Hi everyone,
With a State of Emergency declared for a further 18 months, I imagine that there of those of us who have not taken this news too well. The fact is that life is unpredictable. It is full of ups and downs. This can be an emotionally draining time, full of uncertainty and frustration. As I was listening to the Premier announcing further restrictions, my thoughts turned to a scripture that has helped me through many tough times in the past.
Habakkuk 3:17 ,18 says, “Though the fig tree does not blossom and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet will I rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.”
Often there is no other choice but to praise God through the situation. We see this reflected again in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God concerning you.” So we see that this is God‟s will for his people in all circumstances, to rejoice, to pray and to give thanks. In God‟s presence is fullness of joy. That‟s right where we need to be.
In the meantime, continue to pray for our State and our Nation. Let us lift up the name of the Lord over our region. Let us declare that Jesus is Lord, and that every evil Spiritual influence has to flee in the name of Jesus. Let us pray for wisdom and discernment and integrity for our Political leaders, and for strength for our courageous front-liners dealing with the sick and vulnerable every day. We pray that the State of Victoria will re-open, and business will recover and flourish. We pray for churches to re-open, and for revival to come. Let us pray for those who are suffering from emotional and mental stress through this time, and for those who are going through financial hardship.
If you know of anyone, or you are in any kind of need at this time, please call us, as we do not want to see anyone lacking any good thing. (See contact numbers in the newsletter).
Raise up a hallelujah and keep praising the Lord. He is our refuge, our victory, our comfort and our song. He is our provider, our healer our joy and our strength. “In You, O Lord, do I put my trust”. These are not just trite words, but words we can count on. He is trustworthy, and that is why we can praise Him.
May God bless you and keep you all in His wonderful care.
With love,
Glenda
Spring is just around the corner – and that brings with it the sunshine and time for Spring Cleaning!! I spoke on Sunday about “Digging the Wells”. There are many ways of looking at this passage in Genesis 26, and we can all learn lessons from the story of Isaac and the wells. Maybe some of you have been given a gift or ministry – but the “Philistines” have come and thrown dirt all over it – covered it up by negative words, or criticism or fear, or jealousy. Maybe this is the time for you to begin spring cleaning – dig out the well. Let the water flow again. Clean out the closet – empty the handbag!! There’s a well of life waiting to spring forth and bring refreshing, increase and harvest.
Maybe the Lord is asking you to dig a new well. A well of freedom, of “open spaces”. He wants to bring breakthrough. He wants to bring freedom. In John 7:37-39, Jesus speaks of the “Rivers of living water flowing from his heart.” Jesus was speaking about the Holy Spirit which at that time had not come. But the Holy Spirit has now come. He has been poured out on us to refresh us, renew us, regenerate us and revive us. Let us allow the Holy Spirit to come and help us to Spring Clean – and clear out the debris and obstacles that impede the flow.
I pray that at this time, we will not find ourselves getting bogged down and stuck. But rather, work together with the Holy Spirit to see breakthrough and freedom in our own lives, and then, empowered by the Holy Spirit, go in Jesus’ name, to see others born again, drinking from the well of living water, and set free to follow Jesus. I think there are going to be lots of new wells dug as small groups and home meetings spring up as the “Covid-19” restrictions lift. This may well be the new look of the church for some time. Is the Lord calling you to rediscover your gifts and calling? Or maybe he is ready to bring out something brand new – a new season, a new song. In John 4 Jesus spoke of a “a spring of water welling up into eternal life”. A fresh, bubbling Spring. Jesus invites us to drink from this well, to know Him, and to come into a new, fresh way of worship. Are you ready? Will you come and drink? I believe the trickle has begun – but the breakthrough is coming!
Lots of love,
Glenda
Here we are in week 21 of “Covid” restrictions. Who would have thought this year would be so different? I really hope you are doing well and finding ways to be encouraged as the weeks grow into months. Please continue praying that we will see an end to this pandemic, and that in the meantime, people will respond as the Holy Spirit calls the church to prayer and for people to repent and return to the Lord.
