I haven't posted as much as I would have liked these last few weeks but have had a lot on with University course work although I am trying not to let it get the better of me, I won't be caught up in the cares of this world, thank you Jesus.

I wanted to come on and give a quick post, these last few weeks have blessed me more than ever and I am really trying to die to self and give my will completely over to God, it is my only prayer at the moment.

The coming of Jesus is so near there seems to be an urgency around me to just get right and to live a ready lifestyle, I am so thankful to God for amazing teaching at my church which allows me to get the spiritual food I need.

I know that I can't be left behind when the rapture comes and I just really want to encourage anyone and everyone whether it is one person who reads this or ten, please live ready for God, desire only to be filled with God, forget this life and its cares and live by faith waiting expectantly for Jesus' return.

We are merely tourists in this world, visitors only, look away from the seen and keep focused on the unseen, we are fighting the good fight and it is almost over, remain faithful and steadfast in your prayer life. And whenever you see heartache and news of wars and evil just remember that Jesus is coming back.

Let us rejoice, for the coming of the lord is nearly upon us, and I for one cannot wait to go home.

THANK YOU JESUS

He who gives this warning and affirms testifies to these things says, yes (it is true). [Surely] I am coming quickly (swiftly, speedily). Amen (so let it be)! Yes, come, Lord Jesus! Rev 22:20

The grace (blessing and favor) of the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) be with all the saints (God's holy people, those set apart for God, to be as it were, exclusively His). Amen (so let it be)! Rev 22:21

Book challenge

So this week I started my book challenge.

At the moment I am reading Rick Warrens - Gods Power to Change your Life.

Basically I'm just trying to read a chapter a day so I can apply what I have learnt to my life and pray over it.
When I've finished I will then start reading The Alpha Course - Jesus Lifestyle.

I started with the Rick Warren book because it deals with what I have been praying for, which is amazing as I brought this book years ago and just never got around to reading it.

As well as this I am going to read a book of the bible a day- this is the aim. During this process I will be blogging randomly on what I'm reading and how I'm applying it to my life, this process is so I can document what I'm going through at present and hopefully when I look back I will see amazing change, glory to God.

At the moment I am four chapters into the Rick Warren book and going strong, I feel so much peace and I am so happy in God. He is just leading and guiding me its amazing.

I will take some time and go back so I can post on each chapter over the next few days; if there are any books that you would recommend that would great, also if you are reading particular scriptures or books of the bible please share and discuss below.

God Bless xx

I don't usually post twice on the same day but I returned home from church a few hours ago and just feel led to write this.

I posted earlier about the service we would be having today which was a thanksgiving service, but once I arrived at church we were told that in fact service had been changed due to my pastor receiving a word from God.

We have always been taught on the importance of living a ready lifestyle before God, to wait expectantly on his arrival because we can't be sure in the end times whether there would be a rapture or not.

My pastor had never really received a word about rapture- whether it was real or not, but she expressed that we should live to be ready for the coming of God.

Today she preached a word saying that in fact there will be a rapture and only the holy in Christ would be taken.

The word she received was the 7 Dispensations.

Basically, scriptures divide the time of man from the beginning of time to the end, each dispensation represents a period in time where God changed his method for dealing with mankind in regards to sin and responsibility.

Each dispensation starts with the test of man and ends in judgement; five have already been fulfilled, we are currently leaving in the sixth and the seventh remains to come, they are as follows:

1. Innocence - This represents the time of Adam who was created pure without sin, this ended when Adam failed his test and he and Eve were cast out of Eden.

2. Conscious - After the fall of Adam man acquired the knowledge of good and evil , men hearts became wicked, this ended in the flood.

3. Authority - After the flood god gave Noah authority to govern the world, man became independent of God, this ended in the confusion of languages.

4. Promise - God gave his promise to Abraham , the condition of Gods promised were violated and this ended in bondage in Egypt.

5. Law - God sent the 10 commandments which were again violated this ended in Irael and Judah being cast out of the lands.

