Convention Gems – Williams Convention, Western Australia – 2011

Don’t blame others. Get to the root of the matter.

When something is buried at sea, there is no trace of it and the Lord will place our sin in the sea of forgetfulness.

Sometimes, we have nothing to bring to Jesus except a deep need.

Be as a little child and then we will find it easier to press through the multitudes to reach Jesus.

We will never see a Shepherd gather His sheep together without a purpose.

Esther had to bring Haman into the presence of the King, too. Sometimes, we have to bring someone who has hurt us, hated us, etc., before the Lord so that our petition can be honourable.

He wants to hear our words now, and see the fruit of our words later.

Humanly, it is rude to interrupt someone; but when God interrupts us on our journey and thinking, it is mercy.

There is no room at all for revenge in the heart of a child of God.

We are not meant to be doormats or marshmallows {too soft}. We need to be firm, but never unkind.

God knows our hearts and knows when we need disappointments. God didn’t interrupt the Ethiopian eunuch on his way to Jerusalem – but when he was on his way back and hadn’t got any answers from the religious world.

Faith is our belief in action.

Baptism isn’t a deeper commitment; because when we profess we are totally committed then. Baptism is a SEAL to our commitment. When something is sealed, impurities cannot enter in.

The reason we are baptised is because it is the right thing to do. It is not about being perfect or worthy, but because it is the right thing to do. Matthew 3:15

There is something in our human nature that miracles become ordinary and then burdensome.

Don’t miss the beauty of the land because of filling our eyes with the strength of the enemy.

Our words will not suffice if our hearts bring not a sacrifice.

Vain people are looking for pleasure. Proud people are looking for place. God’s people are looking for Truth.

You can repay a debt of gold but never repay a debt of kindness.

If you are too busy to notice nature, then cancel a few things in your life.

When the outlook is bad, look up.

Disobedience is defeat; it may cost us our soul. Obedience is victory; it will cost us our own will.

We can be overcomers instead of being overcome. We can be victors instead of being a victim.

The victories of others encourage us, but only our own victory will save us.

Support the weak – give them a boost, not a boot. Who is the weaker one? Often, it’s the one looking at me in the mirror.

Correction is direction so that we can have perfection.

What we do is more important than what we say; and our spirit is more important than what we do.

If our mission is submission and our attitude is gratitude, we will go a long way.

One little effort is worth more than 1000 excuses.

We cannot always understand why, but if it is in the will of God, we know it will be safe and best for us.

Sometimes, God will not answer our questions. Instead, He wants to take away the question.

The enemy is not able to get through God’s defence, only our weakness.

Let us find the urgency to be ready every day.

If we are ever wondering what to do, deepen our relationship with God.

It is against the law to bury a dead person. We have to keep mortified the deeds of the flesh.

Satan is keeping good people too busy to do things we know we ought to do.

Whose feet we sit at in life will determine where we will sit in eternity.

Past present and future needs are all met by the oil of God’s spirit.

When we have a debt, sit down quickly and repay, forgive. He will forgive us in the measure that we forgive others.

We need to consider what we are allowing into our lives – are they things for which Christ died?

Every meeting should be an expression of our thanks for the shedding of His precious blood.

Our fellowship is a side benefit of our worship and without worship, that is no fellowship.

Don’t neglect the gathering of ourselves together, for THEN there will be no more sacrifice for sin.

We can have worship without fellowship (John on Patmos, etc.); Satan would like us to have fellowship without worship.

If it means we will not be recognised at the Throne, then it is not worth it.

Don’t plan to fail, plan to succeed. If we plan to fail, it will happen alright.

In the will of God, nothing happens by mistake.

Sometimes to be a peacemaker, we have to suffer loss. We have to lose something to gain peace in our life and between others. Lift up our eyes and see that we are not losing, but gaining.

Faith cannot increase and go from strength to strength unless we do what God has asked.

Human nature has no taste for death. But there is no other way to usefulness except by sacrifice. We cannot bypass the altar.

We never heard our parents criticize another, and when we were old enough to realise people are not perfect, we were old enough to have love and compassion.

The more we pray, the more we will feel the need to pray.

In feeding others, we feed ourselves.

Jesus never took tithes. He belonged to the tribe of Judah, not the tribe of Levi. He came not to enrich Himself, but to enrich others.

It is not what you know, but whom you know.

A man clung to some wire across a river in flood. When he was rescued, they had to cut the wire from his hand. “Didn’t it hurt?”

“Yes, but I knew my life depended on clinging to it.” If we are a victim to an uncontrollable situation, cling even though it means pain until God sends help to us.

An inheritance is not something we earn – it is a gift.

Read and pray and then accept our day.

Even if time is short to read and pray, give it our very best. If we do that, the next time we will want to do it more.

How long should you pray? Until peace comes and you feel settled in the will of God.

Pray for those we don’t get along with. We cannot be hard towards someone we have prayed for.

Everyday, God has something for me and if I don’t read and pray, we will miss it.

While you are young and your mind is clear – read, read, and read.

Sometimes we can be glad that the last chapter of our life is closed and the book of our life is still open.

Ruth 1- the loyalty of a soldier. Ruth 2 – the humility of a servant. Ruth 3 – the patience of a fisherman. Ruth 4 – the compassion of a Shepherd.

Humility is not thinking less of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less.

Our testimony is not words we say, but what we are and what we do.

He doesn’t want us to glory in our infirmities. Don’t put our feet on the table – but under His table. Mephibosheth – II Samuel 9:13

Prove our worthiness by our willingness.

The mind is the mill that grinds the grain that feeds the heart.

You can starve to death carrying a recipe book around – you have to act on it.

7 ingredients for bread – Love, Faith, and Humility are the active ingredients. The rest are Grace, Truth, Righteousness, and Patience.

Read till fed. Pray till soft.

True happiness doesn’t come by doing what we want to do, but by doing what we must do.

There is no time lost in waiting if we are waiting on the Lord.

If we get the door shut, the Lord will open the window.

It is not the length of prayer, but the depth of prayer.

When a young person is thinking of finding a mate – don’t go out in the field and try and catch a butterfly, but spend some time in the market place where there is bread.

A spot – wash it out. Wrinkle – iron it out. Blemish – cut it out.

We cannot take the table with us, but we can take with us the strength of the table.