Category: Faith

Christian Media, Christian Radio, Christianity, Devotional, Evangelism, Faith, Healing, Hope

You are not a failure…

Posted on by David L'Herroux

Failure is part of life. I can tell you this from personal experience. From seeing dreams not fulfilled to making regretful mistakes, we all have the capacity to fail. But failure can also be a fundamental process, the ‘missing ingredient’ which helps to push us toward success.

When we fail at something, our natural instinct is often to feel ashamed and disappointed. We don’t like feeling degraded and humiliated, but this is where we need to shift our thinking. If we can begin to see failure not as the end but as part of a valuable process on the way to success, we can learn a great deal.

Proverbs 23:7 says: ‘As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.’ And this is so true!

The way we think about ourselves will determine our beliefs. Our beliefs will determine our expectations, our expectations will determine our attitudes, our attitudes will determine our behaviour, our behaviour will determine our performance. And our performance will determine who we become, which ultimately determines our destiny.

We need to make sure that failure is seen from the right perspective: as the greatest teacher and not as the greatest shame! The sooner we stop devaluing ourselves because of our failures, the easier it will be to turn them to our advantage.

I remember as a child on my first day at a new school, a teacher asked the class what we wanted to do when we grew up. When it was my turn, I told her I wanted to be a surgeon, and she laughed and said ‘Do you realise David, that is a lot of studying? I can’t see you doing it. I can see you emptying dust bins.’

For many years, those words affected my thoughts. I felt like a failure, and I thought to myself ‘What is the point in trying if I am not capable of achieving much?’

However, when I rededicated my life to the Lord when I was 18, everything changed! I discovered what God thought about me and that His Words could erase the past and delete all the harmful words that had impacted my life. I remember as if it was yesterday! God gave me a dream that although I was a porter/cleaner at that point, I could get to the boardroom. I remember saying these words: ‘How can this be?’

I had messed up my education and had no qualifications. And yet I soon learned that God’s Word had everything I needed to educate me for a successful life. God was able to reveal business principles to help me with my dreams, and years later, my dream became a reality, when in 1995 I was appointed to lead a discount chain of a major organisation.

Here is what I’ve learned in that journey!

  • Man’s labels must not affect what I think about myself. The only labels that should shape my thought process should be the label that God has put on me! He says that I am called, that I am qualified, that with His power and strength is at work in me, and that I can do great exploits for the kingdom
  • Beware of how you think about yourself. Never forget that when you are speaking, YOU are listening. Negative self-talk can be very destructive, especially after failure or if you’re struggling with the labels that people have put on you. Ask God to help you resist the thoughts that lead you to label yourself as useless and worthless. God thinks more highly of you than you will ever imagine.
  • Remember that disappointment is inevitable, but make sure that it doesn’t take over your life. Pick yourself up after any failure and allow your failures to become your greatest teacher.
  • Your past failures will shape your future if you allow it, and too often we allow our past mistakes to define us.  WELL DON’T! Even failure does not have to be fatal… failure can be your greatest teacher! If your past is a total failure, your future does not depend on it. God can turn your past mistakes into miracles, for your future depends not on what you’ve done but on what He’s done for you.

6
Christian Media, Christianity, Devotional, Evangelism, Faith, Forgiveness, Healing, Hope, Miracles, Spiritual healing

Is God your Facebook friend only? Or much more?

Posted on by David L'Herroux

A few days ago, we had a visitor to UCB, and as I walked into reception, a member of the team said to the guest: ‘This is David, do you know him?’

The guest said, ‘Yes, we are friends on Facebook.’

Later, I was thinking about this and realised that in many ways, for some of us this could be our main experience of God: we are ‘Facebook friends only.’ It might be that we have experienced Him in some way; we are acquaintances, but we are not in an intimate relationship with Him. We have lost our connection, and although we are still ‘friends’, He is not our confidant or the person we go to when we are in a storm.

As a young man, I used to cry out to God for a deeper relationship with Him, for an experience of His manifested presence. I wanted to know God in a deeper way. I wanted a visitation. It was frustrating waiting for that moment. But as I began to study the scriptures and seek God, I discovered something which blew my mind. You see, God’s manifested presence is already here!

In Genesis, we read the familiar story of Adam and Eve. God created these first humans to live daily in His presence in the garden of Eden. In the Hebrew language, ‘Eden’ refers to 3 words: spot, moment, presence. In other words, ‘The delightful spot on the earth where the manifested presence of God was an open door between heaven and earth.’

