Evolution - Biblical?

Something genuinely shocked me this weekend, it’s not really that easy to do, but I actually had to take a step back and say “whoa”. Whilst talking to a fellow Christian (who shall remain nameless and genderless), they said the following statement – “I believe that evolution is true, it’s what God used to grow life”, when I challenged the notion of ‘Did we come from apes?’ they responded with “yes”.

Let me be absolutely crystal clear right from the word go on this subject. This is biblically, theologically and doctrinally wrong. Right down to it being beyond wrong and go to the extent of blasphemous. Why? Because to question the 7 day creation theory, is to question the whole bible and the nature of God. The bible more than explicit about this. Genesis 1 v 1 – In the beginning, GOD CREATED the heavens and the earth. How much clearer could it be? Listen; don’t be sucked in on marrying the scientific theories with our biblical faith. It’s a popular thing to do I know, but its dangerous territory.

Lets follow this course, lets say for example, that God created the heavens and earth in not just 7 days, but 700 billion years (as the popular evolutionist theories go…), lets say that there are 100 billion years between the days as detailed in the bible. Somehow, the impact of the biblical notion of creation looses its clout somewhat. If God couldn’t do what the bible says and SPEAK the word, and had to rely nature to take its course, then are we questioning the very notion that God is all powerful? I think so. If we question that God is all powerful, then we need to throw into question the two other characteristics of God – All knowing, and all present. If he is not All powerful, then he cannot be all knowing as he would require power, and if he is not all knowing, then he isn’t all present because he would be all knowing. Right? WRONG. God is all of these things.

If you claim that the bible omits “billions” of years, then you are questioning the word of God. In by doing so, you have questioned his power, knowing and present ness, and now his word. Let me be clear, if you question one aspect of the bible, and choose to not believe it as it is written, you are questioning every word, every story, and every truth. If you are doing that, then you have missed the biblical truths and the whole point of God all together. Listen, it is not by accident that it was written exactly as it was, God created the world in 7 days, just by speaking the word. If evolution is true, and we are indeed just evolved from apes, you might as well just get out there and do what you want, because ultimately, nothing matters, death is just survival of the fittest and existence is unnecessary.

If however, you believe one word of the bible, and its good news and message – you know inside, in your soul, that this isn’t it, and then take heart. The bible’s message is clear, listen, if you have any questions about this, or anything about the Christian faith, give me an email.

In Christ’s Name, and in His Power.

Mikey

How is best to Serve God?

I was asked by my lovely fiance to put together some pearls of wisdom for some publication that she was putting together. But i thought i would share them with you also...


8 Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, [a]
we wait for you;
your name and renown
are the desire of our hearts.


This verse is the personification of what it means to be a Christian. The 4 lines should really strike a chord with all Christians. It speaks of adhering to God’s laws, waiting for God to comeback, praising his name and speaking of the only desire to our hearts being for God. We should all take great comfort in knowing that the words of Isaiah here are what we all feel. What is being said here is the order in which God should be praised. We should be adhering to God’s rules first and foremost, without this base, the rest of praise and serving for God would not work, secondly waiting. We have all waited for God, regardless of what stage of our walks is on. God teaches us patience. But we know, thirdly, that God’s name and his works and perfect will is the desire of all of our hearts.


Use this verse as a motto for today, try and walk in its format. Obey God, wait for his action and have his Name and knowledge that he is perfect at the centre of our hearts. With this base, a holy empire will be built.


In His name - Mikey

I'm coming back...

OK, so I had started to write some new ones and had planned on storing them up so that I could do a few series here, alas however, it wasn’t to be. Obviously something I had said wasn’t to be published simply because my work computer died and I managed to loose everything.

However, I am encouraged to see that this site is still attacting hundreds if not thousands of visitors per month and its encouraging that the words that I used some 12 months or more ago are still having an impact on peoples lives.

I’m not going to do a full sermon today, but what I will do is just leave you with a thought about the sermons coming up. I do have a series saved on my computer at home, and one which I hadn’t finished giving to Dell road church before I hurt my ankle late last year.

What would you do if everything you knew or loved just got wiped away within a couple of days? What is it that you would think if you just woke up one day and you had nothing? Not a penny, not your family, not even your health. What would you feel? Pain? Anger? Resentment? How about these feelings – Happiness? Joy? Peace? Serenity? Not too close to the top of the list are they. Over the next few days (could turn into months but we’ll see) we’ll be looking at this in a bit more detail For now, if you wanted to prepare, read Job chapter 1-4.

(i might even post the first one today... we'll see).

In Christ’s Name
Mikey

Mikey is getting married... no really!

Hey everyone,

Been a little bit too long since i posted here... i will get back on it soon i promise, just a quick note to say that Nell and I are getting married! She accepted my proposal and we're very happy at the moment.

Will write more very shortly but just thought i would pop in and say!

