The days preceding a new year are a time to dream.

Every year, well all year actually, I set up new rules for myself and new demands for my time and character. Setting goals is good. Setting rules is not. Somehow rules kill you whereas goals bring life.

For a rule-setter, goal-getter type like myself, New Years Resolutions used to provide an excellent opportunity to set even more self-imposed laws, which I endeavoured to keep, but more often missed.

Years ago I regularly watched the kids for the pastors of a rural church in England. They had a rule for their kids: ‘No New Years Resolutions’. A rule that banned rules; Interesting.

Perturbed at the prospect of a missed rule-setting-opportunity, I enquired about why such a decision. The answer surprised me. ‘Laws set people up to fail’ the pastor’s wife explained. They don’t come with the grace to carry them out, just pressure and disappointment. So the kids were banned from setting new years rules. What was also true of this family was that they were highly disciplined, highly creative and highly relational. Lack of laws didn’t equate lack of achievement; rather it gave space for it. Relationship and encouragement accomplished what rules couldn’t.

Grace like this is a funny substance. It is freedom. Freedom to not be controlled by rules. It is rest. The rest to never strive. It is passion. Passion that drives you further. It is power. The power to achieve all things. It is both a letting go and a reaching higher.

I have been learning the joys of living in graceland. It’s a somewhat magical place, where love not law is the law of the land. Easy you may think? But when you have found the ability to reach for the stars you have a new-found responsibility to pluck them out of the sky. The sky is no limit in graceland. To who much is given, much is required. But these requirements are not like the demands of law set before, these requirements are to dream bigger and go further. Because, as the laws fade, so do the natural laws. Nothing is impossible in graceland. Therefore, dream bigger, love deeper, forgive greater and go further than you ever thought possible.

Vision gives pain a purpose. If your New Years Resolution is to loose weight because you had one to many minced pies this Christmas, your focus is on your failure to keep in shape. When the pain of working out happens, all you can see is your out-of-shape (and now sweaty, out-of-breath) body staring back at you in the mirror. If instead you dream of being fit, in-shape and healthy enough to run into old age. Then you have a vision that is unperturbed by pain. The pain is just a sign of a step in the right direction, rather than proof that you really are out-of-shape. Lack of vision is subtle, but a proven deal breaker in the New Years Resolution stakes. Instead you can dream into being the person you want to be.

So tired of laws that lead to failure? Start to dream and dream bigger. If you can achieve your dream, then it is too small. The glory of the young is that they are too inexperienced to know that their dreams are impossible, so they do them anyway. Realise that nothing is impossible. Write down your dreams and don’t put them off until tomorrow. I have dreams and visions for my life that I’ve written down in a list. It is pinned to my bathroom wall and everyday I remind my day about my dreams. Speak to your day and speak to your self. It’s not a sign of madness, but of greatness to declare your destiny.

Dream big. This is not the season to devise new laws or resolutions. It’s the season to dream new dreams. What does 2009 look like in your dreams? What is your life dream and how will 2009 be a part of that? If you want to stop human trafficking how will your dreams for yourself in 2009 support your life dream? What were the dreams that you traded in as a child for laws and impossibility? Bring them out of the closet again. Fulfilled all your dreams? Then you need to dream again and dream bigger, further and always with a level of impossibility.

There always has to be some impossible situation in your hand. Otherwise how will there ever be miracles?

Stories of Jesus

Friends and Countrymen!

As we go after the King and His Kingdom together I wanted to send each of you my love for this Christmas and New Year! I am excited by the day we live in and the joy that is ours. God is so good!! Have a ton of fun over the holidays and an awesome 2009! The mince pies are made, the brandy butter is chillin and I'm excited!

Something else to get happy about...

Miracles

This week I got the opportunity to pray for a young woman who had arthritis in her wrist and hand. Now arthritis often feels to me like it comes with fear attached and I get angry. There was something there that my spirit reacted against. I felt that there was a spirit attached with this one, not that the woman had done anything wrong, but her body was under attack.

I prayed for a short time just simply binding the arthritis and releasing strength and healing. I asked her to test it out and she did! Big time! All the pain had gone! We praised Jesus big time too! She was so stoked and shocked, as it was something she had been contending for for a long time.

Yey Jesus is the King!!

I am going on a trip to Alabama with Bill and his team on the 2nd January. Please pray for our travels and that God would have His way there. Expect some stories! Remember that we all share in the inheritance of each-others encounters with God, because the 'testimony (stories) of Jesus, IS the Spirit of prophecy'. In other-words, testimonies release the prophetic power to do it again! Sounds good :)

Merry Christmas!

Much love!

Sarah

heal, elbow, cancer

Yesterday I went to my seat in-between Sunday morning services. The lady in the row behind me looked quizzically at me and asked me where I was from, not my name. I told her and she got very excited. She said ‘I thought it was you! I’ve been looking for you since September!’. I guess the Englishness is my defining feature!

Heal Healed
She went on to tell me how I had prayed for her heal one Sunday morning in late September. I remembered her and remembered how the presence of God had been so strong and sweet while we prayed. She told me that though she could feel things happening inside her foot, the pain had not left when I prayed that day, when she woke up the next day it was completely gone and hadn’t returned since then. She had had excruciating shooting pain in her heal for one and a half years up until then. We were both very happy!!! She was so moved by Jesus healing her – it was so special. It reminded me that when we pray we should never be discouraged if we don’t see it happen before our eyes, because we’ve prayed – something has to happen!!! Even if it’s that night while they sleep.

Elbow Healed
So then she told me that her left elbow was in a lot of pain too. She couldn’t lift a cup of coffee with it because it hurt too much. She wanted me to pray for it right then and there and I was more than happy to. I prayed and the pain lessened so much that when she tested by pushing strongly against my hand it didn’t hurt at all! She moved it around and there was still a slight twinge so we prayed again. Struck by the power and passion of God she received her healing right then with tears rolling down her cheeks. I was overcome by the sweetness of God.

Miracles never get old for me. Each time I am struck by the love and power of our God who cares so much about our lives. It’s such a privilege to pray ‘Your Kingdom come!’ and watch what happens. I love Him!


Cancer Healed
It’s so important to pray. I realise over and over how much we carry the key to heaven in our hands. The other day a classmate of mine found his colleague upset at work. He had previously released the presence of God on this guy, a non-Christian. It had been an amazing experience for the guy who had felt electricity running into him during the encounter at the store where they both work. So when my classmate asked him what was wrong he was really open and said that his grandmother had been diagnosed with serious cancer. He was devastated by the prognosis that she had only weeks to live. My classmate was deeply moved with compassion and so asked if he could pray. His colleague jumped at the chance, so right there outside the door of the shop they prayed – releasing life into the lady’s body. Within a week the doctors report came back that the grandmother was completely clear of cancer after no treatment. The doctors were astonished. We were very happy. It was a sweet moment when he told us the news in class during testimony time. We all leapt to our feet, shouting and cheering – this is what we live for!