Praise the Lord !
Please click on this link to view the first post on "Touching Heaven Changing Earth "
http://sparksablaze-prayers.blogspot.com/
God Bless
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
End of the world
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
Mark 13: 32 (New King James Version)
Last week a friend of mine had sent out a mail which had very well captured photos for the movie called end of the world 2012 . However that particular forward had mentioned in it that the Bible also states that the world would end in 2012 which is of course not correct. My friend then sent out the following mail which well put everything in its proper place . And here is that mail
“"The End of the world."
the name captures the mind...this too going to be another block buster.
Have you ever wondered how, when and how the end of the world would be?
It is ironic that at some point in time, many of us(if not all),have turned ourselves to a prophet, fortuneteller or palmist to spell our destinies for us. All because we are uncertain about tomorrow. What if the world would really end one day? What if there is really a day of judgment? Would we be able to stand before God and incur the reward of the deeds we have done-good or bad?
By way the interesting thing about the movie is, they say the world is coming to an end in 2012. Sounds far-fetched…
But if you are a Christian, you know that Bible never says the year or date.(contrary to the previous mail)
Of course it mentions the end time signs like, re-formation of Israel(1948), world wars, strengthening of south Asian countries(like china, India), earth quakes(last 7 days alone recorded 57 above 5.5), Tsunamis, famines etc. Now that calls for wisdom, to sit back and countdown..
End? don't know when, but the bigger question is, are you prepared to face it??”
The Bible is very clear that only the Father knows when …. But as she well said here is the bigger question… Are we prepared to face it ? We are 2000 years closer to the end :-)
We read in Mark 13: 32-37 " “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. "Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. "It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch."Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— "lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. "And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”"
Verse 34 says the man gave authority to his servants and to each his work ! We being ransomed by the blood of Jesus Christ now have authority and to each has been given his/her work.
What is the work that God has called you to do ? When the Lord comes will we be found faithful in completing our work or will we be found sleeping ?
God Bless
Mark 13: 32 (New King James Version)
Last week a friend of mine had sent out a mail which had very well captured photos for the movie called end of the world 2012 . However that particular forward had mentioned in it that the Bible also states that the world would end in 2012 which is of course not correct. My friend then sent out the following mail which well put everything in its proper place . And here is that mail
“"The End of the world."
the name captures the mind...this too going to be another block buster.
Have you ever wondered how, when and how the end of the world would be?
It is ironic that at some point in time, many of us(if not all),have turned ourselves to a prophet, fortuneteller or palmist to spell our destinies for us. All because we are uncertain about tomorrow. What if the world would really end one day? What if there is really a day of judgment? Would we be able to stand before God and incur the reward of the deeds we have done-good or bad?
By way the interesting thing about the movie is, they say the world is coming to an end in 2012. Sounds far-fetched…
But if you are a Christian, you know that Bible never says the year or date.(contrary to the previous mail)
Of course it mentions the end time signs like, re-formation of Israel(1948), world wars, strengthening of south Asian countries(like china, India), earth quakes(last 7 days alone recorded 57 above 5.5), Tsunamis, famines etc. Now that calls for wisdom, to sit back and countdown..
End? don't know when, but the bigger question is, are you prepared to face it??”
The Bible is very clear that only the Father knows when …. But as she well said here is the bigger question… Are we prepared to face it ? We are 2000 years closer to the end :-)
We read in Mark 13: 32-37 " “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. "Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. "It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch."Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— "lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. "And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”"
Verse 34 says the man gave authority to his servants and to each his work ! We being ransomed by the blood of Jesus Christ now have authority and to each has been given his/her work.
What is the work that God has called you to do ? When the Lord comes will we be found faithful in completing our work or will we be found sleeping ?
God Bless
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Incomprehensible !
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners , Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8 (New King James Version)
As a kid when I wanted something extra special from my mom then I would be on my best behavior that entire day. From that itself my mom would figure out that something is up and she would go like “Ok what is it that you want ? You want to spend an extra hour playing ? “ :-) I’m sure all of us have done that as kids . My nephew comes up with a big hug and an even bigger smile and then says “can I watch cartoon now?” :-) As we grow we realize all we need to do is just ask our parents… no strings attached. And that’s the beauty of family.
We always have this notion that if we do something good, then we deserve to be rewarded. And that’s pretty much how the world works right now. You work like crazy and then get your recognition at office. You do this and then you get that ! Always expected to prove our worth .
That’s where our God stands apart ! His love is unconditional… His love is everlasting ! Verse 7 says “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die” . It makes sense to die for a good or a righteous man… but then too doing so would be so scarce. But our God is so indescribable and His love is so incomprehensible that while we were still sinners , Christ died for us ! Wow ! If Satan ever tries to play a guilt trip and tell you that God doesn’t love you just shout back at him and say “Jesus Christ died for me while I was a sinner and He loves me for my Bible tells me so ! devil u r a liar “
Couple of years ago a man of God shared with us a discussion that he and his wife had during the initial months after their marriage. She asked him “If someone held a gun to your head and said ‘deny Jesus else we will kill you’ what will you do ?” So he said ‘Of course I wont deny’ . Then she asked him a second question “if someone held a gun to my head and said ‘deny Jesus else we will kill her’ what will you do ? “ Can you see the difference ?
John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Who can fathom the depths of His love !
Here is the music pick for the day. Its called ‘Amazing Love’
“I’m forgiven because You were forsaken
I’m accepted, You were condemned
I’m alive and well , Your Spirit is within me
Because You died and rose again
Amazing love
how can it be ?
That You my King would die for me
Amazing love
I know its true
It’s my joy to honor You
In all I do I honor You
You are my King
Jesus You are my King”
God Bless
Romans 5:8 (New King James Version)
As a kid when I wanted something extra special from my mom then I would be on my best behavior that entire day. From that itself my mom would figure out that something is up and she would go like “Ok what is it that you want ? You want to spend an extra hour playing ? “ :-) I’m sure all of us have done that as kids . My nephew comes up with a big hug and an even bigger smile and then says “can I watch cartoon now?” :-) As we grow we realize all we need to do is just ask our parents… no strings attached. And that’s the beauty of family.
We always have this notion that if we do something good, then we deserve to be rewarded. And that’s pretty much how the world works right now. You work like crazy and then get your recognition at office. You do this and then you get that ! Always expected to prove our worth .
