I have supported the Leprosy Mission for many years. This arrived recently and although I have seen these facts before, it hit me afresh to see again how many are still being affected and how little it costs to transform someone’s life. The Lord healed the Leper during His ministry on Earth, and can still heal divinely at any point, however He loves to include His people in His work, because it blesses us as well as the one receiving. How many times have we said, “Wow, that was a divine appointment!” We KNOW when the Lord has intervened and caused us to be in the right place at the right time. Well, today I feel He would have me share this with you, because we can all play a small part in transforming someone’s life through the love of God.

Leprosy is a disease that should no longer be around. A simple cure has been available for 42 years. It costs so little to change things. If you are able, change the life of someone with Leprosy today by paying for their treatment. If you are not in a position to do that, then pray for them. Pray for those working with the Leprosy Misson, who are on the front lines of this ministry, showing the continuing love of the Lord for those who so desperately need it. ❤

A passionate and timely sermon from Pastor Chris Wickland.

With all that I am I honour you…

Do I Lord? With ALL that I am? With EVERYTHING that is within me? It’s scandalous that I would even think that I do, or even could!

I know I cannot live without you! I cannot see a time in my life when I  could, or would, ever renounce you or reject you. BUT…

What if this was my spouse. If I committed to him with marriage vows that said, “With all that I am, I honour you,” and then he said the same to me? That is a solemn promise and if I then wanted to keep going out partying, or living my life as though I still had the freedom of being single, my spouse would be deeply wounded. It would threaten our relationship, because although my life circumstances had changed, my heart had not.

We are in a marriage relationship with Jesus. We are betrothed, which is as firm an arrangement as marriage, and just because we cannot yet physically be together, does not mean that we are free to flirt with others!

My church fellowship is focusing on, and praying for, revival. We recently had a day of prayer and all the Lord kept saying was, “Come back beloved! Come back to your first love.”

When we flirt with the world, when we keep scrolling, through social media posts or videos, that are not honouring to the Lord, even though they may seem harmless in man’s eyes, we have stepped away from him. Our love is not directed toward him. We are not thinking of him or longing to spend time with him… waiting eagerly for the day of his return to sweep us off our feet and into his embrace!

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“Come back to your first love, with joy and expectation! He is the Prince of Peace, the Conquering King, the Good Shepherd, the Lamb of God. He will replenish you and fill you with His Holy Spirit. Come back, beloved! Be enveloped, wrapped in His embrace, filled with joy and gratitude and excited about your journey together, for when He is your all in all, His first commandment is fulfilled – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength.” And then, the second commandment to “love your neighbour as yourself” is easy.

Love starts at the Cross and flows outwards…  This is revival!”

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So many in this world are lost and hurting. They seek true love, but they look for it in all the wrong places…

Lord let my love for you overflow like a great waterfall. Let it be so real and so deep that it can be seen and felt by every person who is called my neighbour. Holy Spirit, draw everyone in my circle of influence to the foot of the cross to find unconditional love and the gift of life, freely given. Send revival, Lord!

I have a dear friend that I’ve known for probably getting on for 15 years now. Her partner of many decades has Alzheimer’s Disease and is now in a care home and unable to communicate or do anything for himself. I hadn’t seen him in a while and recently accompanied my friend to visit him.

It’s so sad that physically he looks pretty well (he’s mid 70s) but mentally not so much – he sleeps a lot and is unable to communicate in any meaningful way. A few years back, when he was a bit more with it, I used to take him out for a drive sometimes, and talk to him at length about his past life, interests, his career in the RAF and his love of classical music, which was actually pretty similar to my dad’s taste in music, and thus something I was very familiar with. He also loved trains and had been writing a book on Britain’s historic railway before his illness.

As I sat with him, holding his hand, he was in a deep sleep that nothing seemed to be able to transcend! I chatted to my friend and also to him, but his eyes were firmly shut. When she left the room for a few minutes, I prayed over him in tongues. It was quite a “short and sweet” prayer but, just as I finished, he made a grunting noise and his eyelids began to flicker!

I carried on talking to him normally and decided to play one of his favourite pieces, Widor’s Toccata, on my phone so he could hear it. Then Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, then one of my own favourites, Beethoven’s Symphony no 7 in A major, Opus 92 Allegretto. I suddenly realised his eyes were wide open!

