Realamberward

How to Stop Feeling Bitter and Start Feeling Better

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 08:32:47 GMT

Have you ever noticed yourself bitterly complaining about someone or something? This episode is for you.

This morning I was talking with my husband Brad and I found myself complaining about someone and their behavior.

Now I felt that this person had been unfair in their criticism of me, and my complaining felt totally justified – but it’s also out of character for me to complain like that and I felt an almost instant ‘check’ from the Holy Spirit.

And then when I opened my bible, he directed me straight to a passage dealing with bitterness.

It’s easy to find ourselves feeling bitter or offended about circumstances where people have treated us unfairly.

When my ex-husband and I first separated, and we’re going back 9 years here, I was very aware that I was the first one of my close friends to go through this process although I did know of a few people from my extended friendship circle who had been through the breakdown of relationships involving children.

I was very keen to avoid the obvious pitfalls, so I asked one of my good friends to connect me with a few of her friends who were single mothers so I could find out from them whether there were any common mistakes to avoid and any suggestions for how to help my kids navigate this new world we now found ourselves in.

Remember that this was back before the days when everyone was connected on Facebook and you couldn’t just easily message people whose phone numbers you didn’t have.

My good friend, who is also one of my Christian friends, warned me at the time – that I would need to try and look past the bitterness when I spoke with these people, and make sure it didn’t rub off on me.

At the time I thought, wow, that was an interesting warning for my friend to give me.

So over the next few weeks I caught up with some of these women, just to learn from their experience and find out if there was anything that they would recommend I do differently.

They gave me some amazing advice, just the sort of stuff that you only learn if you’ve been through something first hand, and really helped me out at the time.

But something I noticed in the background, sitting behind their words, was exactly what my friend had warned me to look past – a bitterness and a cynicism towards their ex-partners, and in some cases, towards men in general.

With some, it was clearly evident in their words, but with others it was almost undetectable, sort of wafty and very much in the background – but it was still there.

While this sort of bitterness might seem like the totally reasonable fallout of a relationship breakdown, particularly when there are kids involved, I came away with the feeling that I didn’t want to become bitter in the way that these women had. I didn’t want it ‘rubbing off’ on me.

In the bible, Paul describes bitterness as having a root like a plant – and in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 15 he warns to ‘make sure no one lives with a root of bitterness sprouting within which will only cause trouble and poison the hearts of many’.

It’s interesting that Paul describes bitterness as a root. When you think about it, roots grow below the ground, unseen, and they spread out into complex structures.

If you’ve ever tried to get rid of an invasive weed plant species from your garden, you know how hard it can be to get rid of all of the roots.

Even when you pull the whole plant out, if you leave even a small part of the root in the ground the whole plant can re-grow.

Deuteronomy chapter 32 verse 32 describes grapes filled with poison and clusters with bitterness – which is certainly not the sort of fruit that I want growing inside me.

So I decided then and there that I was going to do whatever was necessary to make sure that a root of bitterness was not able to take hold of me, even though my circumstances were similar to the women that I had been speaking to.

Frankly, I already had more than enough trouble in my life, and I definitely didn’t want to be responsible for poisoning anyone else’s heart.

So how do you cure bitterness?

How do you get rid of every last part of that root, so there’s no chance of it regrowing.

We falsely think that bitterness is a feeling, and the best way to get rid of it is to focus on feelings of sweetness – but when bitterness is a root growing within us, thinking sweet thoughts and being kind to others is like pulling the plant up and leaving the root behind.

The only way to get rid of the whole root for good is through forgiveness.

Ephesians chapter 4 verse 31 tells us to ‘get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.

Verse 32 provides the alternative, saying ‘instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as God through Christ has forgiven you’.

This morning the Holy Spirit used my complaining to show me that I was holding bitterness towards someone, and the root of bitterness that had grown in response to the offense I had been holding was already producing the sort of rotten fruit that, frankly, I don’t want any part of.

It was a prompt for me to make sure that I forgive this person – and that I continue in an attitude of forgiveness, not just forgiving them once, but forgiving them every time I am prompted to until this particular root of bitterness is completely torn out of me.

If you’ve noticed yourself complaining about people lately, whether it’s because of things that have happened to you or its because of things that those people have done to somebody you care about, then I want to encourage you today to make it a priority to forgive that person, and keep forgiving them until you’re certain that the root of bitterness that’s been growing up inside you is totally gone.

You’ll feel so much better, you won’t risk poisoning the people who are close to you, and you’ll be free of distraction and able to step into your own calling.

Until next time, blue skies!

P.S If you found this idea interesting or useful, save it for later by pinning it to your Christian Encouragement board on Pinterest.

P.P.S. If you have a friend who might benefit from this message, make sure you take the time right now to share this with them!

The post How to Stop Feeling Bitter and Start Feeling Better appeared first on Amber Ward.

Seagulls & Storms

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 08:07:30 GMT

Are you in the middle of a storm at the moment?

Watch the video: (story continues below)

It was July last year, and my husband Brad and I were out for our daily walk along the bay foreshore near where we live.

We’ve been out walking pretty much every day over the last 12 months, regardless of the weather, but on this particular day the weather was brisk.

It was very windy, and the normally calm water of the bay was full of white caps, the wind was whipping up the sand to, so there was a sandblasting effect going on as we walked along the path.

There weren’t any birds around except for seagulls… and even they looked like they weren’t really enjoying the weather.

There were two main groups of birds – and here’s a photo I took of one of the groups:

Notice that they’re all oriented or lined up in the same direction, facing into the wind.

They’re all a bit hunched and you might not be able to see it in the photo, but most of them had their eyes squinted or closed – I’m guessing to stop the sand from getting in their eyes.

They’re definitely bracing themselves against the wind, the sand and the spray.

Let me tell you, on this particular day I was happy I had my sunglasses on – even though they kept fogging up because I was also wearing a mask.

The way these seagulls were all lined up wasn’t the thing that grabbed my attention.

What was fascinating to me, was that less than 10m away, well within eyesight of this hardy bunch, was a second group of seagulls.

This second group were just hanging out, doing whatever they felt like.

They weren’t all facing in the same direction and they weren’t bracing against the wind, because they were sheltered behind the protection of a shrub – which was dramatically cutting down the stormy effects they were being exposed to.

Now all of these birds were at the same location in the same weather conditions.

But there was a dramatic difference between the way that the birds who were in the protection of the shrub were going about their day to the birds who were experiencing the full extent of the weather.

My thoughts quickly turned to another circumstance where two groups of people were behaving very differently to one another in the midst of a significant weather event.

This particular event was outlined in the bible in Mark Chapter 4 from verse 35 to verse 41.

To get away from the crowds, Jesus had suggested that a boat-load of disciples head over to the other side of the lake when a furious squall came up.

It was the sort of weather event where the waves were breaking over the side of the boat – and the disciples were more than a little concerned that they were going to drown.

When you consider that many of these disciples were professional fisherman, from families of professional fisherman, and yet they were still very concerned about the possibility of the boat being swamped it gives you some idea of how ferocious this storm actually was.

Jesus meanwhile, is sleeping on a cushion in the stern of the boat.

Or at least he was sleeping, until his disciples woke him up.

Unlike the seagulls, the difference between the behavior of Jesus and the behavior of his disciples wasn’t simply a matter of physical positioning.

It wasn’t just because Jesus was in a different part of the boat that gave him a different attitude towards the weather conditions.

But check this out!

Psalm 91 says in Verse 1 that ‘Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.’

Verse 3 says he will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart’ and verse 9 says ‘If you say ‘the Lord is my refuge’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all of your ways; they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone, you will tread on the lion and the cobra, you will trample the great lion and the serpent.’

There’s a whole heap of reassurance in those verses for anyone who has made the Lord their dwelling place. Jesus clearly understood that in the midst of a storm, it is our spiritual positioning that determines our level of protection.

In simple terms, the physical conditions didn’t concern him.

He wasn’t worried. Jesus wasn’t fearful. He rebuked the wind and the waves and they were still.

And notice the response of the disciples.

They’re now terrified – not that the storm is fierce, the boat will be swamped and that they’re at risk of drowning – but terrified of the sheer power and kingdom authority that Jesus has just displayed right in front of them.

Just a quick heads up – Jesus said in John chapter 14 verse 12 that those disciples would perform even greater things than he had!

It doesn’t matter whether the storm you’re going through right now is a weather-related storm, or a storm involving relationships with other people, or a storm involving finances – just like the seagulls I saw on my walk last July, the way you position yourself is going to make a big difference to your comfort level as you weather the storm.

