A Testimony of Salvation from Emilee Hockey

This is the testimony of another one of our daughters. We are so blessed we now have 3 of our daughters married to Godly husbands who have a heart for God and desire to serve him and raise their families for God's glory. They are building their own legacy of faith to pass on to future generations. All glory to God!

3 John 1:4 KJV - I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

Hi, my name is Emilee Hockey. I grew up in a Christian home. I grew up going to church, going to youth camps and Sunday school and other Christian outreaches but I never really thought about salvation until I was 9 years old and then one night while I was lying in bed, I started thinking about what would happen if I died, where would I go Heaven or Hell? The thought of going to Hell scared me and I knew I was a sinner, and I knew if I didn't ask Jesus to come into my heart and save me from my sins, I would go to Hell, so on the 7th of April 2009, I prayed and asked Jesus to save me.

My life didn't change too much because I was still young and wasn't into anything I shouldn't be, but I knew that Jesus had saved me, and I wanted to tell my family and friends that I was a Christian now.

A few years later, in 2012, when I was 12 my Grandpa (Pastor Buddy Smith) baptised me.

There have been times when I have doubted my salvation, and I would read Bible verses on salvation, and I would pray that Jesus would save me again.

But I know now that I am saved, and I have Jesus in my heart, and I pray that God can use me for His glory.

I now have an awesome, Godly husband. We've been married for nearly 5 years, and I am a mum of three beautiful kids and have another little one on the way. God has blessed me more than I deserve, and I just pray that I can be the wife and mother God would have me be to my family and also, I pray that I can be a witness and a blessing and bring other souls to Christ.

These are just a few verses that I find very encouraging, and I pray you will find them encouraging too.

I just love how in these verses it talks about if we just trust the Lord and not ourselves, he will lead us and show us what He has planned for our life whether it be now or a few years later down the track.

Proverbs 3:5-6
 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Also, this verse tells us that no matter what we are going through in life that we are to be strong and not worry because the Lord is with us, and He will never leave us.

Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

 A Testimony of Salvation from Chloe Holmes

3 John 1:4 KJV - I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

This is a testimony from our daughter, Chloe. There is no blessing greater than knowing that your children have made the decision to become a child of God and desire to love, obey and serve him. 

We often take for granted the Godly heritage God has blessed so many of us with - that of growing up in a Christian home, taught the Scriptures from a very young age, set a good example of Godliness and fellowshipping regularly with other believers in the form of Sunday Services, Youth Groups, Prayer Meetings and get togethers of people of like-mind. 

I really do have no greater joy than knowing my children walk in the truth and I rejoice in advance in knowing that God can do the same for our grandchildren. 

I grew up in a Christian home with amazing Christian parents. I was so blessed to have such a good Godly influence in my life at such a young age. As a family, we attended church, Sunday school, youth group and many other ministries in the church. 

Growing up I never really feared death. I didn’t really understand it. But I remember one Wednesday night, when I was six, after prayer meeting, I knew I needed to talk to my parents about being a Christian and what it meant. I can’t remember what the message was even about, that particular night at prayer meeting, but I remember sitting in my parents room talking about how to be saved. I remember how they explained the goodness of God and how He loved me so much, that he sent His only Son to die on a cross for me and how He wanted to have a relationship with me. 

So, on that very night I received Christ as my Saviour. I was a child of God! Fast forward 5 years or so, I started really doubting my salvation. I became very fearful and anxious, not knowing if I was saved or not. I heard other people's testimonies of how their lives were completely changed, and how God moved in their lives. I thought about my own testimony, and how “boring” it was. I let my emotions and feelings control me, instead of trusting God. I would pray over and over again, trying to fix how I was feeling. I was ashamed of how I felt, and I was worried about what people might say about me if I wasn’t saved. 

Through all of my doubts and disbelief, I wasn’t fully trusting God and His word. As I got older, I started to realise that all this time, I was basing my salvation on my feelings. God never left me or gave up on me. He had been there through all of my disbelief. I began to understand that my salvation is not based on how I feel, but rather it is based on what God has promised in his word. 

God tells us again and again, in His word, how we can know and be sure, that we are born again. I know that I am saved, and I’m not going to base my eternal destination and relationship with God, on feelings. God has been so good to me, and so I strive every day to do better, and do more for God. 

Yes, I’m not perfect and I don’t have all the answers, but I know that God is perfect, and He know all things, so I can confidently trust in His promises.

 A Testimony of Salvation from Tara Meldrum

This is the testimony of a young mum of 3 little ones who attends a Bible study I hold in my home. She has a heart to learn and an insatiable hunger for the Word of God.

I know that Salvation is granted the moment we give our lives to Christ, repent of our sin and the process of sanctification begins. But I also believe that it is a journey. We all, as Christians, are on this journey and as we are given more light and more leading, we grow in our Christian walk and mature in our faith.

I am so glad that God extends his grace and mercy to us as we run the race he sets before us. He is patient with us, and his longsuffering is unfathomable.

Please pray for Tara as she seeks to grow in the knowledge of the Lord and walk in his ways.

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

 

I grew up going to church with mum, I remember thinking it was boring but would go as mum would go.

I remember drawing pictures of what I thought at the time it meant of God being everywhere.

