" You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever"
Psalm 30 :11-12 (New King James Version)
Lets take the time to rejoice shall we ? Wow so wonderful to wake up in the morning and just dance away singing praises to His name... I mean the Lord is incharge of our lives... No one greater than our God...And if God is for us who can be against us ? .... By worrying we cant change anything ...but by committing everything into the hands of the Lord He can do everything .... He is our awesome God who will spring out rivers in the desert ... who will make a road in the wilderness..... Alll we need to do is trust in Him and obey His word....
Wow .... what a joy to wake up every day knowing our life is in His hands !
The Lord has turned our mourning into dancing .... No more sackcloths of sadness....Just clothes of gladness :)
And what is it we have to do ? Sing praises to Him.... Lets not be silent and have this worried look or a sad face ! Our very attitude and approach should speak of the joy of the Lord. When people see us just so happy and always at peace they know its because we serve a living God and in Him only do we trust.
Lets always remember to give thanks to the Lord and let our lives reflect the joy of the Lord which is our strength
God Bless
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Must Read...A Familiar Story
I would request you to turn your Bibles to Luke 5 :1-11.
This is a story that we are all very familiar with … some of us have read it from the time we
were kids at Sunday School…
Let’s read verses 1- 3
“So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.”
The word multitude itself implies a huge number or a massive number of people. Now a multitude of people had come to hear the word of God and so Jesus got into a boat and made it stand just a little away from the land and he taught to the people. That way everyone could get a better view and hear better and they would not be crowding around Jesus and pushing each other. We all know how crowds can get.
Now let’s think a little about Simon. Here is a man who has worked and toiled ALL night . Now if he had caught something he probably would be happy that his efforts had not gone in vain. However he had worked hard all night but had caught absolutely nothing !! Can you imagine the tiredness and weariness of this man ? And now when he would probably want to go and rest , Jesus gets into his boat , makes him move it a little from the land and starts teaching to the multitude. And Simon patiently waits !!
Can You Think For a Second as to what might have been running through Simon’s mind . If I was in Simon’s place I would have thought “Im exhausted ,..I have not caught a thing,…. Jesus is using my boat now and I cant go anywhere either ! ”
Verse 4 says “When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
Now when Jesus had finished speaking (So Simon was waiting all this time) , Jesus asks Simon to Cast his net.
Think from Simon’s view… Tired , exhausted , probably frustrated that he has caught nothing , anxious,…. And he has been waiting till Jesus finished speaking . And now Jesus asks him to cast his net !
Look at the obedience of this man . Verse 5 says “But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net”
How many of us have that obedience ? That no matter how much we have tried at something and we have been disappointed that when God gives us a word that we obey ?
We all know what happens next … but here are a few points that I would like us to dwell upon.
In verse four God commanded , in verse 5 Simon obeyed.
Now Simon did not take it as “Oh Praise the Lord…Because I let Jesus use my boat in spite of being Tired that’s why Im being blessed now !!!”
How many of us say that ? How many of us say “Oh because I sacrifice two hours on a weekend that’s why Im being blessed … Oh because I have done this …because I have done that that’s why I am blessed”
That’s not true ! Lets take someone from the choir for example . If he were to think that he is making a great sacrifice by spending 6 hours a week for the Lord that’s wrong . Its an honor and a privilege to be used as an instrument to invite the presence of the Lord ! Wow ! What a blessing !!! How can we say we have sacrificed when we know we have been given an honor that we do not deserve. If our righteousness is like filthy rags then can you imagine our unrighteousness?
· Simon obeyed… and he was blessed
· Simon obeyed and those around him were blessed !!! When we obey the word of the Lord this is what happens… Not only are we blessed but those around us. Obey !!
· Its not anything we do that can make us worthy of the mercy of the Lord. Its only by Grace !!
· Sometimes there is a waiting period before which a blessing comes… Be patient enough to wait on the Lord.
Here is something interesting ….
In Verse 8 “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!””
Now Simon was with Jesus before this… In fact in Luke 4 :38-39 we see that his mother-in-law was healed … Jesus came into Simon’s house and he had witnessed a miracle to someone in his own family.
What caused him to say only now “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
Why did he not say this earlier ? Why now ????
Its always different when you witness God touching someone else and when God touches you . They are totally different experiences and must not be substituted with one another.
God may be using you as an instrument for His glory for other people to come into the saving grace of the Lord. You might help arrange a meeting or even be the one praying over people. But no matter what you are doing… Only a touch from God on YOUR life will make you realize your unworthiness…will bring you to your knees…will make you fall face down in the presence of the Lord.
We need to make sure no matter what we never ever lose out on the personal time we have with God. We need to pray for others and be used the way God wants to use us…but we should never miss out on personal time with the Lord. Because its different when you see someone else being touched by God…you say “praise the Lord ! Lord you are awesome” … and when YOU are touched by the Lord you are overwhelmed and tears start pouring out …the love of our Lord is so amazing … we think “Lord I am a sinner… but you in all your glory still love me and listen to my cries”
WOW !! We need that every day !! To empty ourselves completely in total surrender and submission to be filled of the Lord !
· We need that personal touch from the Lord everyday. No matter what your ministry or how the Lord is using you …we all need that one-to-one time with the Lord.
Here is the icing of the cake for today’s message…
· Simon was a fisherman… That was his profession …He fished
· God Blessed the works of his hands…. He blessed Simon in his profession
· And after that Jesus told Simon to leave his profession and follow him !!
Wow ! That’s amazing … Simon could have thought “Well God has blessed me so I will give one tenth of the money I get from these fish and give it to the Lord “ or he could have thought “Wow , now everyone will want to be partners with me because God has blessed me and so because God’s favour is upon me everyone will see and glorify God …through my fishing business I can make everyone realize how awesome God is ”
But God had other plans for Simon. God blessed Simon because our God is Awesome. He is merciful. Those who trust in Him will never be put to shame.
Here is a question we really need to ask ourselves. Are we where God wants us to be ? God will
bless the works of our hands because he is a faithful God. He will not make you fail miserably at your job and say see this is not for you, come follow me . No ! Our God will bless those who put their trust in the Lord and obey !!
Now just because God is blessing the works of your hands, just because God is blessing you in your work place does not necessarily mean you are where God wants you to be . He does so because He loves us and He is faithful.
Its our duty to say “Lord where do you want me to be ? Where you lead I will follow”
God Bless You ALL as you continue to seek His Holy Leading in your life. To God alone be all the glory , all the honor and all the praise .
This is a story that we are all very familiar with … some of us have read it from the time we
were kids at Sunday School…
Let’s read verses 1- 3
“So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.”
The word multitude itself implies a huge number or a massive number of people. Now a multitude of people had come to hear the word of God and so Jesus got into a boat and made it stand just a little away from the land and he taught to the people. That way everyone could get a better view and hear better and they would not be crowding around Jesus and pushing each other. We all know how crowds can get.
Now let’s think a little about Simon. Here is a man who has worked and toiled ALL night . Now if he had caught something he probably would be happy that his efforts had not gone in vain. However he had worked hard all night but had caught absolutely nothing !! Can you imagine the tiredness and weariness of this man ? And now when he would probably want to go and rest , Jesus gets into his boat , makes him move it a little from the land and starts teaching to the multitude. And Simon patiently waits !!
Can You Think For a Second as to what might have been running through Simon’s mind . If I was in Simon’s place I would have thought “Im exhausted ,..I have not caught a thing,…. Jesus is using my boat now and I cant go anywhere either ! ”
Verse 4 says “When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
Now when Jesus had finished speaking (So Simon was waiting all this time) , Jesus asks Simon to Cast his net.
Think from Simon’s view… Tired , exhausted , probably frustrated that he has caught nothing , anxious,…. And he has been waiting till Jesus finished speaking . And now Jesus asks him to cast his net !
Look at the obedience of this man . Verse 5 says “But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net”
How many of us have that obedience ? That no matter how much we have tried at something and we have been disappointed that when God gives us a word that we obey ?
We all know what happens next … but here are a few points that I would like us to dwell upon.
In verse four God commanded , in verse 5 Simon obeyed.
Now Simon did not take it as “Oh Praise the Lord…Because I let Jesus use my boat in spite of being Tired that’s why Im being blessed now !!!”
How many of us say that ? How many of us say “Oh because I sacrifice two hours on a weekend that’s why Im being blessed … Oh because I have done this …because I have done that that’s why I am blessed”
That’s not true ! Lets take someone from the choir for example . If he were to think that he is making a great sacrifice by spending 6 hours a week for the Lord that’s wrong . Its an honor and a privilege to be used as an instrument to invite the presence of the Lord ! Wow ! What a blessing !!! How can we say we have sacrificed when we know we have been given an honor that we do not deserve. If our righteousness is like filthy rags then can you imagine our unrighteousness?
· Simon obeyed… and he was blessed
· Simon obeyed and those around him were blessed !!! When we obey the word of the Lord this is what happens… Not only are we blessed but those around us. Obey !!
· Its not anything we do that can make us worthy of the mercy of the Lord. Its only by Grace !!
· Sometimes there is a waiting period before which a blessing comes… Be patient enough to wait on the Lord.
Here is something interesting ….
In Verse 8 “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!””
Now Simon was with Jesus before this… In fact in Luke 4 :38-39 we see that his mother-in-law was healed … Jesus came into Simon’s house and he had witnessed a miracle to someone in his own family.
What caused him to say only now “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
Why did he not say this earlier ? Why now ????
Its always different when you witness God touching someone else and when God touches you . They are totally different experiences and must not be substituted with one another.
God may be using you as an instrument for His glory for other people to come into the saving grace of the Lord. You might help arrange a meeting or even be the one praying over people. But no matter what you are doing… Only a touch from God on YOUR life will make you realize your unworthiness…will bring you to your knees…will make you fall face down in the presence of the Lord.
We need to make sure no matter what we never ever lose out on the personal time we have with God. We need to pray for others and be used the way God wants to use us…but we should never miss out on personal time with the Lord. Because its different when you see someone else being touched by God…you say “praise the Lord ! Lord you are awesome” … and when YOU are touched by the Lord you are overwhelmed and tears start pouring out …the love of our Lord is so amazing … we think “Lord I am a sinner… but you in all your glory still love me and listen to my cries”
WOW !! We need that every day !! To empty ourselves completely in total surrender and submission to be filled of the Lord !
· We need that personal touch from the Lord everyday. No matter what your ministry or how the Lord is using you …we all need that one-to-one time with the Lord.
Here is the icing of the cake for today’s message…
· Simon was a fisherman… That was his profession …He fished
· God Blessed the works of his hands…. He blessed Simon in his profession
· And after that Jesus told Simon to leave his profession and follow him !!
Wow ! That’s amazing … Simon could have thought “Well God has blessed me so I will give one tenth of the money I get from these fish and give it to the Lord “ or he could have thought “Wow , now everyone will want to be partners with me because God has blessed me and so because God’s favour is upon me everyone will see and glorify God …through my fishing business I can make everyone realize how awesome God is ”
But God had other plans for Simon. God blessed Simon because our God is Awesome. He is merciful. Those who trust in Him will never be put to shame.