Psalm 91 promises refuge to those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High – but you’ll need to take action to position yourself in order to receive the benefits of that promise.

Just like the seagulls needed to move behind the shelter of the shrub to get themselves out of the wind, you might need to reposition yourself too.

And when you’re re positioned in the shadow of the almighty – don’t forget that just like Jesus – you too can speak to the wind and the waves of whatever storm you are experiencing and tell them to be still.

Until next time, blue skies!

P.S If you found this idea interesting or useful, save it for later by pinning it to your Christian Encouragement board on Pinterest.

P.P.S. If you have a friend who might benefit from this message, make sure you take the time right now to share this with them!

The post Seagulls & Storms appeared first on Amber Ward.

What is the TRUE message of Jesus Christ?

Sun, 28 Feb 2021 10:26:28 GMT

What is the true message of Jesus Christ?

Whilst many people both inside and outside the Christian church know of Jesus, and they know about key events in his lifetime – such as his birth, his death and his resurrection – most people don’t know that Jesus preached, taught and spoke endlessly about one central message – one important truth that was life changing for everyone who was able to grasp it.

Watch the video: (message continues below video)

https://youtu.be/y2NyYkSQ5Dc

Let’s take a look in the bible, because I want to show you what that one true message is.

Matthew chapter 3 verses 1 and 2 tell us that before the ministry of Jesus had even begun, the wilderness preaching of John the Baptist called people to repent of their sins “for the Kingdom of Heaven is near”.

Matthew chapter 4 verse 17 tells us that shortly thereafter, Jesus himself began preaching an identical message – the message to “repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near”.

Matthew chapter 4 verse 23 says that “Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the good news about the kingdom.”

This good news, according to Mark chapter 1, verse 15 was that “the time promised by God has come at last … the Kingdom of God is near!” and check out verse 43 of Luke chapter 4 where Jesus tells the crowd, who is begging him not to leave them and move on to another place, that he “must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why he was sent”.

Did you see that?

The very reason Jesus was sent to earth, according to Jesus himself, was to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God.

Now teaching about the kingdom of God, or the kingdom of Heaven – which are two different names for the exact same thing – wasn’t just a feature of Jesus’ early ministry.

Matthew chapter 10 verse 7 records that when Jesus sent the twelve out to the people of Israel, he sent them with the instruction to announce “that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

When Jesus chose 72 other disciples and sent them ahead of him in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit, their instructions according to Luke chapter 10 verse 9 were to “heal the sick and tell them the Kingdom of God is near you now”.

Even in the limited time that he spent with the apostles after the resurrection, as well as proving to the apostles “in many ways that he was actually alive”, Acts chapter 1 verse 3 records that Jesus “talked to them about the Kingdom of God.”

So the good news about the Kingdom of God wasn’t just something that Jesus mentioned in passing during his ministry – He considered it to be His core message, and sharing it was the very purpose of His mission here on earth.

It’s important to realize that the central message that was preached by the apostles in the early church, the message that thousands of people responded to in a very short space of time, was the continuation of this exact same message.

Acts chapter 8 verse 12 tells us that the proclamation of the “Good News concerning the Kingdom of God” continued in the early church and resulted in many baptisms.

Acts chapter 19 verse 8 tells us that Paul argued “persuasively about the Kingdom of God” in the synagogue and later whilst living in Rome, and Acts chapter 28 verses 30 and 31 tell us that Paul “welcomed all who visited him, boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ”.

On one occasion, Acts chapter 28 verse 23 tells us that Paul explained and testified about the Kingdom of God from morning until evening.

There should be a pattern emerging from the references we’ve covered so far, but I want you to notice something else.

If the kingdom of God was the one true message of Jesus, it makes sense that Jesus would not just refer to the message as a whole as an overview, but he would also explain how his other teachings fit in as part of the overall concept – and this absolutely holds true for the concept or topic of the Kingdom of God.

If we go and take a look at many of the ‘famous’ teachings of Jesus – you’ll notice that there is, in fact, a reference to the kingdom of God somewhere nearby.

The beatitudes? Yep.

The sermon on the mount? Yep.

The Lord’s prayer? Yep. Parables? Yep – in fact many of the parables Jesus shared were actually teaching about what the kingdom of God was like.

The ‘Kingdom of God’ (and I’m including references to the Kingdom of Heaven) is specifically mentioned 36 times in Matthew, 15 times in Mark, 32 times in Luke and 2 times in John.

It is also prominent in the Acts of the Apostles, with another 6 mentions, and throughout the remainder of the New Testament.

I find it fascinating that although the word ‘kingdom’ appears 192 times in the Old Testament – there is no specific Old Testament reference to the ‘Kingdom of God’ that Jesus spoke of so often.

This means that the Kingdom of God is a new message, a new concept, a revolutionary concept, that Jesus brought to mankind.

Jesus didn’t just teach theoretically about the kingdom of God – he taught that the kingdom of God was the reason for change, the reason to take action.

The whole reason behind encouraging repentance was as a kingdom response, and in addition to teaching what the kingdom is like, he taught about how to enter it.

He cast out demons and performed miracles to prove his kingdom authority, and encouraged his disciples to pray for the kingdom to come.

He also spoke of appearing on earth in glory and the future fellowship in the kingdom and instead of worrying about what you will eat, drink and wear – Matthew chapter 6 verse 33 tells us that if we seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, God will give us everything we need.

If you’re wondering about different bible translations, and whether Jesus’ message about the Kingdom of God gets treated differently from one translation to another, let me show you something.

Let’s take one verse and look at what that verse says in some different translations – So this one is Matthew chapter 4 verse 17 from the King James Version, the New King James Version, the Amplified Version, the New Revised Standard Version, the New International Version, and the New Living Translation.

This next one is Mark chapter 1 verse 15 in the King James Version, the New King James Version, the Amplified Version, the New Revised Standard Version, the New International Version, and the New Living Translation.

And this one is Matthew chapter 6 verse 33 in the King James Version, the New King James Version, the Amplified Version, the New Revised Standard Version, the New International Version, and the New Living Translation.

As you can see, there is a high degree of consistency in how references to the Kingdom of God are translated.

I want to encourage you to spend some time after you watch this video looking up all the references I’ve mentioned in your own bible, because I want you to realize that this is not some form of trickery, or a clever way of putting things together to build a false picture.

It is the absolute truth.

There’s a full list of references in the description, so you can take your time and go through them one by one.

Personally, I couldn’t believe that I’d been reading and studying the bible for more than 30 years – but I’d never noticed this core message of Jesus.

It’s not even hidden – it’s there in plain sight, and I thank the Holy Spirit for revealing it to you today.

As soon as you start paying attention to the kingdom references and connections – you’ll notice they’re everywhere.

And you’ll start seeking them out as a priority, which leads to seeking the kingdom of God itself, which is exactly what Jesus said to do in Matthew chapter 6 verse 33.

In basic terms, the ministry of Jesus involved doing three things: proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God’s availability, teaching about what it was like, and manifesting the Kingdom of God’s power and authority through signs and wonders.

But why is that such good news?

What is it about this message that can turn life as we know it upside down?

There is more… so much more… and we’re just getting started.

If you haven’t already, you’ll want to subscribe to this channel and make sure you tap on the bell to turn on all notifications so you’ll get to see my new videos as soon as they’re released.

Most importantly, I’d love you to join me in my next video, which explains the breathtaking true gospel of Jesus Christ – the gospel of the Kingdom, and why, even 2000 years later this revolutionary message is such good news for you, me and the whole of humankind.

Until next time, blue skies!

P.S If you found this idea interesting or useful, save it for later by pinning it to your Kingdom of God board on Pinterest.

P.P.S. If you have a friend who might benefit from this message, make sure you take the time right now to share this with them!

The post What is the TRUE message of Jesus Christ? appeared first on Amber Ward.

Feeling Tired? Here’s what to do!

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 10:10:06 GMT

If you’re feeling depleted, irritable, burdened, or mentally and emotionally exhausted, then keep reading because this is for you.

Two years ago we were at the Planetshakers Conference in Melbourne and I hurt my leg.

We’d been running late for this particular evening session, and Brad and the older girls had gone into the stadium to find us some seats while I took Hannah out to the kids program registration area.

Once she was all signed in, I met up with Brad and together we went into the main auditorium to find our seats.

Planetshakers conference is held in what was called Hisense Arena – which is a part of the Melbourne Park Tennis Centre complex in Melbourne, so the seating is stadium seating.

