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Grace by Faith

2010-02-24T20:52:00.000-08:00

John 8:34,35 - Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Every one that committeth sin is the bondservant of sin. And the
bondservant abideth not in the house for ever: the son abideth for
ever.

The Covenant of God given unto man states that any person that sins is
a sinner and slave unto sin. Such a sinner has no place in the House
of God which is Heaven.

Covenants were made from Noah unto Jesus. The Law of punishment for a
sinner remained the same and did not change even in Jesus, but there
is a clause which was added in the Covenant of Jesus Christ. The
clause states that anyone who believes in Jesus Christ is saved. It is
this clause of grace by faith which saves mankind.

It is through faith that we tap in the grace available through Jesus
Christ and it is this grace which covers us and redeems us.

Having faith does not mean acknowledging Jesus as Christ as our Savior
and Son of God just verbally. What we profess by mouth does hold but
more loud is what our actions speak. Thus if in our actions do not
profess our faith then it drowns what we speak by mouth.

So to really profess Jesus Christ and be saved, our words and our
actions should profess the same.

[Prayer]
Lord Jesus, we believe in You as our redeemer and Savior. We were
without hope and You alone became the hope of all. It is by You and in
You alone that mankind can be saved. You are the way, the Truth and
Light. Lord Jesus help us to profess You not only in our words but
also in our actions...

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scripture]

Acts 15:11
11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we
shall be saved, even as they.

Acts 16:27-33
27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing
the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed
himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for
we are all here.
29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and
fell down before Paul and Silas,
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved, and thy house.
32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were
in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their
stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

Romans 10:9-13
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the
same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Standing in the Power of God

2010-02-16T17:41:00.001-08:00

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

1  And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

2  For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

3  And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

4  And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

5  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

There are many in this world who call themselves Men / Women of God.  Are they all Men / Women of the God? If not, how can one discern them?  Paul says in today's message that like himself you can identify a Man of God not from the nice words he speaks, nor by the knowledge he holds or I will add even by his hard work. The only way one can be identified as a Person of God by the working of the Power of God working in and through that person.

Does that mean only those who do miracles and healings are Men / Women of God?  From the time I started growing in the Lord I kept an eye on my spiritual growth. In the start when I was moving around (learning) with a ministry I was very encouraged by the many healings and miracles which the Lord did through me. But then as I started getting into the calling which the Lord called me into, I have to take the back seat and spend less time on the field and more time studying and writing. There were times I would think is the Spirit of the Lord still working in me?  During these times the Lord would show Himself in me by the great revelations which I knew from no other man, the Lord would reveal these to me. By His Spirit He would reveal to me such great and wonderful things which would overwhelm me by His Power working me.  That does not mean healings and miracles do not happen through me. For being blessed with some level with the Spirit of Knowledge and Wisdom I do not jump into prayer for each and every person around me or in my touch who is going through problems. To speak of it I too am going through problems in some areas of my life even though I see the great working of the Lord in me.  We need to discern problems or situations which the Lord initiates so that we overcome our flesh and those which Satan tries to advantage of, due our weakness in the flesh.

Like in the case of Paul while writing this very letter he was going through the worst situation in his life. He was overcoming a problem area within himself which nearly bought him to his death bed. He begged of the Lord many times to help him but the Lord wanted Paul to overcome that weakness in him by His grace.  Let me share another case which happened a few days back. I was part of an outreach organized by a house Church for the very first time. Since a long time they were reaching out to people around the world to pray for this event and were prophesying great things for this event.

It was not that there were not healings or miracles at that event. We saw a limited crowd (not as expected) and there were 4 to 5 healings and wonders which did happen right there itself.  This person who was leading the event has a high calling on her, but due to her problem area and the grace of God on her, the Power of God is working in limits. For I know of another person with a similar calling and similar problem but the Lord allowed to manifest His Power in her and today she has a great name and fame but lost from the Word. The Lord is letting her increase in fame and height do that the Lord can make an example of her due to her hardness of her heart.  Manifesting of Power does not mean only healings or miracle but changing of people.

What is the use of healings if the person goes back into the worldly ways again? Can we count them as a part of our harvest?  Thus true Power of God is when people around you, given unto you grow and become vessels for the Lord. It may take time but by perseverance and persistence efforts the fruits will be seen.

[Prayer Starter]

Lord Jesus, You came as son of man and showed us the way to do our work in You. Lord, You gave us your Spirit Who works and manifests your Power in us. Holy Spirit, work in and through your people and let more and more stand out from the crowd as your Anointed Ones. Let those who are out to deceive be plugged out and made an example. Let your Power be manifested in your Church...  We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

1 Corinthians 2:6-11

6  Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

8  Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

2 Corinthians 12:6-10

6  For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.

7  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

8  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

10  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Jeremiah 20:8-12

8  For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily.

9  Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.

10  For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, say they, and we will report it. All my familiars watched for my halting, saying, Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him.

11  But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten.

12  But, O LORD of hosts, that triest the righteous, and seest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I opened my cause.

Problems are not a way of life

2010-01-12T18:16:00.000-08:00

Joel 2:27 - And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

One big problem with so called Christians is that they think problems are a part and parcel of life. In directly to them problems are even a problem for God to handle and He can only encourage you to overcome it. The base of their argument is Jesus suffered therefore we too need to suffer.

The only place where Jesus suffered was when He became a sacrifice for us, else the glory of God
was always seen on Him. Also His going to the desert and fasting for 40 days was to weaken Him so that He could be tempted and by His overcoming the temptation He becomes a example for us.

Another silly argument - was everything about Jesus is not written (the Bible itself says so). True. But realize everything that was important is written especially in the Gospel of John because it is kind of an autobiography of Jesus. He was without blemish, thus perfect. If one does not believe this than one should not be a Christian for then there is no salvation.

The life of Jesus was such not because He was God who became man, nor because He was the Begotten Son of God, or a son of God (like Adam who was made perfect man with the image of God in him, but then blemish came in him) but only for one reason and that is because He was Christ - man with the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit Who differentiated the life of Jesus from the
rest of us, but now since we too received the Holy Spirit by our faith in Jesus Christ, there is now suppose to be no difference between the man Jesus and us. All things that Jesus did and did not do is now possible for us. It is the Holy Spirit - the co-creator of creation and the Arm / Finger of God through Whom most things came into existence is now in us. If He can not do it then who can?

Let us glorify Him in us and we will standout among all nations. He is the Light we need to shine; the Living Water That quenches our thirst; the Rock on Whom we need to stand and on Whom the Church of God is build.

[Prayer]
Lord Jesus, we thank You for giving us the Living Water. We thank You for the Light to remove the darkness within us. We thank You for the Breathe which gives life unto our spirits. We thank You for revealing the Rock of our salvation. We thank You for the Rock on which your Church needs to be build. Holy Spirit, work in your people and show the world that You are our God and the true Living God.

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Imitate Christ - Start today and now

2010-01-10T07:46:00.000-08:00

Colossians 3:14 - Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

A sheep will not behave like a calf, or a lion cub like a house cat. Nor will a branch of an apple tree bear oranges.

We, who were in Adam after being grafted into Jesus, tend to keep our Adam nature even while getting connected to Jesus. We want to continue being our old self and not loose our old identity.

 If we need to really be born-again we need to connect to Christ right through our roots, which means right down to our thinking, our desires, our reactions, our work, our priorities, our relationship etc. all need to be Christ like.

We may say it is impossible to be like Christ. But we forget the fact that the Spirit of God is within us, so nothing is impossible to Him Who is in us.  Let me get to the point, if a person has 1percent features like his father would anybody recognize he is his father's son? Even having 5 percent is not sufficient.

Similarly we as Christians need to show Christ; 1 or 2 percent Christ and remaining us, how will anybody see Christ in us?  We need to be more and more like Christ so that we confirm we are connected to Christ and show Christ unto others.

We may find it difficult to be like Christ but if we just surrender to Him Who is in us we will find all things very easy.

Do not fight the flesh but over come the flesh by the Spirit.  Will you like to be one of the few? Start today and now.

[Prayer]

Lord Jesus, You came on earth as the First Christ, to show to us the perfect way of life. Being God, You became an example for man by being perfect man.

You not only taught us through your words and your actions, by also empowered us to follow You by giving us your Spirit.

It is not easy to be like You but we know that by your Spirit we surely can. Holy Spirit, help us in every area to be more like Jesus...

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

The start of a new decade

2010-01-03T06:43:00.000-08:00

Psalms 96:8, 9 - Give unto the LORD the glory (due unto) his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

The message we received today tells us to give God the glory and fame due to Him, the holiness and fear comes when we keep His reputation. This year and this decade that we have entered will see great action. Will it be good or bad depends on us. Are we going to give God the fame due to Him and are we upkeep His reputation - His Name. If we do not do it, the Lord will not sit back and let His Name perish, He will get the job done His other way.

If we want to have peace and goodness among us, let us step out this year and give the Name of God Its due fame by proclaiming the Name of Jesus Christ. This should not be just by words, but also in our actions, our doings, our separating ourselves from the ways of the world, standing out among the crowd, shining the Light unto this world.

If you are truly a soldier in heart, you will not like to be behind the lines but before the lines, in the front where the action is. Similarly if you are truly a soldier of God, this time is the best time to be in, the time of great action.

The favor of God and the glory of God are going to be upon us when we stand in His Name keeping His reputation and make it known to the world. So it is all in our hands, on the decision we that to have a glorious year or a disastrous year. Either way this year and decade is surely going to be one we will never forget.

[Prayer]
Lord God, You alone are worthy of all glory and all fame. You are Holy and will never allow your Name to be let down. We thank You Lord for bring us into this world at a time when your Name starts to shine among all mankind the time of harvest. We thank You for give us the opportunity to harvest the most...

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Another year end - or beginning?

2009-12-30T18:05:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-12-26T17:43:00.002-08:00

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?

2009-12-23T08:20:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-17T08:05:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-30T06:13:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-11-22T05:10:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-16T06:11:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-14T18:04:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-11-03T18:03:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-28T21:53:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-10-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-16T19:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-07T21:35:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-09-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-09-25T01:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-15T19:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-10T20:50:00.000-07:00

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.

God does not think like Us

2009-09-04T19:18:00.000-07:00

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.

The Lord is talking to some of you today to change your ways not
according to what you feel is good but according to what is written in
the Word of God. For in the Word of God is the ways of the Lord.

