It has been a year since I last posted on this blog. 
But I haven't been sure what to post, a lot has happened. We've bought a house, we now have a puppy, moved churches a few times, been on holiday, decorated the house. So many things. 

I guess the one thing you could say, is God has been a constant. That is wonderful. It's been such a roller coaster with my mental health and to be able to say God is a constant is what has helped me the most it is the most comforting thing.

My mother in law shared the most comforting and hardest to settle with passage at church on Sunday. First Jesus said store up treasures in heaven, then he goes on to say: 
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

How do you managed to live these truths out. Because it's easy to know the theology. We know the facts, but on Monday, Tuesday, on dark days when I can't get out of bed, when I'm in a room full of people and anxious thoughts come in. 

The only answer I can give is by the spirit living in me. I have to trust that by God working in me, I can daily begin to be shaped to trust him more and more. It is not something that I can do myself, it is all up to my father, to work in me. He will protect me, he will nourish me, most of all he will provide spiritual food for me. I must only seek his kingdom, to seek what he wishes for me to do, to serve him. He will provide the rest. 

So how do I live these truths out? Continuous prayer, Ask God to work in me to draw me into his comfort and teach me to hand him my anxiety.

This is not an overnight change, this will take my whole life and is a continuous work in me. But I need to take comfort that God is my constant, God will sustain me. Everything else may change, shift, move. God will not. I must rest in that truth.

Our Father

At the start of this month I had a wonderful opportunity to go to the 9:38 conference with a whole group of Ministry Apprentices just like me, and spend three days looking at our prayer life and what the bible teaches us about prayer.

One of the highlights, for me, was hearing Richard Coekin speaking on the Lord's prayer, showing us how the prayer our Lord Jesus taught us can structure our devotional prayer time.

Now before I continue this post, I want to make sure you know my prayer life is a constant battle that I am trying to turn into a joy! And this is all stuff I'm trying to work on and want to share with you! But it's hard and I have by no means got an answer to making it easier, remember it's literally a spiritual battle, Satan will do literally anything to distract you while you pray. Did I put the Dog out? Did I turn the oven off? That was a lovely program I watched today. He tries anything, to stop you talking to your Heavenly Father.

So, why have I entitled this blog post, Our Father, well, the Lord's prayer begins with this and I was shown that it is the most wonderful reminder of the privilege of prayer and the power of the one we pray to. Just stop and think for a moment, how amazing is it that you get to call the creator of the universe Father. The King over everything, the most powerful one ever known, Dad. We get to come to Him in times of Joy, sorrow, weakness, strength, love, heartbreak, anger and compassion. He doesn't change at all, His love-o-meter is fixed at maximum love. 

Our phone-line to Him is never engaged, faulty, out of service, or in a queue. It's instant and always open.

So, next time you make an excuse to pray, just remember, your Heavenly Father is always listening. He delights to hear you pray to Him. He longs for us to find treasures in His word and ask Him for them. 

He longs for us to speak to Him as our Heavenly Father, to embrace the privilege of prayer. 

Shaking up my Faith

Myself and a friend have just begun reading through Jen Wilkin's new book together None Like Him which is an exciting and challenging read so far.
I'd not heard of the wonderful Jen Wilkin until my friend showed me her blog, so I started to read through some of the posts. I have never felt more challenged and inspired to get stuck into being more proactive with my faith! Jen has a wonderful practical way of challenging your thinking and your faith.

Now I wouldn't say I was passive with my faith, but I had realised quite much how I'd got into a monotonous routine and that I'd forgotten to be joyful in my quiet times and prayer life and serving for the LORD.
Because honestly, God is AWESOME and He deserves to have 100% of everything! My joy, my love, my time, my energy, my all. The hymn that says Demands my soul, my life, my all. Has never been more true and such a kick up the backside! I would urge you to spend 10 minutes of your day to go over to Jen's blog http://jenwilkin.blogspot.co.uk/ and read through some of her posts. I would think she would graciously challenge you too!

If you have more time, invest in her book, |None Like Him or Women of the Word. Both of which I am greatly enjoying and are so well written for refreshing your quiet times and approach to God!

So I urge you to read to read one of the above, or even just have a think and pray into what you can do to spice up your quiet time or prayer time, because we must rejoice! Rejoice the LORD has come!