Your True RealityBook 1 in the

Heaven’s Culture Series

A word of encouragement

Discover the most wonderful relationship with the living God. What He is really like? What does He thinks about you? As you go through this book let Him reveal His heart for you. It is better than you could ever possibly imagine. Spend time with Him. Read His word. Soak in His Presence. Talk to Him. Ask Him questions. Turn your affection towards Him. As you do this on a daily basis you will find yourself serving His purposes for you.

#1 You are wonderful"when He made you He made something wonderful"

God created you to be a person of hope. He is the God of hope and He made you to be just like Him. You may feel hopeless but it is not the truth about you. You have the ability to turn hopelessness into hope. He will guide you through the process step by step. He has provided everything you need and He will walk you through it. He knows how to communicate with you, not just through the Bible or through somebody else but directly to your doorstep.

He is ever so creative and enjoys doing things differently. It seems He just wants to keep you on your toes. If you give yourself to the skill of listening you will hear Him loud and clear. Keep your eyes, ears and all your senses open because you may be surprised how He talks to you. If you doubt whether He will speak to you, remember what kind of father doesn't make sure his child can hear him. He can hear you loud and clear and He is going to make sure you can hear Him.

He has put seeds of truth in you, they have been lying dormant but now you are going to see them grow. What could possibly be more exciting and thrilling than to see His dreams for you come true? When He made you He made something altogether wonderful, how could it be any other way? He has never lost hope in you.

#2 Your true reality"Don't let your feelings determine your reality"

He wants you to believe what He says about you. Believe in Him all the time not just when you feel good about yourself. His love and compassion for you isn't based on how He feels, He doesn't have moods except one, a good one. Your trust in Him should be firmly based in His love not on your circumstances, so never give up hope.

Chose to believe that He has got good things in store for you. He doesn't see any situation as hopeless. See it from His perspective. Make it your aim to believe in His goodness every single day and don't let your feelings determine your reality. Let your feelings catch up with His reality. He is looking to see who truly believes Him, this is evident when you face challenging situations. There is no problem too great for God and He can work the most amazing miracles. They are His speciality. The issue is, are you pursuing Him? Are you keeping your eyes on Him? Are you rejoicing in Him?

Persevere, keep on seeking, knocking and asking, if you asked once ask again, and again and again. If you believe that He has given you the answer then rejoice whatever the answer may be. He has spoken and that should be enough.

He is for you, 100%. You are His child so why wouldn't He be for you. The problem is not on His side. It never was and it will never be. Run to Him for His arms are open wide and He welcomes you

into His loving embrace. He has not given up on you so don't give up on yourself. Faith is 'believing in action', it will look like something, not just nice thoughts or a woolly feeling. Don't let anything drag you away from Him.

#3 A divine tapestry "He loves variety, celebrate it"

Diversity can seem to be pretty messy. It is much neater having everyone believing the same thing, doing the same thing, behaving in the same way. But He has deliberately made us all very different for the benefit of the whole body of Christ. He loves variety. That is why He has given people different personalities, strengths and gifts. He mixes all this up beautifully with a clear purpose that when we are woven together we are a tapestry to His glory. That is why we should value each other. It is all for a very good reason.

You are part of His intricate plan and it is not difficult for Him to work through you. The whole of history is one giant tapestry and He has woven you into it along with all the others. You are part of that tapestry. Every thread has a purpose and a place in the final product. If all the threads were the same colour or lined up in rows what kind of tapestry would it look like? Rather boring is the correct answer.

Guard your heart and attitude so that you don't judge other people against a standard He never set. Don't disqualify yourself either. See the gold in people and encourage them at every point. Aim to draw the best out of them. We are all His children, all part of His brilliant creation, we are meant to be a people that are His and His alone. He has no favourites, He loves everyone equally. He doesn't necessarily treat everyone the same. He has a different purpose and plan for each one of us. But don't think for one moment that He

cares any less about you than anyone else. Neither are you more important. Be encouraged and be humble, build yourself up in your faith and cling to what is good but be ready for Him in every season.

Love at all times especially those who may have treated you badly. It is very easy to love those who are nice to you. So, whatever has been said to you, done to you, don't let it determine your reaction but instead let your response be filled with His love. Don't react to the negative but respond in love. Be vulnerable, love back even if you think they don't deserve it. Remember you weren't deserving of His love but He still gave it to you. He is the Good Shepherd and He takes good care of His flock. He will feed you with food that will truly satisfy.

#4 Palms of His hands"He has never forgotten you, not for a moment"

God created you to be amazing. He loves you and thinks you are wonderful all the time. You are the physical expression of His dream. He is so in love with you. He takes every opportunity to show you how much He loves you.

Yet He brought you into a flawed and broken world that doesn't know Him. He wants His life to be seen in you, so that others may want that life. Let His dream be a reality in you.

Many thing may have happened to you that were never His original design. His original purpose and intentions for you still stand. He is able to do this because He is God, outside time and space. He still sees you as He made you. Your choice is either to focus on the problem or to turn around and look at the solution, Him.

