Beloved believer,

As we trust in the Lord, His peace enters our hearts, and from there flows into our minds like a gentle river, moving away fear, worry, and strongholds, bit by bit, as the process allows.

Mindset Is Key

The Holy Spirit tells us that the carnal mind is at enmity with God.

Left unchecked, it works against God’s purposes for our lives. It seeks to rob us of our peace, our joy, and revelation. It is always in unbelief, producing its own fruit.

Our minds are not meant to rule us. They are meant to be brought under the Lordship of Christ.

Scripture teaches that we must renew our minds daily. As we surrender our thoughts to the Lord, He gives us the wisdom, guidance, and instruction we need at the right time.

As Scripture says:

“For God may speak in one way, or in another, yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds, then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction.”
— Job 33:14–16

How Do You Sleep?

We are not supposed to be restless or up all night with broken sleep or struggling to sleep. God says, “When deep sleep falls upon men.”

Don’t skip this part. Make every effort for deep sleep to visit you each night, giving God the opportunity to speak to us through dreams and visions.

Don’t lose out. Receive your instruction and more.

Test the Dream or Vision

However, every dream, vision, impression, or message must be tested against the Holy Scriptures.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God…”
— 1 John 4:1

May the Lord help you develop that mind of Christ that He died on the cross to give you. May you have deep revelatory dreams and visions that give you hope and inspire you, and may this produce fruit in your life. Bless the Lord.

“You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.”
— Isaiah 26:3

“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need
— Hebrews 4:14–16

Come Boldly

Beloved, the beautiful truth is that God came in the flesh so that He could fully relate to our struggles and weaknesses, since we are all flesh and blood.

Jesus knows:

– Temptation
– Sorrow
– Suffering
– Rejection
– Physical pain
– Weariness

He experienced every trial of this life, yet without sin. Therefore, He is able to sympathise with every weakness and every burden we carry. Let’s all come to Him.

The Invitation

Whatever we are going through, Jesus understands us deeply and invites us to come boldly to Him.

Let your requests be made known to Him. He already knows our needs, yet He desires us to come and ask in faith.

When we come with sincerity of heart and believe, our burdens begin to lift, hope is restored, and we receive mercy and grace to help in our time of need.

Even when we cannot yet see the answer, we can trust His promise:

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose
— Romans 8:28

God is always at work for our good as we love Him, trust Him, and walk according to His purpose.

Build Good Habits

Begin each day in prayer and in His presence. Ask the Lord to walk with you, strengthen you, and guide you through the day ahead.

We would never leave our house without putting on our shoes. Prayer is just as essential. Build strong, godly habits by beginning each day with God and ending it by thanking Him for His goodness and faithfulness.

Carry a living relationship with Christ in your heart throughout the day, knowing that at any moment you can come boldly before His throne of grace.

May our problems draw us nearer (Not further) to the throne of constant grace in our time of need, where we always find mercy, strength, and hope.

Bless the Lord. Live the new life He died to give you, and may we all live it more abundantly each day.

Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light
— Matthew 11:28–30

Now…

He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.

But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.”

And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight and glorified God.

But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”

The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” (Luke 13:10–16)

Many Years

This woman waited many years for the healing she knew nothing about until Christ came onto the scene and set her free. Think of it—for eighteen years Satan had bound her.

Saturday, June 2017

Where were you, and what was your life like nine years ago?

Something to ponder on.

We were in Croydon on the streets doing more or less the same thing we do today—worshipping, preaching, and praying for those the Lord led to us.

The man in the picture, sitting on the bench with the grey hat, had one leg that was around 4–5 inches shorter than the other. You can’t see it too clearly, but he walked with a noticeable hobble.

Anyway, we got to pray for him. It took hours, with two of us praying, and then, right at the very end, another believer joined us.

In the middle of the healing, the man began to cry because his leg started to grow, bit by bit.

He was overwhelmed and shocked at the same time. While still sitting on the bench, he called his mother in India. She told us that when he was a small child he had a very bad accident, and the hospital wanted to amputate his leg. But she refused, saying, “No, Jesus will heal my son.” And He did—many years later.

