Guard your heart

"And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. "

Deuteronomy 4:19

 

Moses is cautioning the people of Israel to watch themselves carefully. To keep watch over the affections of their hearts. That in the act of lifting their eyes to the heavens that they not be captivated by the sun, moon and stars to the point that they bow down and worship them.  See ideally the stars and the moon and the sun should draw them closer to God as they revel in the awesomeness of God. However this heart is so deceptive that unless it is guarded by God, it is so easily swayed.

And its so easy in our day to day to let our hearts be captivated by the very things that were meant to draw us closer to God to the point of an imbalance or even idolatry .

The people God has placed in our lives, our jobs, our school, the freedom we have, the health we have, this very life itself and all it encompasses...

I pray that we lift our hearts to the Lord and pray that He keep it sensitive to Him. That at no point in time our hearts be captivated by anything that takes precedence over God Himself.

That our worship forever be to Christ alone !

God Bless

Light

"Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house."

Matthew 5: 15

The other day I was walking early in the morning through the hall while the lights were switched off and had my Bible in my hand and sure enough I bumped into my backpack that was on the side of the floor and instantly this is what God reminded me off , " This is why you need to use the word of God always. Because the world is filled with darkness and its only the word which is light . Its a lamp to your feet and a light to your path"

So picture this with me, dark pathway and you have a flashlight and the path is illuminated by you using the flash light and because light dispels darkness you can see the rocks, the wayward paths, the good roads, the obstacles and you can walk clearly. 

Here is the best part, because you have the light shining , those around you who don't have the light are directed towards the right path. They are able to avoid the dangers that lurk in the darkness because you shone the light. 

The purpose of us living out loud the word of God , the purpose of us leading a Christ-centric life is so that all those around us (wherever we may be... at home, at a grocery store , at work , at school....) will be under the influence of light.  The purpose of a lamp burning is to give light  to ? ALL in the house. ALL ! Its never about self !

I pray we will pursue His righteousness and let His word dwell richly within us and that His light will shine through us that those around us will see and glorify Jesus Christ.

God Bless

What's on our hearts?

"Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort.So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered."

Jonah 4 : 6-7 

We all are familiar of the story of Jonah. God wanted him to go to Nineveh and he refused and tried running away . And when God finally got him to obey he went and spoke to Nineveh . But when the people sought the Lord, the Lord relented from destroying them and saved their city.  Now Jonah couldn't comprehend this. In fact he was angry with God. In fact in the earlier verses , he complains saying "That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster"

Isn't it pretty interesting that Jonah did what God wanted him to do but his heart wasn't in it. He did what God wanted him to do and yet he was far from knowing the heart of God. In fact technically (from his head) he knew the merciful nature of God, but his heart was not moved with compassion for the people of Nineveh.

Its a good 'stop & reflect' moment just to think of the things we do which are right , which are good, but our hearts are not in it . Technically we know the heart of our God , but our hearts are not moved.  Whether this looks like giving to those in need, placing our offerings before God, praying for those around us, coming to church... whatever shape or form the things we do may look like, may the callousness of our hearts be removed so that our hearts will be moved with the compassion and mercy of Christ.

Gotta love how amazing our God is. He appoints a plant and made it cover up Jonah and then caused a worm to destroy it to help teach Jonah, if Jonah could miss a plant (for which he had nothing to do ... he didn't plant it, water it , make it grow... nothing.. yet he missed it when it was gone because what it provided him) , how much more would God's heart be moved for the people of Nineveh.

The blessings that God has placed in our lives stand as a constant reminder of the heart of God. The fact that we can inhale and exhale oxygen. The fact that we can the faces of our loved ones, the honour of having good knees to be able to kneel before His throne... the joy when a child comes running and gives a hug....Living a life completely ransomed by the blood of the Christ.... How can we not see the heart of God in it all ? And having received such grace and mercy , how can we not extend the same we have so freely and undeservingly received?

God Bless

LIVE OUT LOUD

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. "

James 1:22

I could spend 20 hours looking at a pair of weights or running shoes . But if Im not using it, Im not going to get what is is required.  I could probably even put on the running shoes and sit on the couch for as long as I like. But hey Im not burning any calories or getting any more fit as much as I would hope to.  The true benefit is realized when I start running. In the very least as I start walking and slowly pick up the pace and I start running.