Much love in christ to all.

Mikey.

Job - Faith Soldier

I’ve started to prepare for my sermon and I’ve found myself finding so many things to say but really not wanting to go off on a tangent every point in my sermon! Its strange I really expected me to struggle with filling a 30 minute slot and I’ve found that I could probably do a 3 point sermon for every verse almost! I thank God for the fact that I’ve been trying to run a tap and I’ve suddenly had a river of thought and points!

One of the things which I had been thinking about last night was that God’s hero’s are all so much of failures of human proportions. Lets take for example Moses, he was an adopted son of a Hebrew woman bought up in the palace to such a high position, a murderer and yet look at how much God used him? That’s just one example (I’ll be using this one in my sermon so for those who are coming… you know what part of my point is!) but the more I think about these things, the more I realise that there are so many unsung hero’s in the bible that are great examples to us but seem to be very lost in our memories.

I’m going to look at one of these today and share with you why I hold this particular person in such high regard in my mind and why. Some of you who know me best know that my favourite book in the bible is Job. Not because its short and to the point, but its simply because it shows faith and love towards God through the hardest of times and the most difficult of situations that if you and I were faced with in this day and age we would have cried out to God curses and really turned your back on him, indeed, I had just a small taste of loss and I was so quick to point the finger at God and for me to turn my back and run. The fact is this, Job was a faith soldier.

Picture the scene, you’re an upright lover of God and you do all things according to his plan to his design. You’ve got a big family and plenty of land and livestock, (the equivalent to having a big house and a fancy job with a Lamborghini on the driveway), and you are blessed by God. Satan can’t stand a successful God loving and fearing person so what does he go and do. Says to God, “its your holy hand outs that’s keeping him so much in love with you God, take it all away, and he’ll surely deny” (Job 9 and 10, obviously not exactly how it is written in the scripture!)

God knew Job’s heart and knew where his love for him came from so he said to satan that he can strike down and take everything from Job but not to hurt him. As the story goes on, even this happeneds and what does Job do? Well he praises God even further and thanks him for the turmoil! How many times can we say we do that? His friends all came around him asking him what he was doing and why didn’t he just end it all, obviously God has left him to his own devices and was not blessing him any further. Again Job stands by God and defends him.

At the end of the book, it says this;

Job 42 v 12 The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job's daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.

16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so he died, old and full of years.

So you can see that Job never gave up, he got through his tests by the Devil and came out the other end with a lot of blessings from God.

Right, here’s my point of the sermon here – Don’t give up. 3 words, as simple as that. If I could sum up how I would do my Christian walk better, its this. Never give up, never stop trying and never think you have failed. Moses murdered yet he was used by God and met him on a mountain, David was an adulterer, and God made him the greatest King in history, peter denied Christ yet used him to build the church. Can you see my pattern here. Although these people did sin and although these people did fail to attain the highest standard of God, they were used by him. So don’t give up, we are not worthless to God infact quite the opposite.

In Christ

Mikey

2 Corinthians 1 v 3-7 - How are you?

Its Strange to think Of the doctors as a social meeting point. But Just a couple of Minutes or Sitting in a surgery waiting room and the notions of data protection goes out of the window. Suddenly you hear about people's medical problems and the cocktail Of drugs and their colourful Side affects! I must confess however. I find the waiting room chatter fascinating. Hearing about Mrs browns bunions and her daughter's problems with OCD.

It struck me as I sad there this morning that when we are within a certain environment we really open up to the subjects of that environment. Take for example the doctors surgery. People are going there for a specific purpose to get their illnesses assessed and to get their pills for the week. Because everyone there has something in common, that they are ill and in need of help, its easy for people to open up to each other. Whilst I sit here I think of the similarities between the waiting room and the church. When we go to church we know we share at least one common interest and that is we are there at church to learn or at least seek god.

But unlike the waiting room where older ladies who are a little hard of hearing shout about the latest illness to each other, Christians have a strange inability to talk about Christian issues. When was the last time you asked someone about their spiritual life? When was the last time you asked a fellow Christian about the Christian life they are leading. How often do the same conversations circle every Sunday? "how are you?" someone asks, "fine thank you, how are you" comes the response! And this goes on for about 3 conversations where you feel you have done your Christian duty and go home for your lunch. Does this sound familiar? It does to me. I am in no way saying that asking how people are is wrong, in fact its great, but... If we just ask it not expecting someone to say "not great, can you help me".

I suffered with depression a few times but the first time this really affected me I was confused by the responses I would get from some church goers. The usual Sunday conversation would start to kick in "hey mike how are you?" someone would ask, "not good I'm afraid" I would respond... Then silence. Sometimes a nervous laugh where the person would try and suss out if I'm joking or not 'you've broken the conversation cycle, what do I do now?' I could see them thinking.

