A perfect storm

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Have you ever come across a ‘perfect storm’? Here is a definition from wikipedia,

“A ‘perfect storm’ is an expression that describes an event where a rare combination of circumstances will aggravate a situation drastically. The term is also used to describe an actual phenomenon that happens to occur in such a confluence, resulting in an event of unusual magnitude.”

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It was October 2012 and life had just got crazier! I was still working through my chronic fatigue and now all of a sudden Abbey being pregnant with Max found herself bed bound with severe sickness. We couldn’t believe the timing of these events. How could this all happen at the same time? I could barely look after the kids but always did my best, but with Abbey in bed for most of the day things were looking impossible for us as a family. On top of that neither of us could now work. Our finances were coming to a very quick end. With all these things kicking in together it was like a ‘perfect storm’ brewing!

“Storm ahead!”
How do you respond to such a terrifying set of circumstances? As far as we could see there was no human solution. Where will we live once our money runs out? Are we going to be homeless? How would we continue to function as a family with both Abbey and I sick?

There was no preparation for these events that were taking place. We did not receive any dreams or warnings from the Lord telling us what was soon to be coming. So what do you do? Well, we pretty much collapsed and crashed all over again! Yep. We found ourselves totally overwhelmed. We got angry. We got fearful. I remember on one occasion sitting in my car with my head against the stirring wheel saying to God, “I just can’t take it anymore!” We had lost hope and couldn’t see a way out…

The Israelites found themselves in a similar situation!

They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? (Exodus 14:11)

Can you imagine being trapped in a desert with no where to go and an evil violent army on their way to slaughter you? Israel must have been terrified and sick to the stomach! They complained at God like most of us do when we are stressed and cannot make sense of why things are going so badly for us. They lost faith in God and could not see a way out … but God could!

“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.” (Exodus 14:21-22)

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Woah! No one saw that coming!
Just when it looked absolutely impossible for the Israelites to be saved, God turns up with an answer that no one was expecting! He opens the sea left and right so that His people can walk through to safety and escape!

God did something very similar in our lives a year ago in the midst of our circumstances. He opened a way for my family and I to move to Washington State. Our move abroad was the beginning of God’s ‘exodus’ for us! He opened up a way for my family and I to begin a process of healing and restoration. Many challenges would continue to face us, but this was the beginning of God taking us away from all that had happened to us in England.

Are you in a storm?
Are you in a ‘perfect storm’? Maybe you are worried about how you are going to pay the next months rent but have no job. Maybe there are difficult or abusive people in your life and you cannot see a way out for escape. Maybe you are addicted to drugs and cannot see how you will ever get free from them. Maybe you are sick but cannot afford health insurance and wondering what are you going do. Maybe you are struggling in your marriage and cannot see a way forward. Maybe you are a mum at your wits end caring for all your children. Maybe you are facing some or all of these examples in one go!

God does have a way out for you!
I couldn’t see a way out. God’s people certainly couldn’t see a way out, but God could! He does have a way out for you. It may not come as the perfect way that you would like (we didn’t want to leave our home in England) but God definitely has a way out for you. It may not have arrived yet, but it will. It may come with other challenges ahead, but God knows what he is doing and where he is leading you.

I hope this encourages you if you are walking through a storm at the moment. I pray that God’s peace would rest upon you as you read you this. May God bless you.

Running the treadmill all alone

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It was the summer of 2012 and I was now off work for the whole summer in an attempt to recover from my chronic fatigue. During that summer period Sunday mornings were very strange for me as I did not attend or lead the church. On a typical Sunday morning during that summer you would find me at the gym working out while my church was about 100 meters away from me in the same shopping mall meeting in the Movie theatre! I felt like I was out in the wilderness laying low.

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Who was I now?
Who exactly was I now, running on that treadmill all alone? As the months moved on that question popped up as the ‘stripping down’ of my life increased. I went from having a good and high profile job to having no job and being unemployed for a long time. I went from having a decent salary to having nothing (including my family living in a homeless shelter later on). I went from having achieved a lot to suddenly being unable to achieve anything! I went from having lots of recognition to running the treadmill all alone in what felt like no-mans land. That was a very lonely time me.

