The gauge check

“But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.””

Mark 4: 8 (New King James version)

Every time before I leave from my parent’s place , the first thing my Dad does is check all the gauges in the car. Fuel ? Check , Coolant ? Check … Water for the wipers ? Check , Oil is clean ? Check , Tire pressures ? Check. My parents live two and a half hours away from where I stay in the city and work. So before I make the drive , my Dad makes sure the car is all ready to make the trip.

The parable of the sower is a parable most of us are o so familiar with . Here is a check we need to see against our own lives… Are we bearing fruit ?

As we read the parable from Mark 4: 1-9 we read that when the seed has fallen on good ground it yields crop … How much ? Thirty fold, sixty fold and some even a hundred fold !! That’s bearing fruit. We hear the word , understand it and bear fruit of it .

So here is the gauge check for today

-> Do we feel good only for a while when we hear the word of God and then does it all fizzle away ? We are on the wayside and have given Satan easy access to different aspects of our lives
-> Is our fruit bearing only as long as everything is convenient ? Do we fizzle off at the first sign of trouble ? Is our fruit bearing driven by circumstances ? We are on rocky ground and are not deeply rooted
->Do we find the cares of the world , the demands of the world choking us and preventing us from bearing fruit ? We are among thorns
-> Are we bearing fruit thirty fold, sixty fold and even a hundred fold ? We are on good ground , well rooted in His word


What is our gauge indicating today ? We cannot say we are on good ground and not bear fruit .

Lord work in us Father. May we be a fruit bearing generation for Your glory

God Bless

Not to be Served but to Serve

“And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.”

Mark 1 : 7 (New King James version)

Here is a man filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb. A man of whom was prophesied in the Old Testament. He was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. His life was dedicated to preparing the way for the coming of Christ. We read in verses 4-5 , “John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins.”

We read in verse 7 that he says he is not even worthy to stoop down and loose the sandal strap of Jesus. I want this to really hit home today by God’s grace. This is a man of God filled with the Holy Spirit totally dedicated to doing the Lord’s will. And he humbles himself to the point of being considered unworthy to even loose the sandal strap of Christ.

A lot of us think that the ministry we are involved in or the little things we do make us worthy . Some of us get into this mindset that ‘Oh I have sacrificed so much of my time and my effort for Christ…’ We need to get this basic fact really clear… we are unworthy to even touch His feet. He is the Holy of holies , He is the great I AM , He is the beginning and the end. It is He who makes us worthy. It is His blood that has ransomed us and now we are heirs in Christ.

This past week I was busy with a conference happening at church and honestly it was so easy to get into the mindset of ‘Oh see Lord what I am doing for you … I am sleeping for only 2 hours just for you’ and God really convicted me of this thinking. Praise the Lord for our Father who is so loving to His children that He corrects and prunes us with love.

Its not by works…Its by Grace !! He doesn’t need us … we need Him :-) God used a donkey to talk to a sorcerer :-) I’m so glad that God allows me to be used for His glory. Sometimes we get into this mindset that we are doing God a favor by reading His word, by praying … No no no … May the Lord correct us and prune us. His word is living and powerful.

We read in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

God Bless

What God has chosen

“The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

Isaiah 58: 11 (New King James version)

When we read the entire chapter we see God telling us about a fasting that is truly acceptable in His sight. Its not about a one day thing that will make us feel happy that we have done something for Him. It is a change in lifestyle itself. When we think about pleasing God we need to understand that its not about couple of things for Him , it might be teaching kids , it might be helping at church , any form of ministry .. Its not just about what we do . If we think ‘oh I did this and this and this , so I am right with God’ and then we go home and fight , or we walk with pride , or we have things in our life that is displeasing to God , then everything that we have done is not acceptable in His sight. God looks at the heart !

We read from Isaiah 58: 5, “Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the LORD?” We humbling ourselves before the Lord just on that one day is not what He requires. He doesn’t look at the external things that we do. He looks at the heart.

We read from verse 6 onwards of what God expects of us , the fast that is pleasing in His sight. In other words , the kind of the life we ought to be living

Verses 6-14 , “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ “ If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. “ If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Take away the yoke, the pointing finger , speaking wickedness and extend our soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted , then our light will dawn in the darkness and Lord will continually guide us.

