Five promises in One - a word of encouragement for times of trial

My son starts to write his final school exams this week, and we can't believe that our youngest child has now got to this point in his life. Along with thousands of other parents, we will enter into the season of exam stress with caution, but also the knowledge that God is with us.

If you are needing a scripture to hold onto during this time of the year, I invite you truly mediate on these words. 

"For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty Saviour. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” - Zephaniah 3:17

May each of these promises be real to you and your loved ones.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Dealing with Anxiety

I wish I had a silver bullet to help us get rid of anxiety, but I don't. Although we each deal with stress and anxiety differently, we all face these challenges from time to time. I feel that how we effectively deal with anxiety will impact our overall peace of mind and spirit. We can eradicate it, but we can tackle it constructively. 

Arthur Roche commented on how a small amount of anxiety begins to grow and grow over time until it eventually causes great damage.

He said: “Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all others thoughts are drained.”

Paul urges us to use our minds in such a way to help us navigate through our anxiety. He says:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." - Philippians 4:6-9

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Speak softly

"However softly we speak, God is so close to us that he can hear us; nor do we need wings to go in search of him, but merely to seek solitude and contemplate him within ourselves, without being surprised to find such a good Guest there." - St John of the Cross

We have all experienced it - we are sitting in the audience, at some function, and we can't hear the person speaking. We may catch the odd word, but not enough to get the gist of the message. They are speaking far to softly and we just wish they would raise their voice. 

Thankfully, when we speak to God we don't need to raise our voice - God can hear us.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

A thought on suffering

Amy Carmichael writes, "Jesus, You suffered not that we might not suffer, but that when we suffer, we might become like You." (1868-1951)

Amy's words are a reminder to all believers, that suffering is a part of our existence, and that our personal suffering is not always to be seen as "God's abandonment." 

Is it not interesting to consider my sufferings as part of becoming more like Christ? Usually, I am happy to receive the blessings as a sign of being part of God's kingdom, but I am not always so keen for the suffering that comes with. 

Romans 8:17 - And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

What is our motive?

What is our motive in spending time in prayer? Listen to these words and see if something resonates with you?

"Lord, I will not have as my motive the desire to be known as a praying person. I will seek an inner chamber in which to pray, where no one knows that I am praying, and I will shut the door and talk to You, God, in secret. I will have no other motive than to know You, my Father in heaven. It is impossible to conduct my life as a disciple without definite times of secret prayer." - Oswald Chambers

So, what is my motive? I trust that I will have no motive other than to know God!

John 17:3 - And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Mental Health Awareness Month

October is Mental Health Awareness Month in South Africa, with the 10th of October marking World Mental Health Day. This is something very close to my heart as I understand the struggles that many of us have with our mental health. 

I think it is a wonderful thing that people are willing to speak more openly around these issues and to offer help for those struggling with this aspect of health. One of the things that has helped me over the years has been regular exercise - this is proven to be good for our mental health. 

For this reason, we are challenging our community to get outdoors and to exercise more during October. We have set the bar at 110 km's, as we are part of the Fish Hoek Circuit 110, so if you would like to join us, then feel free to do so. 

I have also set up a Back-A-Buddy fundraising campaign, if you would like to financially support our Mission projects. Here is the link to the site. If you have any questions, please drop me a line.

Lastly, let us be more aware of the people around us, as many of our neighbours could be fighting their own battles today. 

Ecclesiastes 2:23 - Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Prayer and action

I read a lovely quote the other day that stated: "Prayer and Action are not enemies!"

This is a timely reminder that our actions should always be guided and covered in prayer. Sadly, many of us seem to use prayer as a "Hail Mary", shot in hope, when all else fails. Of course, we are invited to bring all our desperate prayers to the Lord, but our lives should be rooted in prayer as a starting point. Too often I have been guilty of allowing my actions to run ahead of my prayers.

When we consider the example of Jesus, he was definitely a man of action, but equally he was a man of deep prayer. 

Luke 5:16 - But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

Living in Grace

D3LM3