It is where God originally destined humans to exist. God created water for fish, air for birds, and for humans, He gave us His presence. Because it is in His presence that we discover true intimacy with God. It is the place where we are changed and where our situations, thinking, and the people around us are also transformed.

But as we know from Genesis, Lucifer did not like this. As a former angel himself, he too must have experienced the manifest presence and glory of God, but he wanted that glory for himself. He also knew just how powerful it was, and so he was on a mission to take it away from Adam and Eve. If he could somehow negotiate with them and persuade them (of their own will) to forsake the presence of God, he then knew that man would fail.

And we know that a decision made then by Adam and Eve had an impact on mankind for generations to come. But thank God that His original plan could not be thwarted or changed. Lucifer must have thought at the time ‘Ha! I have them now.’ But he was wrong.

You see, when Christ died, he took back the authority, dominion and power that Lucifer had taken for himself, and he restored you and me (and anyone else who accepts it) back into the manifest presence of God. Christ gave us our purpose back — our meaning for living — as members of the body of Christ and God’s family.

When I first started to discover this, things began to change in me.

Through God’s plan of redemption, I no longer needed to cry out for a special visitation. The Kingdom of God — His manifest presence — was already living in me. And because of that revelation, I can live in it daily.

It means that whatever storm I am walking through, I am never alone, and it also means that while in human terms, things may look impossible, in the presence of God, ALL things are possible.

When we choose to live in His presence daily in our workplaces, school, church and in every situation we walk into, we start to see things change. We are changed, and our situations and the people around us are changed too. And the reason is simple: God’s manifest presence is already here, and in God’s presence, anything is possible.

3
Christian Media, Christian Radio, Christianity, Devotional, Easter, Faith, Healing, Hope, Miracles

The ultimate sacrifice

Posted on by David L'Herroux

Last week, the world watched in shock as a gunman took hostages in a French supermarket. There was a tense siege, and then in a remarkable act of courage, policeman Lieutenant Colonel Arnaud Beltrame offered to step in and trade places with one of the hostages. As we now know, sadly Arnaud Beltrame was later shot by the gunman and died from his injuries.

Arnaud was willing to walk to his death by offering to swap places with a hostage victim who was being held by a man we now know was a terrorist declaring his allegiance to Islamic State. What an extraordinary act of courage! I would like to express our thoughts and prayers to Lt Col Arnaud Beltrame’s family and all those who have lost a love one in this tragedy.

This very sad story (although amazing in itself) reminds me of another even more extraordinary story that we find in the scriptures. It’s the story of a man called Jesus who was willing to leave all glory behind and come down here to earth to trade his life for the life of mankind.

In other words, he willingly swopped his life for ours to give us the opportunity to be freed from the enemy who was holding us hostage to sin.

John 15:13 tells us: ‘There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.’ We can say that Lt Col Arnaud Beltrame demonstrated an amazing sacrifice by being willing to give his life for hostages that were strangers to him. How amazing is that? And it is right that he is honoured.

But how much should we honour Jesus Christ? He not only became our ultimate sacrifice, but he actually chose and willingly gave himself up; yes even to the horrible death of the cross! Nothing that happened in his life was ever forced on him or came to him by surprise or even by accident, but it was all something Jesus consciously and willingly gave himself over to do. Jesus says very clearly in John 10: ‘No one takes My life from me… but I lay it down of myself.’ Isn’t it amazing that he would become our substitute so that you and I would live not just for the now, but for eternity?

Lt Col Arnaud’s incredible act of courage is almost hard for us to believe or understand, and although it can’t compare to the Gospel story, it paints a vivid picture to us and helps us to understand (in human terms) the extraordinary sacrifice Jesus made.

Jesus planned, pursued us, and in fact willingly gave himself in every detail, from his incarnation to his last breath on the cross. Jesus as the Good Shepherd came to give life and life abundantly, even as he voluntarily gave himself over to death so that sinners like me and you could be redeemed. I believe that is a good reason to trust him and to live also in humble gratitude, giving endless thanks to God the father who gave us His only son! Just the thought that God would spare His son to save someone like me makes me want to shout ‘Hallelujah! What a Saviour!’ I trust that you know that feeling too!