We are called to be DOERS of the word of God. The true intent is realized when inward transformation results in outward reformation.  We read the word, we hear the word and we start to live it out loud.

Its the small every day choices that eventually lead to this huge results. Its prioritizing our quiet times with the Lord, praying together as a family, being conscious of being a testimony to those around us whether this be when stuck in traffic , or at the office or at university, the way we respond to situations, our conscious choices to share the love of God... When this world is so quick to put people down are we those to build people up even in our thoughts and speech ? 

Can we stop for a moment and gauge ...are we being doers of the word of God ? Lets look at the top two : Love the Lord your God with all your heart,mind and soul and love your neighbour as you love your self.

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. "

God Bless

Made uniquely by the Master's design

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb."

Psalm 139:13

Remember how David defeated the Philistines by going around them as the Lord had directed him ? We read in 2 Samuel 5: 17-22 , that when the Philistines went up to search for David and had spread out in the valley of Rephaim, David sought the Lord and the Lord said to David to go on for God had given him victory. And true to His word, David defeated the Philistines.  Now the Philistines came up yet again and when David sought the Lord, this time God gave him a strategy of going around them . And David did as the Lord had commanded him and he defeated the Philistines.  Love the way God works.

Ever looked at a flower and wondered at the amount of detail that has gone into it ? Our God is so amazing.  I had purchased a new desk and was busy assembling it together looking at the instruction manual. Now in my head I was like , "how hard could this be?" While the instruction manual was pretty precise, my patience to read every line wasn't . And I had to re-do a few of the parts just because I didnt pay attention to the details.  Now here is the thing... The question wasnt "Do I have the ability to place the rods in place and join them together" , the question was "will I be able to assemble them as per the manufacturer's design?"  See for me couple of the rods looked exactly the same.  But then as the plan came together, I saw the subtle differences in them and why they were placed in specific places for a reason. The manufacturer had this beautiful design in place and everything had its precision.

A lot of times we think of just getting through the day... But the real question is ..."Am I living as God has desired?" See God has this amazing plan for us. He is a God of great detail. Everything about us is by His heavenly purpose. There is a reason why you and I are alive at this point in time of history. 

When David went to battle it wasnt just about running with what he knew , but it was about doing everything with God.  He didnt live based on past experiences or head knowledge. He lived based on a relationship with God. 

The word of God says that He knitted us together ! Isnt that so beautiful. And I pray that we will live as per our Master's desire walking with Him.

God Bless

Forever !

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever."

Psalm 136:1

As part of my personal reading Im currently in the book of Job. Now get this, whichever portion of the Bible you are reading, time and time again you see God's faithfulness. Whatever the situation, whatever the circumstance, He is in complete control working all things for our good by His grace and for His glory.

Whether its an Elijah situation or a David situation or Job situation or Peter situation or Paul situation or Silas situation.... however things may look like , we read God always has something amazing in store. He is good, He is steadfast and His love endures FOREVER. We are never alone. We are never forgotten. James describes Him as the "Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever."

God Bless

Recipient of His Mercy

"Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice"

Luke 17:15

We read from verse 11 that on the way to Jerusalem Jesus was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered a village, He was met by ten lepers,who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 

Have Mercy on us ! Mercy ! Webster's dictionary defines mercy as "compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender" . Lepers in those days were considered unclean and were kept away from the city. So here are these ten lepers who see Christ and they are pleading "Jesus, Master have mercy on us." They know there's nothing they can do or that they are that entitles them of Jesus's attention, so they plead for mercy. We read that when Jesus saw them He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well."

The Samaritan when he saw that he was healed turned back and praised him with a loud voice and fell at Jesus's feet and gave thanks. This person had received the same healing as the others. What was the difference ? His heart was conscious of the fact that all he had received he did not deserve, but yet it had been graciously showered upon him.

Jesus said to him," Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well". The literal meaning for the word "well" in this context is "saved" (same Greek verb) . It was more than a physical healing. It was inward transformation.

Lets take a moment to reflect upon the gracious love and mercy that God continues to shower upon us... none of which we deserve but yet He having loved us, having called us His own, having paid the price on the cross for us and redeemed us , as our Father showers His mercy upon us. May our hearts forever be lifted up in gratefulness to the one who deserves it all.

God Bless

Faithful

"Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him."