In the ‘desert’ we find our true selves!
Despite this being a horrible time for me, looking back I can see some gems appearing. I discovered that God uses times like these to help us know who we truly are in Him. What I mean is this – when all your gifts, abilities, performance, achievements, recognition and approval from others is gone… who are you? How much are you worth when there is nothing you can do?

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God loved us before we had achieved or done anything!
I am so thankful for the truth of the gospel. It tells me something incredible!

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners”. (Romans 5:8 NLT)

This verse is one of my favourite verses in the whole bible! It tells me that when I was at my worst, a sinner, having not achieved any righteousness of my own, God still loved me! You can’t get worse than being a ‘sinner’ and yet God loved us while we were like that. We were precious and valuable to Him before we had earned or achieved anything. He loves us unconditionally and takes us in just as we are and then later cleans us up. I often think of my love for my children. I loved them right from day 1 before they were able to do anything!

My identity is in Christ!
Our God given gifts and callings are wonderful things, but they are not the primary way we find our self worth and identity! The ultimate answer to the question, ‘who are you now?’ is this – my identity and worth is in Jesus Christ. It’s in everything he is for me and has achieved for me. Whether I am a pastor or not, an achiever of great things or not, a money earner or not, my identity and worth is in Jesus Christ. And yes, even if I have failed and sinned throughout the day – I am still a righteous saint in Christ!

Who are you? What’s your identity in?
Maybe your worth and value is in your achievements at work and you are pretty driven! Or maybe you are an incredible and talented athlete but the thought of no longer having that makes you feel very empty and scared. Maybe you thrive from the admiration of the opposite sex because, well lets face it, you are pretty darn good looking! Maybe your hard earned cash and bank balance gives you a sense of achievement, entitlement and worth. Maybe you have a very high position in your work and love the feeling of that, but it’s a little scary when someone else is being praised or promoted. Maybe you were a great mother to your children but now they have all left home, and you feel lost with who you are and what your value is in. Maybe you are just a wonderful, nice and happy person to be around. People really love hanging out with you, but its getting exhausting keeping up that smile!

Don’t be afraid of losing things (or your life!)

Jesus said, “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” (Luke 9:24 ESV)

Don’t be afraid of losing your life. Its scary at first, I know! But I have learnt that the stripping away of things in my life is helping me find my life again… but this time in Jesus. I lost the job I loved, lived for and dreamed of. I lost my health and ability to achieve things (sometimes all I could do in a day was… well, not a lot!). I became pretty low and self centered at times. But, I am now beginning to find that my real true life is rooted in God’s unconditional love for me. My value and worth is in Jesus Christ and not in what I have or how well I have done that day.

So, if you are going through a desert time in your life right now, or feel the whole world is being taken away from you, God might just be using this time to help you rediscover your life, worth and identity in Him.

Tongue-tied at the Big Rock Cafe!

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It was May 2012 and I had arrived in Washington state for a 2 week retreat on my own without my family. I had not yet been diagnosed as having Chronic fatigue or a serious case of ‘burn out’. My plan was to rest for two weeks and then be ready again to get back into London life, leading our church plant – Freedom Church. Little did I know my optimistic view was way off!

Each day I would go on a daily walk, along the College Way up to the Big Rock cafe and then turn back.

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It would take me about 45 minutes to do this walk. The main reason for this was I had to walk very slowly so not to get my heart rate going too much or I would just flag and feel ill. I could barely walk without the fatigue kicking in! I loved the walk though, it was so peaceful and beautiful.

A few days into my retreat I met up with John Westra, a friend of mine and the pastor of the local church where I was staying. We met together to chat at the Big Rock Cafe!

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We talked about my health, the church plant, and a number of other things. But then he asked me an intriguing question.

“Mark what do you think God is saying to you at the moment”?

