Another year end - or beginning?

Colossians 3:2 - Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

In Psalms 90:12 - So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Two lines before in the Psalm verse 10 says " The days of our years are threescore years and ten (70); and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years (80), yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away" On an average man lives for 70 to 80 years although under the curse man can live for maximum 120years.

When God cursed the lifespan of man around the time of Noah's floods; man's life span slowly and steadily started reducing. Before the curse man's earthly life limit was more than thousand years and hence forth became 120 years. Even long after the curse we have very few persons who lived more than 120years, and their secret was their lives were connected with the sanctuary of the Lord (like a High Priest or a Levi who is considered as a priest). That does not mean if we live in some Church we will longer, it means if we make our bodies which we dwell in real temples, then we may live longer. It also does not mean those who live shorter are cursed more.

Understand God's main purpose is to see us saved, therefore at times takes us away when we are at the best state of faith we can get, because of our hearts. Assuming we are not great people in the Lord and live an average life, can we look back at this life and see what we have done with it? Can you and me, be confident and proud that we did not waste this precious opportunity of time. We may have collected lot of material things and made a great name among men. This may carry forward from one generation to the next and still to the next, after that what?

All the name and material things will soon one day be forgotten and wasted but the spiritual wealth we have will be carried with us unto out life with the Lord. The true wealth that we make does not only benefit us alone; it is like a flowering tree which gives beautiful aroma. We may have the tree and the flowers but the aroma spreads even unto the neighbors, no one can stop the aroma from spreading.

The true spiritual wealth we collect can not be stopped from affecting the life of others. There was a beautiful statement I came across with regards to the difference a true Christian and people of this world. At the end one creates wealth, leaves it and goes; and the other walks towards his or her wealth. A year is soon coming to an end; another with start and that on too will also end soon. Time will pass without our knowledge, if we do not do something with it starting today.

[Prayer]

Lord God, You are the giver of life. We thank You for this life You gave us.

We also ask You to forgive us for we have wasted most of this precious life fruitlessly.

Lord, help us starting today that we look seriously at life and its purpose. Help us that we increase our spiritual wealth; wealth which is permanent...

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

Genesis 6:3 3

And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

Genesis 5:5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 27, 31

5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.

8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.

11 And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.

14 And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.

17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.

20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.

27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.

31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.

Genesis 9:29

29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

Genesis 11:32

32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

Genesis 25:7

7 And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.

Numbers 33:39

39 And Aaron was an hundred and twenty and three years old when he died in mount Hor.

Deuteronomy 34:7

7 And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.

Exodus 6:16-20

16 And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari: and the years of the life of Levi were an hundred thirty and seven years.

17 The sons of Gershon; Libni, and Shimi, according to their families.

18 And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were an hundred thirty and three years.

19 And the sons of Merari; Mahali and Mushi: these are the families of Levi according to their generations.

20 And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years.

Isaiah 40:15-23

15 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.

17 All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

18 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

19 The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.

20 He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.

21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

Having the presence of the Lord to lead us.

Exodus 33:14 - And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.  

Moses understood what it meant to have the presence of the Lord and to be without it; he refused to bulge without the Lord.  When Moses meant the presence of the Lord, he did not mean the physical presence of the Lord. The word translated as 'presence' is translated more times as 'before' & 'face' and even 'countenance'. 

Sometimes (21 times) it has personified so much that it has been translated even as 'person'.   It really meant the glory of God and the favor of God. Moses knew without the favor of God or the glory of God on the people, the people would not survive in the world. The world hates God and also God’s people, therefore Moses knew that it was only the favor of God which would sustain them in their journey ahead. 

We Christians should realize that we are not loved by this world and this world will do all it can to destroy us. It does not necessarily mean kill us but could mean killing the faith in us and therefore removing our names from list of those who will inherit from the Lord (remove us from the Book of Life).  

Having grace and having favor is different. As believers we all have received grace, grace is given unto us but favor need to earned. It does not mean by our work we will receive favor. It means we need to maintain right position with God to earn favor. It is only when we have righteous standing in the Lord (doers of the Word) will we receive the favor of God.  

Remember when we call ourselves Christian and act as Christians we risk ourselves against this world, and to survive in this world we desperately need the favor of the Lord on us. 

