Thursday, March 31, 2011

HOPE THAT LEADS TO TRUE BLESSEDNESS!

HOPE THAT LEADS TO TRUE BLESSEDNESS


Verse for Today: Thursday, March 31, 2011

Psalms 146:5 - Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God.


If we care to ask Jacob how he got all the blessings that he enjoyed, he will have no hesitation to tell us that all his help have come from His God. He had a series of setbacks in his life. He was homeless, friendless and poor. But God proved to him that in Him Jacob could find an Ebenezer who never changed when every thing around him changed. In spite of the weaknesses and failures of Jacob, His God was there whenever he went to Him. He left his father's home with a staff in his hands and nothing else, but looking back at the ways by which God led him each step of the way, he found only reasons to praise Him. In Jacob's life all things worked together for his good and for the glory of God. When the Psalmist looks at Jacob from a distance, it was easy to find a heap of blessings God had poured out to Jacob in the midst of adversities. Jacob found that God was faithful to him in spite of his own failures and weaknesses. For Jacob, God was a present help in all times of troubles. Surely, Jacob had to pay heavily for all things he did wrong, but that did not mean that God forsook him and left him as a destitute. Jacob had to move from place to place and to worse situations, but His God never changed and His grace, love and compassion were always with him. So even in the midst of depressing situations, Jacob was able to enjoy the blessings of God. He was able to put all his hope in God even in the worst scenarios of life. Just as the Psalmist found comfort in the God of Jacob, today we are also able to put all our hope and trust in Him and enjoy His true blessedness in spite of our situations. This ought to make us more thankful.


Dear friend, are you going through a tough time in life and feel like you have lost all hope? Are you penniless and friendless, and feel that you have no place to turn to for help? There is a place of hope and blessedness that you can go to and enjoy today and for the rest of your life. It is the presence of God where our Lord Jesus holds you in His hands. Even when all around you forsake you, He will not. Perhaps today you might feel penniless, but He has all the resources of Heaven to sustain you here on earth. This ought to make you live like a prince or princess. You are the son or daughter of the Heavenly King who wants you to put all your hope in Him and His resources. His children are looked after by the Lord moment by moment. There might be occasions when we are made to pay for the wrong decisions and actions we have taken in life, but that doesn't mean that God's care will be suspended from us at our wit's end. You and I can always pray and ask the Lord to forgive our past and to start our lives on a clean slate all over again. God can rule and overrule all the eventualities of our lives and help us to enjoy His presence, provisions and power even in the midst of the worst of situations. Jacob became more blessed when the Lord touched and broke his thigh and made him limb, but that event was followed with greater spiritual blessings in His life. God never closed the tap of Heavenly blessings to Jacob which flowed continuously in Jacob's and his children's lives. He put all his hope in the Lord who never disappointed him. Let us today put all our hope in the God of Jacob who has been our Ebenezer. He will continue to provide for us and make our lives a blessing to others and us.


Psalms 147:11 - The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.


Thought for Today

Hope in God will help us to renew our trust in His power to provide for us in all circumstances and situations.



Wednesday, March 30, 2011

RESTORE IN POWER AND FAITH!

RESTORE IN POWER AND FAITH!


Verse for Today: Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Psalms 23:3 - He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.


The Lord knows each of His sheep so well as to know all their intimate needs. He knows when we are weary and miserable because of the battles we fight in life. We are often tossed around by the serious challenges that we try to face. In such situations, when we are often buffeted by the issues which confront us and lose our strength and power, we need to be restored in power, strength, peace and patience. This is a great ministry that is performed by the Lord for us. He knows when we are drained out and need to be topped up. So He comes to us to restore our spiritual power, composure, restful heart and patient demeanour. He does it by filling us with His Spirit and His Word which are great sources of power for us. When we are thus filled by the Lord, His Spirit gets full control over us and we will sense the right and wrong paths which are in front of our eyes. His Spirit will help us to choose the right path which is the path of His righteousness. We will then be able to discern what is right in the eyes of the Lord and chose it, and keep away from that which is wrong and improper. His Spirit will control our emotions and will, and thus we will be able to enjoy the peace that passes all understanding. It is at such times that we are able to live according to the glory and decorum that are attached to the name of the Lord. Our desire will then be that we live according to the call with which we are called by the Lord. When He restores us, we will live in a spirit of repentance before Him and will confess all the known sins in our lives and ask Him to purge us of all iniquities. Thus we will enjoy holiness and sanctification and will continue to live a victorious life.


Dear friend, are you weary and feeling miserable in your soul because of the spiritual battles that you are engaged in with the enemies of your soul? Is it true that sometimes you lose your self-control and become prone to think and behave unbecoming of a child of God? There is no need for you to get frustrated about this situation, but to trust in the Lord who knows you very well. He wants to restore your weary soul today. He has enough resources to fill you so that you will regain your spiritual power and strength in order to keep going. If you need to know what is right, honorable, pure, lovely and of good repute, go to the Lord and ask Him to restore you just as He restored David, Isaiah, Paul and others who were fully conscious of their inadequacies. When you graze in His green pastures and drink from His quiet and cool waters, you will be restored in your soul and spirit. This is the way to have courage to face your situation in the power of the Lord. When you are thus restored, you will enjoy His strength to face the challenges in life by faith. He will give you the peace that passes all understanding in all your difficult situations. He will empower you to attempt great things for Him. He is with you all the time and knows all your emotional and spiritual needs and will help you to draw upon all His heavenly resources. This reservoir is kept just for you to draw upon and use it expediently for His glory and for the honor and praise of His name. When we have such a wonderful Shepherd with us, there is no need for us to loose hope no matter what our situations are and what kind of fierce battle we are engaged in. The power of the resurrection of our Lord is invested in our hearts for us to draw upon in all situations. Let us today use the power of faith that is also invested in our hearts through the Holy Spirit and use it to open God's reservoirs by faith. This is the way to live with all the blessings of the heavenly places to cause His name to be glorified in and through our lives.


Psalms 5:8 - O Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes; make your way straight before me.


Thought for Today

When we are broken, weary and miserable and think that all hope is gone, our Lord comes to put hope back in our hearts and restores our souls with His power.



Tuesday, March 29, 2011

COOL, QUIET SPRING WATER!

COOL, QUIET SPRING WATER


Verse for Today: Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Psalms 23:2b - He leads me beside quiet waters.


The Lord rescues His children from engulfing flood and roaring mighty waters which terrify them. He delivers His children from the waves of the sea and when the waters get into their boats to sink their lives. When the storms in life are stopped by Him, He takes them to His green pastures to eat. Once they have enough to eat, He leads them to drink from His reservoir of cool waters. The cool water without waves or storms is the living drink to quiet them down and to refresh their heated up souls from weariness. His cool water takes away any toxic material which would have gone inside His sheep. When a sheep grazes on the Lord's green pastures and drinks from His quiet and cool waters, it helps him to calm down in the wake of pressures and noises which are around him. It is a time of quiet rest and peace for them and to continue to enjoy the presence and protection of the Shepherd. He provides for their every need, whether it is spiritual, emotional, physical, intellectual, relational or situational. No matter what goes on around them, if the sheep follows the Shepherd and willingly submit to His leading to the green pastures and the quiet and cool waters, it would quiet their spirits and calm their hearts and enable them to put all their trust in their Shepherd and continue to rely on His leading every day of their lives. Blessed are such sheep that are willing and able to follow the leading of this great Shepherd. He leads them through His love and compassion and not through force or threat. In fact, His love is far more forceful than any other pressure any one can think of. He has opened for them a fountain of living water on the hill called Mount Calvary which never runs dry and will continue to fill all His willing sheep with His living water to strengthen their spiritual lives. Today this fountain of living water is made available to each of us, His beloved sheep, and there is a loving invitation to go to His fountain to drink to the overflowing.


