GODS PERFECT PLAN

“[Praise to the LORD] O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.”- Isaiah 25:1
Sometimes you may feel that you just get lost in the crowd, like a pebble in the bottom of the stream, but God knows us each by name, he has marked every hair on our head and his plan for us is perfect. How do I know this, well read on.........

Two days before Christmas my Pastor Jenny asked me if I knew of some customers from Rapture that I could give a Christmas hamper to. Sure I said and left with 3 hampers in my boot. I gave away the first two and then as I was driving to work on Christmas eve my car began to play up, I drove right to my mechanic for him to take a look, during our conversations he told me of a close friend of his that I have met briefly before that she had been in hospital and was coming home that day. Well there was my answer for my final hamper.
That afternoon she came in my shop to thank me and was just blown away by our gift, I was so pleased to be able to tell her that it was not my gift but rather from our church put together by people who love God and wanted to bless others at Christmas.
By making my car play up God had put me in touch with a lady who desperately needed some people in her life to care for her at a difficult time as she had another operation coming up.
Since that day I have run into her so many times it almost seems ridiculous, well it would be if I did not know that God clearly has a plan for her. I am excited as to where God is taking this and how he plans to use me in this situation.
There is so much that goes on in our day to day lives that God has orchestrated and we may or may not be aware of it, but God clearly has a plan and if we allow ourselves to be used by him, by following his direction and promptings we will be directly used in his blessing of the people around us and working alongside God to show his light to the broken and unsaved.

Does God have a plan ? Most certainly.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

photo: Nethocote falls, NSW

FAST SUNDAY DINNER !!!!!

Potato, basin and tomato pizza

Peel , dice and boil 2 large potatoes, and 2 cloves of garlic
Spread a tin layer of Nap sauce on store bought Pizza bases
Toss cooked potatoes and garlic in olive oil
Put potatoes on pizza
Top with halved cherry tomatoes
Top with Parmesan cheese
Top with prosciutto, or pancetta, or shaved ham
Place in oven wit grill for 10 min
Top with fresh basil leaves
Sprinkle with salt and pepper
Simply sensational ...............................

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

As a christian I should not be amazed at Gods Love for us , but I often find myself feeling amazed at Gods continual love, grace and mercy for us.
Jesus died on the cross for each and everyone of us no matter what the sin or sins that we commit. It is easy in our human judgemental minds to look at others and see all their faults and see reasons as to why perhaps their sin is greater than any ones that we have committed , but the truth is that Gods grace extends to us all not just some of us, and God does not have a hierarchy for sins
Matthew 7:4 "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye?
We only have to fall at his feet and ask him to forgive us of anything that we have done and his forgiveness is there unconditional love and forgiveness, overflowing and freely given.
I felt such warmth in my heart today at church to be standing side by side with a room full of people knowing that each and everyone of us have something that we need to confess to God and repent , change our ways and walk in freedom. nothing else on this Earth or in the heavens can offer us such a gift, and such true liberation.
2 Corinthians 12:9 (New International Version) But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
Just as a new day dawns so does our walk with God, his mercy is new every morning.

I am Laying in my be this morning listening to the sound of the dew that has settled on my roof overnight running down the valleys in the roofing iron then dripping to the ground tells me that we are only days away from a new season, Autumn is beckoning at my door.
Autumn, my most favourite season of all, cooler mornings making way to lovely sunny days, magnificent changes in the foliage of the trees, the colours of Autumn are so beautiful I cant help but see Gods hand in the creation of this world.
The leaves on the trees have served their purpose well over the summer providing us with much needed refuge from the biting summer sun but it is time for them to change their colours and fall to the round to make way for the new growth, the buds to form that in Spring will open up to beautiful soft glossy new foliage.
It causes me to think how so to we can look at the coming change in season to allow God to do some gardening on our hearts, If we allow him to he will remove the wilting dying leaves that have served their purpose to protect our heats from times of hurt or just being caught up in the merry go round of life.
We need to allow those leaves to fall to the ground so that we are bare again before our God and he will Begin an amazing work in us that will bring forth new growth . God the awesome master potter of each and every one of us will work on our hearts , soften them and mould them into something beautiful that will open to the most magnificent display of new leaves even better that the ones we have covered ourselves with in the past.
Jeremiah 29: 11-13 “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Gods glory will shine from this new growth for his purposes and the people around us will see that only God can bring about such change in us as too with the Autumn leaves, Only God can create such amazing colour and change and living transformation.