Psalm 34:11-14 says, “Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the Lord. Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace and work to maintain it.”
Let’s look at this through New Covenant eyes. God wants his children to lean in and listen to him. The Bible says that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” This is about knowing who God is and being in awe of His majesty and holiness. It is about respecting and obeying him. As Peter said to Jesus, “to whom else should we go to hear the words of eternal life?” Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. This is where we get our encouragement from. Do you want to live a full, abundant life? Jesus said that he gives us life more abundantly. Let’s keep our lips declaring the word of God over our lives, over our family, over our finances, over our health. Jesus said to “repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand”. I believe that Jesus is speaking to his church to turn back to the simple gospel, to love God and love others, and to “do good to all men.”
Remember that Jesus is our peace. When we are feeling anxious or worried, He is the One we need to search for, for it is in Him that we find our peace. (Phil 4:6-8).
We are not able to meet in person for the next few weeks, but we can still keep each other in our prayers, we can make a phone call, or even send a letter or card. How nice would that be, to receive a little note in the mail? And please, as we always say, please reach out if you are feeling stressed, lonely sad or blue. We love and care about you.
We pray you have a great week.
Sending lots of love,
Glenda
Dear Church family,
This is a tough time that we are experiencing. We have all been affected by Covid-19 in some way. For some, it is a minor inconvenience, for others, there has been loss of income, days off work while waiting for results from a C-19 test. For others, maybe worrying about relatives in metro-Melbourne, or a parent facing home learning again. But as we face this crisis, it is my hope – and my belief that there is no better place to be than in the trustworthy and safe hands of God. We are in the middle of a crisis right now. We are buckling down for six weeks of stage three restrictions. There are more cases now in the Valley, and one even in Moe. I am not saying this to worry anybody – just to bring home that what we are facing is real. But the wonderful part of this is that we are facing this together. Even though we are unable to meet in person and have our usual weekly catch up, I do believe that through this time, mostly, we have been brought closer together. Who knows what the future holds? With or without the virus, life can be difficult. What do you think Jesus would say about this crisis? Jesus said, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows”. We should not be surprised that sometimes life will get tough. We actually should expect them.
Let’s take a quick look at the life of Job. He had a great life. It was going so good – a great family, wealth and social status. He had it all. Until one day he lost everything in one fell swoop. A great storm reduced his business to almost nothing, and also killed his whole family. How quickly things have changed for us over the last few weeks. But like Job, we have a decision to make. Will I choose to trust God even when things are going wrong? Our first response might sound like Job, “my bitter soul must complain”. All the “Why’s”.
Henry Cloud says that in crisis, we experience the three “P’s”. The first P is “personal”. This crisis is very personal. It has affected each one of us in some way. The second “P” is “pervasive” where it seems that it affects everything around us. Our job, shopping, going to church, school. It is pervasive. The third “P” is “permanent”. We feel like this thing is never going to go away or never get better, or never be the same again. We might even question whether God knows how bad things are, or if he cares, or if he is answering our prayer. Like Job, I do believe in the goodness of God. I believe that God can always be trusted, even when life throws us these “detours”. Even when things are going wrong, we can trust God in the middle of every storm, every crisis, every situation or circumstance. “In this life you will have many trials, BUT TAKE HEART, because I have overcome the world”. Jesus says. He doesn’t promise us life will always be easy. But he does promise us that he will be victorious. He promises us that he will never leave us or forsake us. My decision is that I will trust God. Job was changed because of what he went through. He found the goodness of God even in his trials. My hope is that we will be different people for having gone through this crisis. Be open to change. Be open to grow. Be open to learn from the Holy Spirit through this experience. We will come through this because God can always be trusted. We can choose to trust God. We can choose to worship God. We can keep our eyes on Jesus. We can pray for one another. We can reach out and encourage one another. And please – reach out if you need encouragement. We are here for you.
God bless you as you look to him – our strength, our comfort and safe place in the storm.
Love and kindest regards,
Glenda.