Seize the day
With God you can make the most of every situation and every day.
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Alta Ministries
Alan and Lynne Taylor
Bringing God’s people to maturity
alta (Latin): high, risen up, grown up, adult, nourish
Be still
The word from God for me this year is to be still before Him, so that I’m positioned to hear His voice.
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NEW BOOK AVAILABLE – Illustrated children’s book
Jesus Would You Notice Me?
If I was there with Jesus would He really notice me?
NZ$20 + post (New Zealand only)
Got opposition? Dinner is served!
When the 10 spies brought back a bad report to Moses and the people of Israel, Caleb gave a different view and said “do not fear the people of the land for they will be our bread” (Numbers 14:9). This is not a phrase I would use in my normal conversations.
Psalm 23:5 says that God has set a table before us in the presence of our enemies. I would prefer that God’s table of provision was in the absence of any enemies but then I’m not the one setting up the rules of the game. It seems to me that if I want to partake of that particular table mentioned in Psalm 23 then I need to recognise that where I have enemies (contrary circumstances, problems, challenges, difficult relationships, etc) then that is the place in which God has placed a table of provision.
I wonder what is served up for me on that table of provision? Which brings me back to my opening paragraph. God serves up my enemies as bread for me, to sustain me and strengthen me.
So when things come against us, pull up a chair, get your knife and fork and a serviette because it’s time to eat. Our enemies become our sustenance.
How can our enemies sustain us and make us greater? That principle is found in Judges 3:1,2
Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before.
In other words, God allows enemies so that we learn to be victorious.
Conclusion: when evil forces come against us, rejoice, for deliverance is at hand. That deliverance will come through us as we defeat our enemies with God’s help. And as we defeat our enemies we will be strengthened, ie they become “our bread”.
It’s time to push back darkness
I was listening to a speaker recently (Carole Ward who’s been effecting huge change in Northern Uganda and South Sudan) and she said this:
When God conquers US then we can conquer the ENEMY.
This was in the context of strategic prayer and coming from a foundation of a surrendered life. Cities and nations are available for the taking – Jesus instructed us to disciple nations and gave us the authority and power to do so.
What I got out of her teaching was that “I’m the problem”. I can’t blame the church, the government, the globalists, the gangs or any other reason. As I walk with God and discern:
- the territory available to me
- the voice of the Holy Spirit guiding me
- the strategy from heaven for every situation
Then I can push back darkness more than I’m doing now.
When I say “I’m the problem” I’m not saying I’m feeling condemned but rather spurred on to action. I believe we are in a season of fresh grace for overcoming and taking ground.
I’m with Joshua and Caleb who said “we will surely overcome” and “our enemies will be our food”.
I’m with David who said “who is this uncircumcised Philistine who’s defying God”.
I’m with John who said “greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world”.
I’m with Jesus who said “I’ve given you all authority, now go and disciple nations, and I’m with you always”.
Now is the time to reach out and connect in a Spirit-led way to your street, your workmates, and anyone in the various areas of influence in which God has placed you.
I’ve had a few failures, but – to take Peter’s example as he stepped out of the boat – I’d rather be SINKING in failed obedience than SHRINKING back in fear and self-interest like the remaining 11 in the boat.
When the ‘impossible’ becomes possible
The Christian life is a life of faith, it is a life of living out of the riches of heaven and not by what our natural eyes can see.
Recently my husband and I were in a situation where the answer to our prayer for our family of 13 to get together in NZ, after 5 long years of being apart, seemed impossible. At the time we were living in small temporary accommodation and two of our three sons and their families lived overseas. We agreed on the dates for them to come home and they booked their flights. Where would they stay? How would we transport them? These were just two of the many questions that filled our minds. My reasoning was that if this was God’s timing and His will for us to be together, it would all come together – somehow. It was too big for me to work out but I reassured myself with the fact that because God is our provider and He is faithful, instead of being daunted I felt excited for how it would all come together.
We continually committed this to God and yes – you guessed it – all the logistics of accommodation, transport, timing, and the grandchildren’s items all came together. Like doing a giant jigsaw puzzle piece after piece fell into place until eventually the full picture was visible.
If we desire God to provide for us, apart from exercising faith, we also must take action. I was in conversation with a new friend and mentioned our situation and she generously offered her people mover vehicle to us for the 3 weeks. Then we let it be known to more people that we were looking for a place to call home. We miraculously were offered a whole retreat centre for 6 weeks while the owners were overseas and yes our family of 13 were welcome to stay there for free – it would accommodate us all but we were also wanting to go to Raglan and Auckland for a few days.
Alan was due to go on another mission trip to Nepal for 3 weeks and before he left we received an unexpected phone call from a couple on our ministry mailing list who had seen that we were needing a home. Their long term tenants were leaving town and their rental house was coming available a few days before Alan arrived back from Nepal. We checked it out and it was a lovely sunny home and the owners generously offered it to us at a low rent. We saw this as God’s provision and started moving in the day Alan arrived back from Nepal. We had a hectic two weeks to move in and get ready for our first son and his family to stay.
Then a week and half later, the other son and his family arrived and we all moved into the retreat centre 20 minutes out of Tauranga in the foothills of the Kaimais.
We had been flat screen grandparents for a number of years, with all our 5 grandchildren living overseas and only seeing Alan and me on zoom calls, so I needed to be on a search for porta cots, high chairs, toys, child car seats, and to buy those special gifts for all the grandies. So many of our friends came to the rescue to help us out. We were provided for in so many ways. God knew that we were going to have more than a week of wet weather so we sadly had to miss going to Raglan and stayed longer than planned in the retreat centre which was such a God given provision and was so ideal for us all being under the same roof for several days.