Persistent in Prayer

Jesus told us to heal the sick in His name—whether spiritually, physically, mentally, or emotionally. Just lay hands on people, let the Lord work, and don’t give up so easily when nothing seems to happen.

At times, the anointing takes time, but pray always expecting, not doubting.

Spiritual Stamina

Over the years, we have seen God do many amazing things supernaturally. However, in the end, He has the final say.

So be encouraged in all things, whatever it is God wants to do for you.

“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” (Mark 11:24)

Keep going. Do not be discouraged. The woman who was bent over waited eighteen years. The man with the short leg waited a similar length of time.

Be at peace in all things and let the Lord work.

Bless the Lord, for He is the only real blessing in this world. Stay close to Him, and He will stay close to you. Whatever is important to a person, they will make time for.

Make time for the Holy Spirit. Build your life around the Lord, and build a history with Him over the years.

For those who are able, join us tomorrow Saturday for the outreach. Saint Mary’s at the usual time 12-3pm

[how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him
— Acts 10:35

We are pleased to let everyone know that the church building repair works have now been completed.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed towards these much-needed and extensive repairs. So far we have raised around £6,500 towards the total invoice of £7,425.

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain.
— Psalm 127:1

Give towards the repairs →

The Works in Pictures

Summary of Works Completed

The original inspection found that the parapet coping stones were in good condition but had moved out of alignment, requiring repairs and associated remedial works. The completed works include:

• Remove frost damage from circa 400 bricks and re-make in coloured mortar to match existing, and re-point.
• Carry out re-flaunching to the perimeter of the building.
• Carry out the re-pointing of the damp-proof course as required around the building.
• Flaunching to the heads of the windows on the tile creasing around the building.
• General re-pointing around the building as agreed and where required.
• Complete re-pointing to the 9 brick courses of the high parapet wall using the scaffolding.
• Clean out all the moss and debris from the high-level box gutter inside the parapet wall.
• Rake out existing mastic and apply exterior waterproof grey grout to all external glass block windows, including the high-level half-round windows.
• Rake out existing grout to all internal glass block windows and apply new white grout, including the high-level half-round windows.
• Remove loose mortar beneath the coping stones above the Eden Café roof and make good with new cement and sand pointing.
• Purchase all materials required to complete the works.

Additional Repairs Completed

• Coping stones repaired where movement had exposed joints.
• Half-round glass block windows grouted internally and externally.
• Repairs completed beneath the coping stones over the Eden Café roof.
• Roofing works completed.
• High-level box gutter fully cleaned.
• Tree sapling removed from the box gutter.
• Moss removed from the roof and gutters.
• 12 roof tiles renewed.
• High-level re-pointing completed.
• Glass block repairs completed near the main entrance.
• All external glass block windows re-grouted to help prevent water ingress.
• Approximately 400 bricks repaired and re-pointed.
• Brick repairs completed throughout the building.
• Scaffolding erected to provide safe access for the roof and high-level works on the south side of the church.

Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
— Nehemiah 2:18

If you would still like to contribute towards these essential repairs, please use the church bank details or the offering basket on a Sunday morning.

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
— 2 Corinthians 9:7

Thank you again for your generosity and faithfulness in caring for the house of God. Every gift, large or small, helps us complete these essential repairs.

Give towards the repairs →

Beloved,

“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?

Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.

And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.

But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”
— Luke 6:46–49

Build on the Rock

As we build our faith each day, we must not become discouraged. Sometimes we don’t see the full picture. Laying a strong foundation takes time. Keep going and be patient.

Trust takes time.

We are moving from trusting in ourselves—our old sandy foundations—to trusting in God, the Solid Rock, who is unshakable.

Yes, we have to dig deep to uproot old foundations. We must dig up and remove the past before we can lay the new. But thank God we have an internal Helper and Guide in the Holy Spirit.

Obedience Is Key

We can all know, but not all do. “He who heard and did nothing” had no foundation.

Faith in God requires our active participation:
Listen → Obey → Do.

Building is labour-intensive. Nobody wants half a house. God wants a finished, completed work in us.

Is He Your Lord?

To make Jesus your Lord means taking everything to Him—your feelings, emotions, problems, health, attitude, mindset, relationships, and decisions.

Obey Him in every area of life.