And so on Good Friday, as we mark the day that Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice, let us never forget the message of Easter: that Jesus not only took our place in dying for us, but he rose up triumphantly that you and I may not only have life but life to the full.

Happy Easter!

IMG_1529

1
Christian Media, Christian Radio, Christianity, Devotional, Evangelism, Faith

What will be your legacy?

Posted on by David L'Herroux

In the 1980s, I attended some of Billy Graham’s meetings as part of Mission England.

At the time, I was struck by how much preparation, and particularly prayer, went into the planning and execution of these events. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association had a structure which was modelled around prayer and the Word of God. This was a structure that Billy had used with his own family. His son Franklin recalls that as a child, their days started and ended with family devotions, and Franklin credits the longevity of his parents’ marriage to the fact they read the Scriptures together every day.

As news broke recently that Billy had gone home to be with the Lord, news sites across the world told the story. For younger audiences who did not know who Billy was, his story was re-told. Even here in the UK, our major news and radio channels covered his passing, and for me, it was remarkable to see the amazing legacy that Billy Graham had left behind.

Billy was very much the ‘front man’ of his ministry, but it was not something he sought or chased after. His message was always faithful to the Gospel, and he used every opportunity to tell people about Jesus.

He started his ministry on radio, and by the end of his life, by preaching in auditoriums, stadiums and travelling globally, millions had been won to Christ, not just through his direct ministry but through the ministry of those who had come to faith because of attending a Billy Graham event. George Verwer, the founder of Operation Mobilisation, was one of them. He accepted Jesus Christ as his saviour at a Billy Graham crusade, and years later, his ministry has impacted the lives of many, many more around the world.

In many ways, this was a revival that we never really called a revival. We tend to see revival as being an experience of the manifest presence of God, which compels people en masse to turn their hearts to Jesus. This is what happened throughout Billy’s ministry.

During Mission England, I saw it with my own eyes as thousands streamed to the front to accept Jesus into their lives, filling the front and the aisles. How we long to see this again!

Last week, as we heard the news of Billy’s passing, I thought of Mark 4:8-9, where Jesus tells the parable of the sower: ‘Still another seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.’ If anyone’s life produced a ‘hundredfold’ crop, it was Billy’s!

There is much we can draw from the example of one man’s life. We might never reach millions with the good news of Jesus, but each of us has a circle of influence. We might never be a Billy Graham in terms of numbers, but we can each reach people we know. We all have a story to tell, and even the way we speak and live our lives can be a powerful testimony to a world looking for answers.

And we can pray! We can pray for the people we might never meet or reach, and a life soaked in prayer can reap so much.

Can I encourage you today? You might never speak in an auditorium of thousands or have a public ministry, but you can make a difference to one person by sharing with them the love of Jesus.

Let our legacy one day say that we were men and women of God who shared the Gospel with all who ‘had ears to hear’.

IMG_1287

0
Christian Media, Christian Radio, Christianity, Devotional, Faith

Are you ready to have your best year yet?

Posted on by David L'Herroux

When you look to the year ahead, what sort of year would you like to have? A good year? A better year? Or the best year?

That sounds like an unusual question. After all, we ALL want to have the best year we have ever had! However, over Christmas, I was reflecting on the past year (which was a very challenging year for UCB), and I was asking God for the new year to be the best year we have ever had. I felt God speak to my heart and challenge me on what ‘best’ actually means. Why should we have the best year? Do we have any right to ask for such a thing? How can we plug into God’s best for our lives?

What are you talking about?

As we look back over the year that was, many of us tend to share the good and the bad experiences of the last 12 months. I have learned over the years that what we talk about has the ability to change the atmosphere around us. If we are sharing good news and giving thanks to God for what He’s done, it fills others with faith and changes the atmosphere to one of expectancy. But if we are talking about the negative, those words too can change the atmosphere – and not for the better. I believe that to see God’s best in our lives, we need to focus less on the experiences and instead focus on our expectations. What do we want God to do in those situations? What do we ‘see’? What do we expect? Instead of talking about the physical circumstances, let’s instead set our eyes on the vision that God has given us.

