Pastors Blog

Peter was a live-wire, no doubt about that – never a dull moment with him around! He is a great encouragement to us. He reminds us that Jesus takes and uses each one of us for His glory even though there are times when we get it wrong. Jesus works with us in our weaknesses. He wants to bring out the gold in us. He is constantly encouraging us up and into the fullness that is ours through Him.

In Mark 8 we see Jesus asking His disciples who they thought He was (v29). Peter rightly declares that Jesus is the Messiah. This revelation had come to Peter from God. Peter was seeing things through Kingdom eyes. A few verses later we see Peter taking Jesus aside to reprimand Him for saying that He would be killed and would rise again. Jesus then brought a reprimand of His own to Peter, “Get away from me, Satan! You are seeing things from a merely human point of view, not from God’s.”

This seems harsh on Peter who, I’m sure, was only doing what he thought was best for His beloved Jesus. But it does teach us more about how we need to ‘see’. One moment Peter was seeing things from God’s point of view (the “Messiah” comment), and the next minute he was being reprimanded for lining up with the dark side!

We are a called-out Kingdom people who have the Spirit of God dwelling in us. We have all that we need to enable us to see from God’s point of view in any and every situation. We have His word in our hands, prophecy in our ears and His Spirit in our hearts. We have the choice of crashing on through life’s circumstances and crises with a “merely human point of view” (and apparently Satan is cool with that) or we can lay hold of our access to God’s point of view. On our journey of transformation, it can sometimes be the case that our initial default response to things can be the human, not Godly, perspective. We need to slow down, give ourselves time to ask Abba, “So what’s your perspective on this Daddy?”  And the more we practise asking and listening, the more we will think, speak, act in a Godly way. This brings transformation to our lives, and the lives of those around us, as the purpose and presence of God is released in us and through us.

How good it was to have Giles, Ally & Lee over from Bath for E4 last night. Thanks also to Juliet and the prophecy team for making it happen. How amazing it was to hear the flow of ’spot-on’ encouraging words over people. It’s made me eager again to go through the words spoken over me, and to consistently make them a key part of my prayer and devotions. If you weren’t able to make it, I strongly recommend that you listen to the recording.

We thank God that our relationship with Him is a living one where He wants to communicate with us. There is a strong prophetic anointing on us as a church family. We are seeing an increased release of this, and must continue to encourage more of it. To increasingly focus our minds on what God says to us, and to dwell in the reality of those words. It is part of increasing faith. As we hear and believe what God says, His will is manifest among us.

So, as the notice on the door at Fynamore says, “do not hold back”. Eagerly desire a prophetic gift, and be prepared to risk using it more and more. Only you can exercise the gift within you. Giles and Ally are very experienced in it, but had to start somewhere, and over the years have developed the gift. In addition, capture and value the words of prophecy that are spoken over you. More Lord!

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. James 1:22-24

So, I thought that Relational Sunday (RS) was a success. Great to hear testimonies from those who found that they connected with people that they don’t normally get to speak to. I would value any more feedback that you are willing to give. Was also encouraged that some folk visited Dayspring  in the morning, whilst others really valued a chilled morning at home with the family.

The next RS is in the diary for 6th March. Haven’t nailed down exactly what we’ll do yet, so feel free to make some suggestions.

Annette left on her mission trip to India this morning. She is the latest “golden strand to the nations” to blaze a trail oversees. I’ve asked her to keep us informed of what she’s up to, if at all possible. I’m sure she’d be glad of your continued prayers whilst she is away. Pray that Annette will know His presence and power in her, and flowing from her as she ministers.

I was thinking about “faith” again this morning and just asking the Lord to increase it in me. To be able to see what He sees and to view from His perspective in every area of life. Not to have areas that are faithless. Pressing in to that is a living, dynamic & challenging journey. It involves risk. I was reminded this morning that you often hear great men/women of God say that faith is spelt R, I, S, K. I asked myself the question; have I felt as if I’ve taken any spiritual risk recently? Have I stepped out in faith in a way that has extended me and taken me outside of my normal, comfortable place? The answer for me (as usual) is, yes, but hungry for more .

So I had another read of Hebrews 11. Wow! You read it, and I think you’ll see a overwhelming pattern of risk and comfort-zone extension! What about those nutters who marched round Jericho for 7 days! All, of course, were responding to the voice of God and being obedient to what He had said. Which reminds us that to live by faith, we need to be listening to God. This, in turn, reminds us that we need to make space to listen to God .

My study Bible notes say that to live by faith means that, in our various circumstances, we live out our belief “that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.” (Heb 11:6). Those who live by faith take confident action based on what God has revealed about His character, seeking to do His will in all things.

As with all gifts, there is a partnership between us and God. He gives it, we have to exercise it. Lord, thank you for the gift of faith. Please increase it in us all.

Here are some thoughts from Claire Gwyer on declaring God’s truth:

“I was thinking about this yesterday, that I had the mind of Christ but also mine and being double minded and such. I was thinking about it whilst washing up, the cup had some tea in it and as the water poured into the cup the tea was diluted until it was clean water and I felt like God said that this is a picture of what happens to us as we let the Holy Spirit wash our thoughts. Later thought –  washing of the Word. Claire.”