A lot of us like to just pick out verse 11 and read it in silo and think wow awesome. We need to read it in the entirety of the chapters. We just read the life that God wants us to lead. This lifestyle (verses 6-14) is acceptable in His sight. May this be our prayer today “Lord help us to live a life that is pleasing in Your Holy sight . Father help us to be doers of Your word. May our lives be a living testimony for Your glory. In Jesus name. Amen”

God Bless

Are you doing what He created you for ?

“Thus says the LORD of hosts: “ Consider your ways!””

Haggai 1: 7 (New King James version)

When we read the book of Haggai we see in Chapter 1 of how God stirs up the people to build His temple. The temple of the Lord is lying in ruins , but the people don’t seem to care about it . They are busy with their own lives. We read that the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet saying, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?” (verse4)

It is so easy to get so self involved in our own lives and our own careers and our our our… and forget all about Him and what He wants us to do ! If you see these emails not coming everyday , you know that either I am travelling or I am struggling with these same issues myself. Getting our priorities right.

We read in the book of Colossians 1:16 , “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him”
Ok here is a picture of a hammer . Now I look at the curvy part of the hammer and decide to use it as an ice cream scoop (used for scooping ice-cream like a spoon) ! :-) It works … It wasn’t the primary purpose for which it was designed but hey it works and the ice cream business goes well.

The hammer was designed for something totally altogether different. It is designed with great strength and endurance. It hammers in nails where required to make the right joins. And it also has the ability to pull out unwanted nails which hurt.

Have we become ice-cream scoops instead of hammers ? :-)

God created us for Him ! For His purposes . Not for what we perceive how our life should be but for what He sees us to be… He has created us in His image, ransomed by His blood , sealed by His Spirit Wow ! This is who we are !

I pray that we will never lose sight of His purposes for our lives . May the cares and pleasures and comforts of this world never become our priority and pull us away for what He has purposed for us.

God Bless

Be anxious for nothing

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayers 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.”

Philippians 4: 6-7 (New King James version)

As I grow older I realize more and more what God spoke about becoming like little children. As a kid my mom always brought me up saying ‘when you pray have faith that God has answered your prayer, the Bible says believe you have received it”. And that was something that still stands engraved within . So after our annual exams in school , the first Sunday immediately after our exams you could find me testifying in church saying ‘I thank God for enabling me to pass from 4th grade to my 5th grade” . The general procedure was that a month or two after the exams when on vacation , the school would send out a card to your home stating that you have been promoted to the next grade. I on the other hand did not feel the need to wait . I had prayed over every exam as I wrote , I knew God would get me through the next grade so then what was the point in waiting for the results and then testifying ? :-) I knew He would do it and I testified up front proudly in advance of what I knew He would do.

As we grow older we find ourselves trying to control things ourselves. We think we can handle it or that we have ability to control things in our life. And that’s the key difference between a child and an adult. Depending totally on his/her parents comes naturally for a child … A child does not confuse circumstances … A child has simple yet total faith ‘my Father said He will do it , so He will do it’ J A child doesn’t reason out how when why , he knows that its not his job to worry , he just gladly waits knowing his father will take care of it :-)

Do not be anxious about anything . But in EVERYTHING … in every circumstance , in every situation with prayers and supplication , with thanksgiving lift it up to God. And when you have lifted it up to God, the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Wow ! His peace surpasses all understanding will just be all over our heart and mind guarding it through Christ Jesus ! Such a blessing ! All we have to do is lift it up to Him !

God bless

Go

“”Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””

Matthew 28 : 19-20 (New King James version)

We started this new year discussing about serving the Lord with gladness and also we touched upon different aspects of the great commission. For those who missed out on that email , I have attached the same to this mail (yet to update the blog)

Here’s the word which the Lord placed on my heart – ‘Go’. I looked up the Webster dictionary for what the word Go would mean in this context , here are the meanings I got ‘to move out of or away from a place expressed or implied’ , ‘to move on a course’

Move out , move on the course … It’s a journey .

Lets turn our Bibles to Exodus 3-4 . Here we read of Moses. Happily married to a wonderful wife , son-in-law to the priest of Midian , has a job of shepherding , blessed with children … Wonderful life. And God calls him and says “Go , return to Egypt” . That definitely cannot be an easy move.

Now when the Lord told Moses what He planned to do (please read through Exodus 3 & 4 ) Moses looked at his own ability to do the task and he knew it was impossible and he told the Lord so. Moses said ‘When the people ask me what is the name of who sent you what shall I say ?’ , ‘ When they don’t believe me or listen to me what do I do ?’ , ‘Lord I am not an eloquent speaker’….

