JEHOVAH- NISSI

Seven Power Tips to Guard Your Heart

2011-05-15T21:39:00.000-07:00

“How can I guard my heart?” the pastor’s wife asked me with all sincerity. I realized then that it could not be a mere one line answer but whole lot of areas that we need to be aware of or else the enemy would take advantage of the most precious part of our life – ‘our heart’. And still somehow, we rarely pay attention to study this in detail.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” This verse even though true in the natural, however does not talk about the physical condition of the heart but the intellectual, and specially the ethical core.

Why does the Bible say the ‘heart’ is the source out of which all issues of life flow? Our minds have the ability to register and make notes of how our heart feels. It thereby allows decisions to be made based on how the heart feels in a particular occasion, many times even subconsciously.

The words ‘guard your heart’ mean to defend it continually from possible external attacks by being informed and alert; from allowing external issues to adulterate the springs of life that flows.

Starting from this week, we will go into each of these subjects in more depth. (See the contents here) Don’t miss a single post and don’t forget to email or share about these series with someone you know.

Let’s start with some basics.

1. Guard your Intake – Is it not interesting that the risk of heart disease for smokers is more than twice that of non-smokers. Unhealthy food adds to the woes of the heart troubles. And so is it with your life. What you see, what you hear, what you read, what you believe is all a part of the intake. Begin to be intentional on all what you intake into your life.(“How to Guard your Hearts Intake”, coming soon this Thursday, May 12th 2011)

2. Exercise – Staying fit with exercise is one of the most effective ways to take care of your heart.

It increases your strength and resistance against trouble. Similarly in life it takes practice and patience to pass the test. This is something many of us lack the most. Be persistent in pursuing God, against the persistent wiles of the enemy.(Here is something to exercise, read more, “The Secret of a Standing Man“)

3. Rest in God – A heart attack happens when the blood flowing to a branch of the heart is blocked. This causes the muscle cells to expire because they are not receiving the oxygen they require. One of the reasons this is caused is because of stress and anxiety. The worry about tomorrow. Remember God is the greatest promoter of rest from Genesis. (5 Important Lessons to Avoid Burn Out, coming soon)

4. Overcome Awful Words – Bible says, Offenses must come. And whether we will be offended or not is our choice. It is under these pressures you will learn very valuable lessons in life. If you ever want to make it as a leader, you need to learn to handle those criticisms and overlook offenses especially when you don’t want to.

Isaiah 50:7 says, “For the Lord God will help me; so shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” Well, that’s our same hope. And many times a face like a flint is an ultimate solution to some unfair problems. (5 Crucial Keys to Overcome Hurts, coming soon)

5. Your Friends Matter – Are your friends honest to you? Proverbs 27:9 says, “Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one’s friend springs from his earnest counsel.” A good friend is not afraid to tell you were wrong and yet stand by you. Your true friends are those that fear God more than you. (The Power of Your Friendships, coming soon)

6. Find wise & truthful mentors – A best way to guard your heart in detail is to go to a specialist regularly to check your heart. Sometimes we miss seeing the details of life in our own shoes. And sometimes it requires another to show you the truth that is seen from an outside perspective that comes from exposure and experience. God does use people to bless us with wise counsel. (Guest post by Dr. John Mc. Donald, “Finding the Giant, and then Standing Tall” Coming soon)

7. Pursue God - 2 Chronicles 27:6says, “So Jotham became mighty, because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God.” Have you ordered and disciplined your ways before the Lord our God?

Jesus reminds us to the chilling truth inJohn 15:5, “…apart from me you can do nothing. ” All our human efforts are in vein without God taking over our lives. He made our hearts, therefore it is best to be left in the Maker’s hand. (Coming soon, “7 Tips for a Struggle Free Prayer Time”, and “5-Tips On Effective Daily Bible Reading”) [Meanwhile here's some posts that could help you. "3 Keys to a Mountain Top Prayer" “I don't feel like praying? I don’t feel God in prayer?” “How to read the Bible and what matters the most”]

I am glad to do this series of study with you and I believe these posts will empower you. I pray that you would not miss any of this posts in the series. You can be kept notified when you subscribe to this blog (here) Next weeks post: “How to Guard your Hearts Intake”

Leave me your thoughts, suggestions, or anything else you’re inspired to share, right below in the comment session.

Lets keep guarding our heart for Jesus,

Love.

Shyju Mathew © SMMinistries. Website: http://www.shyjumathew.com

Godly Sorrow

2011-01-14T21:40:00.000-08:00

PRAISE THE LORD..!

I am going to tell you about two different sorrows that are mentioned in the Bible.

1) GODLY SORROW

2) WORLDLY SORROW

2 Corinthians 7:10

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

From the above verse we can see that there will not be any regret in us regarding the godly sorrow that we went through. Instead it will bring repentance in us and will lead us to salvation.

But worldly sorrow will bring death, death to our spiritual life, death to our prayer life, death to our family life etc.

In the next verse we can see more explanation regarding the Godly sorrow:

2 Corinthians 7:11

See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

Godly sorrow will produce things in our life when worldly sorrow destructs things in our life.

Let us see what all things Godly sorrow produces in us:

1) Earnestness- (characterized by or proceeding from an intense and serious state of mind)

2) Eagerness to clear yourselves- (marked by enthusiastic or impatient desire or interest)

3) Indignation- (anger aroused by something unjust, unworthy, or mean)

4) Alarm- (sudden sharp apprehension and fear resulting from the perception of imminent danger)

5) Longing- (a strong desire especially for something unattainable)

6) Concern- (to have an influence on)

7) Readiness to see justice done- (prepared mentally or physically for some experience or action)

Thus Godly sorrow produces in us new things while worldly sorrow brings death.

