Fatherhood

I wrote this article a couple of years ago but rediscovered it tonight. I quite like it hence I'm posting it here, I hope you do too.
Sometimes when I am sitting relaxing with my two girls or when I am watching them enjoy themselves playing. I say to them lovingly but in an assertive manner, "Oi ,Your my girls I am your Dad, don't ever forget that, you belong to me.I love you so much,even more than egg 'n' chips".
What I am demonstrating when I do that, is this. I am letting them know that there is something special between us, that they are precious to me and that I am concerned with every area of their lives. I am also implying that I am there to protect them and to keep them safe. That they are to trust in their Daddy, in what he says and does knowing whatever he says or does with regard to them is for their wellbeing and protection.
Last night I was reading a book and as I read the scripture from Isaiah 44 v 6 to 8. Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and His redeemer , the LORD of hosts: "I am the first and the last: besides me there is no God. And who can proclaim as I do? Then let him declare it and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people. And the things that are coming and shall come , let them show these to them. Do not fear , nor be afraid; have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a GOD besides me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one".
As I read this verse the HOLY SPIRIT opened my eyes as to what I say to my kids. It is what GOD says to us. It is exactly the same except he is obviously far better at it. Just as I, as a Father, love my kids, I want to protect them, prosper them, educate them and cause them to grow into good citizens. I want them to know that we have a special relationship that means everything to me and that I would lay my life down for them and I want them to know that I am their Father and that they are the object of my desire.
Dear beloved of the LORD, Your GOD is like this toward you. He loves you so much that He did lay His life down for you. He cares about you and wants to bless you, he wants you to come to him and trust Him that He may pour upon you great blessings. He wants you to acknowledge that He alone is your GOD and that you do not need to fear anything that comes against you, because he is your protector and deliverer, that you are special to Him. When the HOLY SPIRIT made me aware of this I became quite excited, excited at what he had revealed to me, but also excited that He had revealed it to me. I made notes and read down the page of the book I was reading. Glory !!!!!!!!!!! the next verse I read was this from Habakkuk 2 v 2. Then the LORD answered me and said: "Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it"
Well I dont have any tablets except maybe a pack of Asparin in the cupboard. But this is not exactly what the LORD means, I do however have this cyber tablet so I am writing it down here for you to read. I continued reading and the next verse I came to was Daniel 7 v 1. Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying on his bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream.
I was lying on my bed as I was reading this, okay I wasn't dreaming as I wasn't asleep but I was recieving revelation and I have written down the substance of what I feel GOD revealed to me.
Brethren, What a loving FATHER we have, His mercies are new every morning. He loves us with an everlasting love, How great a love is it that he has bestowed upon us, its the honour of being called 'children of GOD'. He calls us to reason with him, though our sins are like scarlet He will make them as white as the snow. He has called you by name and redeemed you . He says , when you pass through the waters or the fire, he will be with you to protect you. He will never leave or forsake you. If you are reading this and you do not know Him. You can call upon Him even now. Ask Him to forgive you for your sin, invite JESUS to be your Saviour. Get into the word of GOD , pray and seek a GODly Bible believing fellowship. You are precious to Him..
I will end this article with a little story of a recent occurence between my two lion cubs (My girls) and myself. I took them up to Metro Land at the Metro Centre in Gateshead. It is a large indoor shopping mall with a built in theme park. I bought them day passes so they could run around and enjoy themselves, whilst I could watch them enjoy themselves and at the same time drink loads of cafe latte. They spent their time going from ride to ride laughing , giggling and waving to Daddy Lion. In the theme park is an indoor rollercoaster with some great twists and turns. I have been on it many a time with the lads in years gone by and because I know my girls I know they would enjoy it. However last year when we came up to Northumbria they would not go on this as they were a bit scared, this year they felt the same, they did not want to go on it. Now we come to the spiritual bit.
I know my girls, I love my girls, I want them to have fun and enjoy themselves, I want them to have fond memories and great experiences. So I insisted that they come on the ride with me. They didn't want to but I asked them if they trusted me, if they believed I would take them somewhere that would harm them or jeapordise their safety. They know I wouldn't and they came on the ride with me safe in the protective arms of Daddy Lion. Well let me tell you this. I could not get them off the thing after that, they must have had at least 30 goes on the thing, they absolutely loved it, and i loved watching them and waving at my two young lions.
Your heavenly FATHER is like this, He wants to take you places that you have never been before, He wants you to grow in boldness and faith and to know that wherever he takes you, He is going with you and at the end of it are great blessings. He knows more than you.