He is the solution, the answer to all your questions. He loves to heal, restore and make whole. He has never forgotten you. He chooses how to show you the extravagance of much He cares. You can go to Him and let Him cleanse, renew and restore you. When He has finished, you won't recognise yourself.

Imagine the impact on your community if you did the same works as Jesus did and loved like He did? This is His purpose for you, to impact those immediately around you for His glory. He has given

you everything you could possibly need to do that. What you only thought to be a theory or a vague possibility will become a reality. You will lose the ability to be afraid. There will be a boldness that only comes from a deep conviction and confidence in Him.

What will the impact be? The church will then be able to offer the world something that it wants, that it needs, what it is looking for. We will be able to answer the questions it is asking. You are part of the answer because He lives in you.

#5 The truth about you"Don't live to get His love, live from it"

You were created for a purpose and a significant one at that, so don't underestimate how important you really are, you have a calling and a destiny. It may not be clear to you as you look ahead.

If you are struggling to 'join the dots' stop trying, pursue Him and you will see the dots joining up as you look back over your life and you will notice that nothing has been wasted. He will send people across your path to encourage you. He is quite strategic. You won't even have to go looking for them because they will find you.

There may be nothing special about you on the outside (be modest now!) and your background may be slightly ordinary. You may not be especially gifted in anything but I have news for you, He sees you as very special. You have a destiny that will impact many, many people if you chose to believe it.

Learn to see that the challenging circumstances are not your enemy. They are opportunities to learn more about yourself and Him. This will deepen your relationship with Him. Obedience is not a dirty word it is simply the course of action which will lead to perfect joy and peace. Change is a necessary part of life, it is essential for you to experience what He has purposed for you. Don't be afraid of change, whether small or big but embrace it. You have to determine in your heart that He is bringing you closer to Him. The timing of

everything is in His hands and He is more than capable of working everything out. He wants you to trust Him completely.

One of the biggest challenges to overcome is an orphan attitude. This attitude is part of the culture we are born into. Its origins are based on performance. It creates a feeling or need to be good enough to deserve something. Don't live to get His love rather live in His love. He wants you to learn to 'be' before you learn how to 'do'. Whatever you don't understand He has given you His Holy Spirit to help you, just don't expect a straightforward answer.

No matter how you feel, He has never left you, not for a second. When you find the truth about yourself and how much He has been with you, it will free you to be that son or daughter.

#6 The bigger jigsaw"Your future is very different to your now"

He is so gentle and compassionate. He is so loving in the way He deals with you even when circumstances seem so to the contrary. He is not angry with you and He is certainly not disappointed in you.

As He sets you free, that freedom enables you to be in a better place to help others. You may well have many questions. That is why He says 'ask', 'seek' and 'knock'. He will give you clues and hints to draw you closer and even closer to him. He will give you bits of the jigsaw but He will not reveal all of it in one go and this is for a very good reason, He doesn't want to panic you, He reveals only the parts that you need to see.

The process is not always fun but it is wonderful and exhilarating. It isn't necessarily easy and can be scary but He makes it more than worth it. It is difficult to put into words, as words do not describe Him adequately and this journey is the greatest anyone can take. It will be full of surprises.

He puts no stumbling block in your way, we are the ones that make it harder than it needs to be. He knows the cost and the struggle you face but it is a cost worth paying. What He is has given you is free although it will cost you everything.

Your future is very different to what your circumstances look like. You will be a different person then, unrecognisable from the you of today. What He sees you doing then would cause you considerable anxiety if He showed you now. He wants to spare you the stress of knowing what is coming, but when the time comes you will be more than ready, at the moment you have no grid for it, no reference point. You will grow into that over time, so allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you. He knows where you are heading and He has every confidence in you. He is with you every step of the way.

#7 An adventurous holiday "The heavenly realm is more real than the physical "

Let His Presence be more important to you than principles. Do not copy others. What they do is not wrong but it may not be His 'best' for you. He has something better for you and it is definitely more you. If you don't know ask Him what it is.

He is a God of power and by default that makes you a person of power. What the enemy is afraid of is you discovering how powerful you really are.

Challenge every thought and don't assume that all your thoughts are helpful. Ask Him what His thoughts are and how you can have better thoughts. Don't blindly accept everything that is going on around you nor accept everything that people say to you. The Holy Spirit will help you sieve what is The Truth as opposed to a truth. The heavenly realm is far more real than the physical realm.

Total dependency on Him is the best way but not necessarily the most comfortable. Put yourself at His mercy. He wants to inhabit you not just visit you. You will experience His power and taste His goodness. He wants you to fully experience the reality of His kingdom for yourself. This is not a false hope nor is it a promise for a future time but a very present reality in the here and now. It is for today and it is for you. Heaven's reality can be experienced right here, right now.

His promises are not theory and certainly not just wishful thinking, you can fully experience His kingdom now. You do not need to wait for the day you get to heaven. Be adventurous and be daring. Dare to believe. Don't be afraid or shy to ask Him what He thinks. You will be very surprised and possibly even shocked at what He will tell you. I guarantee it won't be boring. Aren't you just the slightest bit curious to know?