The session was about to start, and everyone was moving into their seats – but the seats that were ours were in the middle of a row, and both ends of that row were plugged by groups of people who were already sitting down.

These particular people were also on the ‘larger’ side, such that even asking them to stand and let us through wasn’t going to work.

So we opted to walk down the row of seats below our seats, and climb up into our spot using the seat of the chairs as a step.

So I stepped up onto the chair with my right leg, and as I tried to step up with my left leg over the chair back and into our row I heard and felt a loud ‘pop’ and my left foot didn’t quite make it over the back of the seat that I was standing on.

That’s weird, I thought – because I’d totally misjudged getting my left foot over the back of the chair – so I tried again.

But something wasn’t working right with my right foot, and there was now a searing pain in my right calf.

Lily grabbed my hand and helped pull me up into our row, but I was now totally preoccupied with my leg.

I knew there was something very wrong with it, but I discovered that there were a few different ways I could position it so it wouldn’t hurt as much.

And by now the row below us had filled up, the session had started, and I was stuck.

I couldn’t put my foot to the ground, or put any pressure at all on my leg without the searing pain.

At the end of the session, Brad asked one of the service volunteers to get me some first aid help – but we had to let everyone else get out of the way first, and after an awkward and painful shuffle across the seats, and then up the steps to the closest walkway, I was taken in a wheely chair out to the first aid area, where they called me an ambulance.

By this stage it was after 11pm and Brad and I decided that he would walk the kids back to the apartment where we had been staying while I got some emergency treatment for my leg, because there was NO way that I was going to be able to cope with this pain overnight, let alone walk the 20 minutes back through the city to our accommodation.

So off I went by ambulance to the hospital, which was an experience all in itself. It was just after midnight when I arrived, and the waiting area in emergency was really busy.

With the realization that it was going to be a long wait, I messaged Brad to let him know that I’d made it to the hospital – and that’s when I realized that my phone was getting quite low on battery charge – to the point where I wasn’t going to be able to use it to occupy myself during the long wait ahead.

There was another issue too – because while we had two electronic access cards for the apartment, to get into the building after hours you needed a special electronic fob – and I had already sent that home with Brad and the kids.

So to get in, I needed to be able to ring them, and because it was the middle of the night I also needed to be able to wake them up.

And if my phone was flat, it was going to be a significant problem.

Sometimes as parents, we have times where we feel like we’re running low on battery.

This last week has been rough – I’m not sure why, but many of the other parents I’ve spoken to over the last few days have spoken about feeling the same way.

We’re tired, and feeling like we don’t have the same amount of capacity to deal with life’s struggles as we normally would.

The kids seem to have shorter fuses than normal, and so do we as parents.

We’re just feeling… depleted. For my phone, an obvious remedy for the problem of a low battery is to recharge the device.

But when you have kids, especially when they’re young or if you are a single parent, it’s not just as simple as taking some time off.

As much as you’d like to whisk yourself off for an island holiday somewhere and could rest on the beach with a good book to recharge, there are school runs to do, hungry mouths that need to eat dinner, dishes and clothes to be washed and you get the picture.

And there are also the children themselves who have questions, need help with homework, and sometimes need to be separated when they’re fighting or arguing with one another.

As a mother, I know that I can’t just take myself away somewhere to recharge, and shutting myself away in my room will either result in children knocking on my door or otherwise doing whatever they want – which tends to result in a house of chaos, which certainly doesn’t help me feel refreshed.

So what should we do when we know that our battery is getting low on charge, but we can’t just switch everything off around us to enable us to recharge?

I want to remind you of something Jesus said – and this is from Matthew chapter 11, in verse 28. “Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

This, right here, is a promise of God. When you’re feeling weary, like you’re running out of battery and life is feeling heavy – it’s a reminder to bring your problems, your exhaustion and everything that’s feeling heavy to Jesus.

He has promised, in his word, that if we come to him, he will give us rest.

And this isn’t fake rest – it’s not rest that just looks peaceful on social media but doesn’t help much in the long run.

It’s genuine rest.

And you can access Jesus and the rest he has promised from wherever you are – whether that’s in your kitchen while you’re cooking dinner, or settling an argument for the 50th time.

The best way to recharge your batteries is to connect them to the power source, and Acts chapter 1 verse 8 makes it super clear that our power source is the Holy Spirit.

First Corinthians chapter 4 verse 20 says that the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power – but while we carry this power with us wherever we go, sometimes we forget to tap into it and we forget to ask for the rest and the refreshing that God has promised.

So if you’re feeling depleted, irritable, burdened, or mentally and emotionally exhausted, remember that Jesus loves you and has offered to give you rest – but you need to come to him, and bring your burdens to him, in order to receive the promise.

And if you’re wondering whether my phone battery made it through the night in hospital – the short answer is no – it didn’t.

After nursing it all night and only using it to check the time, it died just a few minutes before I got released from hospital at 5am.

But luckily, buzzing our apartment intercom woke up one of the kids, who woke Brad, who let me into the building.

Until next time, blue skies!

P.S If you found this idea interesting or useful, save it for later by pinning it to your Christian Encouragement board on Pinterest.

P.P.S. If you have a friend who might benefit from this message, make sure you take the time right now to share this with them!

The post Feeling Tired? Here’s what to do! appeared first on Amber Ward.

Are you under Spiritual Attack?

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 06:19:23 GMT

If you’ve been feeling like you’re under enemy attack, but you’re not sure why – this message is for you.

Watch this message: (story continues below video)

https://youtu.be/MttCjo0hOuk

I was watching one of those YouTube videos yesterday, where this guy was making all kinds of stuff out of Gallium.

If you haven’t seen the videos – Gallium is basically a metal that has a fairly low melting point, which means that you only need to heat it up a little bit and it melts. And because it’s non-toxic and stable, you can literally melt this stuff and hold it in your hand – which is what this guy on YouTube was doing.

It’s quite freaky to look at, because we’re not used to molten metal being cool enough to hold in our hands – and the way it flows and pools is quite mesmerizing.

I remember back when I was a kid and this movie came out called Terminator 2 – Judgement day.

It was a sci-fi action film with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton and Edward Furlong – who were the good guys – and Robert Patrick who played this shape shifting T-1000 Terminator who was made entirely of liquid metal.

The T-1000 had the ability to turn any of his limbs into hard metal objects like swords, knives or hooks, and he was able to walk through prison bars by reforming around them as he passed through.

The special effects in this movie were cutting edge for the time – and every time the T-1000 would get shot he would have a huge hole blown in him, that would magically flow back together.

Even when the T-1000 was frozen, shattered, and spread across the floor – all the different shards would melt, flow back together and re-form, just like the Gallium does in the YouTube videos.

At the start of the movie, you’ve got a kid called John Connors living with foster parents because his mother has been locked up in a mental hospital.

Then, a T-1000 Terminator arrives from the future (just out of interest, he’s from 2029 – which isn’t that far in the future anymore) and he has the sole purpose of killing John, the kid, to try and prevent the important role he’s going to have in the future as a resistance leader.

But the future John has also sent back an older model 101 Terminator to protect his younger self, so the whole movie is pretty much about this creepy T-1000 with the metallic special effects pursuing and trying to kill John and his mother – who gets busted out of the mental hospital, all the while being protected by a more ‘real’ and low tech terminator played by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Now Terminator 2 may just be an old movie these days – but the story line highlights an important point.

John Connors – the kid who started the movie living with the foster family – wasn’t much of a threat to anyone in his current form and yet he suddenly found himself under attack.

As Christians, we need to realize that the enemy doesn’t just place obstacles in our way to stop us achieving things for the kingdom from day to day, he also works ahead of time in an attempt to prevent us from stepping in to our purpose.

The spiritual attack you’re feeling may not be about what’s going on in your life right now – it could very much be about who you’re going to be in the future.

Believe it or not, there are plenty of examples in the bible where the enemy attacked whole generations of children in an attempt to stop important people from reaching their potential.

In Exodus chapter 1 the King of Egypt instructs the Hebrew midwives to kill every baby boy, and when that doesn’t happen as planned, he orders all of his people to throw every Hebrew boy into the Nile.

Enter Moses, who is hidden for 3 months by his family, before being placed in a basket, discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter, and the rest is history.

Then we have the case of King Herod, who, realizing that he had been outwitted by the Magi who hadn’t reported back on Jesus’ location – gave the order for all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under to be killed.

Luckily, God had warned Joseph in a dream, and Jesus was taken to safe refuge in Egypt.