Why do you think that this happened? Well there are of course many feasible reasons. Perhaps there is the notion that people simply don't mean to ask the question but mearly that they were being polite. Its possible but I think unlikely because I know that most Christians have a great deal of compassion towards each other. Ok then, so perhaps the question of "how are you" has become somewhat familiar, perhaps like saying "I love you" without thinking it to your brother at the end of a phone conversation because you are so used to saying it. You mean what you say, like you are genuinely interested in how someone is but are completely thrown when you don't get the usual responses. This is also very probable but I want to pose one other possible reason.

Could it be that we are scared? Scared of someone making us question our own walk with Christ? Scared that the response will be "not great" and we will have to pastoral give support when the roast potatoes are burning? Similarly are we scared that if we do not respond with "fine thank you" we will be putting someone into an awkward position and almost forcing then to talk to us about the problems we are facing. It is easier in the long run just to say "good thanks" and no one feels awkward.

The fact is this ladies and gentlemen. We are not always peachy. We are not always "fine thank you" and not always "good cheers" and as Christian brothers and sisters we should never be scared to say so. The bible says that we are supposed to be like priests to each other and to give pastoral support to one another.

2 Corinthians 1 v 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

You see what Paul is asking Christians in the church at corinth to do is to cast our trouble upon him so that we can help others to do the same thing.

The next time someone asks you how you are. Be honest, don't be scared to talk about it as god himself calls us to do. But also, the next time you ask "how are you" actually be prepared to help someone if they say that they are not fine.

In Christ

mikey

Insurance vs Christianity

At last I hear some of you cry, a new sermon from Mikey Nash… or not as the case may be! Firstly thank you, thank you to all those who continue to support me and who continue to pray for me. Its overwhelming that its been over 2 weeks since my last blog and yet I am getting well over 20 hits per day from people and people giving me comments, its awesome and I thank and praise God for his provision.

So here we are, July 20^th and the rain here in England just keeps on falling! Its incredible really how much rain we’ve had, partly the reason why I’ve had no chance to update the blog or even attempt to put a message on here explaining my absence! A lot of my client’s have lost a lot of money and a lot of time from the rain and it threw into sharp relief the real reason why insurance is there. The best definition of insurance was told to me by a wise man a long time ago (ok, it was my boss about 6 years ago), it is to make sure that when something goes wrong, it can be made right again.

Its strange to think about Christianity in the same way of Insurance but there are some similarities between what we believe and what we strive to do and the insurance industry. Bear with me, these links aren’t exactly concrete but they do link, I promise you!

Number 1 – The safety net. When you take out insurance you pay a small premium and you know that if something happeneds to your car, your house or your business it is (most of the time) covered and you will be put back into the same position as when the incident took place. As Christians, we take out our religion, pay a premium of our whole lives in dedication to God and to doing his will and in return, we KNOW that when we die our eternal salvation is safe! Ok so that’s a very “blasé” way of looking at it, but it still is true.

Number 2 – Piece of mind. When your insurance company issues you with your cover notes, you can read through it and see what is covered and when and also how much excess you need to pay for the privilege. As such, you can ‘see for definite’ the cover which you have and the piece of mind this brings. As Christians we also have the same principle with the bible. We can see word for word what God has to say about situations and what God has to say about our salvation and see the plan from start to finish. To me that is an awesome privilege and something which I hold very dear.

So there you have just two examples of where insurance, and my very boring job has in common with Christianity and my very exiting religion!

I’ll try and keep on top of these lunchtime sermons, I am preaching on the 12^th August 2007 at widney evangelical church. All are welcome so if you want me to give you more detail, contact me on mikeynash@hotmail.com.

Thanks guys, in christ’s blood alone am I saved.

Mikey.

God Says "No" - Remember!

I wonder how many of you have ever asked your mum or dad for something only to be told “no”. Probably 100% of you have had this experience, either being told No, or having to tell your child No. I can remember asking my mum and dad to go to the cinema with my friends once when I was about 11 or 12. We were going to see a 15 film without having any adults there. I can remember trying to justify it to them that it wasn’t that bad and we’d be in a big group. My dad very rightly said that I couldn’t go. At the time I resented him for saying it because I wanted to do it so bad, the film looked amazing and I would have been with all my mates.

It worked out however, that my mates went to the film (which I saw years later and it was terrible!) and they managed to get the police involved in the evening. In hindsight, it was the best thing for me when dad told me “no”. I wonder how many of you have ever realised that God does the same thing, and actually takes this in to account when we pray for something?

When we make plans and when we ask God for help with those plans sometimes he can say no because its not the right time, or even the right thing that works in God’s plan. We have to rememeber that God sees all, past, present, and future and as such we can have a sure and real sense of peace when approaching the future as long as we trust God in his providence.