Here is a question we really need to ask ourselves. Are we where God wants us to be ? God will
bless the works of our hands because he is a faithful God. He will not make you fail miserably at your job and say see this is not for you, come follow me . No ! Our God will bless those who put their trust in the Lord and obey !!
Now just because God is blessing the works of your hands, just because God is blessing you in your work place does not necessarily mean you are where God wants you to be . He does so because He loves us and He is faithful.
Its our duty to say “Lord where do you want me to be ? Where you lead I will follow”
God Bless You ALL as you continue to seek His Holy Leading in your life. To God alone be all the glory , all the honor and all the praise .
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Cleanse my lips...Here I am
"So I said:
“ Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The LORD of hosts.”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said:
“ Behold, this has touched your lips;
Your iniquity is taken away,
And your sin purged.”
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:
“ Whom shall I send,
And who will go for Us?”
Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” "
Isaiah 6 : 5-8 (New King James Version)
When we read the first few verses of Isaiah 6 (verses 1-4) we see that Isaiah saw the Lord seated on a throne high and lifted up. And the train of His robe filled the temple. And he saw angels ...seraphims...each one had six wings:with two wings the angel covered his face,with two other wings he covered his feet and with two wings he flew. And one cried to another and said "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!"
Wow ! Can you imagine beholding such a sight ! How awesome is our God ! Just try and imagine this sight in your head and close your eyes ..Its will bring us to our knees ! We cant even stand in the presence of such a mighty God....But yet by the blood of Jesus Christ we can enter into His Holy presence. Wow !!!
Such an awesome God is telling us that He loves us and He has purposes for us before time began ...that each one of us have been created in the image of God !
As we read verses 5 we see Isaiah speaking of his unclean lips....What Isaiah was saying is in all his impurity he saw God and he knew he was undone ! For how could he have seen the Lord in all His glory and be worthy to be kept alive...Then we see that the angel took a live coal (meaning one that was burning hot) with tongs (to hold the hot coal) right from the altar !! And with that he touched his mouth and said that his lips have been touched ... his inquity has been taken away..his sin purged..
When the Lord said in verse 8 "Whom shall I send And who will go for Us?" , Isaiah said "Here I am ! Send me."
How many of us are yearning for a cleansing from the altar this morning ? How many of us wants our lips touched ? Our sins purged ? All our iniquities taken away ?
All it takes is for us to be willing and surrender ourselves to our Lord .
How many of us are saying or are going to say "Here I am ! Send me." ?
Lets surrender ourselves to the Lord completely and pray for a cleansing from the altar to purge everything that is not of God in our lives
God Bless
“ Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The LORD of hosts.”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said:
“ Behold, this has touched your lips;
Your iniquity is taken away,
And your sin purged.”
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:
“ Whom shall I send,
And who will go for Us?”
Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” "
Isaiah 6 : 5-8 (New King James Version)
When we read the first few verses of Isaiah 6 (verses 1-4) we see that Isaiah saw the Lord seated on a throne high and lifted up. And the train of His robe filled the temple. And he saw angels ...seraphims...each one had six wings:with two wings the angel covered his face,with two other wings he covered his feet and with two wings he flew. And one cried to another and said "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!"
Wow ! Can you imagine beholding such a sight ! How awesome is our God ! Just try and imagine this sight in your head and close your eyes ..Its will bring us to our knees ! We cant even stand in the presence of such a mighty God....But yet by the blood of Jesus Christ we can enter into His Holy presence. Wow !!!
Such an awesome God is telling us that He loves us and He has purposes for us before time began ...that each one of us have been created in the image of God !
As we read verses 5 we see Isaiah speaking of his unclean lips....What Isaiah was saying is in all his impurity he saw God and he knew he was undone ! For how could he have seen the Lord in all His glory and be worthy to be kept alive...Then we see that the angel took a live coal (meaning one that was burning hot) with tongs (to hold the hot coal) right from the altar !! And with that he touched his mouth and said that his lips have been touched ... his inquity has been taken away..his sin purged..
When the Lord said in verse 8 "Whom shall I send And who will go for Us?" , Isaiah said "Here I am ! Send me."
How many of us are yearning for a cleansing from the altar this morning ? How many of us wants our lips touched ? Our sins purged ? All our iniquities taken away ?
All it takes is for us to be willing and surrender ourselves to our Lord .
How many of us are saying or are going to say "Here I am ! Send me." ?
Lets surrender ourselves to the Lord completely and pray for a cleansing from the altar to purge everything that is not of God in our lives
God Bless
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Does the Devil snatch it away ?
"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside"
Matthew 13:19 (New King James Version)
We need to be careful that the devil does not snatch away the word of God from us ! The Word of God is Life !
The Bible says in Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart"
Wow ! You can understand why the devil wants to snatch it away from us. He does not want us to be equipped to fight and defeat him in our everyday battles.
Let us not be like someone who received seed by the wayside...Let us seek the Lord and pray for understanding of His Holy Word...Let us fellowship together with brethren and grow stronger together by the grace of God....
And also its not just enough to understand the word of God...we need to bear the fruit.
In Matthew 13:23 we read "But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty"
Are we bearing fruit ? Are we following the word of God and obeying His commandments ?
I pray that the word of God may be deeply rooted within us with understanding and that we dont remain just hearers of the word of God but doers of the word of God as well.
God Bless
Matthew 13:19 (New King James Version)
We need to be careful that the devil does not snatch away the word of God from us ! The Word of God is Life !
The Bible says in Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart"
Wow ! You can understand why the devil wants to snatch it away from us. He does not want us to be equipped to fight and defeat him in our everyday battles.
Let us not be like someone who received seed by the wayside...Let us seek the Lord and pray for understanding of His Holy Word...Let us fellowship together with brethren and grow stronger together by the grace of God....
And also its not just enough to understand the word of God...we need to bear the fruit.
In Matthew 13:23 we read "But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty"
Are we bearing fruit ? Are we following the word of God and obeying His commandments ?
I pray that the word of God may be deeply rooted within us with understanding and that we dont remain just hearers of the word of God but doers of the word of God as well.
God Bless
To each one for the Profit of All
Tuesday, February 24, 2009 11:07 AM
"“ And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
“ And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:
Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the LORD
Shall be saved.
For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance,
As the LORD has said,
Among the remnant whom the LORD calls." "
Joel 2 :28-32 (New King James Version)
When I open the newspapers these days I keep thinking "Wow Lord... Just like You said how things would be in the last days, just like that things are happening" ... I mean have you seen the way knowledge is increasing ? From cloning to smart implants ...to customizing the genes for your unborn child !! Reminds me so much of the verse which says knowledge will increase in the end times... And when we read about NASA coming out with interesting reports saying this star...that galaxy...the first of its kind..this comet crashing here .... and on earth its like things have taken such a twist over the past few years..tsumani,earthquakes,fires,....
But you know what ... A lot of other things are also happening ... The Lord is pouring out His Spirit on all flesh !! Praise the Lord !
The Bible says that there will be such a powerful anointing ....there will be prophecies , dreams and visions.... How many of us are yearning for that kind of outpouring of the Holy Spirit ?
Some of us might say "Hey this is not for me !!! Im ok with seeing other people doing things like this ...but I cant be like this..."
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 12:7 "But the manisfestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:" ...
Two key points ...
1.EACH ONE
2.FOR THE PROFIT OF ALL
This means that each on of us has a gift(s) of the Spirit.
So ...
Step 1 : If we dont know our gift ...we need to seek the Lord ...we need to ask Him to anoint us for His glory
Step 2: If we know our gift we need to ask the Lord to pour out His anointing on us more and more and we need to seek His will and guidance so that we can use the gifts that God has given us for His glory and for the profit of all.
Step 3: Ask the Lord to continue to pour out His Spirit upon us and continue to yearn for His Holy will (it can be where we need to be go, what we should do,..more gifts,...) and be used for His glory standing strong upon Him and never wavering....
God's heart is yearning for His children to be saved...all we have to do is call upon His Name !! How wonderful it is to be used as an instrument of the Lord for bringing more people into the knowledge of His saving grace !
I pray that today we understand and are convicted of the plans that the Lord has for us. That spreading His word and being used for His glory is not the responsibility of only Pastors or Evangelists but is the responsibility and commision to each and every one of us... I pray that we seek His Holy will and that we pray for an outpouring of His Holy Spirit upon our lives
God Bless
"“ And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
“ And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:
Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the LORD
Shall be saved.
For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance,
As the LORD has said,
Among the remnant whom the LORD calls." "
Joel 2 :28-32 (New King James Version)
When I open the newspapers these days I keep thinking "Wow Lord... Just like You said how things would be in the last days, just like that things are happening" ... I mean have you seen the way knowledge is increasing ? From cloning to smart implants ...to customizing the genes for your unborn child !! Reminds me so much of the verse which says knowledge will increase in the end times... And when we read about NASA coming out with interesting reports saying this star...that galaxy...the first of its kind..this comet crashing here .... and on earth its like things have taken such a twist over the past few years..tsumani,earthquakes,fires,....
But you know what ... A lot of other things are also happening ... The Lord is pouring out His Spirit on all flesh !! Praise the Lord !
The Bible says that there will be such a powerful anointing ....there will be prophecies , dreams and visions.... How many of us are yearning for that kind of outpouring of the Holy Spirit ?
Some of us might say "Hey this is not for me !!! Im ok with seeing other people doing things like this ...but I cant be like this..."
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 12:7 "But the manisfestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:" ...
Two key points ...
1.EACH ONE
2.FOR THE PROFIT OF ALL
This means that each on of us has a gift(s) of the Spirit.
So ...
Step 1 : If we dont know our gift ...we need to seek the Lord ...we need to ask Him to anoint us for His glory
Step 2: If we know our gift we need to ask the Lord to pour out His anointing on us more and more and we need to seek His will and guidance so that we can use the gifts that God has given us for His glory and for the profit of all.
Step 3: Ask the Lord to continue to pour out His Spirit upon us and continue to yearn for His Holy will (it can be where we need to be go, what we should do,..more gifts,...) and be used for His glory standing strong upon Him and never wavering....
God's heart is yearning for His children to be saved...all we have to do is call upon His Name !! How wonderful it is to be used as an instrument of the Lord for bringing more people into the knowledge of His saving grace !
I pray that today we understand and are convicted of the plans that the Lord has for us. That spreading His word and being used for His glory is not the responsibility of only Pastors or Evangelists but is the responsibility and commision to each and every one of us... I pray that we seek His Holy will and that we pray for an outpouring of His Holy Spirit upon our lives
God Bless
Battling Sin
Monday, February 23, 2009 11:04 AM
"If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it"
Genesis 4:7 (New King James Version)
How many of us battle against sin ? We all want to be more like Christ... We want to be pure and Holy.... But how much effort do we put in to pray and overcome ?
The first portion of the verse says "If you do well, will you not be accepted?" We need to give our first to the Lord.. We need to give our best to the Lord. Its not just our tithes, but our entire being itself. If at the end of the day when we are totally tired we read the Bible and say our prayers we will still be blessed. But there is a special blessing in giving our first to the Lord.... When we say "Lord the first part of my day is dedicated to you and then only everything else".
