TELL YOUR HEART - BEAT AGAIN

Tell you heart!  These are the words I woke up to one morning recently.  They would not leave, so once I came downstairs I googled on YouTube as I thought they were words to a song.  They are.  I was moved to tears when I heard the story behind the song - the title is actually Tell Your Heart To Beat Again.  Someone suggested it was for someone we knew who had a heart operation recently so I sent it to him. 

However as the day has progressed I cannot get out of my mind the phrase - the kingdom of God is in you - Luke 17 : 20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:  21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.  Even if you are not a believer, God is near to you.  All you have to do is accept him. He does not want anyone to perish - that is not his will for any of us.  His will for us is to prosper and live an abundant life. 

PROVERBS 13 : 12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.  When you suffer from lack of hope, it makes your heart sick. Actually the word deferred in the strings Concordance means drawn out, stretched.  So when your hope is drawn out and stretched to breaking point it makes your heart sick.  But when a dream is fulfilled it is a tree of life - it brings nourishment.  Many people today are heart sick because of lost dreams, lost opportunities and loss of relationships.  In fact in this past year the pandemic has caused many people to be heart sick become of the inability to meet up, hug and see loved ones. Many have had loved ones die in hospital with no family member alongside them, with no loved ones to care for them in their last moments.  We do have a hope, however.  Our hope is that we will be with Jesus when our time comes.  So although death is sad for those left behind it is a joy for the one who died to be in the company of Jesus. If you have dreams that are unfulfilled they will be unfulfilled because of external circumstances or maybe they were not meant to be you dreams at all. Ask God what he wants for you.  Don’t listen to people but listen to God.  Ask him what his dream is for you, what his plan is for your life and let him show you. Let others confirm what he has said to you. PSALM 34 : 18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Did you know that in your sorrow and brokenness God is right there with you? When you have a broken heart He is near to you, walking with you through it all. He saves you even though your spirit is crushed.  Your broken heart can cause your spirit to be crushed but God will save you from it all if you let him.  He will heal and restore your heart and spirit to better than it was before. Trust him in everything and don’t blame him.  People are quick to blame God for disasters that befall them.They say things like God let this or that happen or even worse than that they say God did it!  God took my baby, God took my loved one and left me alone; God caused the storm that damaged my house, God killed my child!  God sends people to hell! There are all things that people say about God and what that means is that they do not know him. God is love - HE IS LOVE. We will probably not fully understand this whilst alive on this earth, but it is the truth. 1 JOHN 4 :  7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.   Beloved, let us love one another - this is not the fickle human kind of love that is being talked about here.  This is pure, unconditional love - the love that emanates from God himself. It is only in his love that we can love each other.  It is only when we learn to accept his love for us that we will begin to understand true love. Love is of God, it comes from him to us; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. I believe you have to be born again to know this kind of love. Be born into the family of God through his Spirit.  Love is the answer through Jesus that saved us.  8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.   Whoever does not love does not know God; for GOD IS LOVE! Our love is puny and fickle, it changes from moment to moment, day to day - God’s love stays the same yesterday, today and forever.  9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  God showed us his love by sending his only begotten Son into the world so that we may live through him.  God desperately wants relationship with mankind, and he made the way possible for that to happen through Jesus. 

10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Here it is then, this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent his Son to be the 

Strong's Index: G2434

propitiation ἱλασμός  [hilasmos]    {hil-as-mos’}

Strong's Definition

atonement, i.e. (concretely) an expiator:--propitiation.

for our sins.  (The dictionary says of (the Atonement) Christian Theology the reconciliation of God and mankind through Jesus Christ.).                     

It is all about love and it took a sacrifice of love to bring us into God’s family. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.  His example is staring us in the face.  A man sacrificed for all of mankind.  This is love. That reaches out to us.  God wants a relationship with us.  A believer does not have religion because religion speaks of the law and the law was fulfilled in the actions of Jesus on the cross. He made the way for us to be forgiven, healed, loved, restored, accepted, holy, justified and the list goes on.  If you heart is breaking because you think you have blown it with God - think again.  There is no depth or height that you can go trying to get away from God that he is not already there. You cannot hid from him.  He sees what you are putting yourself through.  He sees how the enemy is telling you you are not good enough, that you should be ashamed to even think that God wants you.  Well, I have news for you GOD LOVES YOU AND WANTS YOU.  There is nothing you can do about it.  The enemy is lying to - he wants you to stay lost and broken so that he can devour you.  Is that what you want?  God wants you so that he can put you back together again.  He wants your heart to beat for him, and for life to flow through his Spirit into you. Sometimes we have to listen for his voice speaking to us telling us it is okay for our hearts to beat again.  Watch this interview, it is only about two or three minutes in length.

