Watchtower

When your struggling through difficult times in your life, who do you turn to?

Within the bible we're told that Habakkuk had somewhere to go and someone to listen to him when he was perplexed. He went to his "watchtower", his place of prayer, where he was confident that God would meet him and give him some answers.

Habakkuk 2:1 NIV
What's God going to say to my questions? I'm braced for the worst. I'll climb to the lookout tower and scan the horizon. I'll wait to see what God says, how he'll answer my complaint.

We don't need to be a prophet like Habakkuk to have a watchtower. We can be a mother, a father, a wife, a husband, an executive, a homemaker, an MP or a homeless person...in fact it doesn't matter who we are, God has made a watchtower for each us us so that we can climb into it whenever we want. From that watchtower (place of prayer) we can begin to see what God sees and we can wait for Him to answer our questions.

God doesn't always answer us directly, He often sends us messengers in different forms. He may send us His message through the words of a friend, a minister, book, radio or TV.

When we believe in God we have somewhere to go and someone to listen to us, our watchtower or place of pray where we can wait on God to answer our questions and give us rest from our frustrations.

Sometimes all we need is someone to talk to. It may not change the direct our life is going in but may just remind us we're not going through it on our own.

The Answer to the Question by Tree63
I'm growing tired of a mouth shut tight
when all I want to do is tell the whole world
about the Man sitting at the right
hand of the One in Heaven
how could I sing about anything but Him

He is the answer to the question
He is the cure for the infection
He is all He says He is
He is the ultimate reflection
of holiness and true perfection
He is all He says He is

How can I not cry watching as the
world dies without a prayer
They look to their own construction
bound to the living God of Earth and Heaven
How could they sing about everything but Him, yeah, yeah

He is the answer to the question
He is the cure for the infection
He is all He says He is
He is the ultimate reflection
of holiness and true perfection
He is all He says He is

I'm so tired of a mouth shut tight
All I want to do is tell the whole world
about the man sitting at the right
hand of the One in Heaven
How could I sing about anything but Him

He is the answer to the question
He is the cure for the infection
He is all He says He is
He is the ultimate reflection
of holiness and true perfection
He is all He says He is

Checkout the Tree63 website: http://www.tree63.com/

Beautiful Things

I was listening to my ipod at work and this song (Beautiful Things by Roxette) came on. Nice tune and words that for Christians we can answer the question posed in the song...
Is there someone I can talk to?
Someone on the line?
Does anybody want to hear
What's on my mind?

For me there is a very positive answer to those questions...God! Even when it seems no one is there for you, your friends and family don't want to know or you feel you can't talk to them, God is still there for you.

God surrounds us with "beautiful things" every day, so talk to Him, thank Him for your day, just tell Him what's on your mind.

Beautiful Things by Roxette
Beautiful things
Are comin' my way
Beautiful things
I want them to stay
But after a while
My beautiful things
Don't seem beautiful at all

Terrible things
Like when you wake up
And all of your dreams
Seem to crack up
Like things you have done
Like breakin' my heart
For you it don't seem
Terrible at all

Is there someone I can talk to?
Someone on the line?
Does anybody want to hear
What's on my mind?

Beautiful things
Like leaves on a tree
Beautiful things
The sky and the sea
Since you've been gone
No beautiful things
Seem beautiful to me

Is there someone I can talk to?
Someone out there on the line?
Does anybody want to hear
What's on my mind?

Make the grass grow in the garden
When the rain is passin' by
Does anybody want to know
What's on my mind?

It's a Conversation

What do you think of when you hear the word "prayer"?

Someone kneeling in prayer?

God?

Now consider what you think the word prayer means...

Time to talk to God?
Time to ask God for all you need/want?


What about time to listen to God?


John 10:27 (New Living Translation)
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Not only is prayer our time for reverent petition to God, it's also our time to listen to God talking to us. Prayer should not be a one way monologue with God, it should be two way dialogue between us and God.

How would you feel if one of your friends talked to you all the time, and you never got a chance to speak to them in return?
It wouldn't be very nice would it. Well God is no different, He wants a two way conversation with you so give Him the chance to talk to you...but most importantly be willing and ready to listen to what he wants to say to you!

Remember to be willing and ready to hear what God wants to say to you. Don't make prayer a one way conversation from you to God.

Too Busy

Have you had a busy day today? Or indeed a busy day any day this week?

Think about that busy day, did you find time to talk with God, to have some quality personal time with Him?

If I'm honest with you my own answer to that question is no I didn't make time to speak to God! I'm sure many of you will have given the same answer as me, so don't worry you're not alone. Personally I found myself concentrating so much on me as I wasn't feeling too good from the moment I woke up this morning, so I struggled through the rest of day myself without going to God for help and strength. If only I'd taken it all to God in prayer, what a different day I might have had!

Anyway, back to your busy day...
At any point during your day did you phone, text or email a friend? Or did you Tweet?

My guess would be that like me, despite having a busy day, you did find time to do one of these things. Am I right? C'mon be truthful!

So we've found time to do other things that were not essential to our day, but not time to talk to God. That is not right is it?!

I pray today that in the future as we face busy and difficult days in our life, we might take time out, even if just a few minutes, to talk to God and leave our day in His hands. If we do this, God will be there with us during our day and will help make our day that little bit easier to get through.