We need to have our lives tuned such that no worldly desire stands first above God's desire. It could be the language that we use , it could be sinful habits , it could be the love of money, .... If any desire causes us to fall into sin we need to ensure that anything leading to that should be cut off immediately. If the internet causes us to sin and temptation then just disconnect the net !! Thats a better option than living an eternity in hell.If anything prevents us from giving our best to the Lord then we need to make sure we get our priorities straight.
Someone once asked me if smoking occasionally and social drinking is wrong ... I remember the Lord showed me this in a dream... I saw a bottle of alcohol on a shelf and a Bible right beside that and I kept thinking "who would keep the word of God next to a bottle of alcohol ? " and then the Lord said..."The Body is the temple of the Holy Spirit..If you cannot stand to see the Bible even next to the bottle how do you even think that I would be ok with seeing my temple-your body filled with it ? "
I woke up knowing for sure there is not a polite socially acceptable answer to this...Only a straightforward one "NO its not ok !"
Now we need to remember that corrupt thoughts, impure thoughts , sinful desires also equally defile the temple of God. This body is not ours... Jesus Christ paid the price and ransomed us by His blood. He died for us that we might live !
This is such a wonderful verse with such a strong truth in it. If we do not give God our First and our Best , then we are more susceptible to sin !! Sin is just waiting at the door and with the slightest opening its going to jump and grab us ! The desire of sin is to bring us down. Nothing good can ever come from anything that is not of God and God's will.
But here is the good news...The word of God says "You should rule over it !!" The Lord has given us the strength to overcome sin ! He has given us the strength to rule over it. Are we willing to use the strength that God has given us to overcome sin ? Remember if its not of God then its of the evil one ! There is nothing inbetween ! It can even be just laziness thats keeping us from reading the word of God... Overcome that laziness
I pray this morning that all of us overcome the sins that we are battling by the grace of God and we rise up today as victors ruling over sin !
God Bless
"If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it"
Genesis 4:7 (New King James Version)
How many of us battle against sin ? We all want to be more like Christ... We want to be pure and Holy.... But how much effort do we put in to pray and overcome ?
The first portion of the verse says "If you do well, will you not be accepted?" We need to give our first to the Lord.. We need to give our best to the Lord. Its not just our tithes, but our entire being itself. If at the end of the day when we are totally tired we read the Bible and say our prayers we will still be blessed. But there is a special blessing in giving our first to the Lord.... When we say "Lord the first part of my day is dedicated to you and then only everything else".
We need to have our lives tuned such that no worldly desire stands first above God's desire. It could be the language that we use , it could be sinful habits , it could be the love of money, .... If any desire causes us to fall into sin we need to ensure that anything leading to that should be cut off immediately. If the internet causes us to sin and temptation then just disconnect the net !! Thats a better option than living an eternity in hell.If anything prevents us from giving our best to the Lord then we need to make sure we get our priorities straight.
Someone once asked me if smoking occasionally and social drinking is wrong ... I remember the Lord showed me this in a dream... I saw a bottle of alcohol on a shelf and a Bible right beside that and I kept thinking "who would keep the word of God next to a bottle of alcohol ? " and then the Lord said..."The Body is the temple of the Holy Spirit..If you cannot stand to see the Bible even next to the bottle how do you even think that I would be ok with seeing my temple-your body filled with it ? "
I woke up knowing for sure there is not a polite socially acceptable answer to this...Only a straightforward one "NO its not ok !"
Now we need to remember that corrupt thoughts, impure thoughts , sinful desires also equally defile the temple of God. This body is not ours... Jesus Christ paid the price and ransomed us by His blood. He died for us that we might live !
This is such a wonderful verse with such a strong truth in it. If we do not give God our First and our Best , then we are more susceptible to sin !! Sin is just waiting at the door and with the slightest opening its going to jump and grab us ! The desire of sin is to bring us down. Nothing good can ever come from anything that is not of God and God's will.
But here is the good news...The word of God says "You should rule over it !!" The Lord has given us the strength to overcome sin ! He has given us the strength to rule over it. Are we willing to use the strength that God has given us to overcome sin ? Remember if its not of God then its of the evil one ! There is nothing inbetween ! It can even be just laziness thats keeping us from reading the word of God... Overcome that laziness
I pray this morning that all of us overcome the sins that we are battling by the grace of God and we rise up today as victors ruling over sin !
God Bless
Want to be a friend of God ?
Friday, February 20, 2009 9:09 AM
"You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you."
John 15:14-15 (New King James Version)
Wow... What an honor to be called the friend of God !
The latter half of verse 14 says "if you do whatever I command you"....As we continue reading verse 15 we see that a servant does not know what his master is doing.
Here are a few questions... Are we familiar with what the Lord is doing ? Are we familiar with His commandments so that we can keep them ? Are our hearts so inline with His, so that we understand His will for us ?
The Lord is calling us to be His friends ! Are we willing ? In verse 15 we see that the Lord has already made known to us all things from the Father. How do we get to know ? Through His word , through the Holy Spirit...
It is God's will that all should be saved and that none perish. Do we feel the same way ? Are we burdened for the souls not saved ?
Its time to grow... Enough of saying "Lord give me give me give me...". We need to rise and become God's friend... Sensitive to His leading and doing His will... And more than that our hearts are changed so that our will is His will... We abide in Him and He in us...we interceed for those not saved....
The Bible says in ephesians 6:12 "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"... We need to battle it out !
Are we willing to be God's friend ?
This morning I pray that we will submit ourselves to the Lord afresh. That we may ask the Lord to help us abide in Him at all times.. To help us keep His commandments... Because no matter what, nothing can be done out of our own strength.... Only and only by God alone ! Lets pray that the Lord will help us be His friend and that we surrender ourselves completely in obedience to His will.
God Bless
"You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you."
John 15:14-15 (New King James Version)
Wow... What an honor to be called the friend of God !
The latter half of verse 14 says "if you do whatever I command you"....As we continue reading verse 15 we see that a servant does not know what his master is doing.
Here are a few questions... Are we familiar with what the Lord is doing ? Are we familiar with His commandments so that we can keep them ? Are our hearts so inline with His, so that we understand His will for us ?
The Lord is calling us to be His friends ! Are we willing ? In verse 15 we see that the Lord has already made known to us all things from the Father. How do we get to know ? Through His word , through the Holy Spirit...
It is God's will that all should be saved and that none perish. Do we feel the same way ? Are we burdened for the souls not saved ?
Its time to grow... Enough of saying "Lord give me give me give me...". We need to rise and become God's friend... Sensitive to His leading and doing His will... And more than that our hearts are changed so that our will is His will... We abide in Him and He in us...we interceed for those not saved....
The Bible says in ephesians 6:12 "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"... We need to battle it out !
Are we willing to be God's friend ?
This morning I pray that we will submit ourselves to the Lord afresh. That we may ask the Lord to help us abide in Him at all times.. To help us keep His commandments... Because no matter what, nothing can be done out of our own strength.... Only and only by God alone ! Lets pray that the Lord will help us be His friend and that we surrender ourselves completely in obedience to His will.
God Bless
Avoiding the Traffic Jam
Thursday, February 19, 2009 4:34 PM
" O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You."
Psalm 63 : 1-3 (New King James Version)
For the past few weeks I have been leaving home at 5AM and today due to some changes in plans I had left by 9AM... and I got stuck in major office rush... traffic jams... I couldnt believe that these were the same roads that I loved driving on... And the journey that I used to cover in 15 mins tooks over 45 mins...
We serve an awesome God and He always is so patient in teaching us... This is what the Lord reminded me and put in my heart to share....
Waking up early in the morning and seeking the Lord first thing is soooo beautiful . There are no disturbances... Its like this quiet special time with the Lord... There is no traffic jam :) ...No cell phones ringing ...No noise outside the house... No one in the house saying "Hey did you see this ?...Where is that? ...I cant find my shoe..."
The Bible says in Mathew 6:6 that when we pray, to go into the room and shut the door... Meaning its exclusive quiet time with the Lord. Its just U and Him... Wow ! It cant get more special than that !
And hey you know what ? When you have that quiet time with the Lord, journeys which otherwise would take 45 mins get covered in 15 mins !!
What happens most of the times is when we try to say our prayers in a rush in the morning its more like "Lord plz take care of this plz take care of that ...."
Have you ever noticed that its always easier to say "Lord I need more of you" than "Lord take all of me" ?
When we wake up early just to seek Him we have this wonderful time to say to the Lord "Take all of me Father... I surrender all that I am...every action ..every word ...even every thought that runs in my mind Lord everything I surrender to you... Take all of me "
Its so amazing to be able to do that ... I have seen that difference in my life... If I miss my early time with the Lord then I get stuck in the rush... Its more like "Lord Bless my Family Bless my friends...Lord we need more of you in our lives....."
Someone once said that the reason why some of us dont hear from God is because we are so busy talking that we never stop and listen and give God a chance to talk !
We need to come into His presence and just say "Lord I am here for one reason only ...and thats just to be with you..."
The first few verses in Psalm 63 says that "My soul thirsts for you,my flesh longs for you"... when you are thirsty its doesnt matter if I give you the world's most yummiest dish to eat...the only thing you will want is something to quench your thirst....Nothing else will do ! So should our yearning to spend time in His presence... We need to thrist and long for it... We need to jump out of bed and say "Yaaay ! Praise the Lord Im going to meet with the King of Kings , the Lord of Lords..My Heavenly Father now... Oh wow !"
Verse 3 says that His lovingkindness is better than life... Lets not let things of this worldly life have more priority than spending time with the Lord...
I pray that we put Christ first in our life every single day ... That we set aside our best for Him ...The first portion of our day to be rendered to the Lord... And as we come into His presence that we say "Lord Im here just to meet with you ...To tell you that I love you and to surrender all that I am to you...Take all of me Lord...Have your way in me Father..."
God Bless
" O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You."
Psalm 63 : 1-3 (New King James Version)
For the past few weeks I have been leaving home at 5AM and today due to some changes in plans I had left by 9AM... and I got stuck in major office rush... traffic jams... I couldnt believe that these were the same roads that I loved driving on... And the journey that I used to cover in 15 mins tooks over 45 mins...
We serve an awesome God and He always is so patient in teaching us... This is what the Lord reminded me and put in my heart to share....
Waking up early in the morning and seeking the Lord first thing is soooo beautiful . There are no disturbances... Its like this quiet special time with the Lord... There is no traffic jam :) ...No cell phones ringing ...No noise outside the house... No one in the house saying "Hey did you see this ?...Where is that? ...I cant find my shoe..."
The Bible says in Mathew 6:6 that when we pray, to go into the room and shut the door... Meaning its exclusive quiet time with the Lord. Its just U and Him... Wow ! It cant get more special than that !
And hey you know what ? When you have that quiet time with the Lord, journeys which otherwise would take 45 mins get covered in 15 mins !!
What happens most of the times is when we try to say our prayers in a rush in the morning its more like "Lord plz take care of this plz take care of that ...."
Have you ever noticed that its always easier to say "Lord I need more of you" than "Lord take all of me" ?
