Are you worried that you don’t know what your calling is yet?

You may have been a believer for 20 minutes, or you may have been a believer for 60 years – but if you haven’t discovered your purpose or stepped into your calling yet, I’m willing to bet that you’re feeling unfulfilled in life.

I’ve had SO many people tell me that they wish they could work out what God has called them to do with their life – so I thought it might be useful for us to spend some time going through five different clues as to what your calling might be.

Make sure you stick around right until the end, because I’m going to go through some important information about confirming your calling once we’ve been through the five clues.

So the first clue to your calling might be dreams that you’ve had, including dreams from your childhood.

Now these dreams aren’t just ordinary dreams, when it’s a calling-related dream you will not only remember it when you wake up, but there will be something significant about it that hangs around in your thoughts.

It’s important to realize that your calling-related dreams might not give you the complete scenario of your future, they might be snippets or they might be totally abstract.

One of my favorite bible stories is the story of Joseph from Genesis chapters 37 to 50.

You might remember that as a teenager, Joseph has two dreams about his future. In one dream, Joseph and his brothers are out tying up bundles of grain, and suddenly Joseph’s bundle stands up and all the others gather around and bow low before it.

In another one of Joseph’s dreams, he sees the sun, the moon and eleven stars bowing down to him.

These dreams are clearly in the abstract category – which means that they are intended more as an encouragement for Joseph as he endures the trials that come his way over the coming years.

They don’t give Joseph a plan of action or a direction as to what he should do next – although you could argue that Joseph’s bragging about the dreams was the final straw for his brothers and caused them to hatch the plot to get rid of him that set everything in motion.

Joseph didn’t see himself in Egypt, he didn’t see his time in prison, and he didn’t see his future role in the dream – just the end result.

By contrast, God sometimes gives us very specific dreams that give us a firm direction to take, or a locality to position ourselves.

A few years ago I had a dream that I wrote a worship song, and I also remember waking up and thinking that it was a pretty funny concept.

I was in my church’s worship team at the time, but I definitely hadn’t ever considered writing songs.

Three days later, and the words and music to a worship song suddenly popped into my head, so I wrote them down and shared them with the worship team.

That was the first song I wrote – and there are more than a dozen more of them that followed.

If I hadn’t had the dream, I wouldn’t have known that the words and music that suddenly started flowing through me were meant to be used as a worship song.

You might have dreamed that you worked in an orphanage, or that you lived in France.

Either way, it’s a sizeable clue to your calling.

The second clue to your calling is found in the giftings that God has given you.

Each one of us has been given a set of giftings, or talents, that we’ll need to use as we step into our purpose.

God didn’t give us those gifts so that we can do cool stuff and show off – he gave us those gifts so we can use them as we co-labor in kingdom building, so that we can give Glory to God and for the equipping of the Saints.

He didn’t give you that dancing gift so you could be the center of attention, although you probably will be when you use your gift as he intended.

He didn’t give you that amazing singing voice so you could be a pop star, although you might be when you use your gift as he intended.

He didn’t give you that mathematical ability so you could ace every test in high school, although you may well have done that.

He didn’t give you that organizational talent so that you can have a tidy bedroom, although I’m willing to bet that your bookshelf is always going to be quite orderly and neatly arranged.

And in my case, he didn’t give me the gift of being able to take complex information and communicate it in a way that makes sense so that I could use my skills to help dig up precious metals in the outback – although they came in quite handy for that purpose.

God has equipped us specifically for the plan he created in advance for us. Romans chapter 11 verse 29 tells us that those gifts AND our calling are irrevocable.

That’s why our gifts can be a clue to our purpose – because while they’ll develop and improve as we focus on them, they’re not going to change into something different as we age and they’re VERY closely linked.

There are a whole pile of online gift assessment tools out there – and many of them are free to complete – so even if you haven’t got a clue what your gifts might be – they’re a pretty good starting point.

Another way to find out what your gifts might be is to ask the people who know you well what they think your gifts may be.

They’ll probably give you a heap of insight that isn’t clouded by the way you think about yourself.

The third clue to your calling are the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37 verse 4 promises that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, he will give us the desires of our heart, which, spoiler alert: are very likely to be closely related to our purpose.

That makes sense, really, because a great way to encourage us to walk in our calling is to plant the desire to do that deep within us.

If you’d asked me 5 years ago, I would have told you that I find this clue to be quite tricky – because I’m the sort of person who has always had trouble narrowing down what I want to do – and that’s because I seem to have so many options.

But for many of you – there’s something you’ve just LOVED doing ever since you were a little kid.

All you’ve ever wanted to do is to dance, to paint, to sing, to play an instrument, or to program a computer.

When you’re doing this particular activity – the hours zoom past like a blur. It feels like the most natural thing in the world to do.

It feels effortless, like you were made to do this. And you’re freakishly talented at whatever it is.

Other people notice too. Recently, I’ve noticed that I get this feeling while I’m preaching or leading a bible study.

It’s like I slot into a supernatural zone and everything just hums.

The feeling is like nothing I can describe, but I know that it’s easy, light and I want to do more of it.

It energizes me.

One of my friends is like ‘you’ve got that look in your eye again, and I know whatever comes out of your mouth is going to be amazing’.

Alright, the fourth clue to your calling is found in the voices of prophets.

The prophet Samuel showed up and anointed Saul as the first king of Israel.

When David was just a scrawny shepherd boy, Samuel showed up at his father’s house and anointed David too as a future king.

The prophet Elijah showed up and placed his mantle on Elisha.

In the same way, God may have hinted at your calling in the prophetic words that have been spoken over you over the years.

If you haven’t been writing that stuff down as it happens, or otherwise keeping a record of the words spoken over you – then now is the time to start!

The fifth clue to your calling, although to be honest, this one is far more than just a clue – is when God speaks to you directly and asks you to do something, or when he sends an Angel with a message for you.

We’re talking Moses and the burning bush level instruction here.

God spoke to Adam and Eve in the garden, he told them what he wanted them to do.

God spoke to Ezekiel.

He spoke to Jonah.

He spoke to Isaiah.

He spoke to Abraham.

He spoke to Zechariah.

He spoke to Mary.

He spoke to Noah.

He gave them messages to pass on, he gave them specific instructions as to what he wanted them to do.

If you hear God speak, or if you hear the Holy Spirit speak, or an Angel shows up and they tell you to do something, then it’s obviously more than just a clue – and you need to stop questioning things and just get on with it!

So we’ve just been through five different possible clues to your calling – your dreams, your gifts, the desires of your heart, prophetic voices and the voice of God – and it’s really important to realize that this isn’t an exhaustive list.

You might be able to identify one or more of these clues in your own situation or you might not be able to identify any of them.

Either way, the most crucial step in the process is to confirm your calling.

God is not expecting us to completely upend our lives on the basis of an abstract dream, or a prophetic word that was spoken over us once.

God’s going to provide you with confirmation so that you KNOW for sure that it is God calling you, and not just a human whim or fantasy.

The confirmation might also be in the form of a different clue, but the key is to seek God through prayer and ask him for confirmation.

Remember that the Holy Spirit is a gentleman and he’ll never impose himself, or God’s plan on you.

But if you ask, he’ll answer!

One thing is for certain – whether you know what it is or not, you DO have a calling and you HAVE been given the gifts you need to walk in it.

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 5 Clues to Your Calling appeared first on Amber Ward.

If you’d asked me three weeks ago for my opinion on gossip – I would have told you that it’s something that I try to stay well away from.

That if I notice a conversation has turned a corner towards gossip I’ll actively try to either steer it somewhere else, or shut it down.

The reason that I held such strong views is that I have seen first hand the consequences that it can have.

A few years ago, for some unknown reason, one person that I knew decided to go out of their way to tell my current supervisor that I had lied on my job application.

They’d met at a work function, realized that they both knew me, and exchanged contact details.

Then, later on, this person had called my supervisor to ‘set them straight’ about what the so called ‘truth’ was about me and my past, which included the implication that I had been dishonest.

Now, just to be clear – I hadn’t lied on my job application, and I hadn’t even ‘stretched the truth’ a bit.

People who know me well describe me as a very straight shooter – I tend to ‘tell it like it is’ whether you like it or not – and my application for this position and the way I went about my job were no different.

Straight to the point and accurate.

Obviously, I wasn’t even there at the function where these people had met, and I wasn’t included in the phone call.

The first I knew of any issue was when my supervisor pulled me aside and said we needed to talk about a fairly big problem.

During the conversation that followed I was able to explain and demonstrate that the accusations that had been made were false… but here’s the thing.

Even though I was able to disprove every single negative inference that had been made – the damage to my supervisor’s perception of me had already occurred.

Things deteriorated from there, and I ended up leaving that position a few weeks later.

This person, in two short conversations, had done an incredible amount of damage that turned out to be unrecoverable.

Knowing how damaging gossip can be, I had resolved to stay away from it.

And then, a few weeks ago, the Holy Spirit suggested that I prepare a bible study on the topic of Gossip and Slander for one of the bible study groups that I’ve been leading – and I realized very quickly, that although I thought I was doing what I should be on the Gossip-front, I still had some areas that I needed to tighten up in my own life.

And when I shared this topic with the ladies in my bible study group, I was overwhelmed by the number of follow-up messages that came through thanking me for opening their eyes to this issue.

I’m going to make a full-length bible study video for this topic, but I thought it might be useful if I covered some of the main points in this video.

So the best working definition of ‘Gossip’ that I found is the ‘sharing of information about someone else that isn’t public knowledge’.

It’s important to realize that we often believe this information to be truthful, or accurate.

When it comes to ‘slander’, there’s actually a significant difference between the way the world defines it (which is the sharing of false information about someone else to damage their reputation) and the way the bible views it – which is the sharing of information (whether true or false) for the deliberate purpose of causing damage.

As you might imagine, there are a lot of references to gossip and slander in the bible.

We are taught that gossip betrays confidences, stirs up conflicts, separates friendships, flames the fire of fights and quarrels and goes down into our innermost parts.

Matthew chapter 12 verse 36 warns us that we’ll have to give an account for every careless word we speak.

Slander is viewed so seriously that the Greek word diabolos which is sometimes translated ‘devil’ is also sometimes translated ‘slanderer’.

What really opened my eyes though, was looking at the 9 different forms that gossip can take, and realizing that there are a few of them that I had been using recently in various conversations.

We’ve already talked about the first, most evil and damaging form of gossip – Slander.

This is when you share information deliberately because you’re trying to damage someone’s perception of another person, like the person I knew did with my supervisor.

The next form that Gossip can take is the dishing of dirt – or the sharing of juicy information about someone and what they’ve been up to.

That’s fairly self explanatory.

Another form is the spreading of Rumors.

This can happen almost accidentally, when you hear something, perhaps it’s the juicy information I just referred to, and you’re not really sure if it’s true or not.

So you pass it on, or you ask someone else about it in an attempt to get more information or clarify what you heard – and you’ve just spread the rumor even further.

The next form is Backbiting – which is an old fashioned way of saying ‘backstabbing’ and it’s mentioned specifically in Proverbs chapter 25 verse 23.

Basically, this involves speaking negatively about someone who isn’t present for the conversation, and isn’t able to defend themselves.

The next form is Mockery – which involves mimicking or exaggerating someone’s mannerisms, which is also self-explanatory.

But now we’re going to move on to some more subtle forms of gossip – such as planting seeds… which is when you say something in a way that makes the person who is listening question or assume something about someone’s character.

Like “did you notice how that assistant keeps staring at your husband?”

Another more subtle form of gossip involves Jokes – and more specifically the type of jokes we tell when we’re not really joking.

It’s basically when we take a half-truth and we turn it into a joke that pokes holes in someone’s character.

An example of this might be “she might even get off her device for long enough today to put the dishes away” – which implies laziness, or tech addiction, or inability to prioritize, or even that someone lives like a slob.

Then there’s whispered innuendo – which are really subtle insinuations like “it’s interesting how those two always manage to go away to the same work conferences” and the final subtle form of gossip – the ‘probably got it wrong news’ which always starts off with “I probably got this all wrong, but apparently…”

So that’s a very quick summary of 9 different forms that gossip can take, and as I said earlier, this is a topic that I ended up preaching to myself as much as to anyone else.