Example for Godly sorrow: Peter’s sorrow (Luke 22:60-62). Peter wept bitterly here, but his sorrow produced in him all the things what we discussed above.

Example for Worldly sorrow: Judas’s sorrow (Matthew 27:3-5). Here his sorrow brings death to him.

Now by these verses we can distinguish between Godly sorrow and worldly sorrow and can be prepared to face the situations accordingly by the grace of God.

MAY GOD BLESS U ALL…

Examine yourself

2011-01-13T22:45:00.001-08:00

2 Corinthians 13:5 (New King James Version)
⁵ Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.

Nothing more to say, let us examine ourself, whether Christ is in us or outside, whether we are qualified or disqualified....

May God bless you all to be a qualified warrior for Christ...

Beware Of Your Words

2010-09-28T06:55:00.000-07:00

"But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall

Give account thereof in the Day of Judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be

Justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." Matthew 12:36-37

While I was reading this verse I was wondering whether all Christians know this verse...!

If we believe in Jesus and his words, why we are not taking this verse seriously..?

Let us love our lord with our full heart and obey him fully.

Will we be able to give account to all our words, even idle words..?

Let us examine ourselves on this verse..

Next time when you get into a conversation/talk,

Please remember this verse and speak words accordingly.

May lord help us...

Our loving heavenly father,

Please forgive us for all unwanted useless idle words that we have spoken,

Please give us your grace now to be accountable to all our words that we speak.

Please help us to be careful in our words,

Let our words be encouraging, happy and peaceful for others,

Let our words does not hurt anybody, please help us,

In Jesus name we pray, amen.

Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving

2010-09-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

"Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few"

The whole verse is like this:
I Samuel 14:6- Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few."

While i was reading 1 Samuel 14 it came to me as if i am reading it first time.

Here Philistines came out for war with Israel.

1 Samuel 13: 5- "The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven."
But Israel dint had any weapons with them.
1 Samuel 13:22- "So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them."
Only Saul and Jonathan had sword or spear. At this condition Jonathan is telling to his armor-bearer, "Come, let's go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side." But he did not tell his father (Saul the King).

1 Samuel 14: 6- 15
6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few."
7 "Do all that you have in mind," his armor-bearer said. "Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul."
8 Jonathan said, "Come, then; we will cross over toward the men and let them see us.
9 If they say to us, 'Wait there until we come to you,' we will stay where we are and not go up to them.
10 But if they say, 'Come up to us,' we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the LORD has given them into our hands."
11 So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. "Look!" said the Philistines. "The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in."
12 The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, "Come up to us and we'll teach you a lesson."
So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, "Climb up after me; the LORD has given them into the hand of Israel."
13 Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him.
14 In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.
15 Then panic struck the whole army—those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties—and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.

This was really an amazing incident. 2 fellows with a sword or spear, went against a numerous number of soldiers who had weapons, chariots etc. and made them terror.

Our enemies may be strong, numerous and more capable than us but Gods terror can strike them. Only thing is one Jonathan and an arm bearer should be so courageous and ready to go in front of them.

Where does Jonathan's courage came from; from his faith and his faith proclamation.

What was that?

"Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few"

4 steps to a turn around

2010-02-05T12:55:00.000-08:00

This is the second time today, I have heard this plea. The first person to ask for help was a Pastor’s son who was being honest about how messed up he was. He told me how he had seen the price that his father had to pay because he decided to steer down his own path but that way had him entangled and now he wanted to get back and didn’t know how. Another girl contacted me, by email, who had grown up in a Christian family. She didn’t know where her life was headed and felt messed up. She wrote to me asking why she could not figure out what God wanted her in her life.

When the first boy asked me this question, I felt his pain. We’ve all been there in our own ways. You feel like you’ve messed everything up and now, what next? So, instead of answering a traditionally right but clichéd answer, I decided to pray with this young man. Crying with him from the depth of my heart, I asked the Holy Spirit as if my life depended on knowing what the Holy Spirit would reply, “Lord what must he do, please speak to us now.”

I generally don’t entertain the I’d-like-to-hear-a-prophesy attitude but his situation was something that many youngsters or probably even older ones face. As I shut my eyes desperately seeking an answer from God for that young man, I saw a vision. In that vision was a young man with messed up clothes. Immediately, I interpreted it in my Spirit as the prodigal son. Now, in the vision I seen that young man was hugging the Father or the Father was hugging the son, I could not really say exactly.

Then the Holy Spirit began to speak to me and answered my question “I’ve messed up now, what next?”

Here’s what happened when the prodigal son returned. Luke 15:20, “So he got up and went to his father.”But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”

1. The first step was that he repented his ways in his heart. He decided to go back. His heart was to cry out to his father, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ True repentance means that we leave the ways of the old, being transformed by the word of God. Your repentance must be done in all earnestness.

God says in Rev 3:19, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.”So, if you are convicted and feel the need for repentance, it is because you are being wrapped by the love of God. God is drawing you closer to Him! Don’t hold back, it’s time to go all out!

2. Even before the prodigal son could receive any of the fathers blessings, what he did was receive the hug of the Father. Maybe, you are messed up but when you find yourself in face of a love so strong, the Father’s love, then you ought to forget yourself in those arms.

