Answers to Prayers

1 John 5:14-15: "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him" (NIV).

Parenting tests this passage like few other experiences. Because we love our children, we assume we know what is best for them. We pray for God to honor our plans and are shocked when God sometimes leads us down a more difficult path, with testing and pain.

For me, the turning point came when I realized I was looking at God as a "cosmic vending machine". When I prayed, I somehow felt He was obligated to comply. Then, a colleague gave me a simple guide that changed my perspective on prayer. He said, "Prayer is asking God to align you with His will, rather than asking Him to be aligned with yours."

God knows what you and your children really need. When we pray, He is at work answering those prayers, but in a way that suits Him and His Kingdom. Faith trusts the wisdom of His answer, even when His answer is different than what we expect.

Pray for God's will to be done and your prayers will be answered.



COURTESY: DAILY PARENTING DEVOTIONAL

Back to Basics

I recently read an excerpt from a book by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons called "UnChristian." Loaded to the hilt with statistics and survey results with regard to the current perceptions and thoughts of twenty-somethings when it comes to the Church, the results indicate that the vast majority of twenty-somethings, when asked whether or not the Church today reflects the Person of Jesus Christ, answer "no." The surveys span a time frame of around three years of research. The following words describe present-day Christianity:

* judgmental 87%
* hypocritical 85%
* old-fashioned 78%
* too political 75%
* out of touch with reality 72%
* insensitive to others 70%
* boring 68%

Why these negative characterizations flourish, the extent to which they are deserved, or whether they are even accurate, are all interesting and complex questions. But at least we can say this much — the emergent community of those who had followed Jesus gained a different reputation; they "enjoyed the favor of all the people" (Acts 2:47). Why the contrast between then and now?

After a period of confusion, doubt and disbelief following the gruesome execution of Jesus, and despite threats from the religious and government authorities, his followers became convinced that "God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 2:32, 4:20).

To the shock of most everyone, these unschooled and ordinary Jesus followers proclaimed their message with courage and boldness. In Jerusalem, converts joined the movement en masse, first 3,000 people, then increasing to 5,000 (2:41, 4:4). Luke gives us a snapshot of this vibrant Jesus-community that helps to explain the appeal of their message, its consequent expansion, and their local reception:
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was with them all. There were no needy persons among them. From time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need (Acts 4:32–35).

Luke's depiction of the Jerusalem believers identifies a signature characteristic of their movement — in a word, generosity. Their social generosity expressed itself in community, and their financial generosity expressed itself in compassion.

Following the example of Jesus, the first Christians broke down social barriers and disregarded religious taboos that distinguished between the ritually clean and the unclean, the worthy and the unworthy, the respectable and the unrespectable. They were "one in heart and mind," writes Luke. They subverted normal social hierarchies of wealth, ethnicity, religion, and gender in favor of a radical ONENESS before God and with each other: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28).

About a century after Luke wrote, the early Christians had a well-known and well-deserved reputation for social generosity that built bridges of community rather than walls of separation.

Luke also says that the selling of property occurred "from time to time," which is to say that it was sporadic and based upon a person's sense of God's call rather than compulsory or systematic. None of these caveats, though, diminish the revolutionary impact of financial generosity expressed in compassion for the needy.

Luke concludes his general description of the believer’s social and financial generosity with a specific example: "Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet" (Acts 4:36–37). Luke describes Barnabas as "a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith" (Acts 11:24), and even as an "apostle" (Acts 14:14).

I get discouraged when I read studies like UnChristian, partly because I think they have a point. I wish that we Christians could somehow recapture the witness of those first believers who, because "great grace was with them all," demonstrated overflowing generosity to their neighbors, and who consequently "enjoyed the favor of all the people."

How open are you to change?

The Church, as we have seen from a lot of my earlier posts, is a movement.
It is not a machine.It’s a cycle of progress that we have been observing: Man- Movement- Machine- Monument- Museum.
As long as you are open to progress, you will still be in The Movement phase.
The Apostles were open to progress. In Acts 10, we see Peter has a transviion. This was 13 years after he began professing and preaching to the Jews. At his transvision he realized that he had to open up to the Gentiles. They were as worthy of the Gospel as the Jews. And if he had a problem, deal with it. Peter realized delayed obedience is still disobedience.
Thus 13 years after the Day of Pentecost, began the evangelisation of the Gentiles.
So remain open to change always. The Bible may have been written 2000 years back and it more than relevant even today. Read it for relevation rather than information because revelation takes you to Salvation.

In His Time

Peter wrote, "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" 1 Pet.4:17.

The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos and kairos. Chronos refers to chronological or sequential time. Chronos time is measured by the clock and calendar. It is orderly, rhythmic, and predictable. It is what we moderns typically think of as time. Kairos time, on the other hand, refers to “God’s time.” It is a time, not measured by the clock, where God has chosen “the right moment” or the “opportune” time. Kairos time usually involves a period of disruption to the normal flow of things.

In the New Testament kairos means "the appointed time in the purpose of God", the time when God acts (e.g. Mark 1.15, the kairos is fulfilled). It differs from the more usual word for time which is chronos (kronos). Kairos time is usually perceived as a time of crisis. The Chinese word for “crisis” is a picogram of the two words “danger” and “opportunity.” With this in mind, one has a possibility of participating in a “new creation.” One has the choice of danger or opportunity, a chance to build something new out of the old. Kairos time bridges the tearing down of the “old way” with the building of a “new way.”

In Daniel Ch 9, one of the most amazing prophetic passages in the Bible, it’s said that the Antichrist will definitely try to change Kairos.

What Our Father desires from us is that we are so close to his heart that we are able to discern the times and seasons of His Work. When Jesus has purified His church and she is without spot and wrinkle He will return for her. This is our blessed hope.

Apostolic Governance

A sequel to my earlier blog that tells you more about the present Wave of Christainity﷓ Apostolic Governance.

As we look through the first few verses in each epistle as they generally begin with the writer identifying himself as an apostle: “Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ. . . “ (Col.1:1).

We know from reading the gospels that it was God’s plan to call and prepare apostles to work with Jesus to transition the people from the faith of Moses to the faith of Jesus Christ, from the First Covenant Faith to the Second Covenant Faith. After Jesus prayed all night to God He called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles (Lk. 6:12-13).

It was these men that Jesus prepared to be His voice to lead His people after He had completed His mission to establish Himself as the New Covenant.

Reading from the gospels, the book of Acts, and the epistles we observe that God planned for apostles to direct the church in doctrine and function. The church, after Jesus’ resurrection, did not disband and each believer go their separate way to devise a faith independent of the apostolic stewardship. That being true, we learn God’s mind:

• That God had not intended that prophets, evangelists, pastors, or teachers to act independent of Apostolic Stewardship.

• That God had not intended each individual to decide how their faith should be expressed.

• That after Jesus ascended into heaven, His apostles were His ambassadors; they represented Him.

As Apostles, we have to be discerning enough to know the times and seasons of God’s work.

We are called of God to bring the church into the unity of the faith. Through the Apostolic Governance, our Lord is now transitioning the church back to her first love.

The Progress of Christianity

If you look back into the history of Christianity, all you would notice is a lot of misunderstanding.

For one, Jesus isn’t ,wasn’t, and never will be the founder of Christianity.

The Religion of Christianity, in fact has nothing to do with neither the crucification, resurrection of Christ nor the fire that fell on those in the Upper room.

It all began with a dream of an emperor who had turned a blind eye to persecutions within his empire and needled unnecessarily launches war against his unfaithful aide.

The night before Emperor Constantine I dreamt of winning battles upon the strength of the insignia of the Cross. Promptly, he added the new insignia to his coat o farms and gave his subjects a choice-Either follow me and I follow Christianity or die.
He was a very persuasive man, ably aided by his sword and thus a majority of today’s populations were born to parents of Christian origin.

So there you have it- contrary to our textbooks, Emperor Constantine I, not Jesus, is the founder of Christianity.

Jesus never professed a religion. He talked about a way of life. He came here willingly on His Father’s orders to tell us of His Father’s likes and dislikes.

Constantine laid the foundation rules for his newfound religion and those that he subjugated added some more of their earlier traditions and beliefs and eventually we landed up with a set of beliefs that had nothing to do with what occurred in the Upper Room.

In the 16th century began the Protestant Reformation began when a Catholic monk rediscovered a Catholic doctrine in a Catholic book. The monk, of course, was Luther; the doctrine was justification by faith; and the book was the Bible. Some felt that the Reformation was progressing too slowly. And it was among these reformers that the Anabaptist movement formed its roots.
What characterized their faith more than anything else, clearly distinguishing Anabaptists from other religions, was the conviction that baptism was for adults and not for children.

Mid 17th century, the Anabaptists lost some of their rigidity (today’s Amish or Mennonites are common examples of what Anabaptists are) and thus became the Baptists. The one thing both movements had in common was baptism by immersion.

The Pentecostal movement had its origins in believers who intensely desired more of God in the late 19th century. People were getting interested in world evangelization and realized that they needed the original power of the Holy Spirit to do this. They sought God and prayed. Many Methodists and Salvation Army people were among those who were most hungry for God, and embraced the move of the Holy Spirit.