We need to be changed

To see God’s best, we need to be ready and willing to be changed. That is an uncomfortable place for many people, but God is a God of transformation, and He is never finished with us! Last year at UCB, we invested significantly in our team, giving them opportunity to meet with God in fresh ways. We invited different speakers to address the staff and encouraged the team to seek out their own fresh experience with God. A visit last year from itinerant minister Fergus Mcintyre was a turning point for many of our team, some experiencing the manifest presence of God in their lives for the first time. But for God to move, each of us has to be willing to allow Him to move in our lives. 2 Timothy 3:17  (KJV) says ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.’

We need to be equipped for all that God is going to do, and that means His process of transformation in our lives is never finished (not while we are on this earth anyway!).

What is your room furnished with?

2 Kings 4 tells the story of a noblewoman who was so impacted by the ministry of the prophet Elisha that she and her husband built a room in their house for him to stay in whenever he passed through their town. They furnished the room with a bed, a table, a stool, and a candlestick. In a future blog, I will share what I believe each of these items represents, but I think the simplicity of this furniture was designed to help Elisha find rest, peace and intimacy. These three areas are so important for us too as believers. What is our room, or our heart, actually furnished with? Is it cluttered and noisy and distracted? Or is our heart furnished with peace and rest and stillness with God?

If like me (and UCB), you are looking ahead to 2018, then can I encourage you to speak with expectancy, allow yourself to be changed and transformed and to find that place of rest and intimacy? Let’s believe together that God indeed will give us the BEST year yet!

IMG_0817

2
Christian Media, Christian Radio, Christianity, Devotional, Evangelism, Faith, Healing, Hope, Miracles, Prophecy, Spiritual healing

When God’s spirit moves

Posted on by David L'Herroux

This week on UCB 1 and UCB 2, it has been our national appeal. We have been talking on air about 1 Kings 18 and the ‘sound of a mighty rainstorm’. All around us are small clouds and green shoots of the beginnings of revival, and we are expectant and excited to see what God is going to do.

What you won’t have heard on air is the move of God which has been happening in our own buildings here at UCB.

Last week, we invited Fergus Mcintyre, an itinerant pastor who has a prophetic ministry, to spend time with our staff, praying with each of them and speaking into their lives.

There is nothing like experiencing that refreshing ‘rain’ when the spirit of God touches and refreshes our lives!

As a result of these meetings, I have heard from so many of our team, who have been blessed by what God said to them. I truly believe this is where revival begins.

There is a famous saying: ‘Lord, send revival and let it start with me.’

When we each develop and grow our intimacy with God, He begins to pour His spirit out. In Joel, it says ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.’

I believe these ‘last days’ are now, and can I encourage you to seek God for your own personal revival? When we have received it, we are then able to pass it on to others.

Here are a few stories from our team of what has happened to them in the past week.

Amy’s story (UCB Digital Designer)

In my life, I have struggled and felt a lot of pain, but I can always sense when others need help. When Fergus prayed for me, he told me I am a good listener and God trusts me. I can walk past someone and squeeze their hand and say, ‘I’m with you’ and they will feel God’s presence. This became really apparent during the appeal when I was able to listen and engage with our supporters on the phone. I was able to help a listener with a severe stammer through the donation process, and I was able to listen and let him know I was there to help. This confirmed many of the things Fergus said to me about listening and being trusted to help others through difficult situations.

Carl’s story (Prayerline Liaison Officer)

Over the past few years, I have been able to pray for many of the staff at UCB and have felt I could often feel other people’s pain. At first, I thought I was just imagining it, but when Fergus spoke to me, he said God wanted me to step up and tell people what I felt and then pray for them. Fergus told me that I was a ‘Barnabas’ and encouraged me to step out in faith, but at the same time, use discernment and speak wisely. A man I did not know at all was used to speak encouragement and blessing into my life.

Anonymous

Fergus spoke to me about how I’m very particular about all the jobs I do. I dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s as he put it. Whilst this is true, the thing is that however hard I try and whatever I do, I always feel like I’m not good enough – so I decided that I’d stay behind and ask Fergus if he’d pray with me about it.

We chatted, and very quickly Fergus uncovered the root of the problem. I grew up with a violent and overbearing, perfectionist father; everything had to be ‘just right’ all the time. Me and my siblings grew up constantly walking on eggshells, afraid to upset him, and whatever I achieved, it was never enough. The effect that growing up in this kind of environment has on you as a person is huge. And whilst I do feel that I have forgiven my dad for all this already, somehow I’ve just never been able to break free of the hold that it has over me. So, Fergus then prayed with me and asked me to speak out all the things, all the un-truths, that have ever been spoken over me and that I’ve believed.  Then the presence of God came over me in the most powerful way. The chains that have kept me bound since my childhood were broken, and I felt the most amazing sense of peace like I have never felt before. What I have to do now is to walk in the freedom and peace that God has graciously given me.