When we read through these chapters we see one thing … God always said ‘ I will bring you out ‘ ‘I will stretch out my hand’, ‘ I will give these people favor’ , ‘ I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say’

He will do everything. All He requires of us is simple obedience .

I remember listening to a sermon where the preacher talking about Moses and the crossing of the red sea , quipped saying “Moses said ‘Lord I cannot lift the rod , its too difficult… ‘ so the Lord said ‘ok , I’ll lift the rod , and you can part the red sea” :-)

We look at what the Lord has given us and think ‘No this is too difficult ‘ and God is saying ‘Just obey and see what I will do ‘

Exodus 14 : 21 , “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.”

Take that step of obedience to the Lord . Its not going to be an easy move , but its an amazing journey …

God Bless

In Conclusion :-)

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter : Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.”

Ecclesiastes 12 : 13-14 (New King James version)

The conclusion of the whole matter is this

• Fear God
• Keep His commandments
• God will bring every work into judgment (including every secret thing whether good or evil)

God Bless

Cornered ? Lost in sin ? No way ? HE IS THE ONLY WAY !

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.”

Isaiah 43: 25 (New King James version)

I remember listening to a testimony where the person quipped ‘There is one thing I know that God doesn’t ‘ . All of us were wondering ‘What ? there is nothing he can know that God doesn’t know‘ . And then he continued on to say ‘my past sin !” :-)

I was reading this news article yesterday that stated that a certain religious group believed in extreme punishment . Forgiveness didn’t seem to be part of their key beliefs. I’m so glad our Father is a forgiving Father. He abounds in mercy and grace and that is all that we need.

You know the best part of it all ? I have seen this in my life time and time again . Whenever I have strayed or found myself not where God wants me to be , and I come into His presence on my knees sad , upset, ashamed I have let Him down and seek His forgiveness … He never ever points His finger at me and says ‘You !!!! How could you do this ? You are not my child ! You are like this … You are like that’… His first reaction is always and always that of a Father to His child ! With love !

When you seek His forgiveness , He always welcomes you with the arms of a Father. Do not ever ever think that you are too far away from His forgiveness. It doesn’t matter what sorrow or shame or burden you are carrying in your heart today. Just walk into the arms of our Father and be wrapped in His love, mercy and forgiveness.

Now comes the part of correction . He prunes us and corrects us . We read in Proverbs 3: 11-12 , “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor detest His correction; For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.”

Don’t turn a blind eye to the correction of God. He corrects us and teaches us only because we are His own. It is with that same authority of a Father that He corrects. Wow ! The Lord God Almighty , Creator of the heavens and the earth , the great I AM … He corrects us because we are His sons and daughters … WOW ! Talk about learning from the best ! :-)

By His grace , By His Mercy and for His glory …. That’s why you and I are where we are right now. Don’t let anything come in the way of that . And do you know what it takes ? Just complete surrender ! He will work in His , He will put the right desires in us , He will lead us , He will grow us in Him….. Its all HIM !

God Bless

From regreting to Rejoicing

“So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.”

Acts 5: 41 ( New King James version)

Going back a bit , verses 12- 16 , “And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed” The apostles were up and about doing God’s will . They were serving the Lord with all their heart , mind and strength in one accord . Isn’t that so beautiful ! We read on verses 17-21 that they were put in prison , but at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said “ Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.” (Verse 20) . Now the high priest , the captain of the temple and the chief priests were astonished to find them out in the temple preaching when they were supposed to be in jail. When they questioned them Peter boldly spoke back to them.
We read in verse 40 , “And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.”

They stood boldly for Christ , they obeyed His word and His leading at every step .. They had entered the temple early in the morning and taught as the angel of the Lord said. And what happened ? They were beaten up ! And what was the reaction of the apostles ? “So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” They rejoiced ! They were so so happy that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name ! They rejoiced !!

I honestly wonder what I would have done … I probably would have thought ‘Lord why didn’t you send your angels when they were going to beat me up and show them I am Yours… Lord You should have sent Your wall of fire so that they couldn’t come near me’…. Yup I guess I probably would have questioned what God allowed. But not the apostles ! They rejoiced. They were happy when the angel let them out of the prisons ,but they rejoiced even more when they were beaten up for His name sake ! An honor !