When we wake up early just to seek Him we have this wonderful time to say to the Lord "Take all of me Father... I surrender all that I am...every action ..every word ...even every thought that runs in my mind Lord everything I surrender to you... Take all of me "
Its so amazing to be able to do that ... I have seen that difference in my life... If I miss my early time with the Lord then I get stuck in the rush... Its more like "Lord Bless my Family Bless my friends...Lord we need more of you in our lives....."
Someone once said that the reason why some of us dont hear from God is because we are so busy talking that we never stop and listen and give God a chance to talk !
We need to come into His presence and just say "Lord I am here for one reason only ...and thats just to be with you..."
The first few verses in Psalm 63 says that "My soul thirsts for you,my flesh longs for you"... when you are thirsty its doesnt matter if I give you the world's most yummiest dish to eat...the only thing you will want is something to quench your thirst....Nothing else will do ! So should our yearning to spend time in His presence... We need to thrist and long for it... We need to jump out of bed and say "Yaaay ! Praise the Lord Im going to meet with the King of Kings , the Lord of Lords..My Heavenly Father now... Oh wow !"
Verse 3 says that His lovingkindness is better than life... Lets not let things of this worldly life have more priority than spending time with the Lord...
I pray that we put Christ first in our life every single day ... That we set aside our best for Him ...The first portion of our day to be rendered to the Lord... And as we come into His presence that we say "Lord Im here just to meet with you ...To tell you that I love you and to surrender all that I am to you...Take all of me Lord...Have your way in me Father..."
God Bless
Every word of God is pure
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 8:38 AM
" Surely I am more stupid than any man,
And do not have the understanding of a man.
I neither learned wisdom
Nor have knowledge of the Holy One.
Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son’s name,
If you know?
Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. "
Proverbs 30 : 2 - 5 (New King James Version)
We serve an awesome God . And its impossible to fathom His greatness. We may not understand a lot of things.. there are a lot of things that might go over our head... But the two important things that we need to know and understand is that
EVERY WORD OF GOD IS PURE
THE LORD IS A SHIELD TO THOSE WHO PUT THEIR TRUST IN HIM
The word of God is life ! There are going to be many times when we pick up the Bible and read and might have a confused look on our faces and say "Lord I dont understand !" But the word of God says that "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."
All we need to do is pray and continue to lift it up to the Lord and He will teach us His Holy Word. We need to stop expecting instant answers for everything and patiently wait upon the Lord and He will reveal things to us.
Every word of God is pure...Let us thirst for the knowledge of the word of God...By filling ourselves with the word of God that is pure, all other impurities will eventually fade away.
Let us continue to put our trust in the Lord...Let us never doubt that the Lord is our shield.
God Bless
" Surely I am more stupid than any man,
And do not have the understanding of a man.
I neither learned wisdom
Nor have knowledge of the Holy One.
Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son’s name,
If you know?
Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. "
Proverbs 30 : 2 - 5 (New King James Version)
We serve an awesome God . And its impossible to fathom His greatness. We may not understand a lot of things.. there are a lot of things that might go over our head... But the two important things that we need to know and understand is that
EVERY WORD OF GOD IS PURE
THE LORD IS A SHIELD TO THOSE WHO PUT THEIR TRUST IN HIM
The word of God is life ! There are going to be many times when we pick up the Bible and read and might have a confused look on our faces and say "Lord I dont understand !" But the word of God says that "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."
All we need to do is pray and continue to lift it up to the Lord and He will teach us His Holy Word. We need to stop expecting instant answers for everything and patiently wait upon the Lord and He will reveal things to us.
Every word of God is pure...Let us thirst for the knowledge of the word of God...By filling ourselves with the word of God that is pure, all other impurities will eventually fade away.
Let us continue to put our trust in the Lord...Let us never doubt that the Lord is our shield.
God Bless
What are you seeing ?
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 10:09 AM
"Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."
Matthew 7:5 (New King James Version)
Its soooo easy to find fault with others . I for one am an expert at that ! Well by God's grace I am geting better at looking first into myself and making sure that that portion of my life is better...Not perfect ! But yeah trying to get there by God's grace .
I think it couldnt have been put more beautifully ! The Bible calls it as being a "Hypocrite" when we condemn others and try correcting them when we ourselves have so much of filth within us..
I am not saying we should not correct people at all... Im just saying that there is a fine line with correction out of love and discipline and that of judging others... and it takes wisdom and spiritual maturity to be able to discern well all the time.The Bible says let your words be seasoned...which means that even in correction there is a way to do it....
When there is a plank in our own eye it impaires our vision...it impaires our view... But when we make the correction in our own lives first we might see things a lot differently... we might have more compassion ...more understanding ... and when we have come into this new view ...new vision then we know we are seeing clear enough to remove the speck from our brother's eye
In simple terms...Before finding fault with other people and correcting them we need to look at ourselves and make the required changes within us first. Because when we do that we actually know what it is to make a change...the fact that at times its not easy...but the joy in it is amazing .
The next time we start thinking "Im so much better...I am spiritiually stronger.... He doesnt know anything...How can he do that ..." lets prayerfully look at ourselves first .... lets learn to change ourselves to be in the image of Christ and lets pray that God gives us wisdom and sensitivity in how to talk to people when it concerns correction...and above all that God grants us humility.
God Bless
Our Vocabulary
Monday, February 16, 2009 11:18 AM
"But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.
Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift"
Matthew 5: 22-24 (New King James Version)
Modern Day vocabulary is really strange... I remember while growing up if my brother or I ever used the word "Stupid" or "Idiot" thats it ! My mom would catch us and make us understand the gravity of our words. I praise the Lord for such a God fearing Mother.
Its sad though that a lot of us let words fly out of our mouth so losely ! The Bible says that out of the same spring cannot flow both bitter waters and sweet waters. In the same manner , the mouth that speaks out praises to our Holy Father and speaks out the name of Jesus Christ , out of the same mouth cannot come out words which are even the tiniest bit ....well you know. Even if its casual its still not correct... Driving during peak traffic hours can get very stressful...But even at those times its important that Chirst remain our focus... Having a clean vocab is not easy but its not impossible either and yes it is essential .
Over the past few days God has been showing me how important it is to set things right with others. As I prayed to grow spiritually more in the Lord I could sense a couple of things that were weighing me down... They were these small misunderstandings with friends but then it weighed down so heavily upon me that I realized if I need to get closer to the Lord, I need to set things straight. We need to be more serious about how we are with those around us... We cant be lifting up a Bible in our hands with unforgiveness in our hearts and say "Lord you forgive me...but no I cant forgive anyone". If its a mistake on our side then we need to apologize and straighten things out.
In verses 23 & 24, the Bible says "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" . We are to present ourselves as living sacrifices... And when we come before His presence the word of God says to first be reconciled to our brother and then come and offer ourselves to Him.
Lets break down all the blocks that might be hindering us from growing stronger in the Lord. When we bear the banner of Christ , there is a lot of responsibility that comes with us.
I pray that we start this day with a clean vocabulary and straighten out any things that may be hindering us from offering ourselves completely to the Lord.
There is a song by Don Moen called Two Hands, One Heart... For those who love music this is a nice pick... Here are the lyrics
What Can I Give
What Can I Bring
That Would Be Pleasing To My King
I'll Give My Heart Not Just A Part
I'm Lifting Up My Everything
Well It's All I Have To Offer
And It's All I Have To Give
Two Hands One Heart
One Life To Offer You
Two Hands One Heart
That's What I Give To You
Use Me Today
I Know You Can
Lord I Surrender To Your Plan
You Made This Heart
You Made These Hands
Take Me And Use Me As I Am
Little Becomes A Lot
When It's In Your Hands
Take Me And Make Me More Like You
Well It May Not Seem Like Much
But With The Master's Touch
I Know That I'll Be More Like You
God Bless
Taste and See
Friday, February 13, 2009 9:14 AM
"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!"
Psalm 34:8 (New King James Version)
'Taste and see'.... such a key thing... Its so different when someone else explains something and when you personaly taste God and know how amazing He is first hand.
I do admit that while growing up there were a lot of things that I heard in church that went over my head. Like when someone said "God spoke to me" I would wonder "Huh ? Did he hear a booming voice out of the skies???" or when someone very rich would say "Dont worry, God is there to supply all your need" I would think "ya ya you dont know what it is to be poor how can you talk? "
But its only when I personally experienced the touch of God in my life did I understand.
As always I was praying to the Lord for today's verse and as I opened my inbox I saw that I received an email regarding the text that I had written the other day where I had mentioned "I was undettered by the way things were going all around me" And the Lord so beautifully revealed not just today's verse but He also answered a lot of other questions that have been running in my head for years... Let me explain...
I have a savings of zero (not proud of it !) and my entire family is dependant on my salary. If I were to lose this job or if I didnt get my salary on time the effects would be an immediate impact to my family. Every month even if I drop by the money to my folks by the 5th it becomes difficult for them to manage the first few days of the month (bills need to be paid,provisons for the month ...and having my two nephews with us.... Im sure you can understand). But by God's grace I am undettered. By the view of the world its a "Oh no what are you going to do ? " situation... But we dont live by the rules of the world... We walk by Faith and not by sight.... God is in charge and He will provide. I just need to keep trusting in Him.
I have personally tasted and seen how amazing it is to trust completely in the Lord . The Bible says in Psalm 100 : 4 "For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting " . Our God is so good... He loved us first !
I could keep quoting incidents from my life of about how faithful God has been... I mean I remember when I had just joined college and I cried and prayed to the Lord one night because we didnt have the money for a scientific calculator which costs only 400 and it was announced not to enter college without one. I got a call next morning from a member of my church and I thought he just wanted to pray for me since I had joined college and when I went there he said "The Lord asked me to give you this..." and I looked at his hand to find a wonderful Scientific Calculator (Texas Instruments) . God gave me better than the best. And do note.. No one ...absolutely no one other than my own family knew of the financial crunch ... because to everyone else we were this upper middle class family.
It not just financial situations... But every area of our lives that God is so ever faithful...The only thing we need to do is trust in Him.
I remember I used to be the person to always question "Lord why is this happening... "... but as I grew in the Lord I understood better... and today the answer couldnt be clearer... I can truly say I know what it is to have nothing to fall back on in the world... but to totally fall into the arms of our Heavenly Father and trusting in Him completely.
James 1 :2-4 says " My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
God's ways is so much higher than hours. If He wills something to happen in our lives its only for the glory of His Name. We just need to hold on Him and trust Him .
Taste and See that the Lord is good ; Blessed is the man that trusts in Him.
I pray that every day that we live, that we live it in total submission to our Lord. That we personally taste His goodness and live lives of testimony for His glory
God Bless
"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!"
Psalm 34:8 (New King James Version)
'Taste and see'.... such a key thing... Its so different when someone else explains something and when you personaly taste God and know how amazing He is first hand.
I do admit that while growing up there were a lot of things that I heard in church that went over my head. Like when someone said "God spoke to me" I would wonder "Huh ? Did he hear a booming voice out of the skies???" or when someone very rich would say "Dont worry, God is there to supply all your need" I would think "ya ya you dont know what it is to be poor how can you talk? "
But its only when I personally experienced the touch of God in my life did I understand.