Understand this very, very clearly; every word in the Bible is from
the Holy Spirit although it is written by man. There is no doubt about
any scripture or even a word in the scriptures not being divine. It
has been proved at many intellectual levels and over the ages.

For example Jesus being the Saviour has 300+ prophesies in the Old
Testament and almost all are fulfiled in Him (only ones of his coming
back again are left). Even 8 of them coming true in any man is like 1
in 10 raised to the power of 28.

Therefore every scripture should be followed without doubt but with
understanding. And anything you are doing or following, even if you
feel it has much good, you need to abandon them and change your ways
unto the ways of the Lord.

God is not man to think like man, so just surrender yourself to the
ways of the Lord and He will have mercy on you and forgive you for all
you have done.

I can stand testimony to this, for when I did not know the Lord I too
did lot of rubbish, but now that I changed my ways unto to the Lord I
have been forgiven and blessed. I speak in not just words but the Lord
being with me is manifested even unto the people around me to see.

[Prayer]
Father God, You are a merciful God. You forgive your children when
they change their hearts and turn back unto You. Lord we ask
forgiveness for all that we have done, contradictory to your Word.
Open out your Arms unto us and keep us under your wings, bless us and
empower us to testify You unto others...

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
Job 5:17-18
17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise
not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.

Ezekiel 7:1-10
1 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD unto the land of
Israel; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land.
3 Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon
thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense
upon thee all thine abominations.
4 And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity: but I
will recompense thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in
the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
5 Thus saith the Lord GOD; An evil, an only evil, behold, is come.
6 An end is come, the end is come: it watcheth for thee; behold, it is come.
7 The morning is come unto thee, O thou that dwellest in the land:
the time is come, the day of trouble is near, and not the sounding
again of the mountains.
8 Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine
anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will
recompense thee for all thine abominations.
9 And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will
recompense thee according to thy ways and thine abominations that are
in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the LORD that
smiteth.
10 Behold the day, behold, it is come: the morning is gone forth; the
rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded.

Behold the God who is our Shepherd

2009-08-20T09:05:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 40:11 - He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall
gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall
gently lead those that are with young.

Did you know that the shepherd is not the one who provides but he is the one who leads his flock to provisions? He tends to his flock by saving them from any
danger and guiding them by the best paths to green pastures and home.

If the shepherd just leads us to provisions, then how does our provision come?

When the Son of God came as man Jesus, He made available abundant grace for us. He sacrificed Himself so that we could receive forgiveness from our sins and by His death He washed away the anger of God on us, thus saved us from curses, sin and death. He also became an example to us on how to live our lives and receive eternal life. After His death and resurrection He opened the door for us to return home to our Father in Heaven. Even though He went to Heaven before us, He did not leave us helpless. He left us with a Helper - His Spirit, to guide us on our onwards journey. He will come back to walk us through the door into Heaven our eternal home.

With regards to all our needs, they are already provided for us. The problem is that we do not know how to receive it. Therefore even in the prayer which Jesus gave us as an example, has the same thought.

In the prayer the 'Give us today our daily bread' has the Greek word which is translated as 'give' is actually not 'give'. Give in English is in present tense and the word written here can not be translated in English at all, for it is past, present and future tense at the same time. So it means 'gave, give and will give' all at the same time. The same is with the word 'forgive' in the next line 'forgive us our debt'.

If I were to translate this line in its true sense, I would put it as 'help us receive our daily bread'. For what is already given, how can I ask to be given? The problem does not lie with the giver, but the receiver to receive. This means all our needs for our physical body like food, clothes, healing etc., all our needs for our soul (inner man) like grace, peace, joy, forgiveness etc. and all our need for our spirit like fruit of the Holy Spirit, salvation, eternal life etc. are already
given unto us. What all we need to do, is just follow the Shepherd and take His help to receive it.

[Prayer]
Lord God, You came as man to lead us as a Good Shepherd. You died for us and saved us. You did leave us helpless. You came in us to guide us and help us receive the good pasture You have made available for time for us. Lord, help us not to be led by this world and its corruption unto death but to be led by You unto life...

This we ask in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scripture]
Psalms 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside
the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I
will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they
comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Matthew 21:1
1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage,
unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,
2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and
straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose
them, and bring them unto me.
3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need
of them; and straightway he will send them.

Matthew 17:24-27
24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute
money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?
25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus
prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings
of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of
strangers?
26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are
the children free.
27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea,
and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when
thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that
take, and give unto them for me and thee.

Called to the duty!

2009-08-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

Exodus 19:5,6 - Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and
keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above
all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a
kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou
shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

Most Christians who believe in the Lord and read His Word do not want
to follow what they read.

The two things as people of God we need to do, is be a holy people.
Which means, although we live in this world we should be separated
from the teachings and ways of this world which go contrary to God's
Word.

The other thing which most think is only for a select few is be
ministers or priest unto the Lord, doing His work.

Everybody mostly think that it is this brother's or that sister's work
to spread the Gospel of the grace of Lord Jesus Christ, but I am doing
my part of believing.

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, in the Lord's Kingdom there is
no concept of audience. For some time you may be excused when you are
lambs learning, but soon or later be ready to be part of the Body of
Christ; to lead others and become disciples of Jesus. Knowledge of the
Word of God did not help King Solomon from falling. It is only when we
become disciples, following Jesus Christ, being operational under His
Spirit by keeping His Word that we will know the real truth and be set
free from our old man.

So in whatever small way you can, start testifying the grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ unto others and bring them to know the Lord.

[Prayer]
Lord Jesus You came as man to save us and You preached to us to show
the way we can take this good news of salvation unto others. You gave
us your Spirit who works in us and helps us to testify You unto all
the world. Holy Spirit help us surrender to You, help us realize the
importance of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ unto others. Use us
in whatever way You feel us worthy of the Kingdom of God...

This we ask in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Starter]
1 Kings 11:31-43
31 And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the
LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the
hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:
32 (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for
Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes
of Israel:)
33 Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth
the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and
Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my
ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes
and my judgments, as did David his father.
34 Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I
will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant's
sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes:
35 But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give
it unto thee, even ten tribes.
36 And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may
have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have
chosen me to put my name there.
37 And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that
thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel.
38 And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command
thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to
keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I
will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David,
and will give Israel unto thee.
39 And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever.
40 Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and
fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until
the death of Solomon.
41 And the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his
wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon?
42 And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was
forty years.
43 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of
David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.

John 8:31-32
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye
continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

God is good all the time... But for all?

2009-08-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

Nahum 1:7,8- The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.

Remember the song we use to sing when young: 'God is good, all the time'?

Well... Today - we throw some light into understanding this and see that - it's 'not for all'...

For those who trust in the Lord, even if they make mistakes, the Lord brings them out of their problems. The problems faced by them due to their misdoings. He has mercy on them that have faith in Him.

Remember - Faith and Mercy, Righteousness and Peace. Pursue one and gain the other.

To demand mercy is impossible; pleading for mercy is not guaranty we will receive it. It is up to the Lord's discretion to have mercy or not, and how much mercy to have. But having faith or not is our choice.

Each one of us is given a measure of faith. Even the smallest measure of faith is sufficient to do great wonders. It is up to us to use this faith and gain mercy or not to use it and linger in our problems.

It is the same with Righteousness and Peace. For man to be righteous is impossible. We are called righteous when we put on the righteousness of Jesus Christ on us and when we are pursuing righteousness in us. The easiest way to righteousness is by pursuing peace with God. When we do everything that pleases God and avoid anything which offends Him, by this we will automatically become righteous in the eyes of God.

All who reject faith, mercy, peace or righteousness of / with God are considered enemies of God. They are the ones who reject light. Of such enemies, God says that very darkness will pursue them and destroy them. For light of God is life and rejecting life means death.

[Prayer]

Father God, You are light and your Word is light unto us. Rejecting your Word and ways is like reject light and life. Lord we want to live in You and with You, to be glorified in You. We love life and reject dead. We are doers of the Word and will do all we can to remain in your Word. Lord, let your grace be on us that we remain in your Word so that your light remains and shines in us...

This we ask in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

Psalms 85:10

10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Romans 12:3

3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

You and I can do greater things than Jesus did!

2009-08-02T06:57:00.000-07:00

John 14:12,13-Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on (be committed to) me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified (have glory) in the Son.

When Jesus was man on earth, all the healings, miracles and wonders He did were just the smallest of what He could do. At times healing every one of the thousands that approached Him, bringing back the dead to life, walking on water etc. all these were actually nothing to the authority and power that Jesus held, his power as Christ - the man in whom the Spirit of the Lord dwells.

The authority is only possible if one is committed to Jesus Christ, His mission. Jesus came on earth with a mission, dying on the crucifix was only one of them, commissioning us to testify Him and to do His Father's business (growing the fruit(s) of the Holy Spirit) were some among them. The purpose of this earthly mission is to give His Father the same glory which He had before, in the Son.

The word 'go' in 'because I go unto my Father' uses the historical present tense. This means, His position with the Father has been the same, like in Genesis 1 the Sun was made before the Earth but was not visible because of the dark clouds, in the same way darkness came between the Father and Son. This darkness can only be removed by the light shining in us. The light is the Word and the fuel to this light is the fruit(s) of the Holy Spirit. The Word will remain in us only if we possess the fuel. Jesus wants us to let the light shine bright and brighter by increasing the fuel in us. When we call ourselves Christians, it means we are carrying on the mission of Jesus on earth.

So let us also make Jesus' mission our mission and being committed to it we will posses the authority to do all things in Him.

[Prayer]

Father God, like your Son we too want to see You full of Glory. Lord, help us make ourselves part of your mission and be fully committed to it. Lord, by your Spirit guide us and mold us to be fertile and helps others also to be fertile to the growth of your fruit(s), so that your Word remains and shines bright in us...

This we ask in your Mighty Name, Amen.

[Reference Scripture]

Genesis 1:14-19

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Worship the Lord thy God alone

2009-07-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

Matthew 4:10-Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Satan knew that he could not deceive Jesus therefore he approached Jesus straight forward to worship him, for which Jesus said no.

Satan does not do the same with us, for even the understanding and knowledge of the Word of God will not help us from by him, unless we have the Spirit of God in us to help us discern him.

Take the example of Solomon, who possessed great wisdom and understanding. He wrote amazing insights of the Kingdom of God; he loved God and made great offerings to God.

2 Chronicles 7:5

5 And king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep: so the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.

Yet Satan deceived him into worshiping his different forms.

2 Kings 23:13

13 And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.

Not only Solomon did this sin, he also encouraged his subjects to follow him.