[Prayer]
Lord God, peace with You is more important than everything. 

It is only when we have peace with You we can have peace in this world. Lord, to have your peace we need to walk in righteousness and You know we are weak in our flesh. 

We may not be perfect in our walk in You but your Word says our consistent efforts are sufficient for your favor. Lord we ask your favor be on us not because we deserve it but because we stand in You and You gave your Word...  

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.   

[Reference Scriptures]

Acts 2:44-47 

44  And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 

45  And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 

46  And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 

47  Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

What kind of celebrations have you planned?

Colossians 3:14 - And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

As true Christians why do we need to witness for Christ and give the Good News to His people?
Why are we told to love our neighbors as our selves? Why are we told to give in such a way that we receive not here but in Heaven?

The reason we do and should do all this is only for Christ, so that Christ is glorified over all creation.

If we love Christ we will love the people who are a part of Christ - His Body. If we truly love Christ we will keep His Word and show Him unto the world. He was perfect and so we need to show that perfectness unto the world.

This festive season what are your plans? Whom are you giving gifts? Who are your invitees whom you are planning to call over for dinner? Who all are on your list, whom you will pay a visit?
If you are in the world you will do things by which you will be rewarded in the world, but if you are of Christ you will look for rewards which are heavenly.

Jesus gave us a clue of how to really celebrate in Luke 14:12-14

To have a happy celebration call your friends and rich neighbors, but if you want to have a joyful celebration call over people who are needy, like the old woman you have been seeing wearing the same dress almost everyday, or that poor family who's child is always crying to its' parents to buy some toy. It does not have to be only the financially poor but could be a person spiritually poor, like the old man who is very sad since his whole family is far away, or could be physically poor, like the young boy who can not leave his house to go to school or to play.

Just pause for a few minutes and I am sure you will have a list of people with whole you can celebrate a Joyful Christmas. Are you celebrating Christmas because of yourself or because of Christ? If Christmas is because of Christ, do it the way that will please Him. Worship the Lord and celebrate in ways that please the Lord. Do not plan to have a happy Christmas which will end as soon as the holidays are over, but have a Joyful Christmas which will last till the coming again of Christ.

[Prayer]
O Lord Jesus, not again, let not this celebration be all about gratifying of one's carnal self. Let your people celebrating in remembrance of You do it in ways that please You and not your enemy -
the deceiver. Let this Christmas be about You and to show the world who You are. Renew our minds and help us control our worldly desires...

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

Luke 14:12-14

12 And he said to him also that had bidden him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, nor thy kinsmen, nor rich neighbors; lest haply they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee.

13 But when thou makest a feast, bid the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

14 and thou shalt be blessed; because they have not wherewith to recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed in the resurrection of the just.

Rejoicing in hope

Romans 12:12 - Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Despite what some might think: Rejoicing or being joyful is not the same as being happy.

Happiness is an emotion which is based on a situation, and when the situation withers away/changes -

the happiness also is lost. One is joyful when there is a change which can not be reverted back.

So - what hope are we to be joyful about?

As Christians, we know that Jesus Christ died, resurrected and ascended to Heaven. This is a proof that Heaven which was shut to man is now open, for one man has entered it. Secondly we also know that He gave is His Spirit - the Resurrection Power by Whom He was successful to perform this feat. We now are in a position which was tested and found successful; this is the hope that we rejoice in.

Are we through then? Definitely Not.

But, we who were at zero position are now at the most favorable position of success. It all matters on we following instructions of the Spirit of Lord Jesus Christ. Now the success is on us are we going to abide or not. If we have made our decision to abide then we should be joyful irrespective of our state of health and mind.

So our rejoicing is not for tomorrow or in the future, but now with all our hearts (minds). In spirit we have yet not received it in full but it will soon be accomplished.

[Prayer]
Lord God, we thank You for saving us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We also thank You for your Spirit by whom we now can have victory over death. Holy Spirit help we know You more and have better
relationship with You. It is only by You that I can be where my Lord is...

I make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scripture]

Philippians 3:9-11

9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Romans 1:3-6
3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

You do not need to be a Bible expert

Revelation 2:25 - But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.

