"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
I Thessalonians 5: 16-18 (New King James Version)
Ever wondered what God's will is ??
Its simple and straight foward ! The Bible says Rejoice always, Pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks ! And why should we do all of these ? Because this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us !
What happens when we follow the will of God ? We read in Phillipians 4 :4-7 "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus"
How many of us want that ? The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will be guarding our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus ! Such a blessing !!
I pray that we yearn to do His will....Lets Rejoice , pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks !
God Bless
Friday, March 27, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Look what the Lord has done ! :)
"And the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you.” "
Joshua 10 : 8 (New King James Version)
A lil background regarding the context of this verse.... The inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel after Joshua had taken Ai,Jericho and had destroyed it . Gibeon itself was like a royal city ...Now the King of Jerusalem conspired with the other Kings of the Amorites to attack Gibeon. Then the Kings and all their armies camped before Gibeon and made war against it.The men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua who was at his camp in Gilgal saying "Do not forsake your servants; come up to us quickly, save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the mountains have gathered together against us"
So now Joshua and all the people of war and all the mighty men of valor ascended from Gilgal and were on their way to Gibeon.And the Lord said to Joshua "Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you"
Lets break this down...
->Do not fear them
->For I have delivered them into your hand
->Not a man of them shall stand before you
Do not fear them : Ever been in a situation where it seems that everyone is ganging up on you ? Ever been in a situation that where people whom you have led to the Lord have found themselves in certain problems that seem bigger than before ? The Lord says "DO NOT FEAR" ! As long as we walk in His way , everything is for His glory ! Everything !
For I have delivered them into your hand : The Lord has already given us victory over our enemies ! And you know what ? He takes care of it all. We just need to do our part. As we continue reading Joshua 10, we see in verses 9-10 that the Lord routed them before Israel.... In otherwords he brought about confusion in the armies of the Kings of the Amorites... Wow ! Isnt that awesome ! The armies of five kings against Joshua and his men...And look at how wonderfully the Lord worked ! Its amazing ! We read in Isaiah 28: 21 "For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim, He will be angry as in the Valley of Gibeon— That He may do His work, His awesome work, And bring to pass His act, His unusual act"
Not a man of them shall stand before you : As we continue reading Joshua 10, we see in verse 11 that the Lord cast down large hailstones from heaven on them. Here is the best part ... The number of men that were killed by the hailstones were much more than those that the Israelites (Joshua and his men) had killed with the sword ! To God alone be all the glory , the honor and the praise !
I pray that each of us grow stronger and stronger in the Lord and may He reign in our lives.
God Bless
The Power of God
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God"
I Corinthians 1:18 (New King James Version)
I love the words "being saved" ! I can never reach a point where I can say "Ok Im good I dont need God's forgiveness !"
The message of the cross is the power of God for us !! This message should be our constant meditation... It is this message that can cleanse our inner most filth ! It is this message that gives us direction !
That the Lord would come down and take upon our sins and our shame and pay the price for us........Cant even begin to imagine the depths of His love.
As I grow in the Lord , His light begins to shine brighter within me...And you know what ? Even the tiny corners of my life get lit up ! Do you know what I see ? All the dust, the cobwebs and the filth thats lying there .... Things which I never even realized were there !
As we grow in the Lord, as we hold on to the message of the cross which is the power of God , He forgives us from all our sins...He blots out our past ...And all darkness is expelled in His light... But now we need to take the efforts to clean up.
We need to sweep off all the dust , clean up the cobwebs... It can be anything from being judgemental , to being tempermental , being lazy , taking God for granted , straying away from His Holy Will ,.. not seeking His desires but our own....
Its time to clean out the closets, dust off the corners... also , we need to remember the message of the cross for it is the power of God !!
Music pick for the week : "Once Again" by Matt Redman
Jesus Christ, I think upon Your sacrifice
You became nothing, poured out to death
Many times I've wondered at Your gift of life
And I'm in that place once again
I'm in that place once again
And once again I look upon the cross where You died
I'm humbled by Your mercy and I'm broken inside
Once again I thank You
Once again I pour out my life
Now You are exalted to the highest place
King of the heavens, where one day I'll bow
But for now, I marvel at Your saving grace
And I'm full of praise once again
I'm full of praise once again
Thank You for the cross
Thank You for the cross
Thank You for the cross, my Friend
God Bless
I Corinthians 1:18 (New King James Version)
I love the words "being saved" ! I can never reach a point where I can say "Ok Im good I dont need God's forgiveness !"
The message of the cross is the power of God for us !! This message should be our constant meditation... It is this message that can cleanse our inner most filth ! It is this message that gives us direction !
That the Lord would come down and take upon our sins and our shame and pay the price for us........Cant even begin to imagine the depths of His love.
As I grow in the Lord , His light begins to shine brighter within me...And you know what ? Even the tiny corners of my life get lit up ! Do you know what I see ? All the dust, the cobwebs and the filth thats lying there .... Things which I never even realized were there !
As we grow in the Lord, as we hold on to the message of the cross which is the power of God , He forgives us from all our sins...He blots out our past ...And all darkness is expelled in His light... But now we need to take the efforts to clean up.
We need to sweep off all the dust , clean up the cobwebs... It can be anything from being judgemental , to being tempermental , being lazy , taking God for granted , straying away from His Holy Will ,.. not seeking His desires but our own....
Its time to clean out the closets, dust off the corners... also , we need to remember the message of the cross for it is the power of God !!
Music pick for the week : "Once Again" by Matt Redman
Jesus Christ, I think upon Your sacrifice
You became nothing, poured out to death
Many times I've wondered at Your gift of life
And I'm in that place once again
I'm in that place once again
And once again I look upon the cross where You died
I'm humbled by Your mercy and I'm broken inside
Once again I thank You
Once again I pour out my life
Now You are exalted to the highest place
King of the heavens, where one day I'll bow
But for now, I marvel at Your saving grace
And I'm full of praise once again
I'm full of praise once again
Thank You for the cross
Thank You for the cross
Thank You for the cross, my Friend
God Bless
Monday, March 23, 2009
Our Strong Tower
"The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
The righteous run to it and are safe. "
Proverbs 18:10 (New King James Version)
Im sure all of us as kids were upto mischief :) I am my Daddy's lil girl ! And as a kid the moment I would have troubled my elder brother, or if my brother was out to get me, I would runnnnnnnnnnnnnn ! I mean really really RUN and look out for my Dad... And then the moment I spotted my Dad I would run to him and sit safe in his arms... My brother could not do anything to me !! :) Of course my brother was patient enough to wait for hours until I would leave the safe refuge of my dad and then thats it !! :) Sweet Memories ! ;)
Well not really in a similar context :) ....But can you just imagine yourself running into the arms of our Heavenly Father :) Having the Faith that nothing can touch you unless the Father wills it , and if that is so then it is for His glory and His glory alone .
The name of the Lord is a strong tower. We read in Psalm 144:2 that the Lord is our high tower , our deliverer, our shield and our refuge.
Now here is the key... To take refuge in the Lord or not is our choice. We can choose to abide in Him or we can choose to walk away from Him.... As long as He abides in us and we in Him we are safe.... We know we are walking as per His perfect will.
Now beware...The Devil is patient ...The Bible says the Devil prowls around like a roaring lion... He lies in wait seeking whom he can devour.... waiting to see when we will leave our refuge and fall and then he can attack !
