Zealous for my Lord, but is my heart true?

The book of Kings is an amazing book, 
It clearly shows that we can be either faithful to Him or we are branded unfaithful.

Will share other bits in another post, but as of now just one thought:

What is/are your thought(s) on being zealous for the Lord? What are the preconditions?

An example is Jehu, an elect of Israel, who at the height of his campaigns - purging the nation of Ahab's seed & relations, made a statement, "come, and see my zeal for the Lord". 
He surely fulfilled what He was called out, but later fell into the same traps.

So, (i maybe wrong) zeal isn't a right measure. It might be temporal, or a mere show. 


Simply put,

• Zeal complementing the "the true heart" is what is needed, and is honorable before God.
• Zeal supplementing the "the true heart" is fake and is only honorable before men.

Let me put it this way,

• Grass burns fast, but burns out soon and the energy given out (CV) is less,
• But a log, starts slowly, burns for long, gives out a lot of energy (CV), and is profitable.

Finish the eVIL, STAND for what is delivered to you.

Want to share the thoughts the Lord has led me to during this troubled & tensed week.

1. Don't spare Ben-Hadad, & never call him your brother.
The evil one routed by the Lord's help, should not be embraced back.
Think of His love, He even helped Ahab "one who sold himself to evil like no other".
- in our lives when we face the evil, schemes, traps, trials & the wickedness of the world, the Lord helps us to overcome. If we are caught up in some sin, He helps us overcome when we call on to Him.

But, don't embrace the sin again. Don't compromise. What needs to be put to death (sinful attitude, evil desires, repetitive sins, etc.) needs to be killed when He gives u a chance.

Remember, the next time Ben-Hadad will finish you off. Lets be over-comers.


2. Don't ever give up your vineyard. Its the inheritance of your father.

Come what may, even if the King asks of it, gives u any better deal, threatens to kill you, or even kills you - DON'T GIVE UP YOUR VINEYARD (ref: Naboth's Vineyard).

Stand for your faith, its precious. Nothing the world can give in exchange is even close. 

Faith is a beautiful gift (i.e. Christ Himself) given by my Father. 
No one else can claim it, question it, buy it.
Fight for your faith.
Remember, i'm only accountable to my Father who gave it.

Another beautiful lesson, whatever you do, do it for Him. Don't care a damn about people, circle, or even others (who claim/ or are even truly) in faith. 
When through faith you are about the Father's work - yours actions are Unquestionable, & importantly for His glory. 
The moment the glory is usurped by you, you are questioned. Get the entire circle of things?

3. Speak only the truth, what the Lord has told you. No need to be seen in with the crowd. Like Micaiah, one lone man for the truth in the huge company of prophets?!
Truth & being true helps you to be in sync with Him & His plans. He opens Heaven & reveals the truth &  His plans.
- truth is precious, and involves pain. Remain in it, & you will gave one like the Son of Man with you.

These I have been taught:

• finish the evil, don't go bk
• stand firm in your faith, work for Him, glory should be His alone
• be truthful

We all fall, its time to be restored not to plan the next failure, but to move up the mount, and hear His still voice.

Pray for one another, help each other, love one another, forgive one another, get restored to one another, don't talk behind each others back, - This ALONE proves we are His children & belong to His family.

Daniel…Dare stand and "He" makes sure you stand firm.

Daniel, a young slave from a royal background, in an idolatrous nation, called to serve a heather king. He made choices which cast him different from others. Let’s check a few points from the first chapter:

1:8 Daniel purposed in his heart

1:9 God made Daniel to find kindness and compassion in the sight….

1:12 Test your servants

1:15 At the end of ten days their faces appeared fairer

1:17 God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom

1:19 among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah

1:20 ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters who were in his entire realm.

Let’s check the sequence of events:

1:8 - a Godly purpose, to live a life according to His call to be Holy. Determined to stand for the Lord and remain firm in His purposes.

