Where are you planted?

“He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

What are you planted in? 

When a plant or tree is planted in the ground it absorbs the nutrients from the ground around it. What the tree produces is a direct result of what it takes in. If the ground is poisonous then the fruit will likely be bitter and tasteless. If the ground is rich in minerals it will produce sweet and delicious fruit. 

This is true in the spirit too. Where we are planted is what kind of fruit we produce. If you are planted in a life giving place, that's what you will produce.  But if you are in a place where there is no freedom and liberty, that's what you will become. 

The psalmist says that when we are planted by the river of life we will produce good fruit in every season. The key thing you will notice is that the tree goes through different seasons. We all face a winter in our lives, some of us are in a summer others in spring while others are heading in autumn. 

We should never despise others who are in a different season in their lives. We all face challenges at some point. But as individuals living in the grace of God we should be compassionate and loving to all 

But regardless of what season we are in, if we are planted in a life giving place we will always produce good fruit. That's the point he is trying to make. Our proximity to the river of life will indeed have an effect on our life. And no matter the season you find yourself in you will still absorb the life the water gives and produce something good.  

Where are you planted? What ground do you reside in? It's easy to know because the quality of your  fruit will determine where you are planted. 

If you find that your fruit is bitter, make a change.  When a horticulturist wants to get a plant to grow bigger, they remove it from its pot, that might have confined its roots and transfer it to a larger pot. The size of the roots determine the growth. 

The process of being uprooted and replanted might seem traumatic but without it the growth of a plant is stunted. 

Be planted in a place of life that feeds your soul those important nutrients of life.  What you produce is a direct reflection of where you are planted. 

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Taking the train to the city is an interesting experience. If you commute you know what I'm talking about. Trains in Melbourne are getting more crowded every month and you feel like you are squashed in like cattle. Now this is not a criticism of the transportation system but rather an observation on what we do on it. The number one activity I notice is the amount of people on Facebook, a few read the news and even less read a book.

A rare few I see read a bible or a devotional.  So often we have busy schedules and feel like we don't have time to read our bible. But on our commute every morning is a perfect opportunity before your day really starts to get in a little one on one time with the Lord in prayer, read the bible, listen to a pod cast or even review Sunday's message from church.

In our busy lives we need to learn to carve out time to be with the Lord. Now you might have already done this in your life and this is not directed at anyone in particular but I have had people come up and share with me that they have no time in their week to read their bible or pray.  I'm trying to show us that we do have time where we can spend a few minutes every day with God, even when we lead busy lives.

When you are sitting there on the train you don't have to worry about traffic or stoplights or anything. Depending on where you get on, you could have up to 40 minutes. Even if its 15 minutes it's still ample time to read and mediate on a scripture. If you drive to work, pop in a CD or download a few messages on your smart phone and play it on your car radio.  It's really amazing to see how your day will change and your attitude will change when you get some encouragement from the word of God.

To be honest, the more time we spend with God the better our lives will become and we need to make sure we try our best to build some of that God time into our busy day. We will be better for it.

What time do you see in your day where you can fit in some prayer, or study or listening to a encouraging word? Maybe its driving to the grocery store, on the bus or train, in your car to work or back home? How about when you are at the gym? There are really many ways to fit in some time. 

If we don't spend any time doing this I recommend we start, however , we would love to get to the point where rather than trying to fit the word into our lives , we make time in our day to dedicate to it. This should be our ultimate goal.  But hey let's start here.

If you are part of Transform Church we have an app that contains a number of messages and YouTube videos as well as written encouragement. You can download that here:

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/transform-church/id1060270860?mt=8

If you are not why don't you download it and give us a listen. There are many, many ministries that offer free encouragement and in this present day and age it's not hard at all to find something no matter where we are.

My prayer is that your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ gets stronger each day of your life. He is the best guide, teacher and mentor you could ever find!

Blessings   

Hear His Voice?

I saw this today, and this brought to mind a though that has been resonating in my spirit for a long time.  We need to be able to really hear the voice of our Lord. There are some many voices in our ear, constantly fighting for our attention from people to radio, TV to music, movies and announcements. Do you realize that there are very few places that are not filled with noise?

 We get into a lift and there is music, or its in our ear form our mobile devices, we are on a train platform and announcements are constantly hitting our ears, we get in a car and the radio or music is on, we walk in the house and we have family speaking to us or  we turn on the TV.  There are very few places that are silent and in order to get this we need to create a place for it, its not automatic anymore. With so many voice in our ears, do we recognize when the Lord speaks? Do we even know what He sounds like?