I remember as I got older watching the people putting their hands in the air during worship and wishing I was as close to God or comfortable enough to praise him like they did.

At 14 years of age I gave my life to Jesus.

It was an altar call from a pastor we knew well who was preaching that day at Mataranka church. I felt I could hear what he was saying and believed in my heart that Jesus was the King and Lord and had died for my sins.

But my life following that day has been a journey.

I wasn’t living the way a young Christian should be. I was drinking, I had a boyfriend, I was skipping school etc.

I remember desiring to follow some of Gods ways, even though I hadn’t read the Bible at all at that point I knew in my heart the right way but the push of peer pressure and what “teenagers” do was more in my face at the time.

I remember putting my name down to be a youth leader I did it once and couldn’t go again. Knowing in my heart I wasn’t living a life that I would be proud of.

Throughout my life I’ve always known God is with me and I would attend church throughout working out bush and coming home between my adventures after high school had finished.

I would often attend the KYB (know your bible) study group with my mum and listened intently at the ladies wisdom and knowledge of the bible and their own life experiences.

After a stint working contract mustering in where I began searching to draw near to God I read the ‘purpose driven life’ and it made me hungry to know God better.

Anyway I started working at a community called Wadeye at an aged care facility. I wasn’t attending church there and there were no bible studies that I knew of but I did bring my bible. I tried to read it but found it overwhelming; where to start, how to read it?

I was house sitting at some point and had found a book about Yoga and started practicing the movements; I soon felt like I needed to do it everyday as it felt great for my body.

After leaving Wadeye and travelling down the east coast I worked in Mona Vale, Sydney. I was doing yoga and attending some yoga classes. I noticed I started to get paranoid thinking around that time. I was also working alone and felt isolated.

I attended church there Infrequently.

In 2014 I decided I would travel to Canada to meet with an old time friend.

I developed psychosis 3 months into my working holiday visa and had to be admitted to the mental health ward for two weeks.

I was also practicing yoga and reading the Bible weeks before my psychosis. I believe personally as my experience one aspect that lead me to my first psychosis was Yoga for God is a jealous God and he loves his people, as well as being isolated again working long hours on a horse ranch.

I have details to this time in the ward which strongly convince me of Gods goodness and grace and mercy. I was preaching Jesus to people boldly whilst in my manic episodes.

I can’t explain how, as I believe it testifies to God being able to use our life experiences that don’t make allot of sense to us.

There was one young man in particular who started to have his own journey with Jesus at the same time as I in the ward. There’s was also a Gay young man who would rebuttal my impassioned statements about Jesus. But in the end as the medication began to work I went back to my normal self and what looked like from the outside I was giving up, he said “never give up on what you believe” I could’ve hugged him and still think fondly of that.

I found work at the Boab in Katherine after being brought home by my mum, I had given up on reading the Bible at that stage. After my psychosis I was discouraged as to why it happened.

One day an aboriginal man walks into the Boab and approaches the counter to tell me “to start reading the Bible, it’s a pretty interesting book” I was shocked he knew.

So I travelled to Broome Bible in hand but still unable to read it.

I’m 2016 I met my now husband in Broome.

My mum told me over the phone one day that I should start attending a church there, so I did. Broome baptist church.

My then boyfriend, now husband Ari and I would attend together frequently as he was also searching for the God he had grown up with. I remember sitting in the pews cuddling.

And we were HUNGRY for Gods word. There was the beatitudes, anger in your heart, lust in your heart. These were some of the sermons I remember clearly.

It started to make a bit more sense, how the old and New Testament related and I began to have a desire to really live for God. So I wanted to be married. So in 2018 after a bit of a bumpy ride we got married in Broome. But a year before then we did a road trip from Melbourne to Broome in his Impala. I brought my bible of course and I had also bought one for Ari along the way in Esperance.

Along a stretch of road, I decided I’m gonna just do it, read the bible starting at Genesis. So I read and was amazed at the accounts and understood then where Israel derived and the tribes of Israel whose sons they were; Jacob, and that there were his people. It was beginning to piece together.

But after we got married, we moved to Katherine and have had three babies. With another psychosis, postpartum. Plenty of giving up things and learning the ropes in a young marriage and being parents!!

We were attending Katherine Baptist church with Alice and Ernie Mitchell who had also been the ones to marry Ari and I in Broome, we felt shepherded by them as they helped us a lot in the early stages of our marriage and helped to build our house, And I got baptised in 2021 in the Katherine Low level. I knew it was time.

We have continued to attend church and develop friendships amongst the believers in Katherine. My husband often comes home with stories of meeting travelling Christian’s. Nearly Every day I read my Bible now and I’m amazed; it truly is the living word, it’s always teaching and directing, and rebuking and encouraging and filling my mind with truth. I love the bible now.

So, after a few more years and a few more trials and a few more parts of my life surrendered I am where I am today, as the bible puts it I still have dross in the Crucible. But Gods refining fire and love isn’t done with me; and I look ahead and know I am being transformed more and more into Jesus’ likeness. Praise God!

And during the whole journey he never let me go; he his patient and he loves me and he is true and he never stops loving us and drawing us to him no matter where we are at!