#8 I am His favourite"He is trying to create a family"

Despite what you may think it is not all about you. What God is doing is establishing a relationship between you and Him. This is for the purpose of showing the world His love. To do that effectively He needs you to know Him very well. The more time you spend with Him, the more like Him you become. All you will want to do is what pleases Him. The changes in you will start to have an affect. You will have the privilege of seeing what He sees in others. This will make it all worthwhile.

He is trying to create a family, not an army of clones but a wonderfully rich and diverse family. No two people are ever meant to be exactly the same. Some will be easy to get along with but others may require a little more grace. Nevertheless you are all part of the same family. Every time you criticise a brother or sister it affects them. It affects Him. It will come back on you. So don't do it.

This doesn't just apply to people in the church. It applies to everyone. Everyone is created in His image and is loved by Him. Just as much as you are. Remember even those who are not part of the church yet are only one step away from being adopted into this family.

You were adopted and He has no favourites. Actually He seems to treat all of us as His favourites. Many of the problems come in the form of sibling rivalry where we try to impress Him by putting

others down. This is seriously not a good idea. Search out what He has deposited in them. They are meant to be a blessing to the world. Part of His Devine plan.

He has big dreams for every single person. What the other person has is possibly just what you need. They may well have their own dysfunctions (don't we all) and idiosyncrasies but they will also have within them a seed from God waiting to germinate. It is buried waiting for someone to nurture it. Encourage everyone, look for what He has put in them. Do this not for your benefit but theirs and then celebrate what He has created because He certainly does.

#9 Who is listening?"His will on earth as it is a reality in heaven"

He spoke the universe into being. It seems so quiet. Yet all around us His creation shouts at us. He gave us Jesus. He gave us the Bible and even gave us His Holy Spirit. So why do we claim we can't hear Him. One reason could be background 'noise' that even His voice is drowned out. Everyday our senses are assaulted and overwhelmed. He knows perfectly well how to communicate with you but when your attention is focused elsewhere it is as if you have tuned Him out. The challenge is to filter the rubbish out and train yourself to hear His distinct voice. He created you with the ability to hear Him and it is His deep desire to be heard.

If you are like me, isn't it annoying when you are talking to someone and you can tell that they aren't really listening to you. You can tell their thoughts are elsewhere (admit it, you've done it yourself). In the same way we can be like that with God. He is talking but we're too preoccupied with what is going on around us to hear. Have ears to hear.

When you pray turn your attention to Him. This can look like chatting, complaining, crying, ranting, worshipping or just simply sitting in silence. Whatever it looks like they all deepen your relationship with Him. Your faith rises and it is like a bell that tolls in heaven ringing loud every time you turn your affection to Him. So this is your challenge when everything is vying for your attention. Don’t be hard on yourself, remember it is only natural to

look at what is immediately in front of you. It is easy to be caught up in that moment. There is no shortage of things that can shift your focus and redirect your energy. What seems urgent usually isn't necessarily important. Don’t waste time on stuff that isn’t important.

Don't compare yourself to others, God doesn't. He doesn't measure your performance in how much money you earn, how clever you are or even how good looking you are. God looks at one thing and one thing only and that is your heart. You are worth more to Him than the sum total of all your attributes so don't do the maths. You may not feel that you amount to much compared to other people but you are of immeasurable worth to Him as a son or daughter. You are so precious to Him.

He wants to do great things in you, through you and for you. He wants you to see His will done on earth as it is already a reality in heaven. Do you want it bad enough that you are willing to let go of all your ambitions? Is your hunger so great you are willing to do anything to satisfy it? Your heart cries out for Him and your body aches with wanting to experience more of Him. Ask Him to satisfy your hunger but be warned He may grant you your wish in a way you don't expect.

#10 A simple logic "The greatest victories are in the fiercest battles"

Be encouraged by those who have a passion for Him, not just those who create a good sound bite. If you are not sure who that is, just ask Him. We all like a bargain, especially if it is free but we only truly value a thing if it has cost us something. Kingdom life costs everything, it demands all, there are no half measures. You exist in a physical and a spiritual realm but you can only serve in one kingdom. So be whole hearted because you are His glorious inheritance you are part of His Kingdom, His treasured possession, don't vacillate between the two.

Live and be filled with His presence and if you want to feast then feast at the table He has prepared. He will do it in the presence, not the absence of your enemies. You will have what looks like an angry mob watching every mouthful you take. They will rattle their spears and swords and they will shout and scream at you but don't worry because He isn't in the least bit perturbed. The greatest victories are in the fiercest battles. Your job is to rest and feed when logic screams at you to be worried and flee.

It is His will that you live fully His, this is to be your default setting. He just loves to bless. He loves to take every opportunity to show His goodness. It is what He loves to do and He really wants you to know it. Submit yourself to Him, allow Him full reign and you won't regret it. For everything He created He created for you to

enjoy. He has not laid down a string of conditions for you to meet but instead one path for you to walk.

