of your Lordship over my life, then may I say "Amen - Let is so be". ---===X===--- Jhn.17:5 "Father, glorify me, with the glory I had before the world was" Rev.21:6 "I am the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end" Deu.33:27 "The eternal God is your refuge, underneath are the everlasting arms" Heb.3:3 "...worthy of more glory..." Isa.9:6 "...Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Princ...

Father? Kingdom? Adopted into a royal family? It all seems too much to comprehend! Yet I seem to so easily take our relationship for granted. "Your Kingdom", "Your will". Yes, you are my King as well as my heavenly Father. Forgive me when I pray "My will be done", instead of "Your will". Dare I presume to try and change Your mind? "Will be done!" My faith rises like the soaring eagle at the very words. Your certainty, my uncertainty. Oh that my will might be at one with yours. ---===X===--- Lk.22:42 "Not my will however, but your will be done" Mt.7:21 "He that does the will of my father...shall enter His Kingdom" Jn.5:30 "...do nothing on my own...only what He who sent me wants." Rm.12:2 "...be transformed...know the good, acceptable and perfect will of God" Eph.5:17 "...understanding what the will of the Lord is." 1 Jn.5:14 "He hears us if we ask f...

It was not enough that you made me like yourself, But you chose me, adopted me, joint heir with your only begotten Son. As I turn to you in prayer, your love engulfs me, pure, heavenly, undeserved love. "Daddy" I cry. "My child" you reply. I pour out my day to you, the highs, the lows, the bumps, the bruises, My needs and dreams, hopes and aspirations, we share, together. Father, I honour you, as only you deserve - Father knows best, it may seem trite, But I submit to your holy will, that it might, Be well with me and my children for ever. ---===X===--- Lk.11:1 "Lord, teach us how to pray!" Mt.6:8 "Your Father already knows your need before you ask" Rom.8:15 "...received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba, Daddy" Mt.7:9 "...if his son asks for bread, will he give him a stone?" Eph.1:5 "...unto us the adoption of children by Jesus Christ." Deu.5:29 "...keep my ...

Ian Fleming’s ‘007’ said, “ Twice is coincidence, but three times means enemy action ”. Have you ever had, seen or heard of those series of incidences that when least expected, quietly whisper, “ God’s incidences! ”? It’s a truth that the most beautiful, desirable things in the world can never be grasped. It’s as if in the very reaching for the desirable object, relationship or emotion, it is immediately polluted by the selfishness of the grasp, and immediately slips further away. How many times have we pleaded with God to act in a certain way, or desperately looked for signs of some answer to “prayer”. But in the silence of His reply, He is saying, “ Don’t you worry about what I should do; I will do what I need to in my time. You just get on with what YOU should be doing ”. It's in these times when we are faithfully, obediently and lovingly saying and doing what God invisibly leads us to do, and boldly stepping forward to tackle the needs of the world that He puts across our ...

This was the challenge of some student stirrers to an EU program at university, little realising the real truth in what they were saying. I know that in my Christian walk I have found that one of the keys to answered prayer is in discovering the right question. Instead of limiting God to answering MY question, if I am open to hearing and seeing what God is saying, doing and leading, then sometimes my very human questions become irrelevant, and the real question of how I should be "in God's will" becomes plain. Only then can God meet my need rather than simply answer my want. " I asked God for health that I might be strong: He gave me sickness that I might be compassionate " Rom.8:26 "...we don't know how to pray...the Spirit pleads with God for us" 1 Chr.16:11 "Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face continually" Jhn.15:7 " If you live in me and my words live in you, you may ask..." 2 Cor....

"Scripture Union is sad to announce the death of a staff worker in Rwanda.  Simon-Pierre Mugabo was a 34 year old schools evangelist who joined the staff in 1990. SU (Victoria) do not have the details of the circumstances of his death, or of the situation of his wife Marie and their one year old son." "SU has also been informed of the death of Israel Havugimana with his aged father and two children. Israel is a former SU staff worker, but was working with Africa Evangelistic Enterprise at the time of his death." "Please pray for the tragic political situation in Rwanda, and for other Christian workers in the area" Scripture Union "Outreach", Winter 1994 ---===X===--- Mt.16:24 "If any man wants to follow me, he must deny himself..." Ps.143:10 "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God..." Lk.14:26 "...does not love me more than family, he cannot be my disciple" Mt.26:42 "...if this cup ...

In earliest times, God appeared to dwell in nature, and made His presence known from time to time in fire, cloud and earthquake. As the Israelites settled down in the promised land instead of a nomadic life, a permanent ‘residence’ was built for God on Zion - The Temple. The time of building was a time of great joy as people sacrificially brought gifts of material, time and skill. When Jesus came on the scene, Temple tradition was upset, when Jesus claimed that God lived in him - Jn.14:10 (‘How can that be when God lives down the road in The Temple?’). Not only that, but Jesus declared and foretold the end of ‘Temple Worship’ ( Jn.2:19-21 ), in the rending of the temple curtain, the physical destruction of The Temple, and his own bodily death. In His resurrection, He instituted the era of God’s spirit indwelling the hearts of believers. But Jesus did not just bring about a spatial change, from centralised to distributed, but rather completion of God’s plan for His relati...