I paused, tongue-tied. I had no idea! This wasn’t a question about what God was saying about my work or the church but about me… It was a really good question. If I was literally face to face with God, my nose right against his looking into his eyes, what would he say to me? My answer was, ‘I don’t know, I really don’t.’

Ninety percent of my prayer life was about the exciting church plant and ministry, or big needs in my life. The other ten percent I am not really sure about! One thing I began to realize though was this,

God might be more interested in a relationship with me than chatting all the time about how his new church was going in north London!

I had substituted intimacy and relationship with God for the thrill of work and ministry.

“You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God…” (Exodus 20:5)

Jesus did not suffer and give his life on a cross to simply share me with another idol; even the ministry! God is a passionate God and He is passionate about us. He gave everything he had that he might gain us for relationship. He wants us because he loves us so dearly.

This was just the beginning of a long and painful journey. I certainly had not ‘got’ all this in just one meeting at the Big rock cafe! God was going to be working on this very subject over the next two years (and he still is).

My question to you as you are reading this

My question to you is simple – ‘what is God saying to you at the moment?’ I don’t mean about your work, or about the problems in your marriage or family household or even about your future plans. If you were face to face with God right now in the midst of all your busyness and burdens what would God be saying to you? Maybe you have failed in some area of your life. Maybe you are stuck in sin and have drifted away from God. Maybe you really don’t like yourself. Maybe life is just very chaotic for you right now. But step away for a moment… Pause… Have you taken time out to just stop? Have you taken time out to sit quietly before God and hear his voice and words to you? What do you think God is saying to you? Don’t give the Sunday bible school answer either. Get real. What do you actually believe He thinks about you right now in the midst of your life? God wants more of you… He is after closeness and time spent with you. He loves you. He paid a great price to ‘get’ you!

Sometimes a ‘desert’ time in our lives is actually God’s way of pursuing us…

Help, we’ve lost everything!

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That’s pretty much a good summary of where my family and I were at this time last year (January 2013) as we stepped off the plane and arrived in Washington, USA!

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We had lost our home in London, England and all our possessions, except for the four suitcases we took with us filled with clothes and some of the kids toys :).

We had lost my family (my parents and my three brothers). We had lost some very dear friends.

I in particular had lost our beloved church that we had planted in north London with all the precious memories that went with it. I had lost an exciting dream. The very thing I was living for was gone!

Most of all I had lost my physical health. I was suffering with Chronic Fatigue (or ‘burn out’ as its often called) the very thing that caused all this!

Not only that but I was spiritually tired and depressed. I had no desire for God whatsoever.

That’s a lot of loss but I should say I at least had my wife and my precious children. We as a family were still together, although with much to work out!

My Journal over this last year!

This blog is about my thoughts, questions and answers during this ‘desert’ season of my life. Many of the topics are excerpts from my own personal journal. These were precious moments where I learned to sit down, listen and talk with God about life. I hope there are people out there who will find this helpful and identify with the real life struggles that I have gone through over the last two years. I hope some of my honesty will connect with others and help them through what they may be going through. Most of all I love writing and sharing about the things that I am passionate about!

THE RETURN OF THE KING

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Hey everyone! Hope you are doing well during this Corona Virus  ‘quarantine’ season.  I am still battling a virus (but not the Corona thankfully). I had a very strong encounter with God today and its hard to put into words everything I felt. So here is a very short attempt to put into writing something of what I felt God was stirring in me today.

[11] Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. [12] His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. [13] He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. [14] And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.” (Revelation 19:11–16)

JESUS WILL RETURN!