I want you to notice something really important about both of those scenarios.

Just like grown up John Connors from the future had sent back protection for his younger self, God knows exactly how he has gifted you, what your purpose is, and what you are going to achieve for the kingdom in the future – and he does not leave you unprotected.

Even though both of the attacks I just mentioned from the bible were carried out on infants – who clearly weren’t in a position to defend themselves – God made sure they were protected by the people around them.

As we become more mature, we also have the Armor of God to defend ourselves with and if you need a refresher you can read more about that in Ephesians chapter 6.

There’s also an entire heavenly host of protection on offer.

What is important, is that we don’t allow attacks of the enemy to distract us, or prevent us from walking in what God has called us to do.

Until next time, blue skies!

P.S If you found this idea interesting or useful, save it for later by pinning it to your Christian Encouragement board on Pinterest.

P.P.S. If you have a friend who might benefit from this message, make sure you take the time right now to share this with them!

The post Are you under Spiritual Attack? appeared first on Amber Ward.

The Secret to Getting What You Want

Tue, 23 Feb 2021 01:29:42 GMT

If there’s one thing that really annoys me, it’s when someone uses the last packet or last unit of something from the cupboard and doesn’t tell me that we’ve run out.

I guess the kids assume that because I know everything, I can automatically tell that I need to add things on to my shopping list – even if I wasn’t in the kitchen, or even in the house as the last bit of whatever it was, was used.

Then, as I walk back in the door after braving the supermarket, without fail one of them will ask ‘did you get more rice cakes – we don’t have any left and I need them for lunch tomorrow’… or it might be milk, or it might be cocoa powder, or it might be rice, or potatoes, or carrots… anyway, you get the idea.

All it would have taken was for whoever used the last of what we had to let me know that we’d run out, and I would have bought more.

We don’t live far from the shops, but with all the extra covid precautions and mask wearing I really try to limit the amount of time that I spend wandering the aisles.

Maybe this lack of communication from children is to be expected, although if you have any suggestions or ideas that have worked in your household to get around this problem – make sure you leave a comment and let me know what they are!

So as I’m arriving home, pretty much the first thing my children ask me (and this is usually before I even set foot in the house) is whether I bought them any treats while I was shopping.

Perhaps it wasn’t a great precedent to set, but when they were little, I used to reward good behavior as we were shopping with a small treat that we would pick up right at the very end of our shop.

This would usually be something really small, no more than $1 each, and it wouldn’t happen every shop, and it wouldn’t happen if there was any nagging or impatience while we navigated the supermarket.

Now that they’re older and both at school, I do most of the shopping without them – but over the last year with the lock down in Melbourne – they weren’t allowed to come shopping with me, but they were at home when I went rather than being at school.

So every time I came back… they wanted to know if I had treats with me.

You can probably already tell where I’m going with these stories.

So we’ve got some poor communication about what our shopping needs are, and we’ve got some expectations about what we think we deserve in terms of treats.

A lot of the time, even as adults, when we don’t get something that we want, we complain about it.

When I go shopping and I come home without a treat for them, my children certainly let me know that they’re disappointed.

And when we’ve run out of something as a family, and I come home without a replacement, they’re not happy either.

So is there an answer?

Well, one of my children has worked out that there is one technique that increases her chances of me buying her a treat when I’m at the shops.

Every time, without fail, that she hears that I’m going shopping, before I even leave the house, she asks me to please buy us all some chocolate.

Now I know that what she wants is for me to buy her some chocolate – she wants a treat.

And she knows that there’s a chance that I might not come home with chocolate.

But what she’s worked out, is that she’s got a far greater chance of me buying chocolate if she asks me, than if she doesn’t ask me.

And what I’ve found is the same principle applies when we feel like we’re in need of something from God, whether that’s the resolution of a health issue that’s been slowing us down, or something that we feel we need to make our lives more productive for the kingdom.

A lot of the time, the reason that we don’t get what we want, is that we haven’t asked God to give it to us – or if we have, we haven’t approached God with the right motive.

In James chapter 4, verse 2 it says pretty bluntly – we do not have because we do not ask God.

Verse 3 goes on to say that “when you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

So we need to be careful that we’re not asking for anything that is frivolous – like asking for a treat for ourselves that will be consumed in a few seconds.

Luke Chapter 11 verse 9 says “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

My daughter knows that by asking her mother to buy some chocolate, she was more likely to get chocolate than if she didn’t ask for any.

And if she asks for chocolate for all of us, I’m more likely to buy it than if she were just asking for a treat for herself.

And if we’ve run out of something, there’s a far better chance of me remembering to get some more if someone actually asks me to.

The key here is in the asking.

One thing I find myself saying quite a lot to the ladies who come along to the bible studies that I run is that I’m a bit like their hairdresser – I’m always happy to see them, but I never really know when they need to see me – and all it takes for me to make some 1 on 1 time for them is for them to ask.

In the same way (but infinitely better) God is waiting to give us, his children, good gifts.

That’s a promise of God right there.

Ask and it will be given to you. Psalm 2 verse 8 says “ask me and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.

That takes everything to a whole new level, don’t you think?

Until next time, blue skies!

P.S If you found this idea interesting or useful, save it for later by pinning it to your Christian Encouragement board on Pinterest.

P.P.S. If you have a friend who might benefit from this message, make sure you take the time right now to share this with them!

The post The Secret to Getting What You Want appeared first on Amber Ward.

How to feel secure in the midst of uncertainty

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 07:22:05 GMT

Have you ever been faced with the loss of something you thought was important?

When a relationship ends, particularly when it’s a long-term relationship – there are a lot of things to sort through. I’m not even talking about the emotional stuff here, but the physical stuff you accumulate in the process of living a shared life.

Watch the video: (story continues below video)

Some of the stuff is easy to divide up – if you’ve got a car each, then that’s pretty easy.

But the bigger things, like houses – can be tricky.

On paper, the process is simple – you agree on a value for the house and you’re entitled to half of that value – whether the house gets sold and you both take the money, or whether one person decides to buy the other out.

From the outside it might look like a simple and straightforward process – but from the inside it can feel like your life is being torn apart.

At the point when I was confronted by the decision about whether to buy my ex husband out or whether to sell the house and divide the proceeds, we had been living in this particular 3 bedroom house for roughly 8 years and our children were only young – our eldest was 5 and our youngest was 2.

On one hand, the security of having a familiar environment that I was used to, in a community that I loved being a part of was very attractive.

But on the other hand, being in that house was a constant reminder of some memories that I would have rathered forget.

By deciding to sell, rather than to do everything possible to buy my ex-husband out I knew I would be stepping out into an uncertain world of renting rather than owning.

At this stage I was also at home with the kids full time and not working, so I knew the chances of being able to take my half of the proceeds and afford to buy a house in the foreseeable future were pretty much zero.

At the time, it definitely felt like I was in a lose-lose scenario – no matter what decision I made.

I was left with the feeling that I had worked really hard for a long time, but by the time the legal fees were paid (given that our situation was quite complex) – from a financial and a security perspective I was going to be left with nothing.

Our human tendency when faced with this sort of scenario is to dig in and hold tightly to what we do have – I’ve had friends who refused to complete financial settlements with ex-partners or move out of former family homes because they weren’t prepared to give up or lose anything that they had spent time and energy building up.

And while they might have thought that by holding on in desperation they were protecting their investments, in every case the consequences for their mental health, for their own resilience, and for their overall sense of security were a disaster.

And in the end, they didn’t receive any advantage for holding on so tight, and they still ended up ‘losing’. What it comes down to, is our human desire for security.

For me, in this period of time – the sudden loss of what I perceived to be security dominated my thoughts because the world teaches us that the way to be secure is to rely on people, relationships, and the things we own – and when that suddenly changes, we get thrown.

And then one night – everything changed for me. It was an ordinary, sleepless night – because at that time, just about every night was filled with thinking and worrying.

But that night I dreamed that the girls and I were living in a bus, that we had converted into the most amazing motor home.

We were secure and happy, and it didn’t make any difference that we didn’t own our own home because God was providing for our every need.

It might sound silly, but I woke up from that dream with a completely renewed sense of protection, provision and security – because no matter what happened with the house and the legal fees, even if we were left with ‘nothing’ in worldly terms, I knew we were going to be alright and we could always get a bus.

We falsely think that our security comes from the things we own, from other people, or from the money we have in the bank – but the reality is that all of those things can be wiped away with frightening speed.

The only source of true security that isn’t going to change is God.