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

1 Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

 A Testimony of Salvation from Rebecca Wall 

I am excited to bring you another testimony from a sister in Christ. God is so good to us, and it is wonderful to hear how God is working in the lives of other Christians as they seek to serve him. 

My name is Rebecca Wall, and I would like to share my testimony with you. Praise the Lord I have grown up in a Christian home, with both of my Parents growing up in a Christian homes as well. Praise the Lord, both sets of my grandparents are Christians as well. So, as far back as I can remember I have always been in Church, hearing the gospel messages, preached. One of the highlights of living in a Christian home is not only going to church and reading the Bible, but also being blessed with Parents who always made sure that the reading of the Bible and praying was a part of our daily lives. So, each and every day, my Parents always put time aside, morning and evening to do family devotions.  

One night when I was 9 years old, as we were doing family devotions, and prayer time I came to understand the need of my Salvation. It was a night after we had finished family devotions, and Mum was talking about how blessed we are in Australia to have the freedom of reading our Bibles and praying, as in other countries, Christians were getting martyred for their faith in God, and that one day there was going to come a day where us Christians living in Australia, would not be allowed to have the Bible anymore, let alone teach from the Bible, and those who did not know the  Lord Jesus Christ when they die would go to Hell. That night as I lay in bed thinking on these thoughts it was then I realized that I wanted to know more, about how to be saved as I did not want to spend eternity in hell. I called out for Mum, who came and explained to me how to be saved. After Mum explained how Jesus had died on the cross to save my sins I knelt down beside my bed, and asked the Lord Jesus to save me. 

As my Christian journey started I was eager to learn and grow in my walk with the Lord, I enjoyed reading the Bible, and praying and seeing how the Lord answered prayers in my life.

 At the end of every year, Dad would ask us all individually how much did we think we had grown in our Christian walks the past year, and were we lukewarm, or were we hot and on fire for the Lord? For years this question would plague me, as every year, I would try, and endeavour to grow in the Lord and some years I felt, I was still lukewarm, and other years I felt like I had grown a little, as I grew up, and life got a little busy with school, and day to day activities, I found myself going in waves of reading my bible during the week. This then caused issues of doubts, where I started doubting my Salvation, and if I was saved, so I would do it again, and then read my bible, and pray this went on for a while, until, in 2019 I attended a National Baptist Fellowship meeting, in Adelaide, where one of my younger brothers who was with me got saved, seeing him happy, and joyful, I was really upset, as I did not have that happiness, and joyfulness, yet I really wanted it, because seeing my brother so happy, I then thought for sure that I must not have been saved. So, I met with one of the Pastors in town, and he explained the salvation messaged to me again, and reassured me that the doubts I was having was because I had not prioritised a relationship with the Lord, and the devil had entered to cause issues of doubts, so from that day forward, I have made sure that no matter how busy, my day gets I always make sure I do my devotions, morning and evening. I can honestly say that I have no doubts as to whether I am saved, as I have not left any room for the devil to come back and cause me to have those doubts. As I endeavour to do my devotions, morning, and night and to seek a relationship with him each day, so that I can be on fire for the Lord.

 

 

 

 

 

A Testimony of Salvation from Stephen Wall 

A little while back, I asked some of my readers if they would be willing to share their testimony. I had it on my heart to share my story with others and realised that all too often, we who were raised in Christian families, are hesitant to share our testimony of salvation as we feel that it is not 'share-worthy'. 

We often feel like because of the way we were raised and how blessed we were to be sheltered and protected from so many things, we don't have a lot to share about the chains of sin being broken and burdens being lifted. But oh, how we need to hear of God's goodness and his faithfulness to generations. We needn't be ashamed and bashful about sharing what God has done in our lives. 

We need to be reminded and remind others of how blessed it is to have been kept from so much pain and sorrow and how God can change lives. Even from a very young age God can begin the process of sanctification in us. 

I was so encouraged when the son of a friend of mine put his hand up to be the first to share how God has worked in his life. 

I pray that his testimony will be an encouragement to you and spur you on to becoming bolder in proclaiming the good news as you share with others God's goodness. 

God bless. 

Psalm 35:9

And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.

My name is Stephen Wall, and I would like to share with you how my spiritual life began when I was 7 years old.  After listening to a Sunday evening sermon, I became concerned about where I would spend eternity.  That night I went to my mother and begun questioning her in regards to salvation: to be saved from my sins and expressing my desire to spend eternity with the LORD JESUS.  My mother showed me from the Bible, how to be born again through Jesus Christ. It was at this time that I asked Jesus into my life as Lord and Saviour, and this is how my Christian walk began.

As the years went by, I began to have numerous doubts about my salvation and that if I died, I would go to hell.  This went on for quite a long time; honestly, I did not know if I was saved or not.

 I wasn’t conducting myself in a way that was not pleasing to the Lord, but I was not living the way God wanted me too either.

Then when I was 16 years old, my dad, brothers and myself went to a Christian men’s camp.  At that camp, the pastor who preached for the Sunday morning service offered prayer for anyone, who needed or wanted prayer, for anything in their lives. He said “if there is any man here today wanting prayer please come and stand in the middle of the circle” then he would personally pray for them. I went into that circle and received prayer.

Time continued to pass and I still had doubts about my salvation.  I would often talk to my mother explaining the fear and confusion I was experiencing towards my salvation through Jesus Christ.