As always I was praying to the Lord for today's verse and as I opened my inbox I saw that I received an email regarding the text that I had written the other day where I had mentioned "I was undettered by the way things were going all around me" And the Lord so beautifully revealed not just today's verse but He also answered a lot of other questions that have been running in my head for years... Let me explain...
I have a savings of zero (not proud of it !) and my entire family is dependant on my salary. If I were to lose this job or if I didnt get my salary on time the effects would be an immediate impact to my family. Every month even if I drop by the money to my folks by the 5th it becomes difficult for them to manage the first few days of the month (bills need to be paid,provisons for the month ...and having my two nephews with us.... Im sure you can understand). But by God's grace I am undettered. By the view of the world its a "Oh no what are you going to do ? " situation... But we dont live by the rules of the world... We walk by Faith and not by sight.... God is in charge and He will provide. I just need to keep trusting in Him.
I have personally tasted and seen how amazing it is to trust completely in the Lord . The Bible says in Psalm 100 : 4 "For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting " . Our God is so good... He loved us first !
I could keep quoting incidents from my life of about how faithful God has been... I mean I remember when I had just joined college and I cried and prayed to the Lord one night because we didnt have the money for a scientific calculator which costs only 400 and it was announced not to enter college without one. I got a call next morning from a member of my church and I thought he just wanted to pray for me since I had joined college and when I went there he said "The Lord asked me to give you this..." and I looked at his hand to find a wonderful Scientific Calculator (Texas Instruments) . God gave me better than the best. And do note.. No one ...absolutely no one other than my own family knew of the financial crunch ... because to everyone else we were this upper middle class family.
It not just financial situations... But every area of our lives that God is so ever faithful...The only thing we need to do is trust in Him.
I remember I used to be the person to always question "Lord why is this happening... "... but as I grew in the Lord I understood better... and today the answer couldnt be clearer... I can truly say I know what it is to have nothing to fall back on in the world... but to totally fall into the arms of our Heavenly Father and trusting in Him completely.
James 1 :2-4 says " My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
God's ways is so much higher than hours. If He wills something to happen in our lives its only for the glory of His Name. We just need to hold on Him and trust Him .
Taste and See that the Lord is good ; Blessed is the man that trusts in Him.
I pray that every day that we live, that we live it in total submission to our Lord. That we personally taste His goodness and live lives of testimony for His glory
God Bless
Our Rock in uncertainities
Thursday, February 12, 2009 10:03 AM
" I will love You, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies. "
Psalm 18 :1-3 (New King James Version)
I just got off a call with a good friend of mine and he was confused at the calmness of my voice and my approach to the current situation (with the uncertainity of the IT sector and jobs...). I honestly hadnt realized that I was undettered by the way things were going all around me.
Praise the Lord for His peace that surpasses all understanding. Living everyday with just one thought "I love you Lord...You are my strength !" is just so amazing. I mean while the world is going crazy all around, we who put our trust in the Lord have no worries...we have no anxiety.
What a joy it is to have God as our strength. What a joy to have the Lord as our rock , as our fortress , as our deliverer. He is our strength in whom we trust.
He is our shield and the horn of our salvation... our stronghold ! Oh wow ! What a blessing it is to trust in the Lord and call Him our Father. He is our everything... Our strength , our joy,... the very foundation upon which we stand.
He alone is worthy of our praise ! And when we call upon the Lord , he delivers and saves us...
To break it down in steps...
1.Love the Lord...
2.Make the Lord your only strength...Put your trust in Him (and when you trust Him , dont try doing things on your own in the meanwhile... Its like asking God to drive the car but then you control the steering wheel and all :) ...Trust completely in the Lord... He is perfect and so are His plans for each and every one of us)
3.Call upon the Lord
4.Know that He alone is worthy to be praised.
And when you have done the above, be rest assured that the Lord is
1.YOUR STRENGTH
2.YOUR ROCK
3.YOUR FORTRESS
4.YOUR DELIVERER
5. YOUR SHIELD
6.THE HORN OF YOUR SALVATION
7.YOUR STRONGHOLD
Have a blessed day knowing that you put your trust in the Lord. Spread the joy of the Lord who is your strength .
If you have any questions with regards to the verse for the day or have a prayer request or have a testimony to share, please feel free to send a mail to sparks.ablaze@gmail.com
God Bless
When I am weak, then I am Strong
Wednesday, February 11, 2009 10:48 AM
" And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong"
II Corinthians 12 : 9-10 (New King James Version)
As I was driving to work I was praying asking the Lord what is today's verse for the day ... In my personal meditation I have been reading the book of Isaiah and John.... And the Lord put this verse in my heart... and I wondered what is it that the Lord is going to reveal... And as I picked up my Bible and read this verse, things became so clear...
Lets read the last line of verse 10 "For when I am weak, then I am strong".... Praise the Lord for His Holy word.
Our greatest strength is knowing that we are nothing on our own but that God is our Rock , Our Refuge and Our Fortress... He is our everything ... And through Him we are strong !
When we boast of being strong without God thats when we are the weakest
When we humbly acknowledge that we are nothing and weak without God thats when we are the strongest
Sometimes its easy to get carried away when things keep going right and perfect.... we tend to leave God out of the equation.... But when problems arise we suddenly realize "I cant do anything ...Everything is in the hands of God"
The Lord says that His grace is sufficient for us ! Thats all we need... God's grace !
Lets pray that we live every moment of our lives leaning totally upon God , for His grace is sufficient for us !
God Bless
" And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong"
II Corinthians 12 : 9-10 (New King James Version)
As I was driving to work I was praying asking the Lord what is today's verse for the day ... In my personal meditation I have been reading the book of Isaiah and John.... And the Lord put this verse in my heart... and I wondered what is it that the Lord is going to reveal... And as I picked up my Bible and read this verse, things became so clear...
Lets read the last line of verse 10 "For when I am weak, then I am strong".... Praise the Lord for His Holy word.
Our greatest strength is knowing that we are nothing on our own but that God is our Rock , Our Refuge and Our Fortress... He is our everything ... And through Him we are strong !
When we boast of being strong without God thats when we are the weakest
When we humbly acknowledge that we are nothing and weak without God thats when we are the strongest
Sometimes its easy to get carried away when things keep going right and perfect.... we tend to leave God out of the equation.... But when problems arise we suddenly realize "I cant do anything ...Everything is in the hands of God"
The Lord says that His grace is sufficient for us ! Thats all we need... God's grace !
Lets pray that we live every moment of our lives leaning totally upon God , for His grace is sufficient for us !
God Bless
The word of our God stands forever
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 9:51 AM
“ All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”
Isaiah 40 : 6-8 (New King James Version)
It does not take much time for laziness to creep in especially when it comes to spending time with the word of God or spending time in prayer.
While I was reading this passage it was like the words came and hit me "ALL FLESH IS GRASS.... BUT THE WORD OF OUR GOD STANDS FOREVER"
No matter how busy we are or how lazy we are or where we are, we always get time to comb our hair all neatly ... checking ourselves in every glass that reflects to make sure we still look good.... Make sure we eat during the day... Spend at least 2 hours a day in talking to friends over the phone,messages,emails....Make sure our clothes are well ironed .... for us girls it gets a level higher with making sure the mascara is in place... putting that final touch of compact on the face.... I dont think guys are any less these days with the hair gel and all :)
The point being that all that is being done is for the flesh which is grass !! It will wither and we dont even know when....
For something as futile as grass we give so much of our time , so much of our importance ...how much more to the word of God which stands Forever !
We need to understand the reality of our personal christian life. We need to analyze what are the things that are taking precedence over spending time with the Lord .
Dont get me wrong ... Im not saying be clumsy and look like a clown.... All Im trying to drive here is if our flesh is getting our undivided attention with a priority higher than the word of God then there is some major change that has to be done...
I know the number of times I have woken up at 5AM after just 2 hours of sleep to get back to the office to finish up some important deliverables... But then the number of times when it comes to the word of God and praying that I tell myself "Im too tired... God will understand" ..... We need to change this attitude...
The twenty minutes we spend in combing our hair before reaching the office and after reaching can all be blown away with the tiniest gust of wind... The neat clothes we wear can get runined in a second with someone dropping their cup of coffee by accident....
The fact that you reached office safely and are reading this mail.... purely God's grace and His mercy... Did we thank the Lord for that before we went about adjusting our hair ?
God Bless
“ All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”
Isaiah 40 : 6-8 (New King James Version)
It does not take much time for laziness to creep in especially when it comes to spending time with the word of God or spending time in prayer.
While I was reading this passage it was like the words came and hit me "ALL FLESH IS GRASS.... BUT THE WORD OF OUR GOD STANDS FOREVER"
No matter how busy we are or how lazy we are or where we are, we always get time to comb our hair all neatly ... checking ourselves in every glass that reflects to make sure we still look good.... Make sure we eat during the day... Spend at least 2 hours a day in talking to friends over the phone,messages,emails....Make sure our clothes are well ironed .... for us girls it gets a level higher with making sure the mascara is in place... putting that final touch of compact on the face.... I dont think guys are any less these days with the hair gel and all :)
The point being that all that is being done is for the flesh which is grass !! It will wither and we dont even know when....
For something as futile as grass we give so much of our time , so much of our importance ...how much more to the word of God which stands Forever !
We need to understand the reality of our personal christian life. We need to analyze what are the things that are taking precedence over spending time with the Lord .
Dont get me wrong ... Im not saying be clumsy and look like a clown.... All Im trying to drive here is if our flesh is getting our undivided attention with a priority higher than the word of God then there is some major change that has to be done...
I know the number of times I have woken up at 5AM after just 2 hours of sleep to get back to the office to finish up some important deliverables... But then the number of times when it comes to the word of God and praying that I tell myself "Im too tired... God will understand" ..... We need to change this attitude...
The twenty minutes we spend in combing our hair before reaching the office and after reaching can all be blown away with the tiniest gust of wind... The neat clothes we wear can get runined in a second with someone dropping their cup of coffee by accident....
The fact that you reached office safely and are reading this mail.... purely God's grace and His mercy... Did we thank the Lord for that before we went about adjusting our hair ?
God Bless
Its time to be set free !
Friday, January 30, 2009 8:48 AM
"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."
John 8:36 (New King James Version)
We need to stop listening to the lies of the devil who keeps saying "you are a loser" ,"God will never forgive you " . "there is no hope for you " , "you are a disappointment to everyone.", "if everyone knew the real you and the inner sins of you they will hate you ...nobody knows you ...nobody loves you"
Praise the Lord for our Father who knows us and has purposes already chartered out for us even before time began . He knows us better than we know ourselves. There is not a single thing that He does not know about us...
HE KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT US AND STILL LOVES US ! The psalmist says in chapter 8 "What is man that You are mindful of him"
He knows every tear, He knows every struggle, He knows every desire,... He knows everything.
And He is calling us to Him... He died for us... He has already paid the price for us.... All we need to do know is to come into His Holy presence and ask Him to forgive us.
The Bible says in Psalm 51:16-17
" For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise."
The word contrite means "filled with a sense of guilt and the desire for atonement" .
Enough of letting the Devil dictate who we are... Its time to come into the light... Cast all our budens upon the Lord... There is no greater name than the name of Jesus. And when the Son makes us free, we shall be free indeed.