The second step is to then get back into that relationship with Him with prayer and the bible. It may sound simple but, my friend, but that is the step that sets you free. It is through prayer that you communicate with God and through the Bible that the Holy Spirit talks to you. The word of God is God.

The enemy will try his best to keep you away from talking to God and from meditating on the Word, so fix that first and NOW! I am blessed by the recent song I heard by Chris Tomlin that says, “If you know you’re loved by the King, and then live for him, sing for him!” So, knowing that Christ loves you the way you are in whatever the mess might be, why don’t you shut the door behind you, lift your hands in gratitude and worship him beyond your mess! There, thats another big leap!

3. The third step was the Father’s initiative out of love towards His son! The Bible says, “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him.” God is interested to see your messiness replaced by His righteousness. Delete everything that has to be deleted. From the wrong numbers on your phone to that questionable file on your laptop. Everything must go! Throw away the messed up attire!

Proverbs 21:21 says, “He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honour.” But you can only pursue righteousness by fleeing evil. “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” 2 Tim 2: 22. You can’t hold on to your past and then try to hold on to what God is about to begin anew in your life. Let go completely without turning back! JESUS WILL BE YOUR STRENGTH!

4. Now then, with this relationship with God, with the gratitude and worship begins to flow the rivers of God from within you. “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.” Ring in the word signifies relationship, gifts of the Holy Spirit, authority and more. Sandals on the feet depict purpose. The ones that are washed by the blood and forgiven cannot waste time sitting around and do nothing. We must pursue the call of God in our life. If you are ready to go, God is ready to equip you for that purpose of God.

There are places for you to go. There are people that need to know the love that you have felt. Tell them about it, too. The Samaritan lady brought a whole village to Jesus when she found the love of Jesus. Change your status. Twitter it, if you have to. Let the whole world know what Jesus has done for you. That’s a good way to start out serving God in this technologically-advanced world. The rest will follow as you continue to thirst after righteousness. Mathew 5:6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Now, I believe this should get you started. Go on and find other articles on this blog that would strengthen your faith in God. Find people who pursue God. (Note: the word is pursue, not stagger!) If you find people who are more passionate about God than you, it will keep you encouraged to seek more of God.

My sincere prayers for you from my prayer time!

Shyju Mathew © SMMinistries. Website: http://www.shyjumathew.com

Handling Office Pressures

2010-02-04T04:12:00.005-08:00

Let’s face it! Life is not easy all the time and it does not get any easier when you are a Christian. It almost leaves you feeling like a fish in the bowl. Everybody is watching your walk and your talk. The desire to live right in a so-wrong world seems so pointless with the human perspective especially when people around you do not play fair. Here are few ways to handle office pressures.

Expect reality Well, the truth is that since the fall of Adam, it has been in the nature of the fallen man to slander, play unfair, lie blatantly, be jealous of another person’s promotion and every other vile thing you can think of. So, to go into a secular setting where the fear of God is a rarity and then to expect everything to be fine and dandy may be a farfetched expectation. As a child of God, you must also be prepared to face these kinds of challenges before you decide to skip the job.

Others have issues, too! Let’s be real! Your boss, your manager, your colleagues; they all have their own set of frustrations in life. Now, if there is anyone with hope that would be you because you have Christ in you. Your joy is not set on the things of this world but on things to come, the eternal life. Then it could be possible that your boss may be having a bad time at home or having a problem with his boss; or your manager is frustrated with the quality of work your colleagues have turned in, this is your perfect opportunity where you can be the understanding person like a Christian should try to be every single day.

Take a heart test The question you really need to ask is, ‘Is my heart in this place?’ Majority of your issues can be solved if you put your heart into what you do. It is a fact that if you do not enjoy what you do, you will find something or another that will tick you off.Questions you must then ask yourself:- Why is my heart not in it?- If you are doing something that is not what you want to do, then what are your prospects of doing what your heart wants to do?- Has the Lord put me here for a reason? If so, what is it? What can I do then to adjust to see that purpose fulfilled?

Are you the problem? Now you might not want to do this but you must ask yourself, ‘Am I the problem?’ Some people are just hard to work with. Now to know if that is you, you really need to humble yourself and find out if you are the problem. Are you contributing to the stress at the work place? Are you really an innocent bystander being blamed? Have you done anything that would fan the flames of discontent? Ask your colleague for an honest opinion and don’t be mad at them for being honest. If so, then begin by accepting it. Have an honest discussion with your boss and accept areas that you lack in. Remember people are not God and that they can take their own sweet time to forgive or chances are they may never forget what you did. That’s alright; move on to what best you can do today. If you do not have the knowledge to handle something, what can you do to improve yourself to handle the same? Can you go one step ahead and do things more passionately so that the name of Jesus that you carry is glorified?

Don’t lose foresight It is this big picture of the problem that helps you solve the problem. Now, beyond natural challenges and you being there in the eye of the storm may make people seem very irrational. Remember, the devil would love to pressurize you at your work place just to let you lose your peace and joy. For this you must be cautious about the unreasonable situations at your work place. So before deciding on the best course of action, take a step back and pray. Guard your heart from losing your joy. The joy of the Lord should remain your strength; not your wallet, your promotion or even people.

The Spiritual Problem I have heard and seen countless situations when there has been a strong battle between the spiritual forces that clash with the Spirit of God in you. Before you take things into your own hands, fight the evil spirits working behind it on your knees. Ask the Lord to show you the potential hurdles that slow you down. Ask God for wisdom and favor. Most of all, believe that God would give you directions. Be sensitive to where God wants to lead you to from this place. Note: If you are fighting your own battle, God may wait till you are done!