Psalm 27 verse 1 says “the Lord is my light and my salvation, so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?”.

Proverbs 19 verse 23 tells us that ‘the fear of the Lord leads to life-bringing security and protection from harm’ and Psalm 102 verse 28 says that the children of God’s people will live in security, and their children’s children will thrive in God’s presence.

If you’re wondering what happened with our house – I ended up choosing to sell it, and the girls and I stayed with my parents for a few months, before renting for a while.

We didn’t end up living in a bus, and God has continued to protect us and provide for us in ways that I couldn’t have imagined if you’d asked me to.

I’m living proof that even when everything around you seems to be falling apart, you can remain confident because true security comes from the Lord, not from the things of this world.

Remember, you can do all things through Christ who is strengthening you, and with faith even as small as a mustard seed you can move mountains.

Nothing will be impossible for you.

Until next time, blue skies!

P.S If you found this idea interesting or useful, save it for later by pinning it to your Life Inspiration board on Pinterest.

P.P.S. if you have a friend who might benefit from this message, make sure you take the time right now to share this with them!

The post How to feel secure in the midst of uncertainty appeared first on Amber Ward.

The Story of Thrive

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 16:40:32 GMT

Late November last year, I was walking back home after walking my daughter Hannah to school. I often pray as I’m walking – on this particular day the weather was nice, there wasn’t much traffic on the road, and I was still feeling a sense of relief to have the kids back in school after a very disruptive year of being locked down.

Watch this: (story continues below video)

Anyway, as I was walking and praying, I suddenly felt the same inexplicable feeling I felt when I was first called to pastor and also on the few opportunities I have had to preach in a church setting – and the Holy Spirit said ‘it’s time’.

For the last 6 years, ever since I moved to the Mornington Peninsula, really, I’ve been wondering what my next ministry step might be.

Over recent years I’ve had heaps of conversations where I’ve expressed the feeling that we’ve been positioned intentionally by God – although we haven’t been quite sure what we’ve been positioned for.

We’ve wondered whether we had been positioned to plant a church, or perhaps whether our positioning was for a season of equipping for ministry elsewhere.

We also wondered about online ministry, because I’ve spent the last dozen years or so building websites and learning about marketing in the online space.

When I was called to pastor I distinctly recall trying to find a course to study and build my skills – but one door after another was shut.

So I decided that I would be pastoral with everyone I came across in my ordinary life until the doors to study opened up – which they did a few years later, leading to my Masters in Theological Studies.

Shortly after finishing study, Brad and I both felt that we were being stirred up, and that God was preparing us to move somewhere else – so I went through a process of applying for ministry jobs that the Holy Spirit highlighted to me as I scanned through the online job listings.

Over two years, time after time, I’d make it through to the final round of the selection process but these churches would decide at the last minute to not proceed with the role – or to put everything on hold for a season, or to re-evaluate what their actual needs were.

Brad and I were left thinking – what is going on here?

As this was going on, I did some work for the local church that we had been part of for the last 4 years as a children and families ministry catalyst, but in March last year we felt that we had been released from that fellowship, so I resigned and finished up.

Then COVID hit, and the people of Melbourne in Australia – where we live – went through 112 days of lock down.

So on my walk home, in late November last year, as things had settled down and got back to some sense of normality, the news that ‘it was time’ was both exciting and terrifying.

One thing I knew for sure was that I was going to need good people around me, and so I asked the Holy Spirit to open doors and connect me with the right people – as well as show me what the next step was that I should take.

Over the next two days, no joke, I had four different people tell me that they had been really missing the bible studies and discipleship sessions we used to do together years ago.

I sent out a message to about a dozen of my Facebook friends, saying that I was thinking about starting a new online women’s bible study and asking if they might be interested.

As I sent that message out, I was expecting that maybe one or two people might get back to me.

To my shock, pretty much every single person replied to my message and only two of them said that it wasn’t a good fit for them right now – everyone else wanted more information and some of them even asked if they could invite their friends too.

While this was going on, I was also having conversations with people I bumped into in the course of my everyday life – and within 3 or 4 days we had a group of local ladies who were keen to meet in person for bible study – and although it was now early December and everything was getting super-hectic in the lead up to Christmas – we decided to get started anyway and begin meeting weekly from the very next Monday.

There were 7 of us there at that very first meeting, within a few hours of the session finishing I was getting phone calls from group members asking if they could bring friends along the next week… and let me say, the transformation that I’ve seen in those ladies in the few months since that first meeting has been nothing short of astounding.

Fast forward through Christmas and New Years, and beach mission – which my family and I are involved in every year – and we launched another two bible studies for women – but this time they were online.

Just like the in-person one, most of the people who are coming along are people I’ve never met – they’ve been connected in by a friend.

So the benefit of the two new groups was that because they’re online, people can come along from anywhere in the world – and there’s zero commute time, which makes things a lot more flexible for busy parents.

But despite us having one online session in the morning and one session in the evening – the times just aren’t suitable for everyone.

What surprised me, was that even though the group times didn’t suit people – they still wanted to be involved and access the information and transformation that they were seeing in their friends who were coming along, and I started getting requests for the studies to be made available in podcast form.

Then, about 3 weeks ago I saw an ad for a week-long online workshop aimed at kingdom messengers who were wanting to launch a podcast or a YouTube channel.

So I signed up, and the very first workshop session provided me with the clarity I had been praying about for weeks.

This was yet another example of Holy Spirit connecting me, just like I’d asked for and within days Thrive was born.

Thrive began with the intention of connecting the people who are involved in or connected with the bible studies that I’ve been running, but it’s grown quickly to include a YouTube channel where I post short, bible-based messages of encouragement every weekday and a separate YouTube channel where I post longer sermons and bible-based studies.

If you’d prefer to listen, there’s a podcast and if you’d prefer to read – there’s a website where you can access everything too.

I am amazed by what God has been doing and I’m incredibly honored to pastor this growing bunch of amazing people.

I’ve been in and around various churches for 30 years, but I’ve never seen bible study groups grow as fast as these ones have, and I’ve never seen so much transformation and change in so many people over such a short period of time as they get stuck into the word of God, realize who they really are and embrace their own purpose and calling.

God is doing something pretty amazing, and if you’ve been a part of the journey so far – I want to thank you for coming on this adventure with me.

I appreciate every single like and comment on every video, and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for all of us. If this is the first time you’ve been here, then I want you to know you’re very welcome to hang around for a bit and check us out.

Questions and comments are very welcome on every video, and you’ll notice that I respond to as many of them as I can – although I am only human and I do need to sleep occasionally, so your grace and patience is definitely appreciated.

Thanks for reading all the way to the end, and I’ll catch you next time.

Blue Skies

The post The Story of Thrive appeared first on Amber Ward.

How to Impact Leaders in Tough Times

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 05:33:44 GMT

A few days ago, I put up a Facebook post, because in Melbourne we had some new COVID – related rules to follow from the Government.

In particular, there was a change on the requirement to wear masks indoors that had come into effect overnight and I wanted to make sure my friends were aware of the new requirements before they sent their kids to school.

So I shared the official post, and within a few minutes there were a couple of comments on my post that were basically criticizing the leaders who had made the decisions.

Watch this message: (the story continues below)

Now, I know from their other posts and comments on Facebook that these particular people who commented think that the requirement for masks is a dramatic overreaction by our government.

I’m guessing you can imagine the sort of posts and comments that are doing the rounds today, now that Melbourne has a 5 day lock down ahead.

What I want to talk about today is not about the government, and it’s not about coronavirus or how various governments around the world are managing outbreaks.

What I want to talk about today is the kingdom concept of honor, and how the bible says that we – as the people of God – are to interact with the ruling authorities of our world – whether they’re elected leaders, government officials, police officers, or people in positions of authority over us as individuals such as our bosses at work, teachers at school or pastors and leaders at church.

Let’s start with the first two verses of Romans Chapter 13 which say “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.

So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished.”

As believers it’s really important that we understand that there are no ruling authorities in place except those who are positioned there by God and the requirement to submit to those authorities applies to ‘everyone’ – not just to some people.

The reason for this submission, according to verse 5 of the same chapter is to not only to avoid punishment but also to keep a clear conscience” whereas verse 7 tells us to also give those in authority respect and honor.

And it’s not just the leaders themselves that we need to submit to, but also the delegated leaders who serve and are sent by the king – that’s from first Peter 2:13-14.

By choosing to honor our leaders we’re actually choosing to recognize and respect the authority of God that they carry rather than the person themselves.