Daniel 6:4

One of best things of growing up in a small town is you get to see the simplicity of things. My church growing up wasn't filled with scholars or great theologians. But it was filled with amazing men and women of God who simply loved the Lord with all their heart , mind and strength. They may not know how to read or write, they may not know a lot of things of the world, but they know the heart of God and they give God their all. Every time I think about them I am so overwhelmed by the honour of growing up with them , those who poured into me and continue to cover me in prayers. Servants of the Most High King. Im so humbled by God's favour.

Being faithful. Daniel and the lions den is one of the most love sunday school stories of all. Daniel 6:4 says the high officials and satraps tried to find a ground for complaint against Daniel but they couldn't because he was faithful ! All that God had entrusted to him , he did it faithfully. 

He always prayed to the Lord 3 times a day. Now when the decree had come saying people were not supposed to pray to any other god beside the king, we read in verse 10 , "When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously."

Faithful. Circumstances never dictated his time with God. Even a law that would have him be put to death never deterred him. And we all know the amazing things that followed after. Out of the faithfulness of the little God will rise things as a testimony to a nation. 

In honouring God above everything else, great things will overflow. If the devil tries to deter us from our daily time with God, take it as a hint... There's something powerful thats there and he doesn't want you to have it.  

I pray by His grace we will be found faithful. Faithful in seeking His face and walking in His ways. Its about knowing His heart.

God Bless

Just look to Jesus

"Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed."

Psalm 34:5

When I heard this verse as a kid, the first image that popped into my mind was someone looking at the sun.  Growing up in India we were never short of sunny days :)  Step outside and there it is... shining brightly. Keeping it simple, couple of things that are an automatic outcome of looking at the sun... Well for one, you are automatically covered in the light of the sun ! Its radiance is all over you.  Stand there long enough and theres transformation thats happening that cannot be seen with our eyes but its still happening.. what is it ? Vitamin D formation in our body. Yeah grade 4 science... The Sunshine Vitamin. The body makes Vitamin D when the skin is exposed to the sun allowing the body to absorb calcium and phosphate better which is key for bone formation.  

Now this is just the sun. Imagine the gravity of looking to Jesus Christ the founder and perfecter of our faith !!! Oh wow ! The transformation that takes place within, being covered in the radiance of His glorious presence ... walking in victory !

"Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed."

Have a wonderful blessed day and weekend

Everything

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.  "

1 Peter 2:9

Last year when I was on vacation , one morning I sleepily staggered upstairs to be wonderfully surprised to the sight of some of my church family busy baking cakes and cupcakes :) Its the best sight ever :) Kids whipping stuff , some looking on , while there's the watchful eye of  a friend who's our baking whiz ensuring all goes well while checking on the oven.  The cake and cup cakes had all these amazing colours from within that flowed out... It looked terrific. Now what if I said , "Well though the cake was made by them, Im going to call out this lil chunk out of the cake and say that no this specific part wasn't made by them"   ... You would probably look at me and say "Go back to sleep. You need rest. You are not making sense"  Yes it does sound absurd. It was a cake made with great love by amazing people. To demarcate certain portions of it and call it anything less would be a meaningless statement with absolutely no point or purpose.

Sometimes though, we tend to apportion our life and say "Well this aspect of my life is God's... but this part of me God cant use that.. This is not God's"  We are created in His image , set apart for Him. All that we are is His.  Sometimes we focus on our spiritual gifts and become poor stewards of the natural gifting that God has given us. Sometimes we focus on doing things that are visible to the world and lose out on developing a Godly Character.  ALL that we are is by Him and for Him ! God is interested in every aspect in every area of our life.  We are called to a life of complete surrender. We are called to put away things that are dishonourable and be set apart for Him. And we do this not by might but by His Spirit. He gives us the grace and the strength to pursue Holiness. God is as interested in our university life/work life/family life just as much as He is our church life :)

This is who we are : "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.  "  and I pray by His grace every area of our life be a reflection of this truth

God Bless

Seek Him

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

Matthew 6:33

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied"

Matthew 5:6

Yes, decided to have two verses today :) 

If you were craving cheese and I said "Here you go, here's a cheese sandwich... Try it"  Its as simple as taking a bite into the sandwich and knowing how good it is. 

In His presence there is fullness of joy. When we hunger and thirst for righteousness the word of God says we WILL be satisfied (not maybe, but definitive).  And in the laying of everything at His feet , in the seeking FIRST His kingdom and His righteousness, all other things that God knows we need will be added to us.

