Welcome to our service today. It is great to have you here and we would love to invite you to stay after the service and join us for tea and coffee.

When I read again the story of Abraham and Isaac, I can't help but wonder what was going through both of their minds. Surely Abraham's heart was broken for what he thought he was about to do in sacrificing his son. And Isaac at such a young age must have wondered what on earth his father was doing to him. 

But as we know, God did not want Isaac to die, but He wanted Abraham to sacrifice Isaac in his heart so it would be clear that Abraham loved God more than He loved his promised and long-awaited son. God was testing Abraham. The purpose of testing is to strengthen our character and deepen our commitment to God and His perfect timing. Through this difficult experience, Abraham strengthened his commitment to obey God and also learned about God's ability to provide. How do we respond in times of testing? Do we throw our toys out of the cot and moan and groan about our circumstances? Or do we turn to the One who made us, never leaves us and that we can trust one hundred percent to walk with us through the fire?

Blessings,

Sandra

Welcome to our service today. It is great to have you here and we would love to invite you to stay after the service and join us for tea and coffee.

In describing the Lord as a shepherd, David wrote out of his own experience because he had spent his early years caring for sheep. If you've ever had anything to do with sheep you will know they are completely dependent on the shepherd for provision, guidance and protection. You will also know they have a mind of their own when trying to be 'penned'! 

The New Testament calls Jesus the Good Shepherd (John 10:11); the Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20) and the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4). As the Lord is the Good Shepherd, so we are His sheep - not frightened passive animals, but obedient followers, wise enough to follow one who will lead us in the right places and in the right ways. When we allow God our shepherd to guide us, we have contentment knowing we are in His will. He knows the "green pastures" and "still waters" that will restore us. We will find these when we follow Him obediently. So let us remind ourselves that the "Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want". 

Blessings,

Sandra

Welcome to our service today. It is great to have you here and we would love to invite you to stay after the service and join us for tea and coffee.

As we have been praying for the 'prodigals', let us not give up on pressing in with prayer for these ones as we see God moving in small and in some, bigger ways in their lives. We must continue to believe and have faith that God can turn their hearts back to Him, no matter how far they have strayed because our God can do that. 

King David did so many things wrong. He committed adultery and murder. He lied and made terrible errors in judgement but still God said of him that he was "a man after My own heart, who will do all My will". Acts 13:22. Obviously, "the Lord looks at the heart''. 1 Samuel 16:7

It wasn't that David never did anything wrong or never made a mistake. It was that he was quick to humble himself before God and repent. And because he had a teachable spirit, he learned from all of his mistakes and poor judgement, and he changed his ways.  This shows that the love and grace of God are there for all of us, and for the prodigals - no matter what they have done - to bring redemption and restoration. So let's continue to pray for repentant hearts and lives that will be transformed by the power of God. 

Blessings,

Sandra

Welcome to our service today. It is great to have you here and we would love to invite you to stay after the service and join us for tea and coffee.

In Proverbs 4:23 we read "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life". So how do we guard our hearts?

We are made up of body, soul and spirit. Our physical body is obvious to us. Our soul is made up of our mind, will and emotions. Our spirit is how we commune or relate with God - it comes from our heart. This is why it is so important to guard our heart. There are well known disciplines that we need to follow that will affect our heart and therefore our relationship with God. We must regularly read the Bible (and by regularly I encourage that to be daily!). We need to be praying (talking to God) without ceasing. We must be careful what we read and watch - these things should be pure. We must also be careful who we spend our time with. It is important to spend the majority of our time with those people who will encourage us in these matters. If we guard these things, we guard our heart which in turn is where we commune with God. The Holy Spirit will lead us and we will hear from Him and this in turn will determine the course of our life. Let's be aware of how the outworking of those first six words determine how our life will go!

Blessings,

Sandra