Ephesians chapter 6, verses 5 to 8 instruct servants to respectfully obey their earthly masters, but always with an eye to obeying their real master – Christ.

Now the instant reaction of most people is to go oh, hang on – What about bad leaders? What about dictators? What about leaders who murder their people? And what about tyrants? What about Hitler?

Should we still have to honor those sort of leaders?

There’s actually a fantastic case study on this included in the bible – because in 1 Peter 2:17, we have Peter telling the believers to ‘fear God and honor the King’ but this instruction is given in the context of a time where King Herod Agrippa the first, who came to power in AD37 (which is AFTER the resurrection) – is being particularly harsh towards the believers because it served his political purposes.

Acts Chapter 12 verse 2 tells us that King Herod Agrippa had the apostle James (who was John’s brother) killed with a sword.

He then seizes Peter, and pretty much everyone would have expected that Peter was going to be killed too.

In fact, the bible tells us that Herod was planning to hold Peter over the Passover and then bring him out for a public trial. That’s in verse 4 for those who are following along.

So here’s a leader who is killing people, he’s grabbed Peter, he’s planning to turn his death into a public spectacle to win favour with the people.

And what does the church do?

Do they protest?

Do they begin a social disobedience campaign?

Do they hatch a plan to bust Peter out of jail?

Remember these are desperate times, and Peter is the leader of the church.

What did the church do?

They prayed earnestly for Peter, that’s what Acts 12 verse 5 tells us. And what comes next is a miraculous escape from prison, orchestrated by an Angel of the Lord.

At dawn the next morning it was discovered that Peter was missing – King Herod Agrippa, the lovely bloke that he was, ordered a thorough search, and when Peter still didn’t turn up – he sentenced the four squads of four guards who had been guarding Peter to death.

If you are wondering what happened to Herod Agrippa the First and whether he ever received judgement for his bad leadership – you’re in luck, because verses 20-23 of Acts chapter 12 tell us what happened to him.

Let’s read verse 23 – Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died.”

Now I want you to notice that the judgement of this tyrant leader came – but it wasn’t orchestrated by people – and that’s because GOD is the one who is responsible for bringing judgement on those in authority.

Even if the constitutional rights of your home country, or the rules of the social media platform that you are using allow you to exercise free speech and say and share whatever you want – we still need to remember that once we’ve accepted Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior – we answer to a higher power, and a higher system of law than all of the the worldly systems of Government combined.

When Romans 13 tells us to give respect and honor to all whom it is due, then that is what we should endeavor to do.

If we do choose to dishonor the people in authority over us these passages make it quite clear that we are actually dishonoring God, because no person is placed in a position of authority except with God’s blessing.

And if you think that laughing at memes on social media is just harmless fun – there are two separate places in the bible that instruct us to ‘not speak evil of the ruler of your people’.

That means we should avoid liking, sharing, or even laughing at and finding things funny if it directly criticizes or directly mocks governmental leaders, not only because those people have been put in place by God, but because by showing dishonor to our leaders we are also showing dishonor to God.

That’s really, really dangerous territory to be in.

So I encourage you, if you see anything on social media that makes fun of, mocks or criticizes those in authority or leadership – don’t share it.

If it’s a video, don’t even watch it.

You might think that you’re not hurting anyone – but even our inward laughter can be a problem – if you remember both Abraham and Sarah laughed silently to themselves and it was definitely noticed.

If you see another brother or sister in Christ sharing that sort of material then feel free to share this video with them privately – because they might not realize what the bible actually says about this topic.

The problem with how we humans usually respond to leadership decisions we don’t like is that we complain about them on social media, and we encourage others to join with us and complain about things on social media.

But the bible tells us we will effect change at the top level not from criticizing or complaining, but from praying earnestly for those in authority.

Just as the disciples prayed for Peter when he was jailed by King Herod Agrippa the First, we have an opportunity to make an impact through humility, obedience and prayer.

First Timothy chapter 2 verses 1 and 2 says

“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.”
1 Timothy 2:1-2

So let’s make that our priority.

And when you see a suspect meme, instead of laughing, liking and sharing – take a minute or two out of your day to pray for that leader instead.

Until next time, blue skies!

The post How to Impact Leaders in Tough Times appeared first on Amber Ward.

Does it matter if you don’t comply with Government Requirements?

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 14:32:08 GMT

Submission to authority is all well and good when you agree with the instructions or requirements – but what happens when you don’t want to comply? Does it matter to God?

Is there anything in the bible that helps us understand what the consequences might be if we choose to go against the wishes of the authorities in our lives?

Every day for pretty much the last year, my husband Brad and I have been going for a walk along the bay foreshore near where we live at lunchtime.

It’s been great to get out of the house, to breathe some fresh air and get some exercise.

Yesterday, while we were out walking we were stopped by an older woman wearing a face mask, who commented on the fact that we were both also wearing face masks, and asked us why we were choosing to wear them.

Now as I just said, Brad and I have been out walking pretty much every day for the last 12 months, most of that time while wearing masks when we were required to – and this was literally the first time we’ve been stopped and asked this question.

As it turns out, this lady had been stopping just about everyone she walked past because, as someone who thought that everyone should be following the rules set by the government (and at the moment it is mandatory to wear masks everywhere except in your own home) – she was totally perplexed by how many people weren’t following the government’s rules.

We actually stopped and chatted to her for a while and she was telling us about the various responses she had received from all the people she had spoken to, most of them who had not been wearing masks.

In a lot of ways she was being courageous, approaching groups of strangers of various sizes to challenge them on why they weren’t following the rules.

Brad and I, of course, took the opportunity to explain our belief that all authorities, including the state government, are put in place by God – and that by honouring those authorities we are, in effect, honouring God.

But it was interesting, because so many of the people this woman had spoken to had indicated that although they KNEW that the rules said they should be wearing masks, they had a whole pile of different reasons for making the personal decision to not wear a mask.

Later on, after we got home, I found myself pondering the question of whether there are any circumstances when it is ok to directly and disobediently refuse to follow the lawful instruction of someone whom God has placed in authority over us.

There is only one exception that I’ve found in the bible, as to when you shouldn’t honor someone in a position of leadership or authority over you – and that applies when that person is giving you an instruction where complying would cause you to disobey one of God’s commands.

There are two examples that come to mind where people chose to directly disobey a leader, and in both cases God shielded them from the worldly consequences of their actions.

The first one is the case of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who disobeyed King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter 3.

The king had made a giant gold statue and commanded everyone to bow down and worship the statue every time they heard certain music played.

Some astrologers decided to let the King know that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego weren’t doing as they were told and were refusing to worship the king’s statue.

So the king calls the three of them in, asks for an explanation and gives them a second chance to worship the statue, threatening that if they refuse, he’ll throw them into the furnace – but they do refuse – making it very clear to the king that they won’t be bowing down to his statue or serving any other gods.

So the king gets pretty angry – the bible says he is ‘furious’ – and he orders the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual before selecting his strongest soldiers to throw the three men (who had also been tied up) into the furnace.

The furnace is so hot that it kills all of the soldiers, causing Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to fall in.

Miraculously, God intervenes – and the king sees four people walking around unharmed in the fire. He calls for them to come out, and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego end up with a promotion each. And here’s another example.

It’s the example of Daniel in the den of lions from Daniel Chapter 6.

In this story, we’ve got a genuine case of tall poppy syndrome. Daniel’s peers were trying to get rid of him because his exceptional qualities and ability to get his job done were making them look bad – and they knew that the only way to bring him down was by changing the law to make prayer illegal.

We’re told that Daniel learns that the decree banning prayer has been published, but he continues to pray and give thanks to God three times a day – just as he had done before the new law had been passed.

So these men go as a group, they find Daniel praying and go to the King to dob him in.

We’re told the king was ‘greatly distressed’ and tried to find a way to save Daniel – but that decrees made by the king simply can’t be changed.

So Daniel is thrown into the den with the lions, and the king has an uncomfortable sleepless night.

Again, God miraculously intervenes to protect his person – an angel shuts the mouths of the lions.

And notice Daniel’s answer – this is in Daniel chapter 6 verses 21 and 22 : “May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”

So we’ve got two stories of what can happen when we choose to disobey earthly leaders for the sake of obedience to God.

Daniel has just been effectively sentenced to death by this King – and yet he’s still expressing honor towards him.

I want you to notice something really important from both of these examples.

In both cases, the authority figure had given a directive for which the process of complying would have caused Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and in the second example Daniel, to disobey God – and so God shielded them from the negative consequences associated with their punishment.