Jesus has met all the conditions. He has simplified the process and made it easy for you. The options are very simple so don't complicate them. He wants you to be certain, to believe and to have His faith. He will help you change the way you think so you will be at peace and have confidence in His salvation. You can draw near to Him with unwavering assurance, knowing living you are surrounded by His love. He knows your every need and desire and still He loves you dearly.

#11 Impossible odds"He is not looking for the perfect but the willing"

He has a plan and a purpose for you. He may well put you in impossible situations that require a supernatural solution. The purpose is to leave you in no doubt that He is God. So your confidence and faith will be strengthened. You will find yourself so determined to see His face that nothing will stop you. Adverse circumstances and situations will not dictate to you. Your faith will be on a rock solid foundation. It will be based on His goodness not circumstances. You will discover an unshakeable faith no matter what happens.

He is willing to take His time over you developing an inner strength that will prove Him right to a very skeptical world. He wants to declare His glory through you so that He can minister His grace to a world caught up in its own spiralling pain and destruction. Your simple first step is believing it and the second is experiencing it.

The church is for the healing of the nations. So let’s heal the nation. Only He knows the true state and future of the world and only He has the solution. His solutions will be manifest in and through the church, His body, you. He is looking for those who will decree and declare. He is not looking for the perfect but those who are willing. Are you willing to forsake all and to rely totally on Him? Does He matter more to you than your friends and family? If you want to love them as He does you would do well to put Him first. Ground

yourself very firmly in His love, for you cannot afford the luxury of feeling sorry for yourself. Don't complain about His methods because He really does know what's best. Total trust brings total freedom and that is freedom from everything that would hold you back.

#12 Opportunities"Where others see failure you see possibilities"

He has not left you fatherless. He is right there with you and He deeply desires the love of your heart. He has tears for you but they aren't tears of sorrow but of joy. For He knows your heart and sees your desires and it gives Him great delight. As you ask and seek, be patient and wait for Him. He has the answer in His hands. The answer to the questions you are asking from your heart are on their way to you and they are coming fast.

He is a God who majors in miracles. He is not hindered by man's cynicism or the enemy's schemes. What you see and expect are according to your faith. The faith which springs up out of His love for you. So seek His love and feel secure in His forgiveness. It is for freedom He has set you free. It is for joy He has given you His Holy Spirit. Begin to see the world through His eyes. The eyes of hope.

Where others only see failure and discouragement, you will see opportunities and possibilities. You will see situations and circumstances through the eyes of love and faith. It is His kind of love and faith He is nurturing inside of you. So be patient and be happy because your time has come and is now. There is no time like the present. His love and goodness will sweep you off your feet. It will be scary but exhilarating because your peace will be the calm right at the centre of the storm.

#13 Inseparable love "You will infect others with joy"

Be ready to make changes to the way you think. Whatever the challenge is, face it. Whatever change is needed, make it. The outcome will be worth it no matter what. Emotionally you may not feel up to it. If that is the case get over yourself. Mentally you may not understand it all. If so just deal with it. Physically it may be daunting. Just believe that you can do it. You can kid yourself most of the time and kid others nearly all the time but you cannot kid God. Not even for a second. You will know deep down what you need to do. There is no getting away from it.

He has put a seed in your heart. It has faith attached to feed it. It is designed to grow there. You are the nursery for it to grow. He has been prepping you to make outrageous decisions for Him. No failure will overtake you because in Him nothing is seen as a failure. It is not a word in His dictionary. He can't fail you. So you can't disappoint Him if you are doing your best to do His will. Your past has well and truly gone. Your perceived failures will have no power over you any more. They will evaporate like the morning mist.

Things will start to happen as your thinking begins to change. You will find your words and actions are different. Even the environment you live or work in will not seem the same. It may be subtle at first, almost imperceptible but it will be no less significant. You will struggle to explain it but it will be real to you. Keep your

eyes and ears open and see just how much of His goodness follows you around. He so enjoys doing this. He is looking for people who are willing to forsake all. Whose hearts have been not been hardened by fear or guilt but rather melted by His love. You may sense in your spirit an increase in excitement and anticipation. You may not even be able to explain it or nor attribute it to any one thing. That is The Holy Spirit getting excited on your behalf and it is very infectious. Listen to Him because a shift has taken place. He wants to do the works of Jesus through you. The joy of the Holy Spirit and His shear pleasure will radiate around you and you will struggle to contain it. You will infect others with a sense of God's joy. You are a highly contagious carrier.

#14 Enveloped like a cloud"Your face is engraved on the palms of His hands"

Oh, what a glorious day. Every single day that He creates is a glorious day full of possibilities, no two days are meant to be the same. He loves creating every day to be different. Be happy in the rain or the sunshine because there is no such thing as bad weather. Just different kinds of weather. No matter if the going is easy or the going is tough you are going from glory to glory. So hold fast to Him because you are going where you have never been before.

