Be Strong And Do The Work

I was up quite early. Almost 4.30 A M As I read the scriptures, I lifted my heart in prayer:I read Haggai 2:4 "Be strong all you people of the land" declares the Lord,' and work. For I am with you."
This is exactly what I needed to hear from the Lord.' I am with you says the Lord almighty.' Then there is nothing to fear or doubt.

I stared writing from my heart to the Lord:

' Lord, you have a blue print for me
A plan, a purpose, a path specially for me.
Help me run on the track you have set for me.
Not looking back or on to the sides,
Not to watch others- to compare or criticize, Not even to applaud.
I have to run. The time is up.

Help me do the work you want me to do,
Have the attitude you require from me.
The joy and peace that is necessary Lord only you can supply these.
These are the STRENGTHS I need
Specially Your joy is my strength.
Today is the day to begin Lord.

Burn up the thorns that beset,
Let me be the vine that give the fruit you look for
Work on my discouragements and failures. Oh holy Spirit help me!
There is no time to waste
Lord start instantly.Renew.
Let my roots touch your spring of water and be refreshed.
Thank you Lord.'

How wonderful the Lord is! His word revived me.It put a new hope and joy into me.Truly His word is like the rain that refreshes the soul!
Needless to say the day was blessed. I was happy and had opportunities to help some one else.Praise the Lord

The New Year

We entered the year 2009, singing:
Lord the light of your love is shining, in the midst of the darkness shining,
Jesus Light of the World shine upon us,
Set us free by the truth you now bring us,
Shine on me.
Lord I come to your awesome presence, from the darkness into your radiance,
By the blood I may enter your brightness,
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness.
Shine on me.
As we gaze on your kingly likeness,
Ever changing from glory to glory,
Mirrored here, may our life tell the story,
Shine on me.
The chorus says:
Shine Jesus shine, fill the land with the father's glory, Spirit blaze, set our hearts on fire.
River flow, flood the nations with Grace and Mercy,
SEND FORTH YOUR WORD LORD AND LET THER BE LIGHT.

Such a wealth of, much needed, meaning in the song! God will surely answer every one who sang it sincerely.

This morning the Lord reminded me, what ever fears that lurk in our hearts about the future, we cannot see, are just like shadows. They appear scary but they have life to harm us. The loving God who created you and me is almighty. He has a plan and a future for you ans me. He says in Jeremiah 29: 11, 'I know the thoughts I think toward you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end.' Imagine He thinks about you and me and has great plans for us!

I wish to share my conviction with you: God's word is the 'food' that gives us strength to go on and grow in Him. Feed on it daily. And remember the simple fact that, this great God who gave the promises and the word, is in us and with us.
If we build our life upon this truth, we will have no difficulty or fear in facing anything that comes our way in 2008!

Let anyone say anything to scare us, the Lord and His word has more power to see us through to victory.

May we be blessed with His peace mercy and grace May He make us a blessing to others through out this year!

Are You Strong In The Lord?

" Finally, be Strong in the Lord and in His mighty power" [ Ephesians.6:10 NkJ] This is a sound advise to us, the Christians, to keep the enemy, the devil, away from us.

Paul begins the verse with the word, ' finally' after teaching about how the children, the parents , the employers and the employees should behave to be pleasing to the Lord by obeying God's commands to them. [Eph.6:1-9] Being diligent to obey what ever the Lord says, is an essential requirement to have victory over the enemy.

There are times we feel distort and weak spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. It is just the right time for the enemy to attack and defeat us. I had such a moment yesterday. I went to the Lord and He strengthened me with His word.

He said,' Be strong in the lord and in the power of His might' I searched the scriptures for more 'food' to strengthen me. The following scriptures helped me much:
'Be strong therefore and let not your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.' [11chron.15:1] There are so many scriptures like this to strengthen us.

I meditated on our God's power and strength too. Psalms 62:11 says, ' God has spoken and twice have I heard that power belongs unto the Lord.'

I came to the conclusion, when I have such an a mighty God as my friend and savior, I can face anything with boldness. I was happy to read what Paul wrote to the Ephesians, 'I pray, that out of His glorious riches, He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being. What a prayer! I said, ' Amen!', to it.

I wonder if you know this God who strengthens us when we are weak? Have you experienced the Holy Spirit who revives and refreshes us when we feel dry. If you have that experience, I praise God with you.
If not , I wish to tell you that, you can have it just by asking God sincerely for it, in the name of Jesus. He will gladly lead you into it.

Love Knows When to Speak

The trial scene of Jesus before the Sanhedrin, spoke to me of the love of Jesus for everyone. [Mark14:55-65]

There were many false witnesses against Him: The truth that He preached was misrepresented [v. 58], yet Jesus kept silent. Why didn't he speak out and explain what he meant or call one of those whom he healed or followed him, as witnesses? He could have explained that the temple he referred was not the building but his body [v. 58]. It was because his motive was to save all, even those who were against him and jealous of him.

Yet later He answered the high priest's question! I wondered why.

Not answering the fabricated accusations was wiser than trying to clarify them. But if Jesus had refrained from answering the question: "Are you the Christ the son of the blessed?" [v61], it would have been taken as denial of his mission. Jesus not only answered, "I am.", He also predicted a reversal of his role, that one day, He will be judging the world! Yes that day is fast approaching! All of us are waiting for that day... [Rev.20:11-13]

Jesus had the divine wisdom to know when to answer and when not to. His silence for the first time, not exposing the false witnesses who sinned, not knowing what they were doing, would have spoken to them and brought them to repentance later.

