WHOLESOME LIFE!!

Wholesome life!

Verse for Today: Monday, October 31, 2011

Malachi 4:2 – But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.

We often forget that God’s blessings to His children are one-sided. God’s love is unilateral because He is love and loves all humans, whether we love Him or not. But it can be our experience only if we receive His love by asking Him to come into our lives. God’s blessings are two types. His general blessings are available to all humans irrespective of whether they have a personal relation with Him or not. But His promises and special blessings are given to those who revere and respect Him. Such reverence and respect are a result of our relationship with Him. If He is accepted by us as our Savior, Lord, Redeemer, Master and the object of our worship, then our hearts will be full of respect for Him. We fear Him out of our respect and are wonderstruck with His power, glory, strength, majesty and get ourselves lost in the wonder that He is. It changes our perspectives in life. Our goals in life change and our aspirations will thus become one with His. When we revere God in our lives, He gets greater control over our lives and all our affairs. Thus when we live in the fear of the Lord, He brightens our lives with His righteousness. He then becomes the healer of all ills in our souls and makes us experience emotional healing and wholeness in our lives. Thus when we live with the touch of the Lord in our lives, we will be filled with His joy and can leap like calves released from its stall. It is then that we forget about ourselves with all our problems, difficulties, tensions, pressures, battles, shortages, failures and inadequacies and leave all our needs and situations with the Lord. If we live in the fear of our Lord, we have the privilege to live a life that is lost in Him on a daily basis because the Lord as the sun (Son) of righteousness will shed His glory on our way and in our hearts. Today is our opportunity to live for the Lord in His fear and enjoy such a thrilling experience in life.

Dear reader, are you enjoying the fear of the Lord as a basic characteristic in your life and heart? Your fear of the Lord leads you to enjoy special relationship with Him so as to experience the glory of the Lord on your pathways. It takes away your focus from your situations and circumstances and helps you to focus on the Lord. All your desires, plans, likes, dislikes and aspirations will be subject to His rule in your life. As you revere the Lord, you would not like anything that the Lord would not permit or desire. In fact, your desire for any thing that is not pleasing to the Lord will be lost and you will develop newer desires which are pleasing to Him no matter what the consequences are. Your Lord will test your heart in the light of the fear of the Lord and help you to grow in His reverence. When the Lord finds your fear of Him in your heart and in your actions, He will brighten your pathways with His righteousness. You will start enjoying His healing touch to make you whole and you will enjoy victory over all mundane desires and priorities you might have in your life. Such an unshackled and wholesome life is God’s gift to you to enjoy today. It is a life that is totally detached from the cares of the world. You have the privilege today to live such a life and leap like a calf out of ecstasy and thrill because such a life is Christ living in you today.

Proverbs 19:23 – The fear of the Lord leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.

Thought for Today
Fear of the Lord leads to real freedom and wholeness in life.

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UNCHANGING GOD IN CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES!!

Unchanging God in changing circumstances!

Verse for Today: Sunday, October 30, 2011

Malachi 3:6 – I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.

God’s people over the years have gone through a lot of changing circumstances. Kings came and gone forever. Friends became foes and neighbours became enemies and traitors. There have been external aggressions. Crops failed several times and drought made their land dry and parched. But in such situations, their God interfered in their situations and brought good times again to them. His promises to them have not changed because they were an expression of God’s character of consistency. He was the same all the days of their sojourn. His promises never changed and His power was always available to them. He tested their faith often, in order to see where they needed strengthening. When the enemies attacked them, their God was with them and He protected them under His wings. God’s promises have been their confidence to keep going and keep hoping against hope. Even the dry bones became alive again. Jacob lived in hopelessness and depression for some time, but God revived his spirit and filled him with confidence. When he went through the valleys, God fortified his faith to hold on to Him. His son Joseph was never willing to give up even in the most difficult circumstances. Nehemiah was used by the Lord to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem which was accomplished in a mere 52 days which is an engineering miracle even with the best of modern technology. He also brought order and decorum to the city of Jerusalem and brought it back to its old glory only because the never-changing God was with him. He speaks today to the modern day descendants of Jacob in faith to keep reminding themselves of the fact that they are all sustained because of the unchangeable promises of their never-changing God.