A powerful verse in Proverbs 21: 1 says, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turns it to wherever he pleases.” If that is so then the heart of your boss or your colleagues are in God’s hands, too. God cannot work if you have already given up. Be strengthened for nothing is impossible with God.

Practical ways to stay cool While you are engaged in spiritual battle, remember to be practical, too. Don’t blame everything on the enemy and stay ignorant. Now that you are in the battle, take decisions in a proper manner. Prioritize your tasks, as the time is the most critical element. Maintain a notebook if you have to. Don’t waste your time. Delegate work if that is an option. Identify if there is a project overload. Write down precautions of possible problems and goals to avoid the past mistakes. Do you have a set of goals? Make plans to support your goals.

Additionally, stay healthy. Don’t overstress yourself. Keep your mind in the present. Drink plenty of water to avoid fatigue and to be fresh. Find someone who can mentor you on these challenges. And oh, should I say, read plenty of BIBLE every single moment that you can, even in your breaks (Try Proverbs). To sum it up, one of my favorite verse from Romans 8: 28 says, “All things work together for good, for them that love God”

Shyju Mathew © SMMinistries. Website: http://www.shyjumathew.com

How you receive others

2010-02-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

(Matthew 10: 40- 42) "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.”

Are you sick? Receive Jesus as your Healer.

Are you in sin? Receive Jesus as your Redeemer.

It continues...

What is your need, Jesus is capable to provide all your needs.. receive Him as your personal Saviour.

Dear brothers/sisters check how you receive others. How we will receive others determines how we will get the reward.

"TAKE HEART"

2010-01-28T22:54:00.000-08:00

Matthew 9:2- “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”

Matthew 9:22- “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.”

While we read the whole chapter we can know the situations when Jesus said these words.

First one is the situation when a paralytic gets healed and the second one is when the sick woman gets healed while she touches the edge of Jesus’ cloak.

Are you afraid that your sins are unforgivable, Jesus tells, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”

Are you afraid that your sickness cannot be healed, Jesus tells, “Take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you.”

One more thing we have to know is Jesus told these words seeing their faith.(Matthew 9:2- When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”)

So before taking heart let God see our faith in Him and let Him forgive our sins and heal our sickness.

Dear brother/sister whatever be the situation, if you have faith in Him, Jesus tells “take heart” He will do the rest.

Building on the rock

2009-08-14T11:17:00.000-07:00

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock" (Matthew 7:24)

Here Jesus says, those who hear the words and puts them into practice what He has spoken is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. What are the words Jesus spoke which we have to put in to practice?

From the previous chapters we can know the words what Jesus has spoken which we have to put in practice to be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Please read chapter 5, 6, and 7.

We can check these words which have to put into practice, one by one:

1) Genesis 5:16: "let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

2) Genesis 5:20: "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."

3) Genesis 5:21,22: "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell."

4) Genesis 5:23,24: "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."

5) Genesis 5:25,26: "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth; you will not get out until you have paid the last penny."

6) Genesis 5:27-30: "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery. ‘But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."

7) Genesis 5:31,32: "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce. ‘But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery."

8) Genesis 5:33-37: "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."

9) Genesis 5:38-42: "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you."

10) Genesis 5:43-48: "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

11) Genesis 6:1-4: "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth; they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

12) Genesis 6:5-8: "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth; they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."

13) Genesis 6:16-18: "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

14) Genesis 6:19-24: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

15) Genesis 6:25-34: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in his entire splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

16) Genesis 7:1-6: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces."

17) Genesis 7:7-12: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."

18) Genesis 7:13,14: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

19) Genesis 7:15-23: "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!"

Surely, if we can put into practice all these words of Jesus our world will have been a heaven itself. But who is there who practices all these things in life?

We will try our best to put into practice these words. We will pray and strive for it. Then only when the rain comes or the streams rise or the winds blow and beat against our life; we can stand firm, because we have the foundation on the rock.

I believe these words of Jesus are the main foundation of our life which we have to put in to practice to stand firm in all situations.

May God help us all to put into practice these golden words of Jesus.

The Act of Faith is simple

2009-07-10T14:16:00.000-07:00

"The act of faith is simple but hard to believe/understand.”

While I was meditating on the God's wonderful works, suddenly God gave into me this quote. I don’t know whether I heard it from somebody or not. But it was a wonderful quote.

I started meditating on that and God gave me some thoughts.

First of all I want to distinguish between action and act of faith.

Action is considered as all the works that we do by planning ourselves to achieve a goal/need, and act of faith comes in place when you are not capable of achieving that goal/need by your own way and you give it to God's hand and God gives a revelation of an act to do to achieve that.

This is just a thought that God gave into my heart, you can take it or reject it.

We will check out some examples from Bible:

1) Mark 5:25-34 "A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?' But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

Here we can see that a woman who was suffering from internal bleeding for twelve years is getting healed. The goal/need of the woman was to get healed, the action here is she was going to doctors for care and spent all she had but was not healed. The act of faith is she gave this to God's hand and God gave the revelation of act, that is touching the cloth of Jesus, and she got healed.

2) John 5:5-9 "One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" "Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me." Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked."