His answering the second time established the fact that He was Christ the son of God, the saviour of the world. The answer infuriated the pharisees to condemn him to death, which fulfilled the purpose for which he came to earth.

Our speech or silence should be motivated by love for God and others, regardless of the consequences we may have to face. When we are confronted or falsely accused, to think only of a of a way of escape will be selfish. We should decide whether we want to be popular with man or God.

Be A Victor, Not A Victim

"Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers through out the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering.

And the God of Grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while will himself restore you and make you strong , firm and steadfast."
1st Peter5:8-10

This is great advice given by Peter, the apostle of Jesus Christ!

Peter knew what it was to be tempted by the enemy, to fail, to repent and to be restored by the Lord. We know how mightily he was used of God after that.

He compares the devil to a lion which roars to frighten his prey. The lions attack the sick, young or staggering animals. They choose their victims who are alone and not alert. Peter warns us not to be careless and focused on problems; that is when we become vulnerable. We need not be scared of the lions threats by roaring. We are to stand firm on the faith. During times of suffering, seek the the support of other Christians. Don't be alone or be self confident. Feeling alone, helpless and cut off from other believers, we may focus on the problem, give in to self pity and fall into the trap of the enemy.

We are to resist the devil, standing firm on the faith. Then, "he will flee", as James said [James 4:7]

The suffering is not going to last long. The Lord will soon restore and make us strong. The night will pass and the morning will come soon bringing joy and light. Remember: We have the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Are We To Welcome Storms?

"Awake , north wind, and come south wind! Blow on my garden, that it's fragrance may spread abroad. Let my lover come into His garden and taste it's choice fruits."
Song of Solomon 4:16

This is supposed to be what the bride is saying of her beloved. It is a comparison to us the bride [the church] and Jesus Christ.

The interesting thing is, the bride is calling the opposing North and the South wind to blow, so that the flowers and the fruits get crushed and the fragrance will come out to please her lover.

Clashing of winds is not a pleasant experience. Yet only those bring out the fruit and the sweetness of our nature which God expects to see in us.

I was wondering how many of us will welcome such crushing experiences? Whether we invite them or not, they do come. When we face them, do the fruit of the spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self control come out of us? [Gal. 5:22] Most of the time we wish that we escape misunderstandings, unkindness, abuse, expressions of anger, insults, etc. It is easy to exhibit self pity, hatred, bitterness, complaining and murmuring. Sometimes we even start doubting and questioning God.

God allows us to go through such breaking experiences to make us strong and to develop the natures [fruits], He desires us to possess.

Through these testing times, we learn more than we would in any other situation. These are growing times as we learn the extent of our own commitment, weakness and utter dependence on God.

It is comforting to know that during such times we can call on God for His strength to endure the trials and temptations that we face and ask for the wisdom to learn from it. God is faithful; He will strengthen us to posses all the qualities that are expected of His bride.

May God lead us according to His way and help us to learn from Him.

Charged for the Day with the Powerful Name

"When nothing works, try the name of Jesus.", is a true saying. The name of Jesus is above every other name.

I studied why it is so:

His name shall be called Jesus. Luke 1:3
His name is power ... the mighty God. Isa. 9:6
His name is peace: The Prince of Peace. Isa.9:6
His name gives forgiveness. Luke 24:47
His name is above every other name. Phil.2:9
His name gives life. John 20:31
His name is healing. Acts 3:6, 16. [I recall my many personal healings I received]
His name is deliverance. Acts 16: 18

The name of Jesus is able to break every stronghold within us; It has power to set free every captive.

Today I hold on to the promise "What so ever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the father may be glorified in the son" [John14:13]

I know from experience it works. So, Jesus, I call on your holy name to answer my prayers today.

When the Going Gets Tough

"If you have raced with men on foot and the have worn you out, how can you compete with horses?"
Jeremiah 12:5

Jeremiah's life was extremely difficult despite his love and obedience to God. When he questioned God about it, the answer was basically: "if you think this is bad, how are you going to cope when it gets really tough?". Not all God's answers are nice and easy to handle! Yet, He is our loving father!

God is interested in forming our character. Hardships and difficulties train us to develop qualities like patience, endurance and faith. When the going gets tough and prayers don't get immediate results, know that God is at work. He stretches us to make us strong!

May we take this as a call to pray for those who are discouraged, failed or fallen. May He reveal himself to those who are far from Him. May his perfect will be done in us.

Jesus Warned Us!

John 16 is an amazing chapter revealing God's divine care and concern for His followers. Like a loving responsible parent, Jesus warns his disciples of the things that would happen to them after he was gone.

He knew that there is an enemy waiting to foil every thing for them. [Jn. 16:5-12] He told them that though there would be suffering, the comforter, the holy ghost would be sent. He would guide them into all truth [Jn. 16:13-16]. He encouraged them by saying that the period of sorrow would be followed by joy [Jn. 16:20-22] and He advised them to pray.

Whatever Jesus predicted came to pass. Jesus died on the cross , rose again and is now seated in heaven at the right hand of the father. The Holy spirit was poured down on his followers and is still working with us and among us.

Christians are suffering in various ways since the world's values often oppose God's values. Christians are made to feel like misfits in this world. In some countries Christians are going through real persecution. This is a call for us to pray for one another. Lets pray for strength, courage and comfort.

Jesus said:
"I have told you these things so that you may have peace. In this world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
John 16:33