1:9 – stand up for your divine call and God will make the resources available, He will set the path… The race is now set.

1:12 – Race is to be active, sweat it out. Involves streaming your body, mind, and spirit in one direction. Undergo the test, prove yourself, prove your faithfulness, Walk the talk.

1:15 – Endure the test, come out shining. God honors you when you walk/run that faithful Christian walk.

1:17 – When He sees your faithfulness, He honors it and gives you added blessings. You no longer are someone who can be crushed by the world, and can be ignored. You shine because He empowers you with His knowledge and you gain wisdom.

Here we surely can debate on what we need to learn (the choice of what to learn), but understand that these guys had to learn the culture, traditions, and knowledge of Babylon – which in no way could have been acceptable and holy.

3 Observation’s:

• You are supposed to keep away from such things which are hated by our Lord, keep ourselves within the framework of the doctrines of the word of God (as it is mentioned in His holy word).
• If at all God places you in such a situation, wherein your brain needs to imbibe this knowledge; see to it that this doesn't flow down to your spirit and heart. Wherever there would be clash of doctrines of God and Babylon, God’s doctrines get the veto power
•  Let the heart remain pure. God is interested in the heart. Actions may or may not give out the truth inside. Test the heart.

1:19, 20 – Ten times better??? Is it possible? Well, why not? We all want this to be true in our life, right? Then let us go about doing the previous steps.

Worship...did i purify myself?

Another worship morning...
Another precious opportunity to come together & worship our Saviour & our Lord.

Some reminders for me as I prepare for worship:
1. Purge my/our heart before my Lord. Seek His forgivenes, not generic forgiveness, but specifically areas in which the Spirit convicts.
Get restored in the Lord and not wait for 9:45 am.

2. Restore  relationships. If i/we have hurt anyone, caused grief to anyone - in this Christian fellowship, call up / sms / whatsapp (or wechat) - seek forgiveness; and thank the Lord for helping you & come into His presence with a clean conscience (approved by the Spirit).

Note: dont wait for a response. Work out (if anything needs to be) after the worship & don't delay. The Lord will provide you His grace & also work in the other one.

3. Do not walk into the Lord's house empty. Prepare your offering / worship. Let me /us not do a "on the fly worship".

4. When worshipping let no thought, incidents, noises take our focus off Him. Pray for His help to focus only on Christ the glorified. Let our hearts & spirit constantly be in communion with Him, (its just Him & me).

5. Walk out filled with His Spirit, and live the Spirit life visibly.
Ler " walking in the Spirit" not be a verse, but my/our life pttern.

Have a wonderful worship time friends.

Arise!!!

Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the
darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and
His glory will be seen upon you. (Is 60:1–2)


Don’t let bad reports of instability and chaos in the world put fear in your heart for the year
ahead. God promises that when you see increasing uncertainty and chaos all around you—when deep
darkness covers the earth—you will also see His glory arising upon you, causing you to shine with the evidence of His goodness and blessings in your life. Give weight to His Word at the start of this year, and experience a manifestation of His greater glory in every area of your life, every day!

[author: Terrence]

Challenge the Challenge

If you are facing challenges today, whether it is a

• lack in any area, 
• addictions, 
• fears, 
• sicknesses or
• Professional failures, 

stop striving or struggling to make things better on your own.

We need to first know that we are important to Jesus. He knows us perfectly, yet accepts and loves us perfectly.

When we begin to know Him and how much He loves us, we will realize that it is not our striving, but His
unmerited favor that will perfect every imperfection and overcome every weakness in our life.

So, beloved, look to Jesus for that

• protection,
• deliverance, 
• restoration or 
• provision 

that we need.

No power in this world can help us to overcome; Only JESUS can if we submit ourselves unto HIM!!!


[author: Terrence]

Assured Future .... assured in the present day!

The assurance that He knows and holds my future, and the guarantee of Him doing the best for me.
Knowing that our/my Lord is bigger than my situations/problems/false & foolish movements.

