New Words for the New Year!

I was given Psalm 1 today, interestingly words I have never seen or read before!

Blessed is the man
    who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
    or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.
 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
    Whatever he does prospers.

 Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff
    that the wind blows away.
 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.

God's Radio/He is a Loving Father

I had a very pleasant walk home this evening...I felt very peaceful. And it is moments like these that God seems to "speak" or convey ideas to me very strongly. When my mind is clear of distractions and with peace and quiet, this is when I find I am most receptively tuned into God's radio - a broadcast which is always there broadcasting but often we are too distracted or perturbed by our daily activities in the world to tune in!

I find this idea perfectly illustrated by (Psalm 46:10) "Be still and know that I am God" 
which came to me over and over one time this year when I was totally stressing out and panicked at a demanding time of my studies...this one line definitely gave me strength and very quickly restored that beautiful "peace of God which transcends all understanding." :) (Philippians 4:7)

Earlier this week I was talking to a christian acquaintance who has had faith for well over 15 years and I was surprised that for the last few years he no longers prays or reads the bible and he doesn't go to church either -the connection or relationship had obviously become very distant...it reminded me of a radio broadcast mired by static so the message could not be deciphered. It just made me want to reiterate the importance of always spending some regular quiet time to connect with God through prayer and bible reading, daily if possible.

It's easy for me to be critical when I have only run a short race so far...and actually it's not about how enthusiastic you are today...it is all about being able to FINISH the race well and I admire all the Christians who have stayed the course, as I have met probably even more fallen away and lacklustre pick and choose "Christians" than even unbelievers perhaps, which is quite disturbing, but understandable:

"For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." (Matthew 7:14)

 So actually one thing I learnt so far on this journey is that the term "Christian" alone in society these days is not particularly meaningful without some explanation and clarification of what that term means to the person claiming it.

ANYWAY I digress. Basically while I was walking home the idea that came very strongly to me is how much God loves us and cares for us. Even though it is easy to doubt sometimes when bad things happen and we wonder why he allows them to happen...

Recently I had to walk away from something that I had invested my ENTIRE EVERYTHING and last 7 years in, which was quite hard for me and took me a long time to get the courage to finally step away. And the fact I did finally pull the plug was initially more a gut reaction of fear of God and being disobedient, than by wanting to please God and do according to His Will for me, I am ashamed to admit.

So since this happened quite recently I still had not completely processed it all yet. But tonight it was very clear that God pulled me away from this 7 year labour of love of sorts because he loves and cares for me like a protective father...he wants what is best for me and pulling me away was actually keeping me safe and away from danger. This was so clear to me tonight. So I am so thankful.

And now I learnt for myself that next time God closes the door on something, it is helpful to reframe disappointment by remembering a) He knows what's best for us better than what we or anybody else does because he knows the BIG PICTURE and knows us better than we even know ourselves and, b) when one door closes, this means another can open. And perhaps there is something even better in store...anyway, now I am walking HIS Way, I definitely have this sense of quiet *confidence* about my future like I have never felt before when I was relying on my own and others' worldly or practical human mind leadings :)

From A Pastor

"IF YOU ARE NOT FEELING PERSECUTED FOR YOUR FAITH, THERE IS SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH YOUR MINISTRY."

This one sentence provided me so much comfort in what has been a pretty tough year. Having known existence faith-less and faith-full...definitely I conclude that being of Christian faith sure does not win you any popularity contests in the world...But if ever you feel demoralised and rejected by the world due to your faith, just remember...the only one whose favour and approval actually counts is...God's! :)

The Greatest Irony

So I was speaking with my earthly father yesterday. And he was telling me he had read this blog and was quite impressed because he kept asking me if I had written it myself or if anyone had helped me?

He said it was written not like me. And that it was evidently coming from somewhere else...A Higher Source! And I could hear my mum in the background saying "It's the Holy Spirit!" lol

So I found this particular anecdote amusing because my mum has always been quite the pragmatist and not spiritually inclined at all(although Praise God! she has come to faith recently and these days even attends church and bible study :-)

My earthly father on the other hand, has always been "very spiritual" proudly identifying and declaring himself a Buddhist, extolling the concepts of karma, reincarnation and the universal god view in general, which has caused some notably feisty discussions in the past round the dining table with my Christian aunties!

So the fact that it is a somewhat fervent NON-Christian that has taken it upon himself to circulate this decidedly Christian blog to all of our extended Christian family..I find this really quite ironic!

So, HELLO to any Brothers and Sisters in Christ from far flung countries who may be reading this...especially any who just so happen to share my flesh and blood as well!

God Bless You :)

All You Need is God

Today I seemed to talk to several non-spiritual friends who have various issues, well of course life is always full of problems for everyone, so it's really about how you choose to perceive things and interpret things and react and respond to things.

So what struck me is the spiritual gap. Those with faith vs. those who don't.

We believers always have HOPE because of Christ Jesus.

He is the great Overcomer. I no longer draw on and sap my own strength...I offer all my burdens up to him and TRUST Him to deal with them for me. Which leaves me with the Amazing Peace of the Holy Spirit. And Lightness of Heart. Life is suddenly so much easier than the unnecessary complications we humans like to make out of it.