It is necessary to desire to know more of the Word of God, for it is only through His Word that one can know Him. But then some feel sad when they look at others to whom the Lord is revealing amazing things. Remember on thing God judges us on bases of what we know and not on what we do not know. But if we have rejected some thing given by Him, then that will be held against us.

God gives us all that we need to know to fulfill his purpose in us.

That does not mean only knowledge but also the gifts of the Holy Spirit. One should desire but not get depressed if it is not coming. The best way to know more is to be like a child; and also to receive more is to ask like a child, because the Word says that God hides the greatest understandings from the intelligent but reveals them to babes and what ever is good a child asked his Father, He does give.

[Prayer]
Lord God, your wisdom is immeasurable. You know the heart of people and give according to their hearts and your purpose in them. You have written the history of mankind and await its result as You have written. You have written the victory of man over Satan, we do not doubt it and nothing can take it away. Lord we thank You for what You have given each one of us and what You have in store for us. Let not our faithlessness and other worms of Satan prevent us from receiving...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

Matthew 11:23-25

23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

Psalms 17:13-15

13 Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:

14 From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.

15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

Matthew 22:37

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind (understanding).

2012: Are you afraid?

Hebrew 13:6 - So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.  

Reading all the buzz about the movie 2012, I'm surprised to see what fear can do to get people’s attention.  If you know anything about it, the producers of the movie - base the storyline on certain facts - and among these: quotes from the Bible and some scientific data.  

But from the Bible :the Ends days are anywhere between the year 2300 to 2520. Although I can't say for sure, but one thing - 

Our God is God and all things are under His control, nothing can happen against His will. If He has promised you then be sure it will happen. 

Not even the wind can move from east to west to go against the promise God has given you.  Man will physically and psychologically bring fear in you so that you stop operating in faith. 

Once you stop operating in faith you come out from the protection of the Lord and become a prey to the evil one.  Like God used Man (Jesus) and uses men (us) to bring salvation unto all mankind, Satan too tries to use men (unbelievers) to make man lose his salvation. 

The moment we come out of operating in faith, we too can become a tool to be used by Satan to get to others.  So have faith in God and make your program for 2013 and also 2015, today.   

[Prayer] 

Lord God, You are the creator of this whole world. Life comes from You. Nothing can happen against your will. You have set boundaries to all things even evil has a boundary defined by You. It is by You the world started and only by You can it come to an end. The deceiver does want us to receive our place in You and therefore tries all his best to stop us from operating in faith. Lord give us your gift of faith when we need it the most and help us build our fruit of faith as we dwell in You...  We make this prayer in Jesus’ Name, Amen.  

 [Reference Scripture]

 Daniel 12:5-7 

5  Then I, Daniel, looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on the brink of the river on this side, and the other on the brink of the river on that side.

6  And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?

7  And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.

Be with God and be blessed

Joel 2:26 - And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.

As many would know - there are mainly two types of persecution (troubles) one can face: one that comes from Satan and of course - the other from God and His Angels.

We also saw how different characters from the Bible and were persecuted by Satan, when they had problems for some time. But these very same problems also helped them to grow and the result became a great blessing. But when the very same characters went through problems which angered God: the result was a great loss and a testimony.

When God's people stick with the Lord and do not forsake Him, they will never be disappointed in life. Whatever Satan does through man or any other means will land up blessing God's people more, for our God is God and Satan is nothing before Him.

Do not think that problems we go through because of our misdeeds is going to turn into a blessed, they will only turn into a testimony. Fear not Satan but the Lord. So the end statement is 'Be with God and be blessed'.

[Prayer]
Lord God, You alone are God and Almighty. All things are made by You and nothing is mightier than You. Whatever Satan tries will turn around and be a blessing because we have the promise You gave to our father Abraham. Help all those who are confused and deceived in this understand to come to light and see the truth...

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

Genesis 12:1-4

1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

Palms 109:26-28

26 Help me, O Jehovah my God; Oh save me according to thy lovingkindness:

27 That they may know that this is thy hand; That thou, Jehovah, hast done it.

28 Let them curse, but bless thou: When they arise, they shall be put to shame, But thy servant shall rejoice

O foolish man, God is not man

Isaiah 55:6,7,8 - Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.