Hello dear reader, if you are going through a time of hopelessness and are depressed because of your tough circumstances, you need to remind yourself of the sustaining power of your Lord which is with you to lead you forward. His faithfulness to you and to His promises does not depend on your faithfulness. Even when you experience doubts and confusion, your Lord would not relent from His promises. His power still flows to you to strengthen you. His love is still showered on you like a never-ending fountain. His stream of care and protection continues to flow to you to soak you in His grace. His compassionate protection encompasses around you and so no destructive forces will penetrate to pierce you. When He is with you, you will accomplish what He wants you to accomplish according to His plan and program for you. You will not be destroyed by the forces of wickedness because your unchanging God will see you through the present difficulties you are encountered with. His promises will never diminish in power and they are alive and active for you to claim. He will definitely keep His promises to you and take you through your present scenario and lead you to the milestones He has prepared for you. At each milestone, you will be welcomed by the miraculous and mysterious accomplishments God has planned for you. These milestones will be great places of encouragements for you to keep revisiting because they are evidences of God’s faithfulness to you. Let today be another day when you arrive at some milestone in your sojourn because of your unchanging God and praise Him for His mighty hands in your life for His glory.

Psalms 103:4 – (The Lord) redeems your life from destruction and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies.

Thought for Today

The unchanging God with His never-changing promises is with His children in all their circumstances which keep changing.

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MY FIREWALL!!

My Firewall!

Verse for Today: Saturday, October 29, 2011

Zechariah 2:5 – ‘And I myself will be a wall of fire around it, declares the Lord, ‘and I will be its glory within.’

We are comforted with the words of the Lord about the way He takes care of His children and their interests here on earth. He knows their needs and the precarious situations they are in. He realizes the subtle ways by which the enemy encroaches into their situations. He understands the phobia that their insecure situations can cause them. But He reminds them that He has established His glory within them and so it is a matter of dignity and reputation for Him to encompass around His children and sustain them in an unstable world. When they lack confidence and courage because of the besieging enemies around them, He reminds them that even though there is no visible wall around them for protection, they do not need to be anxious. His Word comes to tell His children that the Lord Himself is their wall. He is such a powerful wall around them that unless this impenetrable wall is broken, no one from the outside will be able to destroy them. He also reminds them that He is a wall of fire around them which will make the enemy burn if they touch His children. He will not allow His glory within us to be trampled by the enemy. He is around His children no matter what their circumstances are. This firewall is invisible for the fleshly eyes, but can be seen with the eyes of faith. No matter what we face day by day, the Lord continues to be our firewall around us for protection, safety, care, confidence and comfort. Any earthly walls remain vulnerable to human technology. But the Lord as our firewall cannot be broken through the intelligence, technology and armory of Satan. When the Lord is around us, our safety is absolutely guaranteed. This is not simply a promise of mere words, but a factual guarantee given by Almighty God which can be experienced at all times.

Dear friend, are you afraid of the saber rattling of the enemy in front of your eyes? Can you hear the threat of words and the demonstration of the armory which the enemy exhibits before you? Are you loosing confidence to go forward because of the formidable forces that are around you? But if you look around through the Lord, you will not have any cause to be afraid of or loose confidence. In His glory, all that surround you will be only shadows and will all look very feeble and insignificance. When you see the glory of the Lord as a firewall around you, that vision will give you confidence and courage to face the future. No force on earth or under the earth can penetrate the glory of the Lord surrounding you. He will not allow the enemy to touch you because you are so greatly precious to Him. He is the wall around you to remind you of His sole ownership and possession. He is your dignity, reputation, honor and status because you are His concern and precious asset whom He purchased with the blood of His Son. So there is no cause for you to be anxious about the enemy around and loose confidence. You can be bold and strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. You can look around and see the Lord in His glory as a firewall around you and gain confidence to face the stark realities of life each day. You are in the hands of your Lord with maximum safety and security. He will not leave you alone to face the enemy or your circumstances even for a moment. With Him around you, you are not susceptible to danger. As you are on the Rock of Ages, and if you hold on to Him as He holds you with His hands, there is no scope for any fear. Today let us renew our faith and trust in this Lord. Today is another day of total dependence on Him and enjoy His security, for He is our firewall around us.