The Return Of The King | Know Your Meme

Every Christmas we celebrate the birth of of Christ. As much as I love Christmas I have to be honest, the story of Christ’s birth doesn’t catch my heart as much as I feel it should. Its a humble story of a little baby entering the world. Yes, this baby is the divine Son of God taking on human flesh for a rescue mission on earth, but it is nonetheless a humble and backstage kind of story. Nothing glamorous. Very much hidden in the outskirts of Bethlehem. Born in a animal stable with just a few people coming to visit. This baby is weak. There is no apparent glory in his coming. BUT that was just the first coming…

Get ready! If you think this Jesus of Nazareth who was meek and mild is returning like the first time you are in for a shock! That baby who was born in a manger is coming back but this time with ‘fire in his eyes’! He is coming on ‘white horse’ and with a ‘sword!’ He is returning with the crown of heaven! And he is coming with ALL the ‘armies of heaven’ following Him! Do you know this? Are you ready for this? Are you excited? The King of all Kings is returning and this time his rule will be absolute! There will be no messing. Are you ready?

A WHITE HORSE!

What To Do When You Fall Off The White Horse And Break No Contact

Not a donkey but a white horse!

The first time John used the word ‘behold’ was when he saw Jesus for the very first time as a meek ‘lamb’ in John 1:29

“Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

But in his second vision of Jesus here in Revelation he sees something different…

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse!” (Rev 19:11)

John who was in awe (‘behold’) of the lamb of God now is in awe of the King riding out on a white horse. And the first time Jesus entered into Jerusalem he came riding on a humble donkey… but get ready… for Jesus is returning but this time on a glorious ‘white horse’! 

Victory

“Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor 15:54-55)

A white horse was symbolic of victory and how fitting for the second coming of Jesus!! Jesus has overcome sin, death and the Devil through his shed blood on the cross. He then was raised and is now seated on the throne of heaven in all glory. Sickness will bow down to the coming of the King. All viruses will be gone forever. Death will be swallowed up in victory!

FIRE IN HIS EYES!

[12] His eyes are like a flame of fire…

Several fire departments called to fire at Kegs Canalside concert ...

Wow! Eyes are an amazing thing. You can tell a lot about people when you look them in the eye. I have met people with beautiful eyes, I have met people with strong eyes, loving eyes, joyful eyes, sad eyes. But I have never met someone with eyes like John is describing here!

Passion for my sons

Have you ever felt intense rage against something that was so wrong and unjust? When you love someone passionately you will quickly find righteous anger brewing when someone is hurting that loved one. If one of my children tells me a story about them being bullied, I want to fight! I want to protect my son! I want to run in there and defend him. I quickly feel a passion rising and a rage against anything evil that might come against my dear children.

Jesus’ passion for his Bride!

I think that these eyes of fire tell us something of God’s rage against evil and his intense love and passion for his bride, the Church! As I worshiped in my living room today I began to jump with this sense of  ‘he is coming back for his Church, Hallelujah!’

Jesus would want to encourage us today if we are feeling forgotten or lost during this corona virus season. If you are feeling scared. If you are feeling ‘bullied’ by evil in some way… He is coming for you! Can you feel his passion burning? We are not a forgotten people! So take courage Church. 

Evil is coming to an end!

Jesus burns with rage against the demonic powers of this world! He has fire in his eyes and a sword in his hand! He is coming for Satan and all his little minions! Satan’s days are numbered and he knows it.

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:9–11)

Make no mistake about it – every knee is going to bow before Jesus Christ. For some they will ‘have’ to bow and for others (the Church) we will ‘get’ to bow!

Take up your shield

So take up your shield and your sword for the Lord shall return! Stand firm therefore.

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Do not be dismayed about the current events in this passing world. There are wars. Evil runs rampant. Sickness and death are present realities… but not for long! The kingdoms of this world will soon fall beneath the feet of Jesus Christ! All evil will be ended and his Kingdom shall reign forever. 

Jump for joy!

Clap your hands oh you people. Shout unto God with a voice of triumph! Hallelujah to the Lord! (Psalm 47:1) Jump for joy and sing to the Lord. Get ready for the wedding feast, for the bridegroom is returning! He is wearing the crown of heaven and all the angels are applauding the King! Make way for his return.

Will you ride with Him?

I am going to leave you with this song – ‘we will ride’. Its from the worship time at the Brownsville Revival some years back (one of my favorite revivals!) and its the spontaneous live version. This is the song I began to jump for joy to earlier today. I hope it does the same for you.