That’s where our God stands apart ! His love is unconditional… His love is everlasting ! Verse 7 says “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die” . It makes sense to die for a good or a righteous man… but then too doing so would be so scarce. But our God is so indescribable and His love is so incomprehensible that while we were still sinners , Christ died for us ! Wow ! If Satan ever tries to play a guilt trip and tell you that God doesn’t love you just shout back at him and say “Jesus Christ died for me while I was a sinner and He loves me for my Bible tells me so ! devil u r a liar “
Couple of years ago a man of God shared with us a discussion that he and his wife had during the initial months after their marriage. She asked him “If someone held a gun to your head and said ‘deny Jesus else we will kill you’ what will you do ?” So he said ‘Of course I wont deny’ . Then she asked him a second question “if someone held a gun to my head and said ‘deny Jesus else we will kill her’ what will you do ? “ Can you see the difference ?
John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Who can fathom the depths of His love !
Here is the music pick for the day. Its called ‘Amazing Love’
“I’m forgiven because You were forsaken
I’m accepted, You were condemned
I’m alive and well , Your Spirit is within me
Because You died and rose again
Amazing love
how can it be ?
That You my King would die for me
Amazing love
I know its true
It’s my joy to honor You
In all I do I honor You
You are my King
Jesus You are my King”
God Bless
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Spiritual Maturity
Praise the Lord ! Today instead of the usual verse for the day, would like to share a little more in detail of what the Lord has taught me over the weekend. Lets start with a prayer “Father thank you Lord that you have blessed us to see this day … Thank you Father that you have blessed us with technology that can be used for Your glory… Thank You Father for choosing us to be vessels for Your glory. We are nothing Father. But when You carry us in Your hands then are we transformed by Your grace. Father open our eyes Lord to understand Your wondrous law… Touch our hearts Lord and continue to grow us in You . We submit this time into Your hands Father…We lift it to You Lord, Bless it for Your glory . In the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ we ask, we believe and we receive . Amen”
We have all heard this phrase being used , ‘Spiritual Maturity’. What does that mean ? Does it mean that we have become so strong that now we are better than others ? NO. It just means this “We have become more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit”. Its as simple as that. See the more sensitive we are to the Holy Spirit the more we yield ourselves in obedience to our Lord and we let Him have His way in us ,rather than being stubborn and egoistic and try doing things on our own strength and then fail and then eventually turn to God. As we grow more and more in the Lord , ‘self’ decreases and ‘He’ increases. As we grow more and more in the Lord we become familiar to the things of God. We learn to discern between the things of Him and the things not of Him. As we grow more and more in Him we realize its not our life… Life by Biblical definition is Jesus Christ. So then there is no question of what I want to do with my life. Its become 100% Lord use me for Your glory for Your purposes as per Your Holy will. We learn to obey and desire for things of Him. In short we learn to abide completely in Him. We learn not to lean on our own understanding but lean totally and completely on Him and Him only.
Lets turn our Bibles to Matthew 20 : 1-16. For those who don’t have their Bibles with you , you can access this site http://www.biblegateway.com/ . This passage talks about the parable of the workers in the vineyard. In fact lets read it together , ““For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. "Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. "And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, "and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. "Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. "And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ "They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’“So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ "And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. "And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, "saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ "But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 'Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ "So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”” How are we walking ? Are we walking based on comparisons with others ? Or are we working hard for one reason and one reason alone – Because the Master called us !
Sometimes a sense of spiritual pride creeps up within and we say ‘who is this person to tell me what I should do’ or we might say ‘I have been doing this for so many years and now this person who is a new believer comes along …God You need to bless me more than him !!!” What has become our definition of Spiritual growth ? Spiritual Maturity ? God does not need us… we need Him !! Its an honor to be used of God. We are not doing God any favors. But by His grace and His mercy He has chosen us and called us His own !! WOW ! It doesn’t matter at which point you are right now in your spiritual life – the point remains – Its by His grace and His grace only that we exist . And its by His grace that we can do anything at all. If God were to remove His hand of favour from us, none of us would survive even for a fraction of a second. It does not matter how many years we are a believer or how much we have been graciously used for God’s glory. This should be engraved in our hearts “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit’ Says the LORD of hosts”.
We are alive - Not by might nor by power, but by His Spirit
We worship Him - Not by might nor by power, but by His Spirit
We are used for His glory - Not by might nor by power, but by His Spirit
Everything that we are - Not by might nor by power, but by His Spirit
Everything that we will be - Not by might nor by power, but by His Spirit
His grace His grace His grace……….My brothers and sisters in Christ we are enveloped by His grace… We cant even kneel down and pray but not for His grace. The Lord is calling us to completely surrender ourselves… not by our might or by our power… no no no .. but to yield ourselves knowing that that comes only by His Spirit.
Psalm 23 is a Psalm which most of us have learnt as kids… let it be our prayer this morning .Lets say the words Not by might nor by power, but by HIS Spirit prayerfully. Because there is nothing nothing nothing absolutely nothing that we can do on our own.
The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
Not by might nor by power, but by HIS Spirit
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
Not by might nor by power, but by HIS Spirit
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Not by might nor by power, but by HIS Spirit
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Not by might nor by power, but by HIS Spirit
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Not by might nor by power, but by HIS Spirit
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever.
Not by might nor by power, but by HIS Spirit
God Bless
We have all heard this phrase being used , ‘Spiritual Maturity’. What does that mean ? Does it mean that we have become so strong that now we are better than others ? NO. It just means this “We have become more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit”. Its as simple as that. See the more sensitive we are to the Holy Spirit the more we yield ourselves in obedience to our Lord and we let Him have His way in us ,rather than being stubborn and egoistic and try doing things on our own strength and then fail and then eventually turn to God. As we grow more and more in the Lord , ‘self’ decreases and ‘He’ increases. As we grow more and more in the Lord we become familiar to the things of God. We learn to discern between the things of Him and the things not of Him. As we grow more and more in Him we realize its not our life… Life by Biblical definition is Jesus Christ. So then there is no question of what I want to do with my life. Its become 100% Lord use me for Your glory for Your purposes as per Your Holy will. We learn to obey and desire for things of Him. In short we learn to abide completely in Him. We learn not to lean on our own understanding but lean totally and completely on Him and Him only.
Lets turn our Bibles to Matthew 20 : 1-16. For those who don’t have their Bibles with you , you can access this site http://www.biblegateway.com/ . This passage talks about the parable of the workers in the vineyard. In fact lets read it together , ““For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. "Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. "And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, "and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. "Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. "And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ "They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’“So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ "And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. "And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, "saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ "But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 'Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ "So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”” How are we walking ? Are we walking based on comparisons with others ? Or are we working hard for one reason and one reason alone – Because the Master called us !
