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Faith in Action: Sharing the Good News Through Love
If you’d like to listen to my blog, click on the link below and listen for free on Podbean. Or, you can listen to The Jesus 4 Generations Podcast on your favorite streaming platform, e.g. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.
https://ozsazzles.podbean.com/e/everyday-evangelism-faith-that-lives-and-loves/
We often think sharing the Good News is difficult. I used to think exactly that. “I don’t want to offend people,” I would tell myself. I feared rejection and embarrassment. What would people think?
Yet this is exactly what Jesus asked us to do.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
When my husband and I went on our first outreach with a group, I was fearful …. perhaps terrified! My mind was full of “what ifs.”
But we have a good God. Remember that verse above – “And surely I am with you always, …” He doesn’t abandon us in this.
We prayed and asked for a sign or a word of wisdom, and of course, He provided exactly what we needed. He highlighted people to us and led us to bless them and pray for them. No one rejected us.
God made a way.
We loved on people without forcing Jesus on them. It was gentle. It was kind. We listened. Then we asked permission to bless them. There was no yelling on street corners and no holding up placards – just genuine care and compassion.
Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
John 4:35-38 (NKJV)
God asks us to sow the seed, or perhaps to water one that has already been sown. He will send someone else to fertilize it. We may never see the outcome of what we’ve done, but He does. God is the One who makes the seed grow.
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.
1 Corinthians 3:6 (NIV)
In reality, God could do all of this Himself. Yet He chooses to invite us to be part of it. What a privilege. How wonderful that we are given the honour of co-labouring with Him, even in the smallest ways.
There are so many opportunities around us. Sometimes we simply need to slow down and listen to that still, small voice. To notice the people in front of us and what is unfolding in their lives.
We must also remember to love people in practical ways. For someone who is homeless, the offer of food or a drink demonstrates genuine care. If a person is suffering, we ask if we can help. Offering a blanket or a jumper in cold weather is often deeply appreciated by someone living in poverty.
I think The Message translation captures this beautifully:
Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup – where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
James 2:14-17 (MSG)
Faith isn’t just something we speak – it’s something we live.
Prayer
Father God,
Thank You for inviting us to be part of what You are already doing in the world. Help us to listen for Your gentle voice and notice the people You place in our path. Give us courage to love well, not just with words, but with kindness and action. Lead us in simple, grace-filled ways to reflect Your heart today.
Amen.Activation
Today, ask God to open your eyes to one opportunity to show His love in a practical way. It might be offering a kind word, listening without rushing, providing a meal, praying for someone (with their permission), or meeting a simple need you notice.
Don’t worry about the outcome, just take the step. Trust God to do the growing.
Thank you so much for reading this Jesus 4 Generations post. If it encouraged you, please consider sharing it with someone who might benefit. I’d also love to hear from you – how have you seen God at work through small, simple acts of faith?
Until next time, God bless you!
All Bible Verses sourced from BibleGateway.com
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Everyday Evangelism: Faith That Lives and Loves
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-i6p5u-1a086af
Sharing your faith doesn’t require bold words, just a willing heart. In this episode, I explore how simple, gentle acts of love can sow seeds of faith and allow God to do the growing.
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Choosing Love in the Aftermath of Tragedy
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-6vet8-19ef56c
In the wake of the tragic events at Bondi Beach, we pause to grieve, pray, and reflect together. This episode offers a message of comfort, unity, and hope, calling us to reject hatred and choose love, kindness, and peace in our communities.
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Choosing Love in the Aftermath of Tragedy
If you’d prefer to listen to this blog, please click on the link below and listen for free on Podbean. Alternatively, you can listed to The Jesus 4 Generations Podcast on your favorite streaming platform, e.g. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.
https://ozsazzles.podbean.com/e/choosing-love-in-the-aftermath-of-tragedy/
The mass shooting at Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025 is heartbreaking and deeply tragic. Events like this shake us to our core. Australia has long been known as a safe and peaceful nation – a place where people are free to live, worship, and hold their beliefs without fear or harassment. When violence erupts in a place of beauty and everyday life, it leaves a deep ache in the hearts of us all.
My heartfelt condolences go out to every family who has lost a loved one. I pray for comfort in the midst of grief, healing from trauma, and God’s peace to surround you during this unimaginable time. I also want to lift up the Australian Jewish community – may you feel wrapped in protection, love, and blessing, and may fear have no lasting hold over you.
My prayers extend to all who witnessed this violence and to the first responders who ran toward danger to save lives. What you saw and carried matters. May healing, strength, and deep rest be given to you.
I also want to acknowledge the man who courageously stopped one of the gunmen and chose restraint over retaliation. In a moment filled with chaos and fear, you chose self-control. May great blessings, peace, and prosperity rest upon you.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
– Matthew 5:9 (NKJV)As Australians, we are being called to something higher right now. Let us stand together and refuse the language of hate. Be brave enough to be the voice of reason, truth, and compassion. The actions of two individuals do not represent the thoughts, beliefs, or values of an entire community or culture.