1 Kings 11:31-33

31 And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:

32 (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)

33 Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.

And it will amaze you that Satan has been and is currently deceiving many Christians to worship him the same way he made Solomon.

No amount of knowledge or wisdom will help us to discern Satan in these matters; it is only by the Spirit of the Lord we can be helped. So let us call onto His Spirit to help us, and in the silence of our hearts let us listen to Him and obey Him.

[Prayer]

Father God, You have made great plans for our prosperity but Satan does not want us to receive it. Therefore he makes us to worship him by deceiving us. Help us to understand the Word and by your Spirit expose him and his traps unto us. Give us the courage to say no to Him as Jesus did...

We ask this in Jesus Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

Jeremiah 7:17-19

17 Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.

19 Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?

Jeremiah 44:15-19

15 Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,

16 As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee.

17 But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.

18 But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.

19 And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?

Only Jesus

2009-07-25T18:54:00.001-07:00

John 6:35,36- And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.

It is very sad that many of the Christians are becoming victim to lies and deceit. Since they do not dedicatedly spend time studying the Word and having relationship with God, wolfs come in sheep clothing and snatch them away.

We will always have some or the other discrepancy in understanding the Word of God and that should not be an issue between us. But the Gospel of Jesus should be unadulterated in us. Any person tampering or modifying the Gospel should not be tolerated, entertained and be kept at arm’s length.

What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

The Son of God came as a human Jesus. He became a sacrifice for us on the crucifix. Jesus Christ, by His sacrifice saved us and cleansed us of our sins and brought us from darkness to light. He died and resurrected and is seated on the right hand of the Father. He sent us His Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Truth, who dwells is us and guides us.

Only when we believe in Him and get baptized in Him do we receive the blessings of Abraham in our lives and are saved.

Other than this, all other things we will keep learning more and more as the Lord teaches us and leads us. But there are groups like Jehovah's Witness, End time Ministries, Unitarian Christians etc. who play with the Gospel and like wolfs devour the sheep of Lord Jesus Christ.

So please do not take the Word of God for granted, keep learning and meditating on it every day so that you do not fall suddenly. Soon there will be times when many will fall due to lies and myths.

[Prayer]

Father God, You are merciful God. Protect us and keep us away from temptation and from the devourer. Give us your heavenly Manna that we may not go hungry and thirsty. Help us discern the wolves from your messengers...

We ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scripture]

2 Corinthians 11:2-4 [RSV]

2 I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I betrothed you to Christ to present you as a pure bride to her one husband.

3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

4 For if some one comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you submit to it readily enough.

2 Timothy 4:3

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

1 Corinthians 8:11-13

11 And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?

12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.

13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

Are you going to the Promised Land?

2009-07-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

Deuteronomy 31:7,8- And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

It is the purpose and plan of God that we enter into the Promise Land. I am not referring to the Country Israel but to the real Promised Land - Heaven.

God created man, saved man from sins by the sacrifice of His Son and by His Spirit guides man to walk into the Lord's inheritance in Heaven. God has great things set for us, when we have victory over our nature by His Word and Spirit, and enter into His Kingdom in Heaven. God is confident He can get the job done in us, not because He thinks we can overcome, but God has confidence in His Spirit Who guides us and has never failed.

So hold on to the Spirit of God and walk according to His Word, by this we will have victory and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

[Prayer]

Father God, we thank You for saving us by the sacrifice of your Son Jesus. We thank You for your Holy Spirit Who guides us and molds us into victorious Sons to enter in to your Kingdom of Heaven and to inherit from You. Holy Spirit be merciful with us and with the grace of Jesus Christ gently lead us and teach us...

We ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

You are a new creation forever, if you are in Christ

2009-07-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

2 Corinthians 5:17- Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Although God made man in His image he was made in flesh (nature) which was weak and imperfect. The idea of God to make man in flesh was to overcome the weak nature and have victory over it, therefore defeating Satan. But Adam failed and became a victim to that very nature.

So God Himself came as man Jesus in the same flesh and became an example to overcome the very same nature so that anyone that follows Him will also have victory. The secret of Jesus' victory was the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God was on Jesus therefore He was called Christ, and this same Spirit is given unto us when we believe and are baptized in Jesus. It is the Spirit of God who works in us and makes us a new creation; taking us from the failure of Adam to the victory in Jesus.

If we dig deeper into the scripture the word 'behold' is written in a second person tense. Which means not only we will feel a change in us, even others will notice a great change in us. If others do not notice a change and we alone feel that we have changed then there is no 'behold' happening is us.

The second word to dig into is 'become'. The word become is written here in a perfect tense and I would like to quote the description of that tense.

'The perfect tense in Greek corresponds to the perfect tense in English, and describes an action which is viewed as having been completed in the past, once and for all, not needing to be repeated.'

Thus it means when we become new it is not by us but by Christ who has done it for us in the past and we will be new forever.

[Prayer]

Father God we thank You for your Son Jesus. It is by Him that we are shown the way of victory. It is by His Spirit that we become a new creation and have victory. Lord we thank You for working in us and bringing a change in us, helping us to overcome our weak nature and to put on the victorious nature of Christ on us. Help us Lord by strengthening us in this battle as You work in us...

This we ask in Jesus' Name, Amen.

God knows your today and tomorrows

2009-07-15T20:19:00.001-07:00

Matthew 6:34-Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

When God created the world He knew when the science of man would reach a stage where he would get proofs of His creation. These signals traveling at the speed of light took millions of years and yet reached us just in time.

God knows everything, our today and our tomorrows. Trust in Him and He will sustain us and provide us of our every need. By worrying of our tomorrow we are not only showing our faithlessness but also telling God You can not handle my problems.

[Prayer]

Father God, forgive us for worrying about our tomorrow and showing lack of faith in You. Help us Lord to always remember the wonderful things You have done for us . Let us look at nature and give glory to You and increase our faith in You...

This we ask in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Basic Christian Characteristics

2009-07-10T19:45:00.001-07:00

Paul in his letter to the Romans wrote on how a Christian should look. We need to see ourselves in the mirror and see if we look a Christian?

Romans 12:9-21

9 Let love (charity) be without dissimulation (without hypocrisy). Abhor (dislike) that which is evil (wicket); cleave (hold on / join) to that which is good (benefits oneself).

10 Be kindly affectioned (associate) one to another with brotherly love; in honour (valuing) preferring (leading) one another;

11 Not slothful (sluggish) in business (work); fervent (zealous) in spirit; serving (being in bondage with / slave to) the Lord;

12 Rejoicing in hope (anticipation); patient (enduring) in tribulation (affliction); continuing instant (continue steadfastly) in prayer;

13 Distributing (Partnering) to the necessity of saints (the holy); given (press on) to hospitality (love strangers).

14 Bless (consecrate with solemn prayers) them which persecute you: bless (consecrate with solemn prayers), and curse (imprecate evil upon) not.

15 Rejoice (Be glad) with them that do rejoice (are happy), and weep (grief) with them that weep (sad).

16 Be of the same (His) mind (understanding) one toward another. Mind (Think) not high things (highly), but condescend (be humble) to men of low estate. Be not wise (root from being separated) in your own conceits (one’s self).

17 Recompense (render) to no man evil (bad nature) for evil (bad nature). Provide (Perceive before hand) things honest (good) in the sight of all men.

18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals (burning coals) of fire on his head.

21 Be not overcome (conquered) of (by) evil (bad nature), but overcome (conquer) evil (bad nature) with good.

Since this is very important I have tried to simplify this and would each one to print out the simplified text and keep a copy on one’s self at all times to remind one self daily as to what is expected of us as a Christian.

Romans 12:9-21 [simplified]

9 Let charity (selfless love) be without hypocrisy. Dislike that which is wicket; hold on to that which benefits you (in body, mind and spirit).

10 Associate with one another in brotherly love; valuing, leading one another;

11 Do not be sluggish in work; Be zealous in spirit; be in bondage (slave) to the Lord;

12 Rejoice in anticipation while enduring affliction; continually steadfast in prayer;

13 Partner to the necessity of the holy; press on (go out of your way) to love strangers.

14 Consecrate with solemn prayers them which persecute you: consecrate with solemn prayers, and not imprecate evil (in though or word).

15 Be glad with them that are happy, and grief with them that are sad.

16 Be of His (Christ's) understanding toward one another. Think not highly of one’s self, but be humble to men of low estate (poor worldly, mentally or spiritually). Be not separated in your own self (keep fellowship with your brothers and sisters in the Lord).

17 Render to no man bad nature for bad nature. Perceive before hand things which are good in the sight of all men.

18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you (means not compromising your faith or belief), live peaceably with all men.

19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap burning coals of fire on his head.

21 Be not conquered by bad nature, but conquer bad nature with good.

[Prayer]

Father God, You are perfect and nothing in creation is like unto You. Lord God, as your children You like us to be like You. Lord we ask You to guide us in our every thought and deed according to your Word so that we may be your sons...

This we ask in Jesus' Name, Amen

Be Strong and Work

2009-07-09T18:03:00.000-07:00

Haggai 2:4,5-Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts: According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.

Someone from another faith once asked: are all religions were and the same and don't they all lead to one God? Well - the answer is of course - a resounding: No. The most primary point of difference between Christianity and all other religions: is that most say that when we have to be good before we are saved. But God says: Christianity says: He first saves us and then teaches us to be good and then brings us to Him.

However good we try to be we will never be good enough to be saved. But the grace of God which came to us through Jesus Christ and through the Spirit of God we receive by believing in Him, teaches us and molds to become good. His righteousness covers us and makes us worthy to come before God.

By just believing we will never come before God, it is only when we walk according to the Spirit of God will we be molded according to Christ and be worthy to come before the Father. So there is some amount of efforts required by us. The efforts we need to put, is only a small percentage of that which is actually needed; for it is the Spirit of God who makes up for most of the real efforts.

So for everyone who believes in our Christ Jesus, let's walk (work) in the Spirit, for our journey is yet not over.

[Prayer]

Father God, we thank You for the grace and mercy You have showed us through your Son, Jesus. We thank You also for your Spirit which we have received by faith in Jesus Christ. It is by your Spirit, Lord; that we are made worthy to come before You. Help us Lord to abide by your Spirit and do as your Spirit leads us...

We ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

GOD is in control!

2009-07-06T18:07:00.000-07:00

Luke 21:17,18-And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. But there shall not an hair of your head perish.