Sometimes a sense of spiritual pride creeps up within and we say ‘who is this person to tell me what I should do’ or we might say ‘I have been doing this for so many years and now this person who is a new believer comes along …God You need to bless me more than him !!!” What has become our definition of Spiritual growth ? Spiritual Maturity ? God does not need us… we need Him !! Its an honor to be used of God. We are not doing God any favors. But by His grace and His mercy He has chosen us and called us His own !! WOW ! It doesn’t matter at which point you are right now in your spiritual life – the point remains – Its by His grace and His grace only that we exist . And its by His grace that we can do anything at all. If God were to remove His hand of favour from us, none of us would survive even for a fraction of a second. It does not matter how many years we are a believer or how much we have been graciously used for God’s glory. This should be engraved in our hearts “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit’ Says the LORD of hosts”.
We are alive - Not by might nor by power, but by His Spirit
We worship Him - Not by might nor by power, but by His Spirit
We are used for His glory - Not by might nor by power, but by His Spirit
Everything that we are - Not by might nor by power, but by His Spirit
Everything that we will be - Not by might nor by power, but by His Spirit
His grace His grace His grace……….My brothers and sisters in Christ we are enveloped by His grace… We cant even kneel down and pray but not for His grace. The Lord is calling us to completely surrender ourselves… not by our might or by our power… no no no .. but to yield ourselves knowing that that comes only by His Spirit.
Psalm 23 is a Psalm which most of us have learnt as kids… let it be our prayer this morning .Lets say the words Not by might nor by power, but by HIS Spirit prayerfully. Because there is nothing nothing nothing absolutely nothing that we can do on our own.
The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
Not by might nor by power, but by HIS Spirit
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
Not by might nor by power, but by HIS Spirit
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Not by might nor by power, but by HIS Spirit
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Not by might nor by power, but by HIS Spirit
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Not by might nor by power, but by HIS Spirit
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever.
Not by might nor by power, but by HIS Spirit
God Bless
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Know and Realize
“”And he said to him ,’Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.”
Luke 15 : 31 (New King James Version)
The passage from Luke 15: 11-32 is about the parable of the Lost Son. There was a certain man who had two sons. And the younger of them asked his father to divide their inheritance and give him his due portion . Soon after that was done, the youngest soon gathered all his goods and journeyed to a far country and there he wasted all his possessions with prodigal (wasteful) living. Soon there arose a famine in that land and he began to be in want . Then he went and joined himself to a citizen in that country and used to feed the swine in the fields. He was so hungry that he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that were being fed to the swine.
We read in verses 17-18 he says , “”But when he came to himself, he said, ’How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I will perish with hunger! ‘ I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father I have sinned against heaven and before you, “and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’” If we walk away from the Lord, true enough the devil will pounce and blind us ! This son was so blinded that he did not realize the error of his ways until he had been reduced to a state of desiring to eat the pods given to swine because of hunger. If any of us have strayed away from God and are blinded by the devil I pray that our eyes will be opened to see the error of our ways. The youngest son knew he had sinned, he repented and he knew one thing … he could go to back to his father and humble himself in the presence of his father. We read that when the father saw his youngest son from afar he ran to him . The father ran to his son with compassion and open arms, because he knew that his son had come back a changed man… his son had a heart that repented. That’s exactly how our Lord is… He is so merciful and compassionate that He will carry us in His arms and will protect us and take care of us.. all He is looking for is a heart that has repented and is now open to His ways.
The father also had another son. Now when he came towards the house he heard all the excitement and the music and the dancing and was wondering what was happening. Then a servant told him that his younger brother had returned and his father had killed the fatted calf in celebration. Now this really made the older son angry and he refused to step in. So the father comes out and pleads with him. Now the older son says that he has been loyal all these years to him yet his father never gave him a goat .
This is so wonderful… the father says “‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours” . How many of us are like the older son ? We don’t even realize that all what the father has is ours ! We have been living our lives in comparison with others and have not set our focus on Him . We are a royal priesthood ! We are ambassadors of Christ ! Does our life reflect that ? Does our attitude reflect that? Does every word that comes forth from our mouth reflect that ? Does our every heart’s desire reflect that ?
God Bless
Luke 15 : 31 (New King James Version)
The passage from Luke 15: 11-32 is about the parable of the Lost Son. There was a certain man who had two sons. And the younger of them asked his father to divide their inheritance and give him his due portion . Soon after that was done, the youngest soon gathered all his goods and journeyed to a far country and there he wasted all his possessions with prodigal (wasteful) living. Soon there arose a famine in that land and he began to be in want . Then he went and joined himself to a citizen in that country and used to feed the swine in the fields. He was so hungry that he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that were being fed to the swine.
We read in verses 17-18 he says , “”But when he came to himself, he said, ’How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I will perish with hunger! ‘ I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father I have sinned against heaven and before you, “and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’” If we walk away from the Lord, true enough the devil will pounce and blind us ! This son was so blinded that he did not realize the error of his ways until he had been reduced to a state of desiring to eat the pods given to swine because of hunger. If any of us have strayed away from God and are blinded by the devil I pray that our eyes will be opened to see the error of our ways. The youngest son knew he had sinned, he repented and he knew one thing … he could go to back to his father and humble himself in the presence of his father. We read that when the father saw his youngest son from afar he ran to him . The father ran to his son with compassion and open arms, because he knew that his son had come back a changed man… his son had a heart that repented. That’s exactly how our Lord is… He is so merciful and compassionate that He will carry us in His arms and will protect us and take care of us.. all He is looking for is a heart that has repented and is now open to His ways.
The father also had another son. Now when he came towards the house he heard all the excitement and the music and the dancing and was wondering what was happening. Then a servant told him that his younger brother had returned and his father had killed the fatted calf in celebration. Now this really made the older son angry and he refused to step in. So the father comes out and pleads with him. Now the older son says that he has been loyal all these years to him yet his father never gave him a goat .
This is so wonderful… the father says “‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours” . How many of us are like the older son ? We don’t even realize that all what the father has is ours ! We have been living our lives in comparison with others and have not set our focus on Him . We are a royal priesthood ! We are ambassadors of Christ ! Does our life reflect that ? Does our attitude reflect that? Does every word that comes forth from our mouth reflect that ? Does our every heart’s desire reflect that ?