And, what a wonder of the power of faith delivered unto us & the promise that if we believe He will do it for us.

And, the amazing grace
1. Which forgave us. And, helps us to forgive
2. Which caused us to be loved by God, and helps to love Him & all others
3. Which restored us and helps us to work for His kingdom

As the week ends, I thank my Lord for His Love, forgiveness, endurance, patience, and guidance.
And truly "Feeling Protected".
Praying for all of you. Submit to what He speaks, sharpen and listen to His whisper.
God bless you all and let His love give you warmth in this cold night.

ABC (Adversity Builds Character)

James-1:2-8...

Today, you have already had or will have a problem. Few days in life are trouble free. Most of our problems are minor irritants, but maybe you are going through a crisis just now.

>> In any case, God is more concerned about building your character than solving your problems, though He can do both. Every trial is an unfolding lesson that draws us nearer to Him. Every failure teaches us "faith". Every hurt nudges us toward holiness. Every disappointment becomes His appointment as He works all things for our advancement.

Our struggles can be Christ's schoolroom where we learn the spiritual ABCs (Adversity Builds Character) that stands us in good stead for the future.

[author: Irene]

ImpoSSiBle

"Impossible is nothing.

My Lord created everything out of nothing."


Isn't it wonderful to have Him as my Lord, my Father, my Best Friend.

I can be rest assured in Him, cast all my cares on Him.

And trust Him on what the world considers impossible, when I can hear Him and believe His counsel/comfort.

assureD foR eveR

John 14:18
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
The calm assuarance that He is always there with us and that He will come for us.
A hope of His presence and parental care in the present also in the future.

Belong to Christ?

Galatians 5:24
"And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

Clear statement saying that if we belong to Christ, we have crucified the flesh with its desires and passions.
I examine my life and see how true this is...
Seems,  i fail the test. What about you, my friend?

Does that mean if i'm still immersed in my passions & vain desires of the flesh, i don't belong to Christ??
A thought to bring my/our erring life under the control of the Spirit, and as Paul says, experience 'its no longer me, but He who lives through me'.

Is God going to help me when I need Him to?

When situations go wrong, or as we think they are going wrong; and when our reactions (even prayerful reactions) seem not to help - we wonder if God is in control, we question why we have to face this, we go down and take one rash decision.

In such situations what do we do? Is there a definitive answer?

Just a few points:

1. God is in control. Even if we don’t feel He is active, He is there. Remember His promise, that He will never leave us and that all authority is with Him.

2. Then why does everything go wrong? No one can judge, is it that God is correcting us or maybe asking us to stop and react.

3. Or, it maybe that it is a small cliff test, be still and patient - & God will take us through. Immediate reaction leads to a fall (which leads to immediate fatality, but God heals, and the process takes time). Just remaining patient, non-reaction, not speaking, not replying helps. And, this would be better.

4. He has the power to restore always. So, trust Him with your life.

5. Pray and tell Him that He alone is the father & your best friend. Ask Him as a friend for help.

Sit down, or probably go out and talk to your Lord, and tell out everything and hear His response.

Personally, i just go out for a walk, just anywhere and talk. We can read some verses also if you want along the way, but don’t direct the Spirit, let it direct you.

6. There are some problems and issues which are there because of our failure in a cliff test. Here, everyday there is a struggle and doubt and tension till the final restoration is done. Here also, talk to Him. He will help you get back to health, as this is a slow process.

7. Forgive all, and love all. Importantly, forgive yourself because He forgave and Love yourself because He loves u. Then, the entire system will be connected.

8. Lastly, have good trustworthy friends in Church whom you can tell it all (say at least 90% of the thing) and pray.

Father is angry

Hello Beloved!

Another wonderful day that God has given us, because He loves us dearly, cares for us, and plans the best for us.