Dear friend, are you a thirsty soul today and need to quench your thirst? Perhaps the situations around you are quite hot and put a lot of pressure on you. Perhaps you encounter the enticing of the enemy of your soul to push you to drink the lukewarm waters from the broken cisterns of this world. Remember, these waters from the broken cisterns of power, prestige, possessions, positions, prominence, entertainment, technology and fame will never satisfy you. These will only create more cravings in you to have more and more of it and thus bind you in never-ending dissatisfaction. They will corrupt your soul and drain you slowly of your trust in the Lord. They will encourage you to put your trust in the temporal. But no matter how much pressure you might encounter around you, the cool and quiet waters made available by the Lord Jesus will lead you to full satisfaction. It will heal all your spiritual sicknesses and strengthen your faith and trust in God to meet all your needs no matter what they are. Your spiritual life will be made stronger and stronger as you drink from this quiet water provided by the Lord. As you drink more of it, you will lose desire for the worldly sources for water. Remember, the Lord Jesus is the living water and He gives Himself to us so that we will be filled with Him and His glory. His power will fill our lives which will enable us to face any challenge that the world poses to us. He will continue to strengthen us through the living water to face any situation or eventuality and will lead us to overcome all our conflicts, pressures and temptations. Let us today go to the Lord Jesus who is the fountain of living water, drink of Him who is the eternal Word, and empower our lives to face the realities, challenges and concerns of this life.


John 4:13 & 14 - Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.


Thought for Today

The power of the quiet and cool living water will enable us to face any eventuality with the divine power that it imparts in us.



Monday, March 28, 2011

THE ALL SUFFICIENT GREEN PASTURES!

THE ALL SUFFICIENT GREEN PASTURES!


Verse for Today: Monday, March 28, 2011


Psalms 23:2a - He makes me lie down in green pastures.


It is a matter of great comfort for God's people to realize that they are treated just as a shepherd treats the sheep. When the Lord is my shepherd and I am His sheep, I am dealt with on the basis of all my needs. He knows me well enough to know my weak points, shortages, inadequacies, incapabilities, failures, losses and my aspirations. He recognizes that I need green pastures to graze on and rest. He understands that the sheep needs to lie down for some time due to the weariness of walking around. The sheep are so thrilled to see that they are in His pastures where they can find a fearless resting place for their weary souls. In His pastures, there is no room for anxiety because there is enough of green grass for them to graze all through their lives. The shepherd is there with them, both when they walk around and when they are lying down. There is total satisfaction when the sheep are in His pastures which are lush green with all the goodness that the sheep need. They do not need to go to any other pastures to meet any of their needs. The grass on the other side of the fence is made to look attractive, but is toxic which will make the sheep spiritually sick. But the grass that is available with the Good Shepherd in His pastures gives stability, balanced growth and development. It guarantees nourishment and satisfaction, and cures all diseases of the soul. Not only that, the good shepherd helps the sheep to lie down, and will not drive the sheep to weariness. Making the sheep lie down in green pastures is the Shepherd's way of transforming the sheep into what they ought to become.


Dear friend, are you aware of the provisions made by the great shepherd for His sheep? He leads His sheep each day to His green pastures to meet all their needs. The enemy of our souls promises green grass, but he doesn't have green pastures. He will try to lure us to go to the media of the world and its allied fleshly substances to make us weak and sick. But the green pastures of our Good Shepherd are full of promises of good spiritual health. It is a pleasant place of great encouragement and hope which is free for all His sheep because the Good Shepherd has already paid for it. He is the Bread of Heaven and we find Him in His pastures. His grazing field gives us nourishment and satisfaction today and great promises for all the tomorrows of our lives. But we need to decide to eat this grass from the Great Shepherd on a daily basis. We have to have a deep desire to eat the grass and be under the discipline of the Shepherd to patiently lie on His grass and enjoy the needed rest for our souls. Then we will find that all our needs are met by Him on a moment by moment basis. We also need to forsake all the alternatives that the enemy of our souls offers and cultivate a deep craving for the green pastures of the Shepherd. There is enough in these green pastures to meet all our needs on a daily basis and there will never be any shortages. There is no need to think about moving in a hurry, but to stay calm and relax and enjoy His provisions which are sufficient for all our needs and situations on all days of our lives. The green pastures will transform us on a daily basis as we devour on the provisions that He wants us to feed on to become what He wants us to be for His glory.

Psalms 100:3 - Know that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who made us and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pastures.


Thought for Today Our willing submission to the Shepherd can only be expressed in the way we take advantage of all the blessings that He has in His green pastures.




Sunday, March 27, 2011

UNBURDENING AND REST!

UNBURDENING AND REST


Verse for Today: Sunday, March 27, 2011


Matthew 11:28 - Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

This world is full of people who are carrying burdens of varying types. There are burdens of sin, habits, chronic illnesses, emotional distress, frustrations of situations, family issues, joblessness, friendlessness, rejection from kith and kin, loss, failure, to mention a few. For different people, burdens are of different magnitude. These often come one after the other to make people weary and tired. They carry these burdens which take away their rest, peace and sleep and thus leave deep marks on their bodies and minds. The heaviness of their hearts leave them confused and with impaired capacity to make decisions. They often plunge into depression and despondency. The world is advising these people to go for shortcuts to forget about their burdens through substance abuse and reckless living, thus increasing the damage. The gurus and pundits who approach these burdened souls only try to take advantage out of them one way or another, but do not help them lessen their burdens. They try to increase the intensity of burdens. But the Lord Jesus Christ comes to them with the only lasting and effective solution to their burdens. He offers to free them from the heaviness of their hearts. He knocks at the doors of their hearts and asking them to give Him a chance to come into their hearts to change things inside them so that they will have the grace to handle their burdens in a divine way. He invites the burden-bearing people to go to Him for solutions. He wants them to unburden themselves in His presence. If they trust Him to handle their burdens, He will take them with their burdens and give them rest, peace and sleep that they desperately crave. He will give them a godly heart to handle their burdens. They can unburden themselves with the Lord Jesus and relax. Their burdens are lifted at Calvary where a Savior died for them. He will help them carry their burdens and find solutions to it all according to His will.


Dear friend, are you a burden-bearing soul today? Is the intensity of your burden increasing day by day? Are you becoming increasingly weary because of the heavy load you carry? There is no need for you to become weary and tired by carrying your load all alone. The Lord Jesus is inviting you to go to Him to unburden yourself. He offers you help in releasing the burdens and live like a free individual. You have the freedom to ask Him to help you with these burdens which then become concerns and challenges to be handled with His help according to His wisdom, guidance and grace. Jesus has handled all our sin burdens on the cross of Calvary and so knows all about burden bearing and release from burdens. He nailed it all to the cross for us. He will help us nail all our burdens on the cross and live with spiritual burden. As we unburden ourselves in His presence, we will be able to pray for wisdom and guidance to handle our situations. He will lift our burdens away and put our minds at rest in Him and His power. His Spirit will help us to enjoy His peace in the midst of burdens and trust in Him that He will help us find solutions to our problems and situations. He will interfere in our situations, if we allow Him, and set things straight with His supernatural power which can calm all the storms in our lives. He will teach us to handle our problems by trusting in Him to do what we need to do. His hands will be upon our circumstances and situations and will help us find answers to the puzzles that we are faced with. The Lord will calm our hearts as He calmed the sea and stopped the wind and the storms. We are challenged to accept the loving invitation of our Lord to go to Him for help, support, rest, peace and for unburdening ourselves. It is free for the asking with a guarantee of total release and rest.

Psalms 116:7 - Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.


Thought for Today

God's invitation to man involves guarantees of lifting the burdens, along with rest, peace, sleep, grace, love and compassion.




Saturday, March 26, 2011

INVISIBLE ARMY!


INVISIBLE ARMY!