It is very depressing when we hear believers making God small into the level of man. God the Son humbled Himself and became man to save mankind, but how can anyone in their wildest imagination humble God the Father or Holy Spirit unto the level of man? It is only the foolish mind that can think that way. And the best joke of it is that these people claim to know the Bible! I do not know which Bible (book) they refer to.

The reason they do this is because they are not baptized in Jesus Christ. They may know Jesus died and heard that He resurrected, but they do not really believe and therefore feel that by their own goodness they will be saved. They still have no idea of the Blood sacrifice that was offered for their sins and the victory over the Law of sin and death that was received for them. It is because of their foolish minds that they are now searching for aliens.

What next? Will they search for an alien God and an alien Jesus! I would surely like to learn where in the Bible has God written about aliens? What role do aliens play in the plan of God? I would ask such people to repent and change their ways and turn to God while He is still at hand while His grace is possible for them.

[Prayer Starter]

Lord God, You alone are God and are Almighty. We worship and glorify your Holy Name. Lord let the world know You alone are God and who your people are in You. We look towards your Holy Mountains and call unto You, be glorified O Lord among your chosen people. Let those who are misguiding your people and do not repent, be made an example that your fear come on all mankind...

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Praying and Praying?

Psalms 122:6 - Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.   

Prayer is connected to faith, the more the faith the shorter the prayer. 

Since most of us lack faith, therefore we are praying and praying and praying. 

After long prays, we get some drops from Heaven and we feel relieved.  We should spend time as much with the Lord as much as we can, not just asking the same thing again and again. 

This happens only because we do not know God or His Word. Our time should be to worship God and to experience His glory. 

That's the reason Jesus spend time in the gardens and on mountain tops, worshiping His Father.  In the Bible, the events to come (the calamities) are already written and prayers will not change it. 

What is written no one can change, not even God Himself will do that.  But today instead of praying for peace for the world, let's pray for peace for and among God’s people, 

In fact God wants us to do that regularly, pray for his people. Let your prayers be short and sweet, but let them be with faith. 

Make sure they are according to God’s desire and be sure to receive it.  There are many times God does not answer because He has give us over our situations and instead of using that authority, we keep going back to Him pleading. 

Like He told Moses He will tell us, 'Why do you come crying to Me? Use the authority which you have received through Jesus Christ'.

Praying the right, effective prayers will not only bless others it will also bless you.   

[Prayer] 

Father God, You are Almighty God. Everything is possible for You.

There is no part of creation which is not in your control. Even Satan has no power against You. 

Lord, we suffer for the lack of knowledge. But we know we tap into your Grace made available through Lord Jesus Christ 

Lord, let your glory be with your people, deliver them like You delivered Israel out of Egypt. 

Let the world see your Hand on your people...

 We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.  

 [Reference Scriptures] 

Luke 18:1-8 1  

And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 

2  Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 

3  And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 

4  And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 

5  Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 

6  And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 

7  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 

8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?  

Exodus 14:13-16 13  

And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD,  which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no one forever.

14  "The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." 

15   And the LORD said to Moses, "Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16  "But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.  

Luke 9:1-6 1  

Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. 

2  And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. 

3  And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. 

4  And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. 

5  And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. 

6  And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where. 

Matthew 18:18-19 18  

Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 

19  Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

Where I am, there shall also my servant be

John 12:26 - If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: 

if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.  

Almost all the people who come to serve in the Lord's Kingdom come to do things, change people, bring people to God etc...  

Because people do not follow instruction well therefore we have many that come to know the Lord by hardly any that remain and become witnesses.  

The word Jesus uses here as 'serve' is the Greek word which comes from the root word Diakonos - which means 'to run on errands'. 

Serving the Lord or working in God's Kingdom does not mean doing things but following instructions. 

Jesus did not do things, but followed instructions as per the Holy Spirit lead Him to do therefore He was called 'Christ'. 

The God factor manifested in Him in every task that He did.  Therefore the request to us 'is anyone willing to follow instructions then God will do glorious things through you, like He did with Me'.  

With regards to being with Jesus the promise is not immediately. In the future we will be where Jesus currently is. 

When Jesus was man then too the statement held true (indicating the manifestation of Christ in us) and even now that Jesus has ascended to Heaven, the statement still holds true (indicates when the sheep of God will enter Heaven).  