Expect the best and expect excellence. He is perfect in every way. So how could you be any different? You are His child after all. He is the God of hope not duty. He is the God of relationship not slavery. Do not be afraid to draw close to Him for His love will envelop you like a cloud and nothing can separate you from His love, nothing. He is permanently in love with you. He thinks about you all the time, night and day. Your face is engraved on the palms of His hands. He sings about you and He celebrates you every hour of the day and night. He will encourage you whether you walk, run or even stumble. This is equally true whether you feel you are succeeding or failing. He cannot stop loving you, it is the essence of His very nature, you cannot alter God no matter how hard you try.

#15 Don't be impressed"let His light search all of your heart"

Let His Word surround you. His written Word and His spoken Word. Let it be your life and live in a Word saturated environment. Breathe it in and fill your lungs with the air of heaven. It will be health for your body, strength for your soul and nourishment for your spirit.

One of the most dangerous things to say to Jesus is, 'I want to do Your will'. He will take you at your word. Do you have complete trust in him? Are you confident in what He has given you? Are you fully surrendered to Him? If He tells you to give something up are you more than willing? Test your heart before He does.

My appeal to you is be vulnerable and let His light search the deep recesses of your heart. It will bring health to your body and healing to your memories. You can safely trust Him for He loves and cares about every little detail of your life, past, present and whatever is to come. He is the original designer and builder, so He knows exactly what to do and how to do it. He loves you perfectly and completely, more than you can ever love yourself.

An orphan is someone without a father. But He is a Father to you so you are never an orphan. He wants you to have all the benefits of being His son or daughter. He releases you into complete freedom, abundant joy and unimaginable peace in the deepest parts of your

soul. He is so good and so loving, the Father's word to you today is 'yes'.

You have your desires but He has planted His desires in you as seeds. This happened a very long time ago. He sent His Holy Spirit so you are not left as an orphan. You are not an orphan anymore so don't live as if you are. You are a child of God. His child, His favourite, His beloved. What more could you possibly need to know or want.

His love is perfect, it revives you, it empowers you, it gives you life in all its wonderful glory. He never hesitates to shower you with His love. He doesn't have to think about it or decide whether He feels like it. He truly can't help Himself. You do not need to impress Him or please Him, all He asks is that you believe in His love and draw close to Him. There is nothing you can do that will impress Him, He can't love you anymore than He does already, so quit trying to get His attention and just bask in His adoration instead.

#16 A crisis meeting"He is there for you every moment of every day"

What do you think He would rather you did? Work at trying pleasing Him or sit at His feet and enjoy listening to Him ? The answer is both. It is not that one is better than the other but unless you hear His heart you won't know what does please Him. What you do for Him should be out of love not for love, from a position of understanding not ignorance. It is time to take the guesswork out of the equation and find out for sure what His will is for you. He is such a good Father, if you give Him half a chance, He will melt your heart in an instant.

He doesn't bludgeon His way into your heart, He asks permission to access your inner being. He won't be shocked or disillusioned by what He finds there. He never had any illusions about you in the first place. He knows you perfectly well and still accepts and loves you dearly. He doesn't ask much of you because He has done it all. You will find yourself giving Him everything and it will never feel like a sacrifice. He is joy personified. He is and will be your source of joy.

The reason He wants access to all of you is to bring healing not just of the body but of the heart as well. When you have done all you can and can go no further, turn to Him. Even better turn to Him before you get to that point. Whatever happens or is happening don't ever, ever give up. He will always give you a timely word of encouragement, just give Him your attention. Spend time with

Him every day, don't wait to arrange a crisis meeting with Him. He isn't there just for when all else fails. He is there for you every moment of every day, start and end your day with Him.

#17 The garden"He has always loved you and always will"

He wants to abundantly bless and anoint you, so much so that you will be barely able to contain it. Your capacity will be larger on the inside than what appears possible on the outside. He can pour His very self into you and live in you, expressing Himself through you. You are not limited by your own physical strength nor by your intellectual abilities. Your limit is His limit which, as you may have guessed, is limitless. You are greater than your natural ability and more creative than you realise.

To show off His ability He takes great pleasure in choosing those with issues, who don't necessarily stand out in a crowd. Before you get offended, let me point out everyone has issues, just some are better at hiding them than others. The more unremarkable you think you are the more qualified you become. From God's perspective that is the perfect starting point. He is looking for the humble in heart. Next, He is going to get your focus off yourself and on to Him because He is the solution and you aren't.

Invest your time looking at what He says about you not what He isn’t saying about you. Picture yourself doing what He sees you doing. He gets the glory when He demonstrates His raw power through you. People may be surprised at what He does through you, probably not least of all you. You were chosen so He can show off just how good He is.

Faith only works when rooted in love. Jesus knew the Father's love and so He was able to do signs, wonders and miracles. He was secure in His Father's love. So there is no reason why you can't perform signs, wonders and miracles. The key is to become secure in your knowledge of His love for you. Love casts out fear. Unbelief is the root of fear so deal with the unbelief - declare the opposite to your unbelief. Laugh at any lies that contradicts what He says about you. Laugh at fear and worry. That's what He does.