Here we can see that a man who was an invalid for thirty-eight years gets healed. The goal/need of the man was to get healed. Here the action was to jump into the pool when the water is stirred, but he was not able to do that. The act of faith here is "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." The man got healed.

There are so many examples like this in the Bible. I hope you understood what is act of faith from these examples.

Dear child of God are you in action to achieve your goals/needs and is not able to achieve those, don’t worry give your goal/need in to God's hand and pray for His revelation He will show you the act of faith that you have to do to achieve your goal/need. Most of the times it will be difficult for us to understand the act of faith, sometimes act of faith will not have anything to do with your goal, but if God is telling to do so don't hesitate. For getting healed, touching Jesus’ cloth didn’t had anything to do with that. But now it has.

When Israelites and Moses didn’t had anyway to move, stuck in front of the sea, God told Moses to raise the staff and stretch over the sea to divide the water. And the sea got divided and all of them were saved. Here also we can see that the act of faith was difficult to understand and didn’t have any connection with the goal/need. But with that act of faith all were saved.

In our life our main goal is to reach heaven, the action for that is doing good things, obeying the commandments, keeping away from all sins, doing pilgrimage.. etc.. But the act of faith is "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16) you will not be finding any relation between getting into heaven with believing and getting baptized, it will be too difficult to understand, but it is the revelation from God to get saved.

Are you ready to do the act of faith that God revealed in your mind even if it is difficult to understand. If yes, you are going to achieve the goal in a simple way. If you are not going to do the act of faith, because it is difficult to understand, then you are the loser.

Do the act of faith and be blessed.

Are you not loved?

2009-07-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

Please read Genesis 29:15- 30:24

In short, from this chapters we can know that Jacob was in love with Rachel and for getting Rachel he worked seven years for Laban and after that Laban cheated Jacob and made Leah his wife instead of Rachel and again for getting Rachel Jacob is working for seven years.

Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. Genesis 29:17

When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Genesis 29:31

God spoke to me through this two verses and He gave me one more verse to connect to this and meditate, i.e. Luke 18:10-14
"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Here Jesus speaks about two persons, one is the tax collector and the other one is the Pharisee. Tax collector is considered to be a sinner at that time who did not have a respectable place in the society and the Pharisee was considered to be the God's person and had a respectable place in the society. But from the parable we can know that God justified the tax collector rather than the Pharisee.

In the case of Leah and Rachel it is almost the same. Leah was not so beautiful and lovable as that of Rachel. But God saw that Leah was not loved and He blessed her but Rachel became barren.

Genesis 29:32- "Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, "It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now."
Here Leah tells that surely my husband will love me now.

Genesis 29:33- She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "Because the LORD heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too." So she named him Simeon.
Even after giving birth to the first child she was not loved much by Jacob I guess, because when she conceived the second time she is telling that because she was not loved, God gave her the second one.

Genesis 29:34- Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." So he was named Levi.
After giving birth to the second one Jacob started loving her, because when she conceived the third time she is telling that now my husband will get attached to me. So it comes to the next level of love.

Genesis 29:35- She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "This time I will praise the LORD." So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.
Now she is telling that this time she will praise the Lord. Because as she wished her husband loved her and he got attached to her also, so now she is praising the Lord with satisfaction.

Genesis 30:1- When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I'll die!"
From Rachel's life we can see that she is jealous and complaining Jacob, she is not admitting that it is her mistake or fault.

Genesis 30:2-5- Jacob became angry with her and said, "Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?" Then she said, "Here is Bilhah, my maidservant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and that through her I too can build a family." So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, and she became pregnant and bore him a son. Then Rachel said, "God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son." Because of this she named him Dan.
Here we can see that she is not admitting about his mistake and plans and executes her on ways to have children. And she is getting satisfied with the child which was born by her servant for Jacob.

Genesis 30:22-24- Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, "God has taken away my disgrace." She named him Joseph, and said, "May the LORD add to me another son."
From this verse we can understand that Rachel gave up on her own works and started praying and trusting in God and God listened to her and blessed her with Joseph.

Dear child of God are you like Leah who is not loved???
Let God see that you are not loved, He will start blessing you and you will get more love and attachment till you get satisfied. You will be satisfied with the God's blessing and you will start praising the Lord for that.

Or are you like Rachel still carrying out your own plans to achieve goals???
You will be forced to satisfy with what you get from your plans. Stop your plans and turn your eyes to God and pray, God will listen to you and He will take away your disgrace and you will be blessed with a Joseph.

Qualifying for the unqualified

2009-06-27T06:09:00.000-07:00

Please read Genesis 27:1-40

When we read through this passage we can see that Jacob gets the blessing from Issac which was supposed to be given to Esau by Issac.

Isaac said, "I am now an old man and don't know the day of my death. Now then, get your weapons—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die." Genesis 27:2-4

Here we can see that Issac is asking Esau to hunt some wild animals and to prepare a tasty food for him which he likes for getting the blessings. Esau is going and doing as if what his father has asked him to do. Esau was a skillful hunter(Genesis 25:27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter), so he got a wild animal with his skill and prepared a tasty food for his father and came to his father but he was not able to get the blessings.

Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies." Genesis 27:8-10

Here we can see Rebekah asking Jacob to bring two young goats from the flock for preparing a tasty food for Issac so that Issac will get the blessing. Jacob was a quiet man (Genesis 25:27 while Jacob was a quiet man, staying among the tents). First Jacob was afraid to do so because he had some doubts.(Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "But my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I'm a man with smooth skin. 12 What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.") Then His mother said to him, "My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me." So Jacob went and got two young goats and Rebekah prepared a tasty food and she clothed him with the best cloth and covered his hands and necks with goatskins and she is sending Jacob to Issac with the tasty food and we know that Jacob got all the blessings.