[Prayer] 

Lord God, You came as man to show us the way. You set Yourself as an example for all mankind to follow. You humbled Yourself as mere man with all the weaknesses of man, yet no sin was found in You. 

The Resurrection Power which worked in You as You walked this land, help us also the walk in that same Resurrection Power today. Holy Spirit speak to your people that they may follow You so that the glory on God manifest on all of this earth...  

We make this prayer in Jesus’ Name, Amen.  

[Reference Scriptures] 

Matthew 7:21-27 

21   Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 

22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 

23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

24  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 

25  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 

26  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 

27  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.  

Philippians 3:10-12 

10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 

11  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 

12  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.  

Romans 1:3-4 

3  Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 

4  And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Where are the Christians?

Hebrew 10:35-38 [NIV] - So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while,   “He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.”   

I have heard on a couple of occasions from non believers: how come there's so many types of Christians? Do the differences between us Christians happen because we do not want to sit down and study the scriptures together until we come to one understanding about the differences? 

Why do not we have people like Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Isaiah, Ezekiel etc - who would shake the nations with their presence?  Today, people are satisfied with a God Who does small wonders, Who heals their bodies and solves their financial problems. 

They do not want to testify to a God Whom the whole will stand in awe of and bend their knees too.  Why do we need to plead people to come to the Lord? 

Why can not we manifest the power of God within us, that the people know that our God alone is God. If we are not root in true faith and have the knowledge of God within us then where is that power going to come from?  

The Lord had given us a promise where He would use me to make such mighty people out of those whom He has called to work in His Kingdom. 

It is high time for the world to see some real Christians.   

[Prayer] 

Father God, You are God almighty. The Heavens and all creation bows to You. In your Breathe the whole of creation was made. The world is your foot stool and man is like a mere worm compared to You. Yet You went out of the way for us and called us to be your sons, to inherit from You. Lord God open the minds of your people especially those whom You have called to serve in your vineyard...  

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.   

[Reference Scriptures] 

Matthew 22:29 29  

Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.  

Luke 4:14 14  

 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.  

Acts 4:32-35 

32  And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 

33  And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. 

34  Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, 

35  And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.  

Revelations 15:1-4 

1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. 

2  And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. 

3  And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. 

4  Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.  

John 1:12-13 

12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 

13  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  

Romans 8:16-23 

16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 

17   And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 

18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 

19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 

20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 

21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 

22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 

23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Baptism of water

John 1:28,29 - These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.  

There are some topics which cause a storm even today among believers and which we need to soon of later come to one understanding. 

Some of them are about cmreation (about Genesis 1 and 2), Sabbath Day, Bread or Comunion, after dead where people go and another one to the list is Baptism.  

What I learnt from the Bible about baptism is that starting with Noah (floods), Abraham (circumcision), Moses (Red sea and pillar of cloud) and John the Baptist (baptism of repentance), all had a different type of baptism which was perfected in Jesus Christ. 

Each one took one step towards baptism in Jesus Christ.  Baptize comes from the Greek word 'Bapto' which means 'to dip'. 

So people make it a point that baptism of water requires the person to be immersed in water. 

We also have the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, in this case where do we immerse ourselves?  Water in baptism of water is like the rings which are exchanged between the bride and groom during marriage. 

In some marriages they do not use rings then is that marriage not valid? Does the ring define the marriage?  

People also think water baptism is only for sinners then by that definition our salvation is made invalid, for Jesus took water baptism. 

If He had even one sin in Him our salvation is lost.  People need to really understand baptism and the different kinds of baptism. 

It is like one needs to know what marriage means and one's commitment to each other in marriage or learn over a period of time via mistakes.  

You will notice in the scriptures although Jesus got Himself baptized in water by John, He Himself did not baptize anyone with water nor did He stop His disciples to do so, even though He always maintains that without baptism of water and Spirit one could not go to Heaven.  

The Bible talks of water baptism, baptism of the Holy Spirit and baptism of fire. People add to this list Jesus' baptism of sorrow; I would also point to Paul' baptism of humility, Abraham’ baptism of faith, Moses’ baptism of authority, Job' baptism of righteousness etc. to that list.  