Although this is part of our biblical scripture, I still found many who didn't really believe in it! Everyone knows that hair does fall everyday in a person's life. The quantity varies from person to person. But none realize that even a strain will not fall unless the Lord allows it.

Many may say I do know that, but do they really believe? If so then why do people consider it okay with sickness, accidents, obstructions in one’s activities, calamities etc?

Most people believe God but also considered God helpless or sleeping or gone for vacation most part of the day, other than prayer time, outreaches etc... I have come across some believers who can not digest that Jesus did not have any sickness and was perfect. They say all is not written in the Bible. But they do not understand that what is written says 'He was WITHOUT BLEMISH'.

Our problems start because we do not discern; nor follow the Word of God in spirit and truth and know the difference between persecution and chastising. Open your eyes to the truth and see for yourself what is happening in this world in the Name of God.

[Prayer]

Father God, You are Almighty God. When we are under your wings nothing in the world can even touch us without your permission, not even our feet can hurt against a stone or a hair of our heads fall. Lord, help us realize this truth every moment of our lives especially when we are in this world and its affairs...

We ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Eternal life

2009-07-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

Revelation 2:7-He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

When God made man, God made his spirit life very, very long but when sin entered man, life started deteriorating in him. This deterioration was manifested outwardly in Seth the son of Adam. The word 'Seth' in Hebrew means 'pale'.

In the start from Adam up to the generation of Noah man lived hundreds of years until God redefined the age of man on earth (Genesis 6:1-3).

God wants us to live forever with Him, but since we do not have life within ourselves like God, His Son and His Spirit, we need an external refill of life. This refill is made available to us via the tree of life. It does not mean in Heaven there is a tree since Heaven is a Spirit place. Tree is for our understanding. It means this thing in Heaven will bear something like a fruit which when consumed gives an extension of life, and this thing grows this 'fruit' continuously like a tree.

Access to this 'tree of life' will be given only to those who overcome the darkness with light. Paul defines the darkness and light is a very simple way in his letter to the Galatians (Galatians 5:19-23).

So if we want to live eternally our decision on earth with set our path to the tree of life.

[Prayer]

Father God, You created us to prosper and to grow with You and in You. God we thank You for the plans You have for us. Lord help us to receive your plan into our lives. Lord, we want to live before You forever and ever, to see your glory and to worship You...

We ask this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

[Reference Scripture]

Genesis 3:22-24

22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Genesis 6:1-3

1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

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.

All about darkness and light

2009-06-29T08:02:00.000-07:00

Matt 5:16-Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

The Bible pretty much starts with God seeing that there is darkness and therefore says 'let there be light'; and ending with God being the light of his people: in a word - the whole Bible is almost all about one thing and that is - darkness and light.

Even when Jesus was man on earth, He preached mostly about light. The light which He is, which we receive from Him and which we are to give unto this world.

If we have nothing to do with light, we have nothing to do with God, or Jesus Christ or His Spirit.

So the most important thing for us as believers is to receive the Light of Jesus Christ, to shine it inside us and to shine it unto the whole world. Do not put a lid on this light but let the whole world be enlightened with it.

If we are not shining this light then we need to ask ourselves what part are we of the story about darkness and light.

[Prayer]

Father God, You are the Light which keeps all creation alive. Father, You have created us to expel the darkness which is going against your will. You gave the Light unto us through your Son Jesus Christ, Who is the Light which shows us the path. Your Spirit brings this Light unto us to shine within us and unto all creation, so that your glory be forever and ever...

Amen.

In the Name of Charity

2009-06-24T22:02:00.001-07:00

1 Corinthians 16:14- Let all your things be done with charity.

From our verse today: the Lord wants to emphasize to us the importance of operating in love.

Love does not mean just being kind, compassionate, tolerant, patient, helpful, self sacrifice etc... For all these will be a waste if the recipient person is not helped to grow or prosper by it. What we do may not be liked by the person but if it still helps that person to improve, benefit or grow; it is love. Therefore even rebuking, chastising or pulling up someone can also be out of love.

The main focus should on seeing good results in that person.

Pushing against a wall with whatever efforts or sacrifice is not considered love but foolishness even if it impresses others. But even a word of encouragement in the right direction is better than years of pushing against the wall.

When we see the real fruit of our efforts, there comes a joy in us which strengthens us even further. This helps us grow and increase our love walk.

Today, let us all spend some time in thought, reviewing ourselves and all that we are doing and asking ourselves; IS THIS LOVE?

[Prayer]

Father God, You are love and your every breathe emits love unto all your children. Your patience, your sacrifice, your rebuke, your chastising everything of You shows love. Lord, help us to use the wisdom You have given us as believers in everything we do, so that we show unto others true love

This we ask in Jesus' Name, Amen.

In the Name of Charity

2009-06-24T22:02:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 16:14- Let all your things be done with charity.

Fro our verse today: the Lord wants to emphasize to us the importance of operating in love.

Love does not mean just being kind, compassionate, tolerant, patient, helpful, self sacrifice etc... For all these will be a waste if the recipient person is not helped to grow or prosper by it. What we do may not be liked by the person but if it still helps that person to improve, benefit or grow; it is love. Therefore even rebuking, chastising or pulling up someone can also be out of love.

The main focus should on seeing good results in that person.

Pushing against a wall with whatever efforts or sacrifice is not considered love but foolishness even if it impresses others. But even a word of encouragement in the right direction is better than years of pushing against the wall.

When we see the real fruit of our efforts, there comes a joy in us which strengthens us even further. This helps us grow and increase our love walk.

Today, let us all spend some time in thought, reviewing ourselves and all that we are doing and asking ourselves; IS THIS LOVE?

[Prayer]

Father God, You are love and your every breathe emits love unto all your children. Your patience, your sacrifice, your rebuke, your chastising everything of You shows love. Lord, help us to use the wisdom You have given us as believers in everything we do, so that we show unto others true love

This we ask in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Walk in wisdom

2009-06-21T18:22:00.000-07:00

Colossians 4:5,6-Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

I learnt something beautiful yesterday: it is foolishness of man to try to know God and understand Him. If we could, then He will cease to be God. We cant put God in our little empty boxes.

The only basic thing that we need to know and which is given in the Bible is that He is our creator and He is almighty (omnipotent in might and deeds). What we need to study and try to understand God is not Him but his character / his nature.

People who try to study Jesus become historians and people who study the nature and character of Jesus become believers and his disciples. When we come to know Jesus then we automatically will know the Father.

The same is with us; people who really know us are those who know our character. Wisdom is an important part of our character. Therefore if we have wisdom in us, it will be shown by our words and our behavior. Abiding in the vine Jesus Christ does not mean staying at an address, going to church, studying the Bible or calling one's self a Christian. It means putting on the character or nature of Jesus Christ.

Let people know you are a Christian by the wisdom that is in you.

[Prayer]

Lord God, You are almighty and beyond imagination. I bow to You and worship You. Father, pour out your Spirit of wisdom in us that we may show ourselves as your children in our words and our behavior. Let us understand the importance of every word and action that emits out of us...

This we ask in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

John 8:19

19 Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

Romans 13:14

14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

The answer from the Throne

2009-06-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

Hebrews 8:12-For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

The Lord in today's verse confirms to us that our approaching the Throne has been answered and we are made right in Him. If you are praying for any physical needs like healings or financial or relationship correction or material things, remember when God created the world He spoke the Word, received it as good and it then manifested. So also when we receive this answer we are assured it will manifest at the right and perfect moment. Let's shout out: LORD WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR MERCY!

[Prayer]

Father God, You are the Father of mercy. You have given us abundant mercy through your Son Lord Jesus Christ. Lord we thank You today for once again when we needed mercy and approached You, You with your merciful heart and not said no to us. We thank You for this renewal of your grace...

Amen

Fight the battle with the right weapons

2009-06-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

2 Corinthians 10:3,4 - For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

We all know the problem with us that keeps us away from God is our fleshy nature or the nature of Satan induced in us via Adam. When we believe in Christ and receive the Spirit which adopts us as children of Abraham and part of the BRANCH - Jesus, the nature of God (Christ) starts to enter into us. It is then the real battle with is begins.

All religions also identify the problem as in the body and soul/mind/heart and try to give solutions within those areas. Whereas the Word of God tells us all mankind failed this fight leaving Christ for He fought this battle not in the flesh or mentally but spiritually with the Spirit of God.

We too should not waste or efforts and act foolishly to fight the battle with our own might and strength in our flesh or in our minds. We should use weapons which are spiritual and with the help of the Spirit of God fight this battle. The weapons we should use are spirituals weapons like faith (Word of God), love, prayer, worship, praise, tongues, patience, joy etc. while protecting ourselves with the spiritual armour which is truth, righteousness, hope, peace, testimonies, prayer, self sacrifice etc...

[Prayer]

Father God, You are Spirit. Lord God You showed us the victory in Christ and how we can by Him also have victory. As You bring the realization of the truth of life into us, help us to also fight the enemy in the right way using the right weapons and protecting ourselves with the right armour. I ask this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

Ephesians 6:10-20

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Do not run after vain things, they will not deliver you.

2009-06-11T18:23:00.001-07:00

1 Samuel 12:20,21 - And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart; And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.

When we look at people who worship man-made idols, we laugh at them and call them foolish people. But we believers do not see ourselves or other believers who hold different kinds of idols and worship them. Some of these idols are financial security and job security. However big is your bank balance or however good job you have, in the best of the organizations it can be shaken in a day.

Had I written about it a year before, many would have laughed at it, but I doubt today many will. Because the phase which started from May 2008 has started to cause discomfort to many. Yes, this phase is going to cause serious damage to man and progress. The only way out is way up - God, who can deliver us, save us.

Please wake up before it is late, set your priorities in life right, clean your house (heart) of all rubbish and strengthen your self with gold (precious things of God's Kingdom). Above all let the Lord - the Spirit of God be in charge of all your affairs and let Him guide you in your daily life getting His fruit to be full in you. And you will surely see the great times which are to follow this phase.

[Prayer]
Father God, your Word instructs us and guides us. It presents us the testimonies of the past, guides us in the present and also warns us about the times in the future. Lord, help us set our lives and our priorities in life right. Open our eyes to the truth. This we ask in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

Ezekiel 14:21-23

21 For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, (four horses from the book of Revelation 6:2-8) to cut off from it man and beast (referring to technological progress)?

22 Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.

23 And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord GOD.

Zechariah 8:7-13

7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country;

8 And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.

9 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words by the mouth of the prophets, which were in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.