God Bless
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Are we witnesses to Him ?
“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world”
1 John 4:4 (New King James Version)
This is a very familiar verse… How many of us knew the reference of this verse (which book, which chapter which verse)? How many of us know who won the Nobel peace prize this year ? We need to get our priorities in place
We are of God ! Wow ! Can you imagine anything that can be better than just knowing this ? Because we are washed by His blood , because we are sealed by His Holy Spirit ..He resides within us. WOW !
I love this line I read in a couple of books… The greatest miracle is the miracle of Salvation ! You and I are saved because Christ died for us and we believe He is Lord and Saviour of our lives and we walk what we believe by His grace.
Praise the Lord ! Sin and death have lost ! We have crushed Satan under our feet ! We walk knowing greater is He who is in us than he who is of the world.
But… what is pulling us down this moment ? Are we fretting regarding the things of the world ? ‘o my work has me so busy I have no time for His ministry’ , ‘o Im struggling with this financial situation’…. ‘ o that girl wont talk to me’…
Come on… We are not of this world. Then why do we let the things of the world hold so much of precedence in our life that we find ourselves having no time for God ??
We read in Acts 1 : 7-8 , “And He said to them, “it is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.“
We are to walk in the anointing of God and be what ? Witnesses ! Witnesses of what ? ‘Witnesses to Me’ – Witnesses to Christ .
Are we doing that ? Or are we striving hard to be the best Consultant , the best developer, the best Business Analyst …. And have we put God on a back seat ?
Things of the world are not our priority or concern. We are to walk with the Holy Spirit upon us and be witnesses to Him .
God Bless
1 John 4:4 (New King James Version)
This is a very familiar verse… How many of us knew the reference of this verse (which book, which chapter which verse)? How many of us know who won the Nobel peace prize this year ? We need to get our priorities in place
We are of God ! Wow ! Can you imagine anything that can be better than just knowing this ? Because we are washed by His blood , because we are sealed by His Holy Spirit ..He resides within us. WOW !
I love this line I read in a couple of books… The greatest miracle is the miracle of Salvation ! You and I are saved because Christ died for us and we believe He is Lord and Saviour of our lives and we walk what we believe by His grace.
Praise the Lord ! Sin and death have lost ! We have crushed Satan under our feet ! We walk knowing greater is He who is in us than he who is of the world.
But… what is pulling us down this moment ? Are we fretting regarding the things of the world ? ‘o my work has me so busy I have no time for His ministry’ , ‘o Im struggling with this financial situation’…. ‘ o that girl wont talk to me’…
Come on… We are not of this world. Then why do we let the things of the world hold so much of precedence in our life that we find ourselves having no time for God ??
We read in Acts 1 : 7-8 , “And He said to them, “it is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.“
We are to walk in the anointing of God and be what ? Witnesses ! Witnesses of what ? ‘Witnesses to Me’ – Witnesses to Christ .
Are we doing that ? Or are we striving hard to be the best Consultant , the best developer, the best Business Analyst …. And have we put God on a back seat ?
Things of the world are not our priority or concern. We are to walk with the Holy Spirit upon us and be witnesses to Him .
God Bless
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
What are we doing ?
“Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine”
I Samuel 17: 32 (New King James Version)
Heard a wonderful sermon this morning by God’s grace and would like to share a little from that. We read in I Samuel 16 of how David was anointed king. Samuel went up to Jesse and as he saw each of Jesse’s son the Lord clearly told Samuel that none of the sons who passed before him was His chosen. And then David was called for and we read that the Lord said “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!”. And we read in I Samuel 16 : 13 “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah”
Now lets turn our Bibles back to today’s verse. I’m sure most of us are familiar with the story of David and Goliath. Here is the crux of today’s message. When we are anointed of the Lord it is to say ‘I will go and fight’ when a Goliath comes ahead. It is to kill the lion and the bear that will harm the sheep of your heavenly Father’s flock. That’s why we are chosen of the Lord . That’s why God has anointed us.
It is not to take a back seat when Goliath comes.. No No no ! Its so that we will rise up and go in His name and defeat Goliath . It is so that we will say just as David did in I Samuel 17: 45 “The David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. Whom you have defied”
What are we doing ? Are we rising up ? Or have we taken a back seat ?
God Bless
I Samuel 17: 32 (New King James Version)
Heard a wonderful sermon this morning by God’s grace and would like to share a little from that. We read in I Samuel 16 of how David was anointed king. Samuel went up to Jesse and as he saw each of Jesse’s son the Lord clearly told Samuel that none of the sons who passed before him was His chosen. And then David was called for and we read that the Lord said “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!”. And we read in I Samuel 16 : 13 “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah”
Now lets turn our Bibles back to today’s verse. I’m sure most of us are familiar with the story of David and Goliath. Here is the crux of today’s message. When we are anointed of the Lord it is to say ‘I will go and fight’ when a Goliath comes ahead. It is to kill the lion and the bear that will harm the sheep of your heavenly Father’s flock. That’s why we are chosen of the Lord . That’s why God has anointed us.
It is not to take a back seat when Goliath comes.. No No no ! Its so that we will rise up and go in His name and defeat Goliath . It is so that we will say just as David did in I Samuel 17: 45 “The David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. Whom you have defied”
What are we doing ? Are we rising up ? Or have we taken a back seat ?
God Bless
Monday, October 19, 2009
Prepare the way of the LORD
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
”Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make straight in the desert
A highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill be brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough places smooth;”
Isaiah 40:3-4 (New King James Version)
Picture this … three glasses and a jug of water are set before you and someone asks you for a glass of water. Glass 1 – Nice and clean . Glass 2 – Moderately dirty. Glass 3 – Absolutely filthy. Into which glass would you pour the water ? Straight forward answer – Glass 1 . Why ? The other two are not usable. Its as simple as that. Now we need to understand that even if the glass was just moderately filthy …bottom line : Its not usable the way you would want it. The filth needs to come out !
It’s the very same thing in our lives … its as simple as that … Are we holding on to the filth ? Or are we preparing the way of the Lord ? The verse says "‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God”. When we allow God to work in us … wow ! What was a desert will now become a what ? A highway for our God !! Every valley will be filled. And it doesn’t stop with that … but also every mountain and hill will be brought low ! That’s correction. A lot of us like the first half of the valley being filled but not of the mountains being brought low . Correction , humility , submission…. Nothing of self…But 100% Him ! He will straighten out all the crooked places of our lives and every rough place will be made smooth ! Wow ! How awesome it is to be completely shaped and molded in His hands.