Paul was the main instrument with doing away with circumcision of the male reproductive organ and said circumcision of heart was important. The circumcision of heart is to done by both males and females not just males.  

To have true relationship with the Lamb of God, let us ponder and pursue the true understanding. Unless we not understand all the baptisms in spirit and truth, we will learn through mistakes and experiences.   

[Prayer Starter] 

Father God, You are Spirit and your Kingdom is Spiritual. 

The body dies but the spirit lives, therefore it is written that You are God of the living not of the dead. 

Lord, by your Spirit reveal to your people the truth that they may have a better relationship with You...  

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.   

God does not burden you

Revelation 2:25 - But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.

Our God is the most tolerant and understanding God. He does not burden us more than what we can take. Over the years from the time of Noah He has been revealing His Word slowly by slowly unto Man. Understand the basics - the Word of God is instructions to man to receive his salvation and come back unto God. Therefore is also called the Book of Instructions.

All the instructions needed are already written, starting from Job (he was the grand uncle of Moses and grandson to Jacob) right up to John (Book of Revelation). So much so that God even warned with serious consequences to anyone modifying anything from His Book. When John wrote the last words in his book there were meant not only for his book but for the whole Book (Bible means book).

Knowing the tendency of human mind, God put counter checks in His Word so that any matter of dispute can be reconfirmed not only once, twice but thrice. The Word of God also has checks in-build into it to expose modifications to the genuine inspired Word.

God could have thrown the whole set of instructions unto Adam in the start, but God knew that man's heart would not be able to take it. It was through experience (the hard way) that man would slowly by slowly be able to keep His Word and be saved. Therefore even Jesus did not unfold everything to all minds; He spoke in parables so that the grace and wisdom of God would slowly unfold the knowledge of God. Even today we are yet to churn out every drop of the parable which Jesus spoke about more than 2000 years before.

As God unfolds His Word unto us, He expects us to keep that Word. He will not hold against us what He has not revealed unto us but only that which He has. That does not mean if I do not study the Word I do not have to worry. To this I have two things to say. Firstly if we do not study the Word
and keep it then God may teach us the Word from real life experiences. Now tell me who would like to experience what the Israelites experienced in the desert? The second fact is deliberately not studying the Word is like rejecting the Word. It is also rejecting the prosperity which God
wants to give us in Heaven and here on earth.

So today, let us hold fast what God has revealed to us up to yesterday; and tomorrow, all that we learnt up to today.

[Prayer]
Lord God, You are a merciful Father. You love us and understand us, even when we are far from You. Lord, as You reveal your Word unto us help us hold on to the grace You have given us, that we may keep your Word to the end of our days...

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[Reference Scriptures]
Exodus 1:1-4
1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
4 Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

Genesis 46:13
13 And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron.

Exodus 2:1-2 (Moses' birth)
1 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.
2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.

Revelation 22:18-19
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this
book.

Season your speech with Salt!

Colossians 4:6 - Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

I think everyone knows this one fact: People in this world just do not like to be corrected. Whether they are right or wrong, they just want everyone to agree with them.

God knows how weak man is in the flesh, therefore the Lord tells us to always use grace and wisdom even when correcting people. There are some whom it is best to leave them with sight warning and not to push hard for these have hardened their hearts so much that, firstly it will be a waste of your time, and secondly they will show their ugly heads unto you. They may insult you or your ancestors, or even your God therefore it is best to avoid them. One needs the Spirit of discernment to speak perfectly to any person in the flesh.

So if you lack the Spirit of discernment and are a believer of the Lord Jesus Christ, just ask the Lord and He will surely give unto you.

[Prayer]
Father God, Your people are away from the truth therefore suffering. Even then the truth is told unto them they do not want to listen. Help us Lord to tap into your grace that we may be able to use your wisdom, love and mercy in our every word unto your children...

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Is Jesus preparing a place for you?

John 14:2,3 - In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Most believers know that Jesus after His resurrection ascended into Heaven and is busy preparing a place for us. But most believers do not know that it is not for all of us that Jesus is preparing the place.

We need to understand that Heaven is not one big place. Like in a Hotel has normal rooms, deluxe rooms, rooms with a view etc. similarly Heaven has different areas and the difference between them is how close you are need to the maximum glory of God the Father (Heaven of Heavens).

