It’s beginning to look at lot like Christmas…. AGAIN! I am still in shock at how quickly Christmas has come around again!  Everywhere I look, signs of Christmas are there – and have been for the past couple of months too!
I’ve had a crazy weekend, finally tackling the Christmas shopping! I’m usually quite organised but this year I’m feeling like I’ve left everything to the last minute. Now there are two types of people when it comes to Christmas. Those who are Christmas ready with decorations up and Christmas music playing at the end of October (or earlier, like my sister) or those who refuse to do Christmas until the night before the big day. Whatever your personal feeling towards Christmas, will you be getting into the Christmas spirit?

And by this I mean the TRUE Christmas Spirit! In todays society, the Christmas season has been overwhelmed by the need for presents, food, perfectly decorated homes, the best light displays etc. all to create that essential festive mood in which everyone feels joyful. Regardless of how you might try to create the perfect Christmas without the true Spirit at the heart of your celebrations, Christmas merely becomes another family get together

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6

We need to remember what Christmas is all about and ensure that we welcome the Holy Spirit amongst us. The beauty of Christmas is not in the presents but in His presence. If we take Christ out of Christmas we are simply left with MAS – an acronym for Mince Pies and Sprouts. Which is nothing really special, right?

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16

I encourage you this Christmas to focus fully on why we celebrate at this time of year. To place Jesus at the centre of the season. Spend time reflecting on the promises God has given us. Remember how much God loves us to have sent  His only son into our world. May the Spirit fill you with peace, hope and love especially at this time. Unlike the Christmas Spirit built upon materialistic things, the Christ Spirit remains with us not just one day of the year, but each and every day.

 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13

I challenge you over this advent period, to read one chapter of Luke each night, and by Christmas Eve you’ll have recounted Jesus’ Life and remembered Who and Why we celebrate Christmas. I pray you’ll invite the Holy Spirit to be with you as we embark on this festive season once more.

I pray you have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year! 🙂

Waking up on a Monday is hard enough, without the problem of being greeted by a flat tyre. Well, in my case, TWO flat tyres! There is nothing worse than frantically pumping up your tyres while checking your watch, hoping that you’ll still make it to work on time. It was while I was staring desperately at the deflated tyre slowing increasing with air, that I began to think of how this represents us.

Are you feeling deflated? Do you feel flat and empty inside? I know for myself, I’ve been feeling rather low – It could be due to the weather; cold and dark mornings are not a very joyful motivation to look on the bright side – or perhaps it’s because I’m feeling disappointed about recent events and am feeling a bit lost at the moment. Sometimes we cannot pinpoint why we feel this way. We all have our low days, where we feel down but sometimes it can be more than just that. You may be going through a difficult time where you’re at rock bottom. In a place of despair and doubt, unable to see a way out. Whatever you circumstances and the reasons behind your current state, do not lose hope. Just like my car tyres, maybe you are in need of being refilled?

The Holy Spirit can fill you and restore you to a place of peace and contentment. If you find yourself feeling deflated right now, pray to God to strengthen you. There are so many wonderful, encouraging verses in the Bible, that display God’s endless love and care for us:

“Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

Psalm 34:18

” But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:31

So, when you are feeling deflated in your faith, take out your puncture repair kit! Through reading your Bible and spending time in prayer with God, you will start to feel yourself being replenished with strength and joy by the Holy Spirit, and soon you’ll be back on the road again!

God Bless! 🙂

I am not ashamed to admit that I LOVE Disney! I grew up watching all those classic Disney films (and still enjoy watching them just as much now!), and also am highly skilled in being fluent in Disney lyrics! Recently, I was listening to my Disney playlist – Yes, I am that obsessed! – when one of the songs from Lion King 2 came on – He Lives in You. For those of you who are not familiar (disappointed face), the song reflects the part of the film where Simba is remembering who he is, that his father, Mufasa, lives on in him. During the following few days, the lyrics of that song kept coming back to me. I started to listen to the words not merely as a song from a Disney film but instead from a Christian perspective. The meaning suddenly changed and became a really powerful and encouraging message. One I feel I needed to share with you!

