Keeping hold of Positivity

We often talk ourselves down, I'm no good, I look awful and can't do that - I think we all do from time to time.  If we're feeling low this is the worse thing we can do, as we just end up in a vicious circle that we cannot escape and if we're not careful, we end up feeling totally deflated!  When we are feeling negative it's always useful to try and focus on our blessings and the things we do have in our lives.

It's really great when we meet people who influence us in a positive way; they make us laugh and bring out the best in us.  It is so important in life that we stay around those things that are good for us and be around people who provide a positive influence on our lives.  This is because right and wrong, positive and negative, can swing within us very easily; we can be influenced either way.  

To have a positive, good life....keep positive things and people near to you!  If something or someone is effecting you negatively and is bringing out the worst in you, may be it's time to let it or them go.  It's a posing question but are we also a positive person for others to be around?  I love this quote, "don't be a drain be a fountain".

I realise some of us are going through difficult stressful times and it is in those times we need to keep hold of those positive things and friends who will lift us up again.  It is then when I'm also reminded of this quote "we can't always wait for the storm to pass we have to learn to dance in the rain".  

Keep thinking on the good things and be thankful for all your blessings - I'm sure we all have more than we think if we look hard enough.

Lv Caroline x 

Biblical principle taken from Phil 4 v 8 - Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

I'm a good person with good morals......so why would I need God?

This is a statement I have heard many times and I partly agree with it because most people we know and meet are great people, wonderful friends and reasonable citizens.

A Moral Core
I believe most of us know right from wrong, this has been built within the fabric of our souls.  I believe we all have a moral core, so no matter who we are we all have the capacity for good.  We have an awareness of whether our actions are decent (I realize some of this is learnt behaviour from our parents and outside influences etc, but not all).

Greatness within us
Humans have the gift of greatness and love within them and this is why we see people doing really great, amazing, compassionate things in life!  We are, most of the time, very amicable beings.  As a Christian myself, it says in the bible we have been made in God's image and therefore we all have, in part, God's nature within us.  

Are we 100% perfect?
Everyday people we usually meet are good people - this cannot be denied, however, although some would like to think it, none of us can truly say we are 100% all good, if we did it would undoubtedly be a lie; we all do small things wrong - it's part of our human nature too.  So the question of us being a good person with good morals is not strictly true if we are brave enough to look deep within ourselves.

Why do we need God? 
On the other hand, God is a Holy God and completely perfect.  We therefore all have a need for God to help us with those little things we struggle with; addictions, anger, jealously, pride, deception, two-faced chat, worry, back-biting, selfish gain, to name a few.  When we encounter God for ourselves, He encourages us to become more like Him by highlighting those areas of our character that need a bit of work and helps us overcome those things.  I also believe as a result, God restores to us those things that are lacking too like happiness, peace and contentment.  

Many people find the bible hard to accept as it talks about our heart issues.  People say, how dare someone suggest I'm not perfect!  God doesn't highlight our faults (biblical word-'sin'), and the bible wasn't written to beat us down with a stick because God hates us, no it's because he loves us so much and wants us to have the best life possible.  As we work on our heart issues we struggle with we can hopefully make a start at changing little by little for the better, which will eventually effect our whole life including others around us.  Surely that is something to be praised not cursed!

Some of you may be saying right now - well I'm fine and I don't feel I need to change or become better.  That's fine, we all have a choice and it should never be a forced choice; it's your heart and you decide how you want it to be.
 
I'm not saying it's easy to think we may have flaws, but by admitting so, at least we can make a start in helping ourselves.

Lv Caroline x

2 Cor 3 18 - Our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.  

God Appointment or just Coincidence?

Ever felt like you've been in the right place at exactly the right time?  I've certainly felt that way on many occasions.  It's never something you plan to happen, but out of the blue you meet a person or a situation arises that you know is just right for that point in time. 

Some people call these coincidences and sometimes they are, however, as a Christian who believes in God, I believe some meetings can be God inspired or God led.  You see, if we truly believe God knows everything about our lives, He is surely big enough to orchestrate and bring about situations He wants us to be part of, or bring us to people He wants to help and bless.