If, like me, you’ve just realized that you’ve either participated in gossip, or you’ve listened to someone else gossiping, there are three important steps for you to take.

The first is to take responsibility for what you’ve done and acknowledge that it was wrong.

The second is to confess it to God and seek forgiveness, and the third – if you suspect that your gossip has potentially caused damage to another person – is to apologize to that person and seek forgiveness from them, as well as setting the record straight with the audience of your gossip.

The bible makes it really clear that there is no place for either gossip or slander in the kingdom of God, and it’s really important that we recognize it and cut it off from our conversations so we can move on with the important business of stepping into our 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 Gossip Can Ruin Everything appeared first on Amber Ward.

I often get asked by friends to speak with someone they know who has recently separated from their partner, because they’re hoping that my own story of recovery after separation and divorce is going to be encouraging and give their friend some hope that things will get better.

Because of this, I’ve journeyed with a bunch of people through separation, divorce and the relationships they become involved with in the years that follow.

When these new relationships end, as many of them do – I’ve observed a very interesting process – and that is a driving need for these women to get a sense of closure from the person they’ve been in a relationship with.

This happens especially when the person has been blindsided by the breakup, or ghosted by their ex.

So they move heaven and earth to organize to be in the same room as this person in an attempt to have a conversation about what went wrong in the relationship, why the breakup happened, and to get a sense of validation for their perceptions about the relationship itself.

The problem is, even if they somehow convince their ex to HAVE the conversation in person, there’s never any guarantee that they’ll answer any of the questions honestly.

They may not even be able to be honest with themselves about why they ended things.

And that’s assuming that they’re not trying to manipulate the situation to make themselves feel better about hurting you, or to make you feel responsible for what happened.

What’s fascinating is that if the relationship was a healthy, equally-yoked relationship with a true follower of Jesus – then you wouldn’t have been left in this situation of needing answers to begin with – because people guided by the Holy Spirit don’t inflict damage on other people.

So why do we as people, seek closure?

While you might not want to admit it, there’s a good chance you want to see your ex in person because you’re holding out hope that once they see you again they’ll magically change their mind, admit all their faults and the two of you will get back together.

Our brain is really good at glamorizing old relationships, and the ‘I need closure’ conversation is a great excuse to see them again and remind them of how good you were together.

Your feelings toward them may not have changed and you might be hopeful of a fresh start.

You might also be looking for a feeling of safety and protection from someone you used to rely on as an attempt to stay emotionally attached as a friend.

The problem is, another human is never going to be able to meet all of your emotional desires – that’s something you can only get from God.

Another reason to seek closure is as a cover for nosiness – perhaps you’re curious about what they’re up to, where they’re living, how they’re dressing, whether they’ve moved on and most importantly – if they’re a mess because they’re missing you.

You might also be looking to use closure to make your ex feel bad about causing you so much pain, or as a means of self-improvement – so you can find out what you did ‘wrong’ and fix yourself for future relationships.

The problem with that is you’re asking a person who isn’t necessarily going to give you an objective answer to your questions.

Even if you think they’re giving you honest answers, you’ll never know if it’s actually the truth.

Lots of people keep asking questions until they get the answer they want to hear, or a reinforcement of their own negative self-image, or a reminder of a previous time when they were abandoned by someone they loved – which definitely isn’t healthy for you.

It’s really important to remember that even if you don’t understand why, this person has closed the door on your relationship.

The best thing you can do for yourself, no matter how hard it is, is to honor their wishes and leave that door closed.

Don’t waste your time analyzing why they did what they did.

Don’t try and message them.

Don’t fight for their attention or their affection.

Don’t try to leave the door open for them to come back if and when they’ve had a change of heart.

The world tells us that if we want to move forward after a relationship ends, we need to get some sort of closure.

But the key, if you truly want to move on after a failed relationship, is to seek closure from God – and not your ex.

Here’s how you do that.

Step 1

The first step is to forgive the other person.

In Matthew chapter 18 verses 21 to 35 Jesus is telling a story about an unforgiving debtor.

It’s really important for us to forgive people who have sinned against us, offended us, or behaved in a way that has upset us.

It’s also really important to realize that forgiving someone is different to being reconciled to them and your ex doesn’t need to be involved in the forgiveness process – because it’s between you and God.

Your goal here is to forgive the other person, so that God will forgive you also.

This process may not be easy OR instantaneous: remember that Peter asks Jesus whether he should forgive someone who sins against him seven times, and Jesus tells him no – it needs to be seventy times seven.

So every time your ex pops into your head, forgive them again.

Step 2

The next step in getting closure is to repent of any sins you committed in that particular relationship – whether they were sins committed towards the other person, or sins committed with the other person.

A great example of this from the bible is in Psalm 51 verses 2 to 4.

This is a psalm of David, reflecting on the time Nathan the prophet showed up after David committed adultery with Bathsheba.

David asks God to wash him clean from his guilt and purify him from his sin, recognizing that his actions have been rebellious and he’s sinned against God.

In verse 3, David says that his rebellion haunts him day and night – and just like David, your unrepented sins will haunt you and prevent you from closing that chapter of your life until you repent and turn to God.

Step 3

The third and most important step in seeking closure from God is to place your trust in God’s providence and STOP LOOKING for a new relationship to help you feel better about yourself.

If being in a relationship is something that God has planned for you, then he’ll have the right person ready to show up in your life with the right timing for both of you.

By going out yourself and hunting for a new person to fill a gap you think you have, by registering on dating websites – even if they’re Christian dating websites – you’re basically saying ‘God, I want you to send the right person BUT I’m going to go looking for Plan B just in case you don’t’.

It’s a tactic of rebellion that will see you waste a HUGE amount of time on the wrong people.

You’ll have to wade through crowds who assure you that even though they’re not divorced, they’re ‘very much’ separated from their ex.

Then there are the crowd who are desperate, and the crowd who want you to sleep with them before you’re married because they have needs.

And you’ll want to dodge the narcissists and the sociopaths who are out hunting for their next victim.

The only time you should be advertising yourself anywhere is if the Holy Spirit tells you to place that listing – otherwise, you’ll expend a HEAP of energy on nothing.

And what do you do with all of that extra time now you’re not in a relationship?

You spend it getting to know God and his amazing plans 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 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 recover and move on after a breakup appeared first on Amber Ward.

Does this sound like someone you know – they’ve got two totally different groups of friends, one lot are Christian friends and the other lot are definitely NOT Christian friends.

When the person is around the Christian friends they fit right in, everybody loves them to bits.

And when they’re around their ‘other’ friends they fit right in there too – even though the behavior of the other group definitely NOT what you would expect from believers.

In fact, from the things this person gets up to when they’re with their other friends – you’d never even guess that they were a believer!

People caught in situations like this go to extra special efforts to make sure their two circles of friends never meet up, because they’re concerned about what each group would think if they knew the person was involved in the other group.

They’re effectively living a double life. Now that was a fairly extreme example, but things don’t need to be that complicated in order for us to be living a double life when it comes to our faith.

All it takes is for you to behave one way when you’re at church on a Sunday, and another way when you’re at home or work.

People living this sort of scenario are often the ones who say things like ‘I know deep down that God has a plan for my life, but everything always seems like such a struggle. I’ve never got enough money, nothing ever goes my way, my health has all kinds of complications and my kids are a handful.’

There’s a good reason that they feel that way… because when it comes to the kingdom of God – you can’t be a part-time citizen.

Don’t kid yourself either – you were never called to be a secret agent and to infiltrate groups of non-believers by acting just like them.

We are clearly told to be in the world, but not of it. There is meant to be an obvious difference in the way we live our lives, in the way that we behave.

Now religion, well, that’s a different story.

Religion will tell you that as long as you come to church on Sunday most weeks then you’re doing ok.

Religion will tell you that as long as you’re putting money in when the plate is passed around, you’re being obedient.

Religion will tell you that there is grace available, so it’s ok to keep sinning as long as you confess your sins and seek forgiveness every once in a while.

Religion says as long as you have a bible somewhere at home so you can look things up if you need to – that’s ok – you’re doing your best.

This might be a slightly controversial thing to say, but Jesus never came to start a new religion. He came to start a kingdom revolution.

He came to tell the world that the time had come for the Kingdom of God to arrive on planet earth and begin growing.

And with the Kingdom of God comes true freedom.

Not freedom to do whatever we feel like it whenever we feel like it, not freedom to sin whenever we want – but TRUE freedom.

The freedom that comes when you’re not tied to the systems of the world.

The freedom that comes when you’re not tied to religious practices in order to have right standing with God.

The freedom that comes from knowing death has no lasting grip on you.

The freedom to access the resources of the Kingdom, the power of the Kingdom and the wisdom of the Kingdom.

As for everyone living a double life – whether that’s a dramatic double life, or an ordinary one – they can’t expect to experience the fullness of life in the kingdom if they don’t let go of the things of the world, because the kingdom is not a part-time deal.

Just like you can’t be a little bit pregnant, or a little bit married, or a little bit alive – you can’t be a part-time kingdom citizen.

Jesus himself tells us in Luke chapter 9 verse 62 that if you put your hand to the plough and look back, you’re not fit for the kingdom.

In verses 15 to 24 of Luke chapter 14 he tells a story about a man who prepared a banquet, which people who had other priorities would never get to taste.

In Revelation chapter 3, he says that he’ll spit lukewarm Christians out of his mouth.

The pattern here is that as far as Jesus is concerned, our allegiance is all or nothing. You can’t serve two masters.

But when you discover the kingdom it’s like treasure – and the value of that treasure is beyond anything you can imagine.

So my message to everyone who finds themselves living a double agent lifestyle – is don’t settle for less than God’s best for you.

Compared to the Kingdom of God, the world’s got nothing but darkness and despair to offer you.

It might feel pleasurable at the time, but the consequences are bigger than you realize.

You need to leave those worldly pleasures behind and seek the kingdom in order to find it – and you can’t have it both ways.

Jesus isn’t interested in returning for an adulterous bride.

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 a Christian Secret Agent? appeared first on Amber Ward.

Right near the beginning of the bible in Genesis chapters 2 and 3 there’s a story that you’re probably familiar with.

The setting is a garden filled with trees that we are told are beautiful and that produced delicious fruit.

There is a catch, though, because there were two special trees in the middle of the garden – one was called the tree of life and the other was called the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

God warned the man that if he ate the fruit of this one particular tree he would surely die.

So the story proceeds, and we find out that God has now made a partner for the man, which the man gives the name ‘woman’.

God has also created animals, and one of these animals – a serpent – has a conversation with the newly created woman.

The serpent asks the woman ‘did God really say that you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?’.

The woman replies “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden – it’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said ‘you must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die’.

‘You won’t die! the serpent replies, ‘God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’.

We are told in verse 6 of Genesis 3 that the woman was convinced.

She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her.

In Matthew chapter 4 we find another familiar story – with Jesus in the wilderness, fasting, praying and being tempted by the devil.

There are three separate temptations that we learn about.

In the first temptation, the devil tries to use Jesus’ hunger to his advantage, and tells him to prove that he is the Son of God by turning stones into bread.

In the second temptation, the devil takes Jesus to the highest point of the temple and tempts him to prove that he’s the Son of God by jumping off.

For the third and final temptation, the devil takes Jesus to a mountain peak, shows him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and offers them all to Jesus if he will only kneel down and worship him.

There is SO much that I could talk about from this story, but right now I want you to notice this one thing.

In all three aspects of the temptation, the devil quotes scripture in an attempt to coerce Jesus.

It’s actual scripture so it’s true, and that’s what’s different about deception when it comes from the devil.

It’s truth, but it’s being deliberately used to deceive, it’s being twisted – or used in a way that was never intended – on purpose.

Was the devil interested in whether or not Jesus really was the son of God?

Of course not!

You’ll notice that he stopped even asking that question after the first two temptations.