Merry Christmas Folks

Tis the season to be jelly, or is it jolly? I have noticed the theme this Christmas , if my Christmas cards are anything to go by , is 'Penguins'. Now to be fair I am very fond of Penguins (although I couldn't eat a whole one) but what on earth have Penguins got to do with Christmas. Okay , they live in the snow and ice generally ,but they can only be found in the southern hemisphere which, even as the crow flies, is thousands of miles away from the north pole. In reality what i am trying to say is "Whatever happened to CHRISTmas cards"? The pictures of the nativity, JESUS in Bethlehem, the shepherds, the Magi following the star. ( Although the magi probably came over a year after the birth ) This is what Christmas is about but it seems that the world in general is taking the CHRIST out of Christmas. May I suggest to you if you are a follower of the MASTER that you make every effort to keep the reason for the season in your Christmas. When you send your Christmas cards, make sure they are CHRISTMAS cards, no little robins on the gatepost, no snowy village scenes (when did it last snow at christmas) NO PENGUINS ! Send a card with the message of our Saviours birth, the world needs to know why He came and what he offers. Be a storykeeper , just like my two young lion cubs. Oh yes...Merry Christmas :-)

Thank You Lord

FATHER, I want to thank you that so far today I have not sinned. I have not judged, condemned nor lied, I have not coveted nor thought any impure thoughts that you may find offensive. However I will be getting out of bed in a minute and then I will really need your help.           Hey, I hope that gave you a chuckle. Just because we are Christians , it doesn't mean we can't have fun. Our GOD has a great sense of humour, after all he must have. He made me !!!

How times have changed.

The other day at work I was involved in a review of an individual whom I share a responsibility for. I wont say what my job involves as it is not important , nor relevant. Prior to this review I was reading through the notes of the initial assessment carried out on this individual and one thing stuck out more than any other.
In the section titled 'strange & unusual behaviour' the initial assessor had written, "talks about GOD". I was quite taken aback by this. Since when has talking about GOD been considered 'strange & unusual' ? When I thought about it I came to the conclusion that in reality I was not really surprised by this because this is the direction society is drifting in as it offloads its creator and replaces Him with its own laws and morality. The world will reap what it sows, we only need look to Israel as an example of what happens when one casts off the LORD.

Isn't it strange when a bloke can wear a dress , put make up on and carry a handbag only to be called a 'practicer of an alternative lifestyle'?

Isn't it strange when a woman can have a live baby extracted from her womb because she doesn't want the baby, only for this to be called 'Choice'?

Isn't it strange when one can smear a canvas in 'Poo' or saw a cow in half and it is referred to as 'art'?

Should I go on or do you get my point?

I, as a normal person graduating from the University of life with a degree in common sense, consider all the above to be 'Strange , Unusual & even improper' I do not consider talking about the Creator of the Universe to be in the slightest bit odd, rather I think it odd that someone actually believes that they descended from monkeys that descended from slime that somehow evolved from a rather large explosion in a cosmos that somehow existed ????? Let us look to the Word of the LORD for direction and also for a warning to those whom mock His statutes. Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5 v 20.

FATHER, through the LORD JESUS CHRIST I ask that you will prosper all those strange and usual people whom call on your name, that you will sustain them and show yourself strong on their behalf. I ask that you will give them wisdom when challenged by the spiritually blind and that you will give sight to those whom are spiritually blind. Amen.

