It is well with my soul

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Horatio G Spafford, 1873.

Forgiven

Thankyou that when I doubt, I am forgiven
Thankyou that when I lose perspective, I am forgiven
Thankyou that when I fell purposeless, I am forgiven
Thankyou that when I am deceived, I am forgiven
Thankyou Jesus that I am forgiven

In The Stillness

A quiet heart is rare to find,
It's strength is subtle and its security free.
With nothing to prove, it is bound by no burden.
It soars through the sun with an envious ease, falling and flying through the warm red, yellow and orange mixtures, blissfully thankful.
But when it storms and the waves threaten to sink, it sleeps soundly, safety assured, knowing him from whom it comes.
A quiet heart is rare to find
I pray oh God that you would make it mine.

Confrontation

The sound of my heavy footsteps echoed through the silence of the deserted alleyway. "Home is only a few blocks away," I thought as I raced through the heavy darkness of the night. I was running through a dark alleyway lit only by a distant streetlight, causing eerie shadows to fan back and forth across the bare brick walls either side of me. I was panting hard, noticing the cloud of smoke exiting my mouth with each exhalation. "C'mon you can do this," I kept repeating to myself but the pain in my right side continued to grow.
Suddenly I felt myself thrown to the ground, though I was not sure by what. Gripped by fear and unable to move I kept my face to the gound, sweat dripping slowly into the muddy puddle only inches away from my face. My mind was racing. Whatever had thrown me to the ground was there, I could hear it but was frozen stiff, unable to look. I didn't want to look.
After some time spent lying face down on the cold concrete, I mustered the courage to turn over to face my opposer. As fast as I could I jumped to my feet and swivelled around on the spot, "HA!" I shouted with my arms up ready to fight. But it was gone. I looked up and down the dark and empty alley.. nothing. My enemy had left. I had finally confronted it.

Mind Games

The internal battle of the mind is for the most part unseen unless you choose to make it otherwise. The same lies and deceit being fed to you day after day is exhausting. But to avoid it means to give up and be prepared to spend the rest of your days running. I dont want to run. I am ready to face this demon. Because it is for freedom that Christ has set me free and capturing that real joy is power enough to overcome any evil.

Baptisms at the Haven

Eternal Armour

'Finally be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorites, against the powers of this dark world and aginst the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.'
Ephesians 6:10-20

Thankyou Jesus.