Jesus clearly was secure enough in his knowledge of who he really was, that he didn’t feel the need to prove his identity to anyone else – even the devil.

The third question shows us what the devil was really after – and that was for Jesus to kneel down and worship him instead of God.

As an aside, Jesus wasn’t interested in being given all the kingdoms of the world, because he knew that he was already part of a far greater kingdom – the kingdom of God.

What both of these stories highlight, is that the way the enemy tempts us doesn’t appear deceptive on the surface.

In both cases he used accurate information – but in a way that was designed to bring about the downfall of his target.

In both cases the objects of desire looked good. In the garden of Eden, the woman found herself pondering a piece of fruit that looked really good.

We are told that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious.

It wasn’t some moldy rotten bad-looking thing that made her wonder whether she was risking her life by taking a bite.

It looked good, and she wanted the wisdom that eating it promised her.

She also had the serpent alongside her, encouraging her.

I find it fascinating that the woman hadn’t yet been created when God warned the man about eating the fruit from this particular tree.

Go and check it out – the conversation with the man happens in Genesis chapter 2 verses 16 and 17 and the woman isn’t made until verse 22.

So her knowledge of what to eat and what not to eat probably came from the man – and it appears that the man had added an extra precaution to make sure she stayed clear of that particular tree – by telling her that touching the fruit was also out of bounds.

This explains why the woman thought that even touching the fruit would lead to death – but this addition to the word of God also helped the serpent in its deception, because when the woman touched the fruit and there wasn’t any consequence, it reinforced the truth of the words that the serpent was speaking to her.

To Jesus, who had been fasting for 40 days, bread would have felt like a very good thing.

Ownership of all of the kingdoms of the world would have had some real perks. Unlike Eve, Jesus didn’t lose his perspective – and he didn’t lose sight of the bigger picture.

But this pattern of being tempted with things that seem right, with things that look good is actually quite dangerous for us.

We tell ourselves that we’re reasonably switched on, that we have street smarts.

That we’ve done our homework in checking out whatever is being offered to us and it looks good – at least, it doesn’t look like it’ll be BAD for us.

So we go ahead, we agree – without necessarily thinking about the big picture from God’s perspective.

And that’s the catch – because we think that temptation involves getting us to knowingly do something that takes us to the dark side, something that we know is wrong.

We feel like it’s about knowing the difference between right and wrong – and choosing what is right.

But temptation in real life, as we saw in both of the stories, is less about spotting right and wrong, and more about choosing what is right over what is almost right.

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 Weird Thing about Temptation appeared first on Amber Ward.

I vividly remember a conversation with my eldest daughter one morning before school.

Later that morning, her school was going to be holding their cross country running trials – and she wanted me to come and watch her run.

The problem was, I had a uni lecture that I needed to go to, and it was really unlikely that I’d be able to finish the lecture and drive the 45 minutes home in time to see the race.

So I explained that I wasn’t going to be able to make it to school to watch the race – feeling really awful, because it’s probably the first school event that I’d missed – but I really needed to be at this particular lecture.

“Never mind” she said “I probably won’t do very well anyway”.

Now just for context, my kids have never won anything to do with running races, but my eldest is actually pretty good over a long distance.

She’s not particularly fast, but the longer the run – the better she gets.

And now that she was in Grade 5, the distance had increased from 2km to 3km.

There were heaps of different ways I could have responded to what she said, but I was like “why would you say that? I bet most of the kids in your year level will give up and start walking before they finish the distance, all you need to do is do your best to keep running all the way to the finish line, and you’re in with a pretty decent chance of winning this thing”.

“Really?” she said and I was like

“Yep, just do your best to keep running all the way and you’ll do really well”.

Now this may have just been an early morning pep talk on the day of the cross country but there is actually a heap of biblical context associated with the running of races, and in particular, of finishing a race well.

First Corinthians chapter 9 verses 24 to 27 says that “in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize. So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control – lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

The images in this passage are actually pretty funny – can you imagine someone who is supposed to be an athlete running aimlessly?

Can you imagine a boxer fighting in a ring choosing to throw punches at the air and not their opponent?

Next, the apostle Paul raises a very interesting concept – and that is the possibility that he could be disqualified in response to a lack of personal discipline.

That’s a sobering thought to anyone who does any preaching to or teaching of others.

We, also, need to keep running our own race with discipline.

Verse 1 of Hebrews chapter 12 says to “lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”.

I want to point out a few things from this verse – firstly, before we start running we need to ‘lay aside every weight and sin.’

This is not a handicap race like the Melbourne Cup where the odds of everyone winning are supposedly equal.

Carrying unnecessary weight and sin is going to slow us down, so put them down and get them out of your way before you even contemplate starting your race.

Secondly, this passage talks about us running with endurance.

This race is no sprint – we need to be prepared to endure for the long haul.

And thirdly, we are to run the race that is set before us.

We’re not to show up to some random race and join in – we’re only to run the race that is set before us by God.

He’s the one who has access to the plan for our lives, so this makes sense – but how often do we spot a race that looks pretty good to us – we might even know a few of the runners in it – so we try and join in.

But the only race we need to run is the one that God sets before us.

And just in case there is any confusion as to what the goal of our race is going to be, Philippians chapter 4 verse 13 says “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”.

So the concept of us running a race, and of us finishing our race is mentioned more than just a few times in the bible.

Lets take a minute or two and think about all of the different parts of a running race.

First, you need to qualify for the race.

You can’t even walk out onto the track if you’re not qualified – you’re just a spectator who is in the wrong place.

Something else that happens before you even arrive at the track is your training – the practice you do beforehand to make sure that you’re capable of running the race well.

Then, just before the race begins, you need to stretch out your muscles – partly to make sure that they’re warm and ready to run, but also to reduce the risk of injury – which would put you out of the race completely and jeopardize your ability to finish.

Next, all the runners need to submit to the control and the timing of the starter.

The next important thing is to make sure that you don’t false start – because if you do that too many times, you’re going to be disqualified.

Then, you’re released by the starter and the race is underway.

But you can’t run anywhere you want on the track – you need to stay in your own lane.

When you watch the world’s fastest runners, they don’t look around at their competition – they fix their eyes straight ahead on the finish line, because looking sideways slows you down.

Then when it comes to your running, you need to pace yourself.

There’s no point wasting all your energy on the first part of the race and fading as you reach the finish line because everyone else will race past you and you won’t win the prize.

But as well as pacing yourself, you need to persevere until the end of the race – only stopping AFTER you cross that finish line – because if you don’t finish the race you definitely can’t win the prize.

Second Timothy chapter 2 verse 5 reminds us that an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

And even better news is promised in Isaiah chapter 40 verse 31 – those who trust in the Lord shall run and not grow weary.

And if you were wondering how my daughter went in her cross country, I arrived at the school at the end of the day, went to her younger sister’s classroom to pick her up, and she came racing across the courtyard waving a certificate and a blue ribbon.

That’s right, she’d come first in her age group.

She’d won the prize.

She had run for the whole distance.

And she was beside herself with excitement.

I couldn’t believe that I’d missed it!

When it came to the cross country she had finished her race, and she’d won the prize.

But what do you do when you don’t yet know what race has been set before you by God?

How do you find out what that is?

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 – because they’re all about bringing you clarity and helping you step into your own, personal 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 The Race appeared first on Amber Ward.

I was chatting with someone the other day and they were talking about some of the awful things that happened in their past and wishing that people would stop talking about it because they just wished they could leave it behind them and start the next chapter.

And that made me think of one of the most famous children’s book series of all time – Harry Potter.

If you’re one of the three people on the planet who haven’t read any of the Harry Potter books, the central character – Harry Potter has a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead that he obtained as an infant on the night both of his parents were killed.

Although he’s grown up in relative obscurity in the human world, in the wizarding world EVERYBODY knows who he is – so when Harry starts school in the wizarding world he suddenly realizes how famous he really is.

Now Harry is pretty ordinary to look at, but his scar is instantly recognizable.

Harry’s scar opened doors, it created an audience. It made him famous.

Everyone wanted to know him, to shake his hand, to be his friend – even Draco Malfoy, who quickly turned into Harry’s arch-nemesis at school.

It also attracted the attention of dark forces.

And it wasn’t really about the scar, because as far as anyone knew, the scar was just a mark on his head.

It wasn’t anything special.

I’m sure plenty of kids at the school had scars from all kinds of bumps and knocks.

But what made this scar different to the marks on the other kids, was that everyone knew HOW Harry got his scar.

It was a lasting reminder of what Harry had been through, it was a symbol to the community of good triumphing over evil.

Harry Potter is a work of fiction – but if you’re looking for a real example of scars making someone famous, as well as providing proof of suffering and identity, look no further than the example of Jesus in John chapter 20.

So this guy called Thomas, who was one of the twelve disciples, missed out on the first glimpses of Jesus after the resurrection.

He tells the others that he won’t believe it unless he sees the nail wounds and places his hands in them, as well as the wound in Jesus’ side.

Then eight days later, Jesus appears in a locked room and gives him exactly the opportunity he’d asked for.

We don’t know whether Jesus’ wounds had healed completely or not, and we’re not told exactly what the scars looked like, although it’s safe to say that Jesus probably wasn’t dripping blood all over the floor and there’s a good chance that his wounds had been healed up properly.

What we are told, is that because of this encounter, because he’s seen evidence that the suffering once existed, Thomas now believes.

The scars are proof of what Jesus has been through, come through, and come back from.

The apostle Paul talked about physical scars too, near the end of his letter to the Galatians.

He said that he bears on his body the scars that show he belongs to Jesus.

That’s in verse 17 of Galatians chapter 6.

Paul has been transformed into a new creation, and yet his body bears the scars of punishments given because of his faith.

But instead of viewing those scars as a reminder of the pain he went through, Paul chooses to view them as reminders of his belonging to Jesus.

They are a part of his testimony.

The world tells us to cover up our scars, it tells us they are ugly.

But scars are a testimony of healing, a testimony of recovery, a testimony of real life.

They’re proof that you once were wounded and that God has brought you through those times to where you are now.

They’re proof that you’ve really actually been through something.

And it doesn’t matter whether they’re physical scars, or emotional scars.

By hiding them away and not showing anyone, you’re also hiding away your own personal testimony.

That’s one of the reasons that I talk about my recovery from divorce so often – so that people who are going through it can see that there IS hope and that things WILL get better.

I can provide encouragement and it’s so much more real when someone who has been through it says that – because I really get it. I know what it’s like to have a very complex set of circumstances.

I know what it’s like to battle through the legal system.

I know what it’s like to co-parent.

I know what it’s like to solo parent and I also know what it’s like to find someone new and wonder if they’re the one that God has planned for me.

I know what it’s like to get married for the second time and blend families.

I teach from a position of lived experience, which is dramatically different from most of the Christian teachings on dating, divorce and remarriage out there.

And if I was hiding the scars of my past, I’d never be talking about these things in this sort of format.

Now, I’m not saying to broadcast anything that will get you into legal trouble, and I’m not saying there’s any need to overshare.

There are some things that I’m not able to share about publicly, and that’s totally ok.

But I’m happy to share my testimony of how God got me through a very tough time in my life, because I know how much it can help when you’re in the middle of chaos to know that someone else gets it, that they’ve been there too, and that there IS hope.

So what about you?

Have you got any scars that you’ve been hiding away, hoping nobody would notice?

Those scars are not something to be ashamed of, they’re a part of your testimony.

They’re a powerful reminder of the goodness of God.

And they’re so, so valuable to the kingdom, because there are people out there who are wounded who are desperate for hope – whether that’s hope of healing or a hope of finally feeling whole – and maybe that one conversation with you will be what turns things around for them.

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 Unexpected Truth about Scars from your Past appeared first on Amber Ward.

I really struggled back in high school whenever anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.

I was pretty good at most things – except sports, because my knees had been stuffed up by years of ballet, but being good in lots of areas left me confused.

Lots of my friends had amazing skills and interests in one or two areas, and for them, choosing what they wanted to do with their career was a straight forward process of following their strengths.

But when you’re strong in lots of things, and you enjoy lots of things, it’s much harder to work out where your focus should be.