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Obedience

Okay dear readers here is the next part of the message, the second challenge that the MASTER gave me a while back. If you remember I said I would follow up my last entry with this, so here goes. It is, you will see related although on a slightly different subject matter. To start with I will have to take you back to November 2001 when my wife left me. (My fault but not related to this entry) This was the beginning of a journey into the wilderness of which I am writing about somewhere else as time permits, however lets stick to this issue here. It was a very difficult time for me, my Dad had just died a couple of weeks earlier and while I was at his I heard the SPIRIT speaking to me about my marriage but all I did was hear , I didn't do anything about it. To cut a long story short I was devastated. I began a spiritual journey in which the LORD would train me, test me and remould me just like the potter in Jeremiah 18 v 4. It was hard, harder than hard but I progressed along, enduring everything that was thrown at me. Until around 10 months later. It was here that I met someone , this someone was a very tasty female of exotic origin and someone that the lads I worked with all had eyes for, but for some reason it was only me she had eyes for. Over a period of time our friendship became more permanent and we became an item. I was separated but still married at the time but I justified this relationship in my own heart because I felt like I deserved some happiness and fun after the last 10 months, of course deep in my heart I knew that the LORD did not approve but I didn't dwell on it I convinced myself He did not mind because I was hurting and He wouldn't want me to hurt. Deep down however I knew my actions grieved Him deeply and brought Him accusations from the accuser of the Brethren. This lady was really good to me ,she made me feel really special and in the circumstances gave me something to look forward too. The LORD kept challenging me on this refusing to leave me alone like a shepherd searching for a lost sheep but I just kept pushing it aside refusing to acknowledge it. This lady was also into the new age and she practiced various things from runes to qi gong, it was at this point that I turned a blind eye to her doing it in my house although I never took part in it. Somewhat like King Solomon did in 1 Kings 11. In reality she was a counterfeit, a deception and I had fallen into satans trap, as time went by I began to come under such heavy conviction that I couldn't say anything when we were together, I was almost mute. However I had gotten used to her and the company was nice, but also I didn't want to hurt her. She went home to her country for a period of time and I began to relax. She came back and I met her at the airport and we drove home, it was nice but that night I just couldn't sleep, I felt like a ton weight was on top of me and I wanted to shout out that "I cant do this". I made some comment the next morning and she went home upset. We didn't talk for a while but slowly drifted back together but when we did the conviction was just as strong and I found myself mute whenever we were together, I literally could not speak. I was like John the Baptists father in the Gospels , I found it a major challenge to even converse with her it was awful. To cut a long story shorter we split up and I said for us not to remain in contact.
This relationship was adulterous, even though my wife had left me I was still married, even if I was not married it was still adulterous and still an abomination before the LORD. Now with the relationship out of the way, the LORD got me back on track and to be honest I have learnt so much from this experience, also because of it I have remained in the wilderness for a season longer but I am richer for it. Then a while after this the LORD began to challenge me about this relationship again, specifically the fruits of it. He has called me to be holy, just as He is holy.1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. He has called me to bring every aspect of my life under His Lordship, to be clean and to give no cause for His name to be slandered 2 Sam 12:14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme me, the child also [that is] born unto thee shall surely die. David because of His adultery with the wife of Uriah had given the enemies of the LORD great cause to slander His name, and he paid for it for the rest of his life.
The LORD reminded me that I am to bring no unclean thing into my house. Deuteronomy 7 v 26, "Nor shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be doomed to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest it and utterly abhor it, for it is an accursed thing" He showed me that whatever fruit I had left from the non covenant relationship , it was an abomination to Him and it must be removed. I therefore threw out all the photographs, cards, letters and gifts I had kept from it. Not all at the same time I add, sometimes it took me some time to do but eventually it all went into the bin. One thing I tried to hold onto was a gift from her country which I was quite fond of and I tried to reason that because I kept it in my garden, that technically it was not in my house therefore it was okay, but the LORD said "Get rid of it". I threw it in the bin and I have to say I have no regrets. I now have nothing left from this relationship but fading memories that mean nothing , sometimes I drift back and just thank the LORD for His patience and the fact that He never gave up on me and that He continued to seek out His wandering sheep. I am so glad that my young Lion cubs were not exposed to this , my youngest only meeting her once.
If I had died during this relationship, would I have been saved? Some say "Yes as they believe in a so called shameful redemption but the scriptures speak otherwise in many places. Folks there is no such thing as shameful redemption.  I and others say "No  ( Rev 3v5 being one of a number of scriptures to read concerning such a subject )  I was practicing rebellion and adultery I was bringing shame on the name of the LORD". If I had died in my sin I would have been lost, I am so grateful to the Lord for bringing me out of this and although I have repented completely I feel so ashamed of my sin. I have had opportunities since but I am not going back to Egypt I prefer the wilderness because its the way to the promised land, the LORD has revealed to me what is in the promised land and I will continue to be obedient to my call to contend for it because His name is glorified in it. To you dear believer remember that the devil seeks to bring you down and ruin your testimony and also discredit the LORD of glory, be wise, don't entertain sin, flee from it at all costs. For the record this was back in 2001/02 and I have had a number of opportunities to return to bondage in Egypt as in this article but I have refused for I fear God and love His commands. I will admit that it has been hard at times but when I kneel before Him and He tells me 'well done son' it will be worth it completely. If your a husband or a wife you have an important mandate and position from the Lord, value it, work hard at it and build it upon Jesus Christ the Lamb of God. Love unconditionally and let nothing come before your spouse. My prayer for today is. "LORD, may I always seek to do your will and not mine, may I conform my life to your word and not the other way around , Amen".