While reading through the word of God, a passage struck my heart [each word of God has its impact, because it originated from His heart. But some words speak with greater impact, based on what God has planned for us or what God wants us to teach us through the situations we face.]

[Judges 10 – KJV]

10 And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.

11 And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?

12 The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.

13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.

14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.

15 And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day.

16 And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

Israel as usual, after enjoying God’s power, deliverance, restoration, and love – again goes against God, and His commands to JUST SINGLE HEARTEDLY LOVE, SERVE, AND OBEY HIM.

They end been enslaved, and are put through the tough grind of labor and punishment because of their sin.

v. 10 – They call on to God.

v. 13 – God is just frustrated with these people and their repeated sin and disobedience. He is so frustrated that He says ‘I AIN’T HELPING YOU GUYS ANYMORE’. Is God so hardhearted? Does God stop loving? Does God forget His own (children)?

There is a specific reason why God isn’t helping. Let’s check a few more details, and then lets understand God’s reaction/response.

v. 15, 16 – [highlighted in yellow] Israel again repents and PUTS AWAY THE STRANGE GODS.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh………………………….

That means, when they initially turned back to God, they didn’t get rid of strange gods. And when they sincerely repented and PUT AWAY THE STRANGE GODS, God responds.

See the heart of the Father, our God – [highlighted in pink]  and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

So, our God always loves, always cares, has a very soft heart for us. After, this God delivers Israel.

Lesson for us:

1.       We sin, we fall, loving, obeying, and following other gods. Daily, we do.

2.       Repent with a sincere heart, and also get rid of these other gods daily. It’s a daily process.

3.       Then God works mightily.

Practical Learning:

1.       Let’s love. Love God first, then only we can love other truly, rightly.

2.       Let us forgive with a sincere heart. God forgave, He expects us to forgive.

3.       Our decision of not forgiving is because of our compulsions, but Gods demand of asking us to forgive is a sincere instruction.

a.       Which will win, which is greater? 

my Compulsion, or God’s Instruction

Practical observance will help us avoiding the traps of (obeying gods of) self and pride

Preserve the identity

"Spread out your petition before God, and then say, 'Thy will, not mine, be done.' The sweetest lesson I have learned in God's school is to let the Lord choose for me."- D.L. Moody

-An good approach to make our prayer requests; and seek God's will...

Our identity is in Christ, and the enemy wants to steal it. He wants to tell us that God's love doesn't belong to us. And believing this like is as good as handing over the password of our life to the enemy. Then we begin to think that either God is angry with us or probably doesn't care for us.

The only was to prevent this identity loss us by daily understanding who you are in Christ:

1. You are loved -Jh 3:16

2. You are forgiven - 1 Jh 2:12

3. You are righteous - 1 Cor 5:21

4. You are justified - Rom 3:24

5. You are in Christ - Eph 2:6

6. Christ is in you - Col 1:27

7. You are not condemned - Rom 8:1

8. You are an over-comer - 1 Jh 4:4

9. You are more than a conqueror - Rom 8:37

10. You are a victor - 1 Jh 5:4

Your christian definition is from the Lord, and needs not to be redefined or questioned by your friends, juniors, seniors, or anyone.

New year prayer

As I consider my life last year and the way i lived it & as the world puts it 'screwed it up';and as I consider how He restored me, made me stand and gave me hope in distress, love in loneliness, and talked with me as my best friend, cared for me & secured my future when i though all is lost (when all told me that it is a loss); I humbly pray that I change at least 1% in this year.

1. - I pray the Lord gives me the strength to 'understand' His will and plan(s), and not deduce what seems comfortable to me.
2. - Submit all matters into His hands and not work out my Plan B alongside. 'Trust Him' with my life.
3. - learn to be 'Silent'.
4. - be 'Gentle' to all.
5. - be 'Useful' to the Lord always understanding my uselessness.
6. - change the definition of 'Success', change from a worldly definition to a heavenly.
7. - learn to 'Give up'.
8. - 'Cut off' things that hinder... things of the flesh.
9. - learn to 'Pray'. And 'Praying' sincerely for others.
10. - and yes, learn the art of ignoring what/... needs to be ignored, investing every second for the right things.