Hatred only breeds more hatred – but love heals, restores, and unites. Let our words be gentle. Let our actions be thoughtful. Let our hearts remain open.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
– Romans 12:21 (NIV)Be kind to one another. Love one another. And together, let us do everything within our power to ensure that something like this never happens again.
A PRAYER FOR HEALING, UNITY, AND PEACE
Heavenly Father,
We come before You with heavy hearts. You see every tear, every shattered sense of safety, every soul grieving loss. We ask that You draw near to those who are mourning and wrap them in Your comfort and peace.Lord, we pray healing for all who have been traumatized – those who witnessed this tragedy and those who ran toward danger to protect others. Restore minds, hearts, and spirits. Bring rest where there is exhaustion and hope where there is despair.
We lift up the Australian Jewish community and ask for Your protection, blessings, and peace to surround them. Let fear have no lasting place, and may Your love be felt deeply and tangibly.
Father, we thank You for courage, restraint, and mercy shown in the midst of chaos. Bless those who acted bravely and selflessly.
Help us as a nation to reject hatred and division. Teach us to speak with kindness, to listen with humility, and to act with love. May we be peacemakers in our homes, our communities, and our conversations.
We place all of this in Your hands, trusting You to bring beauty even from ashes.
Amen.ACTIVATION: Be a Carrier of Peace
This week, choose to be intentional about peace.
- Speak words that calm rather than inflame
- Refuse to participate in hateful or divisive conversations
- Reach out with kindness – especially to someone who may feel afraid, isolated, or misunderstood
- Pray daily for unity, healing, and wisdom for our nation
Ask yourself:
“How can I reflect God’s love today in both my words and my actions?”Small, loving choices – multiplied across a community – can change the atmosphere.
Please share how you have been the voice of love in a fearful world. You can comment and subscribe below so you don’t miss any posts. God bless you and your family.
Source:
Photo by Damon Treweeke on Unsplash
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Exactly Where God Wants You: Trusting His Placement, Purpose & Timing
If you’d prefer to listen to this post, click on the link below and listen for free on Podbean. Alternatively, you can listen to The Jesus 4 Generations Podcast on your favorite streaming platform, e.g. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.
https://ozsazzles.podbean.com/e/exactly-where-god-wants-you/
Recently I had a few friends over, and as we sat together, we began sharing testimonies of what God has been doing in our lives. It was one of those conversations that starts simply but ends up shining a light into places we didn’t even realise needed it.
One friend shared how she’d been trying to run away from her job for months – wanting something closer to home, something easier, something different. She applied everywhere and attended interview after interview. Each time she walked out feeling disappointed, convinced she hadn’t performed well.
But then she realised something far deeper:
God had placed her exactly where He wanted her.
His favor was resting on her work. She has a dear friend there who prays with her regularly for their workplace. She has been able to share her faith naturally with colleagues who don’t yet believe – they are the ones who bring up the topic of God!What she once viewed as a burden, God was revealing as an assignment.
Another friend shared her journey with her part-time business. She had been searching for full-time work and was thrilled when a job offer finally came through. But then a Christian friend gently asked her, “What does God have to say about this?”
That simple question stopped her in her tracks.
Instead of rushing ahead, she paused and listened.
She checked with God – and His answer surprised her.
Today she is working part-time in her own business and part-time for another company, exactly where He wants her to be.And then it was my turn.
I confessed that I had been dreaming – fantasizing, really – about moving closer to the beach. I’ve always wanted to live there, and I’ve wasted far too many hours scrolling through property listings, imagining a different life.
But as we talked, I felt the Holy Spirit gently convicting me. God is doing so much right where we are.
We have a lovely home close to family and friends, surrounded by kind neighbours. Our new church family is such a blessing. Our work is purposeful and fruitful.
The realisation hit me hard:
Was I trying to run away from what God was building?It’s funny, isn’t it, how we sometimes can’t see the forest for the trees. What is obvious to everyone else can be completely hidden from us.
The Message puts it beautifully:
Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
Proverbs 3:5-6 (MSG)
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.Sometimes we look at where we are, our job, our home, our season of life, and think, This isn’t what I pictured. We may feel like it’s not enough. Or worse – insignificant.
But when we are living a transformed life, imitating Jesus, loving others, spending time in His presence, sharing the good news – we are exactly where we are meant to be.
Geography cannot limit God’s purpose.
Your workplace cannot block God’s assignment.
Your role does not define your impact.We are co-labourers with Christ, bringing His Kingdom into the very places we stand.
the Bible reminds us:
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
James 1:5 (NIV)So often we assume we must sort everything out ourselves. I’ve done that many times – pushing, planning, controlling, striving – only to crash and burn on a hill built by my own effort.
But nothing is too big or too small to bring before God.
He delights in guiding His children.As Proverbs reminds us:
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
Proverbs 19:21 (ESV)
Activation
This week, I urge you to take your plans, your dreams, your frustrations, your “what ifs” and bring them to God.