Ephesians 6:10 – Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

Thought for Today

God’s glory glitters around His children like a firewall and in that fire all the enemies burn like insects.

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HIS CHOICE AND MY PRIVILEGE!!

His choice and my privilege!

Verse for Today: Friday, October 28, 2011

Haggai 2:23 – ‘I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.

When God fulfills His promises, often He uses one of His servants as a tool in His hands to accomplish it. His eyes look for faithful, obedient and committed people to become instruments in His hands. Our obedience, humility and commitment are the evidences of our willingness that the Lord is looking for in order to choose us. For each occasion, He has His choice servants to work for Him. He could have accomplished the task all by Himself and would not need partners. But it pleases Him to use us as partners in accomplishing great tasks. When Israeli remnants were prepared to go back to Jerusalem, the city that they cherished, God wanted them to go back to refurbish and rebuild the Temple and the walls of Jerusalem. For each of these daunting tasks, God chose the right people. They were right not because they were perfect, but because God found their hearts right with Him. Zerubbabel was one such person chosen by God to do exactly what He intended to do. It was merely God’s grace that Zerubbabel was chosen and commissioned for the task. The Bible is full of names of His choice men and women to accomplish His tasks for Him in each generation. They were trained by Him and were equipped for the task with His power, knowledge and strength. He chooses them according to His divine wisdom. He has chosen kings, princes, priests, shepherds, men, women, soldiers, fishermen, boys, girls, commoners, illiterates, poor and wealthy people and made use of them. All were people with feet of clay, but He strengthened them with His power. They were like His signet rings for the task that He entrusted with them with His authority and appointment. Today He is still looking around for such usable, humble and committed people.

Dear reader, have you ever considered the fact that God might use you to accomplish His tasks here on earth? If God wants to use you, there is no reason why you try to write yourself off because of lack of qualifications and skills. When God chooses a person for Himself, He will qualify and equip that person and give all the grace that is necessary for task. God will teach and train that person according to His schedule. All the physical means necessary for the task will be provided by God who will sustain the person all through the task. The lives of Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Ezra, Nehemiah, Amos, Peter and Paul underscore the mighty wisdom and power of God in choosing and using ordinary people to accomplish God’s plan for the world. If you are unconditionally committed to Him, you are also a candidate for Him to choose you. Your past is not a deterrent and your lack of qualifications or experience will not keep you out of it because all your deficiencies will be compensated by God. Your availability and willingness to be of use to the Lord will be taken forward by the Lord. He will not drive you from behind, but will gently lead you forward as He walks in front of you. When you are weary, He will support and strengthen you. When you are exasperated, He will inspire you. He will turn all the impossibilities around you to be possibilities in Him. When God makes use of you, He will meet all your earthly needs and lead you forward. As you plough His field, He will wipe your tears of pain and anguish. As you carry the load, He will carry you in His hands. When you are lonely, He will give you company. He will be your light and lamp lest you go the wrong way. When He chooses you, it will be a matter of great amazement for you because the Lord Almighty has chosen the unusable and makes you fit for His task. Today is yet another day for Him to use you if only you are committed and willing.

Matthew 22:14 – For many are called, but few are chosen.

Thought for Today

The fact that the Almighty chooses me to be an instrument in His hands to accomplish His task is a bewildering reality to experience and enjoy.

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OVERCOME THE HILLS!!

Overcome the hills!

Verse for Today: Thursday, October 27, 2011

Habakkuk 3:19 – The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights.

Climbing hills like a deer needs special strength and skills for man. God wants His children to climb and overcome the hills of hindrances. He knows that we do not have the skills and capacity to climb these hills and so He gives us His strength. He wants to equip us to climb swiftly like a deer. What we cannot do in our natural abilities is made possible when He equips us. In His strength we can climb any hill and overcome it. What education cannot give us is given to us by Him thorough His wisdom. If we cannot speak eloquently, He can make us speak with His power which will hit human hearts hard. When we are poor in writing, He will enable us to write for His glory. He will strengthen us to overcome the hills of discouragement through the hope that He plants in our hearts. When He equips us, we can come out of our prison cells of loneliness and hopelessness. The pages of the Bible are full of people who are equipped by the Lord to do what He envisaged and planned for them for His glory. He made kings out of shepherds. He made a sling shot do what swords could not accomplish. He took fearful people like Gideon to defeated large and mighty armies. He made His children eat pulses and become comelier than those who ate the rich food of the royals. The Lord made the lame to leap and the blind to see. He made wine out of water. He multiplied a few bread into a feast for a few thousands. He made His children to reach higher echelons of spiritual life when they walked with Him. He even made friendship with His children and shared His secrets with them. The Lord wants to do the same in our lives today if we are willing to be equipped by Him with His strength so that we can scale the higher mountains of spiritual experience.