10 For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast (referring to technological progress); neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.

11 But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the LORD of hosts.

12 For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.

13 And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.

Abide in the same calling

2009-06-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 7:20-Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.

We are called to be witnesses to the truth (the Word of God is Truth). We are not suppose to just know the truth but let the truth be know unto others. That does not mean be go out and blare the hard truth at people around us or those we come across. God has given us wisdom and using this wisdom we need to give the right concentration of the truth using the right words, without twisting the truth.

Jesus had many things to tell us but since He could not blare it out bluntly, He gave it to us in parables.

You have been learning and understanding the Word of God. This truth which is now in you is not for you to keep safely inside you. You need to share this truth wisely with others, becoming a witness to the truth and God.

[Prayer]

Lord God, You are Truth and your every Word is truth. Lord, You have called us to be your witnesses, witnesses to the Truth. Lord the wisdom You have given us, help us use it to share this truth unto the people we have been sent to give unto. Guide our every word and action as we testify for You...

This we ask in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Fear the Lord - first step towards salvation

2009-06-07T18:14:00.000-07:00

1 Samuel 12:24 - Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.

It is only when we fear the Lord that we thirst and search for an answer to our problems or about life. That is when we start to know ourselves, repent and find Jesus Christ - the manifested love of God.

Fear is also leads to wisdom and understanding of the Kingdom of God. Only a stone hearted person will not have fear of God.

It is this fear that ultimately converts in to a love relation with God and knowledge of who God is.

All creation knows that God hates sin and if we find sin in us we need to fear the Lord and do some thing about it. If we are baptized in Jesus Christ we can not keep on using the sacrifice of Jesus to claim freedom from our sins every time. We need to let the Holy Spirit work in us and help us overcome the sinful nature in us. It is only when we fear the wrath of God or death, we surrender and allow the Holy Spirit to work in us.

God is Holy and hates sin and all things holding sin needs to be cleansed or will perish before Him.

[Prayer]

Father God, You are Holy for You are Light and darkness can not stand before You. Lord, help me to fight and overcome this darkness in me. I do not want to be a calamity but be blessed as per your promise to father Abraham. I make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

Job 28:28

28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Hebrews 10:26-27

26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,

27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

Mysteries in the Word of God

2009-06-06T18:25:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 15:51,52 - Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed (transformed), In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

The Bible has answers to many mysteries. They are called mysteries because we are in the dark of its truth.

Paul in this scripture here talks about one such mystery which even today is so to many, I may even say almost all. This includes very well know preachers, evangelist or teachers of the Bible. When the Lord revealed this mystery to me I could not digest it on the first shot. It took time (more than 6 months) and verification of scriptures to let the truth settle into me.

It is this truth which keeps me from being led stray of all the nonsense of dead (evil) spirits of man (ghost) coming back, praying to the dead etc...

Do I tell this truth to everybody? No.

Like Paul I too use wisdom to put it in a way which only those who really seek the truth will be revealed to by the Holy Spirit. The others will hear but they will not understand.

We need to open our hearts and surrender to the Word of God fully and completely; then only will we understand the so call mysteries. And they will no longer be mysteries to us. The truth will help us know God better and keep us from being led astray.

I invite each and everyone to question each and every belief which have been passed down to us from our ancestors and so called religious man. Let us find if these are inline to the Word of God or contradictory to it. Do we trust man more than God?

[Prayer]

Father God, You have blessed us with the Spirit of truth because we believe in your Son Jesus Christ. Help us Lord to give hear and listen to what your Spirit reveals to us. Help us keep faith in your Word and not to trust man more than your Word, so that the truth keeps us from falling. This we ask in the Name of your Son Jesus Christ, Amen.

Fear and Love - to Serve

2009-05-29T22:54:00.000-07:00

1 Samuel 12:24 - Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.

The piece of advice Samuel gave the people stands even today.

Fear the Lord

Serve Him in truth with all your heart

Remember the great things He has done for you

These points may be from the Old Testament but they still form the foundation of the New Testament. For these add to our relationship called LOVE with the Lord.

If we do not acknowledge who God is and give Him the due reverence we will not be able to love Him.

If we lie or try to fool God or ourselves about the evil we do against God, can we call that love?

If we forget every time the things that the Lord has done for us, can we call our relation with the Lord based on love?

If we really love the Lord these three are some of the bare necessary requirement for our relationship with Him.

[Prayer]

Father God, You are my God, my creator. You made me, gave life unto me and with your love protect and prosper me. Lord in my foolishness I tried to ignore You, lie to You and forget all the great things You have done for me. Father I ask your forgiveness for my foolishness. I love You and want to have a close relationship with You. Speak to me Lord and help me Holy Spirit to come to reality with the truth...

I ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Let your light shine and glorify God the Father

2009-05-27T18:05:00.000-07:00

Matthew 5:16 - Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Most people think this scripture talks about the light being a good person and doing social work etc. which people will see and glorify God. No, it is not so, our works may impress man but it will not glorify God.

Dig deep into His words to get the true meaning of the scriptures. For the true meaning we need to get into the TVM (Tense, Voice & Mood) of the words – shine and see, and relate them to the three parts of our being - mind, body and spirit.

The word shine has the TVM - Aorist, Active & Imperative

Definitions:-
Aorist: The aorist tense is characterized by its emphasis on punctiliar action; that is, the concept of the verb is considered without regard for past, present, or future time.
Active:The active voice represents the subject as the doer or performer of the action.
Imperative: The imperative mood corresponds to the English imperative, and expresses a command to the hearer to perform a certain action by the order and authority of the one commanding.

While the word see has the TVM - Second Aorist, Active & Subjunctive

Second Aorist: The "second aorist" tense is identical in meaning and translation to the normal or "first" aorist tense. The only difference is in the form of spelling the words in Greek, and there is no effect upon English translation.
Subjunctive: The subjunctive mood is the mood of possibility and potentiality. The action described may or may not occur, depending upon circumstances.

When put this into perspective what we shine - in mind we do it irrespective of the past present or future, in body it means we do it actively, physically and in spirit we do it under the authority of the one who asked us to do it (Jesus Christ).

Now coming to see - the second aorist is like a confused tense since it points to another tense, thus logically does need to exist. Therefore the person who sees does not understand what is the use of it with relations to the present, past or future, but in physical sees a manifestation and in spirit does not know where it will lead.

In John 1: 1-5 we see the Word is light and it manifested into flesh as Jesus. Jesus as prophesized by Isaiah (Mathew 4:14-17) was the light and became so as He preached.

Thus our shining is not related to good works or with social service but with preaching the Gospel. For people will not understand why you are doing it or where it will lead to, but will see the manifestation of the Word for they will see miracles and healings. And it is this, which will give glory to the Father who is in Heaven.

This shining you are not supposed to do in the quiet or hiding. You need to do it openly and publicly so the whole world sees the true Light - Jesus. Since we are entering this holy week it is more the necessary be shine the true Light for all to see.

[Prayer]
Father God, I want to give glory to You, for You are worthy of all glory. Give me the courage Father to go out into the world and preach to them the salvation which You have made available through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
John 1:1-5
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 _ And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

Matthew 4:12-17
12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;
13 And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
14 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Matthew 5:15
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

They shall not prevail!

2009-05-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah 1:19 - And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.

Even during the worst situations those who say YES to God and obey his command do not have to fear. For the Lord says to them like He said unto Jeremiah when He is with them however much the world will go against them, none will prevail. Our God is God and He can deliver us even from fire like He did to the colleagues of Daniel. We need to just abide in Him and trust Him. He has proved Himself as a trustworthy and almighty God and now has committed to be with us and in us unlike the ancient days. Are we still going to doubt Him?

Would we like to be like Jeremiah who did go through many problems but was delivered from them all, whom even the kings feared? Or would we like to say yes to the world and enjoy for some time and then be crushed by this same world? The choice is ours.

[Prayer]

Father God, You call unto us like You called Jeremiah. Father God I say YES to you and the mission You want to sent me out to. Take me Lord, lead me and use me according to your plan. Keep me under your wings as to your Word and deliver me from all evil. I ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Time may run out on you!

2009-05-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 55:6 - Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

We often take God for granted --- knowing that God is not going anywhere and thinking we have a long time we put things back for another day. But this another day may not be there for you and I to see. No doubt that God has been more merciful to us because of the grace made available by the sacrifice of Jesus. We also need to remember that one of the characteristics of God is slow to anger; and soon this anger may be seen by us.

Another thing is the mercy of God is not available to everybody in equal measures; for God being righteous does so according to the heart of the person. God may have mercy on a murder and bring him back unto Him but may not have mercy on a robber and the robber may die and suffer damnation. Because if a person hardens his heart towards God's Kingdom; God may harden it further, quicken and multiply that person destruction.

So do not take God, His mercy and love for granted and while He is approachable come to Him. While He opens His ears unto you, call unto Him. While the door is open, change your hearts and enter unto your salvation.

[Prayer]

Father God, You are a patient and merciful God. You are slow to anger but your righteousness compels You to act. Lord, help me to surrender and change my ways while the door is open. Help me not to harden my heart, but let your grace be abundant on me. I ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

Isaiah 55:6 -7

6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

7 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.

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

John 12:37-43

37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:

38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?

39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,

40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.

42 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:

43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

Exodus 20:5-6

5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Deuteronomy 6:15-19

15 (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

16 Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.

17 _ Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.

18 And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers,

19 To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as the LORD hath spoken.

Use wisdom in times of foolishness.

2009-05-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

Colossians 4:5 - Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

Man has the natural tendency to hebetate according to his habitat. Due to which he also tends to act like a fool when surrounded by foolish people doing foolish things.

Some may disagree with me on this. But when you see closely you will see people tend to adopt traditions, styles, attitudes etc. of people wherein they are living. They do not question or try to understand the reasons, roots of or causes due to which these traditions etc. came into being, yet they will adopt them just to be accepted by society.

What I'm talking about today is not only about what we have been doing since past but also about the new ways of life we have now come out with or will come out with as solutions to our problems. The Lord is telling us to use wisdom at these times. Only when we study the Word of God and educate ourselves about the times will we be able to discern them and use the wisdom God has given us to overcome.

Open any news paper in any part of the world and I am sure you will find some or the other shocking news of how people are getting at each other or trying to find answers to their problems.

Let us believers of the true God, walking in light discern these times and the foolishness of man. Let us be led by the Spirit of God using the knowledge and wisdom given by the Lord.