I was just meditating this whole thing that had happened with Issac and Esau. I asked God, what you want me to tell from this. The next day also i was reading and meditating through this passage, the next day only God spoke to me. God gave me the thought that Esau is the representative of Old Testament and Jacob is the representative of New Testament.

That person who is under Old Testament, which means the people under the law, is like Esau. For getting the blessing they have to use their skills and also they have to do everything by themselves. Then only they have the assurance of the blessing.

And that person who is under New Testament, which means the people who are under the grace, is like Jacob. They only have to pick the two young goats from the flock and all else will be done by Rebekah.

We are under the New Testament, we don’t have to use our skill to get into heaven, and we don’t have to do anything. Jesus has taken our sins and curses and He prepares us perfectly so that we can just go to our heavenly father directly to take the blessings.

Those who are still under Old Testament, do you want to come in to the New Testament?
Just keep away the skills that you are using and pick the two young goats. We can see the two young goats in Mark 16:16 "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved", first one is you have to believe in Jesus Christ and the second one is getting baptized. If you are doing this two, rest will be taken care by Jesus. He will prepare you perfectly so that you can go directly to God and receive the blessing that is heaven.

Even if you don't have any skills or any other talents to please God, even if you are unqualified for getting into the heaven, don't worry.. Jesus is there to qualify you... Just do what he tells to do and he will prepare you to be qualified to get into heaven.

GOD BLESS YOU...

Ready to sacrifice the God's promise?

2009-06-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

Are you ready to sacrifice the God's promise?
Please read Genesis 22:1-19

"Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you." Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together. When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."

When you read this passage, you can know that God is asking Abraham to give his only son Issac as a burnt offering to God. We know that Abraham and Sarah didnt had a son and after losing all hope at the old age God gave Issac as a promised child to Abraham and Sarah. Issac was the promised one from God, Abraham know that through Issac he will become the father of nations. We can understand that how much Abraham and Sarah loves Issac. Then also God asked Abraham to sacrifice Issac to God as a burnt offering.

We can see that Abraham didnt had any hesitation to sacrifice his only son Issac. He didnt discussed it with anybody even to his wife Sarah about what God has asked him.

If Abraham had told Sarah that God wants Issac to be sacrificed, we can imagine that how she might have responded to Abraham. She might tell, "what happened to you Abraham.. are you mad.. after waiting so many years God has given us His promise and you wants to sacrifice him!! That is the devils voice that u have heard. How God can tell like that... He only gave this great promise to us know!!"

Luckily Abraham didnt discussed it with Sarah. He just obeyed the God with a humble heart. So many things might have gone through Abraham's mind, he overcomed all those. He was able to sacrifice his one and only son whom he loved most in whom was his all future hope. But God came to know that Abraham feared and loved God rather than any other things, so God stopped Abraham from sacrificing Issac and Abraham sacrificed a ram which God provided.

Dear child of God are you waiting in God for the promise He has given you? Did you recieved the promise that God has given you? God wants to know whether you love and fear God rather than any other things? Are you ready to loss the great promise that you are expecting from God because of the fear of God?

Does God has given you a promise that you will earn a salary worth more than anyone else, compared to your friends? But now God is asking you to quit the job which you have as a hope for the promise. Will you be ready to quit the job?

Not only job, any other thing like this... will you be ready to loss or sacrifice??

Dont worry.. if you are ready to sacrifice the one promise that God has given you, God is mighty enough to provide you with the same promise and with so many other promises which you will see and enjoy. God will be pleased in you and He will know that you love and fear Him more than the promise He has given you or any other things.

So if God is asking you to sacrifice the promise that you got from Him only as a burnt offering, dont try to discuss it with anybody else even to the one you consider as close to you and wait for their suggestions also. Just humble your heart and obey the word of God. God will be doing wonders in your life... wait and see...

Are you hiding your identity?

2009-06-10T07:25:00.000-07:00

Please read Genesis 12:10-20 and Genesis 26:1-11

Genesis 12:10-20- "At that time there wasn't enough food in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while. As he was about to enter Egypt, he spoke to his wife Sarai. He said, "I know what a beautiful woman you are. The people of Egypt will see you. They will say, 'This is his wife.' And they will kill me. But they will let you live. Say you are my sister. Then I'll be treated well because of you. My life will be spared because of you." Abram arrived in Egypt. The people of Egypt saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. When Pharaoh's officials saw her, they bragged to Pharaoh about her. Sarai was taken into his palace. Pharaoh treated Abram well because of her. So Abram gained more sheep and cattle. He also got more male and female donkeys. And he gained more male and female servants and some camels. But the Lord sent terrible sicknesses on Pharaoh and everyone in his palace. He did it because of Abram's wife Sarai. So Pharaoh sent for Abram. "What have you done to me?" he said. "Why didn't you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, 'She's my sister'? That's why I took her to be my wife. Now then, here's your wife. Take her and go!" Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men. They sent him on his way. He left with his wife and everything he had."