A lot of you know my plans thus far and know what I’m thinking of doing. I’m ready for God to say no. There are some of you who would find that strange because of how far along I’ve come with the plans and with the preparation, however, God’s will must be done in my life. If its God’s plan that I complete my application and go through the stresses and strains but not to actually go, then that’s fine. I can already see what changes and things which have become more prominent through these things.

For example, had I not started the application process, there are one or two things that may not have been bought to light. One of these is Nell and my relationship with her. I didn’t realise how much she means to me until I was faced with 4 years of uncertainty with what is going on and being uprooted. Perhaps part of God’s plan here is to show me that these things are available and that I’m suited and gifted enough to do it, but not yet, he has other things to do.

I don’t know, but I’m praying that God’s will In my life is being done and that he will reveal to me the plan as I go along. Its strange because it is completely out of my hands at the moment in some respects, and I’m it feels like I’m waiting on God’s plan to made known to me. I’m having a meeting tomorrow with an Elder from the church, perhaps this could be God’s talking to me and saying “No”, but I’m prepared to answer “Ok Lord, your will be done”.

Please please please pray for me and Nell at this time, we’ve faced with some very big decisions that could shape our whole lives together. We need to have God’s peace about situations and trust in his plan.

Thanks Everyone for your support so far, I know that sometimes the blogs have been sporadic and a little bit wayward, but its now 6 months old, I for one cannot belive how quickly the time has flown by but God has been working with me throughout this whole site so far and would value your prayers for this to continue.

In God’s Will, and trusting in his path.

Mikey.

1 John 4v18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Genesis 9 v 15 - There is light ...

Yet again I am reminded by people that another week has passed by and I haven’t written anything in the blog! This is because of how busy work has been with these floods and freak rain! It keeps me in a job of course but makes me very very busy! So here it is, the Teatime sermon!

Something that has been very shocking that has come out of these freak floods and storms has been certain sectors of the church who have said that this is God punishing us for being un Godly. Apart from being very freaky, it’s a little bit unbiblical also!

Take this passage for instance, which is very relevant to rains especially.

Genesis 9v15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

I know that God is referring here to flooding the whole earth, however the fact remains that God said he would not bring his punishment upon the earth through flooding in this way again.

It seems to me that some sectors of the church have a really yo yo view of themselves and they change from one extreme to the other to try and attract people to them. They go from “Jesus loves everyone, and it doesn’t matter who you are” to “God is judging humanity and sending the flood waters to sort us out”. Don’t know about you but if I didn’t have a strong belief in what I know already and have a concrete basis of biblical principles I would think that church is a bunch of nut cases who don’t know if they are coming and going.

I’m not saying that some sectors of the church do fantastic work and are brilliant in their biblical doctrine and follow that implicitly, I find these “fickle” Christians who never call on God but in times of trouble and are so quick to blame God but so slow to acknowledge him when things are good. We’re all guilty of it. I’ve pointed the finger more times at God then I like to think about, however when he has answered my prayers, instead of praise, he gets silence from me.

Yes its raining and yes it should be summer (here in England at least) but praise God for the rains, praise God for the times of trouble so that we can reflect upon God and learn to trust him. Yes that’s right, THANK GOD FOR TRIBULATION. If we had it easy street for our whole lives, where would be the salvation and trust upon God’s provision and plan?

Little bit of a rant today, I apologies, its just meant to be a reflection that God loves us and looks out for us and wants the best things for us even when we are going through difficulties.

In Christ’s Name,

Mikey.

Update: Don't do it alone....

What a week it has been, sorry about the no notice week off I took, it was and still is a pinnacle couple of weeks for me and they are also pivotal to my future! So understandably, I’ve been a little preoccupied. But I’m back on it now, I’m re energised to doing this work and I’m ready to share with you what I have found over the past few weeks.

Firstly, praise be to God. That’s a given. He has blessed me through trials and through situations where I have had to lean on him for his guidance and for his support and I’ve loved every moment of getting to know God better in that way.

I’ve now completed my application form for the Light Project (link to the bottom right of this page) and will be sending this off tonight. Its been a rough and turbulent time to come to the decision to send it off. I have had my eyes open to the fact that this does not only affect me and have an impact on me, it has an impact on all the people around me. Yes, Jesus says “leave your nets and follow me” but there are very real things that could become problems if not dealt with before I go.

I will be the first to admit if I don’t know something. I will look and search for the answere wherever I can so that I will know for future, but lets be honest how can you know the answer to the future whilst searching for it? You can’t, it comes down to the issue of time again and trusting that God will present me with the correct and most helpful situations in his own time! I’ve been quite selfish with my planning of this and to those people who are affected, (you know who you are), I am sorry.

God has presented me with this opportunity, yet God does not call me to be alone in all that I do, indeed quite the opposite. I have to engage and be involved with many many people throughout training and also throughout my life. Nell and I should be looking at this together and looking for how it will work together as apposed to me looking at it and then hoping it all just falls into place in the long run.