Dear friend, are you backing out of the heights that you find in front of you because of lack of confidence? Are you afraid of the huge mountains of hindrances that stand erect in front of you? You can scale these mountains in and through the strength the Lord wants to impart on you. He wants to equip you with the necessary spiritual skills to handle the hindrances and to overcome them. He gives us the skills and strength to keep climbing higher peaks of spiritual experience like Caleb of old. He wants to strike friendship with you as in the case of Abraham who came a long way from being an unknown sojourner of the Chaldean city of Ur to be a Friend of God. He wants to equip you to overcome the powerful hills of kings and queens as in the case of Prophet Elijah. The Lord will enable us to overcome hindrances even today if we are willing and ready to take Him at His Word and solely depend on Him. He will equip us with His Spirit and His Word to become skillful to overcome the hindrances which stand on our way to accomplishing what God wants us for Him here in this world. In His power, we can command the mountains to be removed from being a hindrance or climb and overcome it swiftly. We are challenged today to attempt to handle these mountains by faith and total dependence on the power of the Lord. If we cast our net at His Word, we will certainly climb the hills and overcome heights for His glory.

Joshua 14:12 – Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as He said.

Thought for Today
Only with the power and strength of the Lord can we overcome mountainous hindrances on our way and scale spiritual heights.

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FOUNTAIN OF GOODNESS!!

Fountain of goodness!

Verse for Today: Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Nahum 1:7 – The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.

The goodness of God is available to all His children to experience all the time. His goodness can be tasted in a tasteless world. His goodness is extended to His people at all seasons and times and in all circumstances. He showers His goodness on His children during times of rain and shine. But we recognize its depth during times of trouble. When all are against us, His nearness means a lot more to us than when the going is good. When we are lonely and rejected, He comes to us in His goodness to give us divine fellowship. When we are weak, His goodness comes to us in the form of divine strength and power. When we are poor, He reminds us of all the riches that He has kept for us in glory. When we do not find hope in our circumstances, He gives us hope for a brighter tomorrow. God gave hope to Noah through the ark when His judgment to the nations was in the anvil. He appeared to Moses and Gideon when there was no hope for a brighter future for His people from oppression. Joseph experienced it in the pit and the dungeon in which the world locked him up. Jacob found His goodness when he lost Rachel and Joseph and was on the verge of loosing all his children. A broken hearted Isaiah experienced His goodness in His presence at a time of national confusion and depression after the death of king Uzziah. The Magi found His goodness when they experienced His guidance through the star. Paul and Peter enjoyed His goodness in prisons. Elijah tasted His goodness each day at Kerith and at Zarephath. John found abundance of His goodness in the Island of Patmos. Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah and Elizar would say the same about their experiences of the Lord. Without any exception all God’s children at all times have tasted His goodness as they went through storms, waves, flood, fire, dens of lions, caves and the wilderness. His goodness is the same today as it has been always for His children.

Dear reader, have you realized how much of His goodness the Lord has showered upon you? Your very existence and the innumerable times you have ploughed through trouble would be evidence to see how good the Lord has been to you. He gave you a life to live here on earth and sustained you till today because of His goodness. He met all your needs far beyond your expectations and merits because of His goodness. He kept you safe and sound allowed all your faculties to work efficiently because of His goodness. He made you dwell in His safety under His wings against all the snares of the enemy because of His goodness. He re-created you on the cross of Calvary and made you a new person because of His goodness. He makes His grace sufficient for all your situations because of His goodness. It is His goodness that you meet all your basic needs in life. He knows you far more than you know yourself, with all your strengths and weaknesses. He gives you opportunities to make use of your strengths for His glory and sustains you in spite of your weaknesses. He keeps you going towards your eternal destination on a daily basis and kindles hope in your heart about what He has designed for you in the future. In all your troubles, you can depend on Him, and He will never turn you away empty handed. He knows all your inadequacies and compensates for it all through His goodness and grace. He is near you and with you today to deliver you from all troubles and give you all that you need, to live for Him here on earth. Are you not the most blessed person on earth today because the Almighty is with you to shower His goodness on you? Remember, it is all on His account and you are the beneficiary. Today you are challenged to make use of God’s goodness and not waste it.