For this Gift alone, I am truly appreciative, because it is not easy to achieve existing in such a troubled world.

† The TRUTH will Set You Free. Unfortunately, most people have to fall HARD for them to find it. God cannot be found from the comforts of self-sufficiency. I believe one has to truly die to themselves to really know Him.

Four Words

A short time after I had the dream where I received the Holy Spirit I just kept hearing Four Words with an unfathomable weightiness and urgency on my heart...

My Calling in a Nutshell.

However, of course, socially incarcerated-habituated to be rational, pragmatic and practical, which was the only way I knew to be, I IGNORED it.

 In any case receiving faith out of nowhere had just left me in a spin, thrown into the deep end...completely disorientated and UTTERLY confused as before I was seeing through human eyes and interpreting everything in the context of the world...but suddenly, I found myself no longer BLIND...

So I ignored it.

But the thing is...Calling is not something you can just walk away from. If God has called you, he will keep hounding you. And eventually you will realise THERE IS NO OTHER WAY, it's inevitable...it's just whether you do it now or later or whether you take the speedway or the scenic route via a couple of unintended detours. If God has a calling on your life...you WILL end up there.

SO ANYWAY... Today and even massively the last few weeks and even the last few months I have had "messages" and guiding and confirmations...sooooo many...and MASSIVE CONFIRMATION today...from various sources...people who do not know me or anything about me. If I had to describe it so the layperson can understand...all the things that led to today...the probability of them happening all saying the same things and leading the same way from so many random sources...would be like near to impossible infinity!!

All the strange things that have occurred particularly in this short time where I have not been distracted by worldly responsibilities and too busy to fully have my receptive antennae at full working capacity, culminated in what happened today...no Hollywood blockbuster writer could have written this many mere random coincidences into a movie script...let alone even have conceived of them.

The events and happenings from this short time alone...would be worthy of a very fascinating novella. I was sharing just a smidge of it with people at my church Christmas party today...and they were just like WOW WOW WOW!!!! AMAAAAAZING!!!

Those are words you hear A LOT when God is moving with you and/or you are moving in the way God wants for you...He IS the Great Enabler...and engineers the most perfect circumstances far beyond what you can ever imagine or conceive yourself!

So anyway I have been feeling a little like I am the protagonist of some unwritten novel or movie recently...life has felt very, very...surreal.

To share just a tiny tidbit of one of the things that happened today...an old lady with the gift of the word just spoke out randomly i.e in no relation to any singing or sermon in the church.

"God has had a hand on someone here about their calling for the past year...but they have not obeyed. This is your last chance."

I knew she was speaking to ME.And I felt the fear of the Lord right there and then...something which I didn't quite understand when someone mentioned it and so I had asked to have...

Praise the Lord! I had been at a huge crossroads waiting for him to show me the way, the next steps...Being so free having just finished my degree with no obligations to work thanks to the Lord's gracious PROVISION...I literally could be anywhere doing almost ANYTHING, just so many possibilities....so I really needed His wisdom and direction...because I have learnt...THE VERY HARD WAY, when I work to my own will and in my own "wisdom" and limited insight and independence and self-sufficiency or even worse, to that of the elders in my family or other dominant figures in my life it's always been A Major Disaster...

So I refuse to let that happen anymore because I KNOW now...GOD KNOWS BEST! (No matter how mysterious and unfathomable his ways may be to our human mindsets!)

God Bless you Brothers, Sisters and Unbelievers...
Zoe

On Calling

I went to a course on "Calling" recently...and was given:

But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a youth'; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD." (Jeremiah 1:7-8 ESV)

First Love

I was inspired to write this blog after an incredibly strange encounter, which I can only understand as God answering a prayer I had uttered the night before...

As this is my very first post, just a bit of background...

The title of this blog reflects how I came to God supernaturally. My blogger name came to me while I was listening to a free CD I had been given while visiting a church in another city...finally, the title of this post arises from this song which was the one that first most grabbed me off that disc, as its lyrics directly reflect my own experience and the point I am at in my journey now...lyrics I have typed as below:

♫Could it be that Love has found me

Died to see me in Eternity

This uncommon Love has Saved me

It deserves my All…

In an instant I was rescued

Saved by Grace

And Saved by your Great Love

And I know I won’t regret this

It deserves my All

You deserve my All…

I lay down my life

Take up my cross

All for you

My First Love

I give it all to you

I owe it to you

All for you

My First Love

My First Love…

   * * *

I don’t choose the things or the ways of this world 
I choose You

All that you do when you say Lord

I choose You…♫

I find this song title "First Love" very fitting because last year I was given TWICE by two different persons at two different locations at the beginning AND end of the year...the promise that: 

^"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:36 NIV)

In 2012 this promise was fulfilled and I now have FEELINGS :-O !!!

ONLY by the Grace of God...truly truly...LITERALLY..."He" is...

My First Love ♡†♡

Anyway, WELCOME to my blog :)...I hope you enjoy reading and sharing in some of my amazing journey with God...
Blessings in Christ,

Zoe