Now just pause and breath for a minute… can you hear the sound of the horses and the armies of heaven? Can you hear the rumble in the distance? He is coming…

Be Strengthened with Power

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Good morning again! I hope you are all doing well and staying firm in Christ. I have actually been sick for the last number of days but found God leading me to this scripture that I hope will follow my last post and strengthen us all for this season we are in.

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father… that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your heart…” (Ephesians 3:14-17)

In prison again

If the apostle Paul followed the trend of prison tattoos he would have quite a few! His however would not be for the reasons that inmates usually have. His would point to Jesus Christ, his location and his imprisonment for the gospel. In the above passage Paul is writing to the Ephesian Church from prison. 

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Far from discouraged we find a man rich in Christ and this ‘richness’ that he has on the inside of his heart is flowing out with joy in his letter to the Church!

On our knees

“I bow my knees before the Father…” (vs 14)

What a great way to start the day! I recently saw a post with the quote –

‘a Church on its its knees is far more powerful than an army standing on its feet.’

Being on our knees in prayer is not a rule or a tradition that we as believers have to follow, that would be just empty religion. Being on our knees in prayer before God is an expression of our need and dependency upon Him. Its saying at the beginning of the day – ‘I need you Lord and you have what I need.’ 

Weakness brings us to our knees

Being on our knees in prayer is the exact opposite of an independent heart that says I can tackle life in my own strength. However sometimes God will bring us to a place of weakness to re-align our hearts and our dependency upon Him. With the Corona Virus Pandemic I believe God is drawing people’s hearts back to him. In fact I wouldn’t be writing these daily posts if I was healthy and well! I would be working, I would be at the gym, I would be focused on projects around the house. Well, I cannot do that right now… and so strangely enough I have found myself in prayer and on my knees before God again.

“For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself… but that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” (2 Cor 1:8-9)

When God allows weakness or sickness or other forms of suffering don’t necessarily fight it. God may be drawing you back to Him!

Be strengthened

‘be strengthened with power…’ (vs 16)

From a place upon his knees Paul prays for the church to be strengthened with power. When God brings us to a place of weakness and vulnerability it is so that we might be strengthened with power through Him! That is the purpose. God wants us strong… but through Him! When we are on our knees, God is able to pour out his Spirit upon us and strengthen us with His power. 

Not a physical strengthening

‘be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.’ (vs 16)

Notice that the strength and power available to us is not a physical empowering, although God often does that and He still heals the sick today! But here, Paul’s emphasis is on our need for ‘inner strength’.

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If you have ever fasted food in a time of seeking God, you will know that your stomach remains physically hungry. But there is a strengthening from God in those times on the inside that carries us through the physical hunger. He meets us in our vulnerability and need.

Some of the most powerful servants for God have ministered with physical weakness or illness.

“And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling… that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Cor 2:3-5)

See how the two words ‘weakness’ and ‘power of God’ go together! What a great combo! God lifts up the humble in heart! Those that come with their own strength find it hard to find him, but those that come as they ‘are’ find Jesus very easily. 

That Jesus may dwell in you

so that Christ may dwell in your heart…” (vs 17)

The end goal of this strengthening is that Jesus Christ may dwell in your heart! God provides. God is rich, and out of the ‘riches of his glory’ (vs 16) he provides his very own presence to us. As we allow him, he fills us with His Spirit and Jesus dwells in our hearts.

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“For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (Jer 2:13)

What is filling your heart this morning? God is using this season of sickness and pandemic to shake us up. To draw our hearts away from the usual ’empty cisterns’ we trust in. He is calling us back to himself.

An everlasting well

God wants to pull you away from the empty ‘wells’ that we have been drawing from and bring us to the living well of Jesus Christ. He has ‘living water’ (John 4:14) that can quench your soul more than any earthly water can. He is the ‘living bread’ (John 6:51) from heaven that can feed your hunger in a way that physical food cannot. In your loneliness God has provision for you. In your sickness, God has what you need. In your ‘quarantine’ God is your provider. Allow him to fill you today. Come to Him in prayer. Open his word and let Him fill you from the ‘riches of his glory.’