PSALM 147 :  3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.  This is our God - he heals the broken in heart AND he binds, wraps up and heals their wounds.  Our wounds are very often not seen. They are very often internal.  These wounds are what God heals. The emotional, wounds, the wounds from abuse, the wounds from self-harm, the wounds that other people have inflicted upon you and you have received. Today receive his healing and let him be your Great Physician. LUKE 4 : 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.  This New Testament scripture says it all.  These are the words of Jesus spoken in the synagogue and they come from ISAIAH 61.  Yes, hundreds of years before Jesus uttered these words they were written by the prophet Isaiah.  Read it for yourself.  The Spirit anointed Jesus to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, recovering sight to the brink and to set at liberty all those who are bruised (crushed). To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.  

However, Jesus changed the context of this passage. He stopped there and then said in verse 21: And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. I want you to go and compare the scriptures from Isaiah 61 verses 1 & 2 and Luke 4 from verse 18 - 21. 

Jesus changed everything. As a believer you have been born into the family of God.  Born again, is what many people say.  For every person who is born again the kingdom of God comes to live in them. You cannot see it - but it is within you. The kingdom of God is invading the darkness of the world -silently at the moment.  As each person turns to Jesus they receive the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who brings the kingdom of God into each person.  When this happens it means another soul has been invaded by the Light of the glory of God and the person is no longer in darkness.  In turn this means that there is less darkness in the world. This is seemingly happening silently - however if we do not keep that light aflame and share it - it will be consumed by darkness again.  We need discipling and nurturing until we too can share the light.  Our enemy seems not aware of this, but he is.  As the Church in general argues about and discusses doctrine and theology - the enemy is waiting to pounce on the weakest of us who are on the edge of the family of God.  Those who are sitting at the margins, not quite committed but interested are in most danger. They are at risk of being offended, having their hearts broken and hardened.  They will be picked off one at a time - silently disappearing into the abyss once again.  It is as though the Church’s heart has stopped beating with life and started disintegrating in some places.  Each one of us has to remember that the kingdom of God is in us and we need to be pro-active to keep it alive and growing. This silent faith that we have has to become audible - and come out of the sleepiness it is in.  I believe the phrase  ‘Tell your heart to beat again’ is not just for that one person but for the Church as a whole.  We have to tell our heart to start beating again and allowing God to fill it with the blood and oxygen it needs. The blood of Jesus, The power of his Word and the breath of the Holy Spirit.  Come on and let your heart beat again.

Until next time, God bless and keep you xxx

Light and Rainbows

 This picture is of the lighthouse just a few metres from my home.  The rainbow is real. I just want to remind everyone that the lighthouse shines out in the darkness and lights the way for ships to be safe on their journey.  Jesus is our light and he has given us his light so that we can shine in the darkness too and help others on their journey.  The rainbow can only be seen during the day, and it is a sign of the promise from God that the earth would not be flooded again.  To me it is a sign that I don’t need to allow the world to flood my thoughts with its negativity, its lies and its hatred.  The rainbow reminds me to flood my life with the goodness of God, with his Word and with his love.  Just as we can see a the rainbow the world needs to see our love and our light. Our light will help those heading for disaster to come to Jesus and let him help them, heal them and given them new life.  We have not been given this light to hide it for our own personal use - it is for sharing.  If we believe in Jesus we carry the light with us.  How do we do this?  Through being born again.  

Jesus said in JOHN 9 :  5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.  This was not only for when he was alive, walking on the earth.  You see it also says in PHILIPPIANS 2 :  14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; 16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. 

