Encouragements

A phrase I often heard growing up was “Don’t pray for patience, because God will only make you wait for something”. While these things may have been said in jest, there may have also been some experience behind it. Experience is a great way to learn, and for something as important as patience, I have no doubt that God would take any opportunity to train us. Consider this verse: Therefore, do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise. (Hebrews 10:35) Patience (endurance) is key to us walking through life and even receiving anything that God has promised us. Confidence comes from faith and experience – it is our times in prayer as much as it is walking in faith and receiving a reward in its season. Our testimonies and experiences are important to remember and keep close to heart.  Patience is therefore the outworking of our knowing that God is good and that H...

Believe in Him I was in prayer a few nights ago, and God highlighted something to me. I was praying for something that was quite important, yet in my heart, I had fallen into despair. I was praying for something as if I had already lost the battle. In that moment, God brought the most unlikely verse to my heart. John 3:16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. As I heard that verse repeated, three words stuck out to me. ‘Believe in Him” Suddenly, it was like an awakening to the reality I had placed myself in. I was believing in the problem, but had lost sight of God’s powerful hand. We are saved through faith, and we are saved into faith. Our relationship with God is one of dynamic trust that is so much more than the key to our salvation. It is the foundation on which we stand that enthrones God over not only our lives, but our circumstances. I don’...

Originally sent December 2025, updated on website Jan 2026 We all want peace. Especially when it seems the whole world is frantic around us. The commercial version of Christmas promises peace, purchased through gifts and decorated with trees and carols. Yet, for some, it fails to deliver peace and is a reminder of what was lost in seasons past. For us in Christ, peace is the third fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians – and this world needs us to hold it more and more. The Hebrew word for peace is Shalom and even though the text was translated from Greek, it is the Hebrew understanding of the word that is most accurate for reasons I will explain later.  The word Shalom is sometimes referenced in Churches, and its depth is known by many. Even for the initiated, it’s good to be reminded. A life of Shalom is a long life, with good health. It is lived in God’s blessing – in prosperity and safety. Shalom is the peace we have with God, where there is no longer enm...

I’m not talking about anything lewd, nor am I suggesting anything to do with being unclad before the Lord. This is not a matter of being amorous, but being honest. What I am talking about is exposure, in a spiritual sense, and through shame, our attempts. It has been on my heart for a week or so to write, it’s not something that has come from any recent event or occurrence… just something that I have seen in my life – and others, and felt to write. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”  So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” (Genesis 3:9-10) It was no surprise to God that Adam and Eve were naked – he had formed them that way, after all. However, after eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge, Adam and Eve perceived their shame and had only one thought: to hide that shame from God. The word, knowledge, יָדַע (Yada) is,...

The Joy Factor I believe that a level of contentment is somewhat essential to life – but do we often seek it out? Joy is listed as a fruit of the Spirit – yet what do we do when we find ourselves living without it?  We have a tendency in life to compare our current experiences with past experiences with a measure of nostalgia. Even with that in mind, there are many factors that confirm to me that joy is harder to find today, than perhaps ten years ago. Studies have shown that anti-depressant use increased dramatically between 2010 and 2020. But then, when I think about the concept of love as I wrote about it in a previous post, I may consider that love is on a similar downward trend. The world we live in carries many burdens, each one robs us of our joy, peace and even love. However, when I look at joy in the bible, I see two realities on display: exhorted joy and innate joy. Both are true, and I believe are ours to receive.  Exhorted joy ‘Rejoice in th...

Being in The Courts of the King A few weeks ago, I was considering the concept of the courts of the king – in medieval concepts as well as ancient (like David and Saul) – even looking up visual representations on what it actually looked like and how it functioned.  Simultaneously, I was going through what some may call ‘a dry season’. To be honest, I don’t even know how long I have been in this season for. It seemed that life and distractions kept getting in the way of everything and suddenly I was dry. As it is in the natural when you are working without thinking about water – suddenly you feel parched. Of course, I have been doing the right things, I spend time in regular worship and in His Word. I pray regularly. But all of these activities, good as they are, were becoming activities to do and I was not taking the opportunities to ‘be’ in the moment. In essence, I was playing a minstrel in the King’s Court – without considering the honour it was to be there....