People had been thinking that God no longer spoke except through the Bible, and that speaking in tongues had ceased, but the early Pentecostal pioneers challenged that. Contrary to the then Baptist beliefs on the cessation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Pentecostals believed in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, evidenced by speaking in tongues.

On April 9, 1906, at a prayer meeting in a modest home, a few men and women spoke in tongues. They had been meeting to pray for "an outpouring" of the Holy Spirit. The tongues speech convinced them that they had "broken through."

Thus was the Azusa Street Revival. It shook the foundations of the church and changed the lives of six hundred million people forever! The faithful announced that this was a reenactment of the New Testament Day of Pentecost: "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability" (Acts 2:4). God was restoring New Testament experiences of the Holy Spirit -- or, as devotees of the movement put it, restoring the apostolic faith.

At the heart of this movement was William J. Seymour, a one-eyed black pastor from Louisiana, son of a slave, who preached the message of “Apolostic Faith.”
At Azusa Street, one could see and hear the "utterance gifts" listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. People interpreted tongues and prophesied -- phenomena with which few Christians had any direct experience. The sick came for healing. Global Pentecostalism has multiple origins, and the Azusa Street revival was one of several impulses that birthed a distinctly Pentecostal form of Christianity.

As the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements plateaud, up arose evangelists such as Billy Graham and Oral Roberts with Praise and worship and Healing revival, tele evangelism.

In the 1960s, came the Catholic Charismatic Renewal and in the 1990s, as church members in growth churches attribute their success to the movement of the Holy Spirit, strong church leadership, evangelical outreach came the New Generation Churches.

In the midst of all this change, the one thing that has withstood the test of time has been the persecution and ridicules each new revival faced at the hands of the earlier.

As each wave goes by, James 5:7,8 are quoted for the Latter Day rains. Christianity today is experiencing the Fourth Wave. If you are ready to UN-learn and be governed by the Holy Spirit, you can make progress.

It just isn't fair!!!

Is there someone in your life who has hurt you so badly, so deeply, whose sin is so great, that you find it difficult to forgive them? Perhaps it's good to remeber today the spectacular unfairnesss of God.....and that He offers garce to them just as he does to you - EVERY DAY!!
Do you think that you are any better than the unrepentant thief on the cross? He sure didnt deserve God's grace! None of us do......

That's why grace is Grace-unmerited favor. Thank God, His grace isn't FAIR!

Reach out and forgive-His Grace will see you through!

Grace not shared is grace despaired

In the OT, believers of Yehovah were subject to the Law- we were bound by strict rules- dietary rules, spiritual rules etc etc. We were then broken free from these rules when Jesus died for us.
Jesus became the only way, the only truth and the only gate. It is because of God’s mercy, His favor, His kindness, His blessing and His compassion that He has provided mankind with a salvation plan! We are saved by God’s mercy. We do not deserve the blessings God has given us.

Ephesians 2:4-9
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.

Notice this passage says:

Ø God made us alive in Christ when we were dead—and this is God’s grace.
Ø God raised us up with Christ
Ø God expresses His grace to mankind by giving us Christ Jesus
Ø God’s grace is through faith.

God’s grace involves a bigger picture than we sometimes realize. At one point in our history, there was a rebellion in heaven in which some of the angels chose to follow Lucifer and abandoned their positions in heaven in rebellion against God. For these, God has provided no salvation plan. There is no hope for them, no chance of salvation. They will be eternally damned to hell when the Day of Judgment arrives. God has not provided a way for them to attain redemption. But for mankind, on the other hand, God in His mercy and grace has given us His Son and a way to be redeemed. He has given us a salvation plan! And this is by His grace. God did not give Jesus to the rebellious angels. He only gave Jesus to mankind. God had this salvation plan in mind from the very beginning.

You, who have been partakers of this grace, have been given the Great Commission.
And when we had sinned and were dead, and had received only what we deserved, God in His mercy and grace provided a way for us to be saved—He provided His Son, Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 1:8-11 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.

Obama's never ending promise list.......

As a campaigner, he promised to "change the world", to "transform this country" and even (in front of a church full of evangelicals) to "create a Kingdom right here on earth". As president, he keeps adding details to this ambitious wish-list. He vows to create millions of jobs, to cure cancer and to seek a world without nuclear weapons. On July 20th he promised something big (a complete overhaul of the health-care system), something improbable (to make America's college-graduation rate the highest in the world by 2020) and something no politician could plausibly accomplish (to make maths and science "cool again").

Matthew 5:37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
Many times promises involve sacrifices out of our comfort zones. If you promised something just by saying you would do it then God expects you to do it to the "best of your ability" as if you were doing it for the Lord Himself.

Be responsible with your words and vows!
Titus 2:7-8 In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
God desires us to be moral witness in our daily walk and that includes our morals. The words that we speak and the promises that we make demonstrate our Christian values. This is because of the people around us watching. We must value our words as if they were gold. People might see Jesus through our eyes if we are honest with our words. Avoid criticism and hurt by listening before you speak and honoring what you commit to when you do. Be sound of speech and honest in your promises!

Words reveal to the world and to God how honest we are
James 3:9-10 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
Speak words that are pleasing to God and act with honor upon the promises made. If you have promised something and back out of it than deep hurt can be left behind. This grieves the Holy Spirit and can cause a wound that may last a lifetime.

The importance of keeping one's word is a matter of Integrity!
Psalms 25:20-21 O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.
Integrity and righteousness are the two most important things for a Christian to have. Uprightness and Integrity demonstrate what we believe, and how consistent of a walk we have with Jesus. Pray to the Lord to help you keep your promises and strive to be pure before the Lord. A man has real dignity of character when he has high integrity!

On Televisions and Mobiles......

James tell us, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one” (James 1:14). The Apostle Paul tells us that “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor 10:13).
That’s why our God, through the Law of Moses, treats his people as a tightly-governed child “under guardians and managers until the date set by his father” (Gal 4:2). He carefully works us toward maturity, seeing that we’re faithful in small things before putting us over many things. That’s what a good and loving Father does.

A pre-teen or a teenager with unrestricted cell-phone usage, Internet or television consumption is being placed in a very, very difficult place of temptation. The company of that young man or woman is now away from the scrutiny of parents, and is now left only to his or her discretion or conscience.

I wonder then, when it comes to cell phones and unrestricted TV viewing, how many parents do precisely what our Father never does, and never will do.

Are there some young Christians who can handle such? Of course. Should you assume your child is one of them? Your Father is more careful of you than that.

And, did I also mention PICTURES? ! “Mistakes” today can be so much bigger than when we were kids. A young person can make a bad judgment call with a text or picture, and when that relationship goes sour, that picture is all over the internet.

It doesn’t mean you have to turn your house into an Inquisition hall or the Jail.
It simply means your child knows that you love him or her enough to check in frequently to see what’s going on in life. It also means that you communicate clearly that the child doesn’t have a personal cellphone, autonomous of your authority.

The best solution I have come up with is for parents to own extra phones, and give them to the kids when I want them to have them. They don’t need to keep them all of the time. This way they do have access to a phone, but they don’t give out that number to everybody and constantly text friends. Checking up on your kids’ texts and things really can have a negative feel to them - that they’re not trusted and stuff. So keeping the phone does away with that, also.

All things can be used for God’s glory. The point is: Christian parents raising children according to God’s word. Cell phones,TV, the Net are not the enemy.

Communicating your love to your child means communicating your involvement. The gospel message is one of Fatherhood and sonship, of a Father who knows the hairs on our head (Luke 12:7), who fights for his children when they’re tested, tempted, or mistreated. Picture that kind of God to your children, even if they grumble and complain at first.

The Power Socket

2 Corinthians 1:21-22, Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (NIV)

What is the Holy Spirit?
God living inside of us. Our good conscious. A special power that we can use only to do good that comes directly from God.
Some characteristics of the Holy Spirit are: discernment, wisdom, knowledge, common sense, dependance on God, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Some of the things it does are: Illuminates, convicts, teaches, guides, assures, intercedes, directs, and warns.