Learn from Him. Follow Him closely. Receive His teaching and put it into practice by trusting His Word and His Spirit, so that He may build His Kingdom in and through you.

Practical Examples

Worry and anxiety?
Read and believe Matthew 6:25–34.

Fear and troubled thoughts?
Read and believe 2 Timothy 1:7.

Trust issues?
Read and believe Proverbs 3:5–7.

This is how we make Him Lord and build a strong foundation on the Rock, who is Christ.

Bless the Lord for His loving kindness toward us and for His everlasting peace within us.

Remember—we are called believers, not merely hearers.

[ and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ 1 Cor 10.4]

Beloved,

Our God truly loves us and has already sent us the everyday Helper.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid
— John 14:26–27

Teacher

Firstly, do we have teachable hearts!

Are we willing to listen and grow in the things of God?

The Holy Spirit can do His part, but we must also be prepared to listen to Him.

Resistance, stubbornness, and control won’t help. Instead, these qualities will keep us unteachable and immature. We have to be willing to give these up.

How?

Get into the quiet place and submit to the Lord.

Ask the Lord sincerely to make your heart teachable and soft to hear His ways.

Peace Not of This World

This peace comes from listening to God, the Holy Spirit. He is the ONLY true peace on this earth.

The reassurance is that whatever you’re facing, because God is with you and in you, He will take you through the storm each day, and multiple times a day if need be.

However, the key word is Trust, and it means to let go of everything, all doubts, all fears and to rest in Him, like a sailboat powered by the wind with the sails open and ready to be carried by the wind.

Let’s all get there together.

Ask the Lord to give you a deeper understanding in your heart, that your life may be in the hands of the Helper.

“So we may boldly say: The LORD is my Helper; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
— Hebrews 13:6

Let the Lord Work

Finally, give the Lord the chance to work. He is not a genie in a bottle, but a loving Father who seeks a real relationship with His children.

Bless the Lord. May we all grow with a teachable heart and discover even more of that peace which surpasses all understanding.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus
— Philippians 4:6–7

Beloved,

I forgot to mention during the Sunday service that it would be profitable for the Church during this month to enter into a time of consecration.

What do I mean by consecration?

It means taking intentional actions that draw you closer to the Lord.

To consecrate simply means:

1. To set yourself apart for God
2. ⁠To make holy
3. ⁠To dedicate yourself exclusively to the Lord’s purpose.

Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am the LORD your God.”
— Leviticus 20:7

To dedicate yourself is to surrender more deeply,
giving God your heart, mind, will, and body.

Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God…”Romans 12:1

Prune.

Consecration also means pruning, removing fruitless activities, habits, distractions, and even relationships that do not bear fruit, just like branches that do not produce fruit are cut away.

Practical Steps

Whatever you are already doing spiritually, double it or triple it

Read more Scripture, as the Lord leads you

Fast more: instead of only Mondays, extend fasting to more days each week during January

Pray more and talk to God throughout the day

Spend more intentional time in God’s presence. We need to be filled.

Increase your times of dedication.

If you normally check in with God three times a day, make it six.

Set aside time daily for devotion find a quiet place and build your relationship with the Lord.

Submit to God more.

Make a list with God and stick to it. Make yourself accountable. Don’t just speak to the air!

The Lord is calling us to dwell in the secret place with Him.

In simple terms, this means coming out of the world and into His presence.

Use this time to separate your soul and flesh from the hooks of this world.

Remember,
in heaven, none of these earthly distractions exist. It is just us and the Lord.

Let us try to experience that reality now on earth as it is in heaven.

Seek the face of the Lord, while He can be found, and share your testimonies on Sunday to encourage others.

Bless the Lord

Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Isaiah 55:6 ]

whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away
— James 4:14

Beloved,

Just a reminder to carry on in your sanctification process, as mentioned in last week’s message.

As we start this new season together, look to PRUNE — chop and dig out any deep roots.

Any unproductive habits, mindsets, ungodly friendships.

Sever them.

Don’t bring them into the new year.

Let this season be profitable for us all in Christ, but make those changes now — for a fresh start.

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”John 15:5–8

It’s Not Easy

Pruning our lives is not easy, but you will reap what you sow. Be honest with yourself.