Request your fervent prayers that i may stand still before my Lord.

Buttered bitterness...get rid off it

Came across a wonderful comment, & will share it with you all:

" I firmly believe a great many prayers are not answered because we're not willing to forgive someone."

- D.L. Moody

If we are wiling to give Him our bitterness, we'd be free to draw nearer to Him & feel His miraculous comfort.

He can only fill us with His love and comfort when we empty our hearts of all bitterness.

So, no more carrying the old baggage. Forgive and be forgiven, remember the prayer taught by the Lord.

Then, we wont have to struggle to put a brave face and work and serve, it will flow on its own - just like a pipeline  of which the water gushes out once the clog is removed (because, Remember Jesus opened the valve already)

Freedom...realized

True realization of freedom comes when:

1.  We get forgiveness from the Lord and are set free

2.  When we forgive ourselves and considers ourselves to be truly free

3.  When we decide to remain free and forgive others, with the help of the Spirit.

All 3 in this sequence will help us to live a victorious life.

Probability

"The difference between submitting to God's will & planning (imagining) on our own is the difference that is there between a probability of 1 & a probability of <1".

tHe arT.... lEarN iT fRoM tHE MASTER

As I got up this morning, I was little bit restless. I had a good weekend and was perplexed as to why am I restless on a Monday morning, just like the entire world. Am I no longer different from the others? Have I lost my unique identity, which I had received when I received Christ into my life?

Struggled, for a few minutes and I decided to spend some intimate time with the Lord. Read through a portion and the Lord talked to me and I could see a picture of mine in that passage too. A few minutes later, I thought it will be good if could share it with you all.

But, as I prepared to type, organizing the contents in my mind, the Spirit spoke something unique, which was connected to my state of mind in the morning when I woke up. So, probably some day I will share that thought as well, but this short message I received from the Lord, I want to share with you all.

Just 2 points:

1.       When my Lord went on to the cross, He spread out His Hands. And in that position, my Lord was nailed to the cross.

His love was so unique, so sincere, so true.

He said that He loved me.

He demonstrated His love for me on the cross.

He opened forth His arms, while suffering the wickedness of man and the physical and spiritual suffering inflicted on Him. He opened forth his arms, to show that He truly loved me and that He wants to embrace me. Pure love, sincere love - because it was and is (because I can experience it every day) God’s true love.

2.       My Lord was nailed to the cross. The nails pierced his palms / hands. Christ, the Son of Man, endured that piercing pain, and my Lord rose again. True.

But, what about the marks on His glorified body?

 The nail piercing are there, the side that was pierced is still so.

He fulfilled the work of redemption, restoring people like me, who were the participants in torturing Christ, nailing Him, and piercing Him. But, His wounds are still there... Such an unconditional embrace.

Learning’s for me:

1.       Having put on Christ, I need to love like Christ. Stretch out my hand open in love, in sincerity. I often love with my hands closed – a fake love. Show true love, the way God loved. God honors the smallest act of love – which is shown forth in all sincerity.

2.        My life on earth is such that I hurt many and get hurt by many.

These hurts/wounds may or may not fill and get healed. But we have an obligation to forgive, get reconciled, and love unconditionally.

Then we will experience the healing of those wounds, the marks remain, but it will no longer hurt.

Had Christ been like us, every time he would have seen His wounds, He would stop loving us. What do you think?

So, what do I need to do?

a.       Apologize, sincerely seek forgiveness. Get back to those whom you have hurt. Ask for forgiveness, pray for them and get restored.

b.      Those who have hurt me, the wound which is still festering, the healing touch (from the Lord) comes when I forgive. I get healed; my heart is full of joy, because I experience the touch of the Lord.