We read in Psalm 34:10 , "The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing"

Let our every day be a reflection of giving God our first, our best , laying it all at His feet. Let's do it. 

Have a wonderful beautiful awesome blessed day by His grace and for His glory.

Pressing on Toward the Goal

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus"

Philippians 3:14

Boxing day here is meant to be a day for great sales and shopping. I needed to pick up a gift for a dear friend of mine. Now I knew the store I wanted to go, had already checked out the store timings, when I woke up I got to meet up with my church family and their kids , the moment the clock struck 9am I was out the door on my way downtown. Now there are tons of shops to go to on boxing day, like literally every place is buzzing with some offer or the other. While the temptation to swing by a few other stores was always there , but I knew my goal.  So drove straight to the store, by God's grace God showed me exactly what to buy and I was back home in just over an hour :)  

A wonderful man of God once said "How do you know what's a distraction unless you know what your goal is ?" :)

Now this is something so small. But yet knowing my goal directed my choices. It changed what would consume my time. 

Paul writes "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus". In fact in the previous verse he says "But one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead"

The upward call of God in Christ Jesus ! I pray this be the goal that rises from within us... The very reason for our existence is to live by His grace and for His glory.

May that drive our choices , may that cause us to think and choose and live differently.

God Bless

The Day to Day

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:22-23 

It is great to get back to the groove of writing and wrapping more discipline around my schedules by God's grace :)  One of the many things that God's been impressing upon my heart is the intimacy and specialness of a daily walk with God. 

Those who know me know how much I love spending time with my youth. However , what captures my heart is not this one off big dinner (though those are terrific and valued too), its the day to day.  I love knowing what tea or pizza topping they love. I love knowing how their day went. I love the day to day. I love knowing how their classes went, listening to them just share anything. I love holding the toddlers and seeing them recognize me.  The day to day ! Its the heart behind it all.  And this is just me as a flawed human being :) If my heart can recognize this, just imagine the day to day with God. If I being human with all my flaws and imperfections, would love to listen to one my kids just talk their heart whatever it may consist of (be it food, the weather, hair styes, lip balms,  theology, Word of God, issues, school papers...) , can you imagine the heart of God !

There's something just so intimate about the day to day. Often our mind is warped around this and we have turned our relationship with God into a ritual.

Its time to get back to being real and enjoy this awesome daily walk with God. No relationship as important as His ! Created by Him and for Him.  

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;

great is Your faithfulness."

 

God Bless

Peace Beyond Understanding : A life Surrendered to Him

" And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:7

 

A very familiar verse that we have heard. How does this verse look like when lived out loud ? Lets look from verse 4 onwards , "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;  do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"

Having surrendered it all to Him , not faking it , but truly laying it down to Him, making our requests known to Him and resting in the surety of who God is, His peace which is just beyond understanding will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.

So how indeed does this look like when lived out loud ? It looks like Joseph still following the Lord immaterial of whether the walls that surrounded him were the prison walls or the palace walls. It seems unreasonable to be at such peace when wrongly accused and put in prison. But that's what God can do , because that wasnt Joseph's destination. He was still en route to where God wanted him to be.

We read in Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

When does a tree bear fruit ? When it is firmly rooted in good ground and is being watered and nourished.  

 A life lived for Christ is one which overflows from an intimate relationship with Him.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus

God Bless

I Surrender All

"“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted."
Job 42 : 2

 
We read in chapters 38 onwards God's response to Job's questioning. Its an amazing few chapters and if you can, please take the time to read it.  Chapter 38, v4-5 , “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know!  Or who stretched the line upon it? "
As we read on through the chapters it just expounds how little we truly know and how magnificent God is in His wisdom.  Job finally responds to it saying "“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted."
Now if I were to preach this from the pulpit and say , "How many of you agree with this ?" I am sure to get a loud response of Amens all around.

So here is the question we need to ask ourselves ... God who's wisdom is far beyond anything we can begin to comprehend.. This God whom we serve and we love... How often do we push time with Him aside because we need to get to work ? (as though we are so confident that we control every minute. It is sheer grace that protects us and carries us through the day).  This God whom we say is our Saviour , how often do we push aside and not go to church because we want to catch a few hours of sleep or even study for an exam (forgetting it is God who gives us wisdom in the first place.. what could we ever do on our own)

Im not being legalistic but rather want to ask questions so that we take a moment to think, is our life a testimony or a contradiction to the word of God ?