And a dream that Brandon had recently. It lines up with other words, particularly the one from Colin, that we have received. It would indicate that  harvest time is coming! It is already here of course, but I believe it will increase:

“So you have asked me to mail you the dream I had a little while ago that I told you about so here goes
I had the dream on the eve of 31-12-10/01-01-11 in the twilight hours as the new year was being birthed!lol
In the dream I saw a steady constant stream of people coming into the church.
In the dream my point of view was from just above the door on the outside of the building, the position and location and point of view you would expect from a cctv camera if you know what I mean?
My scope of view was restricted so i could only just see the area directly infront of the door and from there what I could see was a steady constant stream of people calmly purposefully entering the church, it did not seem that there was any end to the stream of people as I kept expecting to see the back end of the influx of people however this was not the case as the stream was constant and steady.
Their faces were solemn stern and lifeless.
It was as though they were being brought there almost unknowingly
They were somewhat unaware of what they were entering into, but somehow knowing that they needed to go/be in there.
The compulsion that brought them there was underlying like a magnetic force. Brandon.”

Be free to pray into these words and dreams.

Declarations about Jesus also help us to keep our eyes fixed on Him and have our minds renewed in His truth. I’ve got these on the wall of my study:

Jesus:

is my redeemer, is the anointed,  loves me, is joy, makes me complete, is my strength, is full of mercy, is Saviour of the world, is interested in me, is holy, always has open arms, died for me, is Lord of lords, is full of grace, delights in me, is the way the truth and the life, causes me to bear good fruit, is kind and compassionate, accepts me how I am, doesn’t criticise me, is proud of me, is slow to anger, is the Messiah, is my helper, provides for me, is perfect, is trustworthy, protects me, is King of kings, establishes me, is never too busy for me, is the bridegroom, is the potter, gives me a sound mind, is my healer, sets my feet upon a rock, gives me faith to believe for more, is my righteousness, is my Saviour.

Making declarations of God’s truth is not a new idea. It’s been going on ever since the beginning of the church. It is simply about hearing, believing and owning (this is real for me and I will hold on to it at all costs) God’s word. In Philippians 4:13 Paul says, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” That’s a declaration that Paul made, that we have heard, that we believe and own. Living in the light and power of it changes us and our behaviour. We become less fearful, cautious and self-depreciating because we take this word to our hearts and minds. For those of you that haven’t checked out the LDP material, here are some of the declarations from that:

1. My prayers are powerful and effective (2 Cor 5:21; James 5:16b).

2. God richly supplies all my financial needs (Phil 4:19).

3. I am dead to sin and alive to obeying God (Romans 6:11).

4. I walk in ever-increasing health (Isaiah 53:3-5; Psalms 103:1-3).

5. I live under a supernatural protection (Ps 91).

6. I prosper in all my relationships (Luke 2:52).

7. I consistently bring God encounters to other people (Mark 16:17,18)

8. Through Jesus I am 100% loved and worthy to receive all of God’s

blessings (Gal 3:1-5).

9. Each of my family members is wonderfully blessed and radically loves

Jesus (Acts 16:30.31).

10. I uproariously laugh when I hear a lie from the devil (Psalms 2:2-4).

These statements are based on what God says in His word. We are hungry to live lives that increasingly display the glory of God. By choosing to believe and own what He says as the way things are (faith), our lives and experience will rise to become more Christlike. Of course, this all flows from a living intimate relationship to God – it’s simply us choosing to let Him out from within us. More about submitting and trusting than trying and striving.

Really enjoyed yesterday morning. I believe that God is shaping us. Great to hear the testimonies of healing and of people sharing Christ with those they meet. More please!

Let’s keep on stepping out of our comfort zones as we walk in love and in the Spirit.

I mentioned last Sunday that I felt the Lord had said to me that my brain was going to be rewired. This lines up with what Paul says in Romans 12:2, Do not conform any longer to pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. The Amplified version puts it like this: Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude].

 1 Corinthians 2:16 tells us that we have the mind of Christ. The amplified again: But we do have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart. So we have it – the mind of Christ. The option of thinking as He does, and therefore seeing transformation in us and those around us. Bill Johnson says that we cannot afford to have any thought about ourselves that is not what God thinks about us. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

This is a challenge area for us all. I know that sometimes the things that are whirling around in my head are way-off what God thinks. I recognise that this kind of  thinking never does me any good. These thoughts may relate to my opinion of self or my expectation of what God can do. Because the thoughts/attitudes are not based on God’s ultimate truth, they result in a limitation of my freedom and flourishing. I find that the opposite is also true – when I believe God and think from His perspective, I see and experience a flow of life that feels like His freedom. I believe we need to do more than just stop wrong thinking, we have to replace it with right thinking. Neutral thoughts or non-thinking is not enough. Faith takes God at His word, declaring it to be true, and lives from it. When the disciples understandably freaked out in the storm, Jesus sorted it and asks them “Where is your faith?” In other words – you’re not thinking and believing rightly.  I’m not saying that we should deny what we’re thinking or feeling and try to bury it – I’m not sure that’s healthy. Better, let’s bring the lies to the surface, and expose, renounce and replace them. Let’s press in and choose to think like Christ thinks – He is in us and we have that option – and we will see a change in our heart perspective and attitude. Declarations help us change our thinking. Some more on that next time.