So when I chose my subjects for my final year at High School, I made choices that would keep my options open and allow me to get into the broadest range of University courses.

And then, in Year 12, I suddenly found that it was time to apply for Uni.

I found my Uni course almost by chance at an open day – I’d been keen to check out the Civil Engineering program and as my Mum and I were walking up the corridor towards the Civil Engineering department there were a couple of crazy people from the Geological Engineering area who excitedly diverted us down a different corridor…

I never did make it to the Civil Engineering Department.

And although I had found a course and later a career that I really enjoyed, one where I could use my giftings, it wasn’t really what God had planned.

If only I knew then who I really was and what I was meant to be doing.

Ten years later, I found myself at a similar crossroads.

I’d worked in a heap of challenging roles since I graduated, I’d lived in three different states of Australia.

I’d worked in geology, mining, consulting, safety, environmental management, contaminated land assessment and remediation and in every position – I’d started in the deep end and paddled my way to the shallow end of the pool.

I’d been promoted and had my area of responsibility increased.

I loved the challenge of grabbing complex sets of data and making sense of them, and then communicating what it meant to the people who were making the big decisions.

But I was disillusioned with big business.

I guess I’d climbed up the corporate ladder and discovered it was leaning up against the wrong wall.

It wasn’t that there was a glass ceiling – I just didn’t really love being there any more.

There was a part of me that didn’t feel whole.

And by this stage I had a young child, with plans for a second – so the decision was made that my now ex-husband and I would trade roles – he would return to full time work and I would stay home with the kids.

If only I knew then who I really was and what I was meant to be doing.

Another ten(ish) years later and I found myself at bible college, returning to study after a VERY long time, and studying my Masters in Theological Studies in a discipline that required essays – which is something I hadn’t really come up against during my bachelors degree.

The last real essay I had written had been 20 years prior, at high school, so it was somewhat of a shock to the system to have to construct everything properly, to manage references and citations.

And yet, the writing process seemed to come quite naturally to me. I could sit down and write out a 3,000 word essay in a day or two.

And if I didn’t like the topic I had chosen for the essay, I had been known to throw out a near-complete essay and start completely over on a new topic a day or two before it was due.

After discussing workload with my fellow-students, I came to be aware that not everyone found the essay writing process as straight-forward as I did.

I’m not saying I got fabulous marks or anything, but I was always up near the top of the pile.

The main criticism I received was for “sermonizing” – which now I think about it, is rather ironic, right?!

The point is, I don’t believe that God gave me the gift of being able to take a complex set of data, and then explain that data in a way that makes sense to other people so that mining companies could dig up minerals in Queensland, or in Western Australia, and he didn’t give me those gifts so that contaminated sites could be cleaned up in Victoria, or buildings could be built on them.

I was finally beginning to realize who I really was and what I was meant to be doing.

You see, the world tells us that we are the ones who are responsible for choosing what we should be doing with our lives.

I mean, on some level we are, because we are fully in control of our bodies and our day to day actions.

But our life’s calling, our unique purpose on this planet – is not something we choose for ourselves.

It is planned for us by our Father in Heaven, that planning happens before we are born, and the bible tells us that our calling, together with the gifts God has given us to equip us for our calling are actually irrevocable.

They won’t, can’t and are unable to be changed.

And here we all are, walking around as if it’s our responsibility to work all of this out for ourselves.

If only you knew who you really are, what gifts you have been given, and what God intended to do with those gifts – my goodness!

Back when I was in high school, I didn’t realize that there was a plan for me and my life that had been prepared before I was born.

I can’t imagine how much pressure would have been taken off me, in terms of choosing a career, if only I’d thought to consult with the Holy Spirit about which direction God wanted me to direct the gifts he had given me.

Now I’m walking in my calling, and I’ve never felt more whole.

The things that other people complain about energize me.

And I get to sermonize as much as I like and no-one whinges about it!

If you go to your bible for a sense of who you really are you’ll find (among other things) that you’re a child of God, blessed with every spiritual blessing, chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, loved, accepted, gifted, called and more than a conqueror.

You are a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, a co-heir with Christ and fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God.

So that’s the truth about who you really are – it’s in the bible – so now we know, isn’t it about time that we started embracing our true identity and living our lives like we believe it?

My greatest desire for you is that now you know WHO you are, is that you also discover what it is that God has called you to do – the way that he intended for you to use the gifts and talents that he gave you expressly for that purpose.

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 If only you knew who you really are appeared first on Amber Ward.

Our society has three main groups – I wonder which one you belong to?

The first group is the poor, these are people who don’t have much money – so their focus is on getting more of it.

Now money, in itself is just a tool, it’s not inherently good or bad, but when your focus is on getting more of it, it can begin to control your thinking and your decisions – and you can become a slave to your desire for more.

Jesus said in two places – Matthew chapter 6 verse 24 and Luke chapter 16 verse 13 that “no-one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Now in the Luke 16 version, this upset the Pharisees – who dearly loved their money.

Jesus clearly says in verse 14 that what the world honors is detestable in the sight of God.

The second group is the rich – these are people who have enough money, so their focus has shifted onto things – and in particular, getting more of the things that they want.

Now things, in themselves are just objects, they’re not inherently good or bad, but when your focus is on having all the things, it can control you – and you can become a slave to your desire for more.

In Matthew chapter 19 and also in Mark chapter 10, Jesus speaks with a rich man – who asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life.

Jesus reminds him of the commandments and the rich man says that he has kept all the commandments since he was young – but what Jesus says next makes him go away from the conversation sad – that he needs to go and sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor – and then come and follow Jesus.

The rich man not only had things, but his things had control of his eternity.

The third group is the wealthy – but not the people who are wealthy by worldly standards – we’ve already talked about them.

The truly wealthy are the people whose focus is on the Kingdom of God.

These people have realized that there is more to life than needing to get more money, and more to life than having all the things.

But why are they classed as wealthy?

Every day, we have to make choices about the value of things.

We ask ourselves ‘how much am I willing to pay?’ and ‘is it worth it?’.

Everyone has a different idea about what’s good value and what’s not good value.

In Matthew chapter 13 verse 44 Jesus tells a story: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field.

In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field”.

What do we learn about the value of the Kingdom of God from this parable?

Well, the Kingdom is like the ‘treasure’ the man found, it’s worth more than everything we could own, people get VERY excited when they find it, it’s the best thing we could ever find, and we can’t just take it – there’s an exchange needed and we need to give things up in order to get it.

Jesus tells another story in Matthew chapter 13 verses 45 and 46: “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the look out for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it.”

What do we learn about the value of the Kingdom of God from this parable?

The kingdom is like the valuable pearl that the merchant found – it’s worth more than everything we could own and it’s worth exchanging everything we own to get it. People are very excited when they find it, and even an expert in judging value can see it’s incredible value.

Going back to Matthew chapter 6 again, and this time looking at verse 31 Jesus says “so don’t worry about these things saying ‘what will we eat, what will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

Have you ever wondered why these things dominate the thoughts of the unbelievers?

The thoughts of the poor, and also of the rich?

It’s because they’re in charge of sourcing and providing their own money and their own things.

When you enter into the kingdom of God and you align yourself with the will of God, you quickly realize that God has unlimited resources at his disposal.

Religion keeps begging for your money – but the kingdom doesn’t rely on offerings or giving on the basis of compulsion.

It’s operating in a different dimension.

If you’re seeking the kingdom, God will supply you with what you need… but not just what you’ll need to scrape by, the needs Jesus is talking about are your needs for your kingdom assignment.

So they’re the three groups – the poor, with their focus on money – the rich, with their focus on things and the wealthy – with their focus on the kingdom of God.

The poor, the rich and the wealthy.

Notice that I could have just as easily listed the things those groups are focused on – money, possessions and the kingdom.

I wonder which group you feel like you’re a part of right now?

What I do know for sure, is that if you’re wanting to seek the kingdom of God, a great way to get started is to start seeking what Jesus had to say about it.

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 Poor, the Rich and the Wealthy appeared first on Amber Ward.

One of our favorite things to do together as a family on the weekend is to get out and about and explore somewhere new – and one of the best places we’ve found during our adventures is a sculpture park about half an hour away from home.

This place is huge – and there are more than a hundred sculptural works of art scattered through the gardens, which you access using walking trails through the wooded area.

So one sunny afternoon the kids and I were wandering through the place, checking out the sculptures when we saw what we thought was a sculpture of a snake.

Now I’ve seen plenty of live snakes in my lifetime, we’d get them on the property where I grew up, and when I lived in outback Western Australia part of my team’s area of responsibility was to handle snakes.

This thing was HUGE.

It was almost as thick as my arm, and it had scales the size of my thumbnails.

It was perfectly still, no flickering tongue or anything and it was longer than I am tall.

The kids were playing around one of the sculptures about 10 meters from this thing, and as they played I was watching it.

Part of my brain was going “man, that’s a real black snake and it’s bigger than anything I’ve ever seen before”, and another part of my brain was going – “don’t be an idiot! It’s a sculpture, you’re in a sculpture park and it’s too big to be real.”

One of the kids who was with us went within a few meters to take a photo of it, because she’d taken photos of every other sculpture we’d seen.

And then my youngest daughter went to go up much much closer to it.

I yelled at her to stop still where she was and to back away from it slowly, thinking that I’m going to look really stupid here because I’m totally panicked by the kids going near a snake sculpture.

But the second that my daughter changed direction, the snake, in the blink of an eye, turned like a flash and disappeared back into the bushes.

Eek.

So there’s a few famous stories from the bible about snakes, but the one we’re going to focus on here is from Acts chapters 27 and 28.

As we pick up the story, Paul is a prisoner on his way to Rome for his trial, and his mode of transport is by ship.

So they’re sailing along, but there are serious headwinds and it’s slow going, and because they’ve lost so much time the seasons are changing and the weather is getting worse – which makes sea travel a bit dicey.

Paul warned the ship’s officers that there may be danger ahead if they kept going, but the people in charge and the crew were keen to keep pushing on to a better port to spend the winter.

So they’re sailing along and this storm comes up, so the sailors bind ropes around the hull to make it stronger.

They lower the sea anchor to slow the ship down and let the wind drive the ship.

The next day they begin throwing cargo overboard, and the day after that they threw some of the ship’s gear over too.

In the middle of the storm, an Angel comes and tells Paul that he’s definitely going to stand trial before Caesar in Rome – but that they’re going to be shipwrecked, and that none of the people sailing with Paul will lose their lives in the process.

So they have a decent meal, and the shipwreck happens nice and close to the island of Malta, so everyone on board manages to escape safely to the shore. It was still cold and rainy, so the people of the island built a fire on the shore.

Acts 28 verse 3 tells us that Paul had gathered an armful of sticks, and as he laid the sticks on the fire, a poisonous snake that had been driven out of the fire by the heat, bit him on the Hand.

The locals saw the snake hanging from Paul’s hand, knew he was a prisoner and assumed the snakebite was judgement for whatever crimes he had committed and waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead.

As you begin to step into your calling, into your kingdom destiny, the heat is going to drive poisonous snakes out of the fire and they’re going to have a go at you.

It may surprise you, but some of the greatest attacks are going to come from within the church, from within your faith community and possibly even from those in leadership.

Attacks will also come from the people who know you best, from your family and your friends.

But, just like Paul, who was on a mission from God to stand trial in Rome – you are also on a mission from God and their poison won’t do any damage to you.

Paul was out in a storm, he’d just been shipwrecked, it’s raining, they’re on a beach, and he’s literally had a poisonous snake hanging off his hand by it’s fangs.

Everyone, including the locals who had undoubtedly seen the outcome when people were bitten by this type of snake before, expected him to swell up and die.

And what did he do?

He shook the snake off into the fire and was totally unharmed.

When we’re attacked, and particularly when those attacks come from people in positions of authority over us in a church context, it’s easy to back off from what you’re doing so you don’t ruffle any feathers or upset anyone.

But just like Paul, who had been told by an Angel about the shipwreck and that he was going to be making it to Rome – we need to shake the snakes off, keep our eyes on Jesus, and keep our focus on our mission.

