Treasure Hunt

"Skilful and godly Wisdom is more precious than rubies; and nothing you can wish for is to be compared to her." Proverbs 3:15

I have discovered treasure!  Not just any treasure, I found the PRINCIPLE treasure of all treasures that is guaranteed to KEEP a person ENRICHED, every single day, for as long as they draw breath!

It's the WISDOM OF GOD, and the more I dig into this treasure, the more wealth I discover, and it makes me want to burst with excitement and joy!  I know it will keep me ahead in all God has for me and above every challenge and obstacle that comes my way!   

I feel a little like the person who was inspired to write Psalm 103:2, who wrote, "Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits—....".   The Word of God, which IS HIS WISDOM, has ENDLESS BENEFITS when we give ourselves to it and let it live richly in our hearts.  That's what Colossians 3:16 says, "Let the word [spoken by] Christ (the Messiah) have its HOME [IN YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS ] and DWELL IN YOU IN [all its] RICHNESS ."

YOUR WORD IS A LIGHT UNTO MY PATH 

One of the many benefits of the Wisdom of God, is its ability to shine light on our path of life.  In fact, it's all the light we will ever need, especially when we charter new ground, or need direction where there just seems to be no possible way to go.  Where others see a blank wall of impossibility, God shows us a highway of opportunity!  What really impresses me, is  how God's Wisdom isn't just there for the BIG decisions, it's a light for every choice we make from the moment we wake in the morning, till we lay our heads down at night.  Actually, even in the wee hours of the morning, when our minds are assaulted with fearful thoughts, God's wisdom teaches us to shut the door to those voices and immediately find our shelter in Him.  

JOIN THE TREASURE HUNT!

Now, I have found Psalm 119 to be a wonderful contribution to the treasure of God's Word. It's overflowing with exquisite wealth for our every day lives.  

I began to feast my heart and mind on it's jewels, and found its wisdom delightful!  It is a rather lengthy Psalm, overflowing with riches.  So,  this letter alone will never be able to contain all the discoveries I've found.  Instead, I thought I could entice you, dear reader, to find one specific gem amongst its many, and share what the Holy Spirit has revealed to you about it.  I would just love to hear what He imparts to you.  Most importantly, it's important that you record what He tells you, because it not only solidifies and establishes itself more securely inside you when you do so, it becomes a point of reference for the future - when you need to be reminded of its truth.  If you don't mind sharing, I'd love to read it too, just post it on the blog site, under this letter.  

My prayer, is that the Holy Spirit - the author of this treasure, will reveal its magnificence to you and cause it to dwell in your heart and produce the finest, most exquisite character and nature in you, a perfect reflection of the person of Jesus. 

WHERE TO BEGIN?

You can, of course, start anywhere you like, and use any translation you fancy.   My favourite is the Amplified version, and I'm going to start at the very beginning, just to whet your appetite and get you hooked into digging deeper and further into this glorious Psalm yourself.  

YOUR WORD IS YOUR WILL REVEALED TO MY HEART, AND I DEPEND ON IT.

Psalm 119:1, "BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, to be envied) are the undefiled (the upright, truly sincere, and blameless) in the way [of THE REVEALED WILL of God], who walk (order their conduct and conversation) in the law of the Lord (the whole of God’s REVEALED WILL).  Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are they who keep His testimonies, and who SEEK, INQUIRE for and of Him and CRAVE Him with the whole heart."

So, this is what was on my heart when I dug a little deeper into this treasure:  I really believe that being truly sincere about living each moment in our day- God's way, will cause us to be blessed and favoured beyond measure.  But this way of life isn't a mechanical or religious ritual, based on performance or fear of failing to meet the mark.  Instead, it's knowing that to walk in God's perfect, REVEALED WILL, has everything to do with our DEPENDENCE on Him.  To SEEK Him, INQUIRE of Him and CRAVE Him with the WHOLE HEART.

This reminds me of Deuteronomy 30:19 & 20, where it says, "...therefore CHOOSE LIFE , that you and your descendants may live, and may LOVE the Lord your God, OBEY His voice, and CLING to Him. For He is your life and the length of your days, that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

As we hold fast to the Lord, and look into His Word, through His eyes, with His perspective, He REVEALS its truth to us.  Now it moves from being instructions or impressive ideas, to intimate, personal training and guiding of our hearts and attitudes. UNDERSTANDING His ways begins when our hearts and attitudes are influenced by His Words, and that brings change in our actions.  Instead of reacting to circumstances, or doing things our way, we willingly, do things His way (obedience).