Slow Down Time by Jeremy Camp

Staring at this empty canvas,
Waiting for the next stroke of my life.
It seems to go by so fast.
Another day I've wasted wondering,
How it all ends up instead of resting,
That it's all in Your hands.
My only piece is waiting before You.
My praise to You,
Drowning noise around me.

I wish I could slow down time,
I wish I could wait here at your feet.
'Cause with you is the only place that I wanna be.
I know I should take it all in stride.
I know you are there with every reach.
'Cause with you is the only place that I wanna be.

On my own I always fade out fast,
On the run my every step will last.
I'm resting in your words that never fail.
Your searching every part of me.
I need to stop so I could hear You speak.
I long for you so here I am so thirsty.
My only piece is waiting before You.
My praise to You,
Drowning the noise around me.

I wish I could slow down time,
I wish I could wait here at your feet.
'Cause with you is the only place that I wanna be.
I know I should take it all in stride.
I know you are there with every reach.
'Cause with you is the only place that I wanna be.

It's where I wanna be,
The greatness of your presence always leaving me here speechless.
I've given up on making this life my home.
In the fullness of your glory is beyond my comprehension.
There's no greater joy then being with you my King.

I wish I could slow down time,
I wish I could wait here at your feet.
'Cause with you is the only place that I wanna be.
I know I should take it all in stride.
I know you are there with every reach.
'Cause with you is the only place that I wanna be.

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

Decisions, Decisions

Are you faced with making a difficult decision?
Are you faced with making a decision that could dramatically change your life?
Scared you will not make the right decision?

Well you're not alone - all these situations/feelings are all perfectly normal. I think if we are all honest, we all get a bit scared/worried when we face difficult decisions or face new situations that are unfamiliar to us.
But how can we be sure we are making the right decisions? We can only ever be 100% certain when we involve God's in our decision making. Friends, family and colleagues may all try to give you advice, but ultimately God is the only person who can guide you to the right choice for you.

Talk to God. Listen to what he's saying to you. Trust his leading.

If you follow God's directions He will guide you though. He will give you all you need to do whatever it is he has directed you to do. Trust Him.

I Can Trust You (Rebecca St James)

Yes, I know that You have paved a path for me
Yes, I know that You see what I do and don’t need
But when it comes to the deepest things
I have a hard time relinquishing control
Letting go

God, it hurts to give You what I must lay down
But when I let go, freedom’s found
God, it hurts to give You what I’ve held so dear
Because of Your love it’s clear
I can trust You with this
I can trust You with me
I can trust You

Lord, I know that You are worthy of my trust
For You have shown me time and time again
You’re faithful and yet
I’m so scared of letting go of this
Afraid of what You might do with it
How could I forget who You are like this

Me forsaking
Heart is breaking
I let go of what I’ve held so tight
Freedom’s mine now
For the taking
I move in faith, not by sight
Let Your will be done

Live The Word

Matthew 23:1-3 - The Message
Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. "The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God's Law. You won't go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don't live it. They don't take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It's all spit-and-polish veneer.

I don't know about you, but those I meet who profess to be Christians I expect them to live/act as a Christian should. In the above passage from St. Matthew's gospel Jesus seems to say that some people talk a good talk, but they haven't really got those feelings/beliefs in their hearts. i.e. They know all the right words, but their actions do not mirror what they say.

If we profess to be a Christian but our actions do not reflect this, how can we ever expect others to follow Christ because of us - we are far more likely to convince people to turn away from God entirely!

Don't become someone who "talks the talk but doesn't live The Word". Whenever you tell folk you're a Christian, you'll they immediately (often subconsciously)start examining your words and actions in microscopic detail, just to try and find fault. So make sure your words and actions are as a Christians should be, that way it'll be much easier for others to see Christ living in your life - Making them far more likely to want to find out more about Christ because of your good example.

Talk the talk and live The Word!

Hairdresser

I was at the hairdressers today. While I was sitting waiting to get my hair cut after it was washed, I started asking myself a few questions

1. How often do you get your hair cut?


2. How often do you change your hairstyle?


3. How often do you wish your hair was a different colour or style than what it is?

Here's my answers, are they similar to your's?

1. every 5-6 weeks


2. every few years


3. all the time!

I then got to thinking, just how many haircuts that is in a year...a lot! And what about how many that would be in my lifetime. Wow!

So we all go to the hairdressers quite frequently, what about new clothes, how often do you buy yourself new clothes?

Maybe in the current economic climate you aren't able to do any of the about as frequently as you used to. However I'm sure you'll still plan when you're going to get your haircut, and when your next going to buy ne clothes.

I know you're probably wondering where I'm going with this...well what struck me while I was at te hairdressers was how much time and how much time to I put aside to allow God to restyle me into the person He wants/needs me to be?

A very deep question, and one which is not the easiest one to answer - not because I don't know the answer, but simply because I know my answer is not what God wants it to be!

What's your answer? If you find you are not putting aside time each day to listen to God speaking to you (not just time for you to speak to God), you, like me, need to allow more time for God to speak to you.

So next time you're getting a haircut, or buying new clothes, remember that as well as looking after your physical appearance, you need to look after your spiritual life too - you can only do that by spending time with God, talking and listening to Him.