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by Calven CelliersAs I walked along the garden path, the striking contrast of a single red poppy surrounded by the azure background of the mass of pretty little Forget-Me-Nots bordering the walkway, caught my attention. I stood and gazed at the wonder of creation, appreciating this awesome sight before me. The poppy, a renowned symbol of remembrance for those who have lost their lives in conflicts around the world, jolted my memory to the fact that this weekend is Remembrance Sunday, the anniversary to commemorate and honour all those brave men and women, fallen heroes, who died as a result of the ravages of war. World War II was the biggest and bloodiest war in the history of the planet. Historians estimate that between 40 and 50 million people died during those dark years, as more than thirty nations were involved in the battle for six years starting with the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939 under the leadership of Adolf Hitler. At the war’s conclusion, despite Hitler’s suicide and his successor Karl Dönitz’s signed surrender, individual skirmishes continued. As is often the case in war, some soldiers keep fighting long after their nation is defeated, and the triumphant nations have cleaned up their victory parades. Some simply refuse to accept the reality that their kingdom has fallen.Whilst I’m ever grateful that I have never had to live through a war, or been forced to face combat myself, I am reminded as a child of God that we are indeed engaged in battle on a daily basis. In his letter to the Church at Ephesus the apostle Paul commented:“12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world andagainst the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”(Ephesians 6:12NIV)Each and every day, you and I are locked in a personal battle with the forces of darkness, as the enemy tries to get a new hold on us. Our responsibility is to never underestimate how evil, evil, really is, and to guard our own personal spot in the battle line, for the war against your soul is fought in daily skirmishes. These skirmishes in your life are, however, not the big battle, Jesus already won that!REMEMBER this, “8…the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8NLT)“When Christ died and rose again, Satan was defeated. Jesus struck the decisive blow.” [John Piper]"Finished" is the word we use after a job is done. "Finished" is also the word Jesus used from the cross (John 19:30). Your daily battles are fought in the context of a war that is over with a foe who is defeated and will ultimately be disarmed and destroyed. Calvary dealt a death-blow to the devil and his legions of demons, and someday they will be cast into the Lake of Fire. But between now and then, he fights on, defeated but not destroyed, refusing to accept the reality that his kingdom has ultimately fallen, using every…

Guest Post by Joh Doyle Deuteronomy 7:9 "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the Faithful God who keeps His Covenant and Steadfast love with those who love Him and keeps His commandments to a thousand generations" The word Faithfulness means to be in a place of trust and loyalty. Hebrews 11:1 says "Now faith is a confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we cannot see" As Believers it is important for us to be Faithful to God because of His Great Faithfulness to us in all things. The Life of Christ on earth was one of complete TRUST and LOYALTY and this is shown in many situations He found Himself in during His time on earth. God's Faithfulness to us needs to be replicated in each of our lives especially in these difficult days of Lockdown.  Lets TRUST God despite what we might be going through and lets be LOYAL to Him in all things. This will be a great testimony to those whom we meet and those that God sends our way so that our Faithfulness to Him can brightly shine forth in these darks times we are going through. Proverbs 3:3 says "Let not steadfast love and Faithfulness forsake you, bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart, so you will find favour and success in the sight of God and Man." A great encouragement from Gods Word to be steadfast in Love and Faithfulness despite what we may be going through.Look at how David displayed His passion despite the many trials He went through: "I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations" Psalms 89:1 Please take this verse of scripture and live it out in your life and that of your family and it will impact those around you that maybe going through difficult times. We know from scripture that Gods "steadfast love" never ceases and neither does His Faithfulness and so we are encouraged to remind ourselves and others that "His mercies never come to an end" Why? Because "they are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness" Lamentations 3:22 - 23. Let's be a a testimony of God's great Love and Faithfulness to "all generations" and at the end of our lives what a joy in will be to hear "well done good and faithful servant, enter into the Joy of the Lord," Matthew 25: 21. Its time to sing with me: Great is Thy Faithfulness, O God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not, As thou hast been, Thou Forever will be,Great is Thy Faithfulness, Great is Thy Faithfulness, Morning by morning new mercies I see,All I have needed Thy hand has provided, Great is Thy Faithfulness, LORD Unto Me  Have a blessed day,In the Love of the Lord Jesus, John and Barbara