I believe this to be known as a 'God appointment' or 'divine appointment'.  There are many examples in the bible, one of them being the story of Esther.  Esther was a Jew and became the Queen of Persia.  Unknown to her at the time, one day her position of Queen would allow her to save the Jewish people from being annihilated!  These circumstances were not the result of chance but of God's wonderful plan to ensure the survival of His people.

With God in charge, we can take courage and trust Him to guide us through the circumstances we face in our lives.  Have assurance today, if we are willing to be led by the Holy Spirit, God can take us through different situations and bring certain people along our path to ensure His purposes are fulfilled. 

It's not until we sometimes look back over a period of time that we are able to see what God has done.  As we unite our lives with God's purposes, amazing things can truly happen! 


Lv Caroline x

Bible Verses:  Esther 4 v 14 - If you keep quiet at a time like this, God will deliver the Jews from some other source, but you and your relatives will die; what’s more, who can say but that God has brought you into the palace for just such a time as this?

Life of a puppet? - Who's pulling your strings?

In life we can find people who want to pull our strings and make us dance to their tune.  It is good to be reminded however that, rather than letting others control our thinking, that we take charge of our own.

Society, media and fashions want to sell a life to us......is this a really good life or one that is just being sold as good? 

We are sold the lie that money and fame can make you happy, that material things equals success and that beauty on the outside is everything!  We are sold specific types of music (to make a certain Simon Cowell a very rich man!!!!!), certain labelled clothing, certain car badges, the list could go on.  

On a more serious note though, through TV and media we are also swayed with certain ideas and values regarding the way we ought to live out our lives. Are we just going to go along with all that is presented to us? Unfortunately we often usually listen to those with the loudest voices (it's human nature).

When everything is shifting and changing around us what absolutes are you going to hold onto?   I look to my faith as a Christian and one thing I know for certain is that I believe in the values it stands for.  They are like standing on a rock that cannot be moved.  When we're in sinking sand and we're getting into trouble we can find a safe place of stability and grounding.  More than ever today, I'm running to that safe place.

May I ask, what values are you standing on today, not what others are selling to you or believe; not those who pull our strings.....but what do you say? 

Lv Caroline x

BIG QUESTIONS: If God exists then why does He allow suffering?

Many people have said to me that they cannot believe in God; because if there was a God why would he allow injustice, war, sickness and terrible things to continue on earth without doing anything!!!

I can understand this frustration and as a Christian I can only give you my own thoughts on this and what we know from the bible. 

People choose good or bad
We all have the power within our souls for either good or bad.  We are created with choice and reason; this concept makes our lives our own!  We choose, we decide, we create what we will make of our lives.  This lesson about life was shown to us right at the beginning of the bible in Genesis.  God was showing us through the story of Adam and Eve, that mankind has been given the freedom of choice over how they live out their lives, not to be robot like beings; you all would agree this kind of existence would be no existence at all.  Without getting too deep at this stage, by allowing bad things to flourish in our lives, we are encouraging the wrong choices. The bible states in Psalm 34 - Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.  

Thankfully, most of us choose to use our lives for good, to help others, to make the world a better place.  Unfortunately, as we all know this is not the case for some.  We hear on the news every week about some terrible atrocity that has taken place or some awful injustice, the list would go on and on!  It is safe to say these awful things have been done out of man's heart and man's choice, wrong choices lead to negative outcomes for our lives and for the lives of others around us.  The problem is God often gets the blame, or people presume God does not exist because He doesn't do anything!  If God stepped in every time something terrible happened by the hands of someone else, would that then still be free will, would it mean we choose for ourselves how we live life? ....

Man has the potential of existing as a great being, a loving being; everything that God is.  If the whole world and every single person on the planet could strive for goodness, it still wouldn't be perfect, but the world would certainly be a better place.  God has entrusted us with the responsibility to look after this world whilst we are here and to try and love one another, but somehow it is almost impossible for us to live in harmony together.  Some of it stems from greed, jealousy and pride, again all very negative choices that produce negative outcomes on others. 