After his miraculous recovery from the snake bite, Paul had opportunities to pray for people from the local community and heal them, and a few months later, after winter was over and it was time to sail for Rome (again) – the locals supplied Paul and the sailors with everything they needed for the trip.

If you’re walking in your kingdom calling, it’s not a matter of IF the snakes will come out of the fire for you, it’s a matter of when. So when that happens, make sure you remember Paul being shipwrecked on the island of Malta – and even if the attack fangs are still embedded in your hand – shake that snake off into the fire and rest assured that their poison won’t have any negative effect on 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 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 Watch Out for Snakes appeared first on Amber Ward.

Want to know the secret to happiness?

God seems to keep bringing young people across my path who are struggling with mental health issues and self-harm – and what’s frightening is these young people seem to be getting younger and younger.

It makes me really sad when kids as young as 6 or 7 say that they think the world would be better off without them.

And these aren’t all kids from what we would think of as disadvantaged families – many of them have parents who are actively involved in their lives, who are trying desperately to help them, but who keep on coming up against barriers – and nothing seems to help.

Some of them are kids from Christian families who spend each Sunday at church.

We know that mental health issues are on the rise in our community. Interestingly, there’s another group within our community who is also struggling with similar issues of feeling inadequate and unwanted – and that’s the people who have recently been through relationship separation or divorce.

I’m speaking from experience here when I say that the breakdown of a long-term relationship, and in my case it was a marriage of 13 years, is devastating for everyone involved.

You go from feeling like you’ve built decent life together to it all being torn apart, and there’s nothing to show for all of that investment in each other but a hefty legal bill.

You wonder whether all of the good memories were illusions and you second guess a lot of things and that can do nasty things to your feelings of self-worth, and your sense of who you really are.

You go very quickly from having what you thought was it all, even if you knew it wasn’t perfect, to not knowing where you fit or who you are.

And the whole thing can seem totally hopeless and unrecoverable.

And that’s when things are amicable when it comes to parenting. When they’re complex – well, that takes everything to a whole new level.

If our children, young people and adults are all dealing with the same fundamental problem of a lost or low sense of self, it not only shows us how widespread the problem is, but also that there may be a common theme in how to combat the issue.

A few years ago God showed me that the enemy is using identity-focused deception to rob a whole generation of their wholeness.

We are taught by our world and our culture to look within ourselves for the answers, so it doesn’t take a lot of effort to convince us that what we are feeling must be a true reflection of reality – so if we’re feeling hopeless, or unloved, or unwanted – then we assume that must be the truth of the situation, and we spiral ourselves deeper into depression.

But what if, instead of letting our feelings control our choices – we let our choices control our feelings?

A few years ago I found out something really amazing about our brain.

You see, when God formed us, he gave us a brain that doesn’t like to be wrong.

So if we say something along the lines of ‘nobody loves me’ then our brain actually goes out of its way to prove itself right – it goes and digs through all its archives, and finds all of the examples of people not loving us and shows them to us.

They pop up in our thoughts.

And if our brain hears our mouth say ‘I’m bad at maths’ (or running, or sports, or music, or singing) then it will not only go searching for all the examples of how we’ve been bad at whatever that activity was in the past, but it will actively sabotage our attempts at doing maths in the future – because to suddenly be good at maths would mean that we were wrong and our brain wants to be right every time.

Philippians chapter 4 verse 8 says we should spend our time thinking about whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, whatever is worthy of praise, and things of any excellence.

Notice that it doesn’t say that we should spend time thinking about our feelings?

Now let’s look at our tongue and the power of our words.

Psalm 34 verse 13 warns us to keep our tongue from speaking evil and our lips from telling lies.

Proverbs chapter 18 verse 21 says that the tongue can bring death or life – so our words wields quite a bit of power.

If we actively choose to feel a certain way, and we speak that choice, then our brain will go out of its way to reinforce that choice – and our feelings will shift to line up with that choice.

And the best thing is – you don’t actually have to ‘believe’ the truth of your choice when you’re just getting started.

You just have to deliberately choose it, and communicate that choice to your brain.

Coincidentally, this is why so many people recommend affirmations – because when you say something out loud, your brain is listening, and goes out of its way to bring all of the relevant experiences to the front of your mind.

So here are 3 ways that I’ve found helpful in improving my happiness, even when the circumstances around me are awful – the first way is to keep a gratitude journal.

The way I do this is to have a single day to page diary, and every day as I’m finishing work I write down at least 3 things that I’m thankful for on that day.

They can be anything, from the sound of birds singing in the garden, to a particular person who has made me smile.

My only rule is that I can’t use any blessings from the previous day, they have to be ‘fresh’ ones. The other thing I write down every day is 5 things I have accomplished.

This doesn’t come out of an achievement focus, but more as a record of the fact that even if my day got totally hijacked and ended up really different to what I planned to do – I still got some stuff done and it wasn’t ‘wasted’.

It’s also a handy record to look back on.

The second thing that has helped to improve my happiness is to set alarms on my phone to remind me of the things that I am choosing throughout the day.

Particularly when you’re new to this choosing thing, it helps to get a reminder every few hours to jog your memory.

Even now, every morning I wake up to a reminder that I choose to glorify Jesus today in my thoughts, my words and my actions.

When your reminder pops up, use your tongue to speak your choice, just to make it even clearer to your brain.

The third thing that has really helped me when I’m feeling bad about myself is to draw or write out my choices.

Don’t be tempted to write out the negative choices, focus on writing or drawing out the positive choices and they will literally grow on you and change the way you feel about life.

This is about far more than affirmations – it’s about making choices that are good for us and then affirming those choices in a way that causes lasting change in our brain and in our feelings.

If you’re feeling bad at the moment and life seems hopeless, remember that you have the ability to choose to feel better, even feel happy – even when the circumstances around you aren’t great.

And if it’s lasting change and wholeness you’re after, perhaps the greatest choice any of us can make is to choose to see ourselves the way that God sees us, and to choose to be a part of the Kingdom of God.

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 Feeling Happy appeared first on Amber Ward.

Some of you might know that my first University degree, and we’re going back quite some time here, was in engineering, and more specifically Geological Engineering.

At that point of my life I was still living at home with my parents and I needed to travel from where they lived in a very much outer suburb of Melbourne into the city every day to get to my uni lectures.

Now the way this particular course was structured – there was a lot of contact time and that meant that I had classes to attend for most of the day, every weekday.

A few years ago when I went back to study and got my masters degree, which was in theological studies, I had a full time load but there were online subjects too and I only ended up onsite for a few lots of a few hours each week.

But for my bachelors degree there was a LOT of contact time and that was in the city. So, to get there from my parents house, I had to catch the train and my parents lived a 15 minute drive beyond the end of the train line.

So I had to drive for 15 minutes to get to the station, and then had to get the train – and the train ride took somewhere in the vicinity of an hour and 10 minutes if everything went as scheduled.

Whenever I could, I would try and catch express trains which would miss some of the inner-suburb stations and by not stopping as much the trip would be faster.

Anyway, one of the worst things that can happen when you’re either on your way into a lecture or even at the end of the day when you’re on your way back home after a long day of lectures is for there to be a delay.

Everyone hates them, and for me, there was another complication in that only every second or third service would go right to the end of the line – which was roughly once every 40 minutes.

So the trains in between wouldn’t go as far and they’d stop at a station somewhere in the middle of the line and change directions to head back into the city, so you’d have to get off that train and wait for the next one heading in the right direction.

And if the train was too delayed, they’d cancel it altogether – which meant that you’d be waiting at least 40 minutes extra.

And that was assuming there wasn’t something physical, like a tree over the train tracks, that needed to be moved.

And there were no buses or anything for that end bit, so you really were stuck waiting for the next train, whenever it showed up.

Anyway, a delay is definitely not what you want.

Because with a 40 minute delay plus, and more than an hour of ride still to go it felt like it took FOR EVER to get to the end of the train line, and I still had a 15 minute drive to get home after that.

A small delay in the city could make a difference of hours.

So delays on public transport are horrendous and pretty much no-one likes them.

I’m sure my kids are fitted with a built-in delay feature too – I can’t think of how many times I ask them to do something, like pick up their things that they’ve left abandoned on the couch, or the floor, or the table.

Now in my head, I’m sure I’m asking them to put their things away now, or soon – like in the next few minutes.

I’d even be happy if it happened the next time they walked past the offending object – which in a house the size of ours is bound to happen within the next half hour or so.

But I’m sure, if they even recognize hearing my request, they think – oh yeah, I might get around to that later, before promptly forgetting that I’ve even said something.

Then when I remind them hours (or in some cases days) later – they’re like – yeah, I was going to do that, stop hassling me about it… and even THAT isn’t a guarantee that it’ll actually happen.

I usually have to suggest that anything that hasn’t been put away is going to the bin if it hasn’t been put away by the next time I walk past it before things get actioned in a timely manner!

If you’re a parent, when you want something done, and particularly when you’ve asked for something to be done, it can be super-frustrating when the person you’ve asked takes their time about doing it.

I’m lucky enough to be able to walk my youngest daughter to school every morning, and part of our journey involves crossing a reasonably busy road at a school crossing.

One morning last week, as we turned the corner and approached the crossing, we could see a huge dust cloud coming out of a nearby worksite.

It wasn’t ordinary dust either, it was that superfine concrete dust that you get when you grind down concrete floors before polishing them – so very much not great to be breathing in.

So we could see this huge cloud of dust – this thing was covering more than half of the crossing itself, as well as probably 15 meters on either side of it, and we could see that the crossing guard was standing in a really thick part of the dust cloud.

So as my daughter and I walked across the crossing, I said to the crossing guard – and I think my exact words were ‘you need to move to the other side of the road, that’s concrete dust and you don’t want to breathe that stuff in’.

The words were barely out of my mouth when the crossing guard said ‘yep’ and started quickly crossing to the other side of the road. Hannah and I finished crossing and once we were a bit further down the street my daughter said ‘well that was weird’.

And I’m like ‘what?’ – and my daughter said ‘she didn’t even think about what you said, she just went straight away and she almost ran across to the other side – that was really really weird how fast she moved’.

So I finished the drop off, and by the time I walked back to the crossing they’d finished the job at the worksite and the dust had dissipated completely.

The first thing the crossing guard said to me as I approached was ‘that was amazing’ and I was like ‘what was? the dust?’ and she said “no – I’d just finished asking the Holy Spirit whether or not I should move and then you showed up like 20 seconds later and told me to move – but not just that – the voice you used – it wasn’t your normal voice. It had an authority like it was God speaking and I recognized that voice so I got moving straight away.”

Now after school I asked my daughter whether when I spoke to the crossing guard I sounded any different to normal and her response was ‘well you were a bit bossy, you didn’t even say please and you told her she should move’ but when I asked again to clarify if my voice sounded any different to normal – she said there wasn’t anything different about it.

So the crossing guard heard me speak and there was something about my voice that made her take action straight away.

Unlike my own children at home, when they hear me ask them to pick their stuff up, there was no delay in her following through. We often think, when God asks us to do something, that it’s OK to take our time doing it, or to put it off until later.

But what God is after, just like a parent who asks their children to do something, is for us to not only take action – but to take action straight away.

It’s not just action that he’s after – but action without delay. In Psalm 119 verse 16 the Psalmist promises ‘I will hasten, without delay, to obey your commands’ and Ecclesiastes chapter 5 verse 4 says ‘when you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him.’

This just reinforces how important it is – not just that we DO take action, but also that we take action WITHOUT DELAY – just like the crossing guard did.

So when you finish watching this video, take a few minutes to reflect on some of the things God has been prompting you to do lately.

Have you been stalling, delaying, or taking more time than you really need to get them done?

Have you been leaving them until later, until you get your other stuff done first?

Or perhaps – are you not really sure what it is that God has been prompting you 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 Delays appeared first on Amber Ward.

Have you ever tried to do something new where the consequences of things going wrong would hurt?