My prayer is that I hear His voice clearly and discern that it is Him and that I listen to Him more than anyone else or anything else. I hope that is your prayer too!

A Powerful Prayer

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

Ephesians 1:15-23 NKJV

Prayer for Wisdom. 

Did you know there are many prayers listed in the bible? Here is an especially powerful one. Paul hears about the great things the church people in Ephesus are doing and he says he will pray for them and he writes down his prayer.  It's a powerful prayer and full of insight into the great relationship Paul had with God and the deep revelation he gives us. It's a prayer of one who knows whom they are, and whom they belong to. 

He identifies where wisdom comes from. He prayers for them to come into the revelation of a deeper knowledge of Jesus. He prayers for spiritual enlightenment, only a spiritually enlightened mind can fully understand and appreciate the hope and inheritance we have in Christ. He speaks of the greatness of God's power that is working in us. Did you know God is constantly at work in you, and loving you to greatness? He is! And that's an comforting though. 

 I might not have it all together yet, but God is not finished with me.  Just like a master painter he is taking His time to make us His masterpiece. 

Paul also gives us insight into the fact that the very same power that rose Jesus from the dead is the same power at work in us. Wow! That's resurrection power! And an important aspect that he mentions as he prayers is that Paul does not ask for this power to be given to the believers. No! He says we already have it. He prayers that we might become aware of the power we already possess! 

Then he reassures us that Jesus is the highest authority. The name of Jesus is above every other name, not just in the past or the present but the greatest name of all time, including the future! 

We can rest safely knowing that our great God Jesus Christ has us in His arms. 

I have often prayed this prayer and made it personal. It's such a powerful prayer and if you will,  I'm going to ask you to make it personal as well as we pray and put ourselves in that place of blessing

Let's begin:  

Lord God I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to ME the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, that the eyes of MY understanding be enlightened; that I may know what is the hope of His calling IN MY LIFE, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in ME, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward ME WHO  believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

I PRAY THESE THINGS IN THE MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS! Amen 

May God truly answer your prayers and give you all that you have prayed for!

Have a God day! 

Stop! Listen.

“So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret,”
Luke 5:1 NKJV

The people were so eager to hear the word that they pressed up to Him
So much that Jesus was in the sea, waves lapping at his ankles,  any more and He would have to swim. Good thing Peter's boat was nearby. A handy spot to speak so all could see and hear.

How eager were these people to hear what Jesus had to say? I mean they were not just merely interested they were enthusiastic about hearing Him. They stopped what they were doing in their busy days and turned their full attention to Jesus. They knew that He was saying something important.

They made a choice to do it. There could have been others around that continued along their way just doing their work. Passing by looking at the crowd but not stopping to hear. Do you think they would have received something to help their life? Perhaps they might have thought: if I deliver these goods I will get paid and thus provide food for myself. That will help, listening to some stranger, not so much.

The reality is that those who ceased from activity heard the word of life, to help their entire life. Others did not. Money cannot buy happiness, neither can anything else but Jesus.

We must, like those who chose to stop and listen, make choices in our days to stop and read the word, listen to the word and pray the word.

I know He will speak to you. Give it a try.

Leaving Your Past Behind You

“Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.”
Mark 10:46-52 NKJV


To be blind in ancient  times left you with with only one option: to beg.  This man made his way to the busy road and his means of living was to rely on the generosity or sympathy of people passing by. There was really no hope  of any kind of future for Bartimaeus.  He had a coat that used to keep him warm on cold Jericho nights and probably a stick to help guide him. That might have been the extent of his possessions. 

Jesus was passing by and Bartimaeus had no doubt heard of the miracle works that He had conducted, sitting on the side of a busy highway. Here was destiny about to pass by. This was a moment  that would only arrive once in a lifetime. He throws any sort of dignity and decorum to the side and yells out to Jesus. His desperation to be delivered from his blindness surpasses anything else. 

Blindness can be physical and spiritual. Jesus often said you have eyes but you don't see.  We often miss the deep things of God because we focus on things that are temporal and temporary and we don't see the value and purpose of our life. There is a divine purpose for every single individual on the face of this earth, but the majority of us just go through the routine of life with no concept of anything bigger or greater. Yet we have been designed for a specific purpose. We see,  but we are blind to the true purpose of existence. And we live our life ignorant of this undeniable fact. We need to come to the realisation that we like Bartimaeus can find our completeness in Jesus. 