Love is the breeding ground of faith. Faith has nothing to do with forceful, charismatic personalities but rather a humble response to His love. Knowing your identity is to understand His unconditional acceptance of you. Know that He has always loved you and will always love you no matter what you do. Courage is defined as continuing to believe Him even when faced with feelings of fear, worry or anxiety. It takes courage to believe Him. Faith is a gift from God and He is a generous giver. You job is to nurture that faith and cause it to increase and grow.

#18 Bearing fruit"Not one thought in your head that is not in His"

You have the ability to be transformed. You were made to be upgraded. They are preinstalled. You are more than able to bring transformation to the world around you. It is His desire for you to be totally free from worry, fear, stress and anxiety. The question is how do you achieve this. The answer is hidden in Jesus. He did it all on the cross. He has set you free, completely and utterly. It is up to you to walk in that freedom, to think, speak, act and behave as a person who is totally set free.

BELIEVE it is possible to have all the fruit showing all time. He was including you when He spoke of the fruit of the Spirit.BELIEVE that you can be transformed. He thinks it is possible. BELIEVE that you are liberated from your past failures and regrets. Instead creating a hope filled future of immense possibilities. BELIEVE you have been given a measure of faith. Enough to do something significant.

Not one thought should be allowed to make a home in your head if it is not a thought He has about you. It takes up too much space. If a thought causes you to worry change it, get rid of it, swap it for a better one. You can control what you think, it just needs a bit of practice. It will dramatically affect how you feel about everything and everyone, even your past will change before your eyes as you start to see it in a different light. You can overcome because He made you an overcomer.

#19 The coming days"You are living proof of His goodness"

He knows your desire to do something significant. He sees you as a part of something bigger than yourself. Your life is going to count for something at the end of the day. Incredibly though, even that desire has to die before it is fulfilled, just like a seed dies before it can germinate. If you feel that life has passed you by it is more likely that it is a deliberately act on His part. It is never too late. Just because you 'haven't' doesn't mean you 'won't'. Your time has now come.

His desire at this moment is for you to have a deeply rich encounter with Him. Seek to enrich your relationship with Him. That is all He ever really asks you to do. He does not want you to get caught up in the busyness of life (and it can definitely be overwhelming at times) instead make time for Him.

He has a heavenly strategy for you, so don't be tempted with 'anything is better than nothing' no matter how good it is. Rather let Him be your focus, give yourself time to seek His face. Do this while He may be found. Don't let this moment go. Don't take this opportunity lightly. He is calling you to Himself. This was never on your terms from the start. To surrender to His will is to accept His terms and conditions without reading the small print.

If you think you have missed out then think again. The hired hands were all given the same reward even though they only laboured for half a day compared to those who had laboured all day. It is never

too late and you are never too old. He has kept you for this day. Ask Him what He wants you to do and you will get a sense that change is coming.

Take the time to wait. You may feel like making big changes as your awareness of His purpose for you grows. Don't be in a rush to make impulsive decisions. Ask Him how He wants you to do it. It is a process, you are working towards His purposes from where you are now. See His hand at work. Believe in miracles. Believe in the impossible, believe in the improbable and believe the downright unlikely. Capture peoples' hearts with the love He pours into you. You will change in the way you think, talk and act. People will see the change in you even if you don't. You will be living proof of His goodness.

#20 The slot machine"creative solutions to problems"

Be faithful in seeking Him and don't try impressing Him with your efforts. He is not easily impressed. He knows everything about you so don’t hide anything from Him. Be open and honest about how you feel. Cry out from the heart and don't just be 'nice' about it. He knows the difference between the words and the true state of your heart. He can handle anything you throw at Him. He already knows you and yet still wants you to tell Him. He can't comfort you if you pretend everything is alright. You are only fooling yourself (and probably a few others). Make yourself vulnerable and transparent. Don't hide anything. Just get over yourself.

Be intentional in all that you do. He enjoys being fully part of your life. It gives Him such great pleasure. He is more than happy to act on your requests. So ask Him. He doesn't mind. Just don't treat Him like a slot machine. He is waiting for you to talk and I mean really talk. He so wants to help and He is more than willing to listen. He never expected you to do it all on your own. In fact you can't, so keep dialoguing with Him.

Don't stop asking Him questions even seemingly impertinent ones but prepare yourself for His answers He gives you. They may offend you but at the same time He really doesn't mind you asking questions and He isn't worried if He does offend you. He is more concerned with what is in your heart. He knows what happens when issues of the heart aren't properly dealt with. He knows and

wants what is best for you. He can't help it if He is good all the time.

When faced with intractable difficulties He will give you creative solutions to problems. He is a genius and He knows the answer to everything so why struggle trying to work it all out. You can save yourself a lot of pain. He will give you favour with people and success in your circumstances. He sees what no-one else can. He knows what you are capable of. Let Him help you. Spending time with Him is not wasted time. It yields abundant fruit. So strengthen yourself and live free. There is no better day than today and no better way than His way.