As spirit beings the only thing that gives pleasure is to experience glory. And when all things are set right in the Lord our only purpose will be to see God's glory expand and expand.

If you read today's scripture Jesus says 'And if I go and prepare a place for you'. This sentence is a conditional sentence. That reiterates the fact (truth) that all believers will not enter Heaven. If it were just by believing we enter Heaven then we would not have required the Helper, nor would we have scriptures like Matthew 7:21-23, Matthew 25:1-3, John 3:3 etc...

Our entering the Kingdom of God depends on us keeping the Word, being born again in the Word. Therefore please understand the most precious thing in your life needs to be the Word of God. If you love life then hold on to the Word. Do not ignore even an alphabet of the Word of God for your destiny depends on it.

[Prayer]
Father God, You are Almighty God. You created us for You desired that all live eternally with You. You desired that all prosper and grow in spirit, thus glorifying your Son in whom all creation is made. Lord God, You gave us your Word to segregate the good from the bad, your children from the children of Satan, the lovers of life from those destined unto death. Lord, You gave us the Spirit of Truth, Who reveals the Word unto us. Holy Spirit, open our hearts, our minds, our eyes; that we may see your light and follow...

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
Matthew 7:21-23
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

John 3:3
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

1 Peter 1:23-25
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Matthew 25:1-13
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that
were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

My people shall never be ashamed

Joel 2:23-25 - Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.

All you people of God who consider themselves as having gone through great difficulties and bad experiences; REJOICE! for your decision of turning to the Lord and standing for the truth in the Lord, is going to reap you tremendous blessings.

Your blessings shall overflow you so much that the people around you will be amazed at the things happening in your life. They will see it but will not have any explanation for it. So all you who dare to stand against the world and hold on to the Word of God, you are called the children of God and citizens of Zion.

Zion is the fortified city of God. Its people are protected and blessed by the Lord and no one or nothing can harm them. Man has been suffering mostly because their hearts were not in right standing with God. Jesus was the only perfect hearted man and He did not experience any pain or suffering other than the mission He came for... As we grow in the Lord we too will not face any difficulties; else what is the use of the blessings of Abraham?


[Prayer]
Lord God, You blessed our father Abraham and we too are recipients of that blessings by our faith in Jesus Christ. Lord, as you reveal the Word unto us, make our hearts fertile and submissive to your Word that we may always dwell in Zion and receive all the blessings of our father Abraham...

We make this prayer in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Seek the Lord while He may be found

Isaiah 55:6,7 - Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

The Lord is Omni-present, so why does the Lord speak through Isaiah and tell us 'Seek the Lord while He may be found'?

If we go any place in God's creation we will always be in the presence of the Lord. Even in Hell the Psalmist David says (Ps 138:8) If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

Hell is not a place where Satan rules, it is like a prison where souls having sins go. The control in Hell is still the Lord's. The souls (inner man and spirit) of those which have sin in them are imprisoned there. The sins in them burn like a never ending fire. Jesus was freed from Hell because sins were on Him but in Him no sin was found. Resurrection power (Holy Spirit) is the power that allowed no sin to be in Him when Jesus was alive as man. The souls that believe in / are redeemed by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ sleep in the grave until the Judgment day and then those who are doers of the Word will enter Heaven with Jesus Christ.

There is only one place in all creation where one can keep God away is the darkness of a hardened heart. Whatever may be our condition, we should not harden our hearts and by repentance we should let the river of grace clean us and bring light in us. The more we harden our hearts the more difficult it becomes to repent.

When we feel the presence of God, we feel or experience the glory of the God and this happens when we do not harden our hearts.

[Prayer]
Father God, You are Omnipresent and all creation beholds You. The earth is your footstool and You are seated in Heaven for your glory manifests in Heaven. Lord we want to experience your glory for your glory bring life unto us. Lord, melt our hearts and change them so that with renewed hearts we can come to know You better...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
Luke 16:19-31
19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine
linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at
his gate, full of sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich
man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the
angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth
Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send
Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my
tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime
receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now
he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf
fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither
can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest
send him to my father's house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they
also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them
hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from
the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.