Wow.... doesnt it feel awesome to have that weight lifted off ... to be totally liberated from any heaviness of sin knowing that the Son has set us free.
And now that we are free no one can tell us otherwise...
What are you waiting for ? Its time to be set free !
For those thinking that "I dont need to ask God forgiveness I have not done anything wrong ..."....remember the Bible says that our righteousness is like filthy rags.
We serve a Holy God who is pure and blameless in whom there is no sin. How blessed are we that we can call the great I AM as Our Father !
God Bless
"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."
John 8:36 (New King James Version)
We need to stop listening to the lies of the devil who keeps saying "you are a loser" ,"God will never forgive you " . "there is no hope for you " , "you are a disappointment to everyone.", "if everyone knew the real you and the inner sins of you they will hate you ...nobody knows you ...nobody loves you"
Praise the Lord for our Father who knows us and has purposes already chartered out for us even before time began . He knows us better than we know ourselves. There is not a single thing that He does not know about us...
HE KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT US AND STILL LOVES US ! The psalmist says in chapter 8 "What is man that You are mindful of him"
He knows every tear, He knows every struggle, He knows every desire,... He knows everything.
And He is calling us to Him... He died for us... He has already paid the price for us.... All we need to do know is to come into His Holy presence and ask Him to forgive us.
The Bible says in Psalm 51:16-17
" For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise."
The word contrite means "filled with a sense of guilt and the desire for atonement" .
Enough of letting the Devil dictate who we are... Its time to come into the light... Cast all our budens upon the Lord... There is no greater name than the name of Jesus. And when the Son makes us free, we shall be free indeed.
Wow.... doesnt it feel awesome to have that weight lifted off ... to be totally liberated from any heaviness of sin knowing that the Son has set us free.
And now that we are free no one can tell us otherwise...
What are you waiting for ? Its time to be set free !
For those thinking that "I dont need to ask God forgiveness I have not done anything wrong ..."....remember the Bible says that our righteousness is like filthy rags.
We serve a Holy God who is pure and blameless in whom there is no sin. How blessed are we that we can call the great I AM as Our Father !
God Bless
Where there is light there can be no darkness
Thursday, January 29, 2009 10:25 AM
"I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness"
John 12:46 (New King James Version)
Today's message is simple and straightforward as ever.... Where there is light there can be no darkness. Light dispels darkness.
The Bible says that whoever believes in our Lord Jesus Christ should not abide in darkness.
Its as simple as that. Jesus Christ is the light of the world. And when we believe in Him we need to ensure that our lives have no darkspots in it.
Can I go to that pub ? NO
Can I take a bribe ? NO
Can I lie ? NO A tiny little lie ? NO
Can I casually flirt with that guy/girl ? NO
Can I spend my day without reading the Bible or saying my prayers because I am busy and too tired ? NO
Can I illegaly manipulate my taxes or give false bills ? NO
The Bible says we are to present ourselves as a living sacrifice Holy and acceptable to God ! We cant have darkness residing in us and still say we believe in Jesus Christ.
God Bless
"I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness"
John 12:46 (New King James Version)
Today's message is simple and straightforward as ever.... Where there is light there can be no darkness. Light dispels darkness.
The Bible says that whoever believes in our Lord Jesus Christ should not abide in darkness.
Its as simple as that. Jesus Christ is the light of the world. And when we believe in Him we need to ensure that our lives have no darkspots in it.
Can I go to that pub ? NO
Can I take a bribe ? NO
Can I lie ? NO A tiny little lie ? NO
Can I casually flirt with that guy/girl ? NO
Can I spend my day without reading the Bible or saying my prayers because I am busy and too tired ? NO
Can I illegaly manipulate my taxes or give false bills ? NO
The Bible says we are to present ourselves as a living sacrifice Holy and acceptable to God ! We cant have darkness residing in us and still say we believe in Jesus Christ.
God Bless
Are u preparing? ... Are u listening ?
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 10:55 AM
Instead of the Verse for the Day, today the Lord has laid on my heart a little more heavier a message for you. I pray that your eyes may be opened and your hearts be ready to take this in.
Before I start the message lets say a small prayer together "Father I pray Lord that Your word will break through every barrier of unbelief , of laziness and a slack lukewarm attitude. Father I pray that Your word will touch and change the lives of those who read it and that the hunger for You will increase. Father may Your hand of favour be upon this and may Your Holy Peace fill our lives. May You Lord alone be the one we seek ...our source of Comfort, our Best Friend and our Sovreign Holy God. In the Name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we ask, we believe and we receive. Amen"
Lets turn our Bibles to 1 Kings 19 : 4-13 (Here is a good online link for reading the Bible http://www.biblegateway.com/)
Verses 4-8 goes like like this
"4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!” 5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.”
6 Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the LORD came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” 8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God."
Elijah had reached the peak of his tolerance , his stamina and his ability to go forward . Being the great man of God that he was you can imagine how the situation must have been for him to cry out to the Lord asking for death.
But Praise the Lord that our Father forgives us for our idle words spoken in our weakness. Praise the Lord that He does not give us everything we ask in prayer.
Are you tired and weary today ? Is loneliness , anxiety, financial worries, uncertainities of the future, family issues,... weighing heavily upon you ?
Be Patient and wait on the Lord. This is a time of preparation.
In v6 we read that an angel touched him and said to him "Arise and eat" These words are the key for today's message.... ARISE AND EAT !
When Elijah looked he saw by his head was a cake that was baked on coals and a jar of water.
The Lord has given us His Holy Word and His Holy Spirit. Its time to Arise and Eat !!
When we read verses 6-8 we see that the angel of the Lord came back a second time and said "Arise and eat,because the journey is too great for you"
The journey ahead of us might be too great. But if we choose to arise and eat of His Word and drink of the Living Waters then His grace will sustain us... He will be our strength. The Lord has already done everything for us... He took our place on the cross , He died for our sins ,...He sent us the Holy Spirit... We have His Holy Word.... All that we need to do is to Arise and Eat and we will get through the journey.
Please note that the journey does not disappear. But if we arise and eat then we walk in the strength of the Lord. We read in verse 8 that he went in the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights.
Its time to Arise and Eat my brothers and sisters in Christ. The journey ahead is quite a lot and its time that we start walking in the strength of the Lord .
ARISE & EAT .
As we continue reading the verses we see that Elijah went into a cave and the word of the Lord came to him. The Lord said "Go out, stand on the mountain before the Lord ."
Elijah was in a place where he thought he was safe. He took his refuge in a cave. And the Lord daid to him (in verse 9) "What are you doing here Elijah?"
Are you taking shelter in a place that you think is right ? The Lord is going to question you saying "What are you doing there?? " Its obviously not where God wants you to be. Do not lean on your own understanding.
Next we need to understand that when we stand upon the Rock our Lord and Saviour we need to have no fear. Come out of the caves and listen to the word of the Lord saying "Go out , stand on the mountain before the Lord"
When you stand on the word of God you go out in boldness. If you are afraid of what people are going to say and you take a passive position , the Lord is saying ..."Go out, stand on the mountain"
Its time to COME OUT OF THE CAVES
Here is the best part... Are you listening ??
As we read verses 11-13 we read that a great strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces,but the Lord was not in the wind;and after the wind an earthquake,but the Lord was not in the earthquake;and after the earthquake a fire,but the Lord was not in the fire !!!!
Be sensitive to the voice of God.
Not everything that you see which seems mighty or seems fascinating is of the Lord. Do not be carried away ! Be sensitive to the voice of the Lord and learn to recognize where He is and go there.
We read that after the fire there was a still small voice. And when Elijah heard it , he wrapped his face in his mantle ! That voice was the Lord.
Sometimes we get carried away in the winds, the earthquakes, the fire .... things that seem to catch our attention ...but alas the Lord was not there in them.
Be sensitive to know where the Lord is..... Be sensitive to spend time in His presense and listen .... and we will hear His voice.
LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF GOD
God Bless
Instead of the Verse for the Day, today the Lord has laid on my heart a little more heavier a message for you. I pray that your eyes may be opened and your hearts be ready to take this in.
Before I start the message lets say a small prayer together "Father I pray Lord that Your word will break through every barrier of unbelief , of laziness and a slack lukewarm attitude. Father I pray that Your word will touch and change the lives of those who read it and that the hunger for You will increase. Father may Your hand of favour be upon this and may Your Holy Peace fill our lives. May You Lord alone be the one we seek ...our source of Comfort, our Best Friend and our Sovreign Holy God. In the Name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we ask, we believe and we receive. Amen"
Lets turn our Bibles to 1 Kings 19 : 4-13 (Here is a good online link for reading the Bible http://www.biblegateway.com/)
Verses 4-8 goes like like this
"4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!” 5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.”
6 Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the LORD came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” 8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God."
Elijah had reached the peak of his tolerance , his stamina and his ability to go forward . Being the great man of God that he was you can imagine how the situation must have been for him to cry out to the Lord asking for death.
But Praise the Lord that our Father forgives us for our idle words spoken in our weakness. Praise the Lord that He does not give us everything we ask in prayer.
Are you tired and weary today ? Is loneliness , anxiety, financial worries, uncertainities of the future, family issues,... weighing heavily upon you ?
Be Patient and wait on the Lord. This is a time of preparation.
In v6 we read that an angel touched him and said to him "Arise and eat" These words are the key for today's message.... ARISE AND EAT !
When Elijah looked he saw by his head was a cake that was baked on coals and a jar of water.
The Lord has given us His Holy Word and His Holy Spirit. Its time to Arise and Eat !!
When we read verses 6-8 we see that the angel of the Lord came back a second time and said "Arise and eat,because the journey is too great for you"
The journey ahead of us might be too great. But if we choose to arise and eat of His Word and drink of the Living Waters then His grace will sustain us... He will be our strength. The Lord has already done everything for us... He took our place on the cross , He died for our sins ,...He sent us the Holy Spirit... We have His Holy Word.... All that we need to do is to Arise and Eat and we will get through the journey.
Please note that the journey does not disappear. But if we arise and eat then we walk in the strength of the Lord. We read in verse 8 that he went in the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights.
Its time to Arise and Eat my brothers and sisters in Christ. The journey ahead is quite a lot and its time that we start walking in the strength of the Lord .
ARISE & EAT .
As we continue reading the verses we see that Elijah went into a cave and the word of the Lord came to him. The Lord said "Go out, stand on the mountain before the Lord ."
Elijah was in a place where he thought he was safe. He took his refuge in a cave. And the Lord daid to him (in verse 9) "What are you doing here Elijah?"
Are you taking shelter in a place that you think is right ? The Lord is going to question you saying "What are you doing there?? " Its obviously not where God wants you to be. Do not lean on your own understanding.
Next we need to understand that when we stand upon the Rock our Lord and Saviour we need to have no fear. Come out of the caves and listen to the word of the Lord saying "Go out , stand on the mountain before the Lord"
When you stand on the word of God you go out in boldness. If you are afraid of what people are going to say and you take a passive position , the Lord is saying ..."Go out, stand on the mountain"
Its time to COME OUT OF THE CAVES
Here is the best part... Are you listening ??