Paula’s story 

The last few months have been really difficult for me, and I’ve been fighting lots of battles. I knew that I needed to spend more time with God and rest, but I’ll admit, instead, I just made myself really busy. I was exhausted. I didn’t know what Fergus was going to say, but he started laughing and said I was the ’90-mile-an-hour lady,’ always on the go… and that God wanted me to slow down. He also said I’d been dealing with the weight of other people’s expectations, and God wanted to set me free from that. I honestly felt like a huge weight was lifted almost instantly as soon as he prayed, and this week has been truly incredible. There’s a tangible sense of God’s presence in the building, spontaneous prayer groups are breaking out, and I’ve been diving out of bed in the morning, excited to read my Bible and see what God has to say today. It’s amazing to see what God is doing. It’s not what God has done but what He is doing… this is just the beginning.

—————-

Can I encourage you to spend time seeking God in your own life? When His spirit touches our lives, everything changes. We are able to see with clarity, and we are able to pass this incredible presence of God on to others too.  This is where revival starts. As I said at the beginning ‘Lord, send revival and let it start with me’. 

IMG_9593

4
Christian Media, Christian Radio, Christianity, Devotional, Faith

Don’t live in bitterness

Posted on by David L'Herroux

I have been thinking this week about the subject of bitterness and how much it can impact lives (yes, even the lives of Christians).

In Exodus 15, the Israelites (led by Moses) had seen a tremendous victory, and they were celebrating and thanking God for their deliverance. They were singing ‘I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted…the Lord reigns for ever and ever.’

But just three days later, they were in the desert, and their water supplies had run out. They came to the waters of Marah, but they couldn’t drink from it because the water was so bitter. The same people who had been praising God just a short time ago were now grumbling and complaining. Moses cried out to God, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood which he was able to throw into the water. Verse 23 says ‘The water became fit to drink.’ Later, God led the people to Elim, which had ‘12 springs and 70 palm trees,’ and they camped there near the water.

In our lives, many of us face difficulties which could leave us feeling bitter. When faced with tragedy or hard times, we have a choice to walk through the situation (with God’s help) and get better, or we can stay in that situation and camp out in our bitterness. The story in Exodus paints a clear picture of how I believe God wants us to respond when faced with life’s hardships.

Don’t camp at Marah

The word ‘Marah’ (the place of the bitter springs) actually means ‘bitter,’ and it is interesting that in the Exodus story, although Moses led the people there, God did not command them to camp and stay there. It was just a passing through on their journey.

Later when they arrived at Elim (which means ‘roots’ and also means ‘a place of refreshing’) they were able to stop and set up camp. We all go through times of feeling bitter, but I believe it is important to not camp in that place and instead view it as an experience, a place we have to walk through, with God’s help.

We already have the answer

When Moses cried out to God for an answer, the Lord provided him with a tree branch which would make the water drinkable. Trees take decades to grow, and long before Moses and the people encountered this problem, God had already provided a way out, a growing tree which would be used to solve the problem.

We see this again later in the story of Zaccheus in Luke 19. Zaccheus was the chief tax collector and was not well-liked. Luke says he was a man of small stature, and because of the great crowds (and his height), he was not able to get through the crowds to see Jesus. Zaccheus climbed a nearby sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, and later, he met with Jesus personally. We do not know how long it took, but it is likely that the tree had been growing there for a long time. I like to imagine that maybe God even sent an angel to protect that tree, knowing that one day it would be used as an important tool in allowing a man to hear the life-changing words of Jesus. It reminds us that whatever we are going through, God has already provided the answer.

Believe the promise

In our world today (maybe you are going through this yourself), many people have become stuck in a place of bitterness. Bitterness can be like a spiritual cancer, and if we allow it to, it can overtake our thinking and lives.

If you are experiencing that today and wondering how you can break free, can I encourage you to go back to the promises of God. Whatever you are going through, I believe that God has already provided the answer (even if you cannot see it) and that if you walk diligently, God will eventually lead you to ‘Elim’: a place of rest and security.