May the Lord bless us with a steadfast spirit , to be always faithful to Him and seek Him and His will only . May the Lord forever be our only trust !
We read in Psalm 20 :7 "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God"
God Bless
The righteous run to it and are safe. "
Proverbs 18:10 (New King James Version)
Im sure all of us as kids were upto mischief :) I am my Daddy's lil girl ! And as a kid the moment I would have troubled my elder brother, or if my brother was out to get me, I would runnnnnnnnnnnnnn ! I mean really really RUN and look out for my Dad... And then the moment I spotted my Dad I would run to him and sit safe in his arms... My brother could not do anything to me !! :) Of course my brother was patient enough to wait for hours until I would leave the safe refuge of my dad and then thats it !! :) Sweet Memories ! ;)
Well not really in a similar context :) ....But can you just imagine yourself running into the arms of our Heavenly Father :) Having the Faith that nothing can touch you unless the Father wills it , and if that is so then it is for His glory and His glory alone .
The name of the Lord is a strong tower. We read in Psalm 144:2 that the Lord is our high tower , our deliverer, our shield and our refuge.
Now here is the key... To take refuge in the Lord or not is our choice. We can choose to abide in Him or we can choose to walk away from Him.... As long as He abides in us and we in Him we are safe.... We know we are walking as per His perfect will.
Now beware...The Devil is patient ...The Bible says the Devil prowls around like a roaring lion... He lies in wait seeking whom he can devour.... waiting to see when we will leave our refuge and fall and then he can attack !
May the Lord bless us with a steadfast spirit , to be always faithful to Him and seek Him and His will only . May the Lord forever be our only trust !
We read in Psalm 20 :7 "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God"
God Bless
Before its too late...
" Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You. "
Psalm 51 : 10-13 (New King James Version)
Ever heard the story of Samson ? (Judges 13-17) How many of us thought "How dumb could Samson be ? " When Delilah kept asking him where his strength lay..... the first time he told her that if he was bound with seven fresh bow strings then he would become weak. And then she bound him with them and then told him that the Philistines were upon him. And he broke them off and overcame the philistines.
Delilah then asks him for a second time and then he tells her that if he is bound with new ropes then he will be weak. And then she binds him with it and says the Philistines were there waiting to capture him . But Samson broke them off and then overcame the Philistines
One would think that by now samson would have understood ! But no...He still chose to remain with Delilah ! And she asks him again and this time he says tht if the seven locks of his head were woven into the web of a loom then he would become weak ! well the same thing happened and Samson overcame.
Delilah still pressed on and the Bible says in Judges 16:16 that she pressed him so that his soul was vexed to death !! And then he tells her the command that God had given him...The prophecy upon his life that he was to be brought up as a Nazarite !
Here is the key ...We read in Judges 16 : 20 "And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him"
Wow ! Can you imagine that ? He did not know that the Lord had departed from him. He had gotten so used to doing things his way that he had forgotten the Lord's way. He broke the law the was prophecied upon his life... He had the chance to get away , but he chose to stay in sin !
How many of us are like that ? We know where we are right now is not the place that God wants us to be in ? The thoughts that we think , the things we do , the words we say , the people whom we associate with , the movies that we watch , the songs that we listen to , the things that we surf on the web .... Sometimes we get so deep into it that we reach a point where we are vexed to death ...But yet when God gives us the power to walk away from it all we choose not to use it ! Let us change from our ways now before its too late... else a day will come when we will realize that the Lord's favour is no longer upon us...
Let us pray as the psalmist pleaded saying "Lord create in me a clean heart Father and remove every impurity that is within me. Renew a steadfast Spirit within me Father...May I be faithful to you Lord...Do not cast me away from your presence Lord and take not thy Holy Spirit from me...Lord if You are not with me then there is nothing Lord...I need You Father.... I need Your Holy Spirit ...I need Your anointing upon my life. Though right now I feel vexed Lord , I pray that you restore unto me the joy of Your Salvation Father... Use me for your glory that I may teach others Your Holy ways and that they will come to You Father .. In Jesus Name... Amen"
As it says in Psalm 19 : 14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer"
God Bless
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You. "
Psalm 51 : 10-13 (New King James Version)
Ever heard the story of Samson ? (Judges 13-17) How many of us thought "How dumb could Samson be ? " When Delilah kept asking him where his strength lay..... the first time he told her that if he was bound with seven fresh bow strings then he would become weak. And then she bound him with them and then told him that the Philistines were upon him. And he broke them off and overcame the philistines.
Delilah then asks him for a second time and then he tells her that if he is bound with new ropes then he will be weak. And then she binds him with it and says the Philistines were there waiting to capture him . But Samson broke them off and then overcame the Philistines
One would think that by now samson would have understood ! But no...He still chose to remain with Delilah ! And she asks him again and this time he says tht if the seven locks of his head were woven into the web of a loom then he would become weak ! well the same thing happened and Samson overcame.
Delilah still pressed on and the Bible says in Judges 16:16 that she pressed him so that his soul was vexed to death !! And then he tells her the command that God had given him...The prophecy upon his life that he was to be brought up as a Nazarite !
Here is the key ...We read in Judges 16 : 20 "And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him"
Wow ! Can you imagine that ? He did not know that the Lord had departed from him. He had gotten so used to doing things his way that he had forgotten the Lord's way. He broke the law the was prophecied upon his life... He had the chance to get away , but he chose to stay in sin !
How many of us are like that ? We know where we are right now is not the place that God wants us to be in ? The thoughts that we think , the things we do , the words we say , the people whom we associate with , the movies that we watch , the songs that we listen to , the things that we surf on the web .... Sometimes we get so deep into it that we reach a point where we are vexed to death ...But yet when God gives us the power to walk away from it all we choose not to use it ! Let us change from our ways now before its too late... else a day will come when we will realize that the Lord's favour is no longer upon us...
Let us pray as the psalmist pleaded saying "Lord create in me a clean heart Father and remove every impurity that is within me. Renew a steadfast Spirit within me Father...May I be faithful to you Lord...Do not cast me away from your presence Lord and take not thy Holy Spirit from me...Lord if You are not with me then there is nothing Lord...I need You Father.... I need Your Holy Spirit ...I need Your anointing upon my life. Though right now I feel vexed Lord , I pray that you restore unto me the joy of Your Salvation Father... Use me for your glory that I may teach others Your Holy ways and that they will come to You Father .. In Jesus Name... Amen"
As it says in Psalm 19 : 14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer"
God Bless
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus
"Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God,let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."
Hebrews 10 : 19-22 (New King James Version)
Draw Near ....Draw Near ...Draw Near ... These are the words that the Lord has placed in my heart to share this morning.
We CAN enter into His Holy Presence with boldness because we have been ransomed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
In our office we all carry id & access cards. When a security guard stops us or when we want to enter the building we show our id and swipe our access cards.
In a similar fashion, when the devil comes and stands before us and says "STOP !! you are worthless, you cant enter into God's presence...You cant call upon His Name..."
We need say "devil you are wrong !!!! I have access through the blood of the Lamb...Jesus Christ died for me and I am washed and cleansed by His blood....My id : He is my Father !! You dont mess with the Boss's kid !! "
God wants us to draw near to Him.... For those who are afar God is saying "Come ... Draw Near " For those who have entered God is saying "Come...Draw Nearer "
How should we draw near ? With a true heart in full assurance of faith ! Have Faith !! Dont let the devil trick us into believing things that are not true. Know who our Father is... Next , submit & surrender ourselves to the Lord and allow Him to have His way in us...That He will cleanse us... Not just our evil conscience but our bodies as well....