I praise God that my eyes have been opened today to that, and before I send my application form off I can call and discuss these things with my family and with Nell. I’m still applying but taking steps forward in conjunction with my family and with Nell to find the right and most amicable path that I can with God at the centre of it all.

My point to you is this. Do not forget that God is all you need, but God does not call us to be alone through life. God indeed calls us to be part of a fellowship of people within a church or within out family lives. Do not make the mistake that you can do it on your own and you do not need anyone. Its not God’s way.

More tomorrow on how things have been revealed to me, but just pray because in about 5 hours, the application form will be en route… pray that God would use that.

Mikey

John 8:12 - Darkness

I’ve been feeling a little bit lost again today. Simply because my mind feels like its been thrown into the wilderness and things that I would normally cling onto have seemed to just disappeared! Almost like walking on a dark night and not realising that you’re really walking towards a cliff. It wasn’t until I read someone’s signature today of the following scripture when things seemed to be lit up again;

John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

It struck me when I read these words what the implications are. The obvious first inclinations are that we are walking through a world of darkness and God will shine a light so that we can see what and where we’re going, which of course is a very valid and very real and uplifting interpretation. But I want to look further into what Jesus says here.

Imagine, its about 25ad, electricity is still 1900 years off, the best invention to date is probably being able to carry light around with you. Whether that be on a big stick that burns for about 10-15 minutes but around this time there were lamps that were available that could burn for hours using the right fuel. So now that you’ve got that imagination in your head, imagine being in the temple and being poor. You can’t afford to step out into the darkness at night for fear of being robbed, beaten up or worse, you can’t afford a fancy lamp and can’t afford the fuel to go with it.

You then catch a glimpse of a man, and he says “…whoever follows me will never walk in darkness”. Great! No more getting beaten up! But you think about it further, what does it mean?

We have the benefit of knowing the full story, we know from the start, to his death, to the present day and how it all points to one thing. Jesus. But in these days, it wasn’t so clear to see. Imagine the Joy of being told that you will never have to walk the world in darkness. We take these things so much for granted; this is a very very powerful verse that should mean more than it does. We live in a world where if its dark, we only but need to turn on a switch and we have a light source. Imagine not having that.

Jesus of course does mean spiritually there but I always find it interesting to put myself in the position of the people who are around when these words were being said and imagining the impact of Jesus’ words here.

So as I imagine myself lost in the wilderness (which I will touch on more on Monday once I’ve gotten my head around), I imagine what it would be like if there was no light in the world but the sun and being told there is another way to walk in the light. I thank God for his light and for his path which he shows with that light.

Pray for me, I know I ask everyday but I really need it today.

In Christ’s name

Mikey.

Romans 12:1-3 - What more can i do?

I have read today someone ask the question “what more can I do for God” which in itself is a paradoxical question. There are many ways to answer that and all of them not in itself incorrect however if we actually look at what has been asked in context of our lives we realise that its not a question we can ever ask of ourselves or of God. You see, we should never stop trying to answer our first calling from God and that is to submit all that we are and to be like Christ. The bible says this;

Romans 12 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual^[a] act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

How can we obtain this aim, well it is possible and it should consume all of our time because of how difficult it is to do. It states in this passage not to confirm to what the world wants us to be, but how often do we find ourselves trying to obtain the latest fashions, gadgets or trends of the world? In itself that isn’t a bad thing, but we are called to be different. I’m not saying that you should put on some flares and wear a big hat with “kiss me quick, I’m Christian”, what I’m saying is that we should never look around and thing that we want to be like everyone else.

In a similar way, we shouldn’t think of ourselves better than everyone else because we are different. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you feel superior to someone because you’re going to Heaven, or even less likely to speak to someone because of their background or creed? I know I’ve been guilty of this, and I’m ashamed of that fact but God calls us to look at ourselves before even thinking about judging or assessing someone else lives. When we have obtained perfection, then we have the right to judge others, any of you perfect?

The beginning part of this passage talks about giving our bodies as a sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This doesn’t mean that you should slaughter yourself but to sacrifice all that you are and all that you have to God. We are called to sacrifice things for him, not when it pleases us or when we feel like, it talks about ALWAYS submitting to God everything, forever. I mean its not a small price to pay for eternity but its difficult faced in this culture which we are in these days where it talks about self gratification before anything else. Look after number one and all that Jazz.

In a nutshell this small passage should shape and fashion our ever part of our lives. Pure and simple, submit everything to God, don’t follow the herd and never think yourself better than anyone else. Easy eh? Not in the slightest but the bible also talks about having help in these things.

Romans 8 26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

Do not loose heart if you cannot conform to God’s calling to you, however trying is 100% better than not trying. I know that I fail, every single day but because of God’s love and compassion I can pick myself, learn from my mistakes and keep pushing. Imagine if the first time you failed as a Christian, you just stopped and thought, “forget it”. Where would you be now? Use your own life as a testament to God’s loving and merciful grace to us.