Do you know what happens when we surrender to Him and allow Him to work in our lives completely ? We read in the very next verse , verse 5 “The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Prepare the way of the LORD !
God Bless
”Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make straight in the desert
A highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill be brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough places smooth;”
Isaiah 40:3-4 (New King James Version)
Picture this … three glasses and a jug of water are set before you and someone asks you for a glass of water. Glass 1 – Nice and clean . Glass 2 – Moderately dirty. Glass 3 – Absolutely filthy. Into which glass would you pour the water ? Straight forward answer – Glass 1 . Why ? The other two are not usable. Its as simple as that. Now we need to understand that even if the glass was just moderately filthy …bottom line : Its not usable the way you would want it. The filth needs to come out !
It’s the very same thing in our lives … its as simple as that … Are we holding on to the filth ? Or are we preparing the way of the Lord ? The verse says "‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God”. When we allow God to work in us … wow ! What was a desert will now become a what ? A highway for our God !! Every valley will be filled. And it doesn’t stop with that … but also every mountain and hill will be brought low ! That’s correction. A lot of us like the first half of the valley being filled but not of the mountains being brought low . Correction , humility , submission…. Nothing of self…But 100% Him ! He will straighten out all the crooked places of our lives and every rough place will be made smooth ! Wow ! How awesome it is to be completely shaped and molded in His hands.
Do you know what happens when we surrender to Him and allow Him to work in our lives completely ? We read in the very next verse , verse 5 “The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Prepare the way of the LORD !
God Bless
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Shepherd's voice
"I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and my sheep know me. They know me just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I give my life for the sheep."
John 10:14-15
The parable is about Jesus, our shepherd and we his sheep. I love this passage and it comes alive as I read it. I can see a flock of white sheep on a hillside in a small pen. The shepherd walks through the gate and calls to them. The sheep seem to stir in excitement and gather close to the shepherd as he walks on ahead of them and leads them to the pastures.
"The sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought all of his own sheep out, he goes on ahead of them. His sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger. In fact, they will run away from him. They don't recognize a stranger's voice." John 10:3-5
Have you ever tried to call a friend and tried to speak in a voice that you hope they won't recognize? I have tried that trick with all my close friends and invariably fail every time. My close friends "Know" my voice. Infact if it was not me but a stranger they would probably just hang up!
We live in a time and age when hundred's of voices constantly bombard us. Voices of our friends, voices in the media, voices of our neighbours, voices of our culture, voices of our near and dear, voices of our desires and dreams, voices of the evil one... The passage says His sheep know His voice and that the sheep will never follow a stranger because they don't recognize his voice. In fact they will run from strangers!
Do you know the voice of your Shepherd? Do you wait calmly to hear his call and follow where he leads? Does his voice sound familiar to you? Do you run away from the voices of strangers?
This verse has been echoing in my heart repeatedly over the past few weeks reminding me of the need to "Know" my Shepherds voice and hear him above the voices of this world and the voices within me.
Shall we pray? Father, Shepherd of my soul, Help me to recognize your voice as a lover knows the voice of his loved one and may my soul listen and follow your voice alone.
God Bless
John 10:14-15
The parable is about Jesus, our shepherd and we his sheep. I love this passage and it comes alive as I read it. I can see a flock of white sheep on a hillside in a small pen. The shepherd walks through the gate and calls to them. The sheep seem to stir in excitement and gather close to the shepherd as he walks on ahead of them and leads them to the pastures.
"The sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought all of his own sheep out, he goes on ahead of them. His sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger. In fact, they will run away from him. They don't recognize a stranger's voice." John 10:3-5
Have you ever tried to call a friend and tried to speak in a voice that you hope they won't recognize? I have tried that trick with all my close friends and invariably fail every time. My close friends "Know" my voice. Infact if it was not me but a stranger they would probably just hang up!
We live in a time and age when hundred's of voices constantly bombard us. Voices of our friends, voices in the media, voices of our neighbours, voices of our culture, voices of our near and dear, voices of our desires and dreams, voices of the evil one... The passage says His sheep know His voice and that the sheep will never follow a stranger because they don't recognize his voice. In fact they will run from strangers!
Do you know the voice of your Shepherd? Do you wait calmly to hear his call and follow where he leads? Does his voice sound familiar to you? Do you run away from the voices of strangers?
This verse has been echoing in my heart repeatedly over the past few weeks reminding me of the need to "Know" my Shepherds voice and hear him above the voices of this world and the voices within me.
Shall we pray? Father, Shepherd of my soul, Help me to recognize your voice as a lover knows the voice of his loved one and may my soul listen and follow your voice alone.
God Bless
**Shared by Ms.Shelton
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Marvelous !
“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well”
Psalm 139 : 14 (New King James Version)
This morning as I looked all sleepy at the mirror and brushed my teeth, the Lord led me to take a closer look at my teeth. And I went wow ! Just look at all the time and planning that has gone into designing our teeth. I mean just think about it for one second …the molars , the premolars, the canine… Teeth in front that look good.. teeth in the back that are great for grinding our food… Wow ! Just look at the time that has gone into that . And the beauty is each one of us is made so uniquely. My front two teeth are nice and big so was nicknamed bugs bunny as a kid… But hey I’m perfect in God’s sight ! :-) Praise the Lord !
Everything about us is just so uniquely made… our hair , our height , our fingers…. Wow !! Praise the Lord for everything . The last part of the verse says “And that my soul knows very well” . Do you know that ?
Do we praise and thank God for everything that we are ?
Verse 17-18 say “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake I am still with You”
Wow ! Our Holy Father… He loves us beyond what we could ever comprehend and His thoughts of us are more than our mind could ever understand and are innumerable. Wow !
Do we realize how special we are in God’s eyes ?
Some of us are so caught up proving who we are to the world in terms of worldly standards that we have forgotten who we are in God’s eyes and what His plans are for us.
Marvelous are His works. I pray that we will give Him all the glory and walk in accordance with His will and that we will praise Him for we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
God Bless
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well”
Psalm 139 : 14 (New King James Version)
This morning as I looked all sleepy at the mirror and brushed my teeth, the Lord led me to take a closer look at my teeth. And I went wow ! Just look at all the time and planning that has gone into designing our teeth. I mean just think about it for one second …the molars , the premolars, the canine… Teeth in front that look good.. teeth in the back that are great for grinding our food… Wow ! Just look at the time that has gone into that . And the beauty is each one of us is made so uniquely. My front two teeth are nice and big so was nicknamed bugs bunny as a kid… But hey I’m perfect in God’s sight ! :-) Praise the Lord !