Want to know the best part ? The Bible says in James 4 : 8 "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you"... He doesnt let us do it alone...He comes to us...
I always picture this as a baby walking towards his father... As he takes the first few wobbly steps the father looks on...But the father just doesnt stay afar...As the baby takes his tiny steps towards his father, the father takes even more bigger steps towards him...he knows exactly when the baby is going to fall and when the baby does fall , he finds himself safe in his fathers arms...
Lets Draw Near
God Bless
Hebrews 10 : 19-22 (New King James Version)
Draw Near ....Draw Near ...Draw Near ... These are the words that the Lord has placed in my heart to share this morning.
We CAN enter into His Holy Presence with boldness because we have been ransomed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
In our office we all carry id & access cards. When a security guard stops us or when we want to enter the building we show our id and swipe our access cards.
In a similar fashion, when the devil comes and stands before us and says "STOP !! you are worthless, you cant enter into God's presence...You cant call upon His Name..."
We need say "devil you are wrong !!!! I have access through the blood of the Lamb...Jesus Christ died for me and I am washed and cleansed by His blood....My id : He is my Father !! You dont mess with the Boss's kid !! "
God wants us to draw near to Him.... For those who are afar God is saying "Come ... Draw Near " For those who have entered God is saying "Come...Draw Nearer "
How should we draw near ? With a true heart in full assurance of faith ! Have Faith !! Dont let the devil trick us into believing things that are not true. Know who our Father is... Next , submit & surrender ourselves to the Lord and allow Him to have His way in us...That He will cleanse us... Not just our evil conscience but our bodies as well....
Want to know the best part ? The Bible says in James 4 : 8 "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you"... He doesnt let us do it alone...He comes to us...
I always picture this as a baby walking towards his father... As he takes the first few wobbly steps the father looks on...But the father just doesnt stay afar...As the baby takes his tiny steps towards his father, the father takes even more bigger steps towards him...he knows exactly when the baby is going to fall and when the baby does fall , he finds himself safe in his fathers arms...
Lets Draw Near
God Bless
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
If the Lord wills...
"Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin"
James 4 : 13-17 (New King James Version)
Im sure all of us remember studying about Vapor as kids in our science classes :) Wow...our life is as vapor ! Ever thought about that ? This life that we give so much importance to , this life that we sometimes grumble or get so tensed up struggling to plan it out right .... its just as vapor.....
But yet the Lord decided to come to this earth and pay the price for our sins on the cross...So that this life which we sometimes so arrogantly claim to be ours may be used for His glory . We are not our own...But we are His... We have been ransomed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
I remember chatting with a friend of mine and his complaint was that his dad didnt like it when he wore jeans....And the reason why he was so affected by this ? He was old enough to make his decisions ... How many of us allow tiny things like this affect us ? I know I do so many times...We say "This is my life ...I know what to do !" .... We forget ....This life is not ours...
Every time that I go home to visit my parents they are after me to have my hair tied up and combed nice and flat !! :) Well not that I do that when I am inside the house with them, but when we do go out together I try and make them happy...It may be the tinest thing...But it does make a difference to them :)
None of us can predict whats gonna happen in the next second... How many of us have so arrogantly boasted of what we perceive tomorrow to be like ?
Everything is to be submitted to the will of God. The Bible says that we ought to say "If the Lord wills" .... We need to submit everything at His feet as per His Holy will ...
Why this level of submission ? Well because God has given us authority ! We read in Proverbs 18:20-21 "A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth;From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. " Amazing isnt it ? From the produce of our lips we will be satisfied and filled ....Death and Life are in the power of the tongue.
When we pray we speak out knowing that when we pray things happen ! Correct ? So that means when we speak, we speak with the authority of being Sons and Daughters of the Most High !
Exactly why its important that we submit everything to the plan of God....Few reasons...
Lets not be arrogant or boastful that our life is in our hands
When we speak out there is power in it. Now Im sure none of us would want something which is not God's will to happen to us ! We may speak of many plans, but by subjecting them to God's will we are confessing that not our will be done but His alone
And yes last but not the least , the Bible says all such boasting is evil.
God Bless
James 4 : 13-17 (New King James Version)
Im sure all of us remember studying about Vapor as kids in our science classes :) Wow...our life is as vapor ! Ever thought about that ? This life that we give so much importance to , this life that we sometimes grumble or get so tensed up struggling to plan it out right .... its just as vapor.....
But yet the Lord decided to come to this earth and pay the price for our sins on the cross...So that this life which we sometimes so arrogantly claim to be ours may be used for His glory . We are not our own...But we are His... We have been ransomed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
I remember chatting with a friend of mine and his complaint was that his dad didnt like it when he wore jeans....And the reason why he was so affected by this ? He was old enough to make his decisions ... How many of us allow tiny things like this affect us ? I know I do so many times...We say "This is my life ...I know what to do !" .... We forget ....This life is not ours...
Every time that I go home to visit my parents they are after me to have my hair tied up and combed nice and flat !! :) Well not that I do that when I am inside the house with them, but when we do go out together I try and make them happy...It may be the tinest thing...But it does make a difference to them :)
None of us can predict whats gonna happen in the next second... How many of us have so arrogantly boasted of what we perceive tomorrow to be like ?
Everything is to be submitted to the will of God. The Bible says that we ought to say "If the Lord wills" .... We need to submit everything at His feet as per His Holy will ...
Why this level of submission ? Well because God has given us authority ! We read in Proverbs 18:20-21 "A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth;From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. " Amazing isnt it ? From the produce of our lips we will be satisfied and filled ....Death and Life are in the power of the tongue.
When we pray we speak out knowing that when we pray things happen ! Correct ? So that means when we speak, we speak with the authority of being Sons and Daughters of the Most High !
Exactly why its important that we submit everything to the plan of God....Few reasons...
Lets not be arrogant or boastful that our life is in our hands
When we speak out there is power in it. Now Im sure none of us would want something which is not God's will to happen to us ! We may speak of many plans, but by subjecting them to God's will we are confessing that not our will be done but His alone
And yes last but not the least , the Bible says all such boasting is evil.
God Bless
In One Accord In One Place
"When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place"
Acts 2 : 1 (New King James Version)
'They were all with one accord in one place'.....wow ! The beauty of joining together in one accord cannot be explained. How many of us have experienced the power of prayer ? Its wonderful and very essential to have our own prayer time. But its also important to fellowship together...To Pray in One Accord !.
Im sure this is a passage which a lot of us are familiar with .... There a lot of things that the Lord has laid upon my heart this morning that I would like to share with you.
As we go on to read Acts 2 we read how everyone who had gathered were filled with the Holy Spirit... Guess what happened to Peter when he was filled with the Spirit ? The man who once let fear overcome him and denied Christ , now spoke with boldness to the entire crowd who were wondering what was happening. Now its not just that, its the wisdom with which he spoke that I want to draw our attention to this morning . The words that Peter spoke was not of his own ...it wasnt his own rationalizing ...he never thought "hmmm ok now this will make a great speech..." Nope... He spoke being filled with the Holy Spirit as the Lord led him . And do you know what happened?
As we read in Acts 2 :36-42 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers."