Psalms 31:19a – How great is Your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you.

Thought for Today
God’s goodness is like an ocean full of His grace, love, care, compassion and mercy, and it flows like a never ending stream and a fountain toward His children.

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WHEN ALL SUPPORT REMOVED!!

When all support removed!

Verse for Today: Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Jonah 4:7 – But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered.

God wants all His children to know that He is their only support, strength, help and provider at all times. He provides for us always, but He doesn’t want us to forget the provider and depend on the provision. He wants our trust to be in Him and not in any thing that He raises up to support us in our sojourn. He gives us temporary shades to take away our discomfort, but wants us to realize that we live under the shadow of the Almighty. Our comfort comes only from Him and that we dwell on the green pastures and the cool waters that He provides. Prophet Jonah was so excited about the vine that the Lord provided for his shade and comfort. But God took the comfort away to make him realize that he ought to depend on the Lord and dwell under His wings. When God takes away the shades that He gives us and close us from all corners to teach us great lessons on dependence and trust, He expects us to renew and reaffirm our dependence on Him. The Lord provides for all our needs, but when our focus changes from Him to shades like employment, financial stability, good health and solid friendship, He sometimes shakes these shades and even removes it from us. How we respond to such interventions of the Lord depend on our spiritual maturity and level of trust in Him. Sometimes we get frustrated and feel like quitting. We plunge ourselves into negative thinking, self pity and lose our joy in the Lord. But no matter what the Lord takes away from us, we will have to believe in His power to sustain us and so we ought to praise Him in all such situations.

Dear reader, are you frustrated because the Lord took away some of the shades that He had provided for you? Are you questioning the wisdom of the Lord when He withdraws some visible support from you? Remember, He is interested in enhancing your trust solely in Him and in nothing else. He doesn’t want us to think that He is good because He gives us all favourable circumstances and excellent facilities. Even when He withdraws all visible support for us, He is still our beloved Lord who cares for us. When the brook of Cherith dries and the ravens stop coming our way with bread and meat, He is still our Lord. Even when there is a famine is Bethlehem, it is still the house of bread where our Lord will give bread to His people at the right time. When God sends a famine in Canaan, He has committed to look after Abraham and his family. Even when the Lord allowed Job’s health, wealth and family to be wiped out, He was still with Job and proved to Him that He was in control of his affairs and that Job should find Him as the God of the Impossible. When Moses is gone from the scene, He prepares a Joshua to take charge, but His desire is that His people should recognize Him as their Shepherd and provider. So dear friend, if the Lord allows you to go through financial shortages, joblessness, loneliness or ill-health, He wants you to know that He is taking away some or all those shades in your life on which you depend deeply. It is His desire that you depend on Him alone and praise Him for hat He gives and takes away. He wants you to consider Him greater than everything else that you have in life and value Him utmost. When all things are removed from you, He is still with you and wants to fill you with the confidence that He is sufficient for all your needs. So let us today renew our total and absolute dependence on Him and praise Him for all circumstances He allows in our lives with praise in our hearts and lips.

2 Corinthians 12:9 – But (the Lord) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”

Thought for Today
Our trust and dependence on the Lord should not be because He allows favourable circumstances in our lives, but because of His goodness even in unfavourable circumstances.

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USING THE USELESS!!

Using the useless!