Keep going. And in answer to the question “what can I do more for God”, everything. Pure and simple.

In Christ’s love and merciful grace, always interceding for our sin and the one who took all our mistakes and their implications on the cross.

Mikey.

1 Peter 5: 6-7 - In the door..... GO!

Well today it dawned on me what it is I’m actually doing and I’m struggling with finding the courage to undertake it. I know God is saying “I’m here holding your hand through fear” but even if you know your parachute is going to open, jumping out of the plane is difficult! I keep catching myself saying, forget it, its too hard, what’s the point, why are you doing this. Don’t get me wrong I know I’m doing the right things and for God’s will as I’ve prayed many many times and feel a peace about my plans, but as the time for the jump closes in, I’m being blinded by anxiety and fear about what to expect, what I’m going to gain, what’s going to happen to my family etc.

AS I think these things however, 1 verse comes to mind that is very prominent in my mind;

1 Peter 5: 6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Going back to the skydiving analogy as I have done many times, but its very real and prominent, before you jump you have 7 hours (sometimes 2 days) worth of training for the 5 second’s from when you leave the plane until you’re floating with the parachute above your head. I feel like I’m in the door at the moment and I’m ready to jump and waiting for the jump master to shout “Go” and I know what I need to do, I know the right things and wrong things to do that could mean the difference between a good jump and bad jump.

When I did my first jump, I was thinking how easy it would be just to sit in that seat, not get up and land safely and get out of the plane and get on with my life. This is the same with my life at the moment, I have a nice job, a nice car, some money and a routine that I could follow until retirement… very easily, what would that actually achieve in the end? What could I say to God when I stand in front of him? “I had the opportunity Lord and I heard you shout, “Go” and I did nothing”. Imagine on that first jump if I hadn’t have jumped. I would have landed, I would have gotten out the plane and had to explain to people why I didn’t jump, more than likely I would berate myself because of my fear. I don’t want that to happen with this.

God has been so awesome in my life and has helped open the door, I’ve been shown it, and I’m sitting there, its almost time for the big moment… I pray for courage to take the jump and to do it in God’s time and according to his will.

I would ask that you pray today for me that this feeling of fear and anxiety is taken away and that God will shout at the right time for me to go.

In Christ’s name.

Mikey.

Luke 21:1 - Giving God Time

How much do we give to our lives? Ok there are two levels you can look at this question. Number 1 is worldly and number 2 is spiritually. I bet most of you get up in the morning? Make the effort to get out of bed, have food during the day and keep yourself clean etc? Well that takes effort, which we have obviously gotten used to because we do not now notice when we do these things, they have become part of life.

I speak to many Christians who tell me that they wish they had more time, they wish that they could put time aside to read their bible and spend time with God. It’s a common problem, especially with working Christians who work very hard. But how much do we give to our lives to make sure that we have time to relax? Watch our soaps? People say that they have so little time to give. I say to you. Give it. Check out this verse:

Luke 21:1As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.^[a] 3"I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."

On the face of it, it seems to be about how much money we give and how much the poor lady gives in comparison with the rich people. We all know the phrase “time is money” well apply the notion “money is time” here. Replace the money aspect with the time. If you have so little time to give but give it all and give it freely, then you have put in more than others.

Don’t get me wrong, people who spend hours in prayer and reading their bible, that’s awesome, but how about instead of giving just that hour out of your whole evening, why not spend the whole evening doing something for God? I’m not suggesting every evening sit there and pray with your bible, but why not go and see someone who needs help or company in God’s name? Or such like. We do not want to become like the rich guy’s at the temple giving just the 10% with a prayer and some bible reading and hope you’ve ticked all the boxes for that day!

I know it sounds like I’m telling people what to do here, but its something that God talks about, Giving everything to God, this includes time because he gives us that time! I always find that I make the excuse that I’m too tired to read or pray, but I know that every time I do, I feel energized and so much better with my whole outlook after I’ve spent time with God. Let us not be like the rich young man.

Matthew 19: 26 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

In Christ.

Mikey.

Luke 4 - Covert Tempation

I was going to do blog on satan’s power and I will touch on that but I’ve had a few things that have affected me over the weekend. In short, I had a dream on Friday night where people were questioning me and shouting things like “who are you to teach people when you do not follow his rules yourself” and “you’re pathetic, you’re not worthy of anything” and being physically attacked by these people. Its difficult to assertain where this dream came from, I first thought it was from God telling me to get my act together and break the chains that bind me to my non Christian life, but the more I thought about it and the more I talked it through, I realised that I have been attacked once again by satan.

