The start of a new decade

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Prayer]

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

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

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

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

Genesis 6:3 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Genesis 9:29

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

Genesis 11:32

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

Genesis 25:7

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

Numbers 33:39

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

Deuteronomy 34:7

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

Exodus 6:16-20

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

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

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

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

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

Isaiah 40:15-23

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Having the presence of the Lord to lead us.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.   

[Reference Scriptures]

Acts 2:44-47 

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

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

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

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

What kind of celebrations have you planned?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

Luke 14:12-14

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

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

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

Rejoicing in hope

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

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

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

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

So - what hope are we to be joyful about?

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

Are we through then? Definitely Not.

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

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

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

I make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scripture]

Philippians 3:9-11

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

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

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

You do not need to be a Bible expert

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

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

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

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

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

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

Matthew 11:23-25

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

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

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

Psalms 17:13-15

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

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

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

Matthew 22:37

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

2012: Are you afraid?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Prayer] 

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

 [Reference Scripture]

 Daniel 12:5-7 

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

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

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

Be with God and be blessed

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

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

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

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

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

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

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]

Genesis 12:1-4

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

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

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

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

Palms 109:26-28

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

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

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

O foolish man, God is not man

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


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

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

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

[Prayer Starter]

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

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Praying and Praying?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Prayer] 

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

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

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

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

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

 We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.  

 [Reference Scriptures] 

Luke 18:1-8 1  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Exodus 14:13-16 13  

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

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

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

Luke 9:1-6 1  

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

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

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

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

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

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

Matthew 18:18-19 18  

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

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