Believe in yourself and what God can do through you. Remain constantly in prayer and allow the Spirit to give you guidance during various situations in the day. I have seen how being in prayer and allowing the Holy Spirit to work makes me very effective. Recognize negative feelings and deal with them daily, don’t ignore and stuff your feelings.
Phil 4:13, I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (NIV)
2Cor 10:5, We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (NIV)

I am strong when I am weak

OK, in spite of knowing better, I had lately been leaning more on everything else but God. And I wasn’t going anywhere. Today, however, I learnt:

Psalm 68:28a --"Thy God hath commanded thy strength."The Lord imparts to us that primary strength of character which makes everything in life work with intensity and decision. We are 'strengthened by might by His Spirit in the inner man'. And the strength is continuous; reserves of power come to us which we cannot exhaust.""That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man." (Ephesians 3:16)"As thy days, so shall thy strength be' -- strength of will, strength of affection, strength of judgment, strength of ideals and achievement.""As thy days, so shall thy strength be." (Deuteronomy 33:25b)"The Lord is my strength' to go on. He gives us power to tread the dead level, to walk the long lane that seems never to have a turning, to go through those long reaches of life which afford no pleasant surprise, and which depress the spirits in the sameness of a terrible drudgery.""The LORD is my strength and song, and has become my salvation." (Psalm 118:14)"The Lord is my strength' to go up. He is to me the power by which I can climb the Hill Difficulty and not be afraid."The Lord is my strength' to go down. It is when we leave the bracing heights, where the wind and the sun have been about us, and when we begin to come down the hill into closer and more sultry spheres, that the heart is apt to grow faint."The Lord is my strength' to sit still. And how difficult is the attainment! Do we not often say to one another, in seasons when we are compelled to be quiet, 'If only I could do something!'"Therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still." (Isaiah 30:7b)"When the child is ill, and the mother can do nothing but stand in comparative impotence, how severe is the test! But to do nothing, just to sit still and wait, requires tremendous strength. 'The Lord is my strength!' "Our sufficiency is of God!""My God shall be my strength." (Isaiah 49:5b)"Not that we are sufficient to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God." (2 Corinthians 3:5)2 Corinthians 12:9 -- "And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."God's power comes to its full strength or finds its full scope in our weakness. All that we are able to handle and endure is because of Him. Enduring and succeeding is all by and of His grace, His sufficiency, His strength, His power, which stands in remarkable contrast to our absolute weakness..."God's way is not always to take His children out of trials but instead to give them the strength to bear the trials. This needs to be our preferred condition because it allows God to be revealed and us to grow spiritually strong.

Singleness of heart

In 2 Chronicles 30:12, we see a very, very unusual occurence in Israel.
The OT is chockablok of instances where Israelites have lack of purpose and constantly follow their own whims. That resulted in most of them "doin' their own thang!" Lotsa interpersonal conflict and division...in fact all the makings of a Dynasty like soap opera..
That's why it is surprising and unbelivable when we read the people of Judah had a singleness of heart.
The best part is...their secret formula for this "singleness of heart" is given as well-The hand of God." The reason and source of their unity was none other than the Lord himself. The joy of the Lord was their strength.

What was the result of their singleness of heart? Obedience to authority. At the word of the Lord, they obeyed the command of their King and their leaders.

How many of you are going thru' some sort of disagreement at home, church or in office? Father and son not seeing eye to eye? Don't agree with some of Pastor's teachings? Boss not seeing the merits of your proposal? Mother in law being a stick in the mud? Not talking to your dearest friend over a minor skirmish?

Pray that the hand of God is on you and yours to bring in that singleness of heart. Authentic spiritual unity flows from the presence of God in the person of the Holy Spirit

#2 Let the Praises Flow

Appreciate your daughter. Girls primarily need love and security. A critical spirit destroys their fat and prospering souls. The aim is to build up rather than destroy.
Be diligent in praising your daughter. For what, you ask?

Not for her achievements…for just being her.

Girls are not naturally competitive like boys. But women that we are, we are more competitive with our own kind. Be it Mother or sister or friend, girls compete among themselves. Only Mother can nurture acceptance and security and confidence. Identify her particular gift and encourage using it instead of imposing your unfulfilled dreams on her.

Daughters, being women ourselves, are quite easy to read and therefore we are harder on them. But a lot of love and patience does go along way. Look back and see that all you had to is to find your particular trigger to success (read that as doing what your mom wanted happily.)

#1 Don’t Criticize Or Compare!

This one’s got such long lasting effects that you have no idea when it’s gonna rear its ugly head up again. A critical spirit is a destructive thing and you must remember to cloak yourselves in tender mercies. Don’t attribute motives, or take offense or lose patience. (I hear some of you asking, “Do you want a tall order of fries with that?”)

Children look at us and learn. If we expect of them to be meek, respectful, submissive, loving, organized, make sure we model that. Are we willingly submissive?

Be a primary example of their future calling!

Mothers And Daughters

In Job 42:15, we see that Job’s daughters were the fairest in the land- not just in beauty and brains but in temperament as well. Now how would we who strive to be good Christian mothers make our daughters beautiful in temperament, attitude and behavior?

I recently found myself being asked this by women I consider my closest sisters in Christ. The first time it happened, I gave in my bit of understanding and left it at that. Then it happened again—not once, not twice, but five different times. Literally, God has been asking me to post on this! How do we live in Christ as mothers to future Women of God? How do we bring our daughters up?

It’s hard for me to accept I’m having difficulty getting thru to my daughter in spite of being a woman myself. But haven’t we all heard of familiarity breeding contempt?

Instead of giving y’all a list of what to do, upcoming is a list of what we must take care not to do: spoken from experience (mine and others).

Prayer ain't Good Enuff!

"Prayer is good and necessary but it will NOT take the place of authority. I give you authority over all of the ability of the enemy and I expect you to use it"
........and I understood what it all meant. Jesus gave us authority.. It is up to us to use it..

When the temptation came.. Eve yielded to it and it says.. she gave to the man to eat.. So Adam was standing by whilst all this was going on.. He should have done something! He had the legal right and the dominion/power to act and get rid of that serpent! He should have said.. "It is said by God.. You shall not eat of that tree, now get out of our garden! NOW!" When he failed to do this, the authority given to him, passed to satan who according to 1Cor 2.. says.. became 'the god of this world.' When Jesus was tempted by the devil.. satan said.. "If you will bow down and worship me, I will give you all this, for it was given me".. So who gave it to him? ~ Adam did... Jesus is called.. the second Adam.. This one didn't fail and broke satan's rightful hold over mankind..

So when you pray, do not ask,"Why doesn't God do something!" .. When He created man, He gave him the right, power and legal authority to 'subdue the Earth' This was his commission in Genesis.. Once given, He couldn't take it back. If I give you something, it is yours to do with as you will. It is no longer mine.. Jesus gave us authority.. What we do with it, is up to us..

Favor ain't fair!!

If God were "Fair", I would get what I deserve from Him. But since He is "Merciful", and not "Fair", I am the recipient of his "Grace", which means I get so much more than what I deserve.

I am certainly NOT a Bible Scholar, but I am confident that God always keeps His promises, and His promise is that if we accept that we all have sinned and fallen short of His Glory, and accept that when Jesus died at Calvary we died with Him and had our sins paid for with His blood, and trust Him as our own personal Savior, then we have eternal life.

We can do nothing to save ourselves, hence we can do nothing to "un-save" ourselves.
God Bless!

When you've reached the edge of all reason....

Are you tired of it all? Find yourself in a circumstance without hope? Feel all doors and windows are shut and you're getting claustrophobic?

Do you think no one else understands what you are facing? That's probably true, you know.

When viewed through human eyes, no can usually empathize that well with a desperate situation. Even though we've all been there,done that; a desperate situation is still just that- desperate and without hope.

Let me tell you about a woman I know. She found herself in a frightening, pathetic, painful situation just as you are right now. Where, how and who are not important- it can be anyone, anyplace in a desperate situation. But this woman, who was in a situation so hopeless that death was certain, dared to risk enough that she stepped out in faith and obeyed in spite of the obvious.

Because she was obedient, a ray of hope came into her life.Read up more on this woman in 1 Kings 17:8-16. Obedience is the key;when you are at the edge of all reason to hope, obedience unlocks the door for blessing and hope to follow.

Perhaps right now, your life's hurtling at breakneck speed to a dead end wall. Do you want to just get off this particular journey and end it all? but Your God has a message for you," I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too difficult for me?" Jer 32:27.

If you are thinking,"Yea right! My situation is different,nobody can help me out here." know that God is God and nothing is too difficult for Him. Look back to the woman in the story- she obeyed faithfully in a situation where sucide was the only answer and God supplied! Ask yourself today,"Is my __________ too difficult for God? (fill in with your own burden.)
No matter how impossible it seems to you, the answer is always the same from God," Nothing is too difficult for me!!"

Is it wrong for a Christian to want to be rich?

A lot of people I know criticize new generation churches for proclaiming the prosperity gospel. But, in actuality, what's the prosperity gospel all about? Jesus has promised each of us peace and prosperity. As the children of the King of Kings, are we not prince and princess who can lay claim to their Heavenly Fathers ' bountiful riches? We are! So can we actively pursue money generating works? But isn't money the root of all evil?

Let's take it from 1 Timothy6:6-10.

6But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.
7For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.
8If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.
9But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.
10For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Our MAIN AIM is to pursue Godliness. The way to that is CONTENTMENT or gratefulness. If you are grateful , truly grateful for what you have, then it's hard to want anything more. Once we are thus able to control our wants, we are no longer vulnerable to the trickery of our desires. Those who "want to get rich" precariously perch themselves at the edge of a BIG fall. By focusing on what money can buy us, we are taking our eyes off what is really important.

So, is it wrong to be rich? Well, the world in general considers you rich by the number of material blessings you possess. Our desire to meet this standard is what makes it so wrong. By wanting what we don't have, we express a lack of contentment.We are in fact proclaiming,"God hasn't done this right!"

The Scripture commands us on this accord to flee from our lusts for things and to seek the kingdom of God. Pursue godliness. Don't put your hope and security on a fickle master like money.Our Ever Dependable God is more than capable of richly supplying us with things to enjoy!