[Prayer]

Father God, You have given us the Word, which is an instruction manual to us for our salvation. Help us Lord to study and meditate on it and be led by your Spirit so that we may save ourselves and not be victims to calamity and vanity. We ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Commit thy way unto the LORD

2009-05-17T08:32:00.000-07:00

Psalms 37:3,4,5 - Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

We all want many things, and most times wonder why God doesn't answer our prayers requests. If God were to give everything we desired - we would have been destroyed, because we do not have much understanding of life. Our collective understanding can be compared to the understanding of a five year old as to what the Lord will reveal to mankind in Christ in the days ahead.

To receive the desires of our heart the Lord asks of us four things:

1) Trust in the Lord (have faith)

2) Do good (be righteous)

3) Delight ourselves in the Lord (take pleasure in Him and his Kingdom)

4) Commit our way unto Him (commit our journey / life unto Him)

One would say - the Lord will not give all that we desire but only things which are good. I would say if we do the above things we would in no way ask or even desire for anything which is not good according to God's Kingdom.

We may also say it is impossible to do all these. Even the Lord understands how difficult it is for us. Notice how our verse today is in present tense. This means the Lord tells us to slowly and gradually take this path towards Him. He does not expect of us in one day to be perfect, He tells us everyday to make our efforts to better ourselves and He would be with us to help us. This also explains the Lord being with us even when we are not perfect. As far as we are on this journey the Lord will be with us helping us, guiding us and working through us.

[Prayer]

Father God, You are an understanding Father. You do not abandon us because we are weak but help us and strengthen us to make us strong in You. Your love, mercy and wisdom are beyond measures and You shower them on us with righteousness. Help me Lord on the journey towards You. Strengthen me, guide me and comfort me at all times. I ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Do not give up!

2009-05-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

Haggai 2:4 - Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:

As we see the situation in us and around us being bad let us not look at it but let us put our hope in the Lord and gain courage and strength from Him and His Word. Whatever may be our spiritual state or our physical state, the Lord is saying today to us do not worry for I am with you and I will soon change things for you.

You may be really low in spirit not able to even pray many a times, yet the message to us is to keep trying for the Lord is with you and soon you will have a good communication and relationship with the Lord.

You tried reading the Word of God and may not be able to understand it and the message to you is keep trying for the Lord with help you and reveal the depths of His Word to you.

You may be a person very impatient or one who loses control over your anger very quickly, or falls to your desires many a times knowing it harms you. The message for you is still keep trying the Lord is with you and He will help you. You will overcome your self and will be victorious.

You may not be able to express your love for someone due to which there is misunderstanding among you, the message to you is keep trying the Lord is with you and soon He will change the situation.

You may be not is good grounds in your business or the place you work. Your finances may be of concern to you, and the message to you also is be strong and do not give up for the Lord is with you and He will change things for you and around you.

[Prayer]

Father God, You are a merciful God. In your anger You allowed man to suffer but your love and mercy overcame your anger and open the doors of blessings on your people. Lord we look for the opening of these doors once again in our lives. May your Hand be over us and your countenance shine on us always. We ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Do not be led by man but by God

2009-05-08T19:03:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 7:23 - Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

One of the greatest things that angered God against the Israelites was when they asked for a human king even though the Lord was leading them and had delivered them from all adversaries.

We are people of the flesh living in carnal desires and therefore tend to always rely on physical things. We tend to trust man more than God. Many a times, in this weakness we follow the person who bought us to the Lord and land up rejecting God whom we need to follow.

The mission of every person working as a shepherd for God's Kingdom is to bring the lambs to a stage where in they can be led by the One Shepherd - Holy Spirit. But many land up following another sheep but not the true Shepherd.

Even Jesus who is the Good Shepherd did not lead them all the way; He too bought them to a stage and handed them over to the Holy Spirit. After Pentecost the fire that was within them was so much that the very nature of each one of them changed.

The Father paid the price; Jesus being man obeyed the Father and became the way to lead all to the Father. We too must be like Jesus connecting people to the Father.

If you have been blessed by someone who opened your eyes to know God, grow to a stage but stop following the person and start following God. If you believe in Jesus Christ the Spirit of God is given unto you. By you not following the Holy Spirit and continue following man is insulting God.

[Prayer]

Father God, You paid a heavy price to redeem me. Lord, I thank You and ask You to bless those whom You have send to bring me to know You. Lord, now I want to be led by You alone and want to be an instrument to lead others like me to You. I ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

1 Samuel 8:4-20

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,

5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.

7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.

8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.

9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

10 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.

11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.

12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.

13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.

14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.

15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.

16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.

17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.

18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.

19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;

20 That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles

Your fight is not against the devil but your own self

2009-05-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

Revelations 2:7 - He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Most of us have made Satan an excuse. He is so intelligent that he plays his game in that very same way, so as to not come in the front. The word Satan means 'adversary' - one who withstands. Realize this His only aim is to deprive us of the prosperity which God wants to bless us, by keeping us under the curse and the wrath of God. His powers are restricted until the last days so he can roar like a lion but can not attack us unless we surrender to him.

To destroy us he influences our carnal self. Carnal - means the body and mind which longs for self appeasement. The way to destroy Satan in our lives is by breaking our carnal self like Jesus broke the Bread - His Body. Therefore the Bread is the Bread of Life only when you understand and abide in it.

So just be eating it will not give us eternal life, but when we understand it and abide by it - it surely will give us eternal life.

So next time when we receive the Bread during the service, I invite each one to reflect on the breaking of the Bread so as to receive Christ and eternal Life.

[Prayer]

Father God, we thank You for the sacrifice of your Son Jesus. By Him, You have showed us how to overcome our carnal self. Help us Lord in breaking this nature of Adam and bring in the nature of Jesus Christ, by which we receive the inheritance of Abraham and eternal life. I make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

Luke 24:13-31

13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.

14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.

15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.

16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.

17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?

18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?

19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:

20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.

21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.

22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;

23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.

24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.

25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:

26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.

29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.

30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.

31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.

Sing psalms for His wondrous works

2009-04-29T09:00:00.001-07:00

1 Chronicles 16:9 - Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.

When we are told to praise God for His wondrous works we look out for some great miracles or healings or things like that, to praise God for. The scripture in its true depth tells us to praise God for the things which we consider normal or everyday. For had it not been for the God grace this everyday event could have been a once in a life calamity.

Let's take for example walking to the store and coming back. Just think of the number of people who meet with an accident while crossing the street, people who have been robed and harmed while walking on the street, or people who suddenly had a medical problem and there was no one to help them. Just give a thought, one of these people could have been you.

Let us thank and praise God for his grace and mercy on us and his love for us everyday of our lives. Let us therefore sing songs of thanks giving and praise unto Him for every moment of the day.

[Prayer]

Father God, there are many people around me who perish suddenly in sin and ignorance. But You have open my eyes unto You, to know You and accept You. Your Hand is over me to protect me and guide me. Father I thank You for every moment of this day which You have set before me and I rejoice in all things You bring unto me today. I praise and thank You, Father; in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Being Lucky?

2009-04-27T18:10:00.000-07:00

Colossians 4:5,6 - Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Just yesterday after church service, a brother came up to me in all excitement and
said: 'the Lord has blessed me with wisdom! I get visions which have come true and I am lucky...'

Most people will not find anything wrong in his words, but I immediately caught the word 'lucky'. God may have blessed him with wisdom but he was not using it. For the word 'lucky' is not a word in the dictionary of a believer. It is only an unbeliever who can talk about luck. Our God is God and if anything is beyond Him will make Him not God. Believing in luck means believing there are powers beyond God.

We can use words like fortunate or blessed but using a word like luck makes one stand as an unbeliever. Summarily we tend to use words like 'damned' or 'bloody' etc... Do we know what these words means?

Do we think what we speak or is there a lose connection between our mind and mouth. Mistakes happen ones, twice or sometimes but not always. We make excuses like habit; I would say habit of making mistakes.

What we speak and communicate can build or misleads others. So next time, watch your language and use the wisdom you have been blessed with. For each one who believes in Christ is blessed with wisdom beyond an unbeliever; we need to use it and build others with it.

[Prayer]

Father God, forgive us for the times we have disowned You in our words. Help us discern every word we speak so that we use this gift of speech to build others and to testify to the world who our God is. We ask You to pour more of your Spirit on us and help us live more in Him. I ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scripture]

Daniel 1:17-20

17 As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

18 Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.

19 And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king.

20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.

Exodus 31:2

2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:

3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,

4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,

5 And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.

Isaiah 11:2

2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

Luke 4:18-19

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

With Charity

2009-04-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

I Corinthians 16:14 - Let all your things be done with charity.

One of the greatest losses to Christianity is the lack of understanding between love and charity and the confusion between both.

The scriptures like in I John 4:8, 16 clearly state God as charity and not love. The Greek word Agape means charity and the word Agapao means love. The nature of God is charity but by doing charity we do not become God. We behave like God or children of God and thus show God unto others.

If we understand the charity we understand a great part of Christianity. A few things Christianity is based on are truth, righteousness, holiness, patience, mercy and charity. The greatest among these is charity for it is because of charity we were created, it is because of charity that Jesus died for us and it is because of charity we testify Jesus and preach His Gospel.

We also receive our promises when we really understand charity - God's charity towards us. And the best way of understanding something is by putting it to practice. So let us live charity, breathe charity and show charity unto others. By this we will not only testify God unto others and bless them but also be blessed ourselves by building a better relationship with God.

[Prayer]

Father God, You are charity and when we live You we show You unto others. Lord help me testify You unto others by dying to myself and living for You and for your purpose - to save your people. I ask this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

1 John 4:7,8

7 Beloved, let us love (Agapao) one another: for love (Agape) is of God; and every one that loveth (Agapao) is born of God, and knoweth God.

8 He that loveth (Agapao) not knoweth not God; for God is love (Agape).

1 John 4:15,16

15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

16 And we have known and believed the love (Agape) that God hath to us. God is love (Agape); and he that dwelleth in love (Agape) dwelleth in God, and God in him.

1 Timothy 6:11

11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love (Agape), patience, meekness.

Casting Your Burden...

2009-04-23T18:01:00.002-07:00

Psalms 55:22 - Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

We are told by most that we need to cast our burden unto the lord we can expect all our problems to be solved.

The problem is not the scripture sometimes works and many times does not. The problem really is that we do not read the full scripture but only the part of it as per our liking and expect results. Most of the promises in the Bible have a condition and this scripture too has a condition. To have a fail proof result one needs to do the latter part of the scripture - be righteous.