What about natural disasters & death?
The story of Adam and Eve also showed us that through wrong choices, evil entered the world and unfortunately for now, it is here to stay.  This fact opens up the whole of creation and mankind to the outcomes of evil, including sickness, death, natural disasters and so forth.  

Why should innocent people be hurt because of the bad in the world?
Bad people may look like they are prevailing here on earth but the bible makes it clear that when they meet God face to face one day - they, and in fact all of us will have to answer to what we have used our lives for.  Have we used it for good, to help others, to encourage, to build up, to be generous with out time, talents, money and gifts or have we wasted it on trivial activities.  

So why doesn't God step in and help us? 
Because God loves us so much, He was willing to help us when he sent Jesus to earth.  When Jesus came, it was to give mankind another chance and put all the wrong in our lives right again; that one day we can live forever.  Also, I believe when we come to God in prayer, God will help us but that is our choice as to firstly, whether we believe it or not, and secondly whether we ask for it!  We often expect God to come out with a magic wand without any effort from ourselves; this is not how it works.  I believe we also have been given the bible that also shows us the amazing way to live out our lives; inspirational quotes etc are all great but I have noticed many of the principles they teach are biblical values anyway (God's values), if God made us we only need to go to the creator to get some answers on great living.....and it's FREE.

One day, God will step in and do something about this world!
To finish, we come right to the end of the bible to the book of Revelation where it says God will one day come back to earth to once and for all make everything new; he will create a new heaven and a new earth and bad things and evil will be gone forever.  So yes, one day God will step in and do something about this hurting world.

Whether you believe the bible or God or you don't, that is your choice it should never be a forced choice or a choice because of others.  We choose for ourselves.  Our whole life hangs on the choices we make.  So I don't know about you but I'm going to enjoy my choices today and make sure they are good ones!

This blog covers an awful lot of information in just a few short paragraphs.  I have tried my best to explain this as simply and as briefly as possible.

Lv Caroline x

Bible Verses
Rom 5v12 - Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death resulted from sin, therefore everyone dies, because everyone has done wrong.

 Rom 8 22 - For we know that even the things of nature, like animals and plants, suffer in sickness and death as they await Christ's return.  

2 Cor 5v10 - For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due to us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
 
Rom 3 22- 25  We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. 23 For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. 24 Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our wrong doing.

From Rev 21 - Then I saw a new earth (with no oceans!) and a new sky, for the present earth and sky had disappeared. God himself will be among them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever.”And the one sitting on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new!”

I want I want I want......why these prayers are not always answered

I was reading the 'Lord's Prayer' only recently and one line that really struck me was 'Thy will be done'.

What does this really mean?  I believe it means that when we pray, although we should pray for the things we want in our lives (there's nothing wrong with this), we need to also think about what God wants to achieve through our lives!  For those of us who are mature Christians, what God wants for us should be a crucial aspect of our lives.

I know when my husband and I first started trying for a baby, we thought everything would go to plan and I would get pregnant fairly quickly.  Unfortunately, 2 years later and after some very early miscarriages, I still was not pregnant!!  We then turned to the professional doctors for help and had various tests done; fortunately they found nothing wrong.  After feeling defeated and disappointed on many occasions I suddenly came to a place of acceptance, where it was time to stop fighting the situation.  At this time, I recall praying a very difficult prayer, probably one of the most difficult I ever had to pray.  It went something like this:

God I don't understand the 'why' in this circumstance, but I now just leave it with you.  I know my desire is to have children, but whatever Your plan is for my life I ACCEPT it.  If my life is to be lived without children, I pray the extra time and energy I will have will be put to good use in serving You God.   I accept Your will for my life, and all that You have planned for me.  I bring it all to You and lay everything down.  I know You love me and I trust You above everything else.  Thank you.  Amen

Whatever situation you are going through today, sometimes God is seeing if we will lay it down.  Do we honestly believe our lives are in God's hands, do we really trust Him?  Do we really believe He is in control?