And that's where HIS WILL becomes IMPRINTED on our HEARTS.  It's not just wise teachings but something we have made our own, tested and proven to be true. 

OBEYING God's REVEALED will, not just causes us to live in His promises, it has the power to save us from all doubt and fear, and KEEPS us in a place of favour and blessing.  James 1:21-22 says it this way, "So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit RECEIVE and WELCOME the WORD which IMPLANTED and ROOTED [in your HEARTS] contains the POWER to SAVE your SOULS.  But BE  DOERS of the WORD [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth]."

So, this is how God's will becomes a natural way for us to live.  We WELCOME and RECEIVE it into our hearts, and allow it to INFLUENCE our attitudes, words and actions - which are tell-tale signs of what is dominating our hearts.  Then, we begin to EXPERIENCE the BENEFITS of the Word we have given ourselves willingly, and wholeheartedly to. That's how we LIVE blessed and ENRICHED, one glorious day at a time.

Enjoy your treasure hunt....and share your precious jewels with us....happy digging!

Much love,

Jenny

Separated From to be Separated To

Hello everyone!

The other morning I woke up before my alarm clock...don't you just love it when that happens!  To be honest, the night before, I wasn't feeling so bright, and had thought it might be good to give myself a little extra sleep in the morning, so I planned to wake up a little later than usual.  But, in spite of my intentions, I awoke bright and early with a song on my heart!  Extra bonus!!  The worship song by Hillsong Worship, called, "What a Beautiful Name", was playing over and over in my mind.  So, lying there with eyes half open, enjoying my private worship session, I suddenly remembered that I had planned to sleep in a little longer...and the tug-of-war began.  But not for long, because as clear as ever, I felt the Lord whisper in my spirit, "Come be with Me."  Well, that immediately got me to my feet and out the door, eager to sit at His feet and hear what was on His heart for me.

You see, over the past couple of years, our lives, as a family and ministry, have taken on some significant changes.  My husband is by far the visionary out of the two of us, and over the 25 years of being together, I have learnt to trust and follow His lead.  Oh my, the series of changes that have been taking place have been so huge and a touch out of my comfort zone, that I have found myself, on many occasions, overwhelmed by them.  When you follow the call of God, especially into new, unknown territory - there are moments where you feel isolated and alone, unsure of just about everything.  Consequently, I have more than often, been in need of alone time with the Lord, seeking His reassurance and clinging to His instructions for my very 'next step'.  With my natural eyes, that 'next step' can be pretty difficult to see, so having Him shine light on my path, is essential to me.  It's those seemingly 'little' instructions that I cling to with my whole heart and swiftly obey.  They are like rays of light and hope, showing the way for me to step, when everything around me feels so unfamiliar.

So when I hear Him so clearly, and lovingly call me to come away and be SEPARATE, alone with Him, ....wild horses won't keep me back!

You may be able to relate to my experience,  needing alone time with the Lord too.  The thing is, with lives that are so busy with pressing demands and distractions - how do we ever find ourselves not being caught up in it all?  How do we get to a place where the effects of the world around us don't influence us to become cynical and overwhelmed, clouding our better judgement about the choices we need to make to remain in God's perfect will for our lives?  Well, I believe John 17:17, has the answer!  Jesus was talking to the Father about those who would receive and believe in Him, once He physically left the earth.  Yip, that would be us.  In His conversation with the Father, He discusses the very predicament of us being in a world that we are clearly not supposed to conform to, or have our minds contaminated and influenced by its decaying, degenerative ways. Then He prays: "Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, SEPARATE THEM FOR YOURSELF , make them holy] BY THE TRUTH; YOUR WORD IS TRUTH."

When we became born again, the Bible says we were spiritually SEPARATED FROM the Kingdom of darkness and SEPARATED TO the kingdom of light.  Now, even though we are spiritually separated from death, physically and mentally we can be pretty close to saturated with it.  We can be born again in our spirits, but living in poverty, sickness, worry and fear in every other area of our lives.  In fact, we look just like everyone else in the world, upset and confused and affected by the things around us.

But Jesus said it's the Word of truth that has the power to SEPARATE us From those negative effects, even though we are living in the midst of them.  It has the power to constantly wash away the mindset of anxiety, sickness, fear, hatred and all those dark, negative thoughts that have become second nature to us, like an old habit.

I read a powerful message by Kenneth Copeland on this very thing, and what excited me so much, is coming up next!