#21 The future here and now"He will make you completely free"

You know that He has promised abundant life. It is not just for the future it is for the here and now. He planned for you go from glory to glory in increasing measure. His hallmark is on the integrity and quality of your life, it will be visible. Give Him complete freedom and He will make you completely free. It is about believing in Him and giving Him your complete trust. Give Him credit that He knows what He is doing.

If you think He has forgotten about you then think again. You are always in His thoughts. You were created for a glorious wonderful purpose. He is not in the habit of abandoning anything halfway through. He sees you becoming that bright shining star. He sees you. He hears you. He knows you.

Be thankful every day. That is your weapon of choice. It is that simple. It is that easy and so very powerful. You will find rest for your soul and your stress evaporating even in the midst of your most difficult trials. He is that good and He means what He says. Peace will descend like a dove, just be very still. His goodness is available to you every day. No matter what is happening around you expect His goodness to turn up.

There is no limit to the extent of His kindness. Test Him in that. Prove Him true. Ask and it will be given to you. Knock and the door will be opened. Seek Him and you will find Him. He will be

your very great reward. All you have to do is ask, seek and knock and never stop, never giving up. He has never turned anyone away. He is just so excited about your possibilities.

He says that you can love genuinely. Not just in words, thoughts or feelings but in truth and action. You will win many over with your pure, God like, love. Just love everyone. Show them what love looks like because it looks like something. Grow in love. The more time you spend with Him the more like Him you become. Ask Him to help you increase your capacity to love.

#22 There is an open door"He will show you your very best"

It will feel as if you have been planted right in the middle of all the action. That is where you will be most effective and where you will learn the most. It may not necessarily be the most comfortable but through it all He will show you at your very best.

Jesus died so that you might be free from the power of sin and all its consequences. He rose so that you can have abundant life. To live less than that is to miss out on what Jesus did for you. He never intended for your life to be a struggle, quite the opposite, it was intended to be a blessing. The single greatest gift anyone could receive.

When He pours out His blessings don't put up an umbrella but instead get completely drenched, soaked to the skin. The world will get to see what kind of God He really is and they will see the real you. The world wants to see what a child of God is really like, full of power, full of grace and full of His love.

#23 Get out of the way"If He lovingly made you, love what He made"

Whatever God gives you to do. Do it with all your heart for the benefit of others. Love God but also love your wife, love your husband, love your children, love your parents, love your siblings, love your neighbour, love your work colleagues, love your leaders, love everyone even the stranger in front of you in the queue and don't forget to love yourself. You are free to love unconditionally. If God lovingly made you, you should love what He created.

Love is not based on whether others love you or not and it is not just a feeling. Jesus laid down His life for you. He loves you whether you reciprocate it or not. That is why you can trust Him. He doesn't Lord Himself over you demanding obedience. He does everything from a pure motive of love. Being led by the Spirit means you are led by love. You will influence people for their good without having to control or manipulate them.

Work hard at resting and trusting. Just let go of your need to map out your future or to control your destiny and just let Him do it. It is tempting to fix situations or fix people, instead just focus on being led by the Spirit. Don't try to do His job for Him it is better to get out of the way and let Him do what He does best. He wants you to fall in love with Him and for that love to stay fresh all the time.

Don't be surprised if it isn't a smooth ride, there will be many battles, hurdles and challenges along the way, but the result will be

worth it. Encourage others even when you are in need of encouragement yourself. You are not alone and you are not the only one to be going through this. You don't need to wait for the finished article for even when you are in the middle of your own process you are still an encouragement to others.

#24 You are to be celebrated"Jesus would not have said it if it wasn't true"

He will speak to you at different times and in various ways so listen out for His voice. Listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying. Look out for others. Pray for them. Encourage them with the very words of God. You are called to love. Show people how powerful and effective His love is. Reveal the extent of His forgiveness by forgiving. Pray His Word over them, release His grace into them. Then stand back and watch God at work.

He will reveal secret things to you and this will prepare you for the challenges ahead. It will reassure you just how important you are to His purposes. So keep in mind what He says and shows you. By doing His will you bring glory to Him. We are promised abundant life. Jesus wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true. It is not selfish to want His blessing. How else are you going to share what you have? How can you share what you don't have?

What He is giving you is of immense value. It is to be celebrated and shared. Don't be surprised if not everyone is as excited as you. Just don't let that put you off. He has chosen to use you. So celebrate what He is doing in you and remember to celebrate when you see Him working through others. This will guard your heart from envy and jealousy.

Enjoy Him. He is just too good for words.

#25 He just wants to bless"His Presence will be your happy place"

He promised that He will pour out His Holy Spirit. It is like the crest of a wave. He will sweep through churches, communities, cities and nations. He will hold nothing back. As He reveals His heart to people. They will love Him with an intensity that has never been seen before. It will bring about a significant shift. Whereas before people only knew about Him. This time they will know Him fully. It will be no discussion or debate. It will be felt, it will be deeply personal and it will be very tangible.