Genesis 26:1-11- "There was very little food in the land. The same thing had been true earlier, in Abraham's time. Isaac went to Abimelech in Gerar. Abimelech was the king of the Philistines. The Lord appeared to Isaac. He said, "Do not go down to Egypt. Live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay here for a while. I will be with you and give you my blessing. I will give all of these lands to you and your children after you. And I will keep the promise I made with an oath to your father Abraham. I will make your children after you as many as the stars in the sky. And I will give them all these lands. All nations on earth will be blessed because of your children. "I will do all of those things because Abraham obeyed me. He did what I required. He kept my commands, my rules and my laws." So Isaac stayed in Gerar. The men of that place asked him about his wife. He said, "She's my sister." He was afraid to say, "She's my wife." He thought, "The men of this place might kill me because of Rebekah. She's a beautiful woman." Isaac had been there a long time. One day Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, looked down from a window. He saw Isaac hugging and kissing his wife Rebekah. So Abimelech sent for Isaac. He said, "She's really your wife, isn't she? Why did you say, 'She's my sister'?" Isaac answered him, "I thought I might lose my life because of her." Then Abimelech said, "What have you done to us? What if one of the men had sex with your wife? Then you would have made us guilty." So Abimelech gave orders to all of the people. He said, "You can be sure that anyone who harms this man or his wife will be put to death."

When we read through these verses, we can see that father(Abraham) and son(Issac) going through the same kind of situation mostly in a same way.

We can see that both Abraham and Issac is going away from there places because there was shortage of food. Both were going to Egypt, but God stopped Issac on the way at Gerar. And both of them lied about their wife that they are their sisters, because they feared about their life. Both of them hide their identity as husband. But God made the kings to know that the girls were not their sisters but their wifes. And they were treated very politely and greatly. And also the kings gave orders to people not to do any harm to them.

Dear child of God, God is aksing whether you have come out of your place because of shortage of food or any other shortages... and whether you are hiding your identity from others just because of the sake of your life or any other fears...

God is telling, He is going to reveal your identity to the people but as you fear it will not harm you, instead they will honour you and other peoples will get orders regarding you from the authorities. God is going to do wonders in your life...

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8: 31

The great protection

2009-06-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

PROTECTION COMING FROM BEHIND

"I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless." (Genesis 17:1) Here God is telling to walk before Him, that means if are walking before God then He will be at the backside of us watching all our moves. God is watching over us from our behind and we dont have to worry at all, let anything come to us our God is watching. He will take care of it.

PROTECTION BEFORE US AND
PROTECTION FROM SIDES

"I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." (Psalms 16:8) Here we are keeping our Lord always before us, that means when we look forward we can only see Him. No need to worry about the future or any hindrances in front of us, because He is before us and we can only see Him insteadof all other things. He will make the path straight for us.
And one more thing, now God is at my right hand also. Now if i am going to fall or any shaking comes, I can easily hold on tightly to my God because He is at my right hand. "A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you." (Psalms 91:7)

PROTECTION COMING FROM ABOVE

"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;" (Psalms 91:4) Again the great protection of our God comes from above. He will cover with us with His feathers and we are under the great wings of our God. Now He is above us and He is covering us fully. Enemy cannot see or touch us.

PROTECTION COMING FROM BELOW

"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." (Psalms 91:11, 12) Again one more great protection God is offering us. The angels will lift up in their hands so that we will not strike our foot against a stone. "wow" you are not feeling any joy?? How great and kind our God is.. What I am for His angels to lift me up in their hands.. It is God's great grace.. The protection coming from below or underneath also.

"wow".. I am feeling to dance with joy.. what a mighty and wonderful God.. He is protecting us from all sides.. then where is the reason for us to worry... but two things we have to do, we have to walk before Him blamelessly and have to keep Him infront of us.

Lord, help us to walk before you blamelessly and to remove all other things that are infront of us otherthan you.. thank you so much for the great protection that you are giving us Lord...Amen.

Where are you sitting?

2009-05-30T00:56:00.000-07:00

Are you sitting at the entrance of the tent or at the gateway of the city??

"The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day." Genesis 18:1

"The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city." Genesis 19:1

While i was reading Genesis 18, I was thinking why Lord came to meet Abraham again in Genesis 18 after God appeared to him in detail in Genesis 17.

Then God made me to read Genesis 18: 20, 21 "And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know"

Then i got the answer: (God wanted to go to Sodom and Gomorrah via Abraham's tent.)

Actually God wanted to know the situation of Sodom and Gomorrah, so he decided to sent two angels for that project. God told them to go via great trees of Mamre. And God Himself decided to go with the two angels to Abraham because he loved Abraham that much and he didn't wanted to hide anything from him. ("And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do" Genesis 18: 17) And also the Lord wanted to confirm again with Abraham about the promise that He had given, especially with Sarah.

(The men turned away and went towards Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. Genesis 18: 22)From there God sent the two angels to Sodom and He was with Abraham. From their talk we can know how close God and Abraham was. (Please read Genesis 18: 22 - 33) And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place (Genesis 18:33)

And again we can see that the two angels reached Sodom. ("The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city"Genesis 19:1) Like Abraham Lot also gave respect and invited the hosts to his house but they rejected the invitation, because Lot insisted so strongly they decided to go to his house.("And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house"Genesis 19:3). (I think that, by this time Lord has told the angels to save Lot and his family, knowing the mind of Abraham, so only the angels went with Lot)

What a merciful and loving God my God is. He could have destroyed the city directly without sparing anyone, but he sent His angels to check first and He himself came to Abraham to know his mind about His decision.

We can check ourselves, where we are sitting? At the entrance of the tent or at the gateway of the city?? Are you like Abraham, sitting at the entrance of the house meditating and delighting on the promises and words of God; or like Lot, sitting at the gateway of the city, which God is going to destroy, and watching all the wicked activities of the city.