The Word of Truth not only cleanses and separates us from the negative influences of the World, it SEPARATES US TO THE THINGS OF GOD!  Listen to this wisdom, "You can't simply separate yourself from any old destructive habit without separating yourself unto something else...that is stronger."  I just love that!  The Word of God is full of wisdom and life and peace.  It brings joy and hope.  The more attention we give it, the more it produces the powerful force of faith in our lives - faith to believe and overcome!

It's so easy to fall in love with God's Word.  It's so easy to become addicted to its peace.  And when it comes alive inside of us - there is nothing in this world that can compare to the way it makes us feel inside, or the way it goes to work for us outside - in our circumstances.

So, why put it off a moment longer?  Make a choice to put the Word of Truth first place in your life. Let it become your place of safety and the shelter from the storms of life that threaten to steal your peace.  Let its wisdom become what you love most in this life, because it will always cause you to triumph.  And most of all, let it show you the true character and absolutely beautiful nature of your God, Who loves you completely and cares more about you than you realise.  He has already provided a way of prosperity and a life well worth living for you.  When everything around you makes no sense, HIS WORD IS TRUTH, and it has the power to SEPARATE YOU FROM the gloom of despair and SEPARATE YOU TO the freedom and victorious joy of the Lord!

Love you dearly,

Jenny

No Drifting Away

Hello everyone,

We are certainly living in exciting times aren't we!  Did you notice how nothing is really as it seems? This world can be unpredictable and full of so many inconsistencies. But there is something that is constant and secure and will always produce and provide exactly what it has promised - the irrevocable Word of God!

Oh my, have I ever been learning to place my trust in its wisdom and hold on fast to its promises!  Without the Word of God to stand on, what do we have that is lasting and never changing, right?  That's why today, I want to talk to you about never letting go of the trust you have in God's eternal Word.  No matter what life throws at us, or how people disappoint us, when our hope is fixed and secure in the truth of God's Word, we will always stand strong and anchored.

So, if you have been tempted to let your time in the Word take a little bit of a back seat in order to accommodate the busy schedule you have going on in your life -  DON'T DO IT!

Look at what the Bible tells us in the book of Hebrews 2:1, " Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away."(NKJ).   I particularly enjoy the version from the Message Bible: "It's crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we've heard so that we don't drift off."

Two things stand out to me from this verse: FIRSTLY, we are urged to increase our attention to the Word of God, and keep a firm grip on what it teaches us.   And SECONDLY, if we don't prioritise God's Word in our lives, we will drift away.   Drift away from what?  Drift away from the very truth that has the power to keep our hearts and minds anchored and steadfast in peace and joy and well being, that's what!

Hebrews 4:11 gives us the same warning, just in different words, "Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience."  Look at how the message translation puts it: "So let's keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience."

I do think the Amplified version is still my favourite though, it says, "Let us therefore be zealous and exert ourselves and strive diligently to enter that rest [of God, to know and experience it for ourselves], that no one may fall or perish by the same kind of unbelief and disobedience [into which those in the wilderness fell]."

When we decide to labour or be diligent or be zealous and exert ourselves, to enter that place of rest, it doesn't mean physically working or even struggling to get God to do something.  It means not being casual about the Word.  It means spending time with God, in His Word as a priority and a vital necessity for our lives.  We must consistently pay attention to God's wisdom and do what it says we should do, while holding securely onto His promises.  The Bible says that by doing this, we will enter a place of REST.   The rest the Word is talking about, is a place of absolute confidence and peace, where we have no doubt that the Lord will do exactly what He has promised to do.  We don't worry, doubt or fret over anything, because we are securely rooted in Him, placing our trust in what His Word says.  And oh the peace and joy that floods our souls when we have this awesome assurance!  We are His and He is completely in control - because we have His Word on it!

Let me tell you, unless we are being diligent in spending time with the Lord in His Word, that kind of confidence is not there.  You can 'fake' it as much as you like, you can speak like someone who is filled with faith, but when you are all alone, facing your mountain or giant - without God's Word living strong on the inside of you - that confidence is nowhere to be seen.  Why?  Because the only way true REST comes, is by you finding it, every day, in the Word of God that the Holy Spirit has made life to you.  It's a supernatural principle that has been tested and proven to be true.  In fact, I have come to the place where I will stake my life on it.  To stop from slipping or drifting away into worry, uncertainty and unbelief, anchor your soul to the Word of God.  Do everything in your power to turn up your devotion to it and that strong, quiet confidence, that comes from spending time in God's presence, will guard your mind and keep you steadfast and secure, regardless of what is happening around you.

