Isaiah 7:14

GOT DIFFICULTY TRUSTING GOD?

(May 29, 2025) Robert and Maureen McQuillan encourage troubled hearts…

Well… be comforted in that you’re not the only one! Recently we’ve encouraging a number of believers to hang in there and not give their faith away just because they’re going through some rough times.

We also reminded them that for some three years Satan, our great enemy, has been spreading a cunning spirit of deception among us— and that sadly some have fallen for his trickery.

Then we stun them by challenging them to know that God hasn’t finished trusting them! Yes, you may be finding it difficult to trust God but He hasn’t turned His back on you! Know it… believe it with your mind… and heart!

And know also that if God is to trust us, He may allow us to be challenged in some way— even by Himself— as happened with some biblical individuals.

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THE GREATEST STORY: Chapter 2 – The Middle

(September 02, 2024) Dr Jim McClure shares more about The Greatest Story…

Following the prophet Malachi’s death there were no further prophetic revelations about Israel. For over 400 years the nation went into spiritual decline, and lost its independence first to the Greeks and then to the Romans. 

Throughout the centuries the prophets consistently challenged the moral and social corruption which the Bible describes as ‘darkness’ — but also revealed that God had not turned His back on humankind. While they had strongly denounced humanity’s rejection of God, they also affirmed that this had not resulted in God’s rejection of humankind!  They also revealed that the message of the Old Testament was not the whole story but just the beginning of a much bigger story.

They further indicated that a new chapter would begin when God Himself would personally get involved on planet earth — a chapter revealing God’s loving plan to reach out to a fallen, broken world by becoming personally involved!

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JOSEPH THE DREAMER

(December 18, 2023), Alan Higgins shares… and challenges.

It’ll soon be Christmas Eve and we’ll all be looking forward to Christmas Day and all the joy that it brings. I don’t know about you but I love Christmas Day… except I can’t stand all the build-up to it.  Christmas songs are played on the radio from mid-November and Christmas adverts seem to get on our TV screens and in stores earlier each year, indeed so many weeks before the great day. 

To me it gets a bit tiresome at times.  And people on Facebook remind me that there’s only so many days to go until Christmas!  Ah well – call me a grumpy old man, but I’ll be glad when Christmas Day comes and all the charging-about-like-‘eejits’ comes to an end and we can relax, open our presents, have a nice meal and fall asleep in front of the TV.

But that’s not what Christmas is – it’s about the arrival of the Saviour of the world, the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16).  It’s about Jesus – Immanuel – God with us (Matthew 1:23)!

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RELYING ON GOD’S GRACE

(December 4, 2021) Norman and Margaret Moss share a meditation…

Some months back we were rejoicing in the birth of our 17th great grandchild, and all was well with us!

Shortly afterwards we had fresh reason to rejoice about God’s grace! Our daughter Verity was diagnosed with cancer, yet she has had total peace throughout this time. So many of our friends were praying for her, and we thank you all for your prayers. On September 30 she had robotic surgery and made a brilliant recovery. Such is the grace of God.

Many reasons to rejoice for God’s grace
So much can happen in a few brief weeks… but we live in daily dependence on the grace and love of our Father in heaven.

Meditating on 2 Timothy 2:1, ‘Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus,’ we felt the Lord was saying the following:

  • Live in my grace. It is full and overflowing with love.
  • Explore my grace. It is unending. Love every part of it.
  • Be full of my grace in all forgiveness and love.
  • Be abounding in my grace. There is no weakness in it, no thinning of it in any part.
  • Be covered by my grace. It covers in every way, giving comfort where there is any pain.
  • Be strong in my grace. It eases and cleanses and renews in every part.
  • Enjoy my grace. It is nothing if it is not generous. I pour it out lavishly on all my people.
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DARE ASK ME FOR A SIGN

(December 10, 2019) Brian Bell reflects …

It’s almost Christmas when Christians and churches celebrate the birth of Jesus who would become the Saviour of the world.

We’ll sing Christmas carols and choruses and refer to those scriptures that come naturally to mind at this time… from the gospels of Matthew and Luke and also Isaiah 7:14NLT, ‘All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).’

As I mediate on this Old Testament verse the background of Isaiah 7 comes to mind – God prompting Ahaz, the king of Judah, who was in a difficult situation to ask him for a sign… ‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want –’ (Isaiah 7:11 (NLT).

Now that’s an amazing dare by God – and, equally amazing, when Ahaz didn’t respond was God’s choice of a ‘difficult sign’ (v14).

I wonder… If God were to ask you to ask him for a sign – and you didn’t hesitate to ask – what would come to your mind?

This leads me to several ‘little seed thoughts’…

A Personal Sign
Reading verses 1- 6 of this chapter we get a fuller picture of the situation in which Ahaz found himself. Facing attack and a siege of Jerusalem, in addition to fear he was likely struggling with doubt. And God always knows how best to answer the doubts of his people – remember how God spoke to Elijah (1 Kings 19) and how the Lord Jesus dealt with Thomas (John 20). (more…)