6. Grace - This is what we are living under now, Gods grace, Jesus died so that we might have salvation, this is where we will see the rapture of Gods holy people because this ends with the reign of the beast and the great tribulation.

7. The reign of Christ - Which is when God will return to the earth and Satan will be bound for 1000 years so people can get saved, this will end in judgement.

I haven't gone into full detail, I really don't want to sit here and pretend that this is a revelation or I am teaching because I am not, this is a message recieved from church which literally smacked me in the face like a lead frying pan.

I wanted to share this so you in turn share this with someone saved or not, we are living in the last days and Jesus' return is so close, when the rapture takes place I want to know that I will be taken, I need a pure heart and I need to be living in alignment with God.

Right now my heart is literally crying out for God, I want to write this so I can look back in a few months and know that I have moved on from here and done whatever I can to live solely and purposely for God.

It not that I haven't been, but I need to ask myself what am I dong for God, then I need to tell myself that I can do more, as christians the bible says we are barely saved, what will become of the people we love who aren't saved?

My salvation is no longer just about me, its about being a light in darkness and guiding people home.

 My church is recieving more teaching on this in the coming weeks and I will do my best to make sure I blog on all of them.

I really pray that we truly soften our hearts to the word of God. That is my biggest prayer.

God bless xxx

Thankyou

Today church is all about giving God thanks, we often have a thanksgiving service where everyone prepares a little testimony or just a word to give God thanks.

To be fair its not a hard thing to do as there's nothing I can't give God thanks for.

I woke up this morning so I give God thanks; I have my health so I give God thanks.

But above all, I want to give God thanks for making me realise that I can't live without him, and all the  moments in my life I felt like I got myself through situations, its not until I look back I can truly see that it was Gods grace that got me though.

I thank God that my Grandmother gave me to God as a child because since that moment he has never left my side, not for a minute, even when I hadn't given my life to God and way before I started even thinking about going back to church, God was still there for me.

I thank God that even though I was brought up in a series of foster homes, that everyone family I lived with knew the word of God and took me to church, because it was the word I learned as a child that stayed  me, like a tattoo the word stayed engraved on my heart and saw me through some of the worst situations I faced later in my life.

God prepared me for every moment because he knew I would fall away, but deep down knowing that I would give my life again and for that I am truly thankful.

Hello....

...if theres anybody out there.

I've not been writing for a while but I have been so busy with Uni work so I just wanted to come and leave a quick message.

Its been a tragic few weeks for Japan and my prayers are with them.

The events over the last few years have been like an alarm ringing in my brain, I just want to encourage everyone to continue to live a ready lifestyle, the days are drawing so near to the end and Jesus is coming back, let us not be like the 5 foolish virgins but like the wise, who continued to wait expectantly on the lord.

Matthew 24: 6 -8
And you will hear rumours of wars;
see that you are not frightened or troubled,
for this must take place,but the end is not yet.
for nation will rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom, and
there will be famines and earthquakes in place after place;
All this is but the beginning [the early pains] of the birth pangs
[of the intolerable anguish]

Please check out my links -   Convey of Hope a christian based relief charity who have worked for a number of disaster areas and were voted top 5 ways to help Japan. Please donate if you can.

God bless xx

Shocked and concerned:

I was very disheartened to hear the story of Eunice and Owen Johns this week. 

A Pentecostal Christian couple from Derby who lost their case to foster children because of their Christian views on homosexuality.

The ruling was made after two judges believed sexual equality laws ‘should take precedence’ over the right not to be discriminated against on religious grounds.

The couple who had been fostering since the 1990s withdrew their recent application after a social worker expressed concerns when they stated they could not tell a child a homosexual lifestyle was acceptable.

As a Christian and a former foster child myself I was totally thrown off by this ruling, I think the judge’s made these decisions based on a lack of understanding and a lack of commonsense. 