I chatted to him about outings we’d had in the past, the things that he’d enjoyed, and I hoped he understood some of it. But… those piercing blue eyes! He stared into my eyes continually and gripped my hand. I kid you not, I felt very much that we’d had a comprehensive two way conversation. Even though he hadn’t said a word he was talking to me with his eyes. Such a dear man, I felt so much heartfelt love for him. When it was time to leave, I felt as though my heart was bursting with joy! It was so strange, almost a supernatural experience, and my heart was still full of love and joy the following morning, when I worshipped the Lord with gratitude during the Sunday service.

I really hope and pray that Nigel felt loved and valued and seen and remembered during our time together. I will go and see him again soon. How the Lord blesses us when we let the Holy Spirit use us to bless others! Such a privilege! ❤

Earlier this week at my Life Group meeting, I had a vivid picture. As I’ve been pondering on it, I feel the Lord would have me share it. I hope if you are the person who currently feels a bit lost and alone, it will encourage you.

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I saw a lone figure standing on a big empty wooden stage. They felt alone and unsure of what to do next, but God was controlling the spotlight on them. When He moved the spotlight, their shadow moved. Sometimes it was a very long, far reaching shadow, sometimes shorter but more intense. 

I was reminded of Acts 5:14-15…
And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, [15] so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the SHADOW of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.

We may feel that we go out there all alone and a bit scared, but God is giving us influence wherever our shadow falls. He directs the spotlight and we can then move in the direction of the shadow. We have the power of the Holy Spirit to influence others, lead the lost to their Saviour, and even to bring healing to those in need.

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Dear Father, I pray for anyone who feels this word is for them, that they will step out in faith, knowing that you are shining your light on them and showing them the way they should go. Thank you that you are putting people in their path and giving them influence, by the power of your Holy Spirit. I pray that those people in their path will be saved and healed because you are seeking them out and using your servant as a vessel to bring about change in their lives. Thank you Father. We pray this in the matchless name of your wonderful son, Jesus. Amen.

https://youtube.com/shorts/sNv9s7KuSE4?si=5go3bVo_H2FsbAha

Great explanation!

Earlier this week, we were caught in the midst of a fierce thunder storm. There were weather warnings for torrential rain, possible flooding, thunder and lightning. The rain came shortly before midnight; big drops that started slowly but within a couple of minutes became a deluge. I could hear rumbles of thunder in the distance and looked up the “live lightning” map on my phone. There was nothing within a 15 mile radius of my house. I fully expected it to hammer down for a few minutes and then pass us by.

The thunder was soon accompanied by small flashes of sheet lightning however, so I decided to turn the lights off, open the curtains for a bit and enjoy the light show through the patio doors. A couple of minutes later, there was a sudden, blindingly bright flash that lit the entire sky, and a simultaneous enormous crash of thunder. The whole house shook, the letter box in the front door rattled and I heard the circuit breaker clunk as the electrics kicked out. It really made me jump!

As I looked around, I realised the lamp in the other room was still on and a bit of investigation revealed that it was just the ceiling lights which had shorted out, not the sockets. Unfortunately, I can’t reach the circuit breaker box as it’s too high and, as it was very late, I couldn’t be bothered to search out a stool in the dark, so just went to bed.

The next morning, I asked my son to reset the fuses (he’s about ten inches taller than me!) and he said, “Oh, did we have a storm last night then?” I couldn’t believe that he had slept through the whole thing! Unbelievable! It turned out that there had been a lightning strike at a nearby golf course, but it had been literally felt and heard for a good 3-4 mile radius with many houses losing their electricity temporarily. Now, I’m no scientist, but the amount of power that earthed there in the torrent of water that was pouring down could probably have powered a small town! It was an unimaginably huge burst of pure energy!

Hold that thought…

So, the following day I met a friend at a coffee shop for a catch up. I very rarely buy coffee out as it’s quite expensive, plus I like my own coffee! It was nice to meet up though as we haven’t seen each other in a while. She went to place the order and I sat looking round. The more I looked, the more I felt like crying! I saw people going about their day, just as they did yesterday and will do tomorrow, all things being equal. I would bet that there were very few, if any of them, who were saved though. They were just carrying on with their lives with no recognition of their sin or their need for a Saviour, and no thought about what will happen to them after they die! They were literally like lost sheep.

Later in the day when I checked some notifications on You Tube, there was a community post in my feed with a picture of a violent lightning storm, with the words…

Luke 17:24 NIV
For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.