by Graham MolWhat is your attitude toward life like?Don't worry, you don't need to answer that right now. Just keep it in mind as we consider the following proverb:"All the days of the oppressed are miserable,but a cheerful heart has a continual feast,"(Proverbs 15:15 CSB)The New Living Translation puts it this way:"For the despondent, every day brings trouble;    for the happy heart, life is a continual feast,"(Proverbs 15:15 NLT) This snippet of wisdom points out the fact that our attitude toward life - the state of our hearts affects how we see, feel and experience each new day. For those who are feeling afflicted or oppressed, in a place of despondency, it seems that each day brings more trouble. They find the negative in every positive, their clouds all seem to lose their silver lining. What a contrast this is to those with a cheerful heart for whom life is not merely "nice" or "okay" but is described as a continual feast. For them there is always something new to try, to taste, to delight in. There is always more, and plenty to share with others.The facts of life are just that, the facts. Whether or not we can explain them, or change them, we are all presented with them as sure as the sun rises over us. The difference is how we think and feel about the facts and circumstances we face, the difference is how we will respond. Will today bring trouble, or will we feast on the joys and opportunities given to us. Consider how you feel when you read the following statement:"Anything can happen."Does this statement fill you with dread? Or does it speak to you about possibility, discovery and promise?The proverbs in the Bible are wise reflections of what tends to be true in life. They are insights into our thinking and experience of life. Proverbs 15:15 points out the fact that our attitude, the condition of our heart vastly changes our experience of daily life. However knowing this might not help you feel any better if you find yourself in that place of despondency, afflicted and oppressed by the trials of life. We all wish that we could experience life as a continual feast, but sadly that is not the reality for many.The good news is that with the Lord we can experience such joy. Psalm 23 was written by King David who, although not perfectly, walked with the Lord in love and obedience. The words of the psalm describe the beautiful reality of having the Lord as our Shepherd loving and caring for us. David speaks of the Lord preparing a table in for him in the presence of his enemies. With the Lord we can still enjoy the feast of life even in a hostile, difficult situation. With Jesus as our Good Shepherd, the cup of our joy will overflow and we will no longer have hearts that are afflicted and despondent but that are cheerful, ready to experience the glorious banquet of…

by Caryl Moll“I wish I could shake like that,” my hubby lamented as he looked at our Golden Retriever, Toby.This morning, as the sun peeped through the curtains of our bedroom, the dogs stirred. Toby stretched his limbs and then moved over towards his canine companion, Lexi. She rose and nuzzled Toby. Both gave their first ‘shake’ of the day and paused to decide on their next step.  Over the years, this has become our dogs’ regular morning routine. It’s a collaborative effort to ‘wake us up’. They walk around our bed, moaning loudly and thump their tails against the mattress. Very effective! According to them, nothing is more important than breakfast. Sometimes our beloved pooches whip themselves up into a barking frenzy. Very determined!“Woof! Woof! Woof!No matter how much we adore them, it can become really irritating. At some point, we both shout out…“NO! Go back to bed!” Toby yawns widely, takes a moment to stretch his body out languidly and then he gives a firm and solid ‘shake’ which cannot be ignored. This shake starts at his head, moves to his ears and extends through his large body to the tip of his tail. It is loud and distinctive with skin flaps rattling across his frame. Afterwards, however, it’s as if everything is new. He quietly goes back to bed as if all is forgotten… for a few minutes. Hubby and I lift our heads, look at each other and both say simultaneously…“I wish I could shake like that.”This lament is often heard in our household – the desire to shake our bodies just like our dogs do it. Their shake seems to allow all their tension to simply drip off and disappear. They look free, comfortable and happy. This event is sealed off with a languid stretch. I can’t help but think that if we could do it, it would offer us the opportunity of a clean slate to move ahead, refreshed. Yes, it may sound funny for us to shake like this, but there is some real sentiment behind our envy.Animal behaviourists would call this “The body shake”. It’s a doggy self-calming mechanism which works to settle them down and ready themselves for their next activity. “The past is the past,” they seem to say. “All is forgotten. What lies ahead is totally new.” We could learn from them…Don’t you wish you could shake it off like this? Well, I most certainly do.Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have the freedom to not over-think things; to shake off our anxiety; to calm ourselves and to simply ‘put it all behind you’? How often do we over-worry; mulling things over in our minds. We ponder endlessly over redundant issues: Why did we make that mistake? Why did we say that? Is this the correct decision? How do I deal with this? The anxiety can be debilitating.So, how do we ‘shake it off’?Some people attend parties every weekend in an attempt to forget their issues. Others exercise their bodies into…