Full Joy

Hardly a day goes by without us hearing of someone saying, "Why me, why now, why this?".

In Peter, he told the believers not to be surprised but the troubles and trials they experienced because they believed and followed Christ:
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
(1 Peter 4:12-13 NIV)

While we may not face persecution because we believe in Christ, as those Peter was writing to did, we do all face pain and suffering at some time in our lives. So these words of Peter can be used for ourselves.

Are you finding it difficult to be full of joy because your life is full of pain and hurt? Do you feel God is far away from you? Well Peter also reminds us to trust God even though we can't see Him or even see Him working.

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
(1 Peter 1:8-9 NIV)

Even when we are facing troubles, we too can express joy because we believe and trust in God. After all Christ wants us to enjoy our reward for following Him, He says so in 1 Peter 1:9 (see above).

The song Great, Great Joy sung here by the International Staff Songsters fits in excellently with my message:

Walk By Faith

Do you "walk by faith"?
Is your faith such that no matter what you face, it stays strong and keeps you focus on God?
Do you believe God plans the way ahead for you?

Have you answered No to any of these questions? If so I'd like to encourage you to put your trust fully in God. I, like many others can vouch for the fact that God will never let you down. He will plan your life for you and lead you along His path. You might find the path He's chosen for you is not the one you expected, however God knows you better than you know yourself, so trust Him he knows what is best for you.

God will use you to help spread His wonderful message if only you'll put your full trust in Him and walk by faith.

Walk By Faith (by Jeremy Camp)
Will I believe you when you say
Your hand will guide my every way
Will I receive the words You say
Every moment of every day

Well I will walk by faith
Even when I cannot see
because this broken road
Prepares Your will for me

Help me to rid my endless fears
You've been so faithful for all my years
With the one breath You make me new
Your grace covers all I do

yeah, yeah , yeah, yeah, ya

well i will walk by faith
even when i cannot see
because this broken road
prepares your will for me

Well I'm broken- but I still see Your face
Well You've spoken- pouring Your words of grace

Well I will walk by faith
Even when I cannot see
Well because this broken road
Prepares Your will for me

Well I will walk by faith
Even when I cannot see
Well because this broken road
Prepares Your will for me

Hallelujah, hallelu

I will walk by faith, I will walk by faith,
I will walk by faith
I will walk by faith, I will walk by faith,
I will walk by faith
I will walk by faith, I will walk by faith,
I will walk by faith
I will walk by faith
I will walk,I will walk
Faith
I will walk, I will walk by faith

Checkout Jeremy Camp's website: http://www.jeremycamp.com/

All We Need Is Jesus

God He Reigns and All I Need Is You

Holy One
Holy One
Al creation bows to worship
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Glory in the highest

I will sing
I will sing His praises forever

God He reigns
God He reigns
Holy is the Lord of heaven
God He reigns
God He reigns forever more

All I need is You
All I need is You Lord
Is You Lord

Simple words, but words which which I truly believe. Do you believe that all you need is Jesus?


Phillipians 4:19

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus


Help us spread the message of Jesus to the world, so that all creation bows to worship God. Help the world believe that Jesus is all they need.

Prayer Instructions

One thing that often discourages people from praying is their fear of doing it wrong.

So here are some basic instructions that someone passed to me a number of years ago, about how to pray:

• First, we must come in faith, believing that there is a God who will hear us and reward us (Hebrews 11:6)


• We must must willingly let God examine our hearts (Psalms 139:23-24), confess our sins (1 John 1:9), and then repent (Acts 3:19).


• Even when we feel our faith is small, we can still pray (Matthew 17:20).


• Do we have any relationships that need to be mended. If so, we should try to mend them (Matthew 5:23-24)


• Ask yourself, "would the answer to this prayer honour Jesus' name, or extend the work of God's kingdom?"

If your prayers don't currently follow these instructions, don't worry it doesn't mean God hasn't been listening to your prayers. Try to pray regularly, and try to keep the things I've mentioned in mind when you pray.

If you open your heart to God and let Him in, there is no limit to what He can do in your life.

Somebody's praying for me...to those of you who have been praying for me, and continuing to do so, a very big thank you from me.

Thank you!

Do I Pray A Lot?

Last night on Facebook I found a comment had been left for which simply said..."u sure do pray alot? what u pray 4?".

Well that got me thinking (don't worry I didn't overdo it!), do I really pray a lot? Well no, I don't think I do, but then who am I comparing myself with? Jesus?

Have you thought about how much you pray? If not, take a few minutes to think about how much time you spend in prayer each day.

I try to allocate specific times each day when I pray and do try to stick to that if I possibly can. That however does not mean that I don't pray at other times during the day, if/when the need arises.

So I've considered whether I pray a lot and answered that one so now, what do I pray about?

I pray for a wide variety of things. Here's a general list of just a few of the things I pray about/for...N.B. I don't necessarily pray for all of these things every time I pray!

• friends and family
• friends/family who have no found God
• people/situations others ask me to pray for
• church (my own as well as the the global church)
• local events/situations
• world events/situations
• me! - that God will help me to be more like Jesus

So that's just some of the things I pray for on a regular basis - I know these are very general topics, however this would be a very very long blog if I gave you more specific about my prayers.

What do you pray about? Do you believe God will answer your prayers? I believe God will answer my prayers. He often doesn't answers them in ways I'd expect or want, but He answers them in the way He knows is best for the people or situations involved.

So that's the questions I was asked answered, so I'd like to just take this opportunity to remind you to...

Believe in prayer, pray often, God will answer your prayer!