Whoa! The lightning that I saw the night before was incredible; so much power! And it was widely seen and felt, but really only in a relatively local area in the scheme of things. The (second) coming of the Son of Man is going to be like that, but so much so that no-one will miss it! Can you imagine how shocking and terrifying that will be?!! EVERY knee will bow! And how much horror will there be at the realisation that everything the bible said was true, and Jesus has come back as Judge! Of those who realised and accepted the truth AFTER the rapture, many will have already been executed for their faith – but for those who took the mark, it will be too late to change their minds.

Revelation 13:16-17 NKJV
He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, [17] and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Revelation 20:4 NKJV
And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

You would think that the supernatural event of the rapture, prior to the second coming, would have opened everyone’s eyes, but so many will be fearful and confused, and will believe the official explanation regarding the missing millions – whether it be alien abduction or whatever! The deception will be great!

Eternity, somewhere, awaits everyone eventually so, pray for the unsaved wherever you go. Pray that the Lord will supernaturally open their eyes so they will have a revelation of who Jesus is and choose to believe on him, before it’s too late. If only people knew the truth of what awaits, no one would want to be left behind…

Another tragic “disaster” headline was in the news today. Thousands of people washed away, presumed dead, after major floods following heavy rainfall and the collapse of a dam in Libya. Hawaiians are still reeling from the catastrophic loss of life and destruction of property in Maui, hundreds of wildfires are still sweeping through Canada, USA and several other nations, eating up thousands of acres of woodland and anything else in their path. And there’s been a devastating earthquake in Morocco, the dead numbering in the thousands… And the list goes on.

I haven’t deliberately left anyone out, but there are so many areas around the world now where people are suffering from natural weather and seismic related disasters, man-made disasters (reports of arson starting wildfires in some places!), drought, famine, disease, poverty, war…

Then there is the prideful arrogance of the “me first” culture, especially evident in the West. I AM is who God says HE is, but this has been hijacked by those who want to be their own god. Influencers, wealthy celebrities – and even quite ordinary people who proudly share every detail of their lives on tv or social media in the hope of being “followed” and gaining fame, money and adulation…

We are also seeing rampant inflation, debt and shortages in some areas which, though they seem so much less terrible when compared to those who really have literally lost everything, still cause enormous stress and worry to those who are affected. That stress can lead to anxiety and mental health problems, homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, even suicide… But it’s all relative! The gap between the haves and have nots is getting ever wider.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

For Christians, all this echoes the end time events prophesied in the bible, which leads us to believe that time is short! If that is the case (which I personally think it is) what are we doing with ourselves, our time, our money, our relationships…? Are we looking for opportunities to pray, to speak, to feed, to bless?

This is an excerpt from a very vivid dream I had back in March 2019, which has been on my mind again lately…

I was getting ready to go away and I knew I had loads of stuff in my cupboards that I wanted to get rid of so I could travel light. There was a vast wok, about 3ft wide! Maybe I don’t need to feed so many? Perhaps a smaller pan will do. One that I already have? We are all part of the body for a reason, we generally have small circles of influence. The Lord says the pan you have is big enough, you don’t need to try to feed everyone! You are in the place I’ve put you for a purpose, but when you pray you influence the body of Christ all over the world and open doors. That’s why you should pray continually for all the saints!

He does not set us up to fail! He wants us to succeed and shows us how to stay in the journey. Throw out the junk, travel light,  keep your eyes on the goal and trust him!

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So… in these darkening days, where it is easy to be afraid, to be selfish, to be thoughtless, to be influenced by others, to be prideful, to be too comfortable, to be spiritually blind, to think there’s plenty of time and it’ll all be alright in the end, won’t it…?

Who is in YOUR circle of influence? Who do you know who doesn’t know Jesus? Who do you know who does know him but needs your encouragement, love, support, prayers? You only need a small pan! Feed those in your circle, and other people will likewise feed you when you need it.

And keep praying for all the saints!

Please pray for our fellow blogger, Jacinta, from Light from the Word. I tried to share the latest message but only half of it is appearing here, so will just explain!

After a period of mysterious symptoms, it has been discovered that she has a large brain aneurism. The first treatment was unsuccessful and she’s awaiting a further attempt.

“Dear Father, nothing is too hard for you. Jacinta honours you with her words and time, and with all that she is. Father, protect her at this time and bring healing, either supernaturally or through the successful intervention of skilled doctors. I pray that you would comfort and reassure her and bring relief from the unpleasant symptoms. Keep her within your supernatural peace that surpasses all understanding and let her have a testimony that will be shared around the world and bring glory to your name!”

Jacinta, I declare that you will not die, but LIVE and proclaim what the Lord has done! Ps 118.