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The devil’s number one weapon?

Summarised in three words.

“Hath God said?”

Followed by whatever lie He wants to fob on you.

He’s a scammer of the utmost degree. The OG father of lies.

Doubt is the dumbbell he throws around. He may be subtle, but his method is blunt.

The moment he gets you to question God’s motives, you're done.

Dear friend, God is good.

Hard sometimes, but consider Job.

​“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” (Job 13:15 KJV)

The rain falls on the just and the unjust.

It can be difficult to understand the way the world works.

Like Asaph, we might lament:

​“I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked… Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.” (Psalm 73:3;12 KJV)

We may even think following God doesn’t pay:

“Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain” (Psalm 73:13 KJV)

But the song doesn’t stop there.

The Psalmist steps beyond his questions into the sanctuary…

​“Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood…” (Psalm 73:17 KJV)

The view from the Sanctuary is very different!

Prayer is central in circumnavigating the territory we’re called to conquer.

Hath God said?

YES, He has!

Selah and amen!

Speaking of being “in tune” with God reminds me that He has “ways”.

Ways of being, and ways of doing.

This is how the Amplified Bible describes “righteousness”.

​“But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.” (Matthew 6:33 AMP)

God’s way of being and doing. Being first!

Ways, not rules.

How beautiful are those ways!

Not burdensome or heavy.

Ways of the heart

Psalm 84:5 in the KJV reads:

​“Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.” (Psalm 84:5 KJV)

One little pointer for accuracy is that the King James Version, although literal, inserts words to aid understanding. Additional words are kindly rendered as italics. That way you know what belongs.

So this verse actually says:

​​“Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways.” (Psalm 84:5 KJV)

There is something beautifully mysterious and intimate about this. It awakens a longing in me.

I want more than a doctrine in my head, I want His ways in my heart.

A perpetual prayer

The prayer I’ve prayed more times than any other is a simple one found in Psalm 25:

​“Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me” (Psalm 25:4–5 KJV)

We will be exploring some of God’s ways in our Christmas Advent experience this year, especially how God will “guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:79 KJV), even when the world is going crazy.

We begin on 1st December, so you still have time to grab a ticket.

May your day be one of blessing!

I was inspired by a preach by my good friend, David Hoffbrand, recently.

He referenced a great verse in the Book of Psalms that sparked my thinking:

​“O LORD, do good to those who are good, whose hearts are in tune with you.” (Psalm 125:4 NLT)

Those whose hearts are in tune.

Elsewhere, the Bible poetically describes how our Father sings over you:

​“The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”” (Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV)

God has a song over your life.

It’s a song uniquely attuned to who you are. It sings of your purpose and worth.

My suggestion today?

Learn to sing along.

Harmonise with Heaven’s song over your life.

Take enough time in prayer to quiet the din of the world and tune your ear to God.

The Bible calls it inclining your ear:

​“Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live” (Isaiah 55:3 KJV)

Prosperity of soul begins in private. In the place of prayer.

Prioritise prayer.

Hear your song.

Then learn to sing along as you step out and create!

​The key component of the word decision is “-cision”.

Cutting.

It means leaving something behind. Slicing off options.

It’s a bet on yourself and takes courage.

My suggestion?

Get comfortable with your sword and trust your gut. The best way to build confidence is to do some stuff.

​Pray. Then push if you get the okay from Heaven.

Often a “yes” is an absence of “no”. Sometimes God speaks through His silence on a matter. If He doesnt say no take it as a yes until otherwise directed.

You have the mind of Christ, so why doubt yourself before taking action on an idea?

Go with what’s real and pulsates in your inner man.

Make it a habit to trust yourself, also trusting that God is big enough to pull back the reins if you get off course.

For big decisions, seek counsel.

​“Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14 KJV)

But choose your counsellors carefully. Not your social media feed.

Surround yourself with people who care enough to be real.

Take bold steps.

Jesus is on your side.

Selah.

To ask if God is real is like asking if I have a nose on my face.

It is self-evident.

I don’t “believe” in my nose. I know my nose.

It’s right there in front of my face!

In the same way, all of creation screams, “GOD EXISTS!”

Every cell, from the simplest (none are simple!) to the grandest design, speaks of His handiwork.

​“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead.” (Romans 1:20 KJV)

​Upon this unshakeable foundation, all of life is built.

The qualifications for a favoured walk are not complicated.

1. Come

2. Believe that He is!

​“…he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 KJV)

​No hoops to jump, no boxes to fill.

Just the sure expectation that He’s a rewarder of those who know their nose.

This December I’m leading a guided advent-ure through the Word. 24 days digging into truths to impact your walk with God, setting you up for a year of success.

Like opening gifts on Christmas day, each thought will be full of surprises.

Like this one where Jesus says:

“He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit” (John 15:5 NKJV)

Did you know that the word “abides” (Greek: meno) means to live in a state of relation and expectancy. Abiding in Christ is not passive.

Active. Engaged.

Connected to the Source, expecting increase.

I call it friendship and fruitfulness.

In that order!

He is.

And He is a rewarder!

Never forget it.