Day of Repentance & Prayer in Saxony

Wednesday 21st November is a public holiday in Saxony. This is one of the few regions in Germany that still observes "Repent and Pray Day".

At the Jesus Haus, time on Tuesday evening was spent praying and declaring God`s promises and Word over Germany. Focusing on what He has done and is going to do in this nation. 

Not giving glory to the sins and shame of the past. But instead, looking ahead with expectancy of all that God has planned for Germany and the people of this nation.

I love the meaning of the word "repentance". It`s about turning back to God. Continually checking that your path is aligned with His path. That your heart is turned to His.

Repentance is really so releasing. Looking at Jesus. Placing your hand in His. Surrendering your steps and your heart to Him. Allowing His glory to shine through.

"...forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13b&14

I love that about Jesus. He died on the cross so that the past cannot hold us back. Through His resurrection power we can leave the past behind us and walk on into the new. Whole. Redeemed. Cleansed & free. Ready to do His will. 

At the foot of the cross

I`ve been to Poland! It was a joy and a privilege to spend last weekend with the ladies of Jelenia Gora and their friends. It`s always truly a delight to see people hungry for God and willing to respond to Him. And the people I met in Poland certainly are.

God spoke very deeply into many people`s lives. Both the women who attended and the men who were also serving at the conference! I loved working with Pastors Magda, Iza and Agniescka. Thank you everyone who was there, for being so open to God!

One area of our lives that we talked about was living in the reality of what Jesus accomplished on the cross for us. Not just knowing that He died and rose again. But believing it truly in our hearts. Believing it for our own lives. Remembering to continually turn to Him, that He has already broken the chains that bound us.

We talked about the journey of our destiny with Jesus. How He grows and develops us. How He inspires passion in us, releases us from shame and prepares us for what He has for us. God also challenged people about the need to forgive and extend mercy. Because an unmerciful heart can hold us back.

When we extend mercy to others, then we receive the full effects of God`s mercy to us in our lives. Deep, but wonderfully freeing!

James 2:13 For judgement is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgement.

I`ll leave you with that challenging thought!

Inspiring Excellence

Excellence isn`t about getting everything right. It isn`t about fulfilling rigid expectations. It isn`t an unreachable goal.

True, biblical excellence is totally inspiring. It`s about going further. Reaching above and beyond where you`ve been before. 

A people of excellence stand out from the crowd. Not because they have "got it all together". They stand out because they are not afraid to reach beyond limitations. They break new ground. 

Not through striving and not through manipulation. Instead, full of the Spirit of God, they are determined to allow His power to be made perfect in their weakness. They are not afraid of failing, because they know their Father in Heaven loves them. 

There is something inspiring about true excellence. And there is something inclusive about it. We admire excellence because we enjoy the sense of achievement it represents. Godly excellence has a quality of peace. It is the most fulfilling kind of success. 

And best of all, it sends that message that says "Look what`s possible with God. He`s done it through me. He can do it through you too."

"But He said to me: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

2 Corinthians 12.9

Healthy Church

I`m a great believer in the importance of Church life. It`s so vital for every believer to be united in a body of local believers. Because our faith is worked out in our daily lives. Both with God and with others.

Church isn`t something we attend. It`s us. Followers of Jesus Christ, learning, growing and living together. A healthy Church expresses the reality of the love of Christ. To members of the Church and to non-members and non-believers. 

A healthy Church carries a fragrance. A unique fragrance. You get a taste of this aroma when you experience a corporate Church meeting. If the Church is truly healthy, you`ll also be attracted to the fragrance of each individual.

"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life." 2 Corinthians 2.14-16

Why not take a moment to consider the fragrance your life is giving off? It`s also worth remembering that the fragrance of a Church is the product of each individual member. The leaders may define the Church culture, but it is the members who affirm or sabotage it.

The Destiny of Nations

Back to the bigger picture again. Destiny, the nations and you and me

The destiny of nations is in the hands of God. Many pray for transformation, reformation, revival in a nation. Prayer is important, uniting our hearts with the will of God. Things are changed. Learning to understand how He sees the nations and what His plans are is also important. 

But God crafts the transformation of the heart of a nation through men, women and children. Individually and corporately. Both through prayer and the reality of their lives.

I believe that reformation of a nation begins in the heart of individuals. I believe that it is extended through the transformation of families. Nations are fashioned as individual believers respond to God and collectively work towards the goals that God gives them for the nation. Church as it was intended to be.

It`s not about Church streams and fashions and denominations. It`s deeper than that. It`s not about riding the latest wave of spiritual "fashion". It`s about taking responsibility. 

For ourselves; our own hearts and lives. For the consequences of how and who we are on those around us. For our families, our businesses and our church life. It`s about relationship with God and real relationship with those around us.

Whether you live in your nation or abroad, God is waiting. Those around you are waiting. The land is waiting. Are you ready to accept your part in the bigger picture of the transformation of nations? Because you matter. We all matter. And together we cover the Earth.

"For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God." Romans 8.19

Yielding

Every season has it`s beauty. Every season has a purpose. Every season is part of the cycle of eternity. 

The different seasons and times of our life make us who we are. Our attitudes as we go through those seasons affects our growth as Christians. 

We can fight a season. We can endure it. Alternatively, we can embrace it. With it`s joys and delights as well as it`s challenges and sorrows. Allowing God to grow and encourage us.

Whether we are living through a time of dark valleys or whether we are glorying on the mountain heights, God is busy crafting greatness in us. As we surrender to the work of His Spirit within us, our character is formed and shaped. 

God doesn`t put us through difficult times to punish us, but to give us an opportunity to grow and develop. Learning to trust our times to Him helps us look for the fruit of each season.

Wherever you are at in your life today, take a moment to thank Him that every day you live is part of His plan for your life. 

As for me, I trust in You, Oh Lord. I say "You are my God." My times are in Your hand. Psalm 31.14/15a

Deep and Mucky

It`s Autumn in Herrnhut. Lots of beautiful leaves to kick through. The storms of Winter will come and go. The silence of the snow will envelop the forest. And all the time these leaves will be rotting away, their beauty gone.

People talk about the seasons of life. Times when we are living in a Spring, when everything is exciting and developing. Winters, when life seems harsh and cold and fruitless. I believe God takes us through seasons. Very intentionally.

When a season of life or activity is coming to an end, it can feel like an Autumn. At first there is a glorious maturity to what we are doing. Then comes a time when the leaves fall from the trees and we wonder "what was it all for?" or "where has it all gone?".

Except that we forget that those leaves have to fall from the trees. They have to rot. They have to disintegrate. Because they must become soil. They must cover the earth. Preparing the land for the next seasons. Making it fertile. So that the new can grow.

That´s a bit deep isn`t it? Even in the barren times of a wintry season, God is preparing new soil in your life. Sometimes He takes us through a season when things have to rot a bit. It`s mucky.

But just wait and see what He grows out of that new soil in your life. He is laying the foundations for the new that will come. Accept the Autumns, in whatever form they come. Find peace as you endure the Winter. And look forward to the promise of Spring. New mercies. New life.

"His mercies are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" Lamentations 3.23/24