Name above all names.

I want to share with you in todays posting one of the things the LORD has been teaching me this last couple of years, I will then go on to another thing He has been teaching me which is related to this issue but on another posting in the near future. Anyway lets start with this first. The Bible tells us not to' take the name of the LORD thy GOD in vain', Exodus 20 v 7 His name is Holy It is a 'strong tower that the righteous can run too'. Proverbs 18 v 10 .It is a' sword in our hands in which to pull down strongholds'. Hebrews 4 v 12 . I could go on but you know what I am saying. His name is wonderful, so wonderful that I hear it proclaimed every single day, In my workplace, on the telly, in general everyday conversation, surely you must hear it too. "JESUS CHRIST" I hear proclaimed as someone spreads some juicy gossip, "JESUS CHRIST" I hear declared as someone hears how much their chip butty has just cost them at the cafe, "JESUS CHRIST" someone utters as they check the weather forecast for tomorrow. It appears that the name of our LORD and MASTER has become a swear word, a byword, even a curse. These past years the LORD has been challenging me on this issue and I have been acting accordingly. It physically hurts me and saddens me when I hear people do this, not just because it is the name of the one I love, but also because I know the one doing it does not understand what they are doing nor that they will one day give account for it to the one they slander. I am growing bolder in challenging people when they do this although I still have some way to go in this area. I have written to T.V companies and newspaper letter pages to protest at this only to be ignored. I believe however my LORD is pleased with me, I say that not to boast, for I am nobody without Him but I say it simply because I believe He is pleased with me because I have made the effort.
In the last year I have thrown out so many dvd's video's & books. It has not been easy because I am a great movies fan and most of my favourite movies seem to find it appropriate to blaspheme the name of the One whom took a beating for me. But if they want to slander the One who saved me then I don’t want their films in my house. Here is a mere sample of only some of the films & shows I have thrown out because of this. 'Dances with wolves', 'Shawshank Redemption', 'Saving Private Ryan' , 'Blackadder the first' and many more. Even books I have been reading use the term so I bin them. When I am relaxing watching telly, if the LORDs name is slandered I turn over. I am not going to grace a show that sees nothing wrong with insulting my LORD. I have been known to flick to another channel only to hear it again because it is so common nowadays, I have even walked out of the cinema half way through because of it. Some of you reading this may think "Oh, that’s a bit extreme isn’t it?" but I dont. My LORD took my sin and continues to sustain me despite the fact I am a lousy sinner, I want to do whatever I can to honour Him, and on top of that I know it pleases Him. Since I first wrote this article it appears to have intensified in every arena of life. The name of Jesus is a swear word and the world remains silent yet no one would dare insult Mohamad despite his character being that of a butcher whom slaughtered his enemies whilsT Jesus is the perfect role model whom commands us to love our enemies. The world has got it back to front. Woe to them that call evil good and good eveil.My Prayer for today is, "LORD, please keep me humble, do not let my boast be in anything but you.

What would you do ?

What would you do in such a situation? There is not time to think about it or try and make a deal. What would you do? Thousands around the world have confessed Christ in such circumstances refusing to deny Him at the expense of losing their own lives, what a resurection they must have experienced. Trust in the Lord at all times people, don't worry about those whom can only kill the body, your soul is what matters. It's eternal.
Lord please strenthen the backs of those whom face persecution in your name, help them endure hardship as good soldiers of Christ, vindicate them from false accusations but help them maintain a good confession of your name. We remember all those whom have gone before us in such circumstances especially our Lord Himself, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Pond Inlet or Mount Sinai !