The tree in the stories of Moses and Zacheus are also a symbol of the cross. If you look to the cross and look to the promises of God, He will lead you through.

It may not be easy, but living a life free of bitterness is living life to the full. And this is how I believe God wants us to live.

DLH-BlogAugust2017 (002)

0
Christian Media, Christian Radio, Devotional, Faith, Hope, Miracles

Pick your team wisely

Posted on by David L'Herroux

This week, UCB’s Board of Trustees met together to review UCB’s activities and accounts for the year so far. It has been a busy few days with our Board travelling in from different areas of the UK, but I am so thankful for each of our Trustees – for their wisdom and ability.

In any leadership position, it is important to have a GOOD team around you. We are blessed at UCB to have a Board and Executive Team made up of Godly, skilled men and women who have the right balance of professional skills and a heart for ministry. When we look to appoint new people to our team, we are, above all, looking for people of integrity with a heart for UCB’s vision and who can help and support UCB to stay focused on the big picture and keep us accountable in all things.

Our Board meetings are a mixture of time spent together with God (this is a non-negotiable) and time spent going over the business and operational side of UCB.

This meeting was no exception, and we began by looking to God’s Word. Although we are governed by a great Board, ultimately God is our chairman, and we always start with worship and devotions. This time, one particular area of scripture stood out for me: 1 Samuel 15.

The prophet Samuel gave Saul an assignment from God. He was to destroy the Amalekites and all their possessions because they were a people who had dishonoured Him. Saul accepted the challenge and defeated the Amalekites, but He preserved the life of king Agag and saved the best of the cattle. Knowing that Saul had been disobedient, Samuel went to confront him. Saul declared that he had ‘carried out the command of the Lord’ but (perhaps with a hint of humour) the prophet Samuel said ‘What then is the bleating of sheep I can hear?’

Saul had been disobedient, but he argued that all these fine lambs would make an even bigger and better sacrifice to the Lord. Samuel reminded him that ‘to obey is better than sacrifice.’

This story reminded us all of the need to be obedient. It is easy sometimes to be focused on matters of business and governance, but it is important, first and foremost, to fear God. This is not a kind of terrified fear, but a reverent fear which ensures we stay close to Him, and when He tells us to do something, we do it!

That is why, for me, it is important to be surrounded by Godly, discerning people such as our Board, for they bring an ‘outside’ perspective and help to keep us on track. In all areas of life, we each need a ‘team’ of people who will support us in the good and bad times, and also, if needed, provide a voice of correction. Do not be tempted to surround yourself with ‘yes men’. Find a Samuel.

Our trustees have now gone home, but we will be meeting again soon for prayer and updates.

Can I ask you to join us in prayer for a few issues? For wisdom and discernment for our Board and Executive team? And also for a breakthrough in UCB’s finances. We continue to experience many challenges with UCB’s income stream, but we are looking to the future with faith (not fear). 

Please could you stand with us and believe for a breakthrough?

1
Christian Media, Christian Radio, Christianity, Devotional, Faith, Healing, Hope, Miracles

In a time of terror, the Lord is the stronghold of my life

Posted on by David L'Herroux

Just two weeks after the attack in Manchester, here we are again, facing more devastating news: ‘Terror strikes again in London Bridge – at least 6 people have died and more than 40 injured.’

First of all, our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected: individuals, families, emergency services, the communities nearby, our Capital city of London as well as our Prime Minister and government. How they need God’s wisdom and guidance as they deal with another horrific tragedy.

And for us, where do we find healing when our broken hearts seem unable to recover? As a country, we have barely understood one tragedy when yet another one hits. What can we do?

Well, for me personally, my only advice is to stand firmly upon God’s Word, for that is where I find my comfort and strength. God’s Word has been the anchor for my own family in times of desperate tragedy, and it is the one thing that we can ALWAYS rely on. God’s Word never changes, and it contains all we need for hope, comfort, healing, wisdom and guidance.

If you are fearful, grieving, or broken today, let the truth of God’s Word sink into your heart:

The Lord is MY light and MY salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will NOT fear, though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. (Psalm 27:1-3)

To me, in darkness and devastating times, the Lord is my source of light. That means He WILL guide and lead me. Darkness may be the symbol of distress, trouble, perplexity and sorrow, but light is the very opposite of these. God supplied King David with so much light that his very darkness disappeared and his way became brighter, even in a time of real trouble. If we allow God to invade our lives, He gives us His peace that surpasses all understanding, and He reminds us that He IS God, and when we are with Him, we are safe.