2019 came around, it was not until late September early October. That two of my brothers, my eldest sister, and myself had the wonderful privilege to attend a National Baptist Fellowship Conference in Adelaide. The last night of the Conference, a pastor preached on the Sheep on the right hand of God and the Goats on the left hand of God. In the closing of his message, he mentioned that if you weren’t saved you would go to hell when you died, this really got me thinking, it really made me upset because I did not want to go to hell and burn, I wanted to go to Heaven! I desperately wanted to know and understand the truth! I knew I had to find someone to talk with about salvation. I needed and wanted to find someone and sort it out. I rang my Mum and she said go talk to the preacher, I looked for the pastor and could not find him, so I prayed for help and God led me to guy a by the name of Keith Piper.

I asked him if he’d mind talking with me, and I told him what I had been going through (the doubts, the confusion, the fear of not knowing) then I asked him how to get saved through God’s Amazing Grace, I needed and wanted what everyone else had, “the peace of mind and to actually be saved by the grace of God from my sins.

So then and there on the night of the 3/ 10/ 2019 I asked God to forgive me for all my sins and come into my life. I truly believed that Jesus God’s Son came down from heaven and died on the cross to save my soul from eternal destruction.  

This is when my life was truly turned around, through God’s Great Love.

As a born-again Christian I really began to see big changes happen in my life. I felt amazing knowing that I had the peace of mind about my salvation and all my doubts went away. Praise the Lord!

Then in March 2021 under the Pastorship of Dave Cotton I followed the Lord in Baptism, it was a wonderful experience. So thankful that I was able to take this public step of faith for the Lord.

 I had just started an apprentiship as a mechanic which has been a life dream. Two weeks after I commenced my apprentiship my health decline rapidly. I started fainting, having seizures and other complications. This ended my employment and started my journey of going to specialist interstate. Through this journey which has impacted me in four different ways.

·        physically

·        mentally

·        spiritually

·        emotionally

The first year wasn’t too hard then the second year came around and that is when it really hit me hard.  I am to a certain extent confined to home, which I struggled with isolation, and not being able to go out to church, shops, meetings with friends and family, etc. Later that second year I began focusing on my health which was not a wise choice, I started getting depressed about my life.

  In late October 2022, I was so depressed about life I thought that I should try and end my life by overdosing on medication. The only thing that Stopped me from overdosing; was a song by the name “Complete in Thee”. It made me stop and think about how unsaved people cope with their depression without God. Through all of this depression I started blaming God for taking me out of church, which I then established a hate towards God for what He had allowed to happen in my life. I also remember through this time I would ask my Mum how can someone have faith in a God that takes everything away from you?

This was very hard for me to understand how to keep my faith, because all I wanted to do was just quit on God, I figured that if that was what Christianity was all about, then I didn’t want anything to do with God. So, from there I stopped praying and stopped reading the Bible because I didn’t like what God was doing in my life.

Through God’s perfect timing in December 2022, I was at church were the hymn “I have decided to follow Jesus” was chosen.  I was not able to sing this song: this is a challenging hymn. Through this time of depression, on a Friday night I came to the realisation that I needed to get my life right with God.

So, the next day I got my older brother to take me to church so that I could spend time in prayer and get my life right with God. The hate, anger that I had built towards God was instantly changed into a desire to know God, and serve other people. The moment is indescribable, no words can be said to give the smallest insight of what happened that day. It was the guilt of the hatred, anger towards God that I had built up in my life. It made me realise that I needed to surrender the hate, anger over to God, so that he could teach me what he needed me to learn so that I could become the Christian person he wants me to be.

Since then, I have started Bible College and I have also started a YouTube channel called Walking with God in the Outback which has helped my mental health remain stable, and my faith grow in leaps and bounds. Now I look back on my journey of health I am thankful to God for this journey, it has matured my faith in God, it has also given me the desire to study and learn more about the God that I want to serve one day.

Here are three verses that have helped me to stay focused on God.

James 1:3            Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

Romans 8:28      And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 I also like to wear a wristband with these words inscribed in it, “COURAGE”                                          Joshua 1:6.         Be Strong and Courageous

Thankyou for taking the time to read my testimony, “my journey”. Please remember me in your prayers as I wait on the Lord to direct my paths, with God’s grace as I soldier on for the Lord here in my office, working with the Lord as He walks daily with me in the 4 areas of my life, and the Lords coming.

 

 

 

 

Impatient and listening to the wrong voices

A year and a half ago, I wrote on the subject of waiting. Waiting on God. We were going through a season of waiting on answers from God. A season of uncertainty. Confusion. Frustration.

The questions abounded and the answers were nowhere in sight.

Well, that season has not ended. I would like to preface that sentence with the words, ‘unfortunately, or sadly, or frustratingly’, but I know that it is not what God would like me to write or feel. I need to be saying, ‘God’s timing is always perfect, and he has seen fit to keep us waiting for a while longer, and so, this season has not ended.’

Yes, God has answered some of our prayers and we have had some leading in the direction we should take, but it’s never fast enough for me. I always want the answers a lot quicker than they come.