While in Tauranga our eldest son Daniel came down from Auckland and worked, staying with Miriam’s parents in Tauranga and joined us for the evenings and then when we moved to the retreat centre he joined us there, working remotely during the day, and joined in with us for the evenings. Another jigsaw piece was in place. Then we moved to Auckland for a week or so.
Where were we all going to stay? Daniel and Miriam have their own home in Auckland but sometimes they do some house minding. It just so happened that they were house minding at this time, so Alan and I moved in with them while the rest of the family stayed at Daniel’s home and we drove to meet up with the rest of them at breakfast time each day and until generally at least 11pm every night. The jigsaw puzzle was complete! The ‘impossible’ had become possible.
There were so many other ways God blessed us and we had an amazing family time. On our last evening together we were already planning our next reunion in a year or so. We will trust our Heavenly Father to arrange the jigsaw pieces for that event, just as He did so well for this time. God invented families and when we are serving Him He will give us the desires of our heart even when it seems impossible. Our God is faithful.
Dedicated to all those suffering from the recent floods in NZ
I wrote this poem in response to the damage and obvious distress caused by Cyclone Gabrielle in the eastern parts of the North Island
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RECENTLY RELEASED – “Follow Me” children’s book
My recently published children’s illustrated book was launched Sunday 14th August 2022.
$20 (+post). To purchase please contact me [email protected]
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Running to Failure
I could equally have titled this thought “Embracing Risk”. When I was much younger and way more foolish I did several risky things, not thinking about what would happen if things went horribly wrong. Praise God I’m still alive with only a few scars to show.
Now that I’m older and presumably much wiser I tend to consider the risk before engaging in a venture or action, and I use safety glasses more often. My point is this – when the course of action before us tends to scare the pants off us, we must not allow fear or risk aversion to disqualify us from God’s best.
My advice is – list the worst things that can happen, and plan beforehand how to deal with those outcomes if they happen. Fear can be a floating thing, but when we isolate what we’re actually afraid of then we can rationally deal with possible outcomes. In order for us to grow into the image of Christ, God will always put before us a task that seems too big for us. And when we ask ourselves “what’s the worst that can happen?” and then mentally deal with that before it happens, then we can obediently move forward – in a sense “running into the possibility of failure”. If we get it wrong, then we’re already prepared for the worst outcomes. But the reality is that God will lead us and be with us and the failures whose very thought can cripple us before we start probably won’t actually happen. Wise counsel, preparedness, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit will see us through.
Imagine how the disciples felt when Jesus said to them “ok guys, I’m leaving but I want you to go into the whole world and do everything that I did.” I suspect they would have had to work through a number of issues.
- I’m not ready for this!
- What if no one listens?
- What if I run out of money?
- What about my family?
- Who do I turn to if this whole thing turns to custard?
Many of you will know of Ian Grant, notable preacher and tv presenter, who together with his wife Mary equipped many through family and teen challenges. Ian was the stuttering sound guy – a technical guy in the background. But there was a need and he was asked to speak. He didn’t exactly sprint to the podium but he certainly had to face up to the probability of making an absolute fool of himself in front of a crowd because of his speech impediment. However God came through and, despite a persistent stutter, he began his public speaking career.
We live in days when God is raising up a victorious bride. It’s challenging. When it’s no longer I that live but Christ who lives in me then I’d rather be obedient – with the possibility of failure – than miss God’s best for me and for those He’s called me to influence.
No Fear
Fear is not an emotion I want to live with. We can all think of times we have been fearful. It is an emotion I want to run away from. I remember in my younger days watching a suspenseful movie and putting my hand over my face and peeping out between my fingers occasionally to see what was happening. In fact I saw far too many scary movies from a young age and it affected me so much that I would always look under my bed before I went to sleep at night. I would hear every little noise in the dark. Because of what I had seen on the screen my imagination would take me down that scary path.
As a believer in God, I am thankful that I don’t have to live in fear any more. We are called to live a life of faith, it’s the only way to please God – a life of faith in Him and His promises. Our lives are not based on what we see but on what God says in His word. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” Living a life of faith is living a life of obedience to God (Romans 1:5) therefore living with fear is disobedience. We are all able to have fears but it is our choice not to succumb to them. I think of it like allowing a virus into a computer. Why would I torment myself allowing fears to come into my mind when God has provided a way of escape with the ability to live a life of faith, which leads to peace. Why would I allow my ‘enemy’ to torment me? There’s a truth in the acronym that FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real.
As a true believer we don’t intentionally want to disobey God but if we are allowing life’s circumstances to bring fears into our lives then it is time to act. It’s time for a check up. Do you believe the news more than God’s word? Turn TV off! Do you talk more about the bad news than God’s plans for our nation and world? Do you see yourself as a grasshopper instead of an overcomer who carries the power and authority of God? If you need to repent, repent and see yourself reigning with Christ in heavenly places. Refocus on God’s awesome plan for you at this time in history. My empowering statement when I hear about the gloom and doom is to declare “Not on my watch!”
We as a church are called to govern and to declare God’s destiny for our lives and for our nation. You and I privileged to be on earth at this time to be part of the great reawakening, the greatest move of God the world has ever seen. “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you.” Isaiah 60:1,2