One of my friends posted a video on Facebook this morning of her daughter jumping off the 10m diving platform for the very first time and she added the caption “My crazy baby jumped off the 10m platform tonight – Mummy recorded with her eyes closed”.

As a parent, I totally understand, because learning new skills, or doing things for the first time, or even watching our children do things for the first time can be absolutely terrifying.

Even when the environment is reasonably controlled – because my friend’s daughter has been taking diving lessons for quite a while and she’s quite good at it, and she had been advised by her diving coach beforehand, and the dive occurred in a swimming facility with a diving tower designed for that purpose and not at some rock pool at the beach – at the same time we know that there can be real consequences of falling, of making a mistake, or of slightly misjudging things.

And the bigger the leap that’s involved, the higher the stakes get.

This may seem like the way things are – the way our world works.

Change is a scary thing for lots of people.

For me, even the process of starting this YouTube channel has been scary – because while I’ve made plenty of videos for YouTube in the past, they have all been tutorial videos with voice overs.

This has been my first experience in recording video footage of myself, and of including faith-based content under my own name in the public domain.

It’s a whole different level to preaching a sermon in a church on a Sunday morning, because once you put something online – it’s potentially going to be out there forever, even if I delete it from my own channel.

I’m very aware that my online audience is from all over the world – so things that might be funny here in Australia might not translate very well in other places. I’m also a fairly private sort of person – I don’t share every minute of my day on social media.

My friends will tell you that I’m lucky to post anything on my private profiles in any given month. My own default way of learning how to do things is to practice like mad in private before I let anyone else see what I’m up to – and to have the final result be as close to perfect as it possibly can – and let me tell you,

I think I look and sound weird on camera. And there’s the ever looming possibility that people will disagree with what I’m saying, or that trolls will be vicious in their comments. But I’ve had to get over all of that and ‘dive in’ – because if I didn’t – I’d never have posted anything.

And if I didn’t post anything – or in the case of Thrive overall – if I’d never planned and hosted that very first bible study – there is a guarantee of failure.

I’ve got a sign on the pin board in my office that says “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time”.

But what happens if my videos fall flat?

What happens if nobody watches them?

What happens if this has all been a waste of time?

If my friend’s daughter hadn’t been brave enough to climb the diving tower, she would never have experienced what it was like to jump off.

And if I hadn’t been able to get over myself and just post that first video – I would never have experienced the improvement that has come in the short space of a few weeks.

And you wouldn’t be watching this video – which would be a shame because what I’m about to share is BIG.

And you wouldn’t be watching this video – which would be a shame because the realization I’m about to share is BIG, or at least it was for me.

The world tells us that the only two results of jumping in the deep end are that we will either sink or swim – but that leaves us with a dilemma – because in order to learn a new skill, we need to go through a process of learning how to do it, and also of practicing that new skill many many times, before it becomes automatic and effortless.

So how do we learn a new skill in the circumstances where success isn’t guaranteed the first time we try things, but failure could be potentially dangerous?

Yesterday morning I had one of those mornings where everywhere I looked I noticed eagles.

There was an eagle in my bible reading, and I watched a few YouTube videos posted by different friends and there were multiple references to eagles.

So I decided to do a bit of googling about eagles and their behavior, and then I came across this eyewitness account from a birds of prey bulletin that was published way back in 1937.

It said

“Last summer while my father and I were extracting honey at the apiary about a mile southeast of Tliacher School, Ojai, California, we noticed a golden eagle teaching its young one to fly. It was about ten o’clock. The mother started from the nest in the crags, and roughly handling the young one, she allowed him to drop, I should say, about ninety feet, then she would swoop down under him, wings spread, and he would alight on her back. She would soar to the top of the range with him and repeat the process. One time she waited perhaps fifteen minutes between flights. I should say the farthest she let him fall was 150 feet. My father and I watched this, spellbound, for over an hour. I do not know whether the young one gained confidence by this method or not. A few days later father and I rode to the Cliff and out on Overhanging Rock. The eagle’s nest was empty.”

Now it might be an eyewitness account from a long time ago, but this story reveals an interesting truth.

The bible passage I was reading that started the whole eagle thing off – Isaiah Chapter 40, verse 31 – tells us that those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

But I want you to notice something in this passage that’s highlighted by the behavior of the golden eagle – this promise of God doesn’t just say that we will soar like eagles. It says we will soar on wings like eagles.

The young golden eagle was learning a new skill – it was learning to fly – which, when you’re an eagle is a pretty important life skill.

I can only imagine how terrified this young bird would have been the first time it fell, a mess of flapping fluttering wings, dropping like a stone through the air – and the overwhelming sense of relief to be caught, unharmed, on the steady wings of its mother.

And notice this also – once caught up in the wings of it’s mother – the young bird gets to soar, not because it has mastered the art of flight itself (at least not yet!) but because it’s now soaring on the wings of it’s protector, of it’s savior.

So while the world might say it’s either sink or swim – God says step out … I’ll catch you if you fall and we’ll soar together.

So what is it that you’re stepping out into today?

What’s the new skill that God has been prompting you to try?

Whether you know what that is, and you’ve been avoiding it because of potential consequences, or whether you’re still waiting for that next step to be revealed – God wants you to know that he’s got you covered, and even if you do fall – he’s waiting in the wings to catch you, so that you can soar together.

But the whole process can only happen if you step out – if you start taking some action.

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 Does New = Scary? How to step out in faith with confidence appeared first on Amber Ward.

If you haven’t been feeling the love of God lately, or you suspect you might be unlovable – you really need to hear this message.

Over the last few years I’ve spoken with a lot of women who have recently separated from their husband or from their long term partner.

While some of these women have been coping well, a significant proportion have had their self-esteem and self-worth significantly dented by their break up.

Eventually they get on with life and they go on to meet someone new – but when those new relationships end, as many of them do – these women find themselves feeling much worse than they did even when their marriage ended.

One of the reasons that happens is because the ending of the new relationship has reinforced the poor self image that was created when their original relationship broke down.

So now, they’re not just feeling like they had a failure, they’re feeling like this is a repeating pattern – that they are a failure.

That there is something wrong with them that has somehow resulted in both of these relationships ending.

And rather than just no longer being loved by one particular human being – they’re now feeling unlovable full stop.

Interestingly, I’ve noticed that quite a few adults who were abandoned by a parent during childhood also struggle with this feeling of being unlovable.

While from the outside you might think that a parent leaving would result in the child not loving the parent any more, it actually has the opposite effect.

The child still loves the parent just as much as they ever did, but the child tends to blame themself – and concludes that THEY must be unlovable.

And someone who is feeling unlovable, whether they’re an adult or a child, tends to go back over everything they might’ve done wrong, and every little behavior slip-up that they can find in their memory bank reinforces this belief that they must be unlovable.

Let me tell you, every parent has had times when their kids have misbehaved.

Whether it’s something minor that can be easily corrected, or whether it’s something huge that has consequences for both them and for others – from time to time they can pull some stunts that make you wonder whether everything you’ve been teaching them has been a total waste of time.

But here’s the thing – although I might find some of my children’s behavior or some of their actions displeasing – not being pleased with their behavior doesn’t make any difference at all to my love for them. I’ll say it another way – we can love someone completely and yet not agree with, like or condone their behavior.

We get ourselves in trouble when we think of love as something that can be divided up and shared out.

The reason this doesn’t work is that it implies that love is measurable, which would in turn would mean that the person who is the subject of that love is interchangeable or replaceable.

So if love isn’t something that can be divided up, what is going on here?

Those of you who are parents probably already understand how this works.

When you have one child, you love them.

But as soon as the second child is born, you suddenly have two children to love.

Does that mean you love your first child a bit less now that the second one has been born?

Of course not! You love your first child just as much as you did before, and somehow your capacity to love has been doubled now that you have two children.

And though you love your first child as much as you ever have, you also love your second child – and the love you have for the second child isn’t diminished in any way because you love the first child completely.

And if you have twins – even though they may be identical – as a parent you love each one of them as an individual, completely and uniquely. Just as love is not something that can be divided up and shared out, evenly or otherwise, by humans – love works in a similar way when it comes to God.

God’s love is not only eternal, unfailing and immeasurable – God’s love for every single one of his children is complete and unique.

God doesn’t just sit there in heaven radiating love toward the earth for us to bask in, and he doesn’t love us collectively as a group.

He actively loves every single one of his children uniquely. Psalm 86 verse 15 says that God is filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

What’s even better, is that Romans 8 verse 38 says that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.

So even behaving in a way that isn’t pleasing to God isn’t going to separate you from his love – although it will certainly affect how pleased he is with you.

If that’s an issue for you, then all you need to do is repent and turn back to God, and he will forgive you.

If you haven’t been feeling loved by God lately, then I want to reassure you that God most certainly hasn’t stopped loving you – and I come against the lie of the enemy that has resulted in you feeling unlovable.

God’s love for you is unfailing – which means it never fails, and it never stops.

God IS love, and he is the same yesterday, today and for eternity.

He loves you in a way that is completely unique, because even if you’re an identical twin, from God’s perspective there is no-one else on earth quite like you.

He lovingly formed you, he gifted you and he made plans for you that would give you a hope and a purpose.

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 Unloved? appeared first on Amber Ward.

Engineers love using things called gantt charts to set out the different steps and stages involved, and to show which steps are dependent on the completion of other steps, and to arrange things in a way that is most efficient in terms of labor, materials and workforce.

From this point you can work out the critical path of a project – which is a combination of all the steps whose completion timeline will impact the finish date of the project.

In an engineering world, what you’re trying to do is get a project from point A to point B with the minimal amount of fuss and you typically work from the first step of a project, through to the last step of a project.

For the last 12 years or so, while I’ve been at home with my children, I’ve learned a lot about marketing strategies, particularly in the online space.

What’s interesting is that a strategist often plans projects in the complete opposite way to an engineer – by starting at the desired outcome and working backwards to identify all of the different elements that need to be completed in order to achieve the strategic goal.

So if I were planning a website using a strategic mindset, I’d start with the launch day and work back one step and one milestone at a time – and make sure I had everything covered that way.

One of my favorite stories in the whole Bible is the story of Joseph – which starts in Genesis chapter 37 and goes all the way through to Genesis chapter 50.

When Joseph is a young man he has some dreams, one of which involved being out in a field, tying up bundles of grain with his 11 brothers, when suddenly his bundle stands up and all the other bundles gather around it and bow down to it.

Another dream involved the sun, moon and eleven stars bowing down low before him.

Naturally, Joseph’s eleven brothers weren’t too pleased about these dreams, or about Joseph’s attitude, or about the way that he was favored by his father. So they plot to kill him, before toning it down a notch and selling him to Midianite slave traders instead.

After being transported to Egypt, Joseph is sold to Potiphar, who is the captain of the palace guard for Pharaoh.

Genesis chapter 39 verse 2 tells us that ‘the Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master’ which resulted in promotion after promotion until Joseph was handling everything Potiphar owned.

Potiphar is pretty happy with Joseph, but unfortunately so is Potiphar’s wife – and after Joseph repeatedly rejects her advances, she falsely accuses him and Joseph is thrown into prison.

Genesis chapter 39 tells us in verse 21 that the Lord was with Joseph in prison and made Joseph a favorite of the prison warden.

Before long, Joseph is put in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison.

Some time later, two of Pharaoh’s servants are thrown into prison and both have dreams about their future, which Joseph is able to correctly interpret.

One of the servants, a cup bearer, is restored to his former position and the other, a baker, is executed.

Two whole years later, Pharaoh has a dream that no-one can interpret – the cup bearer remembers Joseph is pretty good at the dream interpretation thing and Joseph is called in to interpret Pharaoh’s dream.

Pharaoh is so impressed with Joseph’s dream interpretation skills and recommendations that he puts Joseph in charge of the entire land of Egypt – second only to Pharaoh.

Over seven years of abundant crops, Joseph stores up grain that is sufficient to tide Egypt and the surrounding areas over the following seven years of drought.

As the drought bites, Joseph’s brothers find themselves in Egypt begging for grain to feed their families.

