All Good Things Must Come To An End {Summer Holidays}

^{Micah 6v8 {NIV} 8} He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Summer Holidays are over. Up early to greet the day... asking God for inspiration for this New Year at work, inspiration for the day. He is SO good. What a great verse. What does he require of me? Simple! To act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with my God.

hum·ble –adjective

not proud or arrogant; modest: to be humble although successful.

having a feeling of insignificance, inferiority, subservience,etc.: In the presence of so many world-famous writers I felt very humble.

low in rank, importance, status, quality, etc.; lowly: of humble origin; a humble home.

courteously respectful: In my humble opinion you are wrong.

low in height, level, etc.; small in size: a humble member ofthe galaxy.

I love that the dictionary describes humility as not being proud or arrogant, although you may be successful. God says we are the head and not the tail. We are above and not beneath. Humility is not being walked all over and "less than anyone". It's merely the ability to be the best, the head, the most successful, BLESSED and boast in God. I think when you boast in God you can't help but be humble (courteous and respectful, like the definition says) because you're giving him the glory. You can't do it on your own.

She Values The Sisterhood She's Been Born Into {Part Two}

{Part Two}

Continuing on from Part One Ps Bobbie talks more about Sisterhood and being covenant sisters.

Covenant Sisters:

4. Desire the best for one another.

To desire the best for one another is a little bit different than just believing in each other. To desire the best for one another is being christ like. Proverbs 31v9 {NIV} 'Open your mouth...' Speak it out. Don't just think it. Encourage others! Intention is wonderful but intention in itself is not noble. It's only when you follow through on intention that is noble. Proverbs 11v14 {The Message} 'Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.'

5. Refuse to be difficult.

To refuse to do something is to first recognise it in yourself. Difficult is to be complex, exaggerated or complicated behaviour. It's good to ask yourself from time to time... if you are a bit high maintenance/ difficult or complicated. Who wants to do live with Lil Miss aggro/difficult/complex?? There is a place for misery but it can become tedious, we need to be sensitive to that but for the most part we need to be full of faith and joyful. Difficult team layer usually get overlooked, in the context of a Sport Team. Many are called and few are chosen. Why would that be? Because, you're being difficult! Don't make your misery a lifestyle. 1 Sam 1v2 {NIV} Talks about Peninnah...she taunted Hannah and she was difficult. The bible talks a lot about Hannah,she wasn't difficult.

Proverbs 22v15 {The Message} '...the cure comes through tough minded discipline.'

6. Are not best friend dependant.

We have to learn to draw strength upwards. It shouldn't matter if our bestie isn't there. Friends are GREAT and AWESOME but we should NEEEEEEEEEEEED God not our friends. It's great to have friends that you can draw from but our greatest strength should be drawn from God. Sometimes we can strangle the life out of our friendships cause we don't learn the difference between release and embrace. You can't be jealous of your friends, best friends becoming best friends with others etc... It will stop momentum and ruin what God wants to do.

Iron Gates: Ps Mark Francey

Acts 12 - Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison : ¹ It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. ² He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. ³ When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. ⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.⁶ The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. ⁷ Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. ⁸ Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. ⁹ Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.¹¹ Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.” ¹² When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.¹³ Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. ¹⁴When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!” ¹⁵ “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.” ¹⁶ But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. ¹⁷ Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.¹⁸ In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. ¹⁹ After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.

If I was alive when Jesus walked on the earth I would have wanted to ask him so SO many questions. The bible says that Jesus was such a respected Rabbi they wanted to know everything about him. So much so that they followed him everywhere... just gleaning and learning! It's interesting that of all the questions the disciples could have asked "Teach me how to turn water in to wine." "Show me how to get people to follow me." Out of ALL the things they could have asked they asked "Lord, teach us how to pray!" WOW! Even they realised then the power and weight of prayer.

Ps Mark talks about the above passage in the context that we all have Iron Gates in out lives that need to be broken. Peter's Iron Gate was his bondage in prison. He longed to be freed so the church prayed. In life we will come to gates that can only be opened by a sovereign hand. God himself laughs at impossible circumstances, Jesus said to Sarah at the thought that she was old and the possibility of her bearing a child seemed impossible."Is there anything too hard for the Lord?"

James 5-The Prayer of Faith :¹³ Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.¹⁷ Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. ¹⁸ Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.¹⁹ My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, ²⁰ remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

There are 4 Types of Prayer:

1. Personal Prayer: v13 "Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray."

Don't call your friends... Talk to God first. Our prayer life is connected to our bible reading. They go hand in hand. If you lack in one it's probably a sure bet you're lacking in the other.

Twitter: "Venting is having a conversation with others that God designed for you to have with him... Suffering?" #yougottapray Ps Mark Francey

2. Pastoral Prayer: v14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.

God honours authority.

Everyone needs a:

Pastor Paul- A Pastor you can go to. Someone in authority over you, to speak into your life.

Brother Barney- A friend. Someone to run alongside of. Speak into each other.

Timothy- Someone your pour into. If we eat and eat we will get fat... We need to give out. Build up others.

3. Partner Prayer: v16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

4. Passionate Prayer: v17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

Elijah was just like us,flawed and human. He knew though, how to pray earnestly and passionately. Passionate prayer changes the environment. The geographical climate was change by the fervent prayer of one man, Elijah. When you get together and pray something happens.

A praying church caused the chains to fall off. Acts 12v5 "So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him." Acts 12v7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

"God's words in your mouth are just as powerful as they are in his mouth." - Reinhard Bonnke