On February 28th 1999 in the remote settlement of Pond Inlet on Canada's Baffin Island something quite remarkable happened. The small Anglican church was holding an afternoon youth service attended by the predominantly Inuit community and little did they know they were about to have an Old Testament experience of the Most High GOD.
The 2006 census of Pond Inlet indicates that the population of the settlement at the time was 1,315 and that the people were disturbed about reports of drug use amongst the teenagers in their community and they had came together according to the book of Acts to seek the LORD.
On the day concerned the Most High visited them with the sound of a volcano and a shaking of the earth, the actual visitation was recorded as the church p.a system was on. The sound of wind and fire bring me to tears when I listen to them. Check out these testimonies of the day:
"An invitation was offered for Youth who felt they wanted to come closer to God." The worship leader, Louee Arieak, was praying over the youth at the altar, "I felt so close to God... He kept giving me this verse that says, 'Blessed are the Pure in Heart, for they shall see God.' "
"Something started to happen, that was beyond our control."
"Fire went right through me!"
"It sounded like a jet, but I started to think, there are no jets in Pond Inlet".
"It was so loud, that everything started to shake, All the people started to shake."
"Fire !!!! Fire !!!! Hallelujah!!!!!! OHHHHHHH!!!!!"
When the sound first started, Pastor Moses Kayak tried to stop the sound by first adjusting, and then even turning off the sound board. But still the sound, and the recording, continued. "It shouldn't have been recorded. It's only by the miracle of God."
The pastor recounts the story. He was "... completely humbled, to the point where he wanted to continually come before God, kneel... and ask for cleansing of the heart - to become pure before Him."
"My name is John Tugak. I played the guitar that nite there at the service. The sound started just barely noticable like a tv with no signal. Then it built up louder like as if a big plane flew over but the noise was there longer than usual. Saw the pastor trying to adjust and fix the noise with the sound system but it continued. I even saw him turn off the system but it didnt help. Then I realize, and I believe the sound is from the presence of the almighty God. I still believe, and have never experience anything like it! If the sound was from the sound system, it would break as it was too loud for the speakers to handle it. The speakers cannot make that kind of sound and shake the building. The sound was amazing!"
Check out the video's below and pray for Pond Inlet and the wonderful Inuit peoples.

behind the veil.

No matter what some people may say about 'The Sun & Daily Mail' we do have in England are very liberal media. Since 11/ 9 I have read many articles reporting on the subject of Westerners converting to Islam, but I have never read anything in the national media of the reverse, that is Muslims becoming Christians. I am aware that many thousands of Muslims are becoming Christians, not just in Islamic countries but also in England. One of my best mates Hasan for example, is a chap whom converted to Christianity and is now studying in order to take the Gospel of our Lord JESUS CHRIST to the Islamic people. He is a joy to spend time with and is full of love for the One who delivered him.
Why is it not reported ? The media does not really consider it news and it does not fit in with the agenda of rubbishing anything to do with Christianity that seems to exist in our increasingly GODless society. I think also , the media fears reporting anything derogatory about Islam because it knows from experience that it brings nothing but trouble and the odd fatwa too.
I have read many good articles on the growth of the church behind the veil, mostly from ministries involved in such work. A lot of this work is secretive for obvious reasons so I will not put it on this article, however I came across this interesting site. Check out the following and praise the LORD :-)
Christians website are attracting many from the Muslim world
MISSION NETWORK NEWS - February 16, 2006 - While hard-line Muslim nations make accessing Christian websites difficult, it's not impossible and these websites are making an incredible impact for the kingdom.
Strategic Resource Group (SRG) helps organizations reach out to the lost inside the 10/40 Window. SRG reports Christian websites are receiving nearly 9 million hits per month from the Middle East. One Christian organization hosting chat rooms for Arabic-speaking web users estimates that more than 42,000 people visit those sites daily.
About 2,000 Arabic language Bibles are downloaded from the Internet each month. One organization estimates that 20 people per month are giving their hearts to Christ as a result of learning about the Christian faith on these websites alone.
Although some Islamic governments try to block these websites, the Internet generally knows no borders. More than half of the population in the Middle East is 25 years old or younger, and many of these young people own computers or have access to them. This technology has connected people together through e-mail groups, networks, blogs and chat rooms.
Christian organizations are seizing the Internet opportunity to create communities of people who can openly talk about faith issues in a safe environment. In the greater Middle East, the Internet represents a crucial growth sector for communicating the Christian message in Arabic, Farsi and regional languages.
http://www.mnnonline.org/article/8313
FATHER.. Your will is non should perish, please continue to seek out the lost sheep and bring them into your sheepfold. Give boldness to those whom would minister your Word in the hard places and give those in the hard places courage that they may confess your name before men. Amen.