Everything about us is just so uniquely made… our hair , our height , our fingers…. Wow !! Praise the Lord for everything . The last part of the verse says “And that my soul knows very well” . Do you know that ?
Do we praise and thank God for everything that we are ?
Verse 17-18 say “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake I am still with You”
Wow ! Our Holy Father… He loves us beyond what we could ever comprehend and His thoughts of us are more than our mind could ever understand and are innumerable. Wow !
Do we realize how special we are in God’s eyes ?
Some of us are so caught up proving who we are to the world in terms of worldly standards that we have forgotten who we are in God’s eyes and what His plans are for us.
Marvelous are His works. I pray that we will give Him all the glory and walk in accordance with His will and that we will praise Him for we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
God Bless
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Do we see the big picture ?
“Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him”
Matthew 4:11 (New King James Version)
Jesus is fasting and Satan tempts Him. Does this confuse you ? Wouldn’t you think when you are spending so much time in prayer that the devil would be more scared ? Satan knew what was coming up… See the bigger a threat you become to Satan the more the attacks, temptation from Him.
However let me be clear on one thing… we need to know where we are in God . If we are walking in accordance to His will then yes we know that every attack is from the evil one. However , if we are not walking in accordance to His will , then don’t give Satan all the credit. We are to blame for our choices of sin which results in turmoil around us.
The Bible says in I Corinthians 10: 13 “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it”.
We read in Matthew 4:10 “Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you Satan ! For it is written , You shall worship the LORD your God and Him only you shall serve.””
With that one final word the devil left Him. The devil tried everything he could… he even quoted the scriptures out of context… But Christ overcame all. And you know what happened ? Angels came and ministered to Him ! Wow ! Just try and picture that sight . Its better than any reward, gold medal ,… anything that the world could ever give. Are we overcoming temptation knowing that our God is our greatest reward ?
We are to crush satan under our feet . Are we doing that ? Or are we giving him access into our lives by giving in to the temptation ? are allowing the scriptures to be twisted to suit our worldly desires ?
We are to overcome temptation. We are to remember His name. We read in Psalm 20:2 that He will send us help from the sanctuary…
Satan sees the big picture and he is scared… he knows his end is near. Do you and I see God’s plan for us in our lives ?
God Bless
Matthew 4:11 (New King James Version)
Jesus is fasting and Satan tempts Him. Does this confuse you ? Wouldn’t you think when you are spending so much time in prayer that the devil would be more scared ? Satan knew what was coming up… See the bigger a threat you become to Satan the more the attacks, temptation from Him.
However let me be clear on one thing… we need to know where we are in God . If we are walking in accordance to His will then yes we know that every attack is from the evil one. However , if we are not walking in accordance to His will , then don’t give Satan all the credit. We are to blame for our choices of sin which results in turmoil around us.
The Bible says in I Corinthians 10: 13 “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it”.
We read in Matthew 4:10 “Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you Satan ! For it is written , You shall worship the LORD your God and Him only you shall serve.””
With that one final word the devil left Him. The devil tried everything he could… he even quoted the scriptures out of context… But Christ overcame all. And you know what happened ? Angels came and ministered to Him ! Wow ! Just try and picture that sight . Its better than any reward, gold medal ,… anything that the world could ever give. Are we overcoming temptation knowing that our God is our greatest reward ?
We are to crush satan under our feet . Are we doing that ? Or are we giving him access into our lives by giving in to the temptation ? are allowing the scriptures to be twisted to suit our worldly desires ?
We are to overcome temptation. We are to remember His name. We read in Psalm 20:2 that He will send us help from the sanctuary…
Satan sees the big picture and he is scared… he knows his end is near. Do you and I see God’s plan for us in our lives ?
God Bless
Monday, October 12, 2009
Immersed or Floating ?
“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”
Psalm 20 : 7 (New King James Version)
“All to Jesus, I surrender; All to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live”… I’m sure this a favourite hymn to many…
We read in today’s verse that some put their trust in chariots and some in horses , but we will remember the name of the Lord. Now here is a question … When do we remember the name of the Lord ?
When trouble arises and we have tried everything else and now we decide to remember Him ? When there is an issue at work do we first get so worked up/upset and wish we could yell at everyone and then after all that do we remember the name of the Lord ? Even if we don’t actually yell out our thoughts it still falls into the Master’s ear ! J He knows it all ! When promotions don’t come do we get so stressed out regarding it and then a week later remember the Lord ?
I love the line in the hymn which says “In His presence daily live”…. Picture this… There is a jug full of water and into the water I drop an egg . Now the egg is totally immersed into the water. It is surrounded by the water completely. Its just totally 100% submersed in the water. That’s the way we ought to be. Just so totally submersed in His presence. Totally 100% in Him.
This is funny… I just called up my mom to make sure my illustration was right – that an egg does go down when placed in water and not float. And this is what my mom said “If the egg is a bad egg then it will float in water and if its good then it gets immersed in the water. That’s how you check if an egg is good or bad”. Praise the Lord ! The Lord leads us to perfect illustrations J Are we fully immersed in Him or are we floating ?
Do we remember the Lord in the green pastures, besides the still waters , in the valley of shadow of death , in the presence of our enemies… do we remember the Lord 24*7 ? Is our trust in Him 100%. ?
“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”
God Bless
But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”
Psalm 20 : 7 (New King James Version)
“All to Jesus, I surrender; All to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live”… I’m sure this a favourite hymn to many…
We read in today’s verse that some put their trust in chariots and some in horses , but we will remember the name of the Lord. Now here is a question … When do we remember the name of the Lord ?
When trouble arises and we have tried everything else and now we decide to remember Him ? When there is an issue at work do we first get so worked up/upset and wish we could yell at everyone and then after all that do we remember the name of the Lord ? Even if we don’t actually yell out our thoughts it still falls into the Master’s ear ! J He knows it all ! When promotions don’t come do we get so stressed out regarding it and then a week later remember the Lord ?
I love the line in the hymn which says “In His presence daily live”…. Picture this… There is a jug full of water and into the water I drop an egg . Now the egg is totally immersed into the water. It is surrounded by the water completely. Its just totally 100% submersed in the water. That’s the way we ought to be. Just so totally submersed in His presence. Totally 100% in Him.
