by Grethe Stanley | Nov 12, 2018 | encouragement
“Father this morning I get such a sense of being surrounded by your LOVE”. These were the words I spoke to my Heavenly Father this morning. I love to sit in silence and just sense His presence and whilst doing that this morning having my early morning coffee, I had such a sense of being cocooned in His Grace and Love. The picture I saw in my mind was of a baby safely cocooned in it’s mother’s womb. A pregnant woman is constantly watching over and protecting her baby. Our heavenly Father is constantly watching over us. If you are feeling insecure today meditate on the following scripture.
2 Chronicles 16:9 “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to HIM.
If someone is cocooned in blankets or clothes, they are completely wrapped in them; that is what we are when we surrender our will to God, He wraps us completely in His GRACE and LOVE.
by Grethe Stanley | Nov 5, 2018 | encouragement
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s Will for you in Christ Jesus. 1st Thessalonians5:18
I think we have all struggled at some point in our lives with the above scripture that says in all things give thanks, I have, I have thought how is that possible, but over the years as I have cultivated gratitude and thankfulness into my life I realise that it is actually possible to find something in each situation or circumstance to be grateful and thankful for.
Gratitude is always a choice, it is not automatic, we choose to be either grateful or ungrateful. It has actually been scientifically proven that gratitude is good for you. It has taken science a long time to realise this, but our God has always known, that is why He say’s it in His Word. God always has a reason for what He requires of us, He knows that if we have a grateful heart it is much better for our health and He always wants the best for us.
According to science these are the benefits of gratitude:-
1. Better relationships 2. improves physical health 3. Improves psychological health 4. Increased empathy and reduces aggression 5. Grateful people sleep better and are more peaceful 6. Gratitude improves self esteem 7. Gratitude increases mental health.
Ungrateful people are often careless and complacent, they feel entitled and are often full of self pity and complain a lot. They will always compare themselves with others and very often isolate themselves.
I know which I would rather be how about you? All it takes is a choice.
by Grethe Stanley | Oct 23, 2018 | encouragement
Faith that moves mountains #2
What exactly does it mean to live a surrendered life?
The surrendered life is the act of giving your will back to God.
It’s relinquishing control, rights, power, direction, all the things you do and say.
It’s totally resigning your life over to His hands, to do with as He pleases.
Jesus lived a surrendered life; He is our example.
John 6:38 I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me.
John 8:28b-29 …I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught Me. The one who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.
Jesus’ full surrender to the Father is an example of how we should live. I can almost hear you thinking as you read this “Jesus was God in the flesh, easy for Him; His life was surrendered before he even came to earth”. Not so, the life of surrender is not imposed on anyone, including Jesus. When Jesus walked the earth, he was fully man and had the same temptations as we do, he had to make daily choices just like we do.
John 10: 17-18 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life, only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.
In the above verses Jesus is telling us, I’m choosing to surrender my will back to God.
Our heavenly Father has given us this same privilege; we can choose to live a surrendered life or not.
No one is forced to yield his life to God. We have the privilege of free choice.
So in order for us to have faith that moves mountains, we have to walk in forgiveness and obedience.
Once when I was preparing to talk on the subject of surrender, the Lord gave me a picture in my mind of what a surrendered life looked like. It was a picture of floating on top of the water totally trusting that God has you covered. The question I had to ask myself was, “how surrendered am I” have I just got my toes in the water, am I ankle deep, knee deep, thigh deep, up to my chest, my neck?” to have faith that moves mountains I have to float.
by Grethe Stanley | Oct 19, 2018 | encouragement
Mark 11:22-25 “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth,
You can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea, and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.
I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.
But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that Your Father in heaven will forgive your sins too.
It is important to remember that with every promise in the Bible there is a premise.
The premise in the above verse is get rid of doubt and forgive anyone you may be holding a grudge against.
We are quick to want God’s promises but we very often neglect to obey the premise to the promise.
Faith is the most powerful force that God has given us.
With it we can move mountains, receive remarkable answers to prayer, and experience the impossible.
“Nothing is impossible to him that BELIEVES.”
To have faith that moves mountains we must live a surrendered life. When we are in church it is easy to sing “I surrender all”.
“Surrender” What does the word mean?”
In literal terms, surrender means “to give up something to another person.”
It also means to relinquish something granted to you. This could include your possessions, power, goals, even your life.
Watch this space for more on FAITH THAT MOVES MOUNTAINS.
by Grethe Stanley | Mar 22, 2018 | encouragement
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.
Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not cone near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
If you say, the Lord is your refuge, and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will cone near your tent.
For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. Because he loves, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My Name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.
Dear friends, we are living in very turbulent times, it seem like so many of God’s daughters find them selves in the midst of a storm, I certainly have these past few weeks. Every day now I decree Psalm 91, I speak it over myself (I put my name in it) and all my loved ones. There is nothing that is more powerful against the devil than God’s word. If you are being tossed around by the storms of life take shelter under the shadow of the Most High. Speak the word of God with confidence and see the enemy take flight.