We need to abandon the perceived security of our life, so often it is a sad delusion. That we are happy and content and everything is ok. When the reality is, it's the anything but that. We have work problems, marriage problems, children problems and not to mention our own personal problems. all of these things weigh us down. The people around us are just as blind and when we try on a glimmer of hope to move beyond this, people tell us to be quiet and it's ok and this is how life is. There is nothing better. See that's  what they told Bartimaeus.  They tried to get him to shut up, accept his situation and remain as he was. 

He had other ideas, he shouted even louder, ignoring the cries of those who wanted him to shut up. We, like him,  must not be so willing to listen to all the voices of the people around us, telling us to be quiet and fit in and live life as a mediocre routine. 

He wanted Jesus's attention and he got it, not by being quiet and fitting in, but by being vocal and desperate. In our world that is filled with so many things that demand our attention, we must be as desperate for the attention of Jesus. We crave attention and recognition from our bosses,  our friends, our family, our parents and children and spouses, yet we are not desperate for the attention of one who can help us the most.

Bartimaeus stood up when Jesus called, threw away his coat, his only protection against the weather, his comfort and what tied him to his present condition. He did not hesitate to see if Jesus would heal him or would help him. No, he threw aside his past and stepped into destiny.

What an amazing faith and trust in Jesus, he did not come hesitantly! He came with complete confidence in Jesus.  Jesus responds to his faith by saying:  “Go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Bartimaeus' physical eyes were healed and his spiritual eyes were opened as well. The outward healing was reflected in the inward healing, and salvation.

What a powerful example of one who was blind but now sees!

I encourage you in your faith today to lift it to Jesus, call on Him and leave your past behind. He is here waiting to heal your life. Let your past go and step towards Jesus! 

Humility in a Hostile World

Humility 

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.”

Matthew 18:1-5 NKJV

Humbleness 

This is a word that is not much used in our modern life. Humble is often seen as weak or ineffective,  or one who cannot stand up for themselves and are walked all over. In the race to achieve success in life there is no room for a humble person. It's all about selling yourself, telling others of your accomplishments and milestones. Everyone wants to outdo each other.  Your perceived success is based on a resume of achievements, not on your character.  

It's about what you have done, not so much who you are. We see our worth in our achievements not in who we are. So we are notable if we have a great business, are a CEO or a manger or public figure.  So many of today's celebrities or popular people are known for their accomplishments, movie stars, rock stars, singing stars, yet these people have little strong character. So often you hear about their missteps and failures.  

I was once at a course that encouraged us to talk all about our achievements. In fact they have us a little test. They said image you got into a lift with the CEO of your company. You have 30 seconds to tell him what you do and how much you have achieved and how you can help the company. It was all about selling yourself based on what you had achieved. 

The opposite is true here in this text. Here Jesus speaks about a little valued quality in our present lives. Being humble in our proclamation of self, and building of our character.  The disciples came to Him asking: who is the greatest? We all seek recognition and attention and so often it's for what we do.  Jesus turns this around and says it's not about accomplishments in your life. It's about the character of your life. 

Children really don't have any accomplishments to sell themselves on. They have no resources of their own. Especially little children,  they depend on their parents for their provision and substance. They don't go around talking about what they achieved this quarter. They have nothing to commend themselves with. 

Jesus says whomever in their attitude and character is like a child, not relying on their own achievements or accomplishments to sell themselves and become reliant upon their Father for their provision and success will be great in His kingdom. 

Our challenge in our walk, especially in the face of the world that pushes the capitalisation of self, is to learn to put our faith and trust in God. Our Christian character is of vital importance to ourselves and God. It's about whom we are more than what we have accomplished in this world. After all if you take away all of the things we do, do we still find worth in ourselves or are we defined by our success, our job and what we do? 

We should learn to be like a little child, not literally,  but in the sense of reliance on our Father for all our needs and provision. He is faithful to watch over you everyday of your life as a loving and giving Father. He will always make sure you are not forgotten but have significance. You will never be forgotten in a crowd. He knows and cares about you, not what you have accomplished.  

Have a God filled day!  

Gregory J Williams

Senior Pastor Transform Church