Jesus also said in  MATTHEW 5 : 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.  17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.  So we, who are born again, baptised in the spirit of God also carry the light of the world in us.  It is not the light of this world but the light of the Kingdom of God which shines into this world showing the way to Jesus. This light comes from the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.  Have you ever heard the word Trinity?  Maybe you have heard of the 3 in 1 God?  Father God, Son of God, Spirit of God.  (Father, Son and Holy Spirit/Ghost).  You see when we carry the light is the the light created by Jesus from the very beginning of creation. See JOHN 1 :  1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.   2 The same was in the beginning with God.  3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.   5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.   6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.   7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.   8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.   9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.  John the Baptist came before Jesus and bore witness that Jesus was the Light - the true Light who lights everyone who comes to the world.  That is a bold statement - here is the New Living Translation to help you understand this scripture passage:  In the beginning the Word already existed.  The Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4  The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.  5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.  6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony.  8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 

9 The one who is the true Light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.  The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.  

I have questions for you - 

Where is your light? 

Do you know that you are the light? 

Where is it shining?  

What does it highlight?  

Are you shining it into the darkness to show the way to Jesus?  

Are you hiding it?

When it comes to the rainbow, the world has hijacked the rainbow image to portray their own nefarious desires. Never forget that the rainbow was the promise made by God to Noah that was a sign of his covenant with him that the world would no more be flooded.  I understand how scientists tell us about how rainbows are formed : A rainbow is caused by sunlight and atmospheric conditions. Light enters a water droplet, slowing down and bending as it goes from air to denser water. The light reflects off the inside of the droplet, separating into its component wavelengths--or colours. When light exits the droplet, it makes a rainbow. This is all very interesting but, the very first rainbow tells us that this was the first time it had rained.  Here is what God says about his rainbow: GENESIS 9 :   11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.  

12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:  13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. 17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.  Until the flood all water came from inside the earth - there was no rain.   Can you imagine living when there was no rain?  Springs of water came out of the earth is a picture of the Springs of living water that pour out of us that come from the eternal Spring of life from heaven.  Are you seeing how perfect the world should have been all along. There was no need for rain as everything was nourished from inside the earth. We are are nourished from inside of us too, because God’s Holy Spirit nourishes us from within and brings us life. So the rain first fell when the flood happened.  It is almost as though God cried tears over the world (I know that sounds poetic, but he was destroying his creation - how do you think he felt about that?).  When we were baptised in the Holy Spirit, God put inside of us all of his living water so that we could share it, not hoard it or drown in it. Live your life colourfully and with joy because of the promise of God.  Every time you see a rainbow remember the spring of living water inside of you. Let it bubble up so that you are full of his peace, joy, compassion and love. Don’t just think of the scientific explanation of how it is formed.  Admire its beauty, remember its promise and let the Living Water bubble up inside of you so that it overflows from your heart. A rainbow is a beautiful gift from God and should remind you that God keeps his promises for ever.  It first appeared after the flood and still appears today. Think about it. 

I just thought I would share my thoughts about light and rainbows.  

Until next time, God bless and keep you xxx.

IF NOT NOW - WHEN?

GENESIS 49 VERSE 1 SAYS: 18 I have waited for thy 

Strong's Index: H3444

salvation, O LORD.     ישועה TRANSLITERATION  [yshuw`ah].  PRONUNCIATION {yesh-oo’-aw}     

Strong's Definition

feminine passive participle of 3467; something saved, i.e. (abstractly) deliverance; hence, aid, victory, prosperity:--deliverance, health, help(-ing), salvation, save, saving (health), welfare.

This is not a study like my other blogs are - this is a conversation or something for you to discuss amongst yourselves.  There are no further definitions used, nor meanings of words - you can look them up yourself if you want to.  This rambling writing is meant to encourage you do share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  If you are fallen away from God, why not let him pick you up and contact me.  I am happy to walk alongside anyone who wants to have any kind of relationship with Jesus.  If that is you, and you know you should reach out to God, when are you going to do it. If Not Now - When?