Yes you've guessed it, a couple of months after praying this prayer an amazing miracle took place.  Yes I was pregnant!!!!  At 7 weeks, I recall not telling anyone about the amazingly news; to be honest I was terrified of losing the baby again so didn't want to spill the beans until it was all confirmed to avoid disappointments.  At this time, a lady from our church said she wanted to see me and invited me over to her house.  She said she had felt me on her heart this last few months with regard to child birth and gave me a verse out of the bible.  It was this:

From Gal 4 - Rejoice, barren woman who bears no children, shout and cry out, woman who has no birth pangs.  Because the children of the barren woman now surpass the children of the chosen woman.

I believe this was a confirmation from God that all was going to be well this time - that there was nothing to fear.  I was so desparate to tell this lady I was already 7 weeks pregnant but I hadn't even told my own family.  I had to leave her home, although overjoyed, with a composed disposition!  At 10 weeks, after telling my own family, I did re-visit this lady; I was so excited to tell her about it and really wanted to thank her for her encouragement.  

About 6-7 mths later, I gave birth to a very healthy 8lb 11oz baby Son. I'm only very petite myself so this was quite a big baby for me, but he was a real blessing in every way, and still is!  We were overjoyed.
 
As Christians, sometimes we strive so hard for things and we pray and pray until we try and hear the answer WE want.  There is nothing wrong with believing and praying in faith for these things, however we have to be careful that we are not putting our own desires at the forefront and leaving God out.

Often when we put things on the alter (meaning placing it before God totally), is when we get our breakthrough and answer!  It is where we find our peace and where our faith and character grows. It is also when we receive a new blessing; just like my baby boy!

Jesus' life from beginning to end was all about fulfilling God's will. It was God's will that Jesus was to die for the sins of the world!  Wow....what a weight to carry and what obedience. 

Be encouraged to trust God today.

Lv Caroline x

Bible Readings:
Matt 26 v 39 - Before Jesus went to the cross he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 

John 6 v 38 - For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

Isa 55 v 8 - God says: For My thoughts are higher than your thoughts, and My ways higher than your ways.  As the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your way and my thoughts than your thoughts.

HOW SHOULD WE PRAY? The Lord's Prayer made easy

God in heaven, how great you are!

I pray that everything you are, love and stand for will come here to earth, as it is where you live in heaven.

I pray God that all you want to happen on earth and in my own life will take place.

Today give us the food and essential things we need.

I pray God you will forget and clear everything that I do wrong.  As I then forget and clear what others have done wrong to me.  Help me not to hold it against them and to forgive even when it's difficult.

Help me not to want things that don't belong to me or are bad for me.  Those things no good for me, give me the strength to turn away from them.

Keep me safe from harm at all times.

For everything belongs to you God.  You are great and all powerful.  Forever and ever.   

Amen. x
___________________________________________

More details:

When some people asked Jesus how to pray.  Jesus went on and gave us the Lord's Prayer.  It was never meant to become a set of words that are just repeated in a meaningless manner, but a template for us to follow. 

The Lord's Prayer was a set of ideas that Jesus was giving to us in how to pray.

When we come to God in prayer the prayer showed us that it is good to include:

• Praise
• A prayer that God's Kingdom and everything about God will come here to earth.
• A prayer that everything that God wants to happen will take place in our lives and on earth. (God's will)
• Ask for things we need
• Forgiveness
• Forgiveness of others 
• Strength to overcome Temptation
• Protection
• It's good to end with thanks and praise

 This shows us that the things listed above must be very important for us to pray about if God has recommended it.  

We therefore don't need to repeat the Lord's Prayer word for word (where it becomes religious) but come to God with our own words including some of the above ideas.   

Hope this has helped you understand prayer a little more.

Lv Caroline xx

 

Feeling Good from the Inside Out

Now Spring is upon us, it's the time when some of us start thinking about keeping fit and getting back into shape ready for the summer months.  The only problem is that do achieve a certain level of fitness it requires hard work, commitment and endurance!  

We have to be prepared to put in the hard work to get the results we want.  We have to put in the time and energy when sometimes we just don't have it.  The good news is however that even if you didn't feel like exercising beforehand, you often feel much better for doing so and dare I say, even slightly energized by it!