Here's the beauty of it.. Moses lifted the rod (a stick, yup thats all he had) and God parted the red sea. David took a few pebbles and a sling and God gave him victory over Goliath (which trained soldiers feared to do) , a little boy gave his five loaves and two fish and God multiplied it to feed five thousand men plus many women and children.

How amazing it is when all that we have is surrendered to Him ! How wonderful a day is when it begins at the feet of the Lord ! How testimonial our lives are when we desire to live for Him and be doers of His word !

God Bless
 

Think Again

And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will  Acts 13: 22

Ever thought David was the only man after God's own heart ?  Think again

“‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding."" Jeremiah 3:15
 
We read here in Jeremiah where God is telling Israel to return to Him. He goes on to say that He will give them shepherds (note the plural) after His own heart who will feed them with knowledge and understanding.

Who then is a person after God's own heart ? One who does His will !

We all know the verse where Abraham is called the friend of God (and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. James 2:23)

We read in John 15:15 , "No longer do I call you servants,for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you."

We are His friends. We are called to be those after His own heart. He has revealed His will and His heart through the scriptures.

Let us never come to self conclusions saying , "Oh that kind of testimony was only for David" , "That kind of testimony was only for Abraham"

May we believe and walk in faith and obedience to His word !

God Bless

What does the world see in You?

"Thus you will recognize them by their fruits"

Matthew 7: 20

Those who know me personally, know when there's food laid out on a table Im the last one to ever have any veggies on my plate let alone any salads. I remember when I went over to a dear friend's place and she said "Oh you should try my salad !!" and I gave her this very polite smile and declined the offer ( For one, it had fruits in it ! ). Now having been accustomed to spicy food, the concept of having something sweet as meal didn't really register in my head. I loved desserts after a meal , but something sweet as a meal... Nope !
Well my friend was actually pretty persistent and she pointed to her 4 year old daughter and said "See , even she's enjoying it" and I looked at her face and it was true.. she was eating it as though it was the yummiest thing ever. I saw the faces of those around the room enjoying it and I was encouraged enough to try it. And when I ate it , no one was as surprised as me !! I loved it !! In fact it is now the only salad I truly enjoy ! Yes I went back for seconds and ever since its one of my favourite meals !

Now think about this.. If she said "Oh try this, it is so awesome.. you will love it" and then I looked around at the room and everyone eating the salad had these awful expressions on their faces, stressed out , worried, no smiles just dissatisfied looks all around ,  I would have never tried it !! Why should I ? The people eating it itself are not happy about it.. !

The question today is , what is the world seeing in us ? When we say 'try Jesus' what do they see in us ? What do they see in us as believers together ? Do they see the joy of the Lord ? Do they see the peace that surpasses all understanding ? What fruits are they seeing in us today ?

It is so easy to take grace for granted and use that as an excuse to not pray, or read our Bible, or live a testimonial life. The truth is He gives us grace to pray, He gives us grace to understand the scriptures and He gives us the grace to live a testimonial life for His glory.

We read in Matthew 7:17 , "So every healthy tree bears good fruit but the diseased tree bears bad fruit."

The saddest state of life would be one where we have convinced ourselves of a hypocritical lifestyle where we say we love God and say Jesus is Lord and our life has no reflection of the same. Its time to surrender ourselves completely to Him. And by His grace we shall live for His glory.

"Oh Lord, You're beautiful
Your face is all I seek
For when Your eyes are on this child
Your grace abounds to me

I wanna to take Your word and shine it all around
But first help me to just live it Lord
And when I'm doing well, help me to never seek a crown
For my reward is giving glory to You"  ~ K.G.

Why is praying for the church required ?

"They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. "

John 17 : 16-17

 

The entire chapter is about Jesus's prayer for his disciples and us.  Do take the time to read it. A lot of us are familiar with the term , "standing in the gap", "stand in the breach". We use that term in the context of prayer. It comes from Ezekiel 22: 30 , "And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none."

For some of us our prayers consist of immediate needs for ourselves , a few general lines and thats it .

 Why is praying for others so important ? Lets look at this context for today, as to why do we need to even pray for the body of Christ and members in the body ? Even of the local church that you and I attend.