This is funny… I just called up my mom to make sure my illustration was right – that an egg does go down when placed in water and not float. And this is what my mom said “If the egg is a bad egg then it will float in water and if its good then it gets immersed in the water. That’s how you check if an egg is good or bad”. Praise the Lord ! The Lord leads us to perfect illustrations J Are we fully immersed in Him or are we floating ?
Do we remember the Lord in the green pastures, besides the still waters , in the valley of shadow of death , in the presence of our enemies… do we remember the Lord 24*7 ? Is our trust in Him 100%. ?
“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”
God Bless
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Spirit or Flesh
“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
Romans 8:11 (New King James Version)
We read in verse 8 “So then , those who are in the flesh cannot please God”… what does that mean ? Aren’t we all right now living physically as human beings in flesh ? Here its not about being physically in the flesh , but living according to the flesh. Well lets meditate together on this There are two roads right now in front of us. Lets look at both these roads.
Road ‘Flesh’ : Where we walk according to Flesh. In this road as we stroll along we give in to the desires of the flesh… things of the world… lust, greed, pride, anger, lies , filthy language…
Road ‘Spirit’ : Where we walk according to Spirit. In this road we walk in accordance to His will… we walk according to the desires and will of God… Our minds are not set on things of this world… but our minds are set on things above
Verse 5 : “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit”
Verse 6 : “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace”
Verse 7-8 : “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
We see that there is absolutely no connection between these two roads. They are disjoint. Quick check : Which road are we walking on now ?
We read in verses 10-11 , “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
Now anything that is of the flesh is put to death. This flesh which acts in conflict to the Spirit is put to death. Why ? because now Christ lives in us. Life and death are opposites… Jesus Christ and Sin are opposites. When we look into our lives what do we see ? Do we see Christ in us ? Or do we see sin ?
When we walk in the Spirit , Christ gives life to our mortal bodies through His Spirit . Because of His Spirit this mortal body now has true life and is to be used for His glory. Everything about us … our body , our thoughts , our desire is to walk in subjection to the will of God .
I’m sure a lot of us must be familiar with the quote “ Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country” . How many of us wake up in the morning and say “Lord , how may I be used for Your glory today “ instead of having a big list of asking God to do things. Don’t get me wrong . I’m not saying don’t ask God for things … but have we gotten so lost in our needs that we have not even taken the time to seek Him and His will. How many of us have a heart which says “Lord Here I am !”. How many of us are walking according to the Spirit ?
God Bless
Romans 8:11 (New King James Version)
We read in verse 8 “So then , those who are in the flesh cannot please God”… what does that mean ? Aren’t we all right now living physically as human beings in flesh ? Here its not about being physically in the flesh , but living according to the flesh. Well lets meditate together on this There are two roads right now in front of us. Lets look at both these roads.
Road ‘Flesh’ : Where we walk according to Flesh. In this road as we stroll along we give in to the desires of the flesh… things of the world… lust, greed, pride, anger, lies , filthy language…
Road ‘Spirit’ : Where we walk according to Spirit. In this road we walk in accordance to His will… we walk according to the desires and will of God… Our minds are not set on things of this world… but our minds are set on things above
Verse 5 : “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit”
Verse 6 : “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace”
Verse 7-8 : “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
We see that there is absolutely no connection between these two roads. They are disjoint. Quick check : Which road are we walking on now ?
We read in verses 10-11 , “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
Now anything that is of the flesh is put to death. This flesh which acts in conflict to the Spirit is put to death. Why ? because now Christ lives in us. Life and death are opposites… Jesus Christ and Sin are opposites. When we look into our lives what do we see ? Do we see Christ in us ? Or do we see sin ?
When we walk in the Spirit , Christ gives life to our mortal bodies through His Spirit . Because of His Spirit this mortal body now has true life and is to be used for His glory. Everything about us … our body , our thoughts , our desire is to walk in subjection to the will of God .
I’m sure a lot of us must be familiar with the quote “ Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country” . How many of us wake up in the morning and say “Lord , how may I be used for Your glory today “ instead of having a big list of asking God to do things. Don’t get me wrong . I’m not saying don’t ask God for things … but have we gotten so lost in our needs that we have not even taken the time to seek Him and His will. How many of us have a heart which says “Lord Here I am !”. How many of us are walking according to the Spirit ?
God Bless
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Dont Labor in Vain
“Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it ; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.”
Psalm 127 : 1 (New King James Version)
Picture this… There is a major storm that’s started and all you see ahead of you is this tiny place of shelter made from dry leaves. Having no other choice, you run and take shelter there. How safe would you feel ?
After a couple of minutes you look up and see the hand of God holding it up for you . Now how safe would you feel ?
When something is in the hands of God it takes a whole different meaning altogether . A lot of us are familiar with the passage from John 6 , ‘Feeding the Five Thousand’. We read in John 6 : 9 , “”There is a lad here who has five barely loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”” They were right… In their hands what was it among so many ? But when given to the Lord what happened ? We read in John 6:11 , “And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise the fish, as much as they wanted.”
The loaves and the fish were still distributed by the disciples to the people. What was the difference ? It passed through the hand of God first. That makes all the difference !
We read in today’s verse that unless the Lord builds the house , those who build it are laboring in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city there is no point in the watchman staying awake .
Have we lifted up everything and surrendered everything into His hands ? Are we letting God have His way in our lives or are we laboring in vain ? The job that we work at becomes meaningless unless we lift it up to the Lord and we say , Lord have your way in my workplace. The car that you drive … what difference does it make ? Surrender that into the hands of the Lord and see how He uses that as an instrument for His glory. That half an hour that you get a break in the afternoon … are you thinking ‘what is half an hour among such a busy schedule ? ‘…. Surrender it to our Lord and you will be amazed at what He will do with it.
Many at times we are living our lives in vain… why ? Because we have shut the Lord out . We rely on our own strength and wisdom to see us through. If God is not a part of it, anything we do will be in vain .
God Bless
Psalm 127 : 1 (New King James Version)
Picture this… There is a major storm that’s started and all you see ahead of you is this tiny place of shelter made from dry leaves. Having no other choice, you run and take shelter there. How safe would you feel ?
After a couple of minutes you look up and see the hand of God holding it up for you . Now how safe would you feel ?
