Nothing Can Separate Us

The Golden City

(Adrian Plass, Dave Clifton, Ian Blythe, Phil Baggaley)

Soon your trials will be over,

Offered up by mercy's hand;

Let Him heal you where you're standing,

A doorway to another land

The sweetest welcome from the Father,

Gathered up and carried home,

We have come to this time of waiting,

Come let us bow before Your throne

We will meet in the golden city, in the new Jerusalem

All our pain and all our tears will be no more.

We will stand with the hosts of heaven and cry,

"Holy is the Lamb",

We will worship and adore You evermore

Never can the powers of darkness,

Neither death nor even life

Let nothing ever separate us,

From the holy love of God

When we find something or someone we love, we never want to be separated from it/them. Our relationship with God should be no different, we must love God so much that we never want to be separated from Him.

Fortunately God promises us that if we love Him, we will never be separated from Him, ever!

Romans 8:38-39 (The Message)
I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

Reassurance

Psalm 145:18 (NIV)
The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

I find great reassurance in these words, do you?

God has promised us that He will be there for us whenever and wherever we need Him - all we have to do is ask Him!

How many people do you know who would do that!? Anytime and anywhere! Wow!
I think we'd all be struggling to find someone so amazing and so dependable. And that's exactly why I find those words so reassuring, because I know God will never let me down...I am never alone!

Sit back and enjoy Sydney Staff Songsters singing We Are Not Alone :

Checkout Sydney Staff Songsters website: http://www.sydneystaffsongsters.com/

Never Let Go

We have times in our life when we face difficult situations or have to make difficult choices. It's at times like these we find out who our real friends are. You may have many people in your life that you consider to be good friends, however when you're struggling with what life has thrown your way, you may find some of these "friends" are no where to be found!

So when you are struggling who do you turn to?

I hope it is Jesus you turn to, after all he is the only one you can always rely on. Jesus has promised never to leave us, but always stay by our side to help and support us through thick and thin.

Trust Jesus no matter what you face, He will never let you down.

You Never Let Go by Matt Redman
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won’t turn back
I know You are near

And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?

Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We’ll live to know You here on the earth

Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You

Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me



Visit Matt Redman's website: http://www.mattredman.com/

Never Again

We all do things which we later regret and go on to say "we'll never to that again!". Have you then found yourself doing that same thing again another time, despite having promised not to do it? I know I have.

We often make promises which we don't keep, however God has made many promises but keeps them all. When God says "Never again", he really does mean never again.



When we experience God's faithfulness, it helps us to trust him more. Life's experiences help us to look back and see that God's promises and judgements have come true.

After a cataclysmic event in your life, it helps to reestablish your devotional life. I certainly found during the last few years when health issues seemed to take over my life that is is more important than ever to listen for God's "never again" and start looking for His rainbows. Spend time reading the promises of God in the bible - I found highlighting them was helpful to me, as it made it easier to refer back to them later for reassurance.


But what exactly can we be sure about?

God promises that sin need never again control us (Romans 8:9-11).

He promises that we need not be afraid ever again (John 14:27).
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

He promises that his peace will guard our hearts and minds (Phil 4:7).
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

He promises that we need never be ignorant of his will for his word will be a "lamp" and a "light" to our path (Ps 119:105).

He promises that we need never again be defeated Christians (Rom 8:37).

As we read our bibles, God's rainbows colour our perspectives.
Be encouraged! God's promises never fail.

A Promise

During our lifetime, we make many promises. Here are just a few examples:

• some we make when we're very young just to appease our parents like "I promise I'll tidy my room tomorrow";
• some to close friends when they confide in us and ask us not to divuldge the information to anyone else;
• for those of us who are married we made promises when we said our wedding vows;
• those of us who wear Salvation Army uniform, have made promises to God to serve Him all our days.

So, how many promises have people made to you that they have actually kept?
The chances are, many promises might have been made, but many will have been broken.

Following on from that, how many promises have you made in your life, and how many of them have you kept?
I'm guessing there will be many promised made but not so many kept...am I right?

What about God's promise of eternal life -
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." (John 3:16-18)

Do you believe God's promise of eternal life? Are you doing all you can to live a holy life, directly by God?

If not, make today the day when you make a new commitment to God to give your life to Him and serve Him the rest of your days.

I came across the song "Promise of a Lifetime" by Kutless a while ago, but the words and music seems to fit perfectly with the message I've tried to pass on to you today. Please read the words below before watching the video - I hope you find blessing and encouragement from them.

Promise of a Lifetime by Kutless
I have fallen to my knees
As I sing a lullaby of pain
I'm feeling broken in my melody
As I sing to help the tears go away

Then I remember the pledge you made to me

I know you're always there
To hear my every prayer inside
I'm clinging to the promise of a lifetime
I hear the words you say
To never walk away from me and leave behind
The promise of a lifetime

Will you help me, I'm falling apart
Pick me up, take me in your arms
Find my way back from the storm
And you show me how to grow
Through the change

I still remember the pledge you made to me

I am holding on to the hope I have inside
With you I will stay through every day
Putting my understanding aside

And I am comforted

Enjoy listening to this song by Kutless, and enjoy the pictures that have been used to enhance the words of the song...

Visit the Kutless website: http://www.kutless.com/