But notice this – God doesn’t prevent the punishment from happening.

And despite being effectively sentenced to death for their disobedience to human authority, these men all continue to show honor to those human authorities, before, during and after their punishment was carried out. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and Daniel knew who they were and what they stood for as individuals, and they knew that it was God whom they ultimately were serving.

Today, regardless of the situation that you find yourself in, and whether or not you personally agree with the actions and requirements of those who are in authority over you – let’s make a conscious decision to honor those leaders.

Until next time, blue skies!

The post Does it matter if you don’t comply with Government Requirements? appeared first on Amber Ward.

Machine vs Garden

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 13:43:25 GMT

What if, instead of thinking of our mind as a machine that breaks down and requires fixing – we instead choose to view it as a garden in need of nurture?

This morning I was reading an article that was talking about the effect of lock downs on mental health.

It was a particularly relevant article for me because today, where I live in Melbourne, Australia – we are mid-way through a 5 day mandatory lock down.

Now 5 days isn’t a long time, but when you consider that last year the people of Melbourne went through a 112 day lock down – just the prospect of returning to a lock down setting is bringing up a lot of stuff for everyone.

Anyway, this article was talking about feelings of depression, the loss of hope, and anxiety within people who would regularly characterize themselves as mentally well – and also the devastating impact of lock down on those who are already dealing with mental health issues from day to day.

In pastoral care conversations over the last year – I’ve noticed a bit of a trend. And that is, while people are happy to chat about having difficulty with being in lock down and not feeling like themselves, I’ve had quite a few people take care to point out that what they’re experiencing is most certainly not a mental health issue that requires any sort of medical assistance and that ‘they’ll be alright, and they’ll get through it.’

When you consider that these are the same people who would be first in line at their doctor to receive treatment for a health problem in other part of their body – it started me wondering what was so different about our mental health, that we would avoid seeking help – when that help is readily available.

The way I see it, our worldly way of thinking about our body is partly to blame. Our society has taught us to think of our body, and by extension, our brain – as a machine, where all the parts have a function and need to be connected together in the right way to function properly.

The problem is, when you have a machine and some small part of that machine breaks – or wears out – or stops functioning like it should, then the whole machine stops.

It breaks down.

It no longer functions the way it should. It either gets fixed with a replacement part, or re-lubricated and gets back to functioning at 100% – or it remains broken and out of service.

There seems to be a huge stigma associated with mental health issues, and it isn’t helped by this ‘broken’ vs ‘working’ way of thinking. And as far as analogies go, the machine illustration isn’t particularly accurate or appropriate.

So what, then, can we do instead?

I’ve found that it really helps to think of our brain not as a machine but as a garden, a living organ that if it isn’t thriving – may be in need of some assistance from a gardener.

If you take a look in your bible, you’ll notice that God is not in the business of building machines.

He creates gardens, he sows seeds and he’s in the renewal business – not the machine repair business.

As well as not being a medical professional, I’m also no neuroscientist – but if you look at the growing scientific understanding of how our brains work – I’m told that viewing our brain as a living garden is actually a pretty good fit.

Our brain is a wonderfully complex living organ that is continually creating new connections and it’s capable of establishing new pathways and re-learning different ways of doing things in response to life’s problems and issues.

Gardens just don’t fit the broken vs working paradigm of the machine world.

If an established garden has a problem – whether that’s poor soil quality, weeds, pests, or environmental conditions that don’t suit some of the plants – the gardener doesn’t condemn the whole thing, rip it out and start over.

They carefully spend time resolving the issues, one by one, so that the garden as a whole becomes healthier – and in time, once the issues are resolved or managed – the garden will begin to thrive.

It’s interesting to note that some garden problems, like pest infestations, require treatment – and others, like poor soil condition, require specific nutrients to be added – so if you’ve been thinking about seeking some medical help for your mental health but you’ve been delaying and putting it off – make sure you do something about that today.

Gardens that are created and cultivated by a gardener who knows what they’re doing – thrive. Just as thriving gardens require the nurture and care of a Gardener, thriving mental health doesn’t just happen by itself and it doesn’t happen overnight.

Romans 12:2 encourages us to not copy the behavior and customs of this world – but to let God transform us into a new person by changing the way we think.

We are not machine transformers, who can suddenly transform from one object into another.

For our mind, just as for a garden, the process of renewal is one that takes time, nurture and care.

These thrive messages may be fairly short, but each one is designed to give you a daily boost – to help you see things you’ve never noticed before, and to help you to become clear on who you really are – the thriving person you were created to become.

If your mental health isn’t in a good place today, then I want to reassure you that you are not broken, like a busted up old machine – even if that’s the way you might have been feeling.

Just like a garden that isn’t thriving, your mind is ready and waiting to be transformed and renewed by God, the ultimate master gardener, whose will for you is good and pleasing and perfect.

If that’s something you want to know more about, then make sure you subscribe and get notifications for when new Thrive episodes are released.

Until next time, blue skies!

The post Machine vs Garden appeared first on Amber Ward.

How to turn Misunderstandings into Blessings

Sun, 14 Feb 2021 14:18:29 GMT

Has anyone ever totally misjudged you and your motives? The bible, in the first two chapters of 1 Samuel, tells the story of a woman named Hannah.

Hannah was married to a man named Elkanah, who was also married to another woman named Peninnah. Life was difficult for Hannah, because she hadn’t been able to have any children – whereas Peninnah had a few children – and used that as an excuse to make fun of Hannah.

As someone who has also struggled with infertility – I can’t imagine how awful it would feel to not only struggle with wanting something you can’t have, but to have someone in your own household completely rubbing in the fact that you hadn’t been able to have any children. After all, there’s living breathing proof right in front of her every day that the problem didn’t rest with Hannah’s husband.

Then, every year when they went to the tabernacle, Hannah would be so distraught at this annual reminder of her inability to have children that she would be reduced to tears and not be able to eat. One year, as the family was visiting the tabernacle at Shiloh, Hannah went by herself to pray.

As she was silently crying out to God in her anguish, she was spotted by a priest named Eli.

This is where the story takes an unexpected turn – because Eli jumped to the conclusion that Hannah was drunk, went over to her and said ‘must you come here drunk? before demanding she throw away her wine.

Now just imagine the same story unfolding in a modern church in 2021 – a woman who has been struggling with infertility for years comes into the church and finds herself pouring her heart out to God. She’s been mocked by her friends, who keep implying that there must be something wrong with her, because her husband has children from a previous relationship – but despite trying every option available and wanting children more than anything else on earth – it still hasn’t happened.

She’s crying so hard that she’s barely whispering… when the senior pastor wanders over to her, assumes she’s drunk, and demands she hand over her alcohol.

How do you think you would respond if your senior pastor wrongly accused you of evil in the middle of your greatest expression of pain before God?

It wouldn’t be much of a leap to accuse him of being an insensitive jerk, and walking straight back out of that church – never to return. I mean, what kind of pastor wouldn’t be able to spot someone deep in prayer?

Hannah had every right to feel deeply insulted, but notice something startling in the way that she responds to Eli. “Oh no, sir! she replied. I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring my heart to the Lord. Don’t think I am a wicked woman! for I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”

Hannah’s response was respectful and honoring, despite the fact that Eli’s behavior was offensive and insulting.

Then, perhaps in response to the honor that Hannah had extended to him, Eli’s manner completely changed and he blessed her.

Then, Hannah, continuing in an attitude of honor – thanked Eli and left the encounter changed – evidenced by her beginning to eat again and no longer being sad. Then, the Lord remembered Hannah’s request and she later gave birth to a son.

Verse 7 of Romans Chapter 13 says we are to ‘give respect and honor to those who are in authority’.

When we look at things from a worldly perspective, it’s easy to think that the reason we’re told to honor authority is to keep the chain of command structure in-tact, and for the benefit of the leader – or to make it easier for the leader to keep everything under control.

But what if the reason that God prompts us to honor the authority figures in our lives is for our sake and not for theirs?

When Hannah chose to respond out of honor for the position that Eli held, rather than in response to any offence that she was feeling because of his accusation – instead of receiving an argument, she received the blessing of a priest, which, in turn, resulted in her receiving the blessing of a child.

Eli’s countenance had changed in the space of Hannah’s initial response – so let me ask you – who was it who received the greatest benefit of the honor that Hannah showed towards Eli?

The problem with how we usually repay poor treatment from superiors is that we respond from a position of offense.

But the real way to position ourselves for God’s blessings is to choose to honor the authority figures in our lives.