When something is in the hands of God it takes a whole different meaning altogether . A lot of us are familiar with the passage from John 6 , ‘Feeding the Five Thousand’. We read in John 6 : 9 , “”There is a lad here who has five barely loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”” They were right… In their hands what was it among so many ? But when given to the Lord what happened ? We read in John 6:11 , “And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise the fish, as much as they wanted.”
The loaves and the fish were still distributed by the disciples to the people. What was the difference ? It passed through the hand of God first. That makes all the difference !
We read in today’s verse that unless the Lord builds the house , those who build it are laboring in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city there is no point in the watchman staying awake .
Have we lifted up everything and surrendered everything into His hands ? Are we letting God have His way in our lives or are we laboring in vain ? The job that we work at becomes meaningless unless we lift it up to the Lord and we say , Lord have your way in my workplace. The car that you drive … what difference does it make ? Surrender that into the hands of the Lord and see how He uses that as an instrument for His glory. That half an hour that you get a break in the afternoon … are you thinking ‘what is half an hour among such a busy schedule ? ‘…. Surrender it to our Lord and you will be amazed at what He will do with it.
Many at times we are living our lives in vain… why ? Because we have shut the Lord out . We rely on our own strength and wisdom to see us through. If God is not a part of it, anything we do will be in vain .
God Bless
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Blessing to Abomination
“I brought you into a bountiful country, To eat its fruit and its goodness. But when you entered, you defiled My land And made My heritage an abomination.”
Jeremiah 2 : 7 (New King James Version)
The Lord led Israel through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits , through a land of drought and the shadow of death, through a land that no one crossed. The Lord brought Israel into a bountiful country. God brought them there as a blessing. The country was a blessing to the people of Israel. But what did Israel do ? They defiled it !
They transformed a blessing into an abomination !
How many of us find ourselves in that very same situation today ? What God ordained as a blessing we have turned it into an abomination ! That relationship which was supposed to be for the glory of God has now become sinful in nature, that job which is to be a blessing has now become an idol , the house which God blessed you with which was supposed to be a house of prayer now has alcohol and sin residing in it … What have we done !!
We read in verse 11 “Has a nation changed its gods, Which are not gods? But My people have changed their Glory For what does not profit” . The Israelites traded their Glory for what does not profit. What are we doing today ? See how the Lord says “My people”… We who are His people… have done what ? Changed our Glory…the glory of God that is to reside upon us, within us , to shine through us… what have we done ? We have traded it for what does not profit.
We read in verse 13 “For my people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns – broken cisterns that can hold no water.” They have forsaken God who is the fountain of living waters ! Just imagine that … walking away from the fountain of living waters. And hewn what ? Broken cisterns that can hold no water . My dear brothers and sisters in Christ , are we in the same state ourselves ? Have we turned God’s blessing into an abomination ? Have we traded in Glory for something of no profit? Have we forsaken God, the fountain of living waters and now find ourselves with broken cisterns ?
What happens if we do not repent and do not seek His forgiveness but continue in this sinful path ? We read in verse 19 “Your own wickedness will correct you, And your backslidings will rebuke you. Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing That you have forsaken the LORD your God, And the fear of Me is not in you.” Says the Lord God is hosts.”
God Bless
Jeremiah 2 : 7 (New King James Version)
The Lord led Israel through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits , through a land of drought and the shadow of death, through a land that no one crossed. The Lord brought Israel into a bountiful country. God brought them there as a blessing. The country was a blessing to the people of Israel. But what did Israel do ? They defiled it !
They transformed a blessing into an abomination !
How many of us find ourselves in that very same situation today ? What God ordained as a blessing we have turned it into an abomination ! That relationship which was supposed to be for the glory of God has now become sinful in nature, that job which is to be a blessing has now become an idol , the house which God blessed you with which was supposed to be a house of prayer now has alcohol and sin residing in it … What have we done !!
We read in verse 11 “Has a nation changed its gods, Which are not gods? But My people have changed their Glory For what does not profit” . The Israelites traded their Glory for what does not profit. What are we doing today ? See how the Lord says “My people”… We who are His people… have done what ? Changed our Glory…the glory of God that is to reside upon us, within us , to shine through us… what have we done ? We have traded it for what does not profit.
We read in verse 13 “For my people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns – broken cisterns that can hold no water.” They have forsaken God who is the fountain of living waters ! Just imagine that … walking away from the fountain of living waters. And hewn what ? Broken cisterns that can hold no water . My dear brothers and sisters in Christ , are we in the same state ourselves ? Have we turned God’s blessing into an abomination ? Have we traded in Glory for something of no profit? Have we forsaken God, the fountain of living waters and now find ourselves with broken cisterns ?
What happens if we do not repent and do not seek His forgiveness but continue in this sinful path ? We read in verse 19 “Your own wickedness will correct you, And your backslidings will rebuke you. Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing That you have forsaken the LORD your God, And the fear of Me is not in you.” Says the Lord God is hosts.”
God Bless
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Dont make God your Genie
“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
Matthew 21:22 (New King James Version)
At my current firm we have a service called “Genie” . So if you are too busy with work and need to buy a gift or send flowers then you call “the Genie” . And Genie will do the needful. If you are so tied up that you have no time to pay your EB bill or anything, what do you do ? Call Genie. If you want to go somewhere for a trip and want some guidance on good tour trips and packages just call Genie !
Have we made God our Genie ??! Do we look to God only when we are too busy with other things and need something desperately done ? We get stuck in a traffic jam and need to get to this important meeting and we start rubbing the magic lamp and say “Lord …plz plz let me get to the meeting on time…. I know i did not pray today or pray this entire week… but plz just get me there in time… “ and then we go about quoting every passage of scripture we remember.
God is not our Genie that we keep asking things to be done while we are so involved with things of this world. No no no
He is our GOD ! He is the alpha and the omega… He is the great I AM… He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour who paid the price for our sins on the cross.
A lot of us love quoting this verse when we need something… We say “Lord I believe so please do it “.
But here is a key… what things do we ask in prayer ? Lets turn our Bibles to John 15 : 7 “If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”
Wow ! This is to be our relationship with our God… we abiding in Him and His words abiding in us ! That’s a relationship ! And when we have such a relationship with the Lord, what do you think the desires of our heart will be ? In accordance with His will ! And It will be done !!
I pray that we will be loosed from all the bondages of the world that have turned us away from our God ! Anything that prevents us from spending time in His presence and with His word is an idol and needs to be cast away. We need to give God our first and our best !
God Bless
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