Stay firm in Christ

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“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” (Col 2:6-7)

Good morning everyone! This is the first morning for me since the state declared a shut down due to the Corona virus. I came across the above verse and felt stirred to share this as an appropriate response to all that has been happening! These are just a few thoughts that i hope will encourage you!

‘Walk in him’ (vs 6)

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Its kind of funny that the apostle Paul encourages the Church to ‘walk’ in Christ (vs 7)! How can we ‘walk’ during a time of quarantine? We are told not to go out (well except on short walks for brief exercise). But here we are being told something different. To ‘walk’ isn’t a physical walking but a spiritual and mental walk. It means to think and have the attitude and mindset of Christ, even while stuck at home. It means to have our hope in Him! It means to be able to worship and praise God because our hope and destiny is an eternal one through Jesus.

Singing in prison

When the apostle Paul was put in prison for the gospel  we read that he (and Silas) were singing in the prison cell.

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25)

Paul wasn’t able to physically ‘walk’ outside. He was quarantined in the prison cell but he was still able to ‘walk in Christ’. His mindset was still set on his hope in Christ. His understanding of this fallen world was against the backdrop of our glorious eternal hope in the gospel. He wasn’t afraid of death! He wasn’t bound to the earthly prison cell. What is the worst that could happen to him? If he was put to death, that would only lead to his gain of being with Jesus in heaven… Do we have this mindset in Christ? Or are we so focused on this temporal world and the brokenness of this world that we have lost our heart and our joy?

‘Rooted and built up in Him’ (vs 6)

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Paul goes on to say to the Church that they should be ‘rooted and built up in Him, and established in faith.’ Our anchor is in Him and the gospel. During this strange and unsettling season of the Corona Virus, we are as Christians to make sure we stay rooted and built up in Jesus Christ. God wants us to remain ‘established’ in our faith! That means we spend time with him in prayer and in his word. Read the epistles and see how the apostles point suffering Christians to their hope in Christ –

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in Glory.” (Col 3:2-4)

Not positive thinking but Jesus Christ

We are not to put our hope in self help during this season. We are not called to ‘positive thinking’ but to the very real and sure hope that we have in Christ. Our ‘positive thinking’ comes from the gospel that causes us to sing and rejoice even when we are in ‘prison’! 

‘Abounding in thanksgiving’ (vs 7)

I want to encourage us to practice ‘thanksgiving’ as we walk through these uncertain times. Let us be like Paul singing in the prison cell because our hope and our joy will spill over to our friends and neighbors. In the passage where Paul and Silas are singing in the prison cell it says this – ‘and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25). As believers in Jesus, we have a massive opportunity to let the world see and hear our hope and joy that is in Jesus. Let it start in your living room today… begin to thank Him for all he has done through Christ for us. Rejoice in your eternal hope in heaven. Sing because he has forgiven us all our sins!

Dance because He will return!

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Be glad because Jesus soon will return and he is going to make all things new and death will be no longer (Rev 21:5). Sing to the Lord therefore and dance with all your might! I pray that this reality would grow and be established in our hearts through this season we are walking through.

I will leave you with the lyrics to a song that is in my mind at the moment that seems very fitting for the time that we are in –

“Sing a song of celebration, lift up a shout of praise For the Bridegroom will come, the glorious One And oh, we will look on His face We’ll go, to a much better place Dance with all your might, lift up your hands and clap for joy The time’s drawing near, when He will appear And oh, we’ll stand by His side A strong, pure, spotless bride We will dance on the streets that are golden The glorious bride and the great Son of Man From every tongue and tribe and nation Will join, in the song of the Lamb Sing aloud for the time of rejoicing is near The risen king, our groom, is soon to appear The wedding feast to come is now near at hand Lift up your voice proclaim the coming Lamb.”