None of us can be righteous, else we would have not needed Jesus Christ; and this the Lord knows. If you go into the grammar of the word it says - to make an attempt even if we can not be perfect. Only when we cast our burden unto the Lord and also take this path of righteousness, we are assured the promise. A promise from the Lord is even more real than the Demand Draft of a bank or hard cash in your hand. For there is chance of them failing but the Lord's promise WILL NOT.

[Prayer]

Father God, You are righteous and holy. It is by your righteousness that all things are set. It is only when we pursue your righteousness we identify ourselves as your children and as your children we inherit freedom from all our problems. I ask You Lord that You give me the courage to trust in You and to follow your path of righteousness. I ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

We are all Specialists!

2009-04-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 7:20 - Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.

Each one of us has come to know the Lord from different habitats. We have a different ways of living, different mind sets, different approaches.

Let me give you an example from the Bible - David.

Even before David was anointed by Samuel, the Lord was training David with the sling. As a shepherd he had mastered the sling so as to use it as an impacting tool in God's plan for him. He defeated Goliath with a sling and came into the limelight of all.

I too come from a scientific temperament, computer industry, and thought I had worldly answers to most questions. First God humbled me in my area of self knowledge and helped me use my scientific and IT background to understand His Word, His world and helped use the ability given to me to evangelize throughout the world.

You too are special - you have a testimony in you which is very important for God's Kingdom and the Lord wants you to share that with others. He will clean or bring down the unwanted and use the ability given to you is a very special way.

Although each one of us is special in our working, yet we work in a limited callings and on a single narrow path. So do not try to imitate any other man but Christ in whom all was and is in full. In the start you may like people did Paul but as you grow spiritually be that special which God has called you to be.

[Prayer]

Father God, I thank You for making me special. I have a testimony in me which You want me to share with the world, help me fulfill your desire. Give me the courage to go out where You lead me and testify how great, mighty, merciful and wonderful You are. I ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

1 Corinthians 3:1

1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

1 Corinthians 11:1-2

1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Spirit Wars

2009-04-18T18:07:00.000-07:00

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 - For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

The reason why this scripture is so powerful is simply because – it talks about destroying all judgments and reasoning which exalts itself against the truth of God. For this, we should not do it with knowledge and arguments but in Spirit.
Sometimes, our war is not of the flesh or of the mind (worldly knowledge) but of the spirit (carnal means the mixture of mind and body that goes against God's Kingdom).

Our war is of the spirit and therefore our spirit needs to be strong and this is possible only when the Spirit is strong in us. When darkness enters us we need the light (Word) to shine in us and overcome the darkness. When we are in light the darkness around us will automatically depart. So instead of fighting with others to change, we should first concentrate on changing ourselves inside and letting the power of God within us change every thing around us.

[Prayer]
Father God, your Word is life and it gives light unto us. It quenches us and strengthens us. Let your Word shine in us and let your Spirit fill us more and more that just by our presents You be glorified by all around us. I ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Follow the treasure map!

2009-04-17T19:14:00.000-07:00

Deuteronomy 28:1,2 - And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

Satan tempts our carnal self and brings us to fall by breaking the commandments of God; by doing so we loose the blessings which we ought to receive.

The voice of the Holy Spirit becomes a shield to overcome the temptation of Satan.

Jesus was lead into the desert for forty days and even when He was weak in the flesh, yet He over came the temptations of Satan by the voice of the Lord - the Word. Jesus used scriptures to overcome Satan (temptation), not just by the confession; but it was the understanding which became like a net.

Understanding of the Word comes only when we abide by the Word. Knowledge will not help, but experience along with knowledge helps. So abiding by the Word will give us the understanding and build us stronger in our fight and also increase our receiving of our blessings.

If we have a treasure map to the greatest treasure in the world we do not become rich, unless we follow the map and we receive the treasure? Looking at the map ever day or memorizing it - will not help, but moving on it surely will.

[Prayer]

Father God, your Word is Life to us. It guides us to receive all the blessings You have made available for us. Help us by your Spirit to diligently hearken to your Word. This we ask in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Keep Strong in Faith!

2009-04-15T08:26:00.003-07:00

1 Corinthians 16:13,14 - Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity.

One way of increasing your faith is putting yourself on the job. When I started working for the Lord my faith was not much, but as I continued my faith grew tremendously.

Working for the Lord is done out of love not just to please people, but to help them prosper in the right path - spirit, soul and body.

Doing things for people just to please them is not love, but really helping them in a genuine way to help prosper is true love, God kind of love - Agape. Preaching the Gospel is one of the greatest ways of loving people since you want to save them eternally. When we do this we are not only helping others, we also land up helping ourselves grow in faith.

So grow in faith as you reach out to others.

[Prayer]

Father God, true love is shown in You alone. When we imitate You, we grow in You. Help me Lord to bring others to You, for as I draw others to You, You draw me closer to Yourself. Give me the courage and resources to preach your Good News to the people You have put in my life. I ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

When we see Our Lord again

2009-04-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

John 16:22 - ...but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

The Resurrection of the Jesus Christ is an assurance of the promise given to us. Lord Jesus Christ wants to tell us to keep hope even though the fight for us is not over. His Resurrection assures us that He has opened the door of salvation for us and will be back to finish the battle against evil. He has done the job for us in Heaven and set all things in the Spirit world for us to receive when we believe and follow His Spirit. His Spirit will guide us through the narrow path and encourage us on the journey. He will lift us, strengthen us and help us receive all that our Lord Jesus Christ has made available for us by His sacrifice.

On Resurrection Sunday we rejoice, but our real joy will be when we meet Jesus Christ. For that we do not have to wait till the Judgment Day, even today we can meet Him when really understand the meaning of the sacrifice and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today on Resurrection Sunday I encourage all of you to travel 2000 years back and reflect on the dead and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ; be encouraged to keep the hope and fight the battle to the finish.

[Prayer]

Lord Jesus, You have given us hope and an assurance by your resurrection that the door has been opened for us to be saved. By your Spirit Lord, You lead us through this narrow door. Lord, I pray that I and all your people not let go of your Hand, so that we all may walk through that door and enter into your salvation. I make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Behold the Lamb of God

2009-04-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

John 1:29 - The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

John the Baptist who was an official announcer for Jesus introduced Him to the world he used the title 'Lamb of God'. But why Jesus is called the Lamb of God and not any other animal of God? There were many other animals which were also sacrificed like goats, cows, ox etc...

In the Bible all animals are symbolic to the character and physical being. The lamb is a small one of the sheepfold and is covered with wool which is mostly white, all over the body. It is a very timid animal.

Before He came as man - Jesus, He was God - the Son of God. By whom and for whom all creation is made. This very same Being who's power is beyond man's imagination, humbled Himself, taking the greatest risk and became man and a living sacrifice for all mankind. There are people who enact the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and some who really nail and whip themselves to experience the suffering or testify the pain. How can any man do that? Firstly the Bible does not give total detail of the suffering Jesus went through. What is given in the Old Testament is just a part of what He suffered. Even if any man humbles himself, becomes an ant and allows others to crush him, yet he will not match what God who is omnipotent did as Jesus. He became man to be King of all mankind and on the cross forget being a King; He looked like the greatest failure. As man He also took the greatest risk, since He is God who is Holy, if any sin had entered Him as man, it could have destroyed everything. Therefore the Lamb is white and covered with wool - which symbolizes grace He made available to all mankind.

So let each of us adore and give glory to the Lamb of God.

[Prayer]
Father God, we thank You for your Son - Jesus. Who humbled Himself and became a living sacrifice for us eternally. Help us learn from Him as His Spirit leads us every moment of our life. This we ask in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
Isaiah 53
1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was anydeceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

The day of the LORD's sacrifice is at hand.

2009-04-09T18:08:00.000-07:00

Zephaniah 1:7-12

7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.

8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.

9 In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.

10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills.

11 Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off.

12 And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.

We are not talking of Judgment Day here but the day when the glorious Church of God on earth will be shown among his people.

If you understand accounts this would be compared to the auditors sitting in your office and going thought your accounts before its submission. They will scrutinize anything they find fishy and make you work hard to rectify it. This is a nightmare for most companies, but they will co-operate to their best efforts because they know once they get things corrected their accounts will be passed by the government authorities and they will not be penalized or fined.

Activities (good and bad) in our life are reaching greater pitches because auditing is on. People of God who keep strange believes - astrology, palmistry, believing in colours, gems etc., those who follow man not the Lord, those who also believe in other gods, those who think things in the world just happen and God is just an observer, etc. the time has come, the Lord is going to prove He is present and He is God. Like it is written He will search with a candle light among his people and make sure that we bought to correction so that we can be glorified in Him.

Repent and erase the rubbish, take the understanding of the Word and bring to correction the mis-entries, so that things are better with you.

[Prayer]

Father God, You love us and You want us to be with You, therefore You chastise us. Help me Lord that I may open my eyes, submit with my whole heart and be corrected according to thy desire. Have mercy on us and be gentle with us but do not stop your work among us. This I pray in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Fear the Lord and Serve Him in truth

2009-04-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

2 Samuel 12:24 - Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.

Our God is most companionate and He requires us to do our best according to our understanding. There is more expected of us then the people of old, because the Lord has been revealing more and more of his Word. People in the old days read the Bible but did not understand the Bible in its truth. The grace of God has been increasing and will increase till the last days as more and more of his Spirit is poured on man and more and more of the Word is revealed unto man. So as the Lord reveals to us and according to the understanding we receive, we need to follow and perform.

[Prayer]

Father God, You are merciful and gracious God. Although I am imperfect still You love me. You reveal Yourself gradually to me and like a potter You mould me and make me like Jesus. Give me the patients, strength and courage to hold on to You and your Word. I ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

Mark 12:29-34

29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

Growing up to a Purpose

2009-04-07T18:27:00.002-07:00

Isaiah 40:11 - He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom,and shall gently lead those that are with young (nursing a young).

We all want to be carried in the arms of the Lord but the Lord’s desire is like the desire of a human father to see his young one stand on its feet and walk by his or her self; only to be guided.

It is good when we are small to be carried in the arms of the Lord but do not continue to be carried. Are you still breast fed by your mother or attached to her by the umbilical cord?

It is time to grow up and this is will be shown when we nurse(minister) others.

When are we going to mature and be an example of Christ to others? That is the main purpose of the disciple and a true Christian (follower of Christ / little Christ).