They don’t recognize Joseph until he reveals himself to them – which is after they bow down before him – fulfilling the dream he had as a youngster. Just like that, Joseph’s dream from years beforehand became a reality.

But lets have a think about was Joseph actually did in order to make that dream from his childhood happen.

In each of the positions he holds, Joseph is continually promoted in recognition of the success he experiences, which the bible closely links to the Lord being with him.

At the same time, Joseph faces significant setbacks.

From favored son to being sold into slavery, from managing the house of an important man to prison, he must have had times when he wondered whether his dreams were ever going to happen.

Joseph’s story teaches us that in the Kingdom of God, the way to make our dreams a reality is not to force them into being in our own strength, but to rely on the guidance of the holy spirit and to make sure we take the next step on offer to us.

Psalm 119 verse 105 says that God’s word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.

One thing that I know about lamps, is they don’t cast a lot of light – and if you’re using a lamp to light a path in the darkness – then you’re not going to be able to see a long way ahead. But that’s ok, because we can trust that God has the big picture under control, and we only need to take one step at a time.

And once we take that step, we can see a little further along the path with our lamp and we are able to take the next step. You see, if Joseph had used the engineering approach to making his dream happen – he would have planned out a whole series of steps in order to position himself powerfully relative to his brothers and his parents.

But even if he were a planning genius – it’s unlikely that he could have imagined the end point scenario where he was in a powerful position in Egypt during a famine – so the end point he constructed would have fallen far short of what God had planned in terms of impact.

And if Joseph had used a strategic approach to making his dream a reality, he would have mapped out a whole heap of things that would need to happen and the way that those steps inter-linked with one another, and then set off on a mission to achieve all of those individual things.

But even if he had impeccable strategic wisdom, it’s unlikely that he would have included being sold as a slave to Egypt as one of the steps, or spending years in a prison.

What Joseph DID do, at every step – was remain faithful to God, and to take the next step that was available to him.

Each of those steps combined to land him exactly in the position that God had shown him in his dreams.

You might ask why God would bother to give us a dream of what our future holds if we’re not expected to make it happen totally under our own steam. Well, in Joseph’s case, the dreams must have given him hope for the future, even as he was being sold as a slave by his brothers, while he was languishing in an Egyptian jail, and while he was working hard for Pharaoh.

And at the end, Joseph knew that it was God who had sent him to Egypt for a far greater purpose than his brothers had originally intended when they sold him.

So when you think about the dreams that God has given you, if they seem too big to be possible and you have no idea where to start – then be encouraged, because you have the Word of God to light your next steps and you have the Holy Spirit to provide guidance.

God never expected you to go away and accomplish the whole thing on your own, he’s wanting to co-labor in kingdom building with you… but the most important thing is to not remain stationary.

All we need to do is keep moving along our path, one step at a time, be responsive to the Holy Spirit and God will look after the rest.

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 Has God given you a dream about your future? appeared first on Amber Ward.

I’ve heard plenty of examples, over the years, of Christian people whose kind nature and desire to help others has led to them being taken advantage of by other people.

There are stories of people offering a short term place to stay to someone who otherwise would be out on the street who end up months and years later feeling like they can’t ask the person to leave because they’ve still got nowhere to go, to people who have had things stolen from their homes by addicts, to people who have had their property damaged by unruly house guests.

Then there are the people who have received abusive phone calls, who have been slandered in public, or who have been physically attacked just for trying to help someone out who was down on their luck.

As Christians, we’ve been taught to love one another, love our neighbor as ourselves, to turn the other cheek and to do good to those who hate you. We’re also taught that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

But is there a point where enough is enough? Exactly how much abuse should we tolerate from those we are trying to help?

And is putting ourselves and our families in danger what those verses were actually telling us to do in the first place?

Even though our heart may be in the right place, sometimes, by attempting to rescue people from the problems their sin has created for them we create co-dependencies, entitlements and situations in which we are abused in our attempts to helpful – whether they take advantage of our money, our hospitality, or our willingness to go out of our way to prioritize them and their needs.

So what’s the answer and where is the balance? Let’s take a look at a very well known parable from the bible – the parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke chapter 10 verses 25 to 37.

In this story, which was told in response to a question from an expert in religious law about who his neighbor was, there is a Jewish man who gets attacked while travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho.

The man is stripped of his clothes, beat up and left half-dead on the side of the road.

A priest comes along, and then a temple assistant, but both ignore the injured man and cross to the other side of the road to pass by him.

Then a Samaritan man comes along, someone who would be expected to both despise the Jewish man and be despised by the Jewish man, and would be expected to also ignore his plight.

But the Samaritan man feels compassion, he bathes and bandages the injured man’s wounds, and he takes the man on his donkey to an inn, where he takes care of him.

The next day he pays the innkeeper, asking him to take care of the man, and promising to return and pay the bill if it ends up any larger than what he has already paid.

Now, the point of this story is to highlight that the definition of a neighbor is a larger group of people than the religious expert who was asking questions of Jesus had assumed, but it also highlights a few interesting things about boundaries.

There are two main things that stand out to me, the first is that the Samaritan man didn’t take the Jewish man home to his own residence, or take him along on whatever journey the Samaritan man was undertaking.

Yes, he organized treatment and care, and yes, he organized short term accommodation for the Jewish man’s recovery, but he definitely didn’t return home with the injured man in tow.

The second thing that stands out to me is that the Samaritan man didn’t change his plans to stay with the injured man until he was fully recovered.

Yes, he organized for someone else to care for the man, and he also offered to pay for that care, but then he went on his way.

He didn’t drop everything and reorganize his own life to prioritize the well being of the injured man.

So here we have one of the greatest examples of loving one’s neighbor and it doesn’t include bringing people into our own homes, or adjusting our own lives to accommodate the needs of the people we are caring for.

Now Jesus is the one who told this story, and when we look more closely at the way that Jesus conducted himself during his ministry we can learn quite a bit about healthy ways to function as a kingdom representative.

While the world has conditioned us, as Christians, to consistently put the needs of others before our own, following the example of Jesus actually includes the setting of boundaries and the practicing of self care.

Here was a man who was under more stress, more pressure and more responsibility than any of us and yet he managed to stay joyful, relaxed, unhurried, patient, and generous with people.

He prioritized spending time alone with God, and although his disciples were often nearby, they knew to not interrupt him during those times.

It may surprise you to learn that Jesus wasn’t always nice to people – he was quite prepared to call out his disciples when they said something that didn’t align with his views (remember in Matthew chapter 16 verse 23 when he called Peter Satan and told him to get away from him?) and he didn’t tolerate inappropriate behavior.

Remember when he made a whip from some ropes and drove people, sheep and cattle out of the temple, before turning over the tables of the money changers and scattering their money over the floor?

That’s recorded in John chapter 2 verses 13 to 16.

Jesus didn’t hold back on what he had to say for fear of people thinking he wasn’t a nice person, and while he spoke the truth in love to those who were stuck or wrong, he didn’t tiptoe around people’s feelings or hold back on the truth because they might not have liked to hear it.

If he had, then none of those conversations with religious leaders would have made it into the bible. If someone was engaging in sin, he called it out and told them to go and sin no more.

He didn’t give them lots and lots of chances to correct the same repeating behavior patterns.

And when people were aiming abuse his way – whether it was physical abuse like when the crowd tried to throw him off a cliff in Luke chapter 4 verses 28 to 30 – or verbal abuse and slander like when his family tried telling everyone that he was crazy (that story is in Mark chapter 3 verses 21 to 35) and then tried to take him away from his disciples – he didn’t just sit there and take it.

He fought his way clear of the mob at the cliff and he refused to go outside and be taken away by his family. When the man possessed by a legion of demons screamed at him in Luke chapter 8:26-39 he demanded a response to his question.

When the religious leaders tried to bait him, he corrected their misinterpretations of the scriptures.

If you’re the sort of person who tends to have trouble saying no, who finds yourself walking on eggshells around certain people for fear of upsetting them, or perhaps you feel like you’re so caught up in other people’s dramas that you’ve lost yourself, or maybe you’re just totally worn out from always being the helper – I want you to know this today.

Boundaries are a healthy thing, Jesus himself had them, and God does not expect you to sacrifice your own health and spiritual well being for the sake of repeatedly trying to rescue the same people who are caught up in worldly lifestyles and the consequences of their sin.

It is totally OK for you to establish some boundaries and not accept being treated like a doormat by the people you’re trying to help.

And if they’re behaving inappropriately, it is totally OK to block their calls and cut off contact with them.

God’s plan for them does not rely completely and solely on you.

What IS important, is that rather wading into the murky life situations of others because we think we should, we choose to follow the promptings and leading of the Holy Spirit.

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 Healthy Boundaries (and why you need them) appeared first on Amber Ward.

In Luke chapter 14, Jesus told a story about a man who prepared a great feast.

Now this man sent out a heap of invitations, which we assume were accepted, but when the banquet was ready and the man sent a servant to fetch the guests, the invited guests all had excuses as to why they couldn’t come.

One of them said they had just bought a field and needed to inspect it, another said they’d just bought 5 pairs of oxen and wanted to try them out, and another said that he now had a wife and so couldn’t come.

All of the invited guests had excuses… they had other priorities, whether they were property, work or relationships that were a higher priority than attending the banquet that they had been invited to.

In December last year when I was organizing my first round of bible study groups, I sent out messages to about a dozen friends on Facebook – not expecting much of a response, but I was quite surprised when almost all of them said they were interested in coming along.

So after a break over the Christmas school holidays, and messages flying back and forth to work out the most suitable times for everyone who had indicated interest, I sent out the invitations.

The first week of the online studies, only 3 of those 10 original people showed up at the online meetings.

Now, remember, every one of those people had not only been invited but had specifically made contact with me to indicate interest and been involved in the process of selecting days and times that would work for them for when the bible study groups would be held.

Once we’d pinned down the days and times that suited everyone, they had chosen which of the two different bible study meetings suited them best and been added into a Facebook messenger chat group with everyone else who wanted to be part of that session.

Then, before each session started, they had received a 15 minute reminder, and on some weeks they were also sent a ‘we’re getting started hope you can join us’ message.

My point is, these weren’t people who had indicated vague interest once, and there wasn’t a communication breakdown about them not knowing when things were happening.

And we’re now 7 weeks in to those online bible studies.

But when it came to actually showing up, just like in the parable from Luke – all but three had other priorities and weren’t able to come.

In verse 33 of Matthew chapter 6, Jesus says “don’t worry about these things, saying What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all of your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

So Jesus is telling us that we ought to have two key priorities – to seek the kingdom of God above all else, and to live righteously. For years, I understood this to mean ‘seek the kingdom first’, like you’d go on to seek something else second, something else third and so on.

But a more complete understanding of the words that Jesus used would say to seek the kingdom of God above all else – which means that seeking the kingdom of God is not just a first step, but an enduring highest priority.

The second part of that verse references living righteously as well – because seeking the kingdom won’t be fruitful unless we’re also living in a way that maintains our right standing with God and our alignment with the ways of his Kingdom.

And when we make seeking the Kingdom our priority, suddenly all of the other things we need that we would normally have to worry about – like food, clothing and shelter will be given to us.

That’s an amazing promise of God right there!

What happens if we have other priorities?

Well, in the parable with the man who organized the banquet, he sent his servants out to the streets and alleys of the town and invited the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.

When there was still room, they went further afield to the country lanes and behind the hedges, urging everyone they found to come.

They went out and found replacement people.

If you’re wondering whether my bible study groups were an absolute flop because most of the invited guests didn’t show up – actually, no they weren’t.

God has well and truly filled them with people who want to be there, right from the first session.

They may not be the same people who were originally invited – but they’ve chosen to make coming along to bible study a priority in their lives, and the flow on effects of making that choice has been amazing to witness, as well as being an amazing witness.

The groups are growing as people invite friends, who invite friends – who I’m sure will go on to invite friends and they are are full of people who I didn’t actually know before the groups started.