Make the effort today. Make the commitment today. Make the decision today.
Kill procrastination.

Remember, you do not do this on your own. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you and help you make those decisions — don’t do it alone. He is our guide for this life.

Live in Stability

Start a season of stability meaning do not live from emotions and feelings, the past which can betray us.

Live from the Rock, the Word of God. Live stable, with a sure foundation, and then continue to build.

Choices!

Beloved, we all have the same hours in a day, but what we do with those hours determines the life we have in God.

Start strong and Don’t quit. Keep going. Be accountable. Finish strong in God.

He died on that cross that we may have life — and life in abundance.

Bless the Lord. And as the Lord lives, may He continue to be gracious, patient, and loving toward us as we grow up into all things.

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
— Ephesians 5:16

Don’t waste time — seize the week, seize the day, seize the hour, seize the moment, seize the Lord.

As we continue in this month of sanctification, we are cutting and pruning old branches so that we can be fresh and fruitful for February and the months ahead in the Lord.

Jeremiah writes:

“The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
I, the LORD, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings
— Jeremiah 17:9–10

Don’t Even Trust Yourself

Our emotions and feelings can deceive us. A heart without wisdom can lead us astray, causing foolish decisions and a careless way of living.

We have all made many mistakes when we follow our feelings instead of God’s truth.

Scripture warns us not to trust our own hearts, because it can be deceitful and corrupt.

Instead, we are called to live with hearts led by the Holy Spirit—hearts that build on the solid rock of God’s Word.

This means planning carefully, walking in wisdom, and exercising due diligence rather than impulse.

By Grace

God does not leave us in this condition. He promises:

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh
— Ezekiel 36:26

Because of this, we can confidently pray:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a right spirit within me
— Psalm 51:10

Let us examine our hearts before the living God and remove anything that causes division, hardness, or offence.

New Hearts

Under the New Covenant, God has given us new hearts.

He has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

These are hearts that obey the commands of God.

1. Love God

2. Love our neighbour

3. Love one another, just as Christ loved us

Let us actively practise even more this kind of love in this season through God.

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:5 )

Let us all spend some time alone with God, in the secret place of prayer, and truly examine our hearts.

Let us ask Him to heal any brokenness and to knit us back together, so that we may be whole.

Christ paid a very high price at the cross to heal the broken-hearted (not the stubborn-hearted), but those who come with sincere and contrite hearts and are in need of healing.

The faithful One will surely do it.

As the Lord lives, may He continue to encourage us all to finish the race with confidence.

We can boldly come to the throne of God in our time of need, and He will refresh us. Bless the Lord.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Heb 4.16

Beloved,

As we come to the close of the first month of January, which has truly whizzed by—many of us have been intentionally walking more closely with the Lord.

Through the process of sanctification, He has been pruning old, unproductive branches: old ways, habits, and ungodly relationships, so that true fruit may grow.

True Worship and a Clean Sweep

In 2 Kings 23, we read how King Josiah, upon hearing the rediscovered Book of the Law, was deeply moved.

His response was immediate and uncompromising.

“And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest… to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the articles that were made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven…”
(2 Kings 23:4)

Josiah went throughout the land and removed every form of idolatry—burning, tearing down, and cleansing. He consecrated the land back to God.

If you read on, you’ll see how thorough and radical this cleansing truly was.

In many ways, the Lord calls us to do the same in our personal lives, to identify and remove every idol hidden within us.

What Is True Worship?

True worship is the deliberate removal of anything that distracts our devotion from God, whether internal or external.This takes time, effort, and obedience.

God is not in the business of sharing our hearts.

The Worship Temple

“Only God can teach us how to worship God”.

This is the work of the Holy Spirit, who restores true worship in us by sanctifying us from the inside out.

When the heart is purified, the outward life follows.

God is not after performance. He is after a pure heart.

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
— John 4:23

Turn to God 100%

After Josiah cleared the land of idols, Scripture records this powerful testimony:

Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him.”
— 2 Kings 23:25

We all have the authority within, and are called to do the same.

Let us start strong and stay strong in the Lord throughout 2026.

Let’s live the life He died to give us all. Bless the Lord.

[And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”
(Ephesians 5:18–19)