When the crowd heard all what he spoke, they were cut to the heart ! Wow ! How powerful are the words that proceed from our mouth when they are in accordance with our Lord's will and when we are anointed of Him. We cant change hearts ! Only Jesus Can ! Our words when we try on our strength are useless....But when we are filled with His Spirit and speak as He leads us then hearts get changed...there is a conviction that takes place...That can only come by the Holy Spirit, The Bible says that around three thousand souls were saved that day ! Wow !! Praise the Lord !
Now wait, it doesnt stop with that .... We read that they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. It is important that we continue steadfastly in the Lord together in one accord.
I pray that we are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, that we yearn to be renewed , we yearn for doublefold,triplefold portions of anointing upon our lives,... that we fellowship together in one accord steadfastly.
God Bless
Acts 2 : 1 (New King James Version)
'They were all with one accord in one place'.....wow ! The beauty of joining together in one accord cannot be explained. How many of us have experienced the power of prayer ? Its wonderful and very essential to have our own prayer time. But its also important to fellowship together...To Pray in One Accord !.
Im sure this is a passage which a lot of us are familiar with .... There a lot of things that the Lord has laid upon my heart this morning that I would like to share with you.
As we go on to read Acts 2 we read how everyone who had gathered were filled with the Holy Spirit... Guess what happened to Peter when he was filled with the Spirit ? The man who once let fear overcome him and denied Christ , now spoke with boldness to the entire crowd who were wondering what was happening. Now its not just that, its the wisdom with which he spoke that I want to draw our attention to this morning . The words that Peter spoke was not of his own ...it wasnt his own rationalizing ...he never thought "hmmm ok now this will make a great speech..." Nope... He spoke being filled with the Holy Spirit as the Lord led him . And do you know what happened?
As we read in Acts 2 :36-42 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers."
When the crowd heard all what he spoke, they were cut to the heart ! Wow ! How powerful are the words that proceed from our mouth when they are in accordance with our Lord's will and when we are anointed of Him. We cant change hearts ! Only Jesus Can ! Our words when we try on our strength are useless....But when we are filled with His Spirit and speak as He leads us then hearts get changed...there is a conviction that takes place...That can only come by the Holy Spirit, The Bible says that around three thousand souls were saved that day ! Wow !! Praise the Lord !
Now wait, it doesnt stop with that .... We read that they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. It is important that we continue steadfastly in the Lord together in one accord.
I pray that we are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, that we yearn to be renewed , we yearn for doublefold,triplefold portions of anointing upon our lives,... that we fellowship together in one accord steadfastly.
God Bless
Monday, March 16, 2009
The Joy in the house of our Lord !
"For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness."
Psalm 84: 10 (New King James Version)
Its a whole new week by God's grace. Im sure all of us are all charged up spiritually after having a wondefrul fellowship at church. How many of us agree that better is one day in His courts than a thousand elsewhere?? Praise the Lord for fellowship, Praise the Lord for the body of Christ , Praise the Lord that we have been ransomed, washed and cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Now what is important is that we understand the need to sit at His feet , be in His presence during the rest of the week too. I have personally gone through this roller coaster ride wherein Sunday I am all charged up and by wednesday Im all emptied out ! Or when Sunday I am all charged up and the moment I start driving in the traffic that I give into the world and forget about the peace of God. Lets not give into the world...
When we read Psalm 84 :2 we read "My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God" .... How many of us are already longing for Sunday to come ? No not to sleep !! But to be in the house of the Lord !
How many of us are just waiting to get back home this evening just to get down on our knees .. Just sitting down at the feet of the Lord and reading His word...Telling Him how much we love Him ...
How many of us are doing it right now ? That no matter where we are or what we do , that our Spirit is in constant communion with the Lord... That the joy of the Lord is just so radiant in us ?
What a joy it is when we have personally tasted the Lord and we say we would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of our God that dwell in the tents of wickedness .
The Joy of our Lord is our strength and I pray we continue to grow in Him , fellowship together and be used for His glory.
Better is one day in His courts than a thousand elsewhere ! Oh what joy to call Him our Father ! Oh what Joy !
God Bless
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness."
Psalm 84: 10 (New King James Version)
Its a whole new week by God's grace. Im sure all of us are all charged up spiritually after having a wondefrul fellowship at church. How many of us agree that better is one day in His courts than a thousand elsewhere?? Praise the Lord for fellowship, Praise the Lord for the body of Christ , Praise the Lord that we have been ransomed, washed and cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Now what is important is that we understand the need to sit at His feet , be in His presence during the rest of the week too. I have personally gone through this roller coaster ride wherein Sunday I am all charged up and by wednesday Im all emptied out ! Or when Sunday I am all charged up and the moment I start driving in the traffic that I give into the world and forget about the peace of God. Lets not give into the world...
When we read Psalm 84 :2 we read "My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God" .... How many of us are already longing for Sunday to come ? No not to sleep !! But to be in the house of the Lord !
How many of us are just waiting to get back home this evening just to get down on our knees .. Just sitting down at the feet of the Lord and reading His word...Telling Him how much we love Him ...
How many of us are doing it right now ? That no matter where we are or what we do , that our Spirit is in constant communion with the Lord... That the joy of the Lord is just so radiant in us ?
What a joy it is when we have personally tasted the Lord and we say we would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of our God that dwell in the tents of wickedness .
The Joy of our Lord is our strength and I pray we continue to grow in Him , fellowship together and be used for His glory.
Better is one day in His courts than a thousand elsewhere ! Oh what joy to call Him our Father ! Oh what Joy !
God Bless
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Do you know your birthright?
"Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary.And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom.But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright."
Genesis 25:29-34 (New King James Version)
Im sure most of us are familiar with the incident of Esau selling off his birthright. We have heard of it right from the time we were kids in sunday school.
Why did Esau trade off his birthright for a bowl of stew ? Sure ,he was hungry and he wanted to satisfy that desire of his flesh..... But why did he trade it off so easily ?
Its because he was ignorant of what his birthright meant !
Now if someone had just told Esau saying , hey you know what your birthright entitles you to ?
It means you will be blessed without measure... We read in Genesis 27:28-29
"Therefore may God give you
Of the dew of heaven,
Of the fatness of the earth,
And plenty of grain and wine.
Let peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you.
Be master over your brethren,
And let your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be everyone who curses you,
And blessed be those who bless you!”
These are the blessings that Jacob got in the place of Esau. Now if only Esau had known that this is what his birthright entitled him to , he would have never traded it off
We are the sons and daughters of the most High...We are a royal priesthood.... We are commisioned by the almighty to change the world for His glory...We are washed by the the blood of Jesus Christ....
But a lot of us become like Esau !! We forget who we are.... We forget our birthright ! As being born again in Christ , purchased by His blood....we forget the authority that God has given us...We forget that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
How many times have we traded off our birthright just to satisfy some desire of the flesh ? How many times have we forgotten who we are and have given in to the needs of the flesh ?
Let us be conscious of who we are ... Lets not trade off our birthright !!
God Bless
Genesis 25:29-34 (New King James Version)
Im sure most of us are familiar with the incident of Esau selling off his birthright. We have heard of it right from the time we were kids in sunday school.
Why did Esau trade off his birthright for a bowl of stew ? Sure ,he was hungry and he wanted to satisfy that desire of his flesh..... But why did he trade it off so easily ?
Its because he was ignorant of what his birthright meant !
Now if someone had just told Esau saying , hey you know what your birthright entitles you to ?
