Rest, Work, Pray

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encourage

It is really important for us to encourage one another as brothers and sisters in Christ so that we may grow and be inspired to be the best version of ourselves. The Bible also tells us that encouraging one another and building each other up is vital in our faith journeys. There are different challenges in life and through speaking life into people’s situations, through listening to what God is saying we can bring clarity, freedom and hope.

There is so much noise and so much going on around us and each one of us have so many responsibilities and have little time for what actually matters. If we want to experience who God is, we need to take time out from the noise of the world and listen to God’s voice that we can only hear clearly when we refocus our priorities and set our minds and hearts on Christ and His plan for us and for those around us.

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There are many people interested in Yoga, Buddhism and other spiritual outlets nowadays that focus on emptying ourselves and connecting with our inner beings. Why could there be so much interest? Because people are searching for answers and they know that they will not find peace in their busy lives and they know that they need to take time out to rest. Some are trying to connect with a higher being through alternatives to what mainstream religion is as mainstream religion does not deem to be for the intelligent people nowadays. I don’t think this will help them in the long-run as my experience is that real peace can only come from knowing Jesus and God has created our minds and intelligence, therefore intelligent people can indeed follow Him. However, they teach us something about the importance of meditation and rest and emptying ourselves which is mentioned multiple times in the Bible even God needed rest after He has created the world.

 

voice-of-god

One question people wonder about is whether God can speak to us today. One of the amazing facts about our God is that He indeed can, He is not a silent God we just go to for a one way conversation (like in most other religions) but if we learn to listen to His voice and learn to know how He talks to us individually, He can communicate with us daily. We all need to discover how He talks to us person to person. He can talk through vivid experiences such as visions, pictures, dreams, words and some not as vivid perhaps like through Bible verses, His beautiful creation, music, conversations and our circumstances. People have shared many pictures and words that they felt God had for me throughout my faith journey and some of these experiences have set me free, encouraged me and helped me to be the best version of who I can be and can become. I have had pictures and words for people various times I prayed for them and when I shared these words or pictures, many of them were encouraged, set free and said that’s exactly what they needed to hear. For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. When God speaks to us, He challenges us, He encourages and He inspires us to turn from our old ways and turn to Him.

Encouragement from Chris and Barbara

We saw our lovely friends Chris and Barbara who shared a couple of Bible verses with us that they felt God was saying to us at this time.

Matthew 5:13-16

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

These verses confirm that God has a plan with our travelling and He wants us to spread His light around the world as we travel around. It makes the importance of us reflecting on how we are going to do this even more essential.

The last Bible passage that Chris shared with us was Psalm 139. This Bible passage means that God is protecting us and He is going before us, we don’t need to worry or be concerned about our future. These verses are a real encouragement to us as uncertainty about the future is always hard to deal with, however with God everything is possible, we can have certainty that He has great plans for us and that He will guide us and that He cares for us.

 

Encouragement From Claire & Nik

We prayed with Claire and Nik from Christ Central, Redhill and they were really inspirational and shared a couple of their thoughts that they felt God was saying to us at this time.

For Sassi

God is pleased with you. It is important that you finish your current job well, God still has exciting plans with you right now, right here. Don’t focus too much on the future for now but still live in the present. The next stage of life is going to be more peaceful. You will not need to work for the approval of others, peace is coming.

For Nick

This is an exciting time for you. God will use your giftings, this is a time when you will start stepping out and you will do this just by being you. You will know what to say and will not need to worry or feel pressured.

For us

This is a time when God will teach us more things, we will experience and see things. This is a time for us to prosper and not to be harmed. We need to relax and not to organise too much. We need to take time to relax and be at peace.

 

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