Paul has been accused of deception because of his change in plans of not returning to Corinth. For us to make plans with a clear conscience we need to, (1) be serious about the will of God; (2) glorify Jesus so that our witness and walk go together; (3) be on good terms with God's Spirit by being authentic servants of His call. If in our planning we live to please people there will be misunderstandings that will be difficult to resolve, but if in our planning we live to please God, we will be enabled to handle any misunderstandings. Whatever issues or conflicts we experience on our journey with other Christians, we know that we can all rejoice together at Jesus' return.

We often look at the birth of Jesus from our human perspective, but what was it like from God's perspective? In this passage John gets to foresee the birth of Jesus in the way heaven sees it - Jesus' birth looks very different from there. Rather than the peaceful manger scene we are used to contemplating, in heaven there was a prelude to war, a great battle where a third of heaven's angels will be swept down to earth to await their final judgement. Satan was cast down to earth to reap havoc. Satan knows that Jesus' birth will ultimately be is his death. Jesus' birth announced peace to the world and His death on the cross is Satan's defeat. When we choose Jesus and share about Him, Satan continues to be defeated. Who are you going to choose?

The first 3 chapters of Ephesians are about doctrine - the truth of what God has done and what Christ Jesus has done in our lives. The last 3 chapters are about duty - how we live out the truth of what God has given us. In this passage, Paul reminds us that we are to walk in unity. Belief determines how we behave and how we behave will be determined by what we believe. We have a wonderful calling in Jesus and now it is our responsibility to live up to that calling, and in doing so, do it in unity with other believers. What do you need God to work on in your life to maintain the unity of the Spirit?

The Assyrians were looking to attack Jerusalem, in the reign of Hezekiah, after conquering all the fortified cities of Judah. Through Hezekiah's prayer, Isaiah is able to pass on God's message that He would protect the people of Jesrualam and detroy the Assyrians, 185,000 in all, without lifting a sword. The focus in this passage is about God being our strength and refuge. When we put our trust in God, we have nothing to fear, for when trouble or difficulties come upon us, we can have the confidence that God is there with us. We need to remember that the things we do in our own strength may fail, but if we put our strength and hope in God, then the things we do will never fail.

What is it that gets you to fret? In this passage David give us some alternatives we need to do to overcome things that concern us and cause us to fret. We need to: (1) trust in the Lord when we go through difficult times; (2) live out our life for Him; (3) recognise and delight in what God has done for us; (4) commit our ways to God and (5) be still before the Lord, wait patiently for Him and listen to what He has to say. Whilst it is a good plan to follow these 5 steps, it is recognised that sometimes we can be totally overwhelmed with the pressures of life and that God can provide for us professional help and/or counselling that can be of great assistance in getting our life 'back on track'.