I am not a naturally patient person. I struggle with the waiting. In traffic, in the line at the supermarket, for bread to rise, for a cake to bake, for new ministries in the church to begin, for a text from a friend. But thankfully, God is patient, and he is longsuffering with me. I am slowly being taught to wait on him.

The Christian needs to learn to wait. Waiting on the Lord brings blessing. God is not in a hurry. He knows the end of the story. He knows how much time you have on this earth. He knows your deepest longings. He knows your struggles.

One of the things I find difficult in this time of waiting is listening to the right voices.

Who am I listening to?

As we go through this uncertain time in regard to our business and we struggle with the balance of home/work/church life, it’s easy to get distracted by the loudest voices.

There will always be someone who has something to say about any circumstance you’re going through and not always is it helpful or good advice.

Don’t get me wrong, I do believe we need to seek wise counsel when we are unsure of the path we should take, but all too often we fail to take on the counsel of the most important voice. God’s voice.

Proverbs 11:14 KJV - Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

In my impatience, and desire for answers, I often listen to the wrong voices. Yes, those voices may speak out of love and concern, and they feel that they are right in the answers and advice they give, but are they listening to God’s voice before they speak?

We need to go to God first. With every decision. We are promised in the Word of God, that if we lack wisdom, all we need to do is ask of God and he will grant it. (James 1:5)

It is God’s voice that needs to be the voice we listen to. Often it is a still, small voice. It is a whisper to our heart and if we’re not careful, if we are not tuned in to his frequency, walking closely to him, we may just miss it.

The loudest voices get the most attention.

Not only do the loudest voices get listened to, they don’t know the situation like God does. They don’t know every minute detail, they don’t always understand what is going on in the background. But God does.

God is speaking and we need to listen.

We have to take the counsel of friends and see if it lines up with the Word of God. We need to exercise discernment.

But we also have to be careful that we don’t just go to the people we know will side with us and agree with our point of view on the subject.

God is not going to side with us if we’re wrong. He is going to give good counsel. Whether it is liked or not.

I need to speak to those of you who are impatient, as I am. There are many references in the Bible that stress the importance of patience.

2 Timothy 2:24 KJV - And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

James 5:8 KJV - Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

God is patient and if we desire to grow more like him, then it is something we need to strive for.

Now my husband is the most patient man I have ever met but because of this beautiful character trait, I can often feel frustrated with him. I know, sounds idiotic, right? The problem is that what I see as inactivity on his part, is actually patient waiting on the Lord. He has learnt to wait on the Lord. He has learnt to bring his burdens to the feet of Jesus, lay them down, and walk away.

I am forever laying them down, then dashing back to pick them up again. Turning them over and looking at them from every side, laying them back down, walking away, then running back to check on them again. And on and on it goes.

My dear, sweet husband is content to wait for the answers to his questions. He doesn’t feel the need to fret and worry. He is able to pray about it, ask for wisdom and then go about his business, fulfilling his calling until God gives further instructions.

God sure knew what he was doing when he put us together!

In the book of Ephesians, we read something amazing, wonderful and beyond belief!

Ephesians 3:20-21 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

What a beautiful promise to know that God is able to do so much more than we ask and so much more than we even think! It’s unfathomable that God in his goodness and love, sees us in our troubles and reaches down to bless us and fill our cups to overflowing. Maybe not right away, maybe not as soon as we would like, but he will do it.

I am so glad that God knows all about my troubles and that he has the answers. It’s my job to trust and wait on him. The things I know about my God don’t change and his love for me is everlasting, so I know that he has a plan in all this, and he has a way out. I just have to wait on his timing.

Psalm 27:14  Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

A few years back, I came across this beautiful poem. I felt as if God and I were having this very conversation. I pray that it will speak to your heart as it has spoken to mine.

Wait

By Russell Kelfer, copyright 1995

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried.

Quietly, patiently, lovingly, He replied.

I pleaded, and I wept for a clue to my fate,

And the Master so gently said, “Child, you must wait.”

 

“Wait? You say wait??” my indignant reply.

“Lord, I need answers, I need to know why.

Is your hand shortened?  Or have you not heard?

By faith I have asked, and I’m claiming your Word.

 

“My future, and all to which I can relate

Hangs in the balance, and you tell me ‘wait’?

I’m needing a ‘yes’, a go-ahead sign,

Or even a ‘no’, to which I can resign.

 

“And Lord, you have promised that if we believe,

We need but ask, and we shall receive.

And Lord I’ve been asking, and this is my cry:

“I’m weary of asking: I need a reply!”

 

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate

As my Master replied once again, “You must wait.”

So I slumped in my chair; defeated and taut

And grumbled to God; “So I’m waiting, for what?”

 

He seemed then to kneel and His eyes met with mine

And He tenderly said, “I could give you a sign.

I could shake the heavens, darken the sun,

Raise the dead, cause the mountains to run.

 

“All you see I could give, and pleased you would be.

You would have what you want, but you wouldn’t know Me.

You’d not know the depth of My love for each saint;

You’d not know the power that I give to the faint.

 

“You’d not learn to see through clouds of despair;

You’d not learn to trust, just by knowing I’m there.

You’d not know the joy of resting in Me,

When darkness and silence was all you could see.

 

“You would never experience that fullness of love

As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove.