Verse for Today: Saturday, March 26, 2011
1 Samuel 17:47 - All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's.

World's weapons like sword and spear, and its chariots are considered important factors for victory in any conflict. The people of the world glory in their armory and take a lot of pains to develop their skills in using it. Their warfare depends on these instruments and technology, but it is all proved absolutely ineffective in gaining matters of eternal value. The efficiency and sharpness of the instruments of the world do not matter for the Lord who wins all His battles for His children through the demonstration of His divine power. He doesn't depend on technology for victory. He is not dependent on the skillfulness of the warriors nor on the strategies they adopt. He makes the warriors and their weapons redundant. His power will be demonstrated in spite of the number and size that is on the other side. He doesn't depend on human wisdom, understanding or skills in achieving any thing. His power overshadows all human efforts in accomplishing His purpose in the world. The Lord is engaged in a war against evil and wickedness which are the landmark of the satanic forces which abound in this world. These forces that prevail all around us are fighting God's children all the time to make us failures. These forces want to thwart the plan God has for His children. But our God is able to accomplish great things in and through the lives of His children even with simple means. He can win over the enemy by using one simple smooth stone and a crude sling in the hands of a shepherd boy who has never seen a battle before. He is the maker of wine with fresh water. He feeds thousands with five meager barley bread and two small fish. He calms the rough seas around us and stops the mighty winds simply asking them to stop. His touch is enough to make a blind see and a mute listen and speak. His words are sufficient to enliven a dead person. This power is made available for us to depend on for our daily needs of all kinds.

Dear friend, do you realize that the battle that you are engaged in today is not really yours, but the Lord's? Perhaps you are trapped in a war of emotions by the enemy. It is likely that he fights you in the financial front through the struggles you have for your daily bread. Perhaps the battle is through slandering and misunderstanding that he creates against you. The enemy is good at creating evidences against you as he did about the Lord, His prophets and apostles. He might be pushing you out from your job or even your ministry. But remember, the battle belongs to the Lord and He uses you as an instrument in this great battle between evil and good. You are probably exasperated sometimes about your inability to fight and are afraid to face the enemy. But there is no need to fear a defeated enemy who tries to gain small victories by terrorizing God's children and discouraging them. Perhaps the people all around you will think that your end will come soon and that you will be utterly defeated by the enemy with his sharp and powerful instruments. But there is a guarantee that when you are engaged in the battle of the Lord, He will protect you from the snares of the enemy and keep on using you to fight the battle. When you depend on the Lord absolutely and take your hands off the difficult situations you are in, He will take full control of your situation and accomplish what He wants to accomplish through you and your situation. He will demonstrate His mighty power in leading and guiding you to march from victory to victory. So, dear friend, this is not the time to be discouraged or frustrated about the intensity of the battle because your battle belongs to the Lord. He has already declared you victorious and will take glory to His name through you and your situation by the way He handles it for you. When you come out of your present situation, the whole world will be in for a pleasant surprise, but it will cause you to praise His name, and depend more on Him for the victories that you need in the days to come.

2 Chronicles 20:15 - "Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's".

Thought for Today
The invisible hands of God fight all our battles and lead us to victory every step of the way.

Friday, March 25, 2011

FROM MOCKERY TO MOUNT ZION!

FROM MOCKERY TO MOUNT ZION!

Verse for Today: Friday, March 25, 2011
2 Samuel 5:7 - Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David.

Opposition doesn't mean the end of the road. God's children must expect opposition because they live and work in a world which is controlled by Satan who is the arch enemy of God. His main task is to oppose and hinder God's children. He will often ridicule and threaten God's children so that they can be frustrated out of their journey. But God's children know very well that their God has a well drawn out plan for them and that it will be accomplished no matter what or who opposes them. All they need is courage, faith and confidence in their Lord that He will take them forward. They cannot make progress in the journey on their own might and merit, but only in the strength and power of their Lord who is their Shepherd, leader, guide and captain. So when the enemy comes to mock us about our strength, arms and ammunition and capacity to win against them, our Lord will give us the courage to go forward in His name to capture the territories that are in His plan for us. The enemies of David thought even the lame and blind people among them would suffice to stop David from capturing Zion. But little did they realize that Zion is already planned to become the capital city of David, from where the King of kings and the Lord of lords will rule for a thousand years. It is already declared the city of peace because the Prince of peace will rule the world from there to establish peace in a world of conflicts and chaos. So even if Goliaths come to stop David, it would not matter. What God has planned and what He has ordained to be accomplished through His children will be accomplished. This is a great challenge for us, never to retreat from our journey but to keep going to capture the territories that the Lord has planned for us.

Dear friend, are you confronted by the enemy with mockery and ridicule about your capacity to circumvent his tactics in your daily living? Is the enemy trying to belittle you even when you go forward in the name of the Lord? Is the enemy publicly trying to tarnish you by declaring your weakness as he did in the case of Nehemiah and Ezra when they tried to rebuild the Temple and the walls of Jerusalem? Remember, this is the psychological warfare that the enemy has declared against God's children. But we are given marching orders by our Lord to go forward in His name and in His strength, and our victory over the enemy has already been declared. Our resources might look weak according to the world's standards. But the One who is with us makes all the difference in our sojourn and warfare and our weapons are His proven weapons against the same enemy. We are fighting on the Lord's side, and with the help of His resources and ammunition. Even when we are weak in the sight of the world, we are strong in the Lord to do all that He wants to accomplish in this world. Our victory has already been established in Heaven and so there is no doubt about what we will accomplish for the Lord in this world. We do not need to listen to the discouraging verbatim of the world, but pay attention to the commands of the Lord who is our commander-in-chief. We are declared to have won the battle, and it is our responsibility to go and appropriate the territories. The Kingdom is the Lord's and it has pleased Him to give it to us if we are willing to appropriate it for Him. When the enemy is at work to discourage us, it is an indication that the enemy is afraid of us and somehow wants to stop us from advancing. Let us today go forward no matter who or what is against us in capturing what the Lord wants through us for confident living for the glory of His name in and through us.

Psalms 3:3 - But You are a shield around me, O Lord; You bestow Your glory on me and lift up my head.

Thought for Today
God goes before us to prepare our way in accomplishing His purpose in our lives, and He will help us to appropriate the territories by faith and trust in His mighty power.


Thursday, March 24, 2011

REWARD FOR TOIL!

REWARD FOR TOIL

Verse for Today: Thursday, March 24, 2011

Matthew 20:4 -
(Jesus) told them, "You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right." So they went.

We are introduced to the Lord as the only righteous Master who wants to give us the privilege to work in His vineyard. It is a vineyard which produces sweet and enjoyable fruit. He has plenty for us to do in His field. He doesn't want us to work without reward. He has enough rewards to give to us. Working in His vineyard itself is a great privilege and very rewarding because He is not a task master, but a benevolent Master. He promises a reward for all that we do in His field. He also guarantees that He will give what is right at the end of the day. He is a righteous Master and so will not give what is not fair or acceptable. He would not give according to the rates paid by other masters around. The 'sin master' will only give more and more guilt and frustration. The 'world master' will give vanity which looks like a colorful balloon, but will soon loose all its shape and beauty when the air is gone. The 'flesh master' will give temporary gratification of our fleshly desires, and will leave us with more and more fleshly cravings and we will finally become a slave to such desires. But the Lord is a benevolent Master. He will give us the right and richest reward at the end of the day. It is not according to the prevailing rate of the world, but according to a Heavenly rate which will be more than sufficient for all eternity. When He gives us the reward, we will be fully satisfied. He gives according to His grace and on the basis of His abundant resources. But it is interesting to see that while we work in the vineyard, all our needs are met. We are paid not according to the number of hours that we put in. Our reward is not on the basis of doing a particular work only, but for doing whatever that we can do for Him in His vineyard on the basis of right motive of service to the Master. How blessed are we because we are invited to work in the vineyard of this great, benevolent and righteous Master!