It means you will be blessed without measure... We read in Genesis 27:28-29
"Therefore may God give you
Of the dew of heaven,
Of the fatness of the earth,
And plenty of grain and wine.
Let peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you.
Be master over your brethren,
And let your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be everyone who curses you,
And blessed be those who bless you!”
These are the blessings that Jacob got in the place of Esau. Now if only Esau had known that this is what his birthright entitled him to , he would have never traded it off
We are the sons and daughters of the most High...We are a royal priesthood.... We are commisioned by the almighty to change the world for His glory...We are washed by the the blood of Jesus Christ....
But a lot of us become like Esau !! We forget who we are.... We forget our birthright ! As being born again in Christ , purchased by His blood....we forget the authority that God has given us...We forget that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
How many times have we traded off our birthright just to satisfy some desire of the flesh ? How many times have we forgotten who we are and have given in to the needs of the flesh ?
Let us be conscious of who we are ... Lets not trade off our birthright !!
God Bless
Try Jesus
"“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him"
Matthew 6:8 (New King James Version)
I read this nice story from a blog the other day...A believer walked into a barber shop for a haircut and as the barber cut his hair, the barber kept complaining about how there is no God because there are so many selfish, inconsiderate and mean people out there. So many people who are insensitive , filled with anger and bitterness,...There cant be any God. As the believer got up from the chair he looked at the barber and said "Look outside the window... See how many people have such bad haircuts... There cant be any barber that exists" . The barber said "What do you mean there is no barber ?! They need to come to me ! And then I will give them good haircuts"... The believer smiled at the barber and said "Exactly...People need to come to God...And their lives will be changed"
There are many of us who are and who have family & friends who have an attitude like that of the barber. Just because things have not worked out the way we expected it to work ,we have decided "There is no God !" ..... The Bible says that our Father knows the things we need of even before we ask Him . Wow ! Isnt that amazing ? All we need is to come to Him.... Thats all it takes....All we need is to come to Him and say "Our Father ..." Acknowledge Him as Lord and Saviour of our lives and invite Him to take in charge. And when Jesus Christ is in charge...you can be sure its nothing short of perfection ! Praise the Lord !
I have seen a lot of people who turn to alcohol, drugs, just being rebellious, slipping into depression with self pity,....so many people just lose hope....some go the other extreme and think they can manage on their own strength...... Its time that we tell them "Try Jesus !" ... Our God is in the business of transforming lives :)
We read in Psalm 147 : 3-5 "He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.".... Our God is a God of compassion... His understanding is infinite.... When we think that no one understands our pain or that no one understands what we are going through , Jesus is saying "I know exactly what you are going through...and not just that, I know what the future holds for you too if you just trust in Me...Let Me take care of you....Just lean on Me..."
God Bless
Matthew 6:8 (New King James Version)
I read this nice story from a blog the other day...A believer walked into a barber shop for a haircut and as the barber cut his hair, the barber kept complaining about how there is no God because there are so many selfish, inconsiderate and mean people out there. So many people who are insensitive , filled with anger and bitterness,...There cant be any God. As the believer got up from the chair he looked at the barber and said "Look outside the window... See how many people have such bad haircuts... There cant be any barber that exists" . The barber said "What do you mean there is no barber ?! They need to come to me ! And then I will give them good haircuts"... The believer smiled at the barber and said "Exactly...People need to come to God...And their lives will be changed"
There are many of us who are and who have family & friends who have an attitude like that of the barber. Just because things have not worked out the way we expected it to work ,we have decided "There is no God !" ..... The Bible says that our Father knows the things we need of even before we ask Him . Wow ! Isnt that amazing ? All we need is to come to Him.... Thats all it takes....All we need is to come to Him and say "Our Father ..." Acknowledge Him as Lord and Saviour of our lives and invite Him to take in charge. And when Jesus Christ is in charge...you can be sure its nothing short of perfection ! Praise the Lord !
I have seen a lot of people who turn to alcohol, drugs, just being rebellious, slipping into depression with self pity,....so many people just lose hope....some go the other extreme and think they can manage on their own strength...... Its time that we tell them "Try Jesus !" ... Our God is in the business of transforming lives :)
We read in Psalm 147 : 3-5 "He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.".... Our God is a God of compassion... His understanding is infinite.... When we think that no one understands our pain or that no one understands what we are going through , Jesus is saying "I know exactly what you are going through...and not just that, I know what the future holds for you too if you just trust in Me...Let Me take care of you....Just lean on Me..."
God Bless
To whom much is given , much is required !
"But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more"
Luke 12:48 (New King James Version)
How many of us wake up in the morning and look at our palms and thank God for our hands and every little finger ? For those of us who play musical instruments can you imagine having one finger missing ?
I have been wearing glasses since the age of nine... I cant remember what it feels like to just open my eyes and see everything clearly ... But I praise the Lord for my eyesight...Because all I need to do is just reach out for my glasses and wow I get to see the beauty of the Lord in His creation , I get to read His word.... Im crazy about Music...Praise the Lord for my ears that I get to hear songs of His praise... I definitely dont have a voice to sing but I praise the Lord that I can sing because I know to my heavenly Father it sounds wonderful. When I sit with my keyboard and compose music for His glory and tap my feet and sing in worship to His Holy Name I cant even begin to imagine how blessed I am ! To be able to breathe in fresh air without any problem...every single cell in my body is healthy by the grace of God
Now we need to understand that as the Bible says "to whom much is given, from him much will be required'
God has granted and blessed us so much beyond what we deserve. Two Hands, Two feet , Good eyesight, ears, a healthy body and mind , and a heart that is lifted up to the Lord. Now when God has given us so much ...we need to understand that much is expected of us. These hands need to be used for His glory...These feet need to go places for His glory....These eyes needs to behold things of Him ... These ears need to be intune to the Lord and things of Him.... This mouth....Every word that proceeds from it should be for the edification of others and for the glory of God... The very meditations of our heart need to be acceptable to the Lord...
Lets not take things for granted .... Let us not be among the crowd that realizes the value of something only after its lost
Much has been given to us.... Much is required of us.... Are we doing our part ?
Here is an inspirational site : http://lifewithoutlimbs.org/
Prayer Request : Please pray for Christine's relative who is recovering from surgery of removal of a brain tumor.
God Bless
Luke 12:48 (New King James Version)
How many of us wake up in the morning and look at our palms and thank God for our hands and every little finger ? For those of us who play musical instruments can you imagine having one finger missing ?
I have been wearing glasses since the age of nine... I cant remember what it feels like to just open my eyes and see everything clearly ... But I praise the Lord for my eyesight...Because all I need to do is just reach out for my glasses and wow I get to see the beauty of the Lord in His creation , I get to read His word.... Im crazy about Music...Praise the Lord for my ears that I get to hear songs of His praise... I definitely dont have a voice to sing but I praise the Lord that I can sing because I know to my heavenly Father it sounds wonderful. When I sit with my keyboard and compose music for His glory and tap my feet and sing in worship to His Holy Name I cant even begin to imagine how blessed I am ! To be able to breathe in fresh air without any problem...every single cell in my body is healthy by the grace of God
Now we need to understand that as the Bible says "to whom much is given, from him much will be required'
God has granted and blessed us so much beyond what we deserve. Two Hands, Two feet , Good eyesight, ears, a healthy body and mind , and a heart that is lifted up to the Lord. Now when God has given us so much ...we need to understand that much is expected of us. These hands need to be used for His glory...These feet need to go places for His glory....These eyes needs to behold things of Him ... These ears need to be intune to the Lord and things of Him.... This mouth....Every word that proceeds from it should be for the edification of others and for the glory of God... The very meditations of our heart need to be acceptable to the Lord...