You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,

But you’d not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

 

“The glow of My comfort late in the night;

The faith that I give when you walk without sight;

The depth that’s beyond getting just what you ask

From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

 

“And you never would know, should your pain quickly flee,

What it means that ‘My grace is sufficient for thee.’

Yes, your dreams for that loved one o’ernight could come true,

But the loss! if you lost what I’m doing in you!

 

“So be silent, my child, and in time you will see

That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.

And though oft’ may My answers seem terribly late,

My most precious answer of all….is still…wait.”

 

 

 

 

 

God Uses Crooked Sticks

 to Draw Straight Lines

 

God uses crooked sticks to draw straight lines. This phrase was popularized by Martin Luther, and how true these words are!

God works through imperfect people to accomplish his perfect will. We, in all our weaknesses and failings, can be used as instruments in God’s eternal plan.

God does not wait for us to become perfect before he uses us. If this was the case, there would be no work for the Lord done, no fumbling attempts at witnessing, no starts and stops in our ministries, no new churches planted, no outreach, nothing. Because the simple fact is, none of us are perfect, or ever will be.

Now, don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t give us a license to give up and not try. We should be striving daily to become more like Christ. We should be transformed in our minds and hearts and actions (Romans 12:1,2) and grow in spiritual and moral purity (1 Peter 1:15,16).

Although we are imperfect human beings, we can be used of God. Crooked sticks drawing straight lines.

We can be humble and obedient, desiring to do the will of God and he can and will work through us, despite our flawed and faulty character, to accomplish his plans and see the gospel preached and the love of God shared with a lost world.

We don’t need to sit on the sidelines, despairing of ever being used of God because we think we lack some degree of spiritual excellence and we simply admire others for their maturity and courage while we sit despondently, mulling over our own unworthiness.

No! It takes all sorts of people to reach the world with the love of God. We offer God what we have, and he works in us and through us to further the gospel and spread the good news.

Let me give you a few examples of men in the Bible, imperfect like us, who God used.

Take Abraham for instance. He jeopardized the safety of his wife, Sarah, not once, but twice, yet God worked through him to produce the nation of Israel.

Moses, killed a man, argued with God, disobeyed a direct command, even asked God to kill him, yet God used him to bring his people out of captivity in Egypt.

Samson, a liar and an immoral man, was used of God to judge Israel and bring about the destruction of their enemies.

King David, an adulterer and a murderer and yet he is called a man after God’s own heart.

Need I go on?

The point is, God uses imperfect people, imperfect and yet obedient to his will.

God isn’t concerned about our ability; he wants our availability.

This brings me to a topic that could be a little prickly and uncomfortable for some, and it is this. God uses imperfect people in leadership, just as he uses you and me, to accomplish his plans. God uses Pastors and Youth Leaders and Sunday School Teachers, and Women’s ministry leaders, who are imperfect.

We don’t always agree with how our leaders run God’s church. We don’t always see eye to eye with the way the programs are run or how they choose to arrange the Sunday morning service or how many and what kind of songs are sung. We don’t always agree on ministries that are started or even stopped. But who are we to say God can’t use them?

We are all a work in progress. We are all in the process of sanctification, a lifelong process. God is still working in us and will be until we go home to be with him.

Something I had to learn very quickly when we moved here to the Northern Territory, was that just because something was different, didn’t mean it was wrong. And just because it was different, didn’t mean God couldn’t use it.

Yes, we need to use discernment and we need to search the scriptures daily, as did the Bereans (Acts 17:11), to make sure our leaders and teachers are preaching the whole counsel of God and leading according to God’s will.

And yes, some leaders are too passive and some too confrontational, some too permissive and some too unloving.

But as with us all, there are some who need to grow in Christ and develop in maturity and there are others who need to grow in grace and understand that speaking the truth in love actually needs to be loving.

But this doesn’t negate the fact that God can’t use them.

I think that so often, we who grew up in church, can become so critical of things being done differently. A new pastor comes along and changes things up and all of the sudden we’re out of sorts before we even have time to really assess the situation, look at personality, attitude, motives etc.

(For me, I lean toward wanting things to be different, and new and fresh and getting frustrated when they’re not)

In the Old Testament we read of the rebuilding of Solomon’s temple. We see that the reactions of the people were vastly different.

Ezra 3:12-13 KJV - But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

There were old men, weeping because it wasn’t like the old temple, and then there were young men, excited because the foundation was laid, and things were ‘moving and shaking’.

And we can become just like the old men. Miserable and despondent because we want what we had, not realizing that God has plans to use what he is building in the here and now. Yes, the old had its place and it was used of God for that season, but now there is another plan in the making, a new beginning, a rumbling underfoot of God’s plans in progress, and who are we to stand in the way?

Again, I am not talking of heresy, or worldly things coming into our churches and us being agreeable. No. We must stand firm on the Word of God and not allow the Devil to get a foothold, but I think we squabble and become disgruntled over things that don’t matter in the eternal scheme of things.

God does give our leaders insight and direction, if they are walking according to his will, and he often leads them in ways that we don’t understand. But we need to show grace and realize that it’s God’s Church, not ours. It is God who should be glorified.

It’s not about programs and people and prestige. It’s not about the colour of the carpet or whether or not we keep certain ministries running. There are seasons for everything, and this includes the church and the work it does.