Let’s start by unpacking the lines within the chorus:

He lives in you,
He lives in me, 
He watches over, 
Everything we see. 

Into the water, 
Into the truth, 
In your reflection, 
He lives in you. 

It opens with the beautiful image of how God lives in us. Similar to the representation within the film, our loving Father lives within us, reminding us who we are. When we become a Christian and accept the Holy Spirit, it dwells within us. In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul asks the Corinthian believers a question:

“Or do you not realise about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you?”

2 Corinthians 13:5

Like the Corinthians, we need to realise this fact for ourselves. Jesus is a part of us, not merely an outside helper; our identity is in Him!

“I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me”

Galatians 20:20

Secondly, not only does God live within us but he watches over everything we see and all that is before us. How much of a comfort is that?! It’s hard when things do not turn out the way we expected or hoped they would, but it’s so encouraging to remember that God has got it all in hand. There are SO many reminders in the bible of God’s constant presence and almighty love for us, but here are just a few of my favourite verses:

“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT

“The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.”

Psalm 121:8 NLT

“I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken for He is right beside me.”

Psalm 16:8 NLT

Lastly, the idea that Jesus is in our reflections, because He lives within us. But when we look at ourselves can we see Jesus? What do you see in your own reflection? I know for myself, I struggle with my self-worth, and quite often I’m quick to highlight my flaws above anything else: “I’m not good enough… I will never be able to do that…” etc. However, as a Christian, if you have accepted Jesus into your life, and He is living within us, then surely our perspective of ourselves should be completely different. Through Jesus’ almighty grace and love we are good enough! When God looks at our reflections He does not see our blemished selves, but instead because of the cross, we have been made new; made beautiful in the image of Christ.

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

On the other hand, this idea also creates a challenge for us to consider. Are others able to see Jesus in our reflections? Through our day-to-day encounters with others, do we emphasis the love, compassion, forgiveness and kindness of our Saviour? We need to strive to become more like Christ as it says in the verse below;

“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.”

Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT

With God living within us we can find comfort, hope and strength, again a point displayed within the verse:

Wait, 
There's no mountain too great, 
Hear these words and have faith. 

No matter what trials or ‘mountains’ we find ourselves facing on our journeys, they are never too great to tackle with God on our side.

“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.”

Mark 11:23 NLT

We may hear these words but we must remember to have faith, and fully trust in the knowledge that God is always with us and He will guide us to the top of the mountain, one step at a time. Having a strong faith rooted in Him, will be enough to move your mountains.

Why not take some time to listen to this song for yourself. Pray over the words and ask God to remind you daily that He is with you; guiding and protecting you. To remember that your identity is in Christ and not in the world. Finally, to challenge you with the opportunities to reflect more of Jesus to those you meet.

So, hear these words and have faith!

God Bless! 🙂

As a Reception Teacher, I feel I have a HUGE amount of patience working with my children, but I have started to realise my personal level of patience is actually in very low supply.

In fact, I am the complete opposite to how I perceived myself – recently I have been shown that I am actually quite an impatient person! Not in the sense of getting easily frustrated when things don’t happen straight away, like waiting for the internet to load or my food order to come, as this is generally what most people do. The type of patience I find myself struggling with is being able to wait and be still in the moment. Sound familiar? Then keep reading!