As for you, as you continue to wait on Him your heart will soften. Your desires will line up with His desires. You will find that you only love what He loves and hate what He hates. You will abhor anything that undermines your relationship with Him. Even the desire to sin will be a thing of the past. This tsunami type wave will be a human wave as people experience His incomprehensible kindness and indescribable goodness. It is difficult to fully grasp how good He really is and how much He wants people, all people, to experience His goodness.

There is a common misconception that you have to either earn it, be good enough or lucky enough to receive His blessing. He will shatter this illusion and replace it with His righteousness and grace. His grace is all sufficient. It is more than enough to meet every objection and counter every argument. You will be so filled with

wonder at His goodness that everything else will pale by comparison. His presence will be your happy place.

He sees you as someone who is going to make a difference. You can be at the forefront of this wave like a surfer catching a wave. Don't be caught looking the wrong way. Be ready at all times. Devote your heart to Him. All He asks is that you follow Him. If you will follow Him He will teach you how to ride that wave. Have the attitude of a humble heart. Be totally devoted to Him. Target the affections of your heart fully in His direction. Be focussed on one thing - to seek His face. To worship Him only and fall deeply in love with Him.

#26 Familiar landmarks"your past does not define your future"

Holding onto your past successes or wallowing in your previous failures prevents you receiving His wonderful inheritance. When you surrender everything to Him your are in effect ditching those things. The old is then replaced by the new.

Even though your past doesn't define your future He is able to use your experiences, skills and knowledge, He shows that nothing is ever wasted.

He is taking you on a journey and it will mean leaving familiar landmarks behind. It is time to move on from the familiar because you know you can't stay where you are. You can't stay doing the same things the same way for ever. All it brings is weariness and futility with its own brand of frustration. There is a better way and it is called His Way.

In Him you can rest and be refreshed. You have been bruised and battered by many conflicts and struggles. While you rest in Him your motives and desires are aligned with His. There is rest from striving. You can now run and not grow weary. It is freedom from fear and anxiety. Creating a place where stress and worry have no opportunity to thrive. That is why Jesus came. He is leading people out of darkness into His Kingdom of light. So instead of despair and hopelessness you have joy and a future.

Imagine the church, His church, His bride radiant and beautiful.

#27 Complete trust"all too familiar with a God we hardly know"

There are revolutions taking place all over the world as people try to break free and create a better and more meaningful life. In their desperation many have swapped one prison for another. Jesus is the only true revolution and the only true freedom. It is freedom without a catch. It seems almost too good to be true. The good news is it is as good as it is true. He knows what is best for you and what is your best.

He has great ambitions for you, they are just staggering. There is no guesswork. He knows and He wants to show you. The only way is to find out for sure is to trust Him completely and to simply do exactly what He says. Believe every word He says about you even if you don’t believe it. Believe Him.

You are not like a robot waiting to be programmed. You are more to Him than a set of instructions or commands. He engages with you and treats you as a partner. He cares passionately about you. To Him it is all about you. To you it is all about Him. You are His primary concern and He wants you to know that you are deeply loved. He knows everything there is to know about you. He is not surprised or shocked by what you've done or thought. He knows every word that has ever come from your mouth but He choses not to condemn you. He wants your trust. But how are you going to trust someone you don't know? The answer is simple, get to know Him. There is an open invitation.

You know in your head that He is God. You can become all too familiar with a God you hardly know. You may even formulate lots of reasons why all this may be too good to be true. If you are unsure about His kindness spend a little bit of time with Him and you will be utterly convinced and deeply reassured. Just thinking, talking or reading about it is not the same as having a relationship with Him. Do you want to know Him deeply and intimately? The good news is you can. He has made it very easy, as easy as breathing. So take a deep breath and breathe the air of heaven.

#28 He is a genius"The Holy Spirit is with you so you have no excuses"

Appreciate what He has already done for you. This is essential before you can begin to understand what He asks you to do. He wants you to understand what He is doing and why. He thinks this is important because He needs you. He has sent an invite to you to get to know Him. Accept the invitation and you are going to have a true picture of what makes God, God.

The world sits and wonders while we procrastinate. Quite simple He wants us to get on with it. There is much to do. Make yourself available. Listen to Him. Walk with Him. Capture His heart and share His desires.

His Word is a lamp to your feet. The Holy Spirit will lead you along a narrow and sometimes unclear path. You are not following a philosophy or even a religion, you are following Jesus, He is The Word of God made flesh, He said that when you see, hear and experience Him you have experienced God the Father. There is a difference between experiencing Him first hand and knowing about Him. Don't be satisfied with just knowing. The written Word is meant to be read and to be believed. It is a letter of introduction to a loving Heavenly Father. He has given you His Holy Spirit to help you so that you won't have to rely on your own knowledge or understanding. Draw on His perfect wisdom, the wisdom of heaven.

This doesn't make bible teachers redundant, quite the opposite He inspires true teachers with powerful revelation. He is very creative in how He communicates this revelation and He is not limited to those who think they are clever. He will find a way to use anyone with a heart after His own. His Holy Spirit is always with you, so you have no excuse.

Ref: 05-2011