willbedoneonearth

While God has good intentions, to prosper us and not to harm us, to give us a hope and a future (Jer 29 v 11-13)", satan seeks to devour us alive, to consume us- to steal, to kill and to destroy (John 10 v 10).  To get a picture of this we just need to look at any merciless venture in the world- such as child sex trafficking- such as 'ethnic cleansing', to understand that our enemy is without mercy.  He hates us and delights in our sufferings and losses.  The detestable things on earth give him pleasure.  There is no compassion in him for a child, the elderly, the hopeless and downtrodden person.  If he can crush you, he will just want to crush you more.  Your destruction is his delight. Too many of us have a cartoon image of the devil- poking us teasingly with a plastic Halloween prodder- or a cute character on our shoulder doing a to and fro debate with us, as a cherub sits on our other shoulder. Instead, we should look to the cold blooded killers in history, c

Regret is a strong current that threatens to pull us back.  This is the time I believe we have to swim forward even more furiously and determinedly. I have recently been confronted with some of my life's biggest regrets.  What are some of the things that are helping me swim against the current? 1.  Thinking about the traditional midlife crisis- it seems common enough to have some sort of paralyzing self analysis at around this time in ones life-yes?  I am not  too  abnormal! 2.  Paul strove to forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead (Phil 3 v 13-14)- surely I should too?                                      3.  God works all things   together  for the good of those who love him (Rom 8 v 28) 4.  The story of Joseph; the story of David; the story of my names sake, Naomi.  Stories of biblical characters have brought me so much hope in dark times. 5.  Realizing there are a whole lot of other beautiful people out there who have regre

“...the Lords hand has gone out against me” Ruth 1 v 13  So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem.  When they arrived in Bethlehem the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, ‘Can this be Naomi?’ Don’t call me Naomi, she told them.  Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.  I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.  Why call me Naomi?  The Lord has afflicted me; the almighty has brought misfortune upon me” Ruth 1 v 19-21 Sometimes I think about seeing old friends and I think their expectations would be disappointed.  I may think of my youth, when first saved, and think how cheery and free I was- working, capable, social.  But one thing I read about Naomi’s possible musings in an article was whether she remembered the peace with God she used to enjoy in her youth…and that added to her sorrow. I feel a great deal of stress- and not a lot of peace- I look forward to a time of peace…I hope that is

"I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you" "Sing for joy, O heavens, for  the Lord has done this; sing aloud, O earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and displays his glory in Israel" Isaiah 44 v 22- 23 God comforts his people at the start of chapter 44 of Isaiah with a promise of restoration, 'I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants'. Then the Lord speaks of his over whelming superiority- there is none like him..."there is no other Rock". Have you ever had another rock besides God?  The Israelites had been guilty of this, of setting up 'idols' in Gods place- verse 9 to 20.  I had not understood this sin when I first became a Christian, and now I feel like I have experience of what it is like to put

"For God does speak- now one way, now another-though man may not perceive it.  In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds, he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, to turn man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride, to preserve his soul from the pit, his life from perishing from the sword..." "God does all these things to a man- twice, even three times- to turn back his soul from the pit, that the light of life may shine on him".   Job 33 v 14-18, 29-30 Many years after first becoming a Christian I realised how much God had spoken to me personally already  in a still small voice or a dream but I had not recognised it at the time.  Maybe at times I knew deep down, but I dared not ask the question, God is that you?  Sometimes we just don't really want to know the answer to that question.  But the more we understand his goodness the more we see that his voice is always good. After awhil

I am so grateful for being taught to respect the written word of God and prioritize bible reading as a new Christian.  I am grateful for scripture memorization and the re-reading of the same sections of scripture over and over again. The main reason for this is because I have a storehouse of scripture within that the Holy Spirit uses to remind me of what he wants to say to me. Store up scripture like treasure.  Hoard it in your mind. "...store up for yourselves treasures in heaven... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6 v 20, 21 I know and I know that this verse is probably most directly and commonly applied to giving financially to kingdom work, such as missionaries or feeding the hungry. I think I'm seeing it as any investment in our and others eternal destiny.  When we store up the word we are investing in our own and others spiritual health.  We can remind ourselves of Gods truth and others too.  We can e

"Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation".  He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done".  An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.  And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.  When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.  "Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation"." Luke 22 v 39-46 Jesus told the disciples "pray that you will not fall into temptation".  Then he prays himself and returns to find them, not praying, but asleep. According to Jesus, staying from temptation is more important tha

I signed up to write a blog 2 years ago.  I chose the name willbedoneonearth.  And two years later I have published my first post.  That it not unlike life in general, is it?  Desires float around and we get distracted, sometimes stressed out of our brains with other things or it just feels like it must be so hard to do and what will we write anyway and how will we find the time..etc...etc... The phrase 'will be done on earth' comes from a larger phrase out of the prayer Jesus prayed when his followers asked him 'teach us to pray'.  It's sort of a template of how to pray.  Oftentimes in the last couple of years I didn't know what to pray I just knew I needed a whole lot of help so I would recite this prayer some mornings in my study, my nook away from the world (for at least 5 minutes!).  The prayer is short, the prayer is sweet.  It covers all the bases.  It is like a springboard for more detail as you dialogue more with God about your personal life, yo

I believe in these last days one of the biggest forms of oppression the enemy brings against God’s children is depression, particularly in the first world.  The reason I think in the first world is because of the resources we have, sometimes in abundance, such as opportunities, finances, technology and other things which can be used for God's work through us- but depression can suppress and hinder the use of our gifts and resources and our expansion... I believe it is a form of his persecution against God’s people.  Depression is the enemy of hope, peace and joy.  Hope, peace and joy are our inheritance as God’s children. I have suffered depression at certain times of my life- seasons where joy, hope and peace is a struggle to attain.  I have been a bit 'self diagnosing' as to the reasons for my feelings- I now think we should ask God more questions- Why am I feeling this way?  What has caused these feelings to come over me?  Some of my depression I now understand,

In the Christian life we will take wrong turns.  Let’s call them alternate paths.  These alternate paths may not have been Gods ultimate will or outcome and are the result of a decision we made.  The decision making process could have been arduous, perhaps because there was a lot at stake.  We may have become impatient- and rushed ahead in assumptions.  We may have been persuaded by someone else, someone who was well meaning but didn’t quite know our situation as well as we hoped. We may have needed to take a harder step in the decision making process to seek Gods will, such as a fast, but we were not prepared to go that far at the time. Sometimes in a decision-making process there is a confusion that can come upon us from the enemy, that is from the enemy because ‘God is not a God of confusion but of peace’ (1 Corinthians 14.33)- and this kind ‘may only come out with prayer and fasting’ (Matthew 17.21). There is a point on the chosen path where we realise, this is not wha

I believe God plants good desires, dreams and plans in our heart of what he would have us do or become or pursue.   I was thinking about how different plans and dreams interconnect and influence each other- these are a couple of my thoughts... A dream may be an enabler to many smaller dreams .  This may be marriage to a certain person with certain similar interests or who would be a great supporter to your interests. This could be the desire to live in a certain country, the fulfillment of which is connected to many other dreams such as mission in that culture, foods, scenery, social setting, work opportunities. The enemy may try to attack the large dream that would be the support for the smaller dreams. (Photo to the right shows a metal framework supporting the growth of the many flowering vines...picture taken at South bank, Brisbane.) For example, you may not be able to do certain things if you are unsupported by your partner, or not to the fullest extent of wha

(No, I didn't either bake or ice this cake! My daughter's birthday cake- with the image of her favorite cat!) His grace is lavish.  It is described as having been ‘lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding’ (Ephesians 1.8).  He knows what he’s doing.  Have you ever baked a cake that didn’t quite turn out as you hoped?  Cracks or craters.  Hollows.  Dryness.  Crumbling.  Over-browned.  Sunken in the middle. That is us.  We are flawed and inadequate. God applies his grace lavishly to us, as we may spread delicious buttery frosting extra-thickly over a not-so perfect cake.  The icing fills the craters and crevices and cracks, balances the dry and crumbly texture, covers over the over-cooked unsightly brown surface… Next time you are obsessing over your mistakes and weaknesses and foot-in-the-mouth moments, as I frequently do, remember Gods lavish grace, which covers over and accounts for all the things he knows are there but he still loves us dearly.