Dear friend, are you a worker in the vineyard of the Great Master? If not, you are commanded to go and work with a promise of a rich reward. It is not important whether you are a full time or part time worker. It is also not important at what time you started, nor what kind of work you will do for the Master. There are long lists of things that need to be done in the vineyard, and you are expected to do what you can on the basis of the gifts and abilities that He has given you. Any thing that you will do for the Master will not go unrewarded or unrecognized. All your needs will be met as you work for Him, and at the end of the day there will be a reward awaiting you. It will be the right reward that you deserve for your toil for the Master. But when you see the Master in His full glory, it will be difficult to think that you will keep for yourself all the rewards that you receive from Him, but will put it all at His feet and praise Him because of the greatness and glory of the Master. When you find out how glorious this Master who hired you is, you probably feel sorry for yourself that you have not done enough for Him or that you didn't start early enough. Perhaps there are attractions for you to serve your own flesh, this world and Satan. But you are admonished to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness in whatever you desire. If you seek all that is eternal and renounce what is temporal, your temporal needs will be met and you will be led to finish the task that you are called upon to do here on earth. Then a glorious day of rewards will dawn on you and you will be ushered into the presence of your Master who will call you by name and recognize you for all the toil that you have undergone for the Master in His vineyard. You will then be given your rewards for your hard work, toil, tears, sweat, deprivation, persecution and persistence as you labored for the Master in His vineyard. But remember, the time for you to work in this vineyard will soon be over and an evening will be dawned on you to stop work and receive reward. How prepared are you for it? Are you waiting in anticipation for that day of rewards which will be settled by the righteous Master who will appear in His full glory?

Ruth 2:12 - "May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge".

Thought for Today
Our greatest reward is to see the King in His glory and be with Him forever and ever, which is far greater than any crown or throne that He would still give us.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

TINY SIGNAL FOR MIGHTY ACT!

TINY SIGNAL FOR MIGHTY ACT

Verse for Today: Wednesday, March 23, 2011
1 Kings 18:44 - The seventh time the servant reported (to Elijah), "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea".

Hope and faith do not relent, but keep hoping that what the Lord will do for us will come at His best time. Even when there is no sign for quite some time, our hope and faith in the Lord will make us to keep hoping and trusting in Him. His delays are not denials, but only His affirmation that He is working on our needs and will accomplish what He wants in our lives at the right time. In our estimates, it might sound like a delay, but in the Lord's estimates, His answers come at the right time. Elijah learnt this lesson well in his life as he ministered in Israel. He kept hoping and praying for the Lord to work out His plan for His people. Elijah has announced by faith that there would be rain, and he did it in the name of the Lord. He had heard the sound of abundance of rain by faith and knew very well that it would soon come. Even when there is no visible sign, it would not discourage God's servant who lives by faith. His faith leads him to keep looking for the evidence of the starting of rain up to seven times. For God's servant who lives by faith, a cloud of the size of a man's hand is sufficient to believe that there would be abundance of rain shortly, but even before it appeared, he believed that it would come. He doesn't need to see a large cloud to believe in His God and His might. God expects us to have such strong faith which is often contrary to signs or even a situation of no sign at all. Abraham had such strong faith to believe that God would give him a son to become a link to the blessings God has promised him, and so he never relented in his faith and trust in the Lord. Both Jacob and Joseph had the faith that one day God will take His children back to Canaan from Egypt. David, Nehemiah, Gideon, Joshua, Isaiah, John the Baptizer, Paul and others had the faith to keep going against all the odds to believe that God would fulfill His promises to them and will accomplish His purpose in and through them. The same God who worked in and through these great servants will work in and through us if we trust Him to accomplish His purpose in us. As we trust Him, He expects us to submit ourselves to Him totally so that He can use us as instruments to bring blessings to others.

Dear friend, is there a drought in your life and that you are unable to see the showers of blessing lately? The same God who is able to bring fire from Heaven to burn the sacrifice on the alter at Mount Carmel will also bring in rain to drench the soil and give the living beings water to drink. His rain of blessings will also cool the over-heated and stressful environment around you. He wants you to believe Him and to put all your trust in Him that He will accomplish His purpose in and through you by bringing in the necessary changes in your situations. Things might look hopeless and heated up with tensions. Perhaps there are no signs that any thing dramatic is going to happen. But if you look again and again by faith, believing that the Lord's hands will soon be visible, you will be able to see His hand in the horizon. You can hear the sound of abundance of rain of blessings by faith if only you believe and look. Perhaps there are waterless clouds of discouragement and emptiness which hinders you from seeing the hand of the Lord at work. But look again by faith, and you will soon see the movement of the hand of the Lord at work. Today He is waiting patiently to see if your faith is strong enough to trust Him to bring in the showers. His delay is to make you work on your faith to believe Him against all odds. Even if He seems to be late, He will come at the right time. Perhaps you think He is late as felt by Mary and Martha at Bethany, but He comes at the right time so that His name would be glorified. He went walking on the water when all hope of safety was gone on the fourth watch of the night in a stormy sea. The same Lord is waiting to see you through your concerns and burdens as you trust Him when everything looks hopeless. Remember, He is the Lord of hope who will never disappoint you, but will bring in showers of blessings on you at the right time. So let us look at Him and look for Him once again to see His hand in our situation for His glory.

Psalms 27:14 - Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Thought for Today
A small signal in God's economy might be an indication of great and mighty works which He ushers in for His children.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

HOPE FOR A NEGATIVE WORLD!

HOPE FOR A NEGATIVE WORLD!

Verse for Today: Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Philippians 4:8 - Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (NLT)

It is easy to see an air of hopelessness around us in this world. The news that come out of the far corners of the world give us nothing that is going good, and all seem to be marching towards doom. This is true of the economy, ecology, politics, international relations, rebellion, corruption, mafia, conflicts and wars. We are each day bewildered at the extent of bad news that slowly creates a negative culture of frustration and confusion. It ends up in people quitting from life or depending on substances and situations they create to forget the negative environment that pervades all walks of life. But the Bible gives us hope for the future and this hope is built on God who rules and overrules the events in the world to accomplish His purpose. He wants to lift people up from the doldrums in which they are wallowing with sleeplessness and anxiety. But the Bible speaks of a God who asks us to bury their past with all its failures, losses, impurity, defeat and conflict at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ which is where God has achieved victory for all that man has lost in life. If we admit our losses to the Lord, He will give us a heart to think about the positives which He can doing in our individual lives. He has planted truth about God in our hearts. He has given us His values which are right. Whatever He attempts is honorable and He wants to honor us in His presence if we live the way He wants us to live. He wants to make our lives holy because if we trust Him, we will also become holy people, separated from the evil that fills our environment. When the world is full of hatred and conflicts, He wants to transform our lives to be lovable and lovely. He wants us to live a life that will be admired by Him in the presence of the angelic beings at the Judgment Seat of Christ. If we focus on these things which demand praise to His holy name, we would be following the most excellent way of life here on earth in spite of the negativism which has pervaded humanity.