Lord , give us a spirit of rejoicing and take away the spirit of grumbling and questioning Your ways. I drive for half an hour from my sister’s place to church and say out of ten traffic signals I get stuck at one signal and I’m running late what do I do ? I grumble about that one signal ! How easy it is to forget about the other nine signals that God cleared the way for me. Most of the times its so easy to grumble. If I had woken up early enough and started a little earlier then I wouldn’t worry about the traffic . Its always everyone else’s fault except ours ! J

Lord change us ! Please change us. The apostles went through so much and yet they rejoiced . Seriously what is our biggest problem today ? The traffic ? Work pressure ? Finances ? Exams ? Are these what push us further away from God ? When we stand on the day of Judgment what is going to count ? What will we say ?

Father work in us … change us and use us for Your glory . Fill us with Your Spirit.

God Bless

Leap into the Light !

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light”

Ephesians 5: 8 (New King James version)

Flee from the darkness , Leap into the light ! When we go back to the beginning of creation we read Genesis chapter 1:4 , “And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.” Some translations use the word ‘separated the light from the darkness’ . It has always been very clear , where this is His light there is no darkness .

Are we children of light ? I’m sure if I was speaking this to a group of people I would have heard a lot of ‘Yes , Amen’. I know I myself would have shouted out loud. We read in 1 John 2: 9 , “He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.” :-) Time to think again ? There is no place for any bitterness , hatred , unforgiveness in our lives. Lord scrub away anything that is not of You in our lives. Make us clean !

We read in Luke 11: 34 , “The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.” That eye of covetousness , that eye of lust , that eye of jealousy , that eye of pride, that eye whose focus is solely on worldly gain... Notice that the word of God doesn’t say that when your eye is bad then darkness slowly creeps in … no . It says when your eye is bad then your body is FULL of darkness.

We read in Ephesians 5: 1-8 , “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light”

God Bless

“Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.”

“Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.”

Psalm 100 : 2 (New King James version)


We have entered into a whole new year by His grace, Praise the Lord ! And this is what the Lord is leading me to share this morning - Serve the Lord with gladness ! We read in Matthew 28 : 18-20 , “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

We need to start getting our basics right …

· We need to be aware of the fact that all authority in heaven and on earth is with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. There is nothing beyond His control or His will . So no matter what difficult circumstance or situation may arise know that you can look straight at it and say ‘My God is greater , My God is stronger, My God is above every circumstance and situation’

We need to have ‘complete’ surrender to our God. We cannot be saying ‘greater is He that is in me than he who is in the world’ and then allow satan to have multiple footholds in our life. Its time to get cleaned up.

· The great commission :-) We need to understand that there is a lot to this . In curt , the first part is the message of the cross – salvation for those who do not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The second part is growth ! Jesus commissions us to teach others to observe things that He has commanded us

As simple as it sounds , here is a question that I frequently ask myself ‘Am I doing all what God has commanded me to do as per His word?” . In even simpler terms , “Am I a doer of God’s word ?”

We need to be doers of God’s word and be a testimony to those around and be able to teach others as well what He has commanded us. Lets really reflect this morning at our own lives and see if we are following this “‘Jesus said to him, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ,You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22: 37-40

· And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Amen ! What else do we need ? The Lord our God is with us ! Why should we ever doubt or get anxious or get worried ? When we surrender ourselves completely to Him we have no worry. We are in His hands. Rejoice !

May what drives us to His presence not be just something we need or want . May it be a heart that is hungry for Him ! May it be a heart that rejoices in Him. May it be a heart that longs for Him. May our every desire be to serve Him with gladness.

“Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.”

God Bless

Which group are we in ?

“And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.””

Numbers 13: 1-2 (New King James version)

God promised the Land of Canaan to Israel. Here in this verse we read that God asks Moses to send out spies, one from each tribe into the land of Canaan. As we go through chapter 13 we read that the twelve men went out for forty days. Numbers 13: 23 , “Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs” . Can you imagine how those fruits were ? :-) When the men returned back to Moses they said in verse 27 , “Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit”

God promised them the land of Canaan , the children of Israel had seen God work miracle after miracle for them…. They went into the land of Canaan and saw with their own eyes that it was indeed a land of milk and honey.