Ephesians 3: 14- 21 , " For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
Paul wrote this letter in prison. And there he is bowing down his knees for the churches in Ephesus that they be strengthened , that Christ will reign supreme , that they be rooted and grounded... that they may be filled with all the fullness of God.. !

Such awesome prayers we see Christ praying, we see Paul praying...

Now lets quickly turn our Bibles to 1 Corinthians 12 : 26 , "If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together"

How does that happen ? How can our hearts truly be moved that way ?  When we are on our knees praying for one another.  Prayer changes first the one who is praying. It grows us closer to Him and our hearts grow in compassion.

Oh if we are found praying for one another why wont their hurts, suffering be our ours and when they are honoured how joyful will our hearts be to rejoice. We have been praying for them daily. Its personal.

We have tasted and seen His goodness, His bride is His church. In our business of the day, may we not forsake the key criticality of praying for one another in our daily quiet times. May we be found bowing down our knees for the local assembly of body of Christ that He has so graciously placed us in.

God Bless

Assured in who He is !

"Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you declares the LORD."

Jeremiah 1:8

 

Lets take a look at verses 4-8, "Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.”

 But the Lord said to me,“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.”

This is what God sees :
- Someone whom He ordained and knew even before he was in the womb
- Someone set apart and consecrated even before he was born
- A prophet to the nations

This is what Jeremiah sees :
- Im just a youth !!!

See the difference ? I pray that we gain His perspectives today. 

And this is what the Lord continues to say , "for to all to whom I send you you shall go, and whatever I command you , you shall speak," Lets take a second to think about this.  HE sends and Jeremiah will go, HE commands and Jeremiah will speak.  Oh how beautiful is a life surrendered to Him. Moving forward in obedience to His word ! Its not by might nor by strength but by ? Yes, His Spirit. 

Our assurance needs to rest in who He is. When Moses and the Israelites saw the red see , God saw the solid ground that was so firm that it contained the red sea itself. He saw through the depths of the waters, the solid ground on which they would walk. He knows it all. How blessed is the assurance we have in our Sovereign Lord who is the creator of all things, who knows us even before we were formed in our mother's womb.

Isnt it awesome that we get to wake up in the confidence of knowing that we have a Saviour who is our King, our Father and He calls us His own. May we not be moved in doubt by what we see , but may we be rooted solid in who He is.

"Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you declares the LORD."

God Bless

Walking in an overflow of being in Love with Him !

"And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it."

2 John 1:6

Very often we tend to confuse what our relationship with God is all about. Over periods of time, we start equating our relationship with God based on what we do in terms of serving inside the church, worship team, sunday school ministry, going to church every sunday and in some cases even justifying our life choices by saying , "Well Im not doing things as bad as what he/she did ! "

All that we are , all that we do is to overflow out of an initimate relationship with Him ! Love the Lord ! :) Thats the first and the foremost. And how does that translate in our lives ? We do as He commands. We walk in obedience to Him.

Lets turn our Bibles to 1 Samuel 17 : 17-18 , "And Jesse said to David his son, “Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them"

David was walking in simple obedience to what his father Jesse wanted him to do. While his 3 brothers were part of the army of Saul, here was David taking care of the sheep and making trips up and down to the army to give loaves of bread and cheese for his brothers. (1 Samuel 17 : 15 , "but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.")

David's relationship with God was never defined by the circumstance that he was in . It wasnt about how glamorous what he did looked, it did not depend on who knew what he did. It was basically this love relationship with God ! He loved the Lord. And all that He did was out of this overflow of his love relationship with God.

It did not matter if he was the cheese bearer to his brothers, the food transporter, the shepherd boy , the harpist.. He walked in simple obedience, in humility and above all in love with God. Whether it was a bear or lion or a Goliath moment that presented itself before him, he continued placing his trust in Lord !

If you find yourself frustrated this morning, or just feel like you have reached a plateau moment where you dont know where you are or what to do , I pray that you will find yourself in love with Christ again, for He loves us with an everlasting love ! He has redeemed us from sin, He has saved us and He calls us His own. What joy to be known as the son/daughter of the most High. Such joy to wake up to a new day knowing that Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour has preserved our life this day. We are never alive by chance or coincidence. But He has written down plans and purposes for us even before the foundations of the word ! Wow ! Love being Loved by the great I AM ! In walking in simple obedience to Him we walk into all that He desires for us.

Let the praise arise