What with my plans and what I’m hoping to do, there is no surprise that I am very vulnerable to attack at the moment. I’m looking to give my life in service to God and the best way to attack that is to say that I’m not worth it and that I’m pathetic, like I should stop trying because I’m going to fail. Its so tempting to give up and not follow what I believe is God’s calling as there is so much sacrifice and so much life change and satan knows that, he pounces on that. Jesus however was also tempted by satan in Luke 4. Here is an excerpt:

Luke 4:5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7So if you worship me, it will all be yours." 8Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'^[b]"

Do you see Jesus’ response to this particular temptation? He was shown that he can have it all, he can have authority over all things. In respect to our own lives, how many times have we shone away from doing God’s will because there is something better in it to do something else. In my case, I could very easily continue as I am at the moment, I would probably be very successful and have quite a lot of money, nice house, nice car etc, but for what price? Jesus calls us to leave everything we have to follow him.

I have been tempted to do the easy thing in this situation, but its only made me stronger and more determined to do what God’s will is for me in my life. If that means leaving my Job and money etc (which is becoming clear and plain to see) then I am willing to do that.

When we are tempted, when we are being attacked we sometimes do not spot it for what it is, we need to be vigilant against the attacks of satan as he is cunning and he is very clever. It speaks in Revelation of the beast having, knowledge, authority and an overwhelming intention for all of us to fail and to share his fate, however what he does know and is enraged about is Jesus comes with the free gift of Forgiveness, love and compassion. If we trust in that, we can never fail.

Sorry about today’s blog, it seems a little rambly but I had some points I wanted to make and its difficult to get all the in-depth thoughts down in one lunchtime, but know this:

Hebrews 15: 5b… God has said,
"Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you."^[a] 6So we say with confidence,
"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?"

What more can I say?

In Christ.

Mikey.

John 5:44 - Seeking Praise from God

With these exciting times that I am facing and with the many implications that come with these, I’ve also been looking at what attributes and what parts of human personality make a good Christian leader. There are many websites out there which claim to have the answer about what you need to be able to know that you are going to be a Christian leader, there is even one with a 100 question survey that at the end the results tell you if you are going to be good.

The bible also has a lot to say about Christian leaders and what they’re purposes are along with the implications and similarly punishments that come with being in a position of leadership, there is one passage, or even verse that stood out from all the others which I think puts into context not only our leaders, but also ourselves.

John 5:44 (New International Version) 44How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God[a]?

You see there are those Christians, and think we have all been guilty at one time or another, who outwardly seem brilliant. They have everything, they tell you that their prayer time is amazing, they tell you that their bible study is awesome and they will tell you that their relationship with God is the best ever. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that they are not experiencing all of these things, indeed, all of those apply to me at the moment, but my point is this. If people, indeed Christians, state these things in search of praise with other Christians, or anyone for that matter, but do not have it in they’re heart, they are indeed lost and have lost the true meaning of what being a Christian is all about.

There is no coincidence that Jesus picks out these “outward” Christians in his teaching. He mentions the heart many times because that is what God sees.

In the same way of course, if we try to obtain praise from the world by conforming to its sinfull ways and its practices that we know are fundamentally wrong by God and his word, and do not seek the praise from God, we are lost. Our aim in all things that we do is to seek God’s praise and his blessing. If we do that with EVERYTHING that we do, we find pretty quickly that the world’s praise is in vain, it means nothing because ultimately, it won’t save us, but God’s praise will be sustained throughout eternity.

I pray today that we are not being outward Christians and searching for that “pat on the back” and a “well done” from those around us, I pray that we are seeking to do God’s will and in so doing gain his praise.

In Christ,

Mikey.

Ephesians 1:3-5 - Pray in Praise

God has been so gracious and merciful towards me, and has poured out countless blessings in my life over all of my life, but it is only really recently that I’ve stopped praying just when things are wrong and things are bad. Its one of those Chicken and the egg things, do you pray because you are in trouble or do troubles happen because we do not pray? Personally I think it is very difficult to be prayerful when we feel that we have nothing to pray for! Strange to think that praise does not often cross our minds at this time. Ephesians 1:3-5 is the start of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians and of course it is part of a greeting, but lets read his words;

“3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he^[c] predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will”

Why is it that when the world views itself in times of trouble they will cry out to God saying where are you? Yet throughout days of peace and tranquility, they are constantly trying to think up new ways of pushing God out because he’s not needed. The first part of this passage states that God pours out his blessing constantly on and in our lives, and speaks of the ultimate blessing that we have received, the blessing of forgiveness through Christ, surely that’s enough to thank God for!

I don’t know if you know anyone famous or have met anyone famous, but I can’t imagine being a good friend of Tom Cruise, or someone just a famous but knowing that this famous person knows your name and knows who you are makes you feel special in someway. Imagine the God of creation knows your name, the one that was there at the start, who is there now and who will be there until the end of time, and beyond. This God who know’s everything about you and Jesus Christ is being an intercessor for your sin to God. I don’t know about you but it gives me goose pimples thinking about that. Verse 4 states that even better than that, he knew he and us before we even existed chose us to do his will as part of his plan.