My conversation today is all about the question - If not Now, When?  There are many things that need doing around the house and I have to decide the priority of when these things will be addressed.  They cannot all be done today, this week or next, but they will need to be seen to at some point.  If not now, when?  My life is like that too. I have made and unmade decisions about my craft room - shall I give it all away or sell it? Shall I keep it and use it? If I sell it - if not now, when?  If I give it away, who will I give it to and when?  Many years ago I could run and walk and drive and travel - and I knew that one day all this might stop but I didn’t know when!  It happened sooner than I expected.  Losing your ability to walk or see - even though it was temporary, made me realise the privilege it is to be able to do those things.  Many people take it for granted that they will get up, go to work, whinge about their day when they get home, then do it all again the next day and so on.  Sometimes I long for the ability to do those things - not to go back in time, but to be able to do them today!  Would I do things differently?  Oh yes!! I would also not do the things that are negative. Today I celebrate breathing, let alone driving or walking.  I can see now - after having operations on my eyes.  I walk now with elbow crutches.  I can’t afford a car as much as I would love to drive again - I do miss it, but I don’t dwell on it.  God gives us ability for the day - we are the ones who make plans for our lives, but God knows the path he wants us to take.  Through my divorce, disability etc I have found profound peace and joy in sitting at the feet of Jesus. His ways are far better than I could ever imagine.  

JUDE 1 VERSE 2:  2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. God gives us new mercies every morning, his peace, and his love - and the prayer of Jude is to have all of them multiplied.  To have more and more of them.  How does this happen? When we sit at the feet of Jesus and let him teach us. Sitting at the feet of Jesus is not doing nothing - it is actively listening and taking to heart what he is saying so that we can grow his word in our hearts, and then share what we learn.  Someone once asked me - Why have these things happened to you? I know they were hinting at why did God do this to you?  My answer was - we live in a fallen world, I was once a sinner and did sinful things which have consequences.  God has graciously lifted me out of the miry clay that I lived in and has given me a new life in him. God did not do this to me - I did, and the enemy tried very hard to destroy me completely - BUT GOD is greater than any enemy that can come against us.  Today I know that I am blessed and highly favoured by my living God. 

HEBREWS 10 VERSE   31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  You see that is the problem in the world today - they do not believe that God is alive!  He is very much alive, and it is a formidable things to fall into the hands of the living God if you don’t know him. God Almighty is the only God who is alive!! Every other god or prophet has died and never came back - only Jesus did that.  When you say God to someone in the world who does not know Jesus - they will roll their eyes, or say something like, here we go again, she is using the God card.  Or they may imagine God to be a dead statue somewhere or even an angry old man with a big stick waiting to beat you when you get something wrong - who lives somewhere in the ethos!  People are in so much of a hurry these days that they cannot be bothered to take the time to hear the good news of the gospel of Christ.  It seems to me that they think only of God in terms of religion - when, in fact, they could have a very intimate, personal relationship with God if they let him into their lives. I truly believe that I would have been dead many years ago if it had not been for the intervention of God in my life. Every religion I know of asks people to offer sacrifices, or do things to attain perfection, or just jump through their hoops to become one of them.  God, on the other hand, did everything for us - we need do nothing except accept Jesus as our Saviour and allow him to be pre-eminent in our lives.  Jesus became the one and only sacrifice that was needed for the saving of the whole world.  We do not need to offer sacrifices, we do not need to crawl to God as an unworthy animal - Jesus made us righteous through the sacrifice he made - his blood was shed for us all. After Jesus’s death and resurrection there is no need for any sacrifices ever again, and he is not going to go back onto the cross again.  

HEBREWS 9 VERSES 24 - 28:   24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:   25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;  26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.   27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:   28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.  The NLT puts it this way: 24 For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. 25 And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. 26 If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age[a] to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.  27 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, 

28 so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.

It is time for the world to respond to the sacrifice of Jesus by allowing him access to their hearts and minds - to be renewed in Spirit, Soul and Body through his word revealed to us by his Holy Spirit who lives in us once we belong to him.  The world at large does not understand the bible because it is a spiritual book written for those who have God’s Holy Spirit living within them.  It is a living spiritual word for spiritual people.  It is God’s love letter to his children.  The world would change for the better if God were in everyone’s lives - we all get a chance to choose to follow Jesus - if not now, when?  