Today, you may be broken-hearted. Well let me tell you that He still heals broken hearts. I know because He healed mine. Psalm 147:3 says: ‘He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds.’

The definition of ‘broken’ is ‘reduced to pieces’, fragmented, ruptured, torn, fractured, not functioning properly, out of working order.

Is this how you feel? Do you feel like your heart has been reduced to pieces? Ruptured? Broken? Destroyed? YOU ARE REALLY HURTING! It’s like your heart has been shattered into many pieces and you feel emotionally crippled. Ask God to help you, to strengthen you, and to heal you. Hand your situation over to Him, trust in Him, anchor yourself in His Word, and allow Him into the broken parts of your life.

He STILL heals the broken hearted! Why? Because He really loves you.

Our hearts and prayers today are with everyone who is broken, lost, and feels as though their lives have been shattered. The cry of our hearts is ‘Lord God, heal our land!

0
Christian Media, Christian Radio, Christianity, Devotional, Evangelism, Faith, Forgiveness, Healing, Hope

How to be a radical disciple

Posted on by David L'Herroux

How to be a radical disciple.

A few weeks ago, it was wonderful to have Jarrod Cooper with us to speak at our Foundation event for leaders. We were so blessed by Jarrod’s ministry, and I have asked him to share a few thoughts this week as a guest blog. I hope this encourages you to be radical in your discipleship.

———————————————

Radical disciples

God did not ask us to make ‘church members’, count ‘decisions’, or even have people say ‘the sinner’s prayer’ (not that I’m against any of those things necessarily). He actually told us to make disciples.

‘Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me!”’ Matt 16:24

A church member in some of today’s circles is more like the member of any social club. Some want to go to a certain church because it’s cool, big, glitzy or because it’s small, comfortable, not too demanding. All this has little to do with the real walk of faith and the real JESUS. In the gospels, we find that Jesus-followers entered into a deeply life-changing arrangement.

The disciples had to be…

Available

Busy people gave up their jobs and plans to follow Jesus after a single request. Would you or I? He may not require everyone to give up their careers, but all will have to make space for the learning and mission of being a disciple.

Teachable

Jesus told them ‘I will make you fishers of men.’ It was clear He was going to teach them. A disciple, by inference, has a teacher. If you are the leader, that’s you! Are we discipling our church members or filling in databases and doing hospital visits? Every church should be a training ground, and every Christian a soldier either in, or preparing for, battle.

Breakable

Talented Peter went through some deep, humbling experiences. Disciples accept humility and brokenness as part of the journey. Pride is at the root of all sin and must be winkled out. God will line all of us up for some rejection, failure, and being overlooked. Are we teaching our people to handle it? Are we preaching brokenness and teaching repentance? Are we confronting sin? We’ve all got to pass that test (or keep retaking it!).

Correctable

True discipleship involves some straight conversations. ‘Iron sharpens iron’, but soft, marshmallow conversations rarely change anyone deeply! Our society is so hooked on approval that often we don’t know what correction or discipline looks like any more, so we call it rejection. But correction is not rejection – it is protection. And discipline is not disapproval, it’s the removal of stuff that is going to harm you! ‘God disciplines those He loves’ (Hebrews 12:4-11) Are we raising disciples who will embrace correction and find life in it?

Connectable

Jesus called His disciples ‘to be with him.’ Friendship with a more experienced man or woman of God and a group of fellow disciples is a vital part of healthy growth. Are we allowing a few to get close, to walk the walk with us, and not just listen on Sundays? You can’t be connected to everyone, but we all can disciple a few.

Sendable

Another new word! Jesus ‘sent them out.’ Are we sending the troops somewhere, adventuring selflessly as part of a vision bigger than ourselves? Every true disciple is a missionary.

So are we raising disciples or gathering members? Some of us need to change the polarity of our relationship with our church members, because it should not be the leaders who are chasing around after members.

Instead, the leaders should be saying to others ‘Follow me, and I will make you…’ (Matthew 4:19). Leaders of the Church of the future won’t simply be carers and counsellors (though both are necessary), but pioneers who get a vision, make it plain for all to see, then march off to a brave new world with disciples following. In this way the Church will become more of a movement than a hospital. An army on the front line, not cadets locked in their barracks!

1