Hebrews 4:11 warns us to not become like the Israelites of old, who refused to trust God.  Their unbelief caused them to die out in the wilderness and not enter the promised land.  Only those who chose to hold onto God's promises and believe that He would do exactly what He had promised, walked in the fullness of those promises.

This week, let's become a little more purposeful about spending time with the Lord and dig a little deeper into the life and truth He has for us in His Word.  I guarantee we won't regret it for a moment, and drifting away into thoughts of worry and unbelief, will be the furthest thing on our minds!

Much love,

Jenny

The Fragrance of Knowing God

Hello everyone,

I love hearing the truth of God's Word preached by men and women who speak the truth of the Word from the conviction of their hearts.  What makes their ministry so powerful, is the fact they speak of the Lord from what they have personally found to be true about Him, fuelled from their time spent in His Word.  When they speak from that conviction, you can literally feel the life and faith of God moving all over you, rising up inside of your heart, causing you to overflow with peace and joy!

What I'm trying to say is, when we spend quality time in the Word of God, and begin to dig a little deeper into understanding its truth, something remarkable happens! We fill ourselves with the wonderful knowledge of Who God is!  And as the Holy Spirit makes this knowledge real to us, we begin to experience the person of Christ in a way that touches us to the core and forever marks our lives. In fact, that knowledge becomes significantly evident to those who come into contact with us too.  The Bible says we begin to carry a fragrance that is noticeable to all! It's called the FRAGRANCE of the KNOWLEDGE of GOD, and it carries the very tangible life-force and power of God Himself!

2 Corinthians 2:14, says, "But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ’s victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere,"

I must say, as I looked into this verse and began exploring its depths, a ripple of excitement and a deep familiar warmth began to well up inside of me.  I was reminded once again that the essence of our Christian faith has everything to do with getting to know and experience the reality of Who God is.  You see, according to this scripture, the way we live in victory in this life has everything to do with KNOWING GOD.  And the very best way to know Him, is to KNOW HIM IN HIS WORD!

Scripture teaches us in 1 John 1, that JESUS IS THE WORD OF LIFE.  The Spirit of Christ is alive in His written Word.  The same fragrance of the presence of the Holy Spirit we experience when we know Him and sense Him in our lives is found when we open our hearts to His written Word.

 Let me show you what I found to support this when I began to study 2 Tim. 3:16.  It says that, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God..."

The word inspiration in the Greek translation is very powerful when you understand what it means!  It comes from the Greek word that in one sense portrays a dynamic movement or waft of air.  It's a compound word made up of theos, meaning God and pneuma which carries a profound list of meanings, such as, life-force, energy and power.  So the word inspiration communicates a dynamic movement of the life-force, energy and power of God.  It can be translated to breathe, emit a fragrance, or a sound blown through a wind instrument.  This word is used to describe the great, creative life-force of God that created the world and everything living as well as the power to sustain it.

Greek scholar, Rick Renner explains how together, these words literally mean, God breathed.  It gives a picture of God breathing or emitting His substance into something, like a powerful, life-giving fragrance or sound.  So like a musician plays an instrument to create a distinct sound or a perfumer creates a perfume with a distinct fragrance, The Holy Spirit breathed on the people who wrote the scriptures, they became the vessels that expressed the essence of Who God is, His heart and His will, and recorded it on paper. In essence, the Word of God carries the sound and fragrance of Himself.  They were the writers, the instruments or vessels and God Himself, was the musician and perfumer that blew His essence in and through them, into the very words that represent Him.

Let's pull this all together now. As we spend quality time, renewing our minds to the Word of God, we are in fact, receiving and taking in His very fragrance - the life force and essence of who He is.  One name the Bible gives that life-force is FAITH.  And it's faith in God and His Word that not only brings personal comfort and strength, it also always leads us into victory.  As a result, no matter what trial we may go through, that very fragrance of the knowledge of God (the essence of Who God is and the pure faith we have in Him and His Word), becomes undeniably and unmistakably evident in us.

When people see what we have come through, they are amazed.  Instead of seeing someone burnt out, stressed or broken by the trials of life, they see the goodness and kindness and mercy of God.  Your peace and inner strength is the fragrance of knowing God and it's very evident!  It's spread in and through you, touching everyone you meet.

Jesus promised that if we choose to open our hearts to His Word, we will find Him in it, and we will always carry His fragrance and be led into victory!