1 JOHN 5 VERSES 10 - 13: 10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.  11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.  13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.   These particular verses should be the challenge given to people who are looking for a better life in this decaying world. People hearts have grown cold; there is more violent crime than ever before being committed in the world.  It is everyone for him or herself.  The world today is all about me, me, me, me me!! There are people who care about the environment or human trafficking or slavery - but they don’t have the power that God gives to make an eternal difference.  We are living in two worlds - the spiritual world and the physical world and they are complete opposites.  God intended them to be wholly united, but he gave mankind free will to choose how to live - and boy, have the majority chosen? Oh yes!! Look around you.  Read the papers, watch the news - but not for too long or you will become depressed!! People have chosen to live ungodly lives and then tell those who live a godly life to agree with their lifestyle and even to do the same - or else!  Or else what?  What can a man do to another?  Kill them -  maybe! Hurt them - probably.  No man can touch your spirit though, no matter how hard they try.  Some countries try and break your spirit to conform you to their way - but if you have the Holy Spirit living in you, well, that is not going happen.  That is why there are martyrs, people who would rather die than renounce Jesus.  You see for christians, their spirits are not their own - their spirit died when they accepted the Holy Spirit and it is he who lives in us.  That is why we can say ‘greater is he who lives inside us than he who lives in the world.' 

1 JOHN 4 VERSES 4 - 6: 4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.   5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.  6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.  Of course people who do not have a relationship with Jesus will struggle with all the scriptures I am sharing - all they have to do is ask him to be their Saviour and he will reveal to them the meaning of his words.  There is no instant fix for being a christian - there is however a great journey with many revelations along the way, and someone who can help you with things no person can help you with. This journey is called discipleship.  We are all disciples of Jesus.  We are constantly learning and teaching, and learning as we teach each other about Jesus.

 

We are truly loved by an everlasting, loving God who created us to have a relationship with him.  I JOHN 4 VERSES 10 - 19 (NLT) : 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other[b] because he loved us first.

Are you going to share the good new of the gospel of Christ - IF NOT NOW, WHEN?  You see the longer we take to tell folks about the overwhelming love of God, the less people will hear the gospel of Christ - and that means we are making the decision for them.  When we don’t tell someone about Jesus and the plan of salvation for their life we are choosing non-salvation for them without them ever knowing.  Do you want that to be your forever story? Are you going to share the good news?  If not now- when?  I can hear you say things like - but I might lose their friendship, or I am scared in case I offend them - well, I have something to say about that - what are you going to say to God when you are asked what you did with Jesus?  I would rather please God and lose some friends in the process - not because I am frightened of him but because I love God and when you love someone you want to please them.  

2 TIMOTHY 1 VERSES 6 & 7: 6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.   7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  Verse 7 in the NLT says: 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.  It is time for the christian to share the good new of the gospel of Christ and enlarge the kingdom of God - IF NOT NOW, WHEN?  Who are we to choose whether or not to tell someone Jesus loves them?  We cannot disqualify anyone, but that is what we do when we do not share the gospel.  Many people have been waiting on Salvation for a very long time - Are you going to tell them your story on how you were saved?  If not now - when?  Personally I love encouraging believers to go deeper in the word and grow in their faith.  I do this writing a weekly blog, hosting at online church, praying for people and listening to people. I may not be able to go outside.  But I have the internet and a phone. Use what you have in your hand to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Of course once the gospel is  shared and decided upon, the new christian needs good teaching, encouragement to study the word of God for themselves, and to find out what gifts God has given them.  Some people are already using their gifts in the world, and when they have a personal meeting with Jesus they use it for God instead. Think about it.  Some people’s lives have been changed so dramatically they leave you in no doubt that it was God who changed them.  Someone told them about Jesus - then Jesus revealed himself to them!!  Don’t you want to be part of that?  I love it when I remember young people I shared the gospel with who are now leaders in churches. I may never have been a pastor on a platform but I know some who have become pastors on a platform because I shared the gospel with them.  It is so exciting to see someone grow into their God given gift.  Are you up for the challenge - If not now, when?  There are people longing to share discipleship courses to help new christians grow into maturity - will you bring new believers to them?  Contact me any time and if I cannot help you I will find someone who can. 

Until next time, God bless and keep you xxx.