Forgive your children,

Forgive your parents,

Forgive your husband,

Forgive your wife,
Forgive your relations,

Forgive your relatives,

Forgive your friends.

The next step is equally important, go and tell the one you forgave and get back into that love relationship.

iSight

God speaks to us in marvelous ways. He speaks because He loves us and wants to tell us the secrets of His heart. Sometimes, we really don’t understand our Lord. Have we ever considered how eager He is to share the thoughts of His heart?

Today, let’s read a few verses from II Cor 4:

[

v.4 …the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.

v.6 …God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

]

v.4 – The good news is the Glory of God?  Did we ever understand it to be so? And the glory of Christ is the image of God?

So, the Good news or the Word of God is the Glory of Christ, which is the image of God.  So, every word we read should be read with that fear and humility. The word of God declares about His Son, and about Himself.

v.6 – [the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ] Christ is the image of God, is the glory of God. The fullness of the glory of God is seen from the face of my Lord.

Have we ever considered the face of the Lord? My Lord, who is my savior, has a very beautiful face. The beauty that was marred because of my sin, when He suffered for me on the cross.

Considering the face of the Lord, I was drawn to think ... He made us in His own image, so can we decode some details.

Just consider the eyes of the Lord -the eyes which go to and fro around the earth.

But, is it that that eyes just see?

Well, I think of the girl you love; she has the most beautiful eyes in this world - wide and expressive. Her face is also vivid with expressions. And the expressions of the face are reflected in her eyes, and the expressions of her heart are expressed through her eyes.

When she is sad, her eyes say it all. When she is happy, her face is beaming, but her eyes are shining too. When she smiles just for the sake of it, it’s just her face – nothing is seen in her eyes. And, the love in her heart is always seen through her big, beautiful eyes.

If the human eyes can be so expressive, the window to the heart, then think about the beautiful eyes of my Lord.

So, now I can really connect two of the common usages – (1) seek the face of the Lord, and (2) know the heart of the Lord.

Deconstructing the fall… the Restoration story

Life is an experience, and it is rightly said ‘Experience Life’. Neo, is just another human being who passes through the experiences of life. In spite of experiencing the Creator, being taken into His fold, and becoming His flock – the sheep tries to bear the load himself and after being crushed under the load does he seek the Lord.

Deconstructing the fall:

God’s love is amazing. He cares and plans all things for me/you. He sets me/ you on the right course, guides me/you at every step, and listens to you when I/you bare my/your heart before Him.

In His eternal plan, He plants a beautiful plant. Notice that He plants that beautiful plant. And, this beautiful plant He gives to me; so that I can work on it, water it, provide it the right nutrients (fertilizers… maybe organic ones), take care of it, and make it grow beautiful for the glory of God. When Neo received the plant, he too dreamt of working on it, watering it, providing it with the right nutrients, taking care of it, and making it a beautiful plant for the glory of God.

And, as time passes; I start becoming careless, not devoting time to keep the beautiful plant, wasting my time in unprofitable tasks – showing disrespect to God, by not honouring the task assigned by God. Remember, this beautiful plant given by God is a part of my life, and still I pay no attention to it. Then a time comes, when the plant start to shed its leave out of its season, there are no fruits, and the branches hang weak. When things go out of control…. I look around for quick-fixes, implement a few and the result in a BIGGER mess. There seems no solution in sight. What do I do?

Restoration:

Go back to the one who gave us the precious plant to take cares off. That’s what I did. Years of mismanagement and the terrible implications of quick-fixes have ruined the once beautiful and precious plant.

For God to act on it requires a few elements:

1.       My restoration with Him

2.       My restoration with His purposes

3.       Submitting the ‘plant’ into His hand

4.       A deep desire in me (with love) to restore the plant and a firm commitment that I will keep the plant once it is restored, as commanded

5.       Believing that God will restore and establish

6.       Waiting for His time.

Primarily, God because of His love, sees the truth in my heart’s desire and God works on it – in the following steps:

1.       Break down all the things which I have built on (added on), that is trimming down all the growth of the plant – during the time period when I was mismanaging it.