If we’re not careful, we can become a discouraging influence on those around us, the younger in the Lord, the less mature, those who are excited about what God is doing. We can pull them down into our pit, talking bad about our Pastors or leaders, seeking to discredit them or throw mud on them.

What we need to be doing is upholding them in prayer. We need to daily bring them before the throne of God, asking God to give them wisdom in the decisions they make. Asking God to give them the time they need to spend in His Word, studying and meditating so that they can teach us what God would have us learn. We need to pray God will give them direction.

We need to pray for good counsellors for them. Older, wiser, men and women in the faith who can be mentors and examples to them, and we need to pray that they will listen not only to good counsel, but especially that they will be in tune with God, walking so closely to him that they will hear his still, small voice whispering to their hearts.

We can’t come to church each week with a critical, judgemental spirit, just waiting to pounce on the mistakes made, the misquotes, the misapplication. We need to come with a humble, teachable spirit, longing to hear the Word of God proclaimed.

God will use imperfect people to accomplish his will. Our leaders are in the process of growth. They are still learning and maturing. As we are. We need to show grace.

I know it’s difficult to listen to certain types of preaching and some are better than others when it comes to delivering God’s Word. It’s easy to tune out to some and tune in to others. But even if all you get out of the sermon is the passage read from the Word of God, then you’re blessed.

God’s Word is power. It is protection. It is nourishment. It is cleansing. It is full of hope. It gives instruction and correction. It is God-breathed. It is God’s very words, written down and preserved for all of time. Our letter of love from our Almighty Creator.

Go to church not because of its programs or pastors. Go to church not because of its worship service or children’s ministries. Go because it is there you can find fellowship. It is there you can hear the Word of God read aloud. It is there that God gathers a group of imperfect people, of like-minded faith to live out the gospel and advance the kingdom.

God can and will use crooked sticks to draw straight lines. Don’t look for straight sticks. God doesn’t make them. He chooses to use our bent, imperfect, flawed, incomplete, damaged selves to draw straight lines that point the way to Christ.

Throw off the critical spirit and embrace what God is doing in the lives of your fellow believers. Show discernment but also show mercy. Show love. Show grace.

In the midst of our growth, God uses us. Imperfect though we are. God works in mysterious ways. How about we stop complaining and start praying and encouraging and cheering on those who are doing their best to follow Christ? They need your prayers, not your criticism.

Who are you to stand in the way of God’s will and way?

Who are you to say God can't use them? 

 

Galatians 6:10 KJV - As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 KJV - Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were built for Community

 

A couple of weeks back, I planned to give a short lesson at our Ladies Bible Study, but it had to be cancelled that particular week. But ever since, I have had this on my heart to share and have decided to try and condense it and put it here on my blog, praying that you will be encouraged and helped by what the Lord has been teaching me on this subject.

Have you ever considered that we are all physically, emotionally and spiritually hardwired by God for community?

God built us for community. God is a community in himself. Existing for all eternity past, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have enjoyed perfect fellowship in their triune community.

But God didn’t stop with that. He made man, in his own image, to be in community with him. And he made woman to be a help meet for man.

Genesis 2:18 KJV - And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

The Bible is full of examples of community. We read of the Israelites, God’s chosen people. God lived and worked among them, and they worshipped him together in community.

Leviticus 26:12 KJV - And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.

And then, in the New Testament, we read of the first church, a body of believers, a community.

Acts 2:42, 44, 46-47 KJV - And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. ... And all that believed were together, and had all things common; ... And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

1 Corinthians 12:27 KJV - Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

Outside of Jesus, relationships are the greatest gifts we have on earth and also some of the most difficult parts of life.

Built within each and every one of us, is a pattern for experiencing an intimate relationship with God and then expressing that love to each other.

Community is important. And finding your people and fellowshipping with them is important. It’s important to God, and it should be important to you!

But remember, investing in relationship is not about simply pursuing our own happiness. It’s so we can be effective for eternity. It’s so that others will come to know Christ because of our love for them. It’s up to us to show the world God’s love and that our love and connection will speak volumes, so much so, that it will cause others to want to follow God.

I also want to remind you, in case you have a rose-tinted glasses idea of relationship, people will not complete and fill you. Only God can do that. Only God can meet all of your emotional needs and it is wrong to expect any one person to do that.

Only a relationship with God can fill the void, but God chooses to use people in our lives to complement us and to edify us, and to grow us.

Notice the spelling of that word complement. This is not compliment, the kind that we all like to hear, but complement, a thing that contributes extra features to something else, in such a way as to improve or emphasize its quality. To provide something felt to be lacking or needed. Something that fills up or makes better.

We need each other. You need people and they need you. It’s not always going to be easy, and it takes hard work, but God wants us to live in community and he wants us to be discerning as to who we choose to fellowship with and who we choose to grow in relationship with.

It’s sad that over the past few years, we have decided that we can exist on our own. We replaced physically meeting with each other on a regular basis with online church and zoom calls and work from home, and self-serve checkouts and online shopping etc.

As one of my favourite authors put it: “We’ve replaced intrusive real conversations with small talk and substituted soul-baring, deep, connected living with texts and a night out together occasionally”. J.Allen

Why do we need each other? And why does togetherness matter to God?

