Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Psalm 107:1 (NIV)

It never ceases to amaze me how good our God is. Our Father is perfect. He is goodness itself. He is so outrageously good, that we cannot over-exaggerate His virtues. As humans, we find it impossible to imagine the depths of His goodness. No evil can exist in His presence. Therefore, there is nothing less than good in Him. And He never changes.

This verse in James is so beautiful:

Every gift God freely gives us is good and perfect, streaming down from the Father of lights, who shines from the heavens with no hidden shadow or darkness and is never subject to change.

James 1:17 (NLT)

When I take the time to meditate on the goodness of God. His solid, unchanging faithfulness, peace and joy fill my heart.

You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.

Psalm 119:68 (NIV)

We are God’s representatives on this earth. Our greatest desire is for our children, their husbands and wife and our grandchildren to know and love Jesus. If the people around us don’t see the goodness of God flowing out of us, when will they ever arouse the desire to know Him?

Astonishingly, the bible tells us we can change and become more Christ like. Jesus only did what he saw the Father do. If we read the gospels we will see the love, compassion, truth, mercy, service and sacrifice with which Jesus lived.

Knowing how Jesus lived is an excellent model of how we also can live. However, this is head knowledge. Limited to theory. Many people know a lot about the bible and Jesus and yet fail to put any of this information into action. Transferring the insights gained from the bible into a faith filled, loving, merciful life where we serve others is something else entirely.

Spending time with our Lord and saviour in our quiet place is invaluable. This is where we bask in His presence and learn to know His voice. In this place we gain discernment to recognise what is from Him, sounds like Him, and agrees with His word.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2 (NIV)

My husband Peter and I pray for this transformation of our minds daily. It goes something like this:

Today God, continue to transform our minds and make them more Christ like. We are your sheep and know your voice. Today, make us so sensitive to the urgings and nudgings of the Holy Spirit, that we will be aware of when a thought comes from you, our own selfish desires, or the evil one. We will toss out anything that is not of you, holding every thought captive unto you, and obediently follow your direction, in Jesus name.

Over time, God has been doing a mighty work in us. He has changed the way we think, which affects the way we act. We walk to the beat of a different drum. The heart of the Father. We constantly look at how we can be a blessing to those around us – family, friends, neighbours and strangers.

Before our day starts we will pray to the Lord and ask Him how we can co-labour with him. While we are out shopping, we look for opportunities to bless people with care and kindness. Noticing the person cleaning the food mall and thanking them for their work and how it makes the area pleasant to eat in. We may ask permission to pray for someone if we feel called to, or they relay a need. While travelling to work we pray over our workplaces that whoever may enter that day would feel the presence of God and that we would be a light in the darkness.

We have gone from insecurity in sharing Jesus with the world, to Godly confidence and anticipation to see how He is moving that day. The first time we prayed for a stranger we were nervous. However, God is good. He does all the work. We just have to be willing to step out of our comfort zone and initiate the conversation. We experience great joy when we work with Jesus. We do not force ourselves upon others, or shout from street corners. Being someone who turns people from God is definitely not our aim. We pray that Jesus will highlight someone to us and specifically follow His lead. We don’t embarrass people or interrupt businesses.

A major part of learning how to step out in faith in a respectful and courteous way, has been learned through the teachings we have received while attending School of Faith (School of Faith). They are a supernatural school of ministry based on the teachings of Bethel Supernatural School of Ministry in Redding, California.

We have learned that if we want to get closer to God, we need to spend time with Him. We need to be intentional each day to take the time to grow in faith.

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is [indeed] plentiful, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

Matthew 9:37-38 (AMP)

We need to practice our faith, not just read about it. The world is hungry for Jesus. How are they going to meet Him if we are unwilling to share?

I hope you enjoyed this blog. I’d appreciate any comments you might have. You could share how Jesus has changed your life, as He has mine. Just fill out the section below. I will make sure to reply. You can also subscribe below. God bless you and your family.