Discernment can be developed

We live in a fast-paced world that demands instant results. For many people, waiting has become a lost art. God’s way of maturing us in our faith is quite different. The character qualities that He values take time to develop.

Discernment is a trait that does not come instantaneously. Rather, it is cultivated by saturating the heart and mind with Scripture. The transcendent Lord of the universe wants to share His thinking with us through His Word. What could be more important or valuable in life than having the capacity to know the mind of God?

Our lives are filled with situations that require discernment. Sometimes we can be so busy trying to find the will of God and direction for our next step that we fail to hear His voice. He is calling us to come to Him and spend some quiet, unhurried time absorbing the truth of His Word. After listening to the Lord, we can begin applying what we have learned. Only as we put His Word into practice in our lives will we have our “senses trained to discern good and evil” (v. 14).

The Scriptures open our eyes to see all of our experiences from God’s perspective so that we can make wise choices.

Our challenge for today and every day is to make it a priority to spend time with the Lord in His Word. We may have to reorganize our schedule or wake up earlier. But it’s worth the effort—discernment and wisdom await us if we put into practice the truths we absorb each day.

You are not a believer!

A disciple or believer is one who receives instruction from another and is persuaded of the truth or reality of some doctrine, person, or thing. Do you think that in all the years Jesus ministered He had only 12 disciples?

Jesus asked his disciples to do four things that churches and other training institutions rarely do. He asked them to abandon everything, to immerse themselves into a life of constant ministry, to depend on God and no one else for their resources, and to live in community.
In John 6:66, by their reactions to this radical command we can reduce Jesus’ followers into four categories:
1) The Curious
Curious disciples followed Jesus in fascination. They were intrigued by what He said. But when Jesus said to them, "Unless you are willing to affirm My total lordship in your life you cannot be My disciple or enter My Kingdom." Not willing to make a full commitment to Christ, "...many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him" (Jn. 6:66).
2) The Committed
In contrast, the Twelve showed that they were more than just followers: When Jesus asked them, "Will ye also go away?" Peter replied, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Jn. 6:67-69). In other words, Peter said, "We're not the kind of disciples who are just curious; we're the kind who are committed. We know that You speak the truth."
3) The Convinced
These were the disciples who were intellectually convinced. Nicodemus is a classic illustration: Having listened to what Jesus said, and having seen what He did, Nicodemus came to Him by night and said, "You must be from God." He was intellectually convinced, but he didn't believe in Christ in the fullest sense then because he didn't forsake all to follow Him.
4) The Clandestine
There were some disciples like Joseph of Arimathea, who kept their belief a secret.
Which category would you classify yourself in? Why? There is a progression in the stages of discipleship. Which do you think occurs first? According to the parable of the sower, why do you think one cannot remain an intellectually convinced or a clandestine believer for very long? What will a committed believer give evidence of in his life? (Mt. 5:3-12; 13:23; Jn. 8:31) If you are not yet a committed believer, what is preventing you from being one? Find out if you don't know and make the necessary changes. If you are one, help someone you know who is in one of the other three categories to become more spiritually mature.

Can't Trust God?

Are you currently facing a trial? What do think God may be teaching you through it? Do you think He may just be trying to get your attention so that you can depend more upon Him?
Every test that you have experienced is the kind that every person on this earth faces sometime or the other. It’s neither unique nor is your situation different from another. Read 1 Corinthians 10:13 to confirm this. In the same verse, you can see that God keeps His promises and will not allow you to be tested beyond your limits of endurance. Not only will you be given the strength to endure it while it lasts, He’ll also show you a way out.
Commit yourself to trusting Him in the situation at hand, realizing that the test you are experiencing has been made just for you. Have there been times when you faced a crisis that showed you didn't fully believe that Jesus cared about you or was able to help you. Mull over the expressions of God's love and power in Ps. 103:2-6; Jn. 17:10; 1 Jn. 4:8-19; and Jer. 32:17; Eph. 1:18-21; and 3:20.

The God I serve is ALL POWERFUL!!

This is long, but take your time. You may need a few days to fully digest this meal. It’s as much as I can remember of Pastors sermon on the Sunday before last:
What is the power that God has?
The Lord has the power to recreate the earth and reverse the curse. And I believe Jesus came to show us that power. He came into the world to declare that He is God the Son and that He has the power to bring the Kingdom of God to a cursed earth. He came to show that He is the promised King and Messiah who could give back sovereignty to man by restoring the earth and eliminating sin.
Mathew 8 and 9 are a series of miracles that portray Jesus’ authority and power. The miracles were foretastes of Kingdom power. When Jesus healed the sick, He was giving a preview of a glorious Kingdom where there would be no sickness. When He raised the dead, He was giving a preview of a glorious Kingdom where there would be no dying. When He calmed the waves on the sea, He was previewing a glorious Kingdom where natural elements would never be out of control. When He cast out demons, He was previewing a Kingdom where there would be no demonic activity at all. When He spoke the truth, He was previewing a Kingdom where there would be no lies but only truth. When He manifested His holiness, He was previewing a Kingdom where there would be only righteousness. Everything He did declared to man, "I am the One who can reverse the curse, and restore sovereignty to man in a glorified eternal Kingdom."
Who is given the Power of God?
All authority in both heaven and earth has been given to Christ.
Luke 10:18-20 18He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
Satan, the unemployed, jobless choirboy that he is, has no power to operate in the heavenly realms anymore. So he tries to make on earth-his dominion-HELL.
Jesus says to us though, “ I’m giving YOU authority over him.”The Greek word used here in the original biblical manuscript for authority is Exusia or delegated authority.
Jesus had the exusia to forgive sin, heal sickness and cast out demons. We, his followers have been given the very same exusia to preach, teach, heal and deliver (Mark 3:15.)
In other words, with exusia we can overcome the power of the enemy.
The Greek word for power here is dunamis. It signifies exploding power that manifests or is visible. The manifested or visible dunamis of Satan (sickness, debt, death, evil practices, harmful things ) can be overcome by our exusia. An example to further clarify this:
At a traffic junction, a heavy laden lorry hurtles towards the busy epicenter. The traffic police at the centre may be thin and scrawny. But he’s in his uniform and in the right place at the right time. The lorry can kill the policeman if required. Yet, it STOPS when he shows the STOP board.
The lorry’s dunamis was overcome by the policeman’s exusia.
Jesus can give you both Exusia and Dunamis. Exusia is the right to use our Dunamis, or might.
As a child of God, you are given both authority and power over Satan’s.
Eph 6:10, “10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power,” reminds you to exercise the power you have been given and at the same time you are also called to remember that you are shielded by His power as well. 1 Peter 1:5 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

The God I serve is POWERFUL!!

This is long, but take your time. You may need a few days to fully digest this meal. It’s as much as I can remember of Pastors sermon on the Sunday before last:
What is the power that God has?
The Lord has the power to recreate the earth and reverse the curse. And I believe Jesus came to show us that power. He came into the world to declare that He is God the Son and that He has the power to bring the Kingdom of God to a cursed earth. He came to show that He is the promised King and Messiah who could give back sovereignty to man by restoring the earth and eliminating sin.
Mathew 8 and 9 are a series of miracles that portray Jesus’ authority and power. The miracles were foretastes of Kingdom power. When Jesus healed the sick, He was giving a preview of a glorious Kingdom where there would be no sickness. When He raised the dead, He was giving a preview of a glorious Kingdom where there would be no dying. When He calmed the waves on the sea, He was previewing a glorious Kingdom where natural elements would never be out of control. When He cast out demons, He was previewing a Kingdom where there would be no demonic activity at all. When He spoke the truth, He was previewing a Kingdom where there would be no lies but only truth. When He manifested His holiness, He was previewing a Kingdom where there would be only righteousness. Everything He did declared to man, "I am the One who can reverse the curse, and restore sovereignty to man in a glorified eternal Kingdom."
Who is given the Power of God?
All authority in both heaven and earth has been given to Christ.
Luke 10:18-20 18He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
Satan, the unemployed, jobless choirboy that he is, has no power to operate in the heavenly realms anymore. So he tries to make on earth-his dominion-HELL.
Jesus says to us though, “ I’m giving YOU authority over him.”The Greek word used here in the original biblical manuscript for authority is Exusia or delegated authority.
Jesus had the exusia to forgive sin, heal sickness and cast out demons. We, his followers have been given the very same exusia to preach, teach, heal and deliver (Mark 3:15.)
In other words, with exusia we can overcome the power of the enemy.
The Greek word for power here is dunamis. It signifies exploding power that manifests or is visible. The manifested or visible dunamis of Satan (sickness, debt, death, evil practices, harmful things ) can be overcome by our exusia. An example to further clarify this:
At a traffic junction, a heavy laden lorry hurtles towards the busy epicenter. The traffic police at the centre may be thin and scrawny. But he’s in his uniform and in the right place at the right time. The lorry can kill the policeman if required. Yet, it STOPS when he shows the STOP board.
The lorry’s dunamis was overcome by the policeman’s exusia.
Jesus can give you both Exusia and Dunamis. Exusia is the right to use our Dunamis, or might.
As a child of God, you are given both authority and power over Satan’s.
Eph 6:10, “10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power,” reminds you to exercise the power you have been given and at the same time you are also called to remember that you are shielded by His power as well. 1 Peter 1:5 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

The Gospel Exusia

Our Exusia has never been rescinded (John 14:12). Powerless ministries become powerful on discovering the exusia power of the name of Jesus and the blood of Jesus.
1 Corinthians 1:18 18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
In the above verse, the message of the Cross is the Gospel and wholly about Jesus. Jesus is the Wisdom and Power of God. To those who accept the power of the Cross is given the Power of God.
When you share the Gospel, you are allowing the power of Jesus to manifest in the person you are ministering THRU which he is saved. It’s the power of God that acts on his willing accepting heart to save him from everlasting death.
So by sharing the gospel you are given the very same authority.
1 Thessalonians 1:5 tells us that there is power in the Good News. The gospel can break any shackles. Only the fullness of the Power of God can be the remedy for the illness of the world.