2.       Restoring the plant to its original beauty and structure.

3.       Handing it over to me, to take care of it again – with love and responsibility.

Thus, the one who originated the ‘plant’, takes it back and restores it. Then He will hand it over back to me again for keeping it, building it up, and be responsible for it.

This ‘plant’ may be our responsibility in the Church, our relationships(s), or even our jobs.

1.       God gave it to me/us, I surely spoiled it,

2.       Give it back to God, He will prune it and restore it.

3.       Because, what He started will never fail. It will spring back to life, but under Gods care.

This is my story, and I believe is our story. I chose to share my life story, because I believe it will help us all.  So, don’t lose hope.

When the entire world will tell me that there is no hope, nothing good will happen, all I did was a mistake; call on the Lord and ask Him and He will truly tell you this, “Give it back into my hand, I will make it beautiful again”. 

God doesn't make mistakes. I commit mistakes. And, whatever God has begun and established will stay on for ever.

[Share your life stories with me, and be an encouragement to all]

Prayer Essentials

Prayer – is an intimate and a direct connection with my Lord, where I hear His voice in my spirit and I call on His name from deep within my heart. Prayer is so intimate, just like the intimate heart to heart love between two lovers – where word need not be expressed but, the hearts do the talking/connecting/bonding.

So, prayer is an expression of the love relation between me and my God - the one who loved me to the utmost.

As I was attending a prayer session, a person spoke on the issue of humility in prayer, and how God answers prayers. He directed our attention to Luke 18:10-14. We must have all read and heard multiple sermons on this passage. While hearing the message, I felt moved, and while reading the portion now, I felt urged to write on what the Spirit spoke to me.

[ 9 He spoke also this parable to certain people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all others.
10 "“Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: ‘God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.’
13 But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”" ]

World English Bible – Luke 18:9-14

Two observations:

1.       The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself : Isn’t  it strange? This guy went inside the temple of the Living God, and is praying to Himself.

He dared to stand, held up in his pride. In the temple, you need to bow down.

He prayed – praying is a privilege given to those who love God. He is shamelessly misappropriating God’s love provision

He compares [God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector]. Who am I to comment on another child of God, when I’m myself not right? Or, what do I know about the other to compare? Can I see his/her heart, that I can evaluate? And the best part – He says ‘God I thank you ……’.

2.       But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

Look at this fellow – hated by all, loved by none. In fear and humility walks into God’s temple – with the awareness that he is going to God’s temple.

standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven – knows he is unworthy. Is not ashamed of accepting the truth himself. Understands that God alone deserves honor.

Beat his breast – the Pharisee exalted his flesh, but the tax collector was keen on destroying his flesh.

One more secret, the Pharisee divided, the tax collector united.

Many times, I am like the Pharisee and utter prayer like him. God hates it. He just abhors it.

Let my prayers be in humility, considering others better, and in true love with my God.

Let my prayers be for others.

And, how can I pray for others? When I can love them, without seeking anything in return.

Isn’t it wonderful, that each any every doctrine of our Lord revolves around His Love and His Forgiveness.

So, let us Love and Forgive. And, be Holy as my Father is.

God bless you all!

Conceiving Samson!?

Dear Beloved,

A pointer earlier this day on Samson, and  I believe our minds were compelled to think about the life and acts of Samson.

First thoughts (when we think about Samson):

1.       Israel’s judge

2.       A mighty man

3.       A womanizer???  (Your opinions may be different). He chased the most beautiful ladies in the town, and they all trapped the poor fellow.

Whatever he ended up becoming, let’s keep all that aside for some time.

Reason: We always have spent our time learning about this person’s life and his actions alone, but we were never compelled to look at his calling.

v.5  ‘for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines’         [ Judges 13 – NASB ]

This was God’s purpose for him.

