by Marie | Dec 6, 2025 | Archives, Inspiration
Jesus said: ‘A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’’ But he answered and said to him, ‘‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilise it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down’’’ (vv. 6-9 NKJV). How long have you been serving the Lord? What are the tangible ‘fruits’ of your service to Him? We’re not all capable of the same level of productivity. Jesus taught that some of us have thirtyfold potential, some sixtyfold, and some a hundredfold (Matthew 13:8). It’s your faith and your gifting that determine your level of productivity. For example, God doesn’t expect a ‘thirtyfold’ to produce a sixtyfold harvest. He’s not an unreasonable taskmaster. But if this parable teaches us anything, it’s that God won’t let you just sit on your hands and do nothing. The words, ‘cut it down’, are a sobering reminder of this. God is patient. He will work with you year after year in an attempt to
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by Marie | Dec 5, 2025 | Archives, Inspiration
God can put an idea in your mind that changes the direction of your life. Marconi had an idea from which came the radio. Bell had an idea from which came the telephone. God, who’s a creator, gives creative ideas to people all the time. But you must act on them; otherwise, He will give them to somebody else. Isn’t it time you asked Him for one of His ideas for your life? The fact that you believe in God is wonderful. But here’s something equally wonderful—God believes in you! Instead of looking at your present situation and thinking, ‘I guess my life’s as good as it’s ever going to get,’ start asking, ‘Lord, what do You have in mind for me?’ If you let it, life can beat you down and make you feel low, lost, lacking, and limited in ability and potential. And if you act on these feelings and thoughts instead of what God says about you in His Word, you’ll never move forward and fulfil what He put you on this earth to do. You say, ‘God has never given me one of His great ideas.’ Maybe that’s because you have never asked Him for one! He gives them to seeking hearts, prepared hearts, faith-filled hearts and obedient hearts. Here’s a profile of the kind of
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by Marie | Dec 4, 2025 | Archives, Inspiration
Releasing yourself from calls for: 1) Choosing to forgive. ‘Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you’ (Ephesians 4:32 TM). Whether or not the person who hurt you apologises, is dead or alive, or is still hurting you, your only option is forgiveness. By forgiving, you set yourself free to enjoy life. 2) Releasing the wrongdoer from all expectations. By changing your expectations, you reclaim your peace of mind. Whether or not the other person changes is his or her business—move on! Requiring a certain response keeps you bound to them. Paul says, ‘Christ has set us free to live a free life…Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you’ (Galatians 5:1 TM). 3) Transferring to God all expectations for your needs. His Word says, ‘God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:19 NAS). Note the word ‘all’. God can supply the people, resources and opportunities you need to live a joyful life. 4) Asking God to bless your offender. Yes, it’s difficult, but Jesus said, ‘Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!’ (Matthew 5:44 NLT). That kind of prayer puts you in the driver’s seat of your life. 5) Doing something nice for your offender. Ask God how you can
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by Marie | Dec 3, 2025 | Archives, Inspiration
ANGER IS often the product of frustrated expectations. We expect something, and when we don’t get it we end up disappointed and angry. And our anger leads to a dysfunctional personal, spiritual and relational lifestyle. Frustrated expectations are often rooted in early experiences with our parents, siblings and authority figures. Perhaps our needs for love, acceptance, security and significance were never met; then later we experienced broken commitments in marriage, business and friendships. Ultimately, smouldering anger becomes a weapon in our arsenal, threatening to hurt everything and everybody we care about. We become bitter people—avoided, excluded and lonely. God instructs us to ‘get rid of all bitterness’, so that ‘no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many’ (Hebrews 12:15 NIV). How do we obey His command? 1) By accepting and acting on His Word. Without a Scriptural foundation, old emotions will repeatedly undermine your efforts to overcome them. ‘Get rid of all bitterness’ is an order that implies the promise of success when you obey it. 2) By choosing to be released from bitterness. Choice isn’t an emotion, and it doesn’t require an emotional response. God won’t control your emotions, but neither will He let them influence Him. Believing God’s Word and making the choice to obey it always results in success. So start strengthening your will
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by Marie | Dec 2, 2025 | Archives, Inspiration
Picture a big ship being worked on in a dry dock. Beneath the waterline is all the ‘junk’ it has picked up during its voyages. Nobody can see it, but an experienced captain can feel it because his ship lacks the ‘oomph’ it once had. As a result, companies complain that it takes too long to get goods to their customers, and the ship’s owners are unhappy because it hurts profit margin in a competitive market. The effort required to remove the ‘junk’ is back-breaking and time-consuming, but there’s no other way to do it. Finally, after months of hard work, the dry dock is flooded with water, the gates open, and the big vessel heads out to sea and back into the profit column. Writing to the believers at Corinth, Paul says, ‘Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves’ (2 Corinthians 13:5 NKJV). Let’s be honest; it’s easier to examine your neighbour than to examine yourself, or to talk about what you once accomplished rather than what you’re accomplishing now. Are you slowing down? Are you losing spiritual momentum? Are you in the profit or loss column? You’ll find the answer under the waterline where only God and you can see. Carelessness, a critical spirit, compromise, conformity to the world, and coldness of heart:
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by Marie | Dec 1, 2025 | Archives, Inspiration
The Disciples were overwhelmed by a sense of failure: ‘We have toiled all night and caught nothing’ (v. 5 NKJV). Look at them, washing their nets—the last thing fishermen do before they pack up and head for home. And that’s when Jesus showed up! He waits until you’ve reached the end of your rope, then He steps in. Why? Because as long as you think you can solve the problem on your own, you won’t reach for Him. Do you feel overwhelmed by failure today? Are you saying, ‘Lord, I tried so hard, but look at my marriage, my finances, my career. I’ve been mistreated and overlooked. Perhaps they’re right about me; maybe I’m not supposed to be blessed.’ No, Jesus can turn your situation around if you’ll go to Him and say what Peter said: ‘Master…because you say so, I will.’ Obedience, even when it doesn’t seem to make sense, is what leads to blessing. Notice what happened next: ‘They caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break’ (v. 6 NIV). On the other side of your decision to obey God waits a blessing so great that it’ll also touch the lives of those around you. One word changed everything—‘Master’. It’s an expression of worship. It’s an acknowledgment that He’s in control of the
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