Stormy Nights

There are two ways God could go about clearing the storm currently raging in your life:
Sometimes the Lord calms the storm.
Othertimes, He lets the storm rage and calms His child.

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace,which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His Peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (No, I didn't come up with something so profound..that wud be Philippians 4:6-7)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirirt. Rom15:13

Don't Despair!

If the situation seems beyond repair and you are convinced by the world that prayer isn't going to get you anywhere...not even fasting and prayer, then this post is intended for you...

The purpose of prayer is not to change God,but to allow God to change us.It is to discover and do God's will,not to obligate Him to do ours. The purpose of prayer is that God's splendour will be displayed on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Rock On, Triune!

I don’t know about the rest of you, but to me as I grow in intimacy with the Triune, I can see they all have different personalities.

The Father I relate to is, to my mind, an elderly person, with a big forehead and white hair combed back. No long white beard or any facial hair. Tall and strong with an iron grip. (yea, his handshakes hurt!)

The Son I would see like my Elder Brother. Loving and has all the liberties I would give an elder brother in chastising me. Watches out for me and makes sure I don’t get into unnecessary trouble. The first person I would run to when I’m in trouble. He will get me straight with my Father. Both the Father and Son share the family resemblance in stature. Both are quiet and generally calm in their ways. Slow to anger, but when angry watch out!

The Holy Spirit- Wow! He’s different altogether. I see Him as quick to move, extremely fast in His actions. The Mover and Shaker of today’s times. He’s here and there and everywhere all the time. Never still-quite hyperactive in today’s parenting terms. Quite attractive and “with it”. Very Volatile and the best Army In Command as we launch Warfare. Slighter in stature but equally commanding in Presence.

What I’m coming to say is: The Father, Son and Holy Ghost are not just influences or Power or an unseen presence. All three of them are PERSONS. Any one who knows and feels and wills is a person. Would you say you are who you are because of how you look or what physical traits you have? No, I am who I am coz of the way I think, act, know, feel and desire.

This is where most people go wrong. They think they need to channel this “UNSEEN POWER” to use according to their will. But No! Remember you are made to suit and fulfil His (Their)Purpose. Not vice versa!

Get to know them personally. I love getting to know each of them personally and I love being part of the family. With these strong men around, how could I, weak lil’ me, possibly not be in for a mollycoddle? :D

Turn Right Here- Shortcuts to Blessings

Here’s the shortest route to a life filled with blessings- Fish men!

The primary call Jesus gave was the Great Commission. We are all meant to be Fishers of Men. It’s our greatest wealth. Paul in Romans 15:16 says each new soul you win to Christ is a crown that you can adorn. It’s an offering God finds acceptable.

The Power of God

In the world’s eyes, power and strength usually brings to mind Rambo or the six or eight packs so favorite of today’s action heroes. In the Bible however, we most often see that tasks requiring strength and might are not accomplished through the force of an army or the muscular power and physical stamina of workmen but through the empowering Spirit of God.

It’s indeed very encouraging to note that the supremacy of God’s power is most often seen in the ways he accomplishes His purposes through mere jars of clay like you and me. We are made mighty because he has infused us with His Power (Exusia and Dunamis).

If you are about to succumb to discouragement, remember your God has the ability to grace and empower your human soul. His might and power is seen through all that he has accomplished thru the weak and insignificant. Examples abound. The Babe in the manger, the motley crew of twelve, a timid Gideon, Shamgar, a melancholy Jeremiah.

All they had in common was a childlike faith and trust and faith in Him. You will accomplish all He has called you to do.

The Power of God

In the world’s eyes, power and strength usually brings to mind Rambo or the six or eight packs so favorite of today’s action heroes. In the Bible however, we most often see that tasks requiring strength and might are not accomplished through the force of an army or the muscular power and physical stamina of workmen but through the empowering Spirit of God.

It’s indeed very encouraging to note that the supremacy of God’s power is most often seen in the ways he accomplishes His purposes through mere jars of clay like you and me. We are made mighty because he has infused us with His Power (Exusia and Dunamis).

If you are about to succumb to discouragement, remember your God has the ability to grace and empower your human soul. His might and power is seen through all that he has accomplished thru the weak and insignificant. Examples abound. The Babe in the manger, the motley crew of twelve, a timid Gideon, Shamgar, a melancholy Jeremiah.

All they had in common was a childlike faith and trust and faith in Him. You will accomplish all He has called you to do.

Why me,Lord?

Ok, all hands up those of you who have asked this at least once! I have news for you people - even Jesus did this! He knew He has sent to earth fwith a single purpose.Yet hours before the ultimate act of obedience, He asked His Father," Why me? Do I really have to do this? ( Matt 26:39)

Consider the scenario of guy yappin' away on his mobile while navigating heavy traffic. A lady jaywalks. He loses control of his vehicle and rams into a crowd of pedestrians. She made a poor choice. He made the wrong choice of time to be on his phone. Either way, people hurt all over. The ripple effect...
Bad stuff can also happen coz we live in a world that isn't perfect.

So are you telling me that either way I'm a goner??

Not by a long way! There's Someone who has promised to stick with you thru thick and thin. Read it all over again in Matt:28:20.You can count on Him anytime. Bad things are bound to happen on earth.That's the way of the world.

But keep in mind, there are no tears or sadness in Heaven. He will wipe away your tears. Don't we,loving parents, go out of our way to comfort and console a crying child? Do we not wrap them in our arms until the pain subsides? Are we above and better than our creator at Godly parenting? (Read Psalm 56:8, Rev 21:14,Matt 5:4)

For those of you still singing the chorus at the pity party-Two wrongs do not make a right. Learn to ask for His decision before consulting self. Even Jesus did this. The world is most often wrong.

On Stormy Seas

If you are wondering why God let's bad things happen to us, remember
1) Satan—despite his incredibly cunning intelligence, cleverness, and power—is still only a puppet in God's hand to bring about His purpose. We see this clearly in the Book of Job. God is far more powerful than Satan. Though Satan boasts about His power on us (and that too because we let him!), God's power and might is far greater over Satan.

2) You don't have to keep paying for your mistakes all the time. Making a mistake is bad, but not repenting or confessing the same is WORSE! Confess your sins, rest assured Jesus has forgiven you. He has paid up all your debts in full, past present and future. But remember you got to confess( Don't confess wholesale... -if you don't know EXACTLY what you need to be forgiven for,you probably don't deserve to be forgiven. Once you are forgiven doesnt mean you DON'T have to live with eth consequences. You Do! But remain calm, God's going to take your burden and change it into a blessing! Not just for you, but for many others.

Afterword on afterword on Jealousy

Ok, in today’s QT I realized I actually subject myself to the invasion of the green monster. I committed a sin, a grievous one--” helping myself to something that wasn’t really mine in the first place. Fooled myself into thinking its acceptable coz hey! God helps only those who help themselves.

By sinning, I left the door wide open for satan and his little imps to come and reign in my life making it a miserable couple of days.

Talk about being masochistic!
Be on guard, he’s craftier than you think.

Falling prey…..

In Revelations 12:10 we see, satan stands before God “accusing our brethren day and night” so that they too like him will not have access to redemptive grace and mercy.

We have to take care that he doesn’t use us as his agents on earth. To the degree of access he has to us, he will use us as his agents to sow discord among brothers. Ever since there were two brothers on earth, he has used this, his most effective and deadly tactic.

This especially true when it comes to judging our brothers and sisters in Christ. In Philippians 2, Paul writes, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." We are implored to esteem others as better than ourselves, not as worse!

Have you stopped to wonder why we are so quick to believe the worst about someone? Why Else? Because it makes us feel better about ourselves. That goes against what God wants for us- unity.

Unity does not just increase our spiritual authority. It multiplies it!

We are so much stronger when we are together; the enemy knows this. That's why he likes to plant the seeds of doubt and dissension and watch us flounder as we try to see just how many fingers we can point at everyone but ourselves. All because we let one negative thought creep in. Have I completely learned my lesson? No. And I probably never will... after all, I'm not perfect.