Verse for Today: Monday, October 24, 2011

Amos 7:15 – But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”

God is looking for people from humanly unthinkable backgrounds to use for the most difficult tasks in His vineyard. He is keen to use those from humble echelons in the society who have nothing to claim for themselves. When a person is nothing in himself or herself, he or she becomes usable to God. Only those who admit their emptiness before God are picked by God. When He chooses such people, He fills them with His power and uses them for His glory. Such people will then become fit instruments in His hands to be of use for divine and eternal purposes. Only such people will give all glory for all that they are made to do to the Lord and will not steal any credit from Him. Amos was an ordinary shepherd. He went around the scattered fields to pick the fruit of sycamore-fig trees. Such a person who had no earthly glory or qualification to become a servant of God was chosen for a tough task by the Lord. God took Amos, trained him under His own hands and equipped him to be a prophet of God. When God chose David, he was a shepherd boy who had no training to qualify as a king. God chose Moses who qualified as a shepherd in the desert for 40 years and put him in the ministry of releasing His people from Egypt. Gideon was not a soldier, but a fearful village youth and God used him. He chose fishermen and tax collectors for His task. For God, a person’s low background is not a deterrent in using that person for His work. God wants commitment, loyalty and full surrender from His servants. God doesn’t want His chosen vessels to be empty of their self and will have no cause to claim any personal glory. All that they do will have to be only because of God and not an iota of it could be because of their educational qualifications, skills, abilities, family background, fortune, fame and prestige. He wants all glory in His vineyard to go to Him and Him alone.

Dear friend, are you usable to God in His vineyard? God can use you only if you have emptied yourself of all that is credited to your personality and background. He wants you to be empty of all your merits and qualifications so that He can equip you with His strength to use you as it pleases Him. He wants all glory in all that is done in His vineyard to Him alone. God doesn’t share His glory with any one else. But no matter what your background is, if you are sufficiently committed to Him, He can use you. If and when you are empty, He will fill you with Himself and His Spirit. If you are weak, He will strengthen you with the power of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. If you acknowledge that you are unfit for God to use you, and if you go to Him admitting your lack of qualifications, He will make you fit by molding you to fit into His hands. If you are poor, He will enrich you with all the treasures of Heaven. If you lack wisdom, He will give you His wisdom and grace. Perhaps we are not used of the Lord currently because we have not emptied ourselves of our self. He is seeking us and wants to use us for His glory. If we are adequately surrendered to serving Him, we will be used for His cause here one earth. Today it ought to be our utmost longing to be of use to Him. Today if we submit all that we have and are to the Lord, He will use us. Our background will not be a deterrent, but our surrender will be the yardstick for our usefulness. Let us seek to be available to the Lord the way we are without any reservation and renew our consecration to Him.

Isaiah 42:3 – A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out.

Thought for Today
Our usefulness to God depends not on our merit, but solely on His grace.

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STRENGTH OF A TOUCH!!

Strength of a touch!

Verse for Today: Sunday, October 23, 2011
Daniel 10:18 – Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength.

There are various occasions when God proves to us that without Him and His touch, we are only clays with no strength in ourselves. We realize how weak we are when we are confronted by opposition and conflicts in our souls from the outside. At other times when we realize how daunting a task we are engaged in for the Lord, we feel inadequate and weak. When we see the depth and height of the glory of the Lord, we feel inadequate and weak and a sense of awe and nothingness encompasses us. But God will not leave us weak and inadequate at such times, but will strengthen us. When we confess our weaknesses and inadequacies, He comes to strengthen us. He fortifies us with His Spirit and through His Word which are the greatest powerhouses. These powerhouses are kept for us to draw strength and power to continue to do what God wants us to do. When we are broken in our spirits and admit our emptiness before the Lord with utter repentance and confession, He comes to give us His touch of power and strength to keep going. Daniel needed such a touch by the Lord and so did Isaiah. David could not go forward for a moment without the touch of the Lord. Paul experienced this touch several times during his ministry. John was lifted up by the hand of the Lord and imparted with strength several times when he was on the Island of Patmos as he received the Revelation. When he fell flat on the ground without any strength because of the awesomeness of the revelation of the glory of the Lord, he so badly needed the touch of the Lord to keep going with the ministry entrusted by the Lord. Enoch enjoyed the gentle touch of the Lord as they walked hand in hand for 300 years. This touch is available for us today in our weaknesses and failures as we are confronted by the realities of the tasks entrusted with us. It demands our brokenness and confession that we have reached our wit’s end and our willingness to admit our nothingness.