Now, before we go ahead let us clear our minds of all the pre-conceived ideas about Samson and look at this story/incident in a new light. God’s word teaches us every day, in a new way. And, the primary requirement to learn is to be empty before him, so that He can fill us with His teachings.

Let us play a game, which will help us to forget all we have read about Samson till now in this article.

Q1: Which tribe(s) is/are omitted from the list of restored tribes in Revelation?

Q2: There were 12 tribes in Israel and they were based on Jacob’s sons. So, if some tribes are omitted (in revelation) – how come the count is still 12?

[Please find the answers on your own. You can mail your responses to me on my e-id. I want to see how many people tried to find the answer]

So now, we are all ready now.

Let us look at the sequence of events and understand alongside the hidden secrets:

1.       Israel sinned again, did evil in the sight of God.

[

Ohhhhh……. Again I see myself in this statement. Again, and again, and again, despite the continued loving care of our Lord and His clear instructions/command – I choose to sin, break His heart every time.

The height of our worthlessness is seen in the fact that despite being oppressed because of my sin(s), I choose not to repent. I choose to wallow in the dirt, and try convincing myself with statements like:

·         ‘Take life as it comes to you’

·         ‘You can’t fight your destiny’

·         ‘Forget what happened and move on, time will help forget’

Amongst all these there are others (not me) who say:

·         ‘We are the masters of our destiny’

·         ‘Our will and hard work will tilt everything in our favor’

·         ‘I really don’t care about what happened yesterday, what I am doing today, and what will happen tomorrow. I am going to give my best shot and enjoy my life’

Whatever we show, our helplessness or our sufficiency; we are hollow inside - without His love and His providence. And, the root cause of all this is our disobedience.

There is no immediate text also in the passage which shows that Israel repented.

]

2.       A family in the tribe of Dan finds grace in the sight of the Lord.

[

Well…well… Dan, one of Jacob’s sons – who later on becomes a tribe, is a tribe which will not be restored and is not counted among the 12, because of its continued idolatrous behaviour.

All accounts in the Bible, about Dan – speaks of their wicked behaviour. So much of wickedness that God never wants it be restored.

Is this situation not scary?  God of love, our father – can you imagine Him taking such a decision? Well, it is true. So, let us be careful…

Yet, see the love, the immense love. A family from that tribe finds grace. I find grace, just because He is gracious, and I know for sure – I have no merits to claim.

]

3.       The family has a certain problem. The lady is barren.

[

Sin and its results – it keeps us from enjoying the life God gave us and living a life worthy of God

]

4.       The angel of the Lord appears to this lady and says:

“Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son. Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

[

you shall conceive and give birth to a son  - God says I will restore you, I will heal you, I will bless you.

be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing – this talks about cleansing myself, repentance, and abstinence from all forms of evil and getting back into a state of obedience. Obedience is the primary requirement for us to enjoy/appropriate all of God’s blessings and promises.

Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines – This is what God wants.

              ]

5.       Come to the end of the chapter

 Then the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson; and the child grew up and the Lord blessed him.  And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

[

Samson is born, he is blessed and strengthened by God. The Spirit of the Lord stirred him to do His work.

Isn’t this beautiful, amidst all the despair, pain, and hopelessness – God restores.

Amidst this draught, amidst the barrenness – God gives a fruit

]

Practical lessons for me/us:

1.       Am I ready to conceive Samson? Are we all ready to conceive Samson?

2.       Our sin – disobedience – or, even sharing our love for God with the things of the world – leads to a spiritual draught.

3.       Then, I/we lead a fruitless spiritual life.

4.       God restores – repent – obey – and then God helps you conceive Samson – a work/deed/word/ etc. etc. which will bring honor to God, and will show forth the promises and blessings in God.

Please mail in your queries (if any) and the answers to the questions asked. 

Would be glad to hear from you.

Please, pray that we may grow in the Grace of God and in His love, and love one another and build each other up.