But God has been teaching me four things over and over these past few days:
1. It doesn't matter in the light of eternity,
2. He's got it all under control anyway,
3. It's not my job to fix everyone's problems, and
4. Let it go!

Attn Crows: Do Not Trespass!

Philippians 4:8
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

When life’s billows blow, our thought life hitchhikes through terrain it wasn’t meant to go. The verse above is the hitchhikers map back home!

And whether you are man or woman, it is sure difficult to follow this map ( See? This is why you got to consult the Bible in getting directions!)

I don't know about you, but every day I fight a war with myself inside my mind- it's easy for our thoughts to get away from us. We have to endeavor to guard our thoughts at all times. When we dwell on negative thoughts that creep in, we end up going places we never intended to be, somewhere we weren't meant to go.

So don’t let the crows (negative thoughts) nest in your head!

The Favor of Men

Galatians 1:10
"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."

Take a moment here and ask yourself, "Who am I trying to please?"

Many of us strive for man's approval without even realizing it. There's nothing wrong with doing your best, but it's the motivations behind your actions that counts. A Christian cliché goes "What's popular is not always right, and what's right is not always popular." And it is true..

Let's face it: we all know what we're doing wrong in our lives. And we're the only ones who can change that. Before you do anything, "Who am I doing this for?"

If you are fooling yourself and the rest of church with “Mock Psychology” know that people around us may see a "do-gooder", but God looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7).

Enlisted In His Service!

Yup! I did it! I have now officially enlisted as one of the Air Force in God’s Army. :)

One of my main reasons for that would be that there is possibly nothing that can so radically change the church, and the lives of individual believers, than having our criticisms changed into intercession.

If you read Isaiah 58:8,9, you see that this addiction to criticism could be the church’s biggest malady. “That church doesn’t share our convictions, This church has a different agenda from ours”…the list goes on….

While its true many churches today have other agendas besides the Lord Jesus, remember that all you are required to do as a believer is to

1) Matt 6:33-Seek First the Kingdom
2) John 3:5 - Be Born again of Water and Spirit
3) Matt 28:20-The Great Commission

Ignore criticism. Turn it into intercession.

Wheat and Weeds

In Matthew 13:24-30, we read the Parable of Tares . Here, the Kingdom of heaven is compared to a field of wheat and weeds.

The wheat in this parable are the believers and God is the Sower. The devil comes in the night to plant the weeds-thoughts and practices that distract us from being true wheat.

As wheat, it is not our job to point out the weeds in our field. Our only responsibilty is to grow as tall as we can and bear as much fruit for the Sower. I know I needed to hear that. I am one of those people who tends to be a litttle too self-righteous sometimes. I see people not conducting themselves "in a manner worthy of the gospel" (Phil. 1:27), and I am so quick to judge. But guess what? I'm not the harvester, so I have no right to pluck the weeds. It's not even my business to find out whether they are truly wheat or weeds. I am here to glorify the Father and Him alone.

Pay attention to v 30: Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.

That's right! Ignore the weeds and concentrate on becoming strong wheat.

Following thru on your decision…

Today’s world can subtly pressurize us into turning away from our decisions. Everything is presented so seductively… as innocent as a sheep…But a wolf is still a wolf.
Making the right decisions include a commitment to follow through. Even if others try to convince us to deviate from our decisions, we should remain firm.

Our children do not realize the possible long-term effects of their small, daily choices and fail to comprehend they do not have as much control over the consequences of their choices as they think they do. Once they open the door a crack, Satan can get a foot in and once his foot is in, he can enter and even move in. Train children to look ahead.

The Ripple Effect....

Every decision we make has consequences that ripple out like a stone in pool. Not only are there earthly repercussions but also eternal consequences. The consequences may not play out just in our lives but also in another’s.

Many of these decisions may seem trivial; some of them are serious; a few of them are monumental. Ultimately, they are eternal in their consequences. Getting out of a small but bad decision is very hard— harder than it seems. But each decision tends to lead to other, harder choices. Even decisions like going to a party, getting an education, selecting an occupation , buying shoes that look good (but pinch terribly),hanging out with a wrong crowd coz they make usu look good… it’s not major decisions alone that have eternal consequences.!

How do we take a decision then? How do you teach our children to make a choice that doesn’t hurt them eternally? They must know what to do and when to do it when each decision presents itself.
We need to prepare ourselves and the time to make choices is before we find ourselves in the situation. It’s easier to choose when our emotions aren’t involved and the consequences don’t yet exist. Making some basic decisions early in life will free us from making a lot of troublesome day-to-day decisions later. For example, if we have already decided to live by the Word, we will not have to decide whether we should accept a cigarette or an alcoholic beverage when it is offered to us.

Remember that making no decision at all could be just as deadly as making the wrong decision. When we choose not to witness, either thru word or actions, we are accountable eternally. When you see something wrong happening in church and you do not object to it, or even harbor under the misconception that the elders of the church know better, realize you too will be held accountable. Test everything against the Word. Seek only His Kingdom. Everything else will follow.

JUDGE not…lest ye be judged!

The first rule of parenthood works in spiritual context as well. Do Not Compare! Comparisons are meaningless unless the mirror is Christ.

……if you are still prone to judging, well know you’ll be tested against the same measure you dole out!

Brotherly Love

What makes up brotherly love? Brotherly love isn't confined among siblings..but is also inclusive of relations in the family of God.

My family has been blessed in that we share this love and grow stronger in the Lord because of our friendships. The thing I like the best is their inspiration on us towards good things, pure thoughts and refined selves.

We answer to the same authority.
We know and love our Lord Jesus.
When we fall, they pull us along and hold our arms up in prayer.
We are headed the same way in our aspirations and purpose.
They hunger for us to experience the same spiritual expereinces they have had.

In other words, they have got our back and know with full assurance we have got theirs! :D

Afterword on jealousy

Did you know jealousy rots your bones (Proverbs 14:30)? No amount of calcium is gonna save you there!!?

When you are jealous, you end up tearing down all your earlier efforts to love and encourage others....He has been really talking to me....and can you believe it thru 'one of my daughters storybooks on good behaviour? :D

Three verses stand out:
Romans 12:2- Do not be shaped by this world;instead be changed within by a new way of thinking..
2 Corinthians 10:5-Proud thoughts raise themselves against the knowledge of Christ..capture these and make it give up and submit to Christ.
Philippians 2:2-4- Get happy by thinking about Christ' love and share in his spirit...don't let pride be your guide..instead be humble and give more honor to others..don't give more importance to yourself than others

God really did some simple talking straight to me there!
Forget about the rest of the world, they are not important. Be Humble. Get happy.( put all those wicked thoughts under Christ' lock and key!)

You know what else? The more I hear his voice and realize my purpose here, the less prone am I to envy and jealousy. Towards the end of today, I was like,"Huh? So who's jealous here?"

HALP! Invasion of the Green Eyed Monster

OK, I could be really spiritual here and claim jealousy is for lesser mortals, but I'll be truthful instead. I mean,” Come on! I am yours! She ain’t even as close to you as I am. How come You leave me out then? How come she excels and succeeds at work without You by her side?”

In business, phrases like "friendly competition" and "may the best person win" are bandied about quite often. But how many of us actually mean that? When you have won that project, it is easy to sing Give God the Glory and mean it! But what about when you lose the project? And that too to someone who’s around to rub it in your face everyday? Yes siree, sometimes the truth is less honorable.

I can of course twist my words around…I amn't jealous! Just, uh … competitive, feeling left behind, feeling sorry for myself.

But the thing is in business and work, when competitiveness is combined with paranoia, you get wrong business ethics…in simpler words. You end up doing things you’d be ashamed to admit anywhere. Satyam becomes Asatyam.

Today I found myself in a difficult situation. Very Difficult Situation. A “friendly” competitor was moving in the kill faster than I could. To top it all, they are encroaching on what they know is my area of expertise. Heck! They are even using my artillery to push their proposal forward. Now one part of me wants to go after the prize myself. But you got to admit they were in the right place at the right time!

So then what are my ulterior motives? Sabotage? Dog in the manger?

:( I’m still working my way out of this mess. My arguments start and end with, ”But Still! How could they? Are you telling me I should let them get away with this?”

He’s telling me this much loud and clear(and I m not even in my QT yet!)

1) “"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded" Luke 12:48. Sometimes less is already enough to worry about!

2) Do you honestly thing something that is wrongfully gained would be God’s plan for you? When Abraham and Lot had to part ways, (unjealous) Abraham gave Lot the first choice. Lot chose what he saw was good. Abraham chose what God saw was
right. And who ended up bringing up two daughters right at the threshold of the two most evil cities of their time?

3) What others do is My business, not yours.

…..will keep you posted on this battle…Do write in and tell me what you found most effective…At the moment I’m breaking the first commandment in our household, "Thou shall not whine!”

HALP! Invasion of the Green Eyed Monster

OK, I could be really spiritual here and claim jealousy is for lesser mortals, but I'll be truthful instead. I mean,” Come on! I am yours! She ain’t even as close to you as I am. How come You leave me out then? How come she excels and succeeds at work without You by her side?”