Dear friend, do you feel that you need the touch of the Lord in a special way today to keep going because the going has become tough? Are you confronted with the realities of the awesomeness of the task that the Lord has entrusted with you? Are you haunted by your total inadequacy and nothingness before the Lord to the extent to which the great fear of the Lord grips you? Daniel is a great example for us to learn to handle such situations. The servant of God who was bold in the presence of Nebuchadnezzar, the hungry lions and his powerful adversaries became like a vegetable in the presence of the Lord because of the awesomeness of God and the greatness of the task that is given to him. Moses had such feeling of inadequacy and emptiness before God. Gideon experienced nothingness before the Lord. Jacob could no longer run away from realities of life and had to accept his emptiness before the Lord and live with a limp throughout the rest of his life. Paul had to enjoy His grace along with the admission of his weakness and continued to be the instrument of God’s revelation in the ministry. In the life of all these servants, we find our Lord going to them to strengthen them with His gentle touch which was sufficient to fortify them. His touch broke the thigh of Jacob and purged the tongue of Isaiah. His touch gave Daniel the necessary strength to pour hope into the hearts of the discouraged people of God. This strength is available to us today. It will be given to us when we are emptied of our natural physical, intellectual and emotional strength and do not depend on our abilities and skills. Today if we admit our weaknesses and the pressures of our situations to the Lord, He will strengthen us with His power to keep going. When He sees our weaknesses and the brokenness in our souls, He will come and touch us with His hands to fortify us so that we will be equipped to continue to serve Him and His cause here on earth.

Psalms 84:5a – Blessed are those whose strength is in You.

Thought for Today

God’s touch gives us His strength to do His work when we are weak, inadequate, empty, contrite and broken in ourselves.

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ANGELIC SECURITY!!

Angelic security!

Verse for Today: Saturday, October 22, 2011

Daniel 6:22a – My God sent His angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions.

The deliverance of Daniel is a prime example of God’s direct interference to protect His children. But even before Daniel went into the lion’s den, he was given the holy boldness not to fear the edict of the king. Daniel feared God more than the king and the lions. His fear of God kept all his earthly fears at bay. He was not concerned about public opinion or removal from the highly influential position he had in the government. He was bent on fearing God and speaking to God about his concerns in life. While God’s angel was in the lion’s den with Daniel, the king was distressed and unable to sleep. But Daniel had the peace that surpassed all reasoning as he trusted God without regard to consequences. He was a man who feared only God and so enjoyed the favor of God. It is unimaginable to see the lions keeping their mouths shut in front of a prey. But God who created the lions had them under His control. Such peace and fearlessness can be ours if we do not fear man, earthly consequences and even attack from people who are like wild animals. There are people around us who behave with us like wild animals and they scheme evil against us. They have the capacity to devour us like lions through gossip, falsehood and misrepresentation. But our Lord interferes in our situations to prevent them from attacking and devouring us because He has more things to accomplish through us in this world. Our lives are His because He purchased us on the cross of Calvary and He will fulfill His purpose through us as it pleases Him. Each day it is our privilege to escape the snares of the enemy who uses humans and situations against us. The enemy is a thief, a murderer and a destroyer who uses all his tactics against us as he did against Daniel. Let us thank the Lord for His special care and protection in the wake of all attacks and traps of the enemy.

Dear friend, are you being challenged by the enemy and his agents through subtle ways? Is the enemy trying to trap you in different ways and deceive you to water down your faith as you face the various realities of life daily? Are there threats against your very existence or your financial stability? Is the enemy trying to instill fear in you about loss of job, reputation, status and dignity? Today the Lord wants to speak to you through the lives of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They feared God so much so that they had no fear of man and the consequences of commitment to the Lord. They refused to bow to the edicts of the king, but respected the law of the Lord. God knew the genuineness of their faith and trust in Him and interfered to protect them. He shut the mouths of the lions and fire and sustained His servants so that His purpose through them could be sustained. He stood between His servants on the one side and the lions and the fire on the other side to keep them safe and sanctified. God did the same for Elijah, Elisha, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, Esther, David, Paul and Peter. They were all brought out of various dens through mysterious ways so that they could continue to serve Him. The same Lord is with us today as a fire wall to respond to our fearless faith in all situations. Let us today praise Him for the marvelous ways by which He keeps us going during these perilous