Lets not take things for granted .... Let us not be among the crowd that realizes the value of something only after its lost
Much has been given to us.... Much is required of us.... Are we doing our part ?
Here is an inspirational site : http://lifewithoutlimbs.org/
Prayer Request : Please pray for Christine's relative who is recovering from surgery of removal of a brain tumor.
God Bless
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
His Grace
"And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” "
2 Corinthians 12:9 (New King James Version)
When the Lord spoke to me regarding this verse for today I said "No Lord I have already sent this verse out before... Give me something else..." And like an adamant child I sat waiting waiting and it was obvious that I heard nothing beyond that for the next few hours... Then I said "Lord I am sorry ... Your ways are so much higher ... Teach me Your Word Lord " and praise the Lord that we have such a patient and forgiving Father.
His grace is sufficient for us !! How many of us say it and still ask for more ? As in , a lot of the times I have found myself saying "Lord , Your grace is all I need" and soon after saying that Im busy trying to figure out things on my own !
The Lord is telling us today "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" ... We need to let the Lord have His way in us... we need to surrender ourselves to the Lord...and when He works in us you can be rest assured that its PERFECT !
What is God's grace ? Its the free gift of Jesus Christ that was given to us through the cross.
Romans 5 :15 says "But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many."
It is by grace that we are saved... Purely God's grace.... Whatever be the circumstance...whatever be the problem...whatever be the anxiety .... we need to understand that God's grace is all sufficient for us. There is nothing we can do that can make us worthy of God's favour... Its not by works but by grace that we are saved.
His Grace ... His Grace ... His Grace ... His Grace ... His Grace ... His Grace ... His Grace ...
Thats all we need.... So lets submit everything to the Lord , knowing that He is incharge of our lives and that His Grace is all that we will ever need....
No matter how the world spins , our eyes will always be set above at the throne of our God who reigns forever more.
Here is the music pick for the day... Your Grace is enough by Chris Tomlin
"Great is Your faithfulness oh God
You wrestle with the sinner's heart
You lead us by still waters and to mercy
And nothing can keep us apart
So remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember Your promise Oh God
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me
Great is Your love and justice God
You use the weak to lead the strong
You lead us in the song of Your salvation
And all Your people sing along "
God Bless
2 Corinthians 12:9 (New King James Version)
When the Lord spoke to me regarding this verse for today I said "No Lord I have already sent this verse out before... Give me something else..." And like an adamant child I sat waiting waiting and it was obvious that I heard nothing beyond that for the next few hours... Then I said "Lord I am sorry ... Your ways are so much higher ... Teach me Your Word Lord " and praise the Lord that we have such a patient and forgiving Father.
His grace is sufficient for us !! How many of us say it and still ask for more ? As in , a lot of the times I have found myself saying "Lord , Your grace is all I need" and soon after saying that Im busy trying to figure out things on my own !
The Lord is telling us today "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" ... We need to let the Lord have His way in us... we need to surrender ourselves to the Lord...and when He works in us you can be rest assured that its PERFECT !
What is God's grace ? Its the free gift of Jesus Christ that was given to us through the cross.
Romans 5 :15 says "But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many."
It is by grace that we are saved... Purely God's grace.... Whatever be the circumstance...whatever be the problem...whatever be the anxiety .... we need to understand that God's grace is all sufficient for us. There is nothing we can do that can make us worthy of God's favour... Its not by works but by grace that we are saved.
His Grace ... His Grace ... His Grace ... His Grace ... His Grace ... His Grace ... His Grace ...
Thats all we need.... So lets submit everything to the Lord , knowing that He is incharge of our lives and that His Grace is all that we will ever need....
No matter how the world spins , our eyes will always be set above at the throne of our God who reigns forever more.
Here is the music pick for the day... Your Grace is enough by Chris Tomlin
"Great is Your faithfulness oh God
You wrestle with the sinner's heart
You lead us by still waters and to mercy
And nothing can keep us apart
So remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember Your promise Oh God
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me
Great is Your love and justice God
You use the weak to lead the strong
You lead us in the song of Your salvation
And all Your people sing along "
God Bless
Monday, March 9, 2009
The First Commandment - Are you in love with the Lord?
"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength"
Deuteronomy 6:5 (New King James Version)
This sunday as I was worshipping the Lord in church the Lord reminded me of my priorities.... Im a person who misses my family and friends a lot... I suddenly realized the number of times I have told them how much I miss them , how much I love them and how difficult a few days apart from them seems so difficult. The number of hours I spend on the phone doesnt seem to suffice.....
I soon started to realize how much more should my love for the Lord be... Do I miss spending time with the Lord ? Does 24hrs a day seem insufficent to listen to His voice.... Even if I spend an hour in His presence do I miss just telling Him how much I love Him during the rest of the day ?
The Bible says is Matthew 22:38 that this is the first and great commandment !
Do we love the Lord with
ALL OUR HEART
ALL OUR SOUL
ALL OUR STRENGTH
?
How much do we love the Lord ? How much are our priorities set right ?
For those who love music..here is a good pick...Paul Baloche : Falling
"I would like to walk this world with You always
Never want to be apart from You O Lord
I am some times overwhelmed by truth and Your ways
Could it be that I was made for You I'm blown away
I am falling I am falling in love
I am falling in love I am falling in love with You
I am falling I am falling in love
I am falling in love I am falling in love with You
Would You stay and listen for a while please stay
And let me talk of how You make me smile oh
I would like to leave it all behind my ways
But I get caught up in myself sometimes All I can say "
God Bless
Deuteronomy 6:5 (New King James Version)
This sunday as I was worshipping the Lord in church the Lord reminded me of my priorities.... Im a person who misses my family and friends a lot... I suddenly realized the number of times I have told them how much I miss them , how much I love them and how difficult a few days apart from them seems so difficult. The number of hours I spend on the phone doesnt seem to suffice.....
I soon started to realize how much more should my love for the Lord be... Do I miss spending time with the Lord ? Does 24hrs a day seem insufficent to listen to His voice.... Even if I spend an hour in His presence do I miss just telling Him how much I love Him during the rest of the day ?
The Bible says is Matthew 22:38 that this is the first and great commandment !
Do we love the Lord with
ALL OUR HEART
ALL OUR SOUL
ALL OUR STRENGTH
?
How much do we love the Lord ? How much are our priorities set right ?
For those who love music..here is a good pick...Paul Baloche : Falling
"I would like to walk this world with You always
Never want to be apart from You O Lord
I am some times overwhelmed by truth and Your ways
Could it be that I was made for You I'm blown away
I am falling I am falling in love
I am falling in love I am falling in love with You
I am falling I am falling in love
I am falling in love I am falling in love with You
Would You stay and listen for a while please stay
And let me talk of how You make me smile oh
I would like to leave it all behind my ways
But I get caught up in myself sometimes All I can say "
God Bless
Friday, March 6, 2009
Want to Serve God ? Just Follow Him !
"If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor"
John 12:26 (New King James Version)
A lot of us when we talk about serving the Lord have these fixed ideas in our heads... The first thing that comes to our mind is someone standing at the pulpit and preaching ...Thats not it... That is just one of the zillion ways that God uses someone....