As we read verses 11-13 we read that a great strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces,but the Lord was not in the wind;and after the wind an earthquake,but the Lord was not in the earthquake;and after the earthquake a fire,but the Lord was not in the fire !!!!
Be sensitive to the voice of God.
Not everything that you see which seems mighty or seems fascinating is of the Lord. Do not be carried away ! Be sensitive to the voice of the Lord and learn to recognize where He is and go there.
We read that after the fire there was a still small voice. And when Elijah heard it , he wrapped his face in his mantle ! That voice was the Lord.
Sometimes we get carried away in the winds, the earthquakes, the fire .... things that seem to catch our attention ...but alas the Lord was not there in them.
Be sensitive to know where the Lord is..... Be sensitive to spend time in His presense and listen .... and we will hear His voice.
LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF GOD
God Bless
The Way, The Truth, and The Life
Monday, January 12, 2009 10:46 AM
"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me"
John 14:6 (New King James Version)
Chapter 14 starts with the words "Let not your heart be troubled"... such comforting words from our Father.
Jesus said He is the way, He is the truth and He is the life ! This should answer every question a person can possibly have...
Question : "I have no direction in life ... I dont know where to go and what to do "
Answer : Jesus is the way... walk in that way and He will direct your paths if you commit to Him
Question : "I am searching for the truth... I dont know whats real anymore... I dont know what to believe... I dont know who to trust...who is there ?"
Answer : Jesus is the truth . He is all you will ever need. Just lean on Him
Question : "What is the meaning of my life ? Why am I living ? "
Answer : Jesus is the life. You were created for Him...for His glory.... Seek Him and His plans for you will unfold
The Beauty of a Christian walk is the worldly uncertainity that comes with it . I believe I have mentioned this earlier once but strongly feel the need to say it again... Though things of the world may be uncertain we have spiritual surety.. We have the King of Kings as our heavenly father... We are a royal priesthood...
Though we may be walking on water like Peter where every step is uncertain , lets make sure our eyes stay focussed on Jesus and not on the wind thats blowing around us or the uncertainity of the water ....
We lean on Jesus...He is the Rock ....Our very foundation upon which we stand... No uncertainity can move us... Nor can anything come near us... As long as we set or eyes upon him
He is our everything ...
I love this verse from Psalm 91
14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
Do remember "Because he has set his love upon Me".... All God wants us to do is to love Him, submit to Him and lean on Him and He will take care of everything
It cant get simpler than this !
God Bless
"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me"
John 14:6 (New King James Version)
Chapter 14 starts with the words "Let not your heart be troubled"... such comforting words from our Father.
Jesus said He is the way, He is the truth and He is the life ! This should answer every question a person can possibly have...
Question : "I have no direction in life ... I dont know where to go and what to do "
Answer : Jesus is the way... walk in that way and He will direct your paths if you commit to Him
Question : "I am searching for the truth... I dont know whats real anymore... I dont know what to believe... I dont know who to trust...who is there ?"
Answer : Jesus is the truth . He is all you will ever need. Just lean on Him
Question : "What is the meaning of my life ? Why am I living ? "
Answer : Jesus is the life. You were created for Him...for His glory.... Seek Him and His plans for you will unfold
The Beauty of a Christian walk is the worldly uncertainity that comes with it . I believe I have mentioned this earlier once but strongly feel the need to say it again... Though things of the world may be uncertain we have spiritual surety.. We have the King of Kings as our heavenly father... We are a royal priesthood...
Though we may be walking on water like Peter where every step is uncertain , lets make sure our eyes stay focussed on Jesus and not on the wind thats blowing around us or the uncertainity of the water ....
We lean on Jesus...He is the Rock ....Our very foundation upon which we stand... No uncertainity can move us... Nor can anything come near us... As long as we set or eyes upon him
He is our everything ...
I love this verse from Psalm 91
14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
Do remember "Because he has set his love upon Me".... All God wants us to do is to love Him, submit to Him and lean on Him and He will take care of everything
It cant get simpler than this !
God Bless
My Mourning VS Their Mourning
"To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified"
Isaiah 61:3 ( New King James Version)
How wonderful it is to know the Lord and to be washed in His Blood. This morning however I felt its time to take a whole new look this year. The reason we are blessed is to be a blessing... The reason why we are saved is to draw others to salvation...The reason we are anointed is to reach out to others as led by the Holy Spirit
How many hours have we spent praying "Lord turn my mourning into joy" Vs How many hours have we spent saying " Lord turn their mourning into joy " ?
We cannot live on Milk... We cannot be infants in the Lord forever... It is essential to grow in the Lord... It is essential to bear fruits...
Do you remember the parable of the gardener where in the owner tells the gardener to cut down the tree because it is not bearing fruit... The gardner pleads saying to give it another chance ...
The crux being that the tree was not fulfilling the reason for which it was planted. It was planted to bear fruit ! It was not a rotten tree or anything like that ... It just wasnt fulfilling the purpose for which it was planted in the garden.
God has blessed us and chosen for purposes ordained before time began. I cant stress this factor enough. This is the Biblical truth.
We need to grow... We need to step up and realize that we are to be used as an instrument of the Lord to console those who mourn,to be used an instrument for the Lord to give beauty for ashes, oil of joy for mourning, spirit of Praise for spirit of heaviness......
Are you ready to be used of the Lord ? Are you ready for the Lord to be glorified through your life ?
Its time to step up !
God Bless
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified"
Isaiah 61:3 ( New King James Version)
How wonderful it is to know the Lord and to be washed in His Blood. This morning however I felt its time to take a whole new look this year. The reason we are blessed is to be a blessing... The reason why we are saved is to draw others to salvation...The reason we are anointed is to reach out to others as led by the Holy Spirit
How many hours have we spent praying "Lord turn my mourning into joy" Vs How many hours have we spent saying " Lord turn their mourning into joy " ?
We cannot live on Milk... We cannot be infants in the Lord forever... It is essential to grow in the Lord... It is essential to bear fruits...
Do you remember the parable of the gardener where in the owner tells the gardener to cut down the tree because it is not bearing fruit... The gardner pleads saying to give it another chance ...
The crux being that the tree was not fulfilling the reason for which it was planted. It was planted to bear fruit ! It was not a rotten tree or anything like that ... It just wasnt fulfilling the purpose for which it was planted in the garden.
God has blessed us and chosen for purposes ordained before time began. I cant stress this factor enough. This is the Biblical truth.
We need to grow... We need to step up and realize that we are to be used as an instrument of the Lord to console those who mourn,to be used an instrument for the Lord to give beauty for ashes, oil of joy for mourning, spirit of Praise for spirit of heaviness......
Are you ready to be used of the Lord ? Are you ready for the Lord to be glorified through your life ?
Its time to step up !
God Bless
Preordained Purposes
Friday, January 02, 2009 11:12 AM
"being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ"
Philippians 1:6 (New King James Version)
The Bible says that he has preordained purposes for us before time began ! Now our obedience towards seeking God's Holy will, sensitivity to hearing His voice and following the path which He has chosen for us has a bigger impact than what you and I can imagine !
The fact that we are alive this very minute in the year 2009 is itself a confirmation that God has a purpose for us. He has protected us,sheltered us and blessed us for a purpose for His Glory . Do you know what it is ? Do you know what is it that God wants you to do today ?
God has begun a good work in us and He will complete it because He is faithful . All we need to do is be obedient.
And it does not stop with that .... The work that God will complete in you if you are obedient will impact the generations to come.... And this will continue until the day of Jesus Christ !
Wow ! What an honor to be used of God for His glory !
Thats the best kind of work.
As a software engineer the work I sit and slog about might just impact a handful of people and might just affect people for a couple of months or years at the maximum. And to this I put in anything from 6hrs a day to 22hrs a day.
How much more obedience to our Lord is to be shown and time at His feet is to be spent for His Holy work ? Work which will have its impact until the day of Jesus Christ .
And you know the best part ? We dont have to do a thing ! All we need to do is be humble and submit ourselves to Him. He will complete the work in us for His glory.
I love the verse from Psalm 23 which says "He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake"
All we need to do is be obedient . Let this year be a year where we surrender ourselves totally to the Lord. Lets be obedient to His word and disciplined enough to get our priorities in the right order giving God His rightful place in our lives.
Dont try to fit God in your schedule .... He is your schedule !
God Bless
"being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ"
Philippians 1:6 (New King James Version)
The Bible says that he has preordained purposes for us before time began ! Now our obedience towards seeking God's Holy will, sensitivity to hearing His voice and following the path which He has chosen for us has a bigger impact than what you and I can imagine !
The fact that we are alive this very minute in the year 2009 is itself a confirmation that God has a purpose for us. He has protected us,sheltered us and blessed us for a purpose for His Glory . Do you know what it is ? Do you know what is it that God wants you to do today ?
God has begun a good work in us and He will complete it because He is faithful . All we need to do is be obedient.
And it does not stop with that .... The work that God will complete in you if you are obedient will impact the generations to come.... And this will continue until the day of Jesus Christ !
Wow ! What an honor to be used of God for His glory !
Thats the best kind of work.
As a software engineer the work I sit and slog about might just impact a handful of people and might just affect people for a couple of months or years at the maximum. And to this I put in anything from 6hrs a day to 22hrs a day.
How much more obedience to our Lord is to be shown and time at His feet is to be spent for His Holy work ? Work which will have its impact until the day of Jesus Christ .
And you know the best part ? We dont have to do a thing ! All we need to do is be humble and submit ourselves to Him. He will complete the work in us for His glory.
I love the verse from Psalm 23 which says "He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake"
All we need to do is be obedient . Let this year be a year where we surrender ourselves totally to the Lord. Lets be obedient to His word and disciplined enough to get our priorities in the right order giving God His rightful place in our lives.
Dont try to fit God in your schedule .... He is your schedule !
God Bless
Out of our heart ...
Tuesday, December 09, 2008 12:39 PM
"He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water"
John 7:38 (New King James Version)
What are the thoughts that are flowing out of your heart today ? The Bible says that he who believes in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ , out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.
Wow ! Out of our hearts is to flow rivers of living water . The living water which quenches every thirst. The Holy Spirit who will guide us, lead us , will teach us the word of God , ...
The gifts of the Spirit...
What is your heart inclined to this morning ? What is flowing out of our heart's today ?
Let us pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit to rest upon our lives and that we may walk in accordance with His Holy leading glorifying the name of Jesus in all that we do.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
Psalm 51:10
The Lord's countenance
Tuesday, December 02, 2008 1:03 PM
"The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace"
Numbers 6:26 (New King James Version)
My 5 year old nephew actually called me up this morning and said this blessing upon me. This was the perfect start for a new year in my life.
The Lord's countenance is upon us and He will give us peace ! What a wonderful blessing ! Our hearts need to be free from any kind of anxiety and worry.... The King of Kings , the Alpha and the Omega... The great I AM ... He is our Father and He will give us peace ! Wow
Im looking at some flowers on my desk right now and I have no words to describe its beauty . How wonderful our Lord is...Every minute detail about it is just so unbeliveable. from the color , to how every single petal is arranged , to the texture of the petal,.....And yet the Lord loves us sooooooo.... much more ....How much more are His designs , plans and purposes for our lives....
