Over this past three weeks we have explored the concept of the Observing Self and how we can use it and the Thinking Self to hear God's voice clearer and without distraction. In doing so, we have explored cognitive strategies to work with our thoughts including diffusion and mindfulness. However, not all of us are good at using thought based strategies to quieten our mind and instead find that visualization techniques are a more effective strategy. In our final week on this t

"When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul." Psalm 94:19 Don't we want to get quickly to the experience of Psalm 94:19 - where we hear God's consolations and experience the cheer of our souls? But it's not always that simple in practice, is it? I mean, have you ever found it difficult to fall asleep because you keep thinking about things? Maybe it was what happened at work that day, or a disagreement with a friend. Or perhaps it is thinking about th

Have you ever been spending time with God and instead of being able to focus on him, you find your mind wandering to other things. Often they are menial thoughts such as "What is for dinner?" or "when was the last time I did the washing?" Other times the thoughts can be more powerful and, on occasions, distressing - such as thinking about a past fight that you had with someone you love, or some form of conflict at work. In any case, instead of focusing on God, instead of bei

"For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God." (Romans 8:14) The Apostle Paul is clear - being God's child means being led by the Holy Spirit. Being fruitful and purposeful in our Christian life, and making a difference for all eternity, comes down to being led by the Holy Spirit. For our church this year, being led by the Holy Spirit is not optional - being led by the Holy Spirit is essential to our growth and effectiveness. I made this point in the pr

"I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." (Ps 121:1–2) Where do you go, most naturally and quickly, for help? Whether it's wisdom for a decision or direction you are not sure about, or provision when you're in need, or power when you need breakthrough...where does your heart quickly go to for help? The truth is, if we're honest, that our hearts quickly go to all sorts of places. Some of them

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6, NIV What causes you to give up? It depends on what we're talking about, right! If it's doing endless loads of washing, maybe about 3 loads and I'm started to get fed up (soft, I know!) If it's reading a good book on a rich theological, biblical, or philosophical topic, maybe a few days and I'd probably

"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world." [Luke 2:1] You may be perplexed as to why I've quoted the verse above. Who cares about a census recorded by a long dead Roman Emperor. That's neither inspiring nor helpful to my life! I beg to differ, and I'd like to show you why. And it has allot to do with God calling us to lean into the doubts we have about Him. To clear out the clutter that doubt creates in our heart t

The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” [Mark 4:38] The disciples clearly didn't think Jesus cared in their moment of desperation. Let me set the scene we read in Mark 4: The boat is being pummeled by ferocious winds, waves whipped up and over the small sides of your vessel. The rain is pelting into your face and body, hitting you with the sting of rubber bullets. You are anxiously bucketing out the water in your boat, but it's a losing

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” [Revelation 21:5] Pain is a reality of life Ever experienced the unpleasant feeling of an exam result that was not what you wanted or expected? Or the upsetting news that someone you love is quite sick or needs time away from you at the moment? These are real experiences for all of us, and they are not isolated incidents in

"...as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our sins from us." [Ps 103:12] Ever missed the mark on your plans or intentions? Ever fallen short of a standard you've set yourself, or others have set you? Truth is, everyone is saying ‘yes’ right now. It's the unfortunate but universal human experience. The bible describes this human experience as sin, especially with respect to our plans before God and His standards for our lives (see Romans 3:23). As a word,

Vlog Blog Sometimes I find prayer quite difficult! It's not that I don't want to pray, although sometimes I lack strong desire. It's not that I don't know the power of prayer, for I've certainly had plenty of times where God has deeply encouraged me both in prayer and through His answers to my prayers. It's that, quite simply, I sometimes find myself frustratingly distracted as I start in prayer. Why? Because my inner world is, in a word, cluttered. I look at this picture of

These boys are poised below the basket, waiting either for the ball to drop through the hoop or rebound to one of them! #5 has got a mixture of lazer-focus and excited anticipation on his face. Is that how you come before God in prayer? As we prepare for Christmas this year, I've been doing a series of short encouragements for us to go to prayer in preparation. You may think that the above contrast with prayer is a little bit of a long bow. But it gets you thinking - what is

Last week, I encouraged us to pray in preparation for encountering Jesus afresh this Christmas, and helping others to do likewise. But you may or may not have found that a particularly exciting or easy prospect. The truth is, prayer can be quite difficult to practice with confidence and meaning, especially on our own. This is why I love getting together with others to pray! But as I noted last week, Jesus modeled a life of personal prayer, and took time to be with the Father

Christmas is coming up. How can you and I prepare our hearts to freshly encounter Jesus this Christmas and help others in our world who have yet to for themselves? Prayer When it comes to preparing for anything, as believers, prayer is our essential starting place. This Christmas season, I want to encourage you to reserve some extra space in your week for prayer. I have been increasingly exercised by God to be growing in my prayer life. Which means carving out more time than