I feel very special thinking about that, I feel that what do I have to fear when I have God on my side, what do I have to worry about when God has planned my life and why should I fear the evil one when I know that God has already decided his fate?

I praise God today for his infinite and wonderful blessings upon my life.

In Christ.

Mikey.

I want to share something...

Hey everyone again, you've got a double post bonus today. I'm on my lunch at the moment. I've got my Ipod listening to some music that i've not heard for a while. What with the uncertainty in human terms of my future I have been obviously praying so hard about my worries when this song comes on. I've put the lyrics here. Meant a lot.






KJ-52: He is All

How long can you live your life
and act like everything is alright?
Why do you try just to only get by
when you know that you're hurting inside?
How long till you lay down your pride
you can't run from him, now where would you hide?
He's been calling you for such a long time
but it's up to you just to open your eyes and that’s why
he waiting for you with arms open wide,
waiting for you just to give him all your life.
He's your father can’t you see you’re his child
waiting for you just to come home tonight?

Do you know?
Do you really know?
He is all you need.

Can you see the thorns on his head
and every single blood drop shed?
Can you see him as he took his last breath?
Can you see him when he rose from the dead?
You're the reason why he had to face death.
I know some things that might bring your life stress.
And you’re concerned about what’s coming next,
feeling so worried ‘cause your whole life’s a mess.
I want to tell you, you can make it thought this.
He'll never fail you, that's what he promised us
and even when things don't seem to make sense
that's the time when you hang on now you just trust.

Do you know?
Do you really know?
He is all you need.

I felt God speaking to me through this song, reminding me of the fact that God is there and he is all that i need when things look uncertain.

Thank you Lord!

Just thought i'd share that.

In Christ

Mikey

The "When" Factor.

When do we know to do something? I mean generally not just with the spirit. For example, when do we know when to go to the toilet? When do we know when to brush our teeth or get up in the morning (judging by today’s experience, I don’t know when to get up!). My point is, we have all had experience and learned from that experience so that we know when to do things. As most of you know at the moment, I’m planning on doing further training, specifically bible training soon and have been praying about this very thing, not that I know when to go to the toilet although that is helpful, more that I know when.

I can tell you the why, I can tell you the how and I can tell you the where, but the explanation of when escapes me. This is something, which is commonplace for us all. If we look at the scriptures, there have been many times where the characters have known the why, how and where but not known when. The whole of Isaiah is a prophecy about Jesus as the messiah, but because the Jews of the time didn’t know when, they missed him and are still waiting. I for one do not want my life to become like that, missing opportunities even when they are staring me right in the face, but because I don’t know the “when” factor, I miss them.

I think it’s a stark lesson for us all. God does not work within time. He is above time, beyond time and controls when things happen because of that. Nell and I were speaking on my drive home last night and she knows of my patience deficiency! I find myself willing things myself to happen and not to wait, as such I have found myself pushing things through that shouldn’t be pushed and not pushing things that are more important. We as Christians need to trust that God will provide all the necessary factors, the how: God will provide us through his will the means necessary. The why: God’s will cannot be bent to our own will and as such the why becomes “God’s will”. The where: God is everywhere and he knows the needs of people and ourselves, he will place us where he needs us to be. Finally, the when: stuck in time, we have no concept of God outside of this and we need to trust that God’s timing is perfect.

Its not a question of just trusting God for one or a few of these factors, its trusting God in all of them and he will show us his will unfolding. Hindsight is both a blessing and a curse. We can see where we went wrong and what we should have done, but also can see how God works in out lives and where he has provided for us. Trusting in him takes that factor away as we know that if we trust him, God will provide.

In Christ’s most Holy and infinite mercy and grace.

Mikey

Get out of the boat...

Its time to resurrect this bad boy! Its amazing how circumstances and how directions can change just in 1 month! Its been exactly 1 month since my last blog and there are some things to fill you all in on. For starters, I’m still alive! Just about at least! I’ve been praying for guidance from God as to directions in which he wants me to travel and where I can do the best work for him. Its become clear that the glorification that I do in my current job is being rewarded with something new. A few things have come up which I’m investigating at the moment. One being something that I am very interested in taking.

I won’t go into too much detail right now but it can pay for my whole theology degree over 4 years and give me the ground work of working in the church for that whole period. Its something that seems absolutely perfect for me to do. Obviously there are implications on this which could potentially make things difficult but I’m yet to find an obstacle that I cannot overcome to get there!

Please pray for me that I do God’s will in this situation and its not just me looking for a way out of insurance. I know that its not because I am enjoying my work at the moment, it would be very easy for me to just stay here and I am comfortable but “If you want to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of the boat”.

Praise God for his infinite goodness to us, and to his unfailing love and care.

In Christ

Mikey.