In business, phrases like "friendly competition" and "may the best person win" are bandied about quite often. But how many of us actually mean that? When you have won that project, it is easy to sing Give God the Glory and mean it! But what about when you lose the project? And that too to someone who’s around to rub it in your face everyday? Yes siree, sometimes the truth is less honorable.

I can of course twist my words around…I amn't jealous! Just, uh … competitive, feeling left behind, feeling sorry for myself.

But the thing is in business and work, when competitiveness is combined with paranoia, you get wrong business ethics…in simpler words. You end up doing things you’d be ashamed to admit anywhere. Satyam becomes Asatyam.

Today I found myself in a difficult situation. Very Difficult Situation. A “friendly” competitor was moving in the kill faster than I could. To top it all, they are encroaching on what they know is my area of expertise. Heck! They are even using my artillery to push their proposal forward. Now one part of me wants to go after the prize myself. But you got to admit they were in the right place at the right time!

So then what are my ulterior motives? Sabotage? Dog in the manger?

:( I’m still working my way out of this mess. My arguments start and end with, ”But Still! How could they? Are you telling me I should let them get away with this?”

He’s telling me this much loud and clear(and I m not even in my QT yet!)

1) “"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded" Luke 12:48. Sometimes less is already enough to worry about!

2) Do you honestly thing something that is wrongfully gained would be God’s plan for you? When Abraham and Lot had to part ways, (unjealous) Abraham gave Lot the first choice. Lot chose what he saw was good. Abraham chose what God saw was
right. And who ended up bringing up two daughters right at the threshold of the two most evil cities of their time?

3) What others do is My business, not yours.

…..will keep you posted on this battle…Do write in and tell me what you found most effective…At the moment I’m breaking the first commandment in our household, "Thou shall not whine!”

Are You busy as a bee?

A friend of mine as a fridge magnet that reads: " DON'T BE B.U.S.Y." alongwith a graphic of a woman who has a briefcase in one hand, a nursing baby tucked in the crook of the same arm, a vaccum cleaner in the other hand as well as sauce pan bubbling away on the stove nearby -a very familiar scenario to me..all that was missing was my laptop!!

And what does B.U.S.Y mean? Being Under Satan's Yoke.

We've really underestimated that little imp Satan. He's gotten us so highly focussed on being an achiever that we forget he has ulterior motives. We are so busy making our plans and our own goals and then pray and ask God help us achieve them. Have I actually stopped and asked God whether this little diversion of mine was what he had actually had in mind for me?

Life on this earth without God's Plan is hollow. Satan has many cunning deceptions - fame, fortune, power, sexual desires, busy cares of the world, hobbies, leisure activities and many more.

God has another plan for the you. It is a Plan of meaning, a Plan of purpose. A Plan of life forever in an abundance of peace. We need to get reconnected to God mercy and love.We as sinners are separated from God's Kingdom, by our own lifestyles and choice, not God's.

The best part is it's FREE! No membership fees, no advance payments, no EMIs, no cacophony,... just a free invitation to an abundance of peace and purpose in God's Kingdom. All you need to do is stop a while from the business you call life and ask yourself whether whatever it is that occupies your time now is gonna get you credit points to Eternity. (don't misunderstand me here...it's not good deeds that get you to heaven!)

Do you think you are making the best use of your time and are you really a good steward of your time and life?

This is what God has to tell you today," Without Me, you can do nothing." John 15:5
But With Him, we can mount up with wings like eagles Isaiah 40:31

Letters to my sister

My youngest sister is highly accomplished- she’s barely 21 and she’s got a hotshot job in Google and climbing the corporate ladder with aplomb! In all that she sets out to do, be it singing, drama, writing, whining (ok, she does that one only to her elder sis’)- you name it, there’s none like her!

Rebecca’s determined that before she has to settle down in life she’s been there, done that. That way she has no regrets in the staid (or so she thinks) married life that’s to follow. Miria and I are extremely proud of her- I don’t remember being this focused or level headed when I was her age. (Any reader who wants to comment on me at that particular age, please refrain! :D, yea yea, I know it’s hard!)She knows all the pressures and troubles she could face and she stays steer clear of them.

But then, it’s hardly a surprise...I remember the seven year old Rebecca whose solution to everything was prayer. The best part of it was hers used to work better and quicker! It was like she had a direct hotline with God! And oh her voice-all the Sunday school songs that I’m trying hard to remember, I seem to recollect in her voice alone!

Yes, indeedy, God’s been faithful. He’s blesses her abundantly for one so young. She’s studying (and passing her tests with the highest marks!), working (and ranked among the highest performers), acclaimed drama artiste (you haven’t sent me the paper clipping yet, Becky!) and one of the Most requested singers in the Goggle TWIF!! And oh, did I mention she got her license recently??

I can’t wait to see what God has in plan for her. He’s given her the opportunities to be molded into someone who can be really powerful for Him. Our lives were created by God to glorify His name. Others may look at us and see the abundance of blessings that come from Him. He knows His purposes for us and how he wants us to live them out. Our very life belongs to Him. Rebecca, my desire for you is to walk in wisdom and make the most of your time and life (Read Colossians 4:5 and Ephesians 5:15). We maybe living one day at a time, but for each of them we are accountable for eternity!

God Bless you, my Love!Remember you are an arrow for Christ!

....God's Army and the Farmer

The prayer warrior’s work is not finished with the moving in of the ground assault. Once Ground assault starts then air force (intercessors, prayer warriors) become subject to them. Prayers are directed as missiles to the areas that Ground Assault draws our attention to.

We need to ensure that not only are principalities cast out, but that they are displaced as well. We must send out teachers and leaders to hold the ground that has been won. To build temples that Our Lord can inhabit where earlier Powers of darkness ruled. If we leave it empty then another principality will come to roost and we would be launching never ending attacks.

Let’s get rid of the war analogy and take it down to the farming analogy our Lord was so fond of using:
The ground is prepared and plowed (intercessors, prayer warriors) and awaiting the sower (field workers, evangelists, church planters.) After the seed is planted, then comes the care and fertilization(pastors, teachers.) The harvest is ahead of us. Our Lord's coming soon!

God's Army!

I am sure all of us know the song about never being able to march in infantry, ride in the cavalry, shoot with the artillery…but Oh Yes Sir! I am in the Lord's Army.

1990-1991
Ajman, UAE.
I was 11 during the First Gulf War. The TV constantly updated us on the status and the various sophisticated weapons that were to be deployed. Our school issued warnings. We were urged to silicon seal our windows to prevent gas attacks. Many panic stricken aunties preferred to stock up on even salt among other essential commodities rather than fly back home and face a life of drudgery in Kerala.

My dad never let us panic among all the other negative influences around us. But with his enthusiasm, he made sure we know what was going on and what to be doing at any situation. In fact we kids were more fascinated and humored than scared. (It was only later in college when I became fast friends with a girl who traveled the deserts of Saudi Arabia on her own, got separated from her family and then reunited after 9 months back in Kerala that I realized the Provident hand of protection over me and mine.)

Anyways in the Gulf War, the first things to happen were the air strikes and then the ground assault. Apply that in the context of our ministry. If you want to testify or share the Good News with someone, first launch air warfare. Pray that the contraries are bound in heaven before we move on Earth. Unless the enemy is bound in Heaven, he can't be bound on Earth. And what is loosed in Heaven is released on Earth.

Our cavalry (Field workers, church planters, evangelists) can accomplish more if we move in with our Stealth Bombers first (prayer warriors). Once the cavalry has taken ground then it is upto us to hold that ground down as ours. We need to put our claim on that land. This is where our artillery comes in ( pastors, care cell leaders.)

What am I doing in the Body of Christ?

Last week in Church our pastor mentioned the conducting of classes on intercession in the coming month. To me, it seems as if he was talking to me specifically. It was just the day before that I was lamenting on my mechanical, drab joy-less prayer life. Oh sure, it’s done with great thankfulness. But something is lacking. I know not what. I'm hoping to find out what could be corrected in the coming classes.

I can not honestly call myself an effective Christian and it's this knowledge that's urging me forward. Yes, I have taken the first step. But salvation doesn’t make me unaccountable for my inaction. Salvation is just the beginning, we have the more important task ahead- The Great Commission. It's not enough that we take a decision but that we add to it through our actions. Every useless thing is discarded-so it is in nature.

Even the smallest part of our body works in conjunction with others to produce an effort. A uselss thing ends up a problem maker (ask your appendix if you don't believe me!)

All of us have a role to play . We just need to ask Him to show us where and what we must be doing in the Body of Christ.

Sisterhood In Christ

"My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."-Colossians 2:2-3

Ok this blog is mainly gonna be a monologue to my sisters...(not just blood ones!!) ASK ANY of them!It's what I do best..TALKING! ;)

I think I “talk” so much cause I have to express all that emotion to someone! Sometimes I need a sounding board to work out how I actually feel, how I must react, or Prayer Support. We need to tell someone how we feel and it’s not acceptable saying those things to the actual person…so we tell somebody else.