Take time this week to know the person of Jesus in His Word, and carry His fragrance with you.  Meditate on this promise, and let Him lead you to a fresh revelation of Who He is.  John 14:21, "The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]"

Love Jen

Confidence - a Beautiful Benefit

Do you know how powerful God's Word is? The more I acquaint myself with it, I realise the repercussions of putting it first place and making it the final authority of my life.  I'm beginning to understand what God has intended for those who have chosen to delight in and devote themselves to abiding in and continuing in His Word and doing what it says to do.  If I had to write down all the benefits and consequences of treasuring and obeying God's Word, this letter would never end.  So I'm going to scratch the surface of this glorious truth that has and continues to become a precious revelation to me, with the full expectation to see your enthusiasm and devotion towards it grow fuller and stronger too.

There is a beautiful CONFIDENCE we receive when we put the truth of God's Word first place in our lives.  In 1 John 3:21-22, it says, "And, beloved, if our consciences (our hearts) do not accuse us [if they do not make us feel guilty and condemn us], we have CONFIDENCE (complete assurance and boldness) before God, And we receive from Him whatever we ask, because we [watchfully] obey His orders [observe His suggestions and injunctions, follow His plan for us] and [habitually] practice what is pleasing to Him."

As children of God, our spirits have been born again into the image of Jesus Christ.  We are new creations in Christ, full of His Spirit of life and love and power!  Because we are children of light, it only makes sense that we walk and live our every day lives in that light right?

What does that mean? Well, I read a phrase once that said, "...you should walk in obedience to the light you have."  In other words, when we have spent time in God's Word, and the Holy Spirit has revealed its truth to us, and we decide to receive and believe it - it's important that we go ahead and act on that truth by applying it to our lives.

When we do this, a CONFERENCE begins to rise up on the inside of us.  It's a confidence that comes from doing what we know is God's will for us, and that we will walk in the benefits of that obedience.  Here's a good way to explain this confidence: It's just like putting effort into learning about a particular product by reading and studying its manufacturer's manual.  The manual tells you how to apply the correct principles to the product in order to get the optimal potential and use from it.  Following its instructions gives you a confidence that as you apply the knowledge gained, you will get the results you are looking forward to.

The Word of God is our creator's manual for abundant, kingdom life!  It's filled with valuable principles that when applied, benefit us tremendously!  This particular verse in 1John 3:21,22, highlights the benefit of a CONFIDENCE in God!  It's a confidence that we will receive what we ask for, when we pray.

For a moment, let's take a look at what happens when we don't obey what we know is God's will for us, and we choose to walk in disobedience to His voice.  The Bible tells us that it's only a matter of time before our own hearts will start to condemn us.  I know you know what I'm talking about - I've experienced it myself.  Have you had times where you allowed your anger and frustration to get the better of you and you lashed out with words that hurt others?  Or maybe you did something that was dishonest or selfish, either way, you know that your heart will not let you off the hook about it, it will cause that uneasiness to tug at you until you do something about it.

The trouble is, if we continue to brush it aside and ignore it, when we come before the Lord in prayer, we find our thoughts being filled with doubt and fear, that keep our prayers from being answered.  That's what it means in John 3:21, when it says our hearts accuse and condemn us, making us feel guilty.  As a result, we loose our confidence in God answering our prayers, and in the Word doing what it says it will do.

Now I know that Romans 8:1 says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!  That's exactly right!   It's really important for us to read the whole part of that verse though, to keep it in accurate context.  It says, "THEREFORE, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit."  When we walk after the things of the Spirit, by living in obedience to the light or truth we have, our own hearts will not condemn us, and we will have a bold confidence to believe and trust God and His Word concerning us, particularly when we pray!

Gloria Copeland wrote this important piece of wisdom, "Remember this: Even though the eternal price for your sins has been paid, a life of disobedience will still cost you dearly.  It will cost you the boldness that is rightfully yours in Jesus.  It will rob you of faith and rock you with fear."

But living and abiding in God's Word and obeying the truth we have received from it, will cause us to walk in a wonderful confidence, filled with faith!  We won't  be filled with doubt and worry that our prayers won't be answered, or that the Word of God won't work for us.  No, we will be filled with confidence and faith that it will!  And when we lay our burdens at His feet, and pray His Word concerning them, we enter a place of confident rest in Him!  Knowing that what ever we have asked, being in line with His will, is exactly what we will receive!  And that's just one benefit of living obedient to God's Word!

Over the next few letters, we will take a look at some other wonderful benefits of putting God's Word first.   For this week, enjoy the confidence you have in God, by walking in the light He has given you!

All my love,

Jenny