And as for the connection with the kingdom of God, we often miss this, but the whole point of Jesus telling the banquet story in the first place was in response to a comment from a man sitting at a table with Jesus who commented, ‘what a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the kingdom of God'”

It’s a sobering thought, to me at least, that Jesus finishes the banquet story by saying “for none of those I first invited (so those who didn’t show up) will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.” That’s in verse 24 of Luke chapter 14.

As individuals, we are the only ones responsible for choosing what our priorities are going to be.

We choose with our thoughts, with our words, and with our actions – what we do with the time that we have on a day to day basis. And the many, many little choices we make every day add up and reflect our priorities.

Let me ask you… what do the choices you’re making today reflect about your priorities?

Are you prioritizing the things of this world?

Are you prioritizing your children?

Are you prioritizing your work?

Or are you prioritizing seeking the Kingdom of God above all else?

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 What’s your TOP Priority? appeared first on Amber Ward.

I was talking to someone the other day who told me that they had been to see a psychic medium with a friend, because they were curious about what might happen to them in the future, and their friend had some big decisions coming up and wanted some clarity about which path they should take.

Now this person I was speaking to was quite skeptical about the whole thing – but their friend who had taken them along to the session was quite into it. The use of fortune telling or mediums has been normalized and shown in a lot of movies, from the Wizard of Oz (so remember when Dorothy sought the advice of a shady fortune teller named Professor Marvel before the tornado sent everything flying) to the Matrix – which has a startling mix of concepts ranging from Christianity to Gnosticism to Buddhism.

The Matrix is a movie that was released in 1999.

It’s a futuristic sci-fi movie where humans have been enslaved by intelligent machines for energy generation and are unknowingly being distracted by a computer simulated reality known as ‘The Matrix’.

The movie follows a computer programmer and hacker known as Neo as he becomes aware of the truth, chooses the red pill, and joins in the rebellion against slavery with a small collection of other people who have also been rescued from the illusion of the matrix.

Neo, Morpheus (who is the leader of the rebellion) and a bunch of rebels travel around in a flying ship called the Nebuchadnezzar and travel back and forth between the simulated reality of the Matrix and the real world, dodging the Agents – who are men in suits with the power to kill not only the simulated version of a person but their body outside the Matrix too.

Now Morpheus believes that Neo is ‘the One’ – the person who has been prophesied to end the war with the machines and free humanity, but there’s one crucial scene in the movie where the crew enters the matrix and places themselves in danger to visit a prophet known as the Oracle, who gives Neo a warning about a choice he must make.

Which, when you think about it, is just like the lady I was talking to the other day.

She and her friend were looking for answers too. I think, deep down, all of us are curious about what the future might hold.

Sometimes that curiosity is because, like Neo and Morpheus in the Matrix, we want to make the right decisions and we’re worried about making the wrong decisions. Sometimes we’re curious because we’d like to take a short cut to where we’re going, and sometimes we want to avoid trouble.

Leviticus chapter 19 verse 31 instructs the Israelites very clearly to not defile themselves by turning to mediums or to those who consult the spirits of the dead. Deuteronomy chapter 18 verses 10 to 15 instructs the Israelites to not practice fortune telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. As followers of Jesus, we should not be having anything to do with these practices.

Interestingly enough, the bible does have quite a bit to say about our lives and what is in store for each of us, and that has nothing to do with using any of the practices I just mentioned. Jeremiah chapter 1 verse 5 says ‘I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.

Before you were born I set you apart.’ Ephesians chapter 1 verse 4 says God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world and the writer of Psalm 139 verse 16 says that God saw me before I was born.

Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.’ Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10 says we are God’s workmanship, created in Jesus Christ to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 1 tells us to ‘live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

So we were not only set apart before we were born, but we were created specifically for the works that God has planned for us, and those plans were recorded in a book.

So God has a plan for your life already formed and laid out – before you were even born. He gave you irrevocable gifts that were perfectly matched to that plan for you.

When we align ourselves, our gifts and our talents, with God’s plan and we rely on the Holy Spirit to guide our next steps… unbelievable things start to happen.

And there’s no need to consult a psychic or a horoscope to find out what’s going to happen – because the bible promises in Romans chapter 8 verse 28 that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

But notice – it’s not just about loving God – if we want to grab hold of this promise we need to both understand God’s calling and his purpose for us and to walk in that calling.

There is definite action needed on our part. Proverbs chapter 3 verses 5 and 6 tell us to seek God’s will in all we do, and he will direct our paths.

Let’s face it – he knows what the plan is – so who better to guide our steps – and we do that in prayer.

When you think about it, how amazing is it that God’s plan for me included making this exact video – and he knew that you would be watching it at this very moment – because every moment for both of us has been laid out in advance and written in God’s book. Second Peter chapter 1 verse 10 says we should make every effort to confirm our calling and election – so if you don’t know yet what it is that you have been called by God to do – it’s time to pray and seek some answers – because I know from experience you won’t feel whole until you’ve found out what it is and you’ve started walking in it.

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 You don’t need a fortune teller – God’s got a Plan for You appeared first on Amber Ward.

As a kid, I used to hate dress up days. In fact, I remember in vivid detail one day when I was in Grade 2 and we were supposed to be having a dress up day at school, but we woke up in the morning to deep snow – which was highly unusual at our place.

We lived near a windy road that went up a mountain, and the police had closed the road from the nearby town of Kinglake, to a few hundred metres past our driveway meaning that we couldn’t get the cars out and couldn’t go to school.

It was awesome not having to go to school that day so we could play in the snow at home, but I remember it being distinctly more awesome because I had managed to dodge the dress up day and didn’t need to wear a costume to school.

My kids, on the other hand, really enjoy dressing up.

One day on the last school holidays we spent the whole day trying out different star wars and Mandalorian inspired hairstyles – mostly because my eldest daughter is a bit of a star wars fanatic, but they both get a thrill from dressing up as someone they admire or copying the hairstyles of their heroes.

Kids aren’t the only ones who like to dress up – whether for fun, or to fit in with a group.

I remember going for a second interview for a graduate engineering position with a very large company in Melbourne when I was in my final year of my bachelors degree.

I had made it through the first round of the process, which involved a 2 hour interview with a recruitment firm and this next round was actually a full day of hanging around their corporate offices with a few other prospective graduates, spending time with engineers from different parts of the organization to see what sort of work they were doing and get a feel for which division we would prefer to end up in if they were to offer us a position.

Well, from the second I walked into the lobby’s atrium rainforest, through the glass doors which were all gold embossed with the organisation’s logo I knew that this was the sort of place where you needed to be a snappy dresser to fit in.

As I followed the group of prospective employees into the lift I told myself, sure, their reception is flash, but I bet the offices upstairs where all the work gets done are far less formal.

For the rest of the day, as we rotated through the different departments, I was amazed.

This was the sort of office where high heels and fitted skirts were the norm for the women who worked there – or rather the expectation.

All of the men were wearing expensive suits with cuff links.

Every floor had gold embossed logos, and while the people we spent time with were – on the whole – quite friendly, there was a formality to everything that for me, made it an uncomfortable place to be.

I knew from my vacation placement that I loved the informality of mine sites, and was more than comfortable in steel capped boots and workwear.

Sure, if this company had offered me a position I could’ve got myself a new wardrobe – but it still didn’t feel right – and I doubted that I would be able to do my best work if I felt like I wasn’t comfortable – so the next day I rang them, thanked them for considering me, and asked to be removed from the process.

My kids like dressing up like their heroes, it’s almost an attempt to spend time ‘in their shoes’ and the people in the head office where my interview was seemed happy enough to be dressed to fit in with organizational culture.

We wear the player numbers of our sporting heroes as we support our teams and we copy the hair styles and clothing worn by celebrities.

So dressing up like our heroes is great fun – but I certainly didn’t want to dress up to fit the culture of the company I interviewed for – so what was the difference?

I guess on some level, I felt like the cultural fit of that company wasn’t going to be healthy for me – so I was totally lacking in motivation to even bother trying.

It was exactly the same for my dress up day way back in Grade 2 – I had zero motivation to dress up. That’s because we only imitate people we admire.

Believe it or not, there are a few different passages in the bible that encourage us to imitate others.

Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:1 says to be imitators of him, as he in turn imitates Christ. 3 John 1:11 warns us “do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God, the one who does evil has not seen God.”

So imitation itself is not a problem, but we need to make sure that the focus of our imitation is the focus for the right reasons.

I encourage you to spend a few moments thinking about who you been imitating lately

Who have you been admiring and why?

Remember that we don’t just imitate people when we dress up like them.

We imitate them when we follow them, when we do the same things as them, for the same reasons.

Do the choices you’ve been making show that you are imitating the things of this world?

Or are you imitating mature followers of Jesus?

Are you imitating Jesus himself?

Are you imitating what is good?

Are you stepping into the ways of the kingdom?

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 I really don’t like dressing up appeared first on Amber Ward.

Can’t sleep?

There’s nothing more frustrating than laying in bed, knowing you’re exhausted, knowing you have to be up early in the morning, wanting to sleep and yet watching the hours tick by.

Insomnia isn’t fun.

Back when I was a single parent, I used to have a lot of sleepless nights.

Sure, I’d get an hour or two of sleep in the early hours of the morning, but it simply wasn’t enough to have me functioning properly the next day.

And despite being exhausted, the following night would follow the same pattern. I tried heaps of different things – cutting out food for a few hours before bed, having a warm drink of milk before bed. Having a shower just before bedtime.

We didn’t have a TV in the house at that point, but I often watched shows on my phone while I was lying in bed at night. I tried reading books, but that wasn’t much good – because I’m the sort of person who, once they start reading a book, keeps on reading until the book is finished.

I tried reading my bible, but the only thing that helped with is reading the bible all the way through in quite a short space of time.

And then I found something that really helped to fix my problem with insomnia.

The bible has quite a bit to say about rest, and about sleep.

Proverbs 3:24 says when you lie down you will not be afraid, when you lie down your sleep will be sweet.

Matthew chapter 11 verse 28 says come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Psalm 3 verse 5 says I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the LORD was watching over me.

Matthew chapter 6 verse 34 says ‘don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Psalm 116 verse 7 says return to your rest, my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.

Psalm 91 verses 1, 5 and 11 say ‘whoever dwells in the shelter of the most high will rest in the shadow of the almighty. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies high in the day. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

Psalm 4 verse 8 says I will both lay me down in peace and sleep, for thou, LORD, only makes me dwell in safety.

John chapter 14 verse 27 says ‘peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Psalm 127:2 says he gives to his beloved sleep.

The fact that there are so many references to sleep, rest, and the things that keep us up at night like fear, worry and burdens shows that these aren’t new problems in our modern world.

People were struggling with this stuff thousands of years ago – and God’s solution for them is the same as his solution for you now.

I had tried just about every solution that the so called experts recommended. And that wasn’t working. So it was time to shift my focus.

Instead of relying on what the world says, I decided to rely on what God promises for me and my sleep.

I began building three steps into my nightly routine.

The first step was to remind myself of what scripture promises us for our sleep, by reading through the bible verses I’ve just shown you.

The second step was to pray – to ask God to give me good, consistent rest and to help me sleep, in line with the promises of scripture.

The third step was to find a good Christian podcast to listen to as I was drifting off to sleep.

I have always been very wary about what sort of ideas, information and influences that I allow into my head – and there’s nothing worse, especially when you’re having trouble getting to sleep, than suddenly being jolted awake by an obnoxious ad, or by someone who is excitedly preaching shouting in your ear.

I found that I would typically remember listening to the whole of the first podcast, but drift off to sleep within a few minutes of the next one starting.

But at least I knew that if there was anything drifting into my subconscious thoughts from what I was listening to – it was either going to be the word of God or the voice of someone whose words I trusted.

If you’d like to give this method a try, I’m going to put a link to my thrive playlist both on the screen, or in the description below this message.

There isn’t any shouting, yelling, or loud noises and you’ll be feeding yourself encouraging thoughts interspersed with scripture as you drift off to sleep.

There’s a podcast version too if you’d prefer to listen in that format. Give it a try – you’ll be amazed!

Until next time, blue skies, and goodnight!

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 Can’t sleep? Bible verses for Insomnia appeared first on Amber Ward.