But here is the interesting part… Of the 12 that went there were two opinions. The first by the ten men, the second by Joshua and Caleb. Lets label them as Group 1 (the ten men) and Group 2 (Joshua and Caleb)

Opinion by Group 1 : Numbers 13: 28-29 “Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan”

Opinion by Group 2 : Numbers 13 :30 “Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it”

Lets see what made the difference.

Group 1
We read in Numbers 13: 31-33 ,” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight”

They looked at two things.. the giants and themselves. Their entire comparison was between the hurdle that stood in front of them and their own physical ability to overcome.

Group 2

Numbers 14: 7-9 , “and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.””

They looked at two things.. God and within themselves. They knew God is able. He would give them the victory. The only thing they had to do was make sure they were right in the sight of God. We read in verse 8 ‘if the Lord delights in us’ ! My Pastor always says ‘A holy life is a confident life. When you know you are walking right in His sight , you will never be disturbed no matter what happens around you.’

Simple but yet powerful words: The Lord needs to delight in us , Do not rebel against God , do not fear the hurdle or the situation or the circumstance or in this case the people in the land.. know that THE LORD IS WITH US.

Which group are we in ? Have no fear , except for the fear of God . Do not let the giants scare you away from His promise .

God Bless

A temporary endeavor for a lasting outcome

“Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.””

John 6 : 26-27 (New King James version)

While reading a document at work the other day I was fascinated by the simplicity of this line ‘A project is a temporary endeavor. Most projects are undertaken to create a lasting outcome. For example a project to build a national monument will create a result expected to last for centuries’

These words kept ringing in my head ‘A temporary endeavor for a lasting outcome’. That’s what this life is… Its temporary . But what we do in this life has an EVERLASTING outcome. The question today is what are we doing ?

We read that after the wonderful miracle of the feeding of the five thousand , there were some people who followed Christ for what they could receive from Him – food for the body. When we seek God is it always because of something we need from Him ?

I know there are sooo many times when I need something or I’m asking something of God that I say ‘Lord You are the great I Am , You are the King of kings, Your Name is above every other name, earth is Your footstool , nothing absolutely nothing is impossible for you.’ … Yup! Full faith and acknowledgment of how Glorious and Holy is our God. However there are many many days when I’m sleepy in the morning or because of a busy day world wise that I haven’t spent time in prayer and now I say ‘Lord You are merciful and forgiving .. Im tired , You understand Lord ‘ J
When we are tired but need to study for an exam or finish up some work we say ‘Lord You are able to renew my strength’ and we press on . When we need to sit in His presence and seek Him and read His word its amazing how we just forget to say “Lord renew my strength”…

I know this is a battle I face every day – getting my priorities right. Spending that awesome wonderful exclusive time with our Lord and then asking Him what He wants us to do – that ought to be our number one priority. May all that we are be focused unto Him for the food which endures to everlasting life

God Bless

Be Still and know that I am God

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

Psalm 46 : 10 (New King James version)

Have you ever tried making jelly ? You mix the powder mixture into hot water and stir it up. After that it needs to be poured out into a dish or a bowl and left still . Once the jelly is set , you get to topple the bowl and you get this . Perfectly well set jelly .

However if you ever try shaking it up while its setting , you can be sure when you topple it over you are going to get a sloppy mess of semi set jelly. Not good !

Line from a kid’s movie that I was watching with my nephews ‘Being still is not the same as doing nothing !’

When we remain still , we allow God to work in us the way He wants. Sometimes God speaks to us not to change the situation or circumstance around us, He speaks to us to change us to face the circumstance and situation.

We are in the process of being set :-) Try toppling over before the time God has appointed and we are gonna end up in a sloppy mess. Be still , wait on the Lord ! Have Him have His way in us… HE changes us from the inside out. Our very nature is changed when we surrender to Him. He moulds us in His image. Be still and know that He is God. He will be exalted among the nations . He will be exalted in the earth.

In the first few verses in this chapter we read , "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling."

The fact remains God is our refuge and strength !! Yes mountains will be carried into the midst of the sea , yes waters will start roaring … yes mountains will start shaking … But yet … come what may … our strength and refuge remains the Lord .

Be still and know He is God !

This week has been interesting . Couple of things kept cropping up that really provoked me quite a bit. And while every cell in my body wanted to react in the most impulsive way possible , God quietly taught me to be still ! Not easy… am still learning ! But yet when we remain still and allow God to work in us and seek Him its amazing . Yes mountains still shake , but Im getting set !! He is changing me from the inside out !

God Bless