By all accounts, Eli was a rather dodgy priest. He had certainly raised sons who the bible calls ‘scoundrels who had no respect for the Lord or for their duties as priests’ and was fully aware of what his sons were up to – but didn’t take any meaningful action to stop their poor behavior… and in time, Eli’s entire family was wiped out in judgement.

There are plenty of authority figures in the bible who receive severe consequences for their poor usage of the authority that God has extended to them, and you could certainly make the argument that Eli the man wasn’t doing much that ‘deserved’ respect.

But that’s not what honor is about – it’s about honoring the person because of the position of relative authority that they hold – in recognition that the authority they carry originated from God himself.

As you go about your day today, I encourage you to think about the words you’re using in your interactions with others… and do your best to follow the example of Hannah and respond from a heart position of honor.

Until next time, blue skies!

P.S If you found this idea interesting or useful, save it for later by pinning it to your Life Inspiration board on Pinterest now.

P.P.S. If you have a friend who might benefit from this message, make sure you take the time right now to share this with them!

Suggested for you:

Is life a struggle?

Do you ever get the ‘here we go again’ feeling?

The post How to turn Misunderstandings into Blessings appeared first on Amber Ward.

Does today feel like Groundhog Day?

Sun, 14 Feb 2021 13:43:55 GMT

You’re probably familiar with the movie Groundhog Day which, believe it or not, was released way back in 1993. In the movie, a guy called Phil – who is a weatherman played by Bill Murray, finds himself trapped in a day that repeats itself over… and over… and over again.

No matter what Phil does, every morning when the alarm clock goes off, there he is – repeating the same day.

A bunch of different people have even spent the time calculating how many equivalent days Phil would have needed to spend to develop mastery in piano playing, ice sculpting and french poetry – in addition to the 38 days that are shown in the movie and the 414 other days that are just referred to… and those estimates range from 10 years to just under 34 years!

Over the last year I’ve experienced quite a few days where it has felt like I was stuck in a groundhog day experience. And the feeling of being stuck, or of being trapped in a groundhog day experience doesn’t just apply to coronavirus lock downs.

In the early days after my previous marriage broke down I remember wondering if I would every be happy again, or if my life was going to always be as hard as it felt at that point in time. You might also be feeling like you never have any time to yourself, because you’re busy caring for young children – or because you’re a single parent, or because you’ve got a demanding career, or because you’re struggling with finances.

It’s important to realise that just like Phil wasn’t able to suddenly snap himself out of his never ending groundhog day, and we’re not able to change the weather from winter to spring, or from summer to autumn, or from whatever to whatever – we’re also not in control of the seasons we find ourselves in.

So where does that leave us?

The first verse of Ecclesiastes chapter 3 says there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. The one thing seasons do, is they continually change – unlike Groundhog day – they don’t stay the same. In the darkest part of winter we can look forward to spring, when the bushfires are raging in summer, then we know that the cooler weather that Autumn brings is going to bring some relief.

The passage we just looked at says that everything has its time and season.

Everything includes coronavirus, and everything also includes the season and the struggle that you find yourself in right now. The world is definitely in crisis right now, and if you’re in the midst of your own personal crisis I want you to hear me clearly.

This is a season, and the season WILL change.

You might be wondering how I have the confidence to say that – because we’re in the middle of a global pandemic.

Well, let’s take a look at Genesis chapter 8. We’re going to take a close look at verse 22. Now at this point in Genesis, we’ve just had the great flood and Noah and his family have just left the ark. Noah’s built an altar to the Lord and he’s sacrificed burnt offerings. And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and he says to himself (so this is God talking to himself) as long as the earth remains, there will be seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.

So we’re guaranteed the seasons will change.

Let’s ask ourselves – Is the earth still here? Is it still enduring?

Yep, yep it is.

So this season WILL change.

When it comes to the weather and when it comes to the seasons of life there really is nothing permanent except for God and his promises.

So what can we do?

Well, we do everything we can to outlast this season and to help our fellow human beings to outlast this season too – because although (just like Phil in Groundhog day) we can’t control WHEN our current season and starts and finishes – we are ABSOLUTELY in control of the choices we make and the actions we take.

If that means staying home, then we do that for a bit – if that means being part of an essential service, then we do that.

If that means caring for and advocating for your children, then do that and if it means starting a period of study or education in preparation for your next season – then do that.

In the meantime, it’s a great opportunity to learn more about the kingdom of God and about the only one in the universe who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Until next time, blue skies!

P.S If you found this idea interesting or useful, save it for later by pinning it to your Life Inspiration board on Pinterest

P.P.S. if you have a friend who might benefit from this message, make sure you take the time right now to share this with them!

Recommended for you:

Does Life feel like a Struggle?

The post Does today feel like Groundhog Day? appeared first on Amber Ward.

Does Life feel like a Struggle?

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 06:52:49 GMT

Last year I decided to go for a walk out along our local Pier. It was a gorgeous sunny day and the water in the bay was super-flat – not quite glassy, but there was no swell and barely any ripples on the surface of the water.

There was barely any breeze and everything was still. Just as I walked up to the the start of the pier, I noticed a guy in the distance on a stand-up paddle-board.

Watch this episode: [story continues below video]

The guy on the paddle board was out near the end of the pier, about 10m or so off to one side.

Now his presence in itself wasn’t unusual, there are heaps of people who get out and about on paddle boards near the pier when conditions are calm.

What was really weird on this particular day was the amount of splashing going on.

Paddle Guy was right down near the far end of the pier and not only could I see a heap of splashing, I could hear it too. And he really was a long way away from me!

As I walked out towards the end of the Pier, Paddle Guy ducked underneath the pier and through to the other side – still making heaps of splash and seemingly working really hard to get the little bit of slow movement he was making in the water. He was huffing and puffing and using his whole body to stab the paddle into the water at a weird angle.

A woman called out from the pier:

“That looks like a really good workout!”

“It sure is” puffed Paddle Guy, as he kept stabbing at the water.

Now if you’re not familiar with stand up paddle boards, they’re like an oversized surf board that people stand up on – and their operators use a long handled single bladed paddle at one end, and a handle or grip shaped like a T at the other end.

Everyone I’ve seen paddling one of these boards, especially in gorgeous calm conditions like the ones on this day at the Pier, seems to glide majestically across the water. Even when people are racing each other there isn’t that much splash.

And well, Paddle Guy was different.

There was splash everywhere and despite the fact he was working hard, he wasn’t getting a great return on the huge amount of energy he was investing.

He was barely moving!

Now that I was closer, I could see what was happening… Paddle Guy had the blade of his slightly scooped paddle turned around the wrong way.

He was using it backwards!

That’s why he was splashing so much, because as he pushed the blade through the water, instead of digging in and propelling his board forward, the water was instead being pushed up the scooped back of the paddle and turned into splash that was going everywhere.

Because his method was so ineffective, Paddle Guy had to make up for it by doubling his work rate, and because he was getting such a cardio workout, his paddle strokes were suffering.

Here’s the thing though…

Paddle Guy wasn’t even aware that he had a problem.

He probably thought that struggling to make progress was just the way that paddle boarding WAS.

Every single human being on our planet is familiar with the feeling of struggle… although to be fair some struggles are bigger than others.

If you’re in the middle of a struggle that seems so big you can’t see past it right now, I’m here to tell you that God has had a plan for you since before you were born, and that plan was NOT for you to live a life of struggle.

Jeremiah 29:11 says that God’s plan was to prosper you and NOT to harm you – it’s a plan to give you both a hope AND a future.

So how do you move past the struggles and find out more about God’s plan for you?

Well, Paddle Guy was struggling because although he technically had all the right equipment, no-one had taken the time to show him how to use it.

As a Christian, when life is a struggle – whether that’s a big struggle or a nagging feeling that there MUST be more to life than this – we don’t tend to discuss it with anyone else. When it comes to separation and divorce there aren’t too many Christian leaders who speak on the things you need to hear from a position of lived experience.

I can safely say that these Thrive messages will be about a lot more than divorce and remarriage. They’ll help you step away from a life of struggle and into the purpose and calling God planned for you before you were even born – a plan to prosper you, give you a hope and give you a future that is beyond anything you can imagine right now.

Until next time, blue skies!

P.S If you found this idea interesting or useful, save it for later by pinning it to your Life Inspiration board on Pinterest.

P.P.S. if you have a friend who might benefit from this message, make sure you take the time right now to share this with them!

The post Does Life feel like a Struggle? appeared first on Amber Ward.