Psalm 37:4-11 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

TWO CHOICES

Life almost always gives us a choice, we either do something or don't do something, there is often not a different option than that. As a young woman I either loved and married Mike or not, I had 6 babies or not, I bought houses to live in or not, I sent my children to a christian school or not, I walk with God and love him or not. Choose to be as happy as my two little girls (well for that moment anyway }
Every single day we make many choices , most of them trivial some of them not so trivial and some of them very important. We use our own brain to evaluate and then carry out the choice we have just made.
Let me tell you from very personal experience that life runs allot more smoothly if we factor God into the equation when we are making choices, I know the outcome of both good and bad choice's because I have tried doing it both ways and the God way is much better.
God is right there 24/7 willing and waiting to lend a hand and help us to make the right choice, sometimes I think he is even shouting at us wanting us to listen but we close our ears and think we know best, then we are the first to scream back at him when it goes all pear shaped.

Just yesterday I was sitting with my pencil in hand trying so hard all on my own to work out our finances and make provision for things that Liam needed for school this year, I was getting so frustrated that the money just was not there. Mike was behind me saying " just ask God" In my head I was thinking "Oh shush up you silly man , God does not care about Liam's calculator" . So I pressed on getting more and more frustrated and more disillusioned, feeling like a failure as a mum who should be providing for her children.
I had missed the point all together, all I had to do was to follow Mike with his choice, who by the way was still sitting behind me proclaiming tanks to God for his provision of the calculator, and chose to ask God for his help in the matter.
Thankfully God was there the whole time listening to Mike who chose to invite God into the matter.
Then when I rang the year 11 co-ordinator to tell him that Liam was going to have to wait a little longer for his calculator, he responded with " I have a spare one right here at home and I would love to lend it to Liam for the year, because you and Mike do so much to serve in your community" Funny ha, so there I am now saying thank you to God and claiming the victory over the prayer I did not even pray. Thankfully God came through for us when Mike chose to pray.
Ephesians 1:3-4 How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.

God is there waiting all the time for us to choose to invite him alongside us all day every day, Yes you may say but I am saved I made that choice, however it it a daily renewal, a daily choice to invite God in, through prayer, fellowship with others, just talking with him as you are getting on with the day.
Hearing his voice and responding right there and then, Its no good if you have chosen not to tune into his voice and he is telling you to walk over and talk to some person right there and then, If you don't hear him until that night when you are praying in bed, then you have missed the moment.
Psalm 95;7 Drop everything and listen, listen as he speaks: "Don't turn a deaf ear as in the Bitter Uprising,
Chose to Open up your heart and Mind today and allow God to help you , you will be surprised how well the day pans out for you
Isaiah 50:4
The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.

DINNER TONIGHT !!!

BBQ PORK WITH SPICED COUS COUS AND BROCCOLI

4 PORK STEAKS
1 TAB BUSH SPICE
1 TAB OLIVE OIL
1 TAB JAM
TOSS PORK IN ABOVE SPICES AND OIL ; PLACE ON BBQ, 4 MIN EACH SIDE

1 ZUCCHINI
1 CARROT
2 GARLIC
1 ONION
1 APPLE
1/4 CUP SULTANAS
1 TSP MOROCCAN SPICE
1/2 TSP SALT
1 TAB OLIVE OIL
2 CUPS COUS COUS

DICE UP ALL VEGETABLES AND GARLIC ; FRY IN OLIVE OIL ; ADD SPICES AND SALT;
ADD 1 1/2 CUPS WATER; BRING TO BOIL;
ADD COUS COUS; PUT LID ON FOR 5 MIN ; FLUFF WITH FORK; SERVE

SERVE WITH STEAMED BROCCOLI

DONE........ 20 MINUTED AND DINNER IS ON THE TABLE

IS JUST BELIEVING ENOUGH ?

Last week I was visiting a friend who had just had a friend of theirs Die. I expressed my condolences and to my surprise my friend said that the whole thing was made even sadder because her friend did not " believe ".
I was struck there and then with the truth that salvation is not just about believing, even The devil believes in Jesus and he is most certainly not saved. God expects far more from us than to just believe he wants us to have a living vital relationship with him that we refresh and renew daily .
If we just walked past our husbands or our children each day at home and only ever smiled and tipped our hat at them we would never really know them, the would just be people who we knew by sight but we would never know their true heart or ant intimate details of them, Same too with Jesus , once we get to know him, It is then that we are truly saved.
Life can be so much better than it is right now just by renewing your mind daily in the word of God , Even just one simple verse read in the morning can be enough to transform the day ahead of you and change your perspective on the day.

LUKE 13: Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?"He said to them, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.'

"But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'"Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.'"But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'

Acts 16 : They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.

1 peter 4

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. ⁵But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. Jude 1:21

101. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.