Dear friend, are you surrounded by an environment of negativism, failure, defeat and loss? Do you feel that everything around you is hopeless and nothing works in your area of engagement? Are you pressurized by the scenarios around you to think that there is no future for you and for the things around you? The Bible comes to give you hope today that the Lord is at work in and through even the negative circumstances to accomplish His purpose. If you submit yourself to Him, you will also have a part in it. You can live positively, hoping and trusting God to use you for fulfilling His purpose in the world around you which will make your cause true, lovely, admirable and honorable. God brings in victory over sin, impurity, dishonour, curse, destruction and calamity through His mighty act on the cross of Calvary through the death of His Son. When we trust in Him, all things in us are made new. He bestows upon us His power, glory, grace, love, compassion and peace which are at work in us when we belong to Him and that will make a great different in our lives and in the lives of people we reach out for Him. Even in the midst of turmoil, God will work to change everything in our lives from defeat to victory, dishonor to honor, falsehood to truth and impurity to purity and He will turn disorder to peace and order. All of these that happen in our lives will bring glory and praise to His name. We can trust in such a great God to give us victory over all evil forces around us and to keep marching to true, honorable, pure and praiseworthy acts of His. This is the way to live a life full of peace, joy and patience in this world as partners of the great things God is doing in this confusing world to make the lives of people rich with His blessings. When we have such a great God in us and work with and through us, there is no scope for us to be negative and wallow in our failures, but rise up from the ashes of destruction and march forward for the praise of His name.

Psalms 84:5 - How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion!

Thought for Today
The God of peace who works to put the broken human lives in order is the most excellent and praiseworthy message to the hopeless world today.

Monday, March 21, 2011

TRUST - THE PATHWAY TO HAPPINESS!!

TRUST - THE PATHWAY TO HAPPINESS!

Verse for Today:
Monday, March 21, 2011
Jeremiah 17:7 -
But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.

True blessedness is a state of real joy and happiness in spite of circumstances and situations. This state of being happy even in complicated circumstances and cloudy situations come from the Lord who is able to see His children through all these difficulties. He takes them through the eye of the problem without getting hurt. He takes away their fears and anxieties as they go through rough weather because they are in His hands as they pass through it. He is with them and He strengthens them with His power and grace to go through tough patches in life. This state of peace and calm in times of difficulties comes only from knowing who we trust and in whom we put our confidence. The Lord rules and overrules all our situations and circumstances, so we can put all our trust in Him with the greatest confidence. Our trust in such times cannot be shaken by events around us no matter how fierce it might appear. So whether there is storm, thunder, waves or wind, we will not see these as hindering forces, because we see the Lord in the midst of it all. He is the bright ray of hope in the darkest clouds and thickest fog of life. His power is greater than tsunami or earth quake which shakes the very foundation of human confidence in technology, architecture, assets of massive value, powerful positions and great circle of influential friends. When all of these move away in the wake of unexpected calamities, the never changing and every present Lord is out there for us, with us and around us. Such knowledge and resultant confidence in Him make us truly blessed and happy people.

Dear friend, it is probable that you are surrounded by difficult and thoroughly unstable situations of multiple kinds which threaten to devour you. When you look at these circumstances and what it might do to you, it would drain you of your courage and confidence. But there is no need to be alarmed about it because the Lord of the universe who has His hands on the control panel of this universe is with you. What He does in this world today is a great message for those who conspire and plot against the sovereignty of the Lord and try to make this world a better place with their technology and knowledge. He is telling them to trust Him and put their confidence in Him. It is also a message of confirmation to God's people not to be afraid even in the midst of catastrophes and calamities, but to know that the Lord is still the one who is in ultimate charge of this universe. Today He speaks to His children every where to put their faith, trust and hope in Him and live with confidence in life. So whether there is calamity in and around us or in the world as a whole, these need not shock us, but lead us to praise Him that in the midst of all these difficulties around us, He looks after us so well. His power and servants like wind and the waves are working for us and not against us. Above all, He gives us His grace to see all that is happening around us through His eyes and keep trusting Him and continue to praise Him. It is this privilege to put all our situations into His hands and be confident that makes us truly blessed people. Let us today thank the Lord for making us truly blessed and happy people.
Psalms 9:10 - And those who know Your name will put their trust in You. For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Thought for Today
Absolute trust in the Lord takes away any trace of fear or anxiety and gives great confidence even in the worst of situations to lead His children to real happiness.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

PAIN TO PROSPECTS!

PAIN TO PROSPECTS!

Verse for Today: Sunday, March 20, 2011
Jeremiah 18:4b - So the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

Our lives are often like a hump of clay in the hands of the potter. The clay has the ability to become a useful and beautiful pot. But it has the opportunity to become what it ought to be only when it is ready to submit itself to the potter who is a master craftsman. There would have been resistance from the clay to allow the potter to make it what is should be. But such self centered resistances of the clay will end up in it being marred at the potter's wheel. So the potter has to use his fingers to crush it and re-form and reshape it as he pleases. Unless the clay is willing to be reshaped, it would remain a hump of clay and will set itself hard and will loose its maneuverability. Our lives are like a hump of clay and our Master Potter is interested in making us what we ought to be for His glory. When we resist the maneuvering of His fingers on us, we would become something that He didn't want us to be. Only when we submit ourselves to the Potter and allow His hands to work on us will we become a vessel that would bring honor to the Potter. Of course, it involves the crushing of our self. We will have to be willing to loose our original shape because that in itself is of no use to the Potter. But for the Potter to reshape us, we need to allow Him to work on as He sees fit and proper. The reshaping process involves considerable pain of kneading and mixing which hurts, but the hurt is for our good. The hurt will make us useful to the Potter and give honor and glory to Him. We need to praise Him for working on us and for not giving us up. We need to thank Him for all the experiences that He allows us to go through as He gives us a new look and usefulness. Unless we go through the furnace, we will not become a strong and firm pot in which our Heavenly Potter can collect living water to quench some thirsty souls around.

Dear friend, do you realize that you are a very fortunate person to be in the hands of the Lord who is the divine Potter? The Lord is interested in reshaping you so that He can make use of you for His glory and honor. But unless you go through the process of reshaping, He will not make you what you can become in and through His hands. If you find the pain of reshaping unbearable, the Lord will give you patience and grace to endure it. He will then help you to praise Him each time you feel His fingers working on you. Yes, it will hurt, but only through that hurt will you become a vessel for the Lord to use you in a mighty and glorious way. If you remain a hump of clay or a marred vessel, you will have no utility for the potter or for any one else. The Lord has a great plan for you and He wants to make you a unique vessel to carry His testimony around. But it all depends on your willingness and humility to allow Him to reshape you. When you reach the shape and the size that the Master Designer wants you to be, then you will have value in His kingdom and usefulness for Him and others. You will then be able to serve others for the sake of the Master Designer and meet certain needs. The Master's fingers will bring to you the beauty which you will not have as a hump of clay. You don't need to be concerned about your beauty or looks because the Master Potter will know how to change you dynamically so as to use you at present and in the future. When He finishes His work on you, it would end up in marvel and amazement because a few hours back you were only a hump of clay and no one would have had any hope about you. That ought to bring praise to the Lord because all that has happened to you is the result of His grace, patience and loving kindness to make you an honorable vessel for the pleasure of the Master Potter.

Jeremiah 18:6 - "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel".

Thought for Today
The pain of reshaping is taken away by the prospect of usefulness for the Master Designer.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

RADIANT FACE IN A DARK PLACE!!

RADIANT FACE IN A DARK PLACE

Verse for Today: Saturday, March 19, 2011
Psalms 34:5 - Those who look to (the Lord) are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

God's children have a person to look unto in all situations for strength, peace and satisfaction, and that person is their beloved Lord. When their circumstances are cloudy, His face is like a shining sun with its rays of brightness and hope. When they are alone, feeling lonely and starving for love, care and fellowship, His loving and compassionate face will shine upon them. His face will give His children the encouragement they need in the midst of difficulties. When life poses challenges and difficult questions, He is there to give them answers and to solve the puzzles they are encountered with. As they look unto Him, their confusions and doubts are removed and confidence established. There is disappointment of some degree with all other persons around us. But even when all others turn us down, the Lord is out there to hold us close to Him and comfort us. If we look at the power centers of this world, they will all diminish in their power as time goes by. If we look at the hills and high places of this world, we will be frustrated because they do not have any thing that will give us lasting value and contentment. But when we look unto the Lord who is the author and finisher of our faith, He will send His grace and love to us to brighten our disposition. Our faces will shine with His bright rays of great promises. Our faces will be radiant when He sends His glory to us even in the midst of hopelessness. The strength from His face will help us to keep going forward with Him. There is no scope for shame or embarrassment when we look unto our Lord because He will never disappoint us nor will He send us back empty handed.