May the Peace that passeth all understanding rule in our hearts.
God Bless As You Mediate on His Word.
Mathew 6: 25-33 says
"25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble "
Abiding in Him
Friday, November 28, 2008 12:50 PM
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you"
John 15:7 (New King James Version)
Sometimes we have the habit of complicating things beyond what they are. When we dont know what the next step might be or when we get caught in a tough spot we go crazy !! We get anxious... we get worried...we start thinking with our own understanding ... we try to make our own human decisions....
When the Lord lead me to write regarding this verse I was so comforted by it. Its so beautiful.... Its about us abiding in our Lord and His words abiding in us ! Thats called a relationship ! Its so intimate.
This is such a beautiful passage... we are to be one with the Lord . And when we share such an intimate relationship with the Lord then our heart's desires are automatically in sync with God's will. The word of God abides in us and when we ask the Lord the desires of our hearts its shall be done for us.
Are we having an intimate relationship with our Lord ? Does He abide in us ? Do His words abide in us ?
When His word abides in us , The Lord's light will shine forth so that you will know the path than you need to tread.
Psalm 119 : 105 says "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path"
God Bless
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you"
John 15:7 (New King James Version)
Sometimes we have the habit of complicating things beyond what they are. When we dont know what the next step might be or when we get caught in a tough spot we go crazy !! We get anxious... we get worried...we start thinking with our own understanding ... we try to make our own human decisions....
When the Lord lead me to write regarding this verse I was so comforted by it. Its so beautiful.... Its about us abiding in our Lord and His words abiding in us ! Thats called a relationship ! Its so intimate.
This is such a beautiful passage... we are to be one with the Lord . And when we share such an intimate relationship with the Lord then our heart's desires are automatically in sync with God's will. The word of God abides in us and when we ask the Lord the desires of our hearts its shall be done for us.
Are we having an intimate relationship with our Lord ? Does He abide in us ? Do His words abide in us ?
When His word abides in us , The Lord's light will shine forth so that you will know the path than you need to tread.
Psalm 119 : 105 says "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path"
God Bless
Let our eyes be opened
Monday, November 24, 2008 11:17 AM
"Open my eyes, that I may see
Wondrous things from Your law"
Psalm 119:18 (New King James Version)
Ever looked at a situation and thought to yourself , " I have no idea what to think or what to do".
There are always going to be situations, circumstances that come up for which we may have no idea about and may not be able to decide about .
However if we look to the Lord and meditate on His word , the Lord will open our eyes to see things of Him, things from His word.
When Peter walked on the water trying to reach Christ , the moment his focus shifted from Christ to the wind and the water he began to sink.
He looked to the situation and not to the Saviour !!
Mathew 14:29-32 says "So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. "
Are you taking steps of Faith looking to Christ alone or are you letting situations and circumstances of the water below you and the wind around you dictate your faith ?
Let our eyes be opened to see the wonders from His law... let our focus always be Christ and Christ alone. Everything will automatically set in place.
As long as our focus is on Christ , our walk is supernatural ....
God Bless
"Open my eyes, that I may see
Wondrous things from Your law"
Psalm 119:18 (New King James Version)
Ever looked at a situation and thought to yourself , " I have no idea what to think or what to do".
There are always going to be situations, circumstances that come up for which we may have no idea about and may not be able to decide about .
However if we look to the Lord and meditate on His word , the Lord will open our eyes to see things of Him, things from His word.
When Peter walked on the water trying to reach Christ , the moment his focus shifted from Christ to the wind and the water he began to sink.
He looked to the situation and not to the Saviour !!
Mathew 14:29-32 says "So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. "
Are you taking steps of Faith looking to Christ alone or are you letting situations and circumstances of the water below you and the wind around you dictate your faith ?
Let our eyes be opened to see the wonders from His law... let our focus always be Christ and Christ alone. Everything will automatically set in place.
As long as our focus is on Christ , our walk is supernatural ....
God Bless
In His Time
Thursday, November 20, 2008 5:32 PM
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end."
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (New King James Version)
Every flower that blooms, the grass that we see on the side of the road.... every hair that falls ... nothing can happen without the knowledge of God.
There is a time for everything.
What is God asking you to do now ? This time that you now have, what does God have planned for you ?
Verse 1 in the same chapter says "To everything there is a season , A time for every purpose under heaven"
Our God plans things so perfectly from beginning to end and our minds cant even begin to comprehend it .
2 Corinthians 5:17 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new"
Wow , new beautiful things are in store for us
Lets continue to seek the will of our Lord and in His time we will see His wonderful plans unfold.
God Bless
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end."
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (New King James Version)
Every flower that blooms, the grass that we see on the side of the road.... every hair that falls ... nothing can happen without the knowledge of God.
There is a time for everything.
What is God asking you to do now ? This time that you now have, what does God have planned for you ?
Verse 1 in the same chapter says "To everything there is a season , A time for every purpose under heaven"
Our God plans things so perfectly from beginning to end and our minds cant even begin to comprehend it .
2 Corinthians 5:17 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new"
Wow , new beautiful things are in store for us
Lets continue to seek the will of our Lord and in His time we will see His wonderful plans unfold.
God Bless
Waiting on the Lord
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 9:04 PM
"But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint"
Isaiah 40:31 (New King James Version)
All of us want to have quick answers to our questions ! Someone once said that we are in the 'Instant' age ...instant coffee, instant mail, instant food and we expect instant answers to our prayers.
However there is beauty in waiting upon the Lord . The Bible says those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength ... Its a time of preparation where you get equipped to walk , run and fly the Lord's way !
In Exodus we read that while Moses went up the Mountain to get instructions and the commandments from the Lord the Israelites were expected to wait .
However they couldnt do that ! The Lord wanted to do so much but they just couldnt wait. Instead of waiting for God's word they decided to have their own way and have their own God. Aaron yeilding to the pressure from the people built a golden calf and an altar. They all ended up confessing with their mouths that the idol was the Lord that brought them out of Egypt !
Lets not be impatient and try and decide with our own thinking whats right... lets wait on the Lord...
Lets not be like Aaron yeilding to pressure and take steps in a direction which is very evidently not of God
Lets wait on the Lord and we shall see His perfect plan fulfilled in our lives
James 1 :3-4 says " knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing"
God Bless
Let the words of my mouth...
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 8:10 AM
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer"
Psalm 19:14 (New King James Version)
Ever been in a situation wherein you say or act in a manner that you are not supposed to ? I find myself in that situation all too often !
Its so easy to get words out that arent in line with the way God wants us to say... its so easy to let thoughts dwell within our hearts which are again not inline with what God would want. It can be the smallest of things... but we need to realize that only with things which are inline with the will of God can we see the fruits which are God ordained.
This morning as I knelt down to pray I was thinking about something silly which had gotten the better of me yesterday and I was like 'Lord Im sorry...' and the Lord reminded me of Psalm 25:15 "My eyes are ever toward the LORD, For He shall pluck my feet out of the net" .
It was kind of amusing...Its like no matter what mess we might get ourselves into God is so patient and willing to pluck our feet patiently out from the net ! How loving our Father is ! All we need to do is look to Him and He is there for us.
Every word and every action needs to be for the edification of others and for the glory of God.
This morning let it be our prayer that the words of our mouth and the meditation of our hearts will be acceptable to our Lord who is our strength and our redemeer
God Bless
The Power of Prayer
Monday, November 17, 2008 11:02 AM
"And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness"
Acts 4:31 (New King James Version)
Prayer is said not be a time where you change God's thoughts to align with your mind... its a time when you align your heart with God's thoughts.
Its a wonderful time with our Father... The Bible says when they prayed the place where they were assembled shook !!! Imagine that !!
You feel the ground moving and then you are wondering whats happening ? Perhaps an earthquake ? But then someone comes out and says "Dont worry I was just praying ! "
There is so much power in prayer...
You know whats even more special ? There so much of Love in prayer .
The Bible says among Faith, Hope and Love the greatest of these is Love
You wake up to the presence of your Saviour....Start the day by telling Him how much you love Him
We dont need a reason to pray just like we dont need a reason to talk to our friends... Its just the joy in being in their presence that makes us want to be with them... How much more the desire to be in the presence of our Father who also is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords !
The Angels cry Holy Holy Holy... To such a marvelous Saviour all you need to say is 'Dad' and He is listening intently to every word you have to say ! Wow !
Thats how precious you are to Him !!!
Dont miss out on the power of Prayer.
God Bless
"And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness"
Acts 4:31 (New King James Version)
Prayer is said not be a time where you change God's thoughts to align with your mind... its a time when you align your heart with God's thoughts.
Its a wonderful time with our Father... The Bible says when they prayed the place where they were assembled shook !!! Imagine that !!
You feel the ground moving and then you are wondering whats happening ? Perhaps an earthquake ? But then someone comes out and says "Dont worry I was just praying ! "
There is so much power in prayer...
You know whats even more special ? There so much of Love in prayer .
The Bible says among Faith, Hope and Love the greatest of these is Love
You wake up to the presence of your Saviour....Start the day by telling Him how much you love Him
We dont need a reason to pray just like we dont need a reason to talk to our friends... Its just the joy in being in their presence that makes us want to be with them... How much more the desire to be in the presence of our Father who also is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords !
The Angels cry Holy Holy Holy... To such a marvelous Saviour all you need to say is 'Dad' and He is listening intently to every word you have to say ! Wow !
Thats how precious you are to Him !!!
Dont miss out on the power of Prayer.
God Bless
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power
Thursday, November 13, 2008 10:14 AM
"Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite."
Psalm 147:5
Ever saw a cartoon or a movie wherein these kids have parents who are really super heroes and the kids dont know that until one day they suddenly find out that they are able to jump a 100ft up into the sky ?
Well sometimes we are like those kids... we dont realize how amazing our Father is.. and as a result how blessed and empowered we are.
Did you know that because you are a Child of God that when you pray healings will take place ? Demons will flee ?
Did you know that you do have so many gifts like that of Prophecy ,gift of Miracles...
Do you know that the Bible says that to everyone is given a gift(s).
What is yours ?
Have you not used the power of Healing that God has given you because you did not realise who your Father is ?
Our Father is the greatest superhero !! He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords
And You in turn become a Royal Priesthood, Conquerors....
Wow ... Do you know what you can do because Christ lives in you ?
"Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite."
Psalm 147:5
Ever saw a cartoon or a movie wherein these kids have parents who are really super heroes and the kids dont know that until one day they suddenly find out that they are able to jump a 100ft up into the sky ?
Well sometimes we are like those kids... we dont realize how amazing our Father is.. and as a result how blessed and empowered we are.
Did you know that because you are a Child of God that when you pray healings will take place ? Demons will flee ?
Did you know that you do have so many gifts like that of Prophecy ,gift of Miracles...
Do you know that the Bible says that to everyone is given a gift(s).
What is yours ?
Have you not used the power of Healing that God has given you because you did not realise who your Father is ?
Our Father is the greatest superhero !! He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords
And You in turn become a Royal Priesthood, Conquerors....
Wow ... Do you know what you can do because Christ lives in you ?
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