[Prayer]

Lord Jesus, You came are man to be king unto all mankind by being a humble servant. You showed us the way to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. Lord Jesus I am not worthy or capable to lead others but by your Spirit all things are possible unto me. Holy Spirit, guide me and show me how to show Christ unto others. I ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Acts of Service

2009-04-06T18:57:00.000-07:00

Matthew 23:12 - And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased (made low); and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Why did Jesus preach such a thing like 'make yourself low and I will lift you up, but if you lift yourself up, I will put you down'?

Did He really mean that? As a Christian you need to be proud of who you are in the Lord. But as a true disciple of Christ you need to follow Christ who broke his body for others. Breaking your body does not necessary mean to suffer bodily. It means to - not live for your self but for others. That also does not mean you become a social worker. Serving others should not be concentrated only on the physical but more on the spiritual. Jesus was not a social worker, but he did truly help the needy.

What I mean to say is you can serve God as a social-worker but by just being a social worker you may not be necessary serving God. The other way is also valid - just preaching and not helping the needy before you, is not serving God. That means your preaching should be both in words and in action.

It matters on the short term and long term help you are giving on to the needy. If it is only short term help, then it will not help. But if the long term comes along with the short term and vise versa then you are serving God. It is only then you will be lifted up or exalted (not necessarily on earth, but surely in Heaven). Help people live forever while helping them with their lives on earth and you will be rewarded abundantly.

[Prayer]

Lord, You are a merciful God, yet You are righteous. Lord should us the way that You want us to serve others, so that we truly help them and give permanent relief to their suffering. I ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

James 2:14-18 [NKJV]

14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,

16 and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?

17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Cast ALL your anxieties on Him this week

2009-04-05T17:55:00.001-07:00

1 Peter 5:6,7 - Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care (anxiety) upon him; for he careth for you.

Tried to solve your own problems? If you are not having any success then today's message is for you. Humbling your self before other people means to put yourself behind them and help push them ahead while being not self centered but being concern of the other person. Humbling one's self before God is not the same thing. We can not promote or prosper God, but we can promote and prosper God's plans in our life and in the world. That happens when we praise Him, not only in words but in our actions also.

When we praise God with our whole being without giving any thought to our anxiety, we have God exalting us and our situations in due time. When will this due time come?

In God's Kingdom, time is not measured by the solar activity or atomic oscillation. Time is measured by the heart conditions of a person. Therefore a day in God's Kingdom can be very long or very short according to your heart. If your heart condition is perfect every thing is NOW. So let us get our hearts in the right condition and let us praise God with our whole being (in words and in our doings) so that we get healed in all areas of our lives.

[Prayer]

Father God, You ask me to praise You not because You need my praises. I am unworthy before You. You know that my praising You will heal my life and surrounding. So I lift my hands and praise You not only in action but in my work. Heal me and make me whole, O Almighty God. This I ask in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

Jeremiah 17:14

14 Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.

Psalms 67:5-7

5 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.

6 Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.

7 God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

Receiving Blessings

2009-04-03T19:06:00.001-07:00

Psalms 37:5 - Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

We have read in the Bible the only way to receive our blessing is by faith. Faith is the only currency which works in place of mercy, which gets us our blessings. Faith is a very easy word but the most difficult to exercise. In this scripture we are shown the easier path to have faith. The Lord tells us through the psalmist to commit our way unto Him. This commitment does not need to be a total surrender but can start with focusing. Once we focus and start making attempts towards it, we will soon find ourselves on that journey of total surrender.

To keep ourselves on this journey of commitment we will need to have trust. Trust starts with hope. So, if we can start with hoping of better things and we put in the element of experience / testimonies, we get what is called trust. We do not have to go far or exert ourselves much to hear testimonies of how good the Lord is. Keeping these testimonies in mind always, along with the hope will build our trust in the Lord.

Now having both these elements of commitment and trust fulfills the requirement (faith) for us to receive our blessings. This route may take a little while but will surely reach us to the goal.

[Prayer]

Father God, You have blessed us with all things, but we are unable to receive it due to many reasons. Your love is so much that You made things easier for us receive our blessing if we follow your instructions. Help us Lord that we apply them in our lives and thus be drenched in the shower of blessings. This I ask in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Knowledge of God and love brings peace

2009-04-02T18:35:00.000-07:00

Psalms 122:6, 7 - Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.

If we are worshiping one Lord and following one Shepherd, then how can there be flocks of sheep going in different directions? Is the Shepherd not doing his job or are we being misguided by a wolf calling himself shepherd?

Like they were being exploited due to lack of knowledge so also we Christians have been exploited due to lack of knowledge of the Word of God. It is only the understanding of the Word that will bring light and unity between us. Before I too was lead by blind people who themselves did not read the Bible (but read all other books). But ever since I followed the real (Good) Shepherd my eyes opened to see the truth, there was peace within me and I was lead to good pastures (peace around me and with my situations).

Things may not be perfect with you, like it is not with me; but there will be drastic change in your circumstances when there is peace within you (when the Lord is with you / you are following the Good Shepherd). Many things may come up against you from different directions but they will all die down and will not harm you.

The only way of having peace in us and among us is when we have love among us and the knowledge and understanding of the Lord in us. So let us pray and commit ourselves to the knowledge of God so that there is peace among us.

[Prayer]
Father God, I pray for peace with your people. That your Spirit lead them to your knowledge and understanding. All that is not of your Kingdom within them may be expelled by the light of your Word. Expose the wolves that are misleading your flock. I ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
Proverbs 2:1-8
1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.

Hosea 6:5-6 [ESV]
5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
I have slain them by the words of my mouth,
and my judgment goes forth as the light.
6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

For what do we ask?

2009-04-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

John 14:13 - And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

The truth is - in today's world: we ask of a lot... Not just from people from around us - but more so from God... Almost every prayer can and has become one of supplication - and thanksgiving is often ignored...

Our Lord Jesus Christ is drawing all mankind to Himself not to glorify Himself, but to glorify the Father through Him. But when we ask for things and favors, do we reflect on the purpose of our asking and whom it is going to glorify or gratify? Is it glorifying us and our ego, or is it going to gratify our lust, our uncontrollable desires?

The scripture gives the reason why the Lord answers our prayer as - 'the Father be glorified in the Son'. Therefore our purpose also needs to be good, so that we are assured receipt of the same.

Let us be clear before we put our hands up to ask, if what we are asking will bring us closer to God or will take us far from the Lord? Will it also glorify Lord Jesus Christ and the Father through us?

[Prayer]

Father God, your wisdom is beyond measures. Give us the wisdom to discern all that we require and all that we desire. Help us understand the purpose of our living so that we live a satisfied life in You. This I ask in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Gathered unto Him

2009-03-30T18:12:00.000-07:00

Matthew 18:20 - For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

I think the Lord is really trying to drill this message to us about how we should get connected with Him and be one with Him.

In today's message too the promise of being present with us is based on the same condition. The verb 'are gathered' has the meaning of: Being Present, Not Stated & Indicative.

Therefore the assurance of the Lord's presence being experienced by us depends on our standing. If we are just physically gathered we will never feel or experience the Lord's presence. But if we forget who we are according to this world and with all our heart (mind) and spirit, get connected to the Lord, we are assured we will experience the Lord's presence.

Since the pass few days the Lord is trying to drill this truth into us because He wants us to experience Him and He wants to draw us closer to Him. Do you not want to experience the Lord, and be loved by Him?

Then get yourself out of yourself and be like a child. In your mind forget all that you ever did, what ever is hurting you or what ever fear you have of the future, and gather your spirit together totally and worship and praise the Lord. This is the Word of the Lord who is true to His every Word - He wants to Love you more.

[Prayer]

Father God, You are trying again and again to pull me closer to You. But the hurdle my own self comes between You and me. Help me overcome myself and with all my heart and spirit be one with You so that I can experience your love. This I ask in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Securing your Tomorrow

2009-03-28T19:17:00.000-07:00

Matthew 6:34 - But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

All of us save or keep something aside for tomorrow, by doing this is it being un-Christ like? Even in this scripture, the Lord does not say - do not secure your tomorrow.

If you read this scripture in total and understand it properly, the Lord says: like you insure your future or health with an insurance company, you need to insure yourself with an insurance company called the Kingdom of God. Here you pay your premiums daily with righteousness. Righteousness not according to the world but according to God. At the end of your policy, you get that large amount on maturity - so also here you will get on maturity, when the Chief Insurance Agent comes, that is your salvation and a ticket to Heaven. Also like in most insurance policies one has bonuses, similarly in this insurance policy your bonus is - all your daily needs will be fulfilled. The risk factor here is if we instead of paying in righteousness, we pay in evil which can lapse our policy. But our Insurance Officer – the Holy Spirit is very merciful that He helps us in time of trouble to not let us loose our policy.

So, if you have not opened your policy, please do. And to others make sure you keep paying your premiums daily, incase of trouble please give in an apology letter to the Insurance Officer and continue your policy. See you in Heaven, till then be in peace.

[Prayer]

Father God, the world and every thing in it can not secure me. All my efforts will not meet my needs. It is only You and through You that I can be secured and all my needs fulfilled. Lord, help me not to worry about this world but to worry about this journey which I am on, coming to You. That I may not reject or abuse the grace which You have made available through Jesus Christ. I ask this in His mighty Name, Amen.

Let the Lord be your mentor

2009-03-25T18:44:00.000-07:00

Psalms 37:3-6

3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

Most of the time when you correct someone the reply is 'I know I am making a mistake or where I am going wrong, do not show me my problem show me the solution'. The amusing part is, like the ability to discern the problem is in us, so also the solution to our problem is also in us. Therefore there are scriptures stating we are already victorious even when we are still fighting. What we need to do is be still; does not mean to stand in a position but to rest our minds and hear what the Lord speaks via our consciences. If we do hear a voice then we must ask ourselves what Jesus would do if He was in our position and His Spirit which dwells in us will guide us.

We need to give attention to the small things that we do in life where we take our actions for granted. When we pay attention to the small things then the big ones we will automatically overcome. We do not need some great man or woman of God counseling us when we have the Lord Himself with us. Trust in Him; even if we make some mistakes in the start do not worry, we must keep going back to the Lord and He will direct us and bring us unto our earthly promise land (blessings).

[Prayer]

Father God, Your Spirit dwells in me and guides me. Help me Lord to abide by your Spirit and listen unto your voice. By your Hand mend my ways and lead me unto my promise land. I ask this in Jesus' Name Amen.

[Reference Scripture]

1 John 5:4-5

4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

Romans 8:5-15

5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.