The Bible says "If anyone serves Me,let him follow Me" . Wow ! Its as straightforward as that !! Serving the Lord is following Him...Following His commandments.... Following His Holy Word.
Now when we say we follow Him that implies we are not just listeners of the word of God but we are doers of the word of God. We implement and practice the gospel.
We read in Matthew 7:24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock"
Not just someone who hears, but those who do what the Lord has commanded....Only they are considered to be a wise man who built his house on the rock
For those of us who do not do what the Lord has commanded us...who do not lead lives as the Bible has taught us to be, are all foolish people , building our house on the sand ! And one day the rain is going to come and wash it all off.....
While we sit in our air conditioned offices and homes there are people that are dying for water !! Just regular water !! Did you know that all it takes is few hundred rupees to sponsor all the needs of a child per month !
I think I mentioned this reference a few days back ..."Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world"...James 1:27... Lets Follow His Holy Word and inturn Serve Him
Many of us have now entered into a season of lent,fasting or abstaining from something which we like...it can be gourmet food, chocolates,coffee,.... But above all that ...let this be the start of a season where we spend more time with the Lord and understand what it means to serve Him
Lets Follow the Lord !! No better way to serve Him than that !... And in following the Lord let the lives of those around us be blessed. Let us set aside an hour every weekend and visit an orphanage or an old age home and spread the joy of the Lord... .. Just 60 mins out of 10080 mins a week....
Let set aside something as small as Rs20/- a day or a $1 a day and at the end of the month let it be used to touch the lives of people ... we all are created in the image of God... Christ paid the price for us all....we all have one Father ... Lets not let our own flesh and blood suffer while we take things for granted.
"If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me"
God Bless
John 12:26 (New King James Version)
A lot of us when we talk about serving the Lord have these fixed ideas in our heads... The first thing that comes to our mind is someone standing at the pulpit and preaching ...Thats not it... That is just one of the zillion ways that God uses someone....
The Bible says "If anyone serves Me,let him follow Me" . Wow ! Its as straightforward as that !! Serving the Lord is following Him...Following His commandments.... Following His Holy Word.
Now when we say we follow Him that implies we are not just listeners of the word of God but we are doers of the word of God. We implement and practice the gospel.
We read in Matthew 7:24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock"
Not just someone who hears, but those who do what the Lord has commanded....Only they are considered to be a wise man who built his house on the rock
For those of us who do not do what the Lord has commanded us...who do not lead lives as the Bible has taught us to be, are all foolish people , building our house on the sand ! And one day the rain is going to come and wash it all off.....
While we sit in our air conditioned offices and homes there are people that are dying for water !! Just regular water !! Did you know that all it takes is few hundred rupees to sponsor all the needs of a child per month !
I think I mentioned this reference a few days back ..."Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world"...James 1:27... Lets Follow His Holy Word and inturn Serve Him
Many of us have now entered into a season of lent,fasting or abstaining from something which we like...it can be gourmet food, chocolates,coffee,.... But above all that ...let this be the start of a season where we spend more time with the Lord and understand what it means to serve Him
Lets Follow the Lord !! No better way to serve Him than that !... And in following the Lord let the lives of those around us be blessed. Let us set aside an hour every weekend and visit an orphanage or an old age home and spread the joy of the Lord... .. Just 60 mins out of 10080 mins a week....
Let set aside something as small as Rs20/- a day or a $1 a day and at the end of the month let it be used to touch the lives of people ... we all are created in the image of God... Christ paid the price for us all....we all have one Father ... Lets not let our own flesh and blood suffer while we take things for granted.
"If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me"
God Bless
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Do you like it when people correct you ?
"Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge,
But he who hates correction is stupid."
Proverbs 12:1 (New King James Version)
My kid sister has proved to be one of my greatest critics.... Work keeps me travelling and my sister had never heard me preach until this morning at our fasting and prayer service. The message was of course words which the Holy Spirit lead me and thereby no critics there... It was a blessing . At the end of the service as we got into the car my sister's comments were "Were you nervous...This one gesture of yours seemed to indicate it... Use more day to day examples.... I like people who walk around a bit and dont stand in one place ...." !!
Im sure you can understand my first instant reaction "Ouch !" She went on to say "Do want to learn and improve or not ? This is good correction...The more you use day to day examples the more easier it is to relate......"
My sister's correction did make a lot of sense , but it did dent my pride a tiny bit ! But then I realized how true the verse is.... We cant say we love knowledge without loving instruction. Its the instructions and corrections that improve our knowledge.
It may not be easy to take in corrections when people tell us the better way to do things ...be it in our work, our personal lives, our spiritual lives, .... But when they are for our betterment, it is a wise decision to learn and heed to them and make the required corrections.
Let us not be one who hates correction.
God Bless
But he who hates correction is stupid."
Proverbs 12:1 (New King James Version)
My kid sister has proved to be one of my greatest critics.... Work keeps me travelling and my sister had never heard me preach until this morning at our fasting and prayer service. The message was of course words which the Holy Spirit lead me and thereby no critics there... It was a blessing . At the end of the service as we got into the car my sister's comments were "Were you nervous...This one gesture of yours seemed to indicate it... Use more day to day examples.... I like people who walk around a bit and dont stand in one place ...." !!
Im sure you can understand my first instant reaction "Ouch !" She went on to say "Do want to learn and improve or not ? This is good correction...The more you use day to day examples the more easier it is to relate......"
My sister's correction did make a lot of sense , but it did dent my pride a tiny bit ! But then I realized how true the verse is.... We cant say we love knowledge without loving instruction. Its the instructions and corrections that improve our knowledge.
It may not be easy to take in corrections when people tell us the better way to do things ...be it in our work, our personal lives, our spiritual lives, .... But when they are for our betterment, it is a wise decision to learn and heed to them and make the required corrections.
Let us not be one who hates correction.
God Bless
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
United in Christ !
"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."
Ephesians 4 :1-6 (New King James Version)
This is something that the Lord has been teaching me more and more about over the past few months.... And its been a terrific learning process. The Body of Christ - The Church - which comprises of each of us has gotten so divided over the past decades.... I am so confused in the doctrine differences between each..... We need to realize that there are no man made rules that should interfere with the Biblical Truths of the Word of God. With the Bible as our guide , we need to join together in unity and pray for our cities, for our states , for our country , for the countries across the world....
We who believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour and is the only way , the truth and the life,....we need to be bonded with the love of Christ and battle the evil one together.
Sometimes we try to defend our denomnation as more superior or righteous over the other.... and we tend to forget something basic as what we read in Isaiah 64:4 "But we are all like an unclean thing,And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf,And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away"
It would be interesting to see if someone can stand up and say "I am righteous." ! ..... Our God is such an awesome Holy God....Lets not let the divisions weaken the body of Christ.....
The Bible says in Psalm 9:10 that the Lord will never forsake those that seek Him and those who know His Name, put their trust in Him . Praise the Lord !! The Lord is forever faithful....however we become so judgemental at times !
May the bonds of Christ unite us together that we may reach out to the heavens in one accord and change earth for His Glory.