As a prophetic act, physically place them down in front of you, laying them at His feet.
Set down both the situation and your human solution.Then ask Him:
“Lord, what is Your wisdom for this?”And wait in His presence.
This may take time. His answer may come gently, but it will come – perhaps not according to your preferred timeline. It may come through a bible verse, or a sign, or another person. Don’t rush in. Check whatever you’ve heard with the Word of the Lord. Ask a trusted Christian mentor or friend for their advice.Prayer
Dear God,
Thank You for being so patient with us when we rush ahead or try to control things on our own. Help us to recognize where You are already at work in our lives. Give us wisdom to hear Your voice, courage to follow Your leading, and peace to trust Your timing.
Teach us to rest in the truth that Your purpose for us is good, and that we are exactly where we need to be when we walk with You.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.I hope this message has encouraged you to lean on God in your circumstances. To listen to Him and faithfully obey.
If this post encouraged you, please share it with someone who might need to know that God loves them and is interested in every part of their life? You never know how it might bless them.
I’d also love to hear from you – what circumstances are you in and how is our Lord using you there to expand His kingdom? You can share your story in the comments below.
Don’t forget to hit like and subscribe so you don’t miss any future posts.
Christian encouragement, Christian Living, faith journey, Hearing God’s Voice, Kingdom Purpose, spiritual growth, Testimonies of Faith, trusting Godchristian blog, Christian encouragement, Christian podcast, Christian testimony, christianity, divine placement, faith, faith journey, god, God’s purpose, God’sguidance, Hearing God, Jesus, kingdom living, living with purpose, Proverbs 3:5-6, spiritual wisdom, trusting God’s timing, walking with God, where God wants you -
Exactly Where God Wants You
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-kntit-19e6188
In this episode, I share real-life testimonies that reveal how God places us exactly where we need to be. If you’ve been questioning your season, this message will gently encourage you to trust God’s guidance and timing right where you are.
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Working with Kingdom Impact
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-uurxq-19df249
Discover how your everyday work – whether in a job, business, or home, can become a place of Kingdom impact. Today I share practical wisdom, biblical insight, and encouragement to help you shine God’s presence wherever you go. Be inspired to serve with joy, integrity, and purpose.
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Why We Need Each Other: The Strength of Christian Community
If you’d prefer to listen to this blog, click on the link below and listen for free on Podbean. Alternatively, you can listen to The Jesus 4 Generations Podcast on your favourite streaming platform, e.g. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.
https://ozsazzles.podbean.com/e/why-we-need-eachother-the-strength-of-christian-community/
Discover creative ways to encourage others and to motivate them toward acts of compassion, doing beautiful works as expressions of love. This is not the time to pull away and neglect meeting together, as some have formed the habit of doing. In fact, we should come together even more frequently, eager to encourage and urge each other onward as we anticipate that day dawning.
Hebrews 10:24-25 (TPT)The Bible speaks often about the importance of Christians meeting together and encouraging one another. Have you ever wondered why? I believe it’s because the attacks of the enemy are not as easily resisted when we stand alone. Isolation makes it far easier to become distracted, discouraged, and disillusioned.
When we walk alone, life can buffet us until we feel like we’re barely keeping our head above water. But when someone stands beside us, we find strength we didn’t know we had. And when three or more stand together, the strength becomes unshakeable – a steady, supportive environment where we can thrive regardless of what is happening around us.
As Ecclesiastes reminds us:
Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NKJV)I’ve shared before how my husband and I walked away from fellowship many years ago because of offence. I never imagined how far that choice would take me. My life slowly unravelled in ways I didn’t expect. And yet – even in my distance – God never let go. Looking back, I can see so clearly how He was knocking at the door of my heart the entire time.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)Activate:
So, how do we live this out as Christians?
We make a decision to prioritise gathering with other believers.
We reject excuses to stay away.
We choose to serve and be part of what God is doing.
We join a home group.
We check in on others.
We reach out, open our homes, and share our lives.
We “adult up,” work through conflict, and refuse to take offence.Community is not always easy – but it is essential.
Prayer:
Lord, give me a heart for community.
Show me what You see.
Help me reach out, stay connected, and spread Your love wherever I go.
In Jesus’ name, Amen. -
Why We Need Eachother – the Strength of Christian Community
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-h8jdb-19cd674
Christian community is essential for spiritual strength and growth. Drawing from Hebrews 10:24-25 and Ecclesiastes 4:12, this reflection explores why we need one another, how isolation weakens us, and practical ways to stay connected, encouraged, and rooted in God’s love – no matter what season we’re in.
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Discipling our Children and Grandchildren with Love
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-bik6j-19bca7a
A heartfelt reminder that raising children and grandchildren God’s way is about discipleship, not punishment — learning to model patience, kindness, and love, just as God does with us.
Jesus 4 Generations
Revealing our loving God to generations
Jesus 4 Generations 