Dear friend, are you encountering a cloudy day with heaps of unanswered questions in your life? Are you groping in the dark about how to move forward and where to turn to? Are you tired of getting repeatedly frustrated by all to whom you looked at or from whom sought help? Have all your kith and kin forsaken you and left you alone to fight your battles? There is a place to go to and person to look unto for answers to the puzzles and challenges you are encountering now. There is a source for strength and hope. There is a person who is waiting for you to go to Him asking for help and support. There is a place of quiet rest and peace. It is the person of our Lord Jesus whose face is shining upon you. If you look unto Him, the glory from His face will shine upon you with divine strength and hope. The brightness of His face is sufficient to give you hope in a hopeless world and in frustrating circumstances. He will remind you of all the promises He has stored up for you. He will give you the courage to face your situations with confidence and hope because He is with you to help you to face the uncertainties of life. He will hold your hands and encourage you to keep moving rather than sit and wallow over the past failures and loss. He will send spiritual water and bread to strengthen you as He did for Prophet Elijah. He will show you a handful of cloud as a prelude to thunderstorm of blessings. He will fill you with His Spirit to give you order, clarity and understanding about your situation. His Spirit will help you to keep trusting Him. He will never allow you to be shameful because you trusted Him. Your days will be brighter and warmer and your countenance will shine with His brightness as you will be filled with the hope of His care, courage and confidence.

Isaiah 60:1 - Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord arises upon you.

Thought for Today
The fog of confusion and darkness around you will melt away in the brightness and warmth of the rays of hope which come upon you from the Lord.

Friday, March 18, 2011

RIGHT PRIORITY!

RIGHT PRIORITY!

Verse for Today: Friday, March 18, 2011
Proverbs 16:3 - Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established.

When a person is committed to the Lord, it becomes easier to commit all that he does also to the Lord. It is the degree of our commitment to the Lord that determines whether all our activities are committed to the Lord as well. So the degree of our commitment of all that we do that is the evidence that we are committed to the Lord or not. It is very difficult to understand how a person would say that he is committed to the Lord, but does what the Lord would not permit or approve. The Word of God demands that we commit ourselves to the Lord first and foremost because all that we are is because of the Lord. He is the reason why we exist and live on. He is our maker and redeemer. He has created and recreated us for Himself so that we can live to do His will and be part of His program in this world. But if we live to please our fleshly desires, then we are not grateful and committed to the Lord who has given us the opportunity to live in this world. He desires that we commit ourselves to Him totally and absolutely and seek His face to decide what we should do and which direction we should take to go forward. All our objectives and desires in life should be what the Lord desires of us. He has set a plan for our lives and it is up to us to find it out from Him through our relationship with Him. If we seek His will and His face, He will reveal it to us. Then we will know what His will is for our lives. But as we set out to do His will, He desires that we do not do it the way we want, but commit it also to Him. Then we will know how He wants us to accomplish His will. In other words, the objectives and the process will have to be His all the way. This is how our ways will be established before Him. Such a life style which is totally committed to the Lord is what pleases Him. This is the lifestyle of the disciple of Jesus Christ where Jesus Christ will have absolute preeminence in all that we are and do.

Dear friend, are you at a crossroad in your life, and eager to know what the Lord wants you to do? Perhaps you have difficulty deciding what you should do because you do not know what the Lord's will is in that matter. Remember, if you are not committed to the Lord, it would be difficult to decide what He would want you to do in it. So the first and foremost step is to give yourselves to the Lord unconditionally and without any reservation. This means that Jesus and His cause become your absolute priority in all that you are and do. Then Jesus will be in your priorities, desires, likes, dislikes, aims and objectives as number one. When you commit yourselves to the Lord in such an unconditional manner, and ask Him to reveal His will about every step of the way, He will lead you step by step in His path. This is the sure way to know that He will help you to accomplish what you would like to do for Him in this world. If we do not have absolute commitment to Him, it would be difficult to expect Him to guide us. Let us today commit ourselves to the Lord and then commit all that we desire also to Him at the alter as a sacrifice and allow Him to take it up for us. Then it becomes His business to accomplish His will through you so that all glory for all that you are and do will become His. He expects us to commit even our motives to Him rather than give Him lip service. If we go our way and do what we want without a commitment to Him and His will, we might still accomplish a lot of things in this life, but these will not bring glory to the Lord. The Lord desires absolute sway in all that we do, but will permit us to do it all only if we are committed to Him. In such a committed life, the Lord meets all our needs, provides us with resources, fights our battles, removes hindrances, clears the cloudy and dark skies and takes us forward by holding our hands. Perhaps our lives will not have spectacular events of great human or religious value, but it will be pleasing to God as He takes glory through it. This is the way to true spiritual blessings and godly contentment.

Psalms 37:5 - Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.

Thought for Today
A life which is not absolutely committed to God is like a partially burned sacrifice.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

DELIVERANCE - PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE!!

DELIVERANCE - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE!

Verse for Today: Thursday, March 17, 2011
2 Corinthians 1:10 - He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us.

God's children can always look back at the distance they have walked with the Lord and be encouraged by the various ways by which He has looked after them in the different life experiences they have gone through. There were difficulties of various magnitudes that we have all gone through. But the Lord was our deliverer through those difficult years. When we felt all alone, He was there to give us companionship and fellowship. When we felt lost, He found us and helped us to find our way. When we failed, He came to reassure us. When we encountered danger, He kept us safe in His hands. When we were confronted by the enemy of our souls, He was there to fight for us and to use us as instruments in His hands. When all around us forsook us, He was there to draw us ever closer to Him. When we were tired, He carried us on His shoulders. When we were hungry and thirsty, He fed us with His manna every day. He wiped our tears and gave us contentment in every experience we have gone through. When we were in deadly peril, He rescued us and covered us with His shield, and He was our shield. He saw us through all these difficulties and cheered us up with His joy which has been our strength. We can always count the blessings of the past which He sent our way to reassure us that this God who has kept us so far will lead us further until we reach our eternal home. Today we are challenged by Paul who had such experiences that if we set our hope in such a marvelous Lord, He will take us forward and deliver us from all perils in the future also.

Dear friend, are you going through some intimidating experience today? Is your heart longing for a rescue and a rescuer? Perhaps you feel tired and seem to have been waiting for a long time for a rescue to come your way. But don't be discouraged at the waiting. Just look back to your life in the past and count all the rescue operations which were performed by the Lord? How many times has the Lord delivered you from trouble in the past? Perhaps you would have experienced many marvelous and miraculous escapes from tough situations. Perhaps there were rescue operations that you are not even aware of, as the Lord and His angelic beings are always encompassing around you and continuously rescuing you from peril in your various circumstances. The Lord's care and caring for you are innumerable and cannot be numbered. The hand of the Lord in your past is sufficient to reassure you that He will continue to rescue you from perils and keep you safe and secure in His arms. He is committed to your well-being because you are part of His plan and programs. The attacks by the enemy on you are part of his grand strategy to thwart God's plan for you, but God will defeat every one of the tactics of the enemy and lead you forward to accomplish His plan without fail. You are challenged to put all your hope and trust in this never-failing Lord because what He has started in you will never be forsaken midway. His protection and provisions for you will continue because you are an instrument in the hands of the Lord to accomplish mighty things for Him here on earth. Let the words of hope through Paul work in you to encourage you to keep on trusting in the Lord who will not disappointment.

2 Timothy 4:18 - The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Thought for Today
Every deliverance from trouble for a child of God is a reassurance that they can face all uncertainties in the future with courage and confidence in the Lord.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

NO TURNING BACK!