Another great night last night at the E4School. Many thanks to Phil, Ron, Kathy, Roz, Jo & Simon for sharing with us. Great to hear the testimonies of how people are chatting the message of Jesus as they go about their daily business. We thank God for this, and pray for an increase in alertness and boldness for each of us to respond to the many opportunities we have to share the love of God.

As was said last night, there is no pressure on us to convert people – that’s God’s business. Our part is to ask the right questions, to plant seeds of truth and testimony in the power of the Spirit, and leave the rest to God. In 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul says: “I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.”

I love what Phil was saying last night about sharing the gospel from the inside out. This is so true with anything of God, of course. We want the streams of living water to flow from His deep well within us, not to be acting out of duty, performance or pressure to conform.

As Kathy said so well last night, this comes as we live lives of worship, thankfulness and awareness of His presence. As we cultivate intimacy with God, know Him more and get increased revelation of what He has done for us, it is inevitable that He will leak out of us to others. Thank God that this is happening among us!

Just a quickie to say that I believe a bit of a new season of blogging is bubbling up in me. I find it all a bit difficult to write just for the sake of it, and like to respond to what I feel is a living flow from within me. I prayed a couple of months ago that the Lord would make it painful for me if did things for approval, rather than in response to His flow in me. So, whilst recognising that there is always place for discipline and habit, no matter how you feel, I do want this blog to be about a genuine flow of what God wants to say, rather than words just words for the sake of it because I’m expected to. Happy days .

So, here are a few gems that I found again whilst clearing out my text inbox. Sent to me by a very good friend and brother.

“Hey Dave. I was reading ’The Supernatural Ways of Royalty’ last night, and a couple of the statements mentioned were really simple but profound:

- Revelation does not come to make us smarter or to give us better doctrinal statements. Revelation is first intended to launch us into divine encounters. If revelation does not lead us to divine encounters, it only works to make us more religious & arrogant, because the nature of knowledge puffs up 1 Cor 8:1. If we have knowledge without an encounter, our pride can actually prohibit us from encountering God.

- Revelation that does lead us to divine encounter will bring breakthrough that causes a personal transformation. Revelation is the key to spiritual growth because it takes us where we cannot go ourselves. We experience ‘encounters’ because we need ‘signs’ in order to get us to where we’ve not been before. I don’t need signs for travelling familiar roads, but I need signs for where I’ve never been.” 

Fantastic stuff!

We have entered a great season where abundant revelation is on offer. Are we open to see it, receive it, experience and live it? I do hope so. Open our hearts and minds Lord, to be landing pads of Your truth and glory.

So….camping on Dartmoor this weekend. Seemed like a good idea at the time – great time with the guys, pub and youth hostel Fri night, full english Saturday morning before striding out across the sunny moors and camping under the stars etc, etc, etc. Then the frost comes…and you begin to think about how much cold you can handle….and then you see the forecast of a swathe of heavy rain sweeping the country…and you begin to wonder how it feels when wet clothes freeze to your body. In the beginning our thinking was dominated by good news/expectations/plans. The pragmatic reality of the challenge has crept in as we get nearer to the event. Would it be easier and more comfortable to stay at home? You bet. And increasingly appealing it is too. But we’re going to go for it. And we WILL have a fantastic, challenging and stimulating adventure. There will be great experiences that we’ll never forget and exciting stories to tell.

SometimesUsually our walk with God is like that. In the comfort of the Christian conference, church service or our quiet time with God, anything seems possible (which it is, of course).  Surrendering everything to him, sharing the gospel, praying for healing are exciting and appealing. But as you approach the outworking, it suddenly appears more challenging than you remembered it feeling as you bounded to the front for prayer to be a history maker. Suddenly, the thought of stopping and praying for someone seems like a mountain too high. It’s easier and more comfortable to ‘stay at home’. What stops us? Fear usually. Fear of being rejected, looking stupid, being laughed at can suddenly trump what we thought God was asking us to do and we ‘stay at home’. That devil fear is a snare and will keep us caged in and contained in mediocrity if we let it.

I prayed for a Christian’s healing the other day when I met them whilst out walking. They were standing with a group of their non-Christian friends. I waited till the friends had wandered off before I laid on hands and prayed. Sensible and reasonable (cos I might freak them out and put them off Jesus) or the result of fear? I think I know which it was. God’s kingdom will increasingly come and His will increasingly be done in us and through us as we overcome our fear by our faith in what God says and who we are in Him. When, by His Spirit, His love so overwhelmes us that it trumps the fear. We are transformed as our minds are renewed - when we believe God so much that we no longer ‘stay at home’ but step out and take a risk. That too will be a fantastic, challenging and stimulating adventure. There will be great experiences that we’ll never forget and exciting stories to tell. Praise God it is happening and will continue to increase.