"We will seek Your face Almighty God
Turn and pray for You to heal our land
Father let revival start in us
Then every heart will know Your kingdom come
Lifting up the Name of the Lord
In power and in unity
We will see the nations turn
Touching heaven changing earth"
---Hillsong Australia
God Bless
Ephesians 4 :1-6 (New King James Version)
This is something that the Lord has been teaching me more and more about over the past few months.... And its been a terrific learning process. The Body of Christ - The Church - which comprises of each of us has gotten so divided over the past decades.... I am so confused in the doctrine differences between each..... We need to realize that there are no man made rules that should interfere with the Biblical Truths of the Word of God. With the Bible as our guide , we need to join together in unity and pray for our cities, for our states , for our country , for the countries across the world....
We who believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour and is the only way , the truth and the life,....we need to be bonded with the love of Christ and battle the evil one together.
Sometimes we try to defend our denomnation as more superior or righteous over the other.... and we tend to forget something basic as what we read in Isaiah 64:4 "But we are all like an unclean thing,And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf,And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away"
It would be interesting to see if someone can stand up and say "I am righteous." ! ..... Our God is such an awesome Holy God....Lets not let the divisions weaken the body of Christ.....
The Bible says in Psalm 9:10 that the Lord will never forsake those that seek Him and those who know His Name, put their trust in Him . Praise the Lord !! The Lord is forever faithful....however we become so judgemental at times !
May the bonds of Christ unite us together that we may reach out to the heavens in one accord and change earth for His Glory.
"We will seek Your face Almighty God
Turn and pray for You to heal our land
Father let revival start in us
Then every heart will know Your kingdom come
Lifting up the Name of the Lord
In power and in unity
We will see the nations turn
Touching heaven changing earth"
---Hillsong Australia
God Bless
Want Peace ?
“Great peace have those who love Your law,And nothing causes them to stumble”
Psalm 119:165 (New King James Version)
How true it is that whenever our focus is on the Lord and on His commandments that we are so at peace and so filled with joy that we feel nothing can ever bring us down. But when we shift our focus from the Lord and His law and look at circumstances, situations , problems of this world that we get perturbed, frustrated , angry….Its so easy to lose our temper , to lose our peace… Especially for me…Last evening all it took was one misunderstanding and I was all typical smoke coming from my ears like in the cartoons. But whenever I tried focusing on Christ and not on me , then my reactions to the situation was different. My voice was calmer, my speech was rational and above all even a message that I sent was with God’s blessings in it.Yup I still haven’t reached a point where I don’t turn into a cartoon with smoke fuming from my ears….But by God’s grace Im learning to calm down in few minutes which for me is good improvement The point being when we are so in love with the Lord, His law is well secured around our heart and as blocks might seem to be coming across our path, by the grace of God we get through with great peace…Nothing can cause us to stumble…No one and nothing can rob the peace of God within us as long as He is our focus and our love is His law
God Bless
Psalm 119:165 (New King James Version)
How true it is that whenever our focus is on the Lord and on His commandments that we are so at peace and so filled with joy that we feel nothing can ever bring us down. But when we shift our focus from the Lord and His law and look at circumstances, situations , problems of this world that we get perturbed, frustrated , angry….Its so easy to lose our temper , to lose our peace… Especially for me…Last evening all it took was one misunderstanding and I was all typical smoke coming from my ears like in the cartoons. But whenever I tried focusing on Christ and not on me , then my reactions to the situation was different. My voice was calmer, my speech was rational and above all even a message that I sent was with God’s blessings in it.Yup I still haven’t reached a point where I don’t turn into a cartoon with smoke fuming from my ears….But by God’s grace Im learning to calm down in few minutes which for me is good improvement The point being when we are so in love with the Lord, His law is well secured around our heart and as blocks might seem to be coming across our path, by the grace of God we get through with great peace…Nothing can cause us to stumble…No one and nothing can rob the peace of God within us as long as He is our focus and our love is His law
God Bless
Salt of the Earth
"“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men"
Matthew 5:13 (New King James Version)
I am on vacation for a week and went to my parents places for a break... My mom bought this big crystalized salt (not sure whats its called) and she handed it over to me and asked me to sprinkle it along the coconut trees that we have in the backyard. Though I found it weird, I did it ...and then she said to pour water over the salt so that the trees could absorb the salt. I found out from my Mom that apparently the salt helps the trees grow well and the yeild of the tree is much better.
As I continued sprinkling the salt across the other trees the Lord reminded me of this verse. That we are the salt of the earth... A couple of things regarding it ... The first being that we (the salt of the earth) need to have the flavour of salt. As it says in the verse, if the salt loses it flavour it loses its purpose.
The next being that the salt has a purpose .... No matter how much flavour the salt has it fulfills its purpose only when used...When I sprinkled the salt at the base of the tree that was putting the salt to use. We as the salt of the earth need to be instrumental for the spiritual growth of others, in lending a helping hand,...in short...In being the way God wants us to be. The Bible says do unto others as you would have them do unto you... Our actions need to be the very gospel that we preach... Our lives need to reflect Christ... We are to be used for the glory of His name being a blessing to others. In James 1 :27 we read "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world"
Here comes the best part... There was a mediator between the salt on the ground and the roots of the tree.... It was the water being poured out on the salt..... The water disolves the salt crystals and changes it into a form that the roots can easily be absorbed. Every word that we speak, every action that we do needs the anointing of God upon our lives if it is to be fruitful. The Bible says that its not by might nor by Power but only by His Spirit. When we are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit , He will guide us and teach us what we ought to say to others or what we need to do. When we try telling others about Christ by our own strength and our wisdom , the results are disasterous...we might end up pushing people further away than bringing them closer... But when we are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit He puts the words in our mouth , He gives us wisdom and understanding ... In otherwords He changes us into a form that the other person can easily understand and listen .
We are the salt of the earth.
God Bless
Matthew 5:13 (New King James Version)
I am on vacation for a week and went to my parents places for a break... My mom bought this big crystalized salt (not sure whats its called) and she handed it over to me and asked me to sprinkle it along the coconut trees that we have in the backyard. Though I found it weird, I did it ...and then she said to pour water over the salt so that the trees could absorb the salt. I found out from my Mom that apparently the salt helps the trees grow well and the yeild of the tree is much better.
As I continued sprinkling the salt across the other trees the Lord reminded me of this verse. That we are the salt of the earth... A couple of things regarding it ... The first being that we (the salt of the earth) need to have the flavour of salt. As it says in the verse, if the salt loses it flavour it loses its purpose.
The next being that the salt has a purpose .... No matter how much flavour the salt has it fulfills its purpose only when used...When I sprinkled the salt at the base of the tree that was putting the salt to use. We as the salt of the earth need to be instrumental for the spiritual growth of others, in lending a helping hand,...in short...In being the way God wants us to be. The Bible says do unto others as you would have them do unto you... Our actions need to be the very gospel that we preach... Our lives need to reflect Christ... We are to be used for the glory of His name being a blessing to others. In James 1 :27 we read "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world"
Here comes the best part... There was a mediator between the salt on the ground and the roots of the tree.... It was the water being poured out on the salt..... The water disolves the salt crystals and changes it into a form that the roots can easily be absorbed. Every word that we speak, every action that we do needs the anointing of God upon our lives if it is to be fruitful. The Bible says that its not by might nor by Power but only by His Spirit. When we are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit , He will guide us and teach us what we ought to say to others or what we need to do. When we try telling others about Christ by our own strength and our wisdom , the results are disasterous...we might end up pushing people further away than bringing them closer... But when we are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit He puts the words in our mouth , He gives us wisdom and understanding ... In otherwords He changes us into a form that the other person can easily understand and listen .
We are the salt of the earth.
God Bless
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