NO TURNING BACK!

Verse for Today: Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Nehemiah 2:20a - "The God of Heaven will give us success. We His servants will start building......".

When God's children get going according to His perfect will and attempt great things for Him, He will help them accomplish the task. While they are in the journey, God will give them the great confidence that He will help them and that He will be with them to reach the goal for which He empowers them. It is God who will give us the strength and courage to go forward to accomplish the purpose for which He has set our feet out. The mission is His and the means are His. The pathway is His, the effort is with His energy, and the journey is with Him. This confidence in Him to go forward and attempt great things for Him is a special gift from God in the wake of stiff opposition from the enemy of our souls. Our enemy knows that we are human and are prone to discouragement. He knows that we are often a bunch of quitters in the face of mockery and ridicule. These tactics were used by people when Noah started to build an ark. All God's children who set out to accomplish great things for God, will face such discouragements and doubts created by the enemy. As we set out, the atmosphere might be cloudy with a forecast for thunder and storm. The enemy will give us a number of reasons why our purpose may not be accomplished. But when we go to the presence of God as did Isaiah, David, Nehemiah, Paul and others, He will give us the strength to trust Him to accomplish the purpose for which He has called us. He has seen the end of our mission, and it is He who gives us all the resources to keep going to do what we are commissioned to do. The work is His and we are His. So when we remain in His will, success will come from Him and no force on earth or under the earth will be able to prevent us from reaching our destination.

Dear friend, are you facing stiff opposition and hindrance from the enemy in your mission for the Lord? Is the enemy coming around to mock and ridicule your efforts and confuse your mind about the futility of your mission? Don't you believe a word from it because the enemy's task is to discourage you and lead you to quit. He is an expert in mockery and ridicule and he tried it on Noah, David and Moses and had no hesitation to try it even on our Lord Jesus here on earth. He tried all that he could to stop Nehemiah and Ezra from rebuilding the Temple and its walls. Had Noah listened to the enemy, the ark would have never been built. Had David heeded to his murmur of discouragement, he would have never killed Goliath or become the king of Israel. Let us today encourage ourselves from the courageous and firm response from Nehemiah and declare that the God of Heaven is with us and will empower us to accomplish His purpose through us in this world. Let us take courage from the Lord to keep going rather than sitting on the sidelines to let the opportunity pass by. Let us look by faith to the end of the tunnel and see the light there and keep moving forward according to the schedules of the Lord. By faith, let us see the completion of the mission He has entrusted with us and believe that our Lord will help us succeed. Failure is not a word which we can find in the dictionary of God. Success is always a step by step process in and through God with His resources, guidance, schedule and purpose all the way. We are chosen by grace to be partakers of this great work and program of God with a guarantee that what we start with the Lord will come to its completion. So let us be encouraged to keep going in our walk with the Lord and trust Him to help us to accomplish His purpose in and through our livelihood, family, social and church life and in our ministries for God's glory.

1 Corinthians 16:9 - For a wide door for effective service has opened for me, and there are many adversaries.

Thought for Today
When you are set out by the Lord to accomplish His purpose on earth, enemies and their mockery or ridicule will not matter at all.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

SHIELD OF FAVOUR!

SHIELD OF FAVOUR

Verse for Today: Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Psalms 5:12 - For surely, O Lord, You bless the righteous; You surround them with your favor as with a shield.

A shield is a protective device and it guarantees the safety of those who use it properly. Thus it takes away any fear or apprehension which might emerge in the light of enemy attack. But a shield for the child of God is not his own device but is supplied by the Lord. It is not man's invention, but its very idea comes from God. The people of the world use their intelligence, experience, technology and strategies to escape the perils they face, but God's people have the most superior shield for protection, safety and security. It is the shield of God and cannot be penetrated by the most fiercest of the enemy. In fact, God Himself is our shield. When we are attacked by the enemy through the manipulation of our circumstances and the resultant fear and anxiety that it would cause us, the Lord comes to us as our shield from it all. When the enemy sends fear or anxiety, we only need to allow the divine shield to encompass around us. When the enemy knocks at our hearts to give us fear, doubt, confusion and anxiety about our circumstances complicated by him, we can hide behind the Lord who is our shield. We can claim victory over these emotional entanglements through the Lord who is our protector and refuge. He will make sure that our hearts and minds are kept at peace in spite of circumstances. So instead of fear and anxiety, our hearts will be filled with peace, joy and courage to trust the Lord to look after our future no matter how complicated our situations might be. God as our refuge also gives us His favor which generates spiritual strength in us to do what we ought to do in the wake of the manipulations the enemy has made in our circumstances. When God's favor is upon us, we will have His strength all over us and thus the enemy's attacks will not be felt by us.

Dear friend, you probably wonder who will defend you in the wake of the present fierce attacks by the enemy. Are you feeling overwhelmed by the complications created by the enemy around you and the fierce attacks through the darts of doubt, confusion, fear and anxiety that come your way? There is no need for you to be discouraged because we are on the Lord's side and He is our commander-in-chief. He will protect us with His favor as our shield and defender and give us the strength to do what we need to do. We can do all things in and through our Lord for His glory. So there is no use wasting our energies to become fearful and anxious. Instead, we need to put on the whole armor of God. This is the process of wearing Jesus Christ as our armor. So when the enemy attacks us, we can protect ourselves with the shield of His favor. His favor is like a fountain which falls continuously upon us as showers of blessings from Heaven. As we are filled with Him and His Spirit, and are covered by His favor, we will be able to depend on His strength to keep away from all the emotional responses that our natural instincts will prompt us to depend on. These natural instincts like fear and anxiety need to be crucified on a regular basis and have to be killed and buried at the foot of the cross. The enemy will try to send these negative emotions to us to weaken us all the time, but we can confide in and cover under the shield of our Lord and be safe. This was what Joseph, Moses, Nehemiah, Paul, Timothy and others did when they were under severe attacks from all corners. The grace given to them is available for us today to draw upon the safety that is available for us under the shield of favor who is our Lord Himself. This safety is available for us today to appropriate, use and enjoy for the praise of His name!

Psalms 84:11 - For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold to those from those who walk uprightly.

Thought for Today
God as our shield is our greatest protection and favor to meet any challenge in any circumstance.

Monday, March 14, 2011

FREEDOM FROM INTIMIDATING FEAR!

FREEDOM FROM INTIMIDATING FEAR!

Verse for Today: Monday, March 14, 2011
Matthew 14:30 - But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me".

We are given two options as we open our eyes. Either we can see all that is against us and be frightened, or see the Lord Jesus in front of our eyes and be encouraged. The wind, waves and the roaring sea are intimidating and can cause doubt in our minds. We often imagine the consequences of these opposing forces and loose hope. The enemy of our souls will always try to cause us fear and doubt by manipulating our circumstances and situations. But there is no need for us to be afraid because our Lord is there for us. He is able to save us from any situation with His mighty power. All the elements and powers of nature were created by Him to serve His children. A wind is supposed to blow, but that doesn't mean that it is against us. Let the wind come and go, but we are safe in the hands of our Lord. His presence is guaranteed for us even in the midst of the worst situations. The powers of darkness will always try to intimidate us and push us into despair. But our Lord is so near us to whom we can call for help. He has already made provisions to save us from the perils of situations. He has given us the privilege to call upon Him to help us. How many times in the past has the Lord reassured us that there is no reason to be afraid because He is with us! But when we find another fierce situation in the future, we tend to lose our hope. Instead, we need to only put our faith in the Lord to see us through the storm. It is amazing that Peter did not sink yet, but he thought he was going to sink. It was when he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the wind that he felt he would sink. That is exactly what the enemy will make us do. The enemy will manipulate the situations to tempt us to take our eyes off Jesus, but we should not fall a prey to such traps, and keep meditating on the Lord Jesus and His mighty power to save us.