Matthew 18:20 KJV - For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

*We make each other better - Proverbs 27:17 KJV - Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

*We fight for each other to not be distracted by sin - Hebrews 3:13 KJV - But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

*We are one body and function better together - 1 Corinthians 12:20 KJV - But now are they many members, yet but one body.

1 Corinthians 12:26 KJV - And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

*We need each other to live out God’s purposes - Romans 12:5-6 KJV - So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

There are so many reasons we need community and I’ve only touched on a few.

Just like a branch that grows because of its connection to the tree, we thrive when we stay connected to the church and fellow believers of like mind.

So, the question is, how do we find a body of healthy believers and is it even possible? We all know that no church is perfect, as we are imperfect people who, only by the grace of God have experienced his saving power and been gifted with an eternity with him.

But I think there are a few things to look for.

1.     Direction – Is the church community and its members headed toward a deeper relationship with Christ? Are they willing for God to convict and discipline them? Are they seeking guidance from God continually? Are they desiring to learn from the Word of God, and search the scriptures daily?

2.     Vision – Do they have vision? Do they have a ministry vision? Do they have a plan of where they want to be and where God wants them to be as a church? And does this vision line up with the Word of God?

3.     Lifestyle- Do they live out the truth? Do they take seriously the responsibility of representing Christ to the World? Do they have a good testimony in their community?

4.     A healthy fear of God - Do they recognize God’s greatness? Do they show God reverence? Do they have a correct view of God?

The test of a healthy church isn’t their perfection, but their priorities. No church is perfect, and we will always struggle to like certain Christians, but we are all called to love our brothers and sisters in the Lord, whether we like them or not!

It’s not perfection we should be seeking. It’s not who has the best worship music or the best children’s program or women’s ministry or playgroup. It’s all about who is devoted to God, who is obeying his voice, who is preaching and teaching his Word, accurately interpreting the Scripture, listening to his leading, delighting in God and delighting in each other. Committed to reaching a lost world with the gospel, not concerned about numbers or programs or status, but seeking to walk in the will of God, consistently and humbly.

We need a shared purpose. We need to choose friends who will fight for us. Friends who will fight alongside us and friends who will fight against sin.

We need each other. No one can be your everything, but everyone has something to speak into your life, something to teach you, something to bring into your life that will help you grow, whether it’s through trial or blessing.

We have to be intentional in seeking out the right kind of community to live and work in. We have to be brave enough to reach out to others who we may not seem to have much in common with. We need to ask the hard questions and be willing to listen and receive those hard questions with a submissive spirit.

If you’ve been hurt by church in your past, don’t let that stop you from seeking out other believers to connect with and start again. It is hard work, I won’t deny it, but God built us for community, and he wants us to grow in our relationship with him and then channel his love through to others.

In order for us to have true Christian fellowship, we need to be first devoted to God’s Word and to his will and then we need to be devoted to caring for one another. 

To work together for God’s glory, we need the Lord’s help. We are sinful creatures, and we don’t love others as we should, but in order for us to truly fellowship with each other, we need the Holy Spirit working in our lives.

How often do we truly love the brethren? And as Christ loved? The Bible clearly states that by our love shall all men know that we are Christ’s disciples. So, when we have love and we show this in our fellowship, we are obeying God’s commands. And this means loving the unlovely. Those Christian sisters and brothers who we find it a struggle to be around. The world is looking on and watching how we treat each other.

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

If you want community, God-honouring community, and edifying, encouraging, God-centred relationships, you have to be willing to fight for it.

You have to stop believing the lies of the Devil that tell you you are better off alone. You have to turn a deaf ear to the lie that you will never find true connection and that you can worship on your own and don’t need fellowship.

We need people and we need community. We need a network of regular people who are present in our daily lives. People who care and are concerned for our spiritual well-being. People who want to have deep conversations about the Word of God and what God is doing in their lives. People who are not content to meet up once a week to listen to a sermon and sing a few songs. We need invested friends. We need to surround ourselves with people who have the potential to make us better. People who will hold us accountable. People who are devoted to growing in their spiritual walk and are unashamed of the gospel.

Hebrews 10:24 KJV - And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Now, if you look around you and you can’t see anyone who fits the bill or any body of believers that checks the boxes, then you be that person. You be that friend. You start that community.

It starts with you. It starts with your relationship with the Lord.

Fellowship is first vertical. Our relationship with Christ. And then it is horizontal. Our relationship with others. We need to strive towards developing a deeper level of fellowship that goes beyond earthly commonalities and reaches upwards towards Christ then outwards to our brethren.

If you want community, fellowship and lasting relationships, you need to take that first step.

Proverbs 18:24 KJV - A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

Step out of your comfort zone, be willing to find yourself in uncomfortable situations, be willing to put in the hard work, be ready for disappointment, but be excited to see what the Lord can and will do with a humble heart devoted to him and his work.

It is possible. God didn’t emphasize it so much in Scripture for no purpose. He longs for us to experience true Christian fellowship and he sets the perfect example as a triune God. Working together as three co-equal persons, but in perfect harmony.

Built for community!

 

“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same tuning fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So, one hundred worshipers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.” A.W.Tozer