I am a big planner! I obsess over planning and find such joy in creating endless to-do lists. I love the sense of being in control and paving my own stepping stones towards that end goal. However, I often get too caught up in the future that I am completely by-passing the now! And this is where my impatient nature creeps in. I want it now; whatever it may be. Do you find yourself wanting things to move quicker in a relationship, craving that next promotion, striving for the next thing and the next thing, hastily trying to tick off all those bucket lists and goals? I know I do! As soon as I get the slightest glimmer of the potential beginning of one of these things I want to jump straight in with both feet and sprint towards the finish line. And when things are slower and take longer to unravel, I get frustrated and then the disappointment sets in. I find myself trying to take matters into my own hands and ‘make it happen’, to speed up the process, but this usually ends up going horribly wrong. My problem is wanting everything too soon! It’s hard in today’s instant society, when things can happen at the click of a button, to stop, sit back and be patient.

So, what are we going to do about it? The idea of giving up complete control and waiting for God to piece the pathway together for us is a scary thought! But the bible is full of stories and promises of how much God blesses those who are patient. For example: Sarah waited and was patient that God would give her a son; Joseph trusted God to work out his plan in His time; Job knew God had a plan and allowed willingly for God to take the lead. These people are but a few examples of what can happen when you accept the challenge to be patient.

Take some time to reflect on these verses…

“I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.”

Psalm 40:1

“But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.”

Romans 8:25

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

To have more patience we need to learn to be still and focus on the present. To embrace the day and instead give God all the tomorrows. The hopes and dreams we have will be shown to us, IF they are what God intends. God’s plan will be revealed and made clear when the time is right. Our role is simple – to wait, have patience and trust Him fully. Much easier said than done! But this will be the start of the journey. A map-less journey with no pre-planned destinations but instead taking the trek one step at a time, following God’s directions.

Pray to God to help you to have more patience and to find joy and peace in the waiting.

God Bless! 🙂

Driving to work, music playing, mind drifting on the upcoming tasks of the day. When my thoughts are interrupted by the chorus of the Rend Collective song, ‘Every Giant will Fall’. I find myself singing along and begin to think – have I really ever given much thought to the meaning behind this song? The words I am actually singing?

Let’s read 1 Samuel: 17 to find out more…

³² “Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!” ³³ “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.” ³⁴ But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, ³⁵ I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. ³⁶ I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! ³⁷ The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!” ³⁸ Then Saul gave David his own armour—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. ³⁹ David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. “I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again. ⁴⁰ He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine. ⁴¹ Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him,⁴² sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. ⁴³ “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. ⁴⁴ “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled. ⁴⁵ David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! ⁴⁷ And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” ⁴⁸ As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him.⁴⁹ Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. ⁵⁰ So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. ⁵¹ Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head.

1 Samuel 17: 32-50

We each have a ‘Goliath’ in our lives – whether this is a person, an emotion or a sin – something we are up against that we cannot defeat alone. David relied on God’s input to defeat his opponent.

Sometimes we think our problems are too big to overcome. The ‘lion’ or ‘bear’ problems are difficult but we trust God to solve those ones. But when it comes to the BIG, Goliath-style issues, we begin to question – Surely God cannot handle that?! Rarely do I ever sit down and pray for the big things. Instead, I try it alone; and like the other men who tried to defeat Goliath they failed. We need to remember that God is so much bigger than ALL our problems. We just need to put our faith in Him and believe that He will deliver us safely through those tough times. With one stone, David brought the mighty Goliath to the ground. What if that one stone represented a prayer? What if one simple prayer to God asking for His help, surrendering your suffering and handing it over to Him, brought your Goliath to an end?

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:26

So next time you listen to this Rend Collective song, be encouraged and remember that whatever you are up against, your ‘Goliath’, God’s got your back, your giant will fall, as nothing is impossible with God alongside!

God Bless! 🙂

As a Christian, Faith is not easy. We all go through different seasons in life where our faith is tested, and quite often during these times, we feel as if we are the only one who is experiencing such trials – I know! I’ve been there! However, Steadfast has been created as a source of encouragement; as the bible instructs us, we are to build each other up. Hence, why Steadfast has been established.

My hope is that through the words and thoughts shared within this blog, God will use them to speak directly to you; that you may find comfort, strength, peace, hope etc. whatever it is you are seeking.

God Bless! 🙂