I have decided to have three focus verses for 2021. These verses are to guide my year and keep me on track in the things I feel called to do.

This year I am using three different versions as the versions use slightly different wordings to bring the meaning out.

Proverbs 3:5-6 TPT – Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go.

2 Timothy 2:15 AMP – Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.

1 Peter 4:10 NLT- God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

My heart in 2021 is the trust God and His leading, to study hard and rightly use God’s Word, and to use my gifts for the good of others.

I hope and pray 2021 is a great year for you. It is my hope that you will be blessed by God and you will know His peace and favour this year.

Blessings,
Dave

Well after a year or so off blogging I have decided to get behind the keyboard again. I must admit that after blogging consistently since 2006 it was a nice break!

So over the next few weeks the posts should start to flow again. As a former Pastor and now lay preacher I will continue to blog from a faith and life perspective. I will also share my sermons that I preach and any encouraging things I found on the web.

As usual I hope you are blessed by God while you are here. In the meantime you can use the top menu to find some of my other resources.

Blessings,
Dave

“That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

All of us get weary and tired and face troubles. In these times passages like 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 can give us some comfort. Today I was reminded of four things…

1. Even thought our human bodies are fading away and dying, our Spirits are being renewed everyday by God (v16)

2. As big as they seem right now, our current problems and struggles are very small compared to the glory that awaits us for all eternity (v17)

3. Life works best when we don’t have our total focus on the problems or trials we face, we need to work through them, but we need to focus on the eternal realities of God and His Kingdom (v18)

4. We focus on this because one day all we can see and touch will pass away, and the things that God has promised us will fully be ours (v18)

We need to focus on the future glory, not the current struggles!

Prayer

Dear God, at times I feel overcome by the problems and struggles of this life. I pray that in these times You will speak to me and encourage me from Your Word in the Bible. I pray that You will help me to focus on the true realities of the future glory of Your eternal Kingdom. Help me to also remember that even though my body is fading away, my Spirit is being renewed day by day. I ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Philippians 2:3-4 NLT – Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. [4] Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

I love the simplicity of Philippians 2:3-4. It gives us a couple of things to do and a few things not to do.

Do…

• Be humble like Christ
• Be concerned for others

Don’t…

• Be selfish in the way we live
• Be someone who only tries to impress others
• Be someone who only is concerned for themselves

My heart is to be someone who is in the “Do” category above. Being humble and concerned for others is at the heart of being a Jesus follower.

Prayer

Dear God, please help me to have the attitude of Christ. Please help me to be humble in all I do and help me to be concerned for others too. Amen.

With it being Valentines Day here is Australia yesterday, all the Bible apps seemed to share the same passage from 1 Corinthians 13.

I have read it many many times, but thought I would look at it afresh. It says…

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT – Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud [5] or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. [6] It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. [7] Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Even though I have read it many times I have never taken the time to break it down and see what love is and what love is not according to the passage.

Love…

• is patient and kind
• never gives up
• never loses faith
• is always hopeful
• endures every circumstance

Love is not…

• jealous, boastful, rude or proud
• doesn’t demand its own way
• does not keep a record of wrongs
• does not rejoice over injustice

In breaking it down it gave some things to try and put into practice and some things to try to avoid.

It also gave me a check list that I could measure myself against to see how I am going.

It was a nice reminder of what love really is and what it should look like.

Be loving and be blessed,

Dave

www.bible.com/en/reading-plans/4538

More and more I talk to people who suffer from anxiety and stress. It just seems to be increasing.

As a result I decided to do this Bible reading plan on YouVersion about Anxiety. I have found it quite useful to help me understand it a bit more and give me some things that will help.

If you or someone you know has anxiety, I would encourage you to do it.

Be mentally healthy and blessed,

Dave

I follow CriticalBench.com on YouTube. It is usually men’s fitness videos I watch. Today they had a strength training video for women. I thought I would share it.

I liked that it had easier and harder options for the exercises. It is one I would recommend.

Be fit and be blessed,
Dave

In my devotions this morning I followed the praise, petition, intercession and listen format that I often use.

This helps to focus on giving thanks, bringing my requests to God, praying for others and taking time to stop and listening to God.

In this listen section as soon as I prayed “Is there anything You want to say to me Lord?” Psalm 65:7 popped in to my head.

This verse and the verses around it really spoke to me at the moment. I thought I would share it today…

Psalm 65:5-8 NLT

[5] You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas. [6] You formed the mountains by your power and armed yourself with mighty strength. [7] You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves and silenced the shouting of the nations. [8] Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy.

I love the way it says a few things…

1. That God faithfully answers our prayers.

2. That God is the hope of everyone.

3. That God’s power formed the mountains.

4. That God calms the oceans and the nations.

5. That God inspires awe and shouts of joy.

This all reminds me of how big God is. He is all powerful and worthy to be praised.

I think this is what God wanted me to remember today in my devotions!

Blessings,
Dave

After yesterday’s post talking about what my morning devotions look like, I thought I would share how I chose what I read when selecting the Bible passages.

First and foremost I chose passage based on prayer. I pray when I am coming to the end of a Bible reading plan or a Bible book.

I simply ask God what I need to read next. Usually within a few days I get a “gut” feeling inside of what God wants me to read next.

Sometimes it is a Bible reading plan that just includes Bible passages for each day. Sometimes it a book of the Bible that I slowly work through one heading at a time. At other times it might be the verse of the day from the Bible app and I read the text around it to get a context.

So basically I chose what I read by prayer and listening. The main thing is connecting with the Bible most days of the week.

Blessings,
Dave

I have been a Christ follower for more than 30 years, which is over half my life. When I first came to Christ I was full of fear and worry.

Often when something happened my mind would race and not stop for days. I would get caught in what someone has recently described as in a loop.

Over time as my mind renewed as is talks about in the Bible I have learned to look to God and trust Him in all circumstances.

Here are some key verses that have helped…

1. “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
Isaiah‬ ‭41:10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

2. “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter‬ ‭5:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

3. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

4. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

5. “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” Colossians‬ ‭3:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

6. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans‬ ‭12:2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

7. “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

8. “I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!” Psalms‬ ‭116:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

These are just some of the verses that have helped transform me and my thinking. No matter what the circumstance I am faced with, I can look to God and trust Him.

As you read and memorise them I want you to remember these are not just motivational verses on a screen, but words guaranteed by the God of the universe.

If you are prone to worry, I hope and pray that these verses will help you as much as they have helped me.

God Bless,
Dave