We can apply this rule not just to our outward, physical fitness but also to our inner world.  We regularly think about fitness as just what we look like on the outside but how are you are looking on the inside?  It's not something we really think about.

Have you ever met a person and when you say, "Hello how are you"? and they answer "fine" you know very well it's not true because their face is saying something else!  If our inside is fit and healthy it often radiates to the outside of us, causing us to even smile now and again!  The point I'm making is that if we can get our inside world sorted out then we will feel good from the inside out.  That's why what happens outwardly is not as important as what is happening on the inside of us.

We are all in this 'race of life', so what are you doing to keep things good on the inside?  Looking to my faith, I believe God helps us with this. This is what Christianity is all about.

Everything the bible talks about is helping us with our inside character, the words and messages hidden within the stories are like medicine to our souls. The bible was written with man's heart in mind!  Millennia goes by, but man's heart is still the same as it was then, yes mankind has gained an awful amount of knowledge and society has changed, but God's words will always be relevant for the condition of one's heart - God is in the business of inward beauty. You see if God really is the creator of our lives surely he knows what we need to do to make them better and stronger!

I challenge you today if you have never picked up a bible, may be it's time to start.  May be you've never been to church, again it's never too late to begin.  Just like physical exercise, it's never too late to try.  It may not be easy but well worth all the effort in the end, just like physical exercise, it's hard work but you'll feel energized afterwards and you'll become a lot stronger.

For those already Christians, keep going in your faith!  Don't give up, all your hard work will pay off soon.  Even when we become exhausted - KEEP GOING, you can make it. Our hearts are gradually being changed to be more like Christ, becoming brighter and more beautiful day by day; now that's a reward worth having.

Bible Verses:    Our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him - 2 Cor 3:18
 
Exercise daily in God; no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever - Timothy 4 -1

Feeling Good from the Inside Out

Now Spring is upon us, it's the time when some of us start thinking about keeping fit and getting back into shape ready for the summer months.  The only problem is that do achieve a certain level of fitness it requires hard work, commitment and endurance!  

We have to be prepared to put in the hard work to get the results we want.  We have to put in the time and energy when sometimes we just don't have it.  The good news is however that even if you didn't feel like exercising beforehand, you often feel much better for doing so and dare I say, even slightly energized by it!

We can apply this rule not just to our outward, physical fitness but also to our inner world.  We regularly think about fitness as just what we look like on the outside but how are you are looking on the inside?  It's not something we really think about.

Have you ever met a person and when you say, "Hello how are you"? and they answer "fine" you know very well it's not true because their face is saying something else!  If our inside is fit and healthy it often radiates to the outside of us, causing us to even smile now and again!  The point I'm making is that if we can get our inside world sorted out then we will feel good from the inside out.  That's why what happens outwardly is not as important as what is happening on the inside of us.

We are all in this 'race of life', so what are you doing to keep things good on the inside?  Looking to my faith, I believe God helps us with this. This is what Christianity is all about.

Everything the bible talks about is helping us with our inside character, the words and messages hidden within the stories are like medicine to our souls. The bible was written with man's heart in mind!  Millennia goes by, but man's heart is still the same as it was then, yes mankind has gained an awful amount of knowledge and society has changed, but God's words will always be relevant for the condition of one's heart - God is in the business of inward beauty. You see if God really is the creator of our lives surely he knows what we need to do to make them better and stronger!

I challenge you today if you have never picked up a bible, may be it's time to start.  May be you've never been to church, again it's never too late to begin.  Just like physical exercise, it's never too late to try.  It may not be easy but well worth all the effort in the end, just like physical exercise, it's hard work but you'll feel energized afterwards and you'll become a lot stronger.

For those already Christians, keep going in your faith!  Don't give up, all your hard work will pay off soon.  Even when we become exhausted - KEEP GOING, you can make it. Our hearts are gradually being changed to be more like Christ, becoming brighter and more beautiful day by day; now that's a reward worth having.

Bible Verses:    Our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him - 2 Cor 3:18
 
Exercise daily in God; no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever - Timothy 4 -1