Dear friend, are you confronted by a mighty wind or powerful wave in front of your eyes? Is the intimidating power demonstrated in front of your eyes so mighty that you probably think that it would devour or engulf you? But there is no need for you to succumb to these situations by looking at it and imagine what it can cause to you. Your Lord is near you with stretched out arms to help and strengthen you. He is asking you to feel His presence even in the midst of the mighty wind and waves. He wants you to change your focus from the extraneous forces and look at Jesus who is in your heart. His mighty angels are all around you to keep you safe. The Lord will keep you as the apple of His eyes. The enemy can only create a situation to sow elements of doubt and confusion in your mind, but the Word of the Lord is sowed in your heart to empower you to weather away the threats. The word of promise that you are given is from the Lord and is as powerful as the Lord Himself. The Lord and His promises are given to you so that you can rely on Him to feel the safety and security that He wants to give you. He will never leave you alone and will never forsake you. You are so precious to the Lord that He would never allow you to sink in your situation and loose your faith. The wind will always be there which will make the waves roar in the sea of life. But there is a guarantee that you will not sink or drown because your security is guaranteed by the Lord. The power of His Spirit and His promises are in you to keep you from doubting. You need to make use of the resources given to you to keep away from fear, anxiety, doubt, confusion, loneliness, intimidation and perplexity. You can challenge any wind or storm around you in the name of your Lord and get victory over it. Look straight unto Him and get victory over all the intimidating forces you are confronted with today and live a life of victory through faith and trust in the Lord who has enriched you with His presence today.

Psalms 46:2 - Therefore we will not fear; though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea.

Thought for Today
In the midst of the worst situations in life, there is strength, comfort and joy for a look at the Lord who is near us.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

EMPTINESS BREAKS INTO FULLNESS!

EMPTINESS BREAKS INTO FULLNESS!

Verse for Today: Sunday, March 13, 2011
Matthew 14:17 - "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish", they answered.

God doesn't require any serious input from man to work a miracle. All God wants is for us to admit our nothingness and emptiness to Him. When we feel that we are capable, we would not need His help in our lives. He expects us to admit our weaknesses and inadequacies to Him sincerely. When we thus become broken in our spirits, take the rags of our lives, wrap it up and give it to Him, He will take it in His hands to do great things. No matter what our failure is, if we give it to Jesus, He can turn it into great victory. He uses the weakest and the smallest to accomplish His purposes in life. But it is important that we admit our real situation of emptiness to Him. If we don't, then it reveals our pride which God abhors. It is amazing how the disciples were willing to admit to Jesus that in order to feed several thousand people, they only had five loaves and two small fish which was barely enough for one boy. Their willingness to admit their colossal inadequacy helped them to see the great work of God in their midst. They found that it was for them to admit and submit to Jesus all their weaknesses and leave the rest to Jesus to handle. They didn't think publicly admitting their feeble case was below their dignity. But it was an opportunity for them to put their utter faith in Jesus. Today Jesus is challenging us to admit our emptiness and submit our meager resources to Him in utter brokenness, and without embarrassment or pride. If we want to see Him work in our lives, let our lives be at His disposal to do what He wants with it. Let Him even break it into pieces so that it can end up as a great blessing to an unimaginable magnitude.

Dear friend, are you at a crossroad in your life in utter helplessness and without any way out of your situation? Do you feel at a loss as to what to do next to move forward? Is the task before you too huge for you to even attempt because of your total inadequacy to move even a small finger? You may start by looking into your heart to see if there is any degree of self and pride? If so, it is time to admit it to Jesus and tell Him how weak and helpless you are. As you are thus broken and express it before the Lord Jesus, He will take all that you are in submission to Him and work great things for His glory. Perhaps no one will know even about the meager resources you had, but all will know what the Lord has done with it for His name sake. When you thus submit all that you are and have, He will take it in His hands, break it to pieces and make use of it in marvelous ways. If you are not willing to be broken by Him, then your prospects will remain as it has always been. You will also have to realize that brokenness is a painful experience, but it is also a way to multiply what you are and have. When you thus submit yourself to Jesus, it brings glory to Him and at the same time make all around contended. You might still remain unknown just like the boy who owned the bread and the fish, but your Lord will be glorified through it all. Perhaps we have not experienced such spiritual blessings in our lives because we have not admitted our emptiness and submitted ourselves to be broken by the hands which have made us. Let us today enjoy the experience of brokenness because when our bones are broken, they can rejoice in the Lord and lead us to become everything in the Lord, though nothing in ourselves. He will give us the faith to trust Him to use us and our broken situations to bring glory to Him.

Matthew 14:18 - "Bring them here to me", He said.

Thought for Today
God takes our smallest and weakest to make the greatest out of it if we allow Him to break it and reshape it as it pleases Him.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

DIVINE VALUATION!

DIVINE VALUATION!

Verse for Today: Saturday, March 12, 2011
Matthew 10:31 - So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

Sparrows are created by God and are cared for by God in special ways. He feeds them and takes care of them, and none of them fall to the ground without His permission. He has absolute control over all that happens to all His creatures. But God has created man in His own image and has so much more concern for all human beings. He is much concerned about the body, soul and spirit of man. He knows the totality of the hairs on man's head and knows how many of these hairs fall down and how many stays. God knows and cares for man with such great precision because He values man so much. As His creation, man is like a child to God and He is their Father who provides for them. His children who are born into His family through faith in Jesus Christ are His special children who are members of His family of born again people. As they are the result of the life of His only begotten Son, God gives greatest value to them more than any thing else. He knows how the enemy of their souls fights them and put all efforts to defeat them in their lives through emotional and physical threats. They are fought by the enemy especially in matters related to their faith. They are hated because of their faith and the stand they take on moral, ethical, social and above all spiritual issues. Often God's children do not have any one to defend them in this world, but God will be their defender before other men. When they have to suffer for their faith and allegiance to God, He will protect them and keep them from all the snares of the enemy. When fear grips them because of the threats they face, God will be their shield and defender. This ought to encourage any embattled child of God on a daily basis.

Dear friend, are you facing the enemy in your daily life? Is the enemy using other human beings to fight you at the work place, neighbourhood, business, family circles and even in the spiritual realms? Are people creating false evidences against you to weaken your stand for God? Are there efforts to discredit you and devalue your ministries or services you render to others because of your faith and spiritual stand? Are they raising false witnesses against you? Is there an effort to trouble you physically and take away what ought to belong to you? Are others taking away your opportunities and do they stand on your way to progress? Your greatest comfort today is that your Lord knows all about it. Your enemy cannot touch you without the permission of your God. If He permits them to touch you, it is for your good and for strengthening your faith. But even if they try to terrorize you, your God will be with you. He will not allow even a hair from your head to fall down without His knowledge and express permission. If He allows it, there should be some spiritual goal behind it. Sometimes the enemy is sabre rattling to just make you afraid and quit. At other times, the enemy is trying his tactics out of frustration to do something against you for self satisfaction, knowing well that he cannot do any thing against you. But you need to simply trust in your God and hold on to your ground, and continue to serve Him even in difficult situations. The God of Daniel and Nehemiah who took away their fears and made them continue to serve Him and His cause even in most fearful and difficult circumstances will be with you. The God who performed great ministries through Samuel, David, Paul, Peter and John is the same God who is at your side and He will see you through all that He has planned for you. So dear friend, don't be discouraged and loose hope because your Father will look after you. He will testify about you, and will give you to the strength to hold your ground and make progress even in the midst of fierce battle with the enemy. He is your Ebenezer and will lead you forward. He is your Jehovah-Jirah who will give the necessary strength every step of the way.

Psalms 27:5 - For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.

Thought for Today
The world is made to understand the value of God's children through the various ways by which He looks after them in their struggles against the enemy.