For the last week or so we have seen a shift in how the church perceives itself. In the western world compared to other regions, we can practice our faith in relative in peace and safety. It is therefore jarring to see someone who is killed for their faith.  Charlie Kirk’s murder was a tragedy and injustice beyond comprehension, although we can see in Charlie an example of someone who saw the risk and danger of seeking the lost worth the price he could pay. Yet, there has been a sharp response within the Church. There are few people today in the western world who have been so impactful as Charlie Kirk in sharing the message of their faith so effectively into darkness. He loved his family and his friends, he loved his work, but he also loved the people he spoke with – and was willing to break into their world where only ideas of a singular type are usually allowed despite the dangers. There has been a cry among many in and out the body of Christ, “I...

Love has been a word that has been used in countless contexts in the English language. Often we forget that for the single English word, there are eight Greek counterparts: Eros (intimate love), Mania (obsessive devotion), Ludus (playful / flirtatious),  Phillia (friendship), Storge (parental love), Philautia (self-love) and Xenia (hospitality). Finally, Agape, the love the Bible speaks about. (source below) Agape is an ancient Greek word (generally written as agapaw), generally meaning affection – but in the biblical context (agape) is much deeper. Specifically the self-giving love between God and humans, and by extension the love between Christians. The love of God towards us is such a profound concept – a love that existed before time and compelled Jesus willingly to the cross. A love that compelled God, the source and Creator of all things, to redeem a fallen mankind through...

The False Report Psalm 3 Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. (Verse 1-3) We’ve all felt in too deep, from time to time. Perhaps it’s the sickening feeling of a bad day. For some, it’s investments that have failed to thrive; some have seen natural disasters break all they thought was secure. David wrote those words at a desperate time – and of the people he called foes – he once called them generals, friends and even son. In the times past, Absalom had already killed another of David’s sons, and David had forgiven him for it. But Absalom had not felt content and began subverting his father’s throne, and one day set up a scheme to undermine it. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord ...

The Sword of the Spirit I have looked through the Armor of God in the last few months and left only the Sword of the Spirit. I have heard many examples of why the Word of God is considered like a sword, and I do not doubt that each one is applicable. I like the image of the Word of God being likened to a short Roman sword that could be used to excise arrows that had made it through defenses – as indeed God’s word has power over the poisonous words of our enemy. The word of God is a great tool of defense against lies, as truth is a great tool to diminish the power of a lie. A sword can be used in offence too, and on occasion, we meet with enemy strongholds that must be brought down. The word of God has power and authority that is rarely found in the voice of the believer alone. In each example, there is an element missing. The Spirit. The bible is not just our sword, but the sword of the Holy Spirit. The word of God, the Bible is more than a remarkable text. Yet to those who are not...

                ‘Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.’Prov 13:12 There is a difference between hope and dreaming. One can dream of seeing the stars in space, but most people don’t hope to actually do it.   Hope is not a passive thing – it is an active function. It is an invisible rope one holds to a future they are yet to see, in the hope of drawing it near. Without hope, one cannot have faith, as faith is the very substance of the things we hope for. (Hebrews 11.1) It is the ability to stand on what may seem to some as an abstract concept – the loving kindness of a God who moves on our behalf. If hope and expectation of God’s activity becomes nothing but a dream of God’s activity, then we have made our loving Father out to be a distant deity who is indifferent to our world. While in our mind we may know the truth, sometimes we must strengthen ourselves in God and renew our hope. (1 Samuel 30:6) When...

The oil stain Many years ago, on a Saturday afternoon, I was changing the oil in my car in the car park of the apartment block we lived in. I’m generally quite capable of this without spilling oil and making a mess, but this time, something fell and splashed oil everywhere. I cleaned up all I could, but I was worried about a stain on the concrete—something that would attract an angry letter from the apartment block manager. I had no time to attend to it any further, I locked my car and rushed in for dinner. The next day it still weighed heavily on my mind while I drove to church. Suddenly, a rush of peace came upon me. I heard God say – “I’ve got this, and I’m going to show you what my forgiveness looks like”. Driving home from the service, the skies opened up and our car was hit with a downpour of rain. There were no weather predictions for it – it just came out of nowhere. Even though the driveway was sloped, water was going down the concrete car...