Speaking after the ruling the couple said "We are prepared to love and accept any child. All we were not willing to do was to tell a small child that the practice of homosexuality was a good thing."

I feel the ruling was nonsensical and regardless of believes I think it is wholly inappropriate to discuss such matters of sexuality with a child anyway, especially before they have matured enough to figure out what their own believes on the matter are. I feel that children are exposed to way too much, and way too early. 

More to the point the actual care they were seeking to obtain would be respite, this suggests that the child parents would still be in the picture and therefore conversations of this nature would be better left to the child’s parent or a social worker in the first place. 

What the story seems to suggest is that the fact that the couple were Christian was not the problem but the fact that their views were deemed to be too “traditional”. 

A spokesperson for the lesbian, gay and bisexual charity Stonewall’ almost suggested that the views of this couple where the last of its kind and that Christians should move with the times. speaking after the ruling he says ‘Thankfully, Mr and Mrs Johns’ outdated views aren’t just out of step with the majority of people in modern Britain but those of many Christians too.

Well who are these Christian that believe this couples views to be outdated? Don’t get me wrong I have friends who happen to be gay and although I don’t chase them down with the bible I do not agree with their lifestyles, but believe their situation to be between them and God. 

But when it comes to small children can't we be trusted to make judgements based on their needs at the time, I just can't believe there will be a situation when this needs to be addressed in this matter, and in regards to teens then surely encouragement and understanding is what is needed.

I think it will be a real shame if this ruling deters Christian from fostering as I feel a child will lose the chance of being brought up in loving homes and possibly the reward of a better upbringing. 

What these judges fail to realise is that as Christian we have so much more to offer.  For example a child who feels disowned and rejected by their parent in this kind of situation will learn to forgive and to love, young women who may seek love in the wrong places will learn to regard themselves as a temple and maybe our young men would be better role models for each other - or maybe that’s just an idealistic view. 

But never the less, I feel this is just another case of the PC brigade making yet another ill informed decision.  

Read full judgement here: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2011/375.html

Lovesick: I'm in love...

 

It felt weird at first as I have never been in love before; well... I have had situations which felt like love, but after careful consideration, I now know were nothing more than youthful obsession, in fact no comparison to the real thing at all.

You may be thinking who is this person and where did I meet him, well it’s  kind of a strange story, he came at a time when I wasn’t  really looking and you know what they say, “He’ll turn up when your not looking” how true that is.

He has always kind of been in my life; I just didn't notice him before. I kept flirting with disaster, being lured into different directions, but he never gave up on me, he kept telling me to rely on him but I just wasn’t willing to listen.

I lost him once and it was then that I realised I how much I needed him- they say “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone”; they seem to say ALOT don’t they.

But finally I saw sense, all my life I had been searching and he was there all along, I am so thankful he is still in my life.

And now... well now I just can’t stop thinking about him, knowing that he has my best interest at heart, that he would do anything for me, go so far as to actually die for me.

A perfect gentleman in everyway, he takes the time out to teach me, he is in no way judgemental and in fact he seems to show up more in my weaknesses.

He has wisdom, knowledge and integrity, and what’s more he is rich; but in so much more than wealth - although his father has a mansion, which if I play my cards right could hold a place for me one day.

Everything I learn about this man leaves me desiring more, and the more I get to know him the more I want him to be in my life. 

We just seem to be on fire, almost as if we’re merging into one, my other half, my missing piece.

He is such a comfort to me when I am sad, my protection when I call on his name and what’s more  he doesn’t mind telling me when I’m wrong- I like someone who can put me in my place.

But that doesn’t mean he is arrogant, just the opposite in fact, humble and meek he is just the kind of person I need.

Only trouble is, I’m not the only person in love with him, in fact he has quite a few followers, but I’m not sad because he always seems to have time for me.

So who is this person? His name is Jesus Christ.

 And if you knew him, you would love him too.

Philippians 3:10 [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognising and understanding the wonders of His person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know  the power overflowing from His resurrection [which exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]...