Are you like Abraham, then God likes to come to your house with his angels and likes to stay with you and discuss with you His plans.

Are you like Lot, then only angels will be coming to your house that too because you have insisted so much.

Let God help all of us to become like Abraham... Amen..

Are you like "Jonah"?

2009-05-21T04:52:00.000-07:00

"Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you." (Jonah 1:12)

While i was reading through this verse i was thinking that why didnt Jonah throw himself into the sea if he was damn sure that all these troubles happened because of him and why didnt he throw himself into the sea if he was sure that if he will be out from the ship everything will be solved.

(If you dont know the story of Jonah, please read the book of Jonah from bible)

One day God asked Jonah to go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before. But Jonah ran away from the LORD, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish." Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. So they asked him, "Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?" He answered, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." This terrified them and they asked, "What have you done?" (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.) The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?" "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you." Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried to the LORD, "O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased." Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him. But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.

God made me to think from Jonah's point of view;

Jonah was not sure that all things happened was because of him and all things will be solved if they throw him out. He had no other way out of that hell situation, everybody is going to be destroyed and everybody is blaming him and more than that he himself had a self conscious mind which is pricking him because he didnt obeyed the word of God. Only one way is there now, death. He is more helpless that he cannot jump himself from the ship also, because it will become suicide. In short, as worldly people say, Jonah has reached in a real pathetic situation where he is not able to suicide also. At that point he is telling others to throw him out to the sea.

Dear brother/sister are you in a situation like this, are you touring away from God? Are you in a situation that everything seems to be in trouble and everybody is blaming you? Are you in a situation that there is no other way than death? Even your mind is pricking you?

There is no other way only death..
But now you have a good news.. you dont have to die.
Jesus has died for you.

"For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:40)

You only have to believe that Jesus died for you

will continue....

What is right?

2009-05-20T04:27:00.000-07:00

What is right?

Whatever you do if it pleases God it will be right. ("The Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering. But he wasn't pleased with Cain and his offering" Genesis 4:5) God was not pleased with the Cain's offering so Cain became sad and angry instead of repenting and doing the right thing. Even then God gave him the clue or warning, that also he avoided or he didnt took it serious, thus happened the biggest sin in the world. The root cause that reached to the sin was, Cain was not able to please God.

("Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you." Romans 13:3)

How can we please God?

("And he will give us anything we ask. That's because we obey his commands. We do what pleases him" 1 John 3:22)

To please God we have to obey His commands.

From the Old Testament context we all know the Ten Commandments that God has given, we can see it in-
Exodus 20: 1 - 17:
(1 And God spoke all these words: 2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 "You shall have no other gods before me. 4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 13 "You shall not murder. 14 "You shall not commit adultery. 15 "You shall not steal. 16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.")

Thus by observing the ten commandments one was able to be please God and be righteous in the Old Testament.

will continue.....

Mastering over sin

2009-05-13T05:53:00.000-07:00

"If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." (Genesis 4:7)

When i read this verse it came to me like that i am reading it first time.
Most of us know about the history of Cain and Abel, Cain was the first child of Adam and Eve and Abel was the second child. Cain was working on the ground and Abel was taking care of the sheeps. Both works were important to each.

Then the time came for offering to the Lord, Cain gathered some of the things he had grown and offered to the Lord but Abel brought the fattest parts of some of the lambs from his flock. They were the male animals that were born first to their mothers.

They came to offer the Lord from what they have, but the Lord pleased only on Abel's offerings.

Cain just gathered something from his work and offered to the Lord but Abel gave the best to the Lord, and Lord pleased in his offering.

Seeing this Cain became sad and angry. Lord came to know that and he said to Cain: "Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why are you looking so sad? Do what is right. Then you will be accepted. If you don't do what is right, sin is waiting at your door to grab you. It longs to have you. But you must rule over it."

God spoke to him at the right time, God gave him the warning about sin, still he was not able to overcome it and he did the greatest sin by killing Abel.

Dear brother/sister our God "Abba Father" will give warning before we will be tempted for sin, He will tell us how to overcome sin, please dont avoid those warnings. God spoke to me personally while i was going through this passage and i want to share it with you.

To overcome sin there is a shortcut but it is very hard for some of us, "do what is right".

Sin will be waiting there to see when you don't do what is right, so do what is right in the eyes of of Lord.

What is right?<--Click here

Jehovah-Nissi, The Lord My Banner

2009-05-13T03:51:00.000-07:00

By whom was David taught,
To aim the dreadful blow,
When he Goliath fought,
And laid the Gittite low?
No sword nor spear the stripling took,
But chose a pebble from the brook.

'Twas Israel's God and king,
Who sent him to the fight;
Who gave him strength to fling,
And skill to aim aright.
Ye feeble saints your strength endures,
Because young David's God is yours.

Who ordered Gideon forth,
To storm th' invaders' camp,
With arms of little worth,
A pitcher and a lamp?
The trumpets made his coming known,
And all the host was overthrown.

Oh! I have seen the day,
When with a single word,
God helping me to say,
My trust is in the Lord;
My soul has quelled a thousand foes,
Fearless of all that could oppose.

But unbelief, self-will,
Self-righteousness and pride,
How often do they steal
My weapon from my side?
Yet David's Lord and Gideon's friend,
Will help his servant to the end

by William Cowper
The Olney Hymns