It takes two people to make any relationship. What makes a good friend? Talking about the common things we like and doing the things we like to do? When I think of a good friend/sister, it’s one I can count on when I mess up, one I can honestly tell when she's messing up etc. Many of my sister friends tell me that its uncany - we often end up doing or saying watever the other is thinking!

But there are times when I mess up being a sister/friend. When I am not around and or even not encouraging them in their love for Christ. I often find myself happy being in the dependent position rather than being the one depended upon. Maybe it's that I dont want to appear pushy. So mostly I delude myself into thinking they need their space and just pray. Being passive isnt always good.

I realize though the biggest thing that holds me back is myself. I myself am not transparent enough. Like being a leader. You shouldn’t have to tell people to follow you. You should act like the person they should follow. If I’m not acting like a good sister, then how can they be one too? I think a huge part of it is major pride issues and admitting that you are flawed…

I know I m blessed to have so many sisters around me. You guys encourage me, guide me , correct me and love me unconditionally. I hope and pray that I can be the same to you and to many more. There may be many times I ve let you down. But Yea, I m striving to correct and collect myself back so that together we can sit at the right hand of Christ.

P.S. If I m leaning on you too much and you think I could be standing on my own by now, tell me. Your faith in me is gonna definitely bolster me!!
And if you think you could do with a helping hand and shoulder to lean on, COME ON OVER!-mine's waiting for you!

Obedience 2

Just googled the same song... turns out there's a verse I didn't know....

We want to live pure, we want to live clean.
We want to do our best.
Sweetly submitting to authority, leaving to God the rest.
Walking in the light, keep our attitudes right, On the narrow way.
For if you believe the Word you receive, You always will obey!

Hmm...... there's a bit of swallowing words I need to be doing here.. lets see if I can learn it well enough to teach the kids soon.....

This verse actually does drive home the fact that this isnt just a kids song. Its an eye opener for adults too...Obedience to the faith is the only way for salvation. You must obey God’s way, by putting their faith in Christ, in order to be saved. Secondly, it is an act of obedience on our part to act in faith and carry His word to all nations (The Great Commission). Thirdly, it is certain that true faith is going to produce obedience to the faith in our lives.

Obedience!

Eureka!
There was this song I had learnt long time back in Sunday School... there's was just one line I had missed out in memory.. had been praying over it... and I GOT IT!...HERE IT IS.....

The OBEDIENCE Song
Obedience is the very best way, to show that you believe.
Doing exactly what the Lord commands, doing it happily.
Action is the key - do it immediately, joy you will receive. (this was the line I 'd missed!)
Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.
O-B-E-D-I-E-N-C-E
Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.


:D...Guess I know what I 'll be doing next weekend!! I often make sure at least one or two of the next generation know the songs I learnt.. It's a quest I've been on for a while...gather all the kids I can get... and teach them the same.

Procrastination

I’ve been worried about a particular character trait present in our family- Procrastination.
Ephesians 5:16 instructs us to "Redeem the time, because the days are evil."

God doesn’t bless me with something I needed yesterday. He takes care of my needs before I even know I need it…He send His Son to die for my sins even before I was born!! In fact, that would be proactive. So to procrastinate would be the total opposite of what God wants to see in our life.

When we procrastinate, we are actually undermining the purpose of God in our lives—we fall out of sync with His plans and purposes for us today. In fact, we end up rejecting many of His blessings coz we were too lazy to grab the opportunity He extended.

Coupled with Time mismanagement, procrastination is turning out to be the most effective weapon in satan’s arsenal against my family. Would you help me find promise verses and prayers I can say over my household to break down satan’s stronghold?

Good Morning, Beloved!!

My God has the most original sense of humorI 've ever encountered! In a daring turn of events today morning, God used BMW to tell us,"Good Morning, My darlings! I'm right here taking care of you today!"

There I was running thru' getting the kids rushed off to school. Now in our daily morning race to get both Sharen and Jo ready for school, duties are clearly delineated. I am in charge of breakfast and tiffins, school packs, swim wear, signing off any circulars, hair, ironed uniforms and all that kind of paraphernalia. Hubby dearest is in charge of cleanliness and appearance.

Usually everything goes according to clockwork. We can do it in our sleep (which we usually do!).
Today, however, I saw all three of them hunched over something on the floor. The boys had identical shell-shocked looks on their faces while Sharen was squinting at something a wee bit out of their focus.

I rushed over and there it was!
A centrefold of the latest BMW. Sleek and gleaming with lush interiors. My husband was all but drooling. Anyone who knows my husband remotely well knows that it has been his desire to buy an E class by the time he's 38. The E class got strict competition today morning by the BMW.

Sharen finally managed to read the sentence she was struggling over. A quote by Jonathan Swift(yea, the same guy who made my undegrad life miserable by writing the epic, "The Battle Of Books" )..."Vision is the art of seeing things invisible." It was smack in the midddle of the ad.

What happened next was one of my HSI (Holy Spirit Inspired) moments.
Now, what I was doing there with a correction pen at that moment of time, I do not know. But I quickly scribbled a few additions, struck out the words Vision and Jonathan Swift:

Dear Renjith,
Faith is the art of seeing things invisible.
Yehovah Yireh.

With the quirkiest kind of humor I've seen, God sure chose the best way to say Good Morning to us today morning!! He affirmed our belief that our God surely knows our hearts desires and he used BMW to tell us nothing is impossible for him.

Both of us had been talking earlier in the morning but whether we would really be able to tackle all the tasks God is gonna assign us. I was telling him in particular about yesterday's post where I affirm that if I'm plugged in to recharge at the right place, only good will flow out of me. God's power can strengthen us to do the impossible.

Today in our infancy we consider the BMW a wisp of fiction, the impossible...as we mature in Him, and it gets more attainable, we will know better to give it only as much importance as it deserves. But Yes, this was definitely God telling us to Keep The Faith! Nothing is Impossible for Him! He gives us all things according to His riches in Glory. The recorrected poster's stuck at our bedside so that hubby remains motivated.

BTW, did any of you realize how out of place the original quote is on a car ad? NOW do you see why I said God really used BMW to send us a Huge Good Morning?

Uninterrupted Power Supply!!

One of our primary business concerns is the distribution of branded Home Inverters or UPS. These ensure uninterrupted power supply to any home.

The demand after a recent ad was unbelivable. Everyone wants one.They find it uncomfortable being without electricity for even half an hour. I stay in a flat, like many other flats in Kerala. The current cuts here are not as severe as in many other states of Kerala. Yet, there's a huge demand for this product.

This got me thinking. We are all engaged in the distribution of the most powerful and FREE! energy source in the world. The parallels I can draw between our chosen product and our Great Commisssion.....I can go on and on...

But let me just explain it in as brief as possible.
When you are baptised you are given access your own jack to the God's Power Supply. You can recharge to your hearts content here.

God is like electricity. The Holy Spirit is like the wire that delivers the current and God is the power source. When we "plug into" the Spirit we are energized by the power of God.
We are plugged into the jack to allow the anointing to flow through us continually. Electricity(anointing) flows thru the 11KV wires(Holy Spirit) right into your temple.

From the time Jesus ascended into heaven, we have been given this FREE supply of the Holy Spirit and the POWER to do all the miracles he did.

All we need to do is Yield to the Spirit!!

.....And for Sharen Too!

To have knowledge, you must first have reverence for the Lord. Stupid people have no respect for wisdom and refuse to learn.Proverbs 1:7 (KJV)

The Bible talks about the "fear of God"in many places. I have taught you this before- The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. By Fear it is not that you have to be scared of your God. No, it's more of respecting Him for all that he has done for you. In spite of all your sins, He loves you and is willing to take the blame for you. He is interceding for you (that means he's telling Yehovah, Father, Please forgive Sharen Mol. She knows she has done wrong and will definitely not repeat it.) HE HAS BOUGHT YOU WITH HIS BLOOD!

What is wisdom? Wisdom would be understanding. Understanding of what a thing or person actually is. When you love and respect your God, He sends your special helper, the Holy Spirit, to be with you. You will be able to make out the difference out between who is real and true and who has evil thoughts and ideas in their head. You will gain knowledge as to what's right for You, God's Child.

Nothing will stand in your way if you walk wisely, and you will not stumble when you run. Proverbs 4: 13 (GN)
We should talk to God, tell others about God and think of God as the most important being everywhere. Through learning to love God and learn about Him by reading His Word, the Bible, we will begin to know what true wisdom is. Proverbs 2: 6 says Its the Lord who gives wisdom, from him comes knowledge and understanding..

Something For Johann

When sinners tempt you, my son, do not give in. Proverbs 1:10(GN)

There are LOTS of people in this world who do not love our God, who choose not to listen to Him. They do things that don't always please God. And many a time they will try to get you to do things that don't make God happy too. Even if it a small white lie or a big, fat whopper, remember- Jesus will hurt that you sinned.

But because you love God you should listen to God and be deaf to those that don't love God. You should do what is right and do things that make God happy. By doing that, maybe others will choose to do the same.

Talk about slow!

It' been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, created dry land, planted a garden, created animals and fish... all before creating a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born. These are best & more powerful when eaten raw. We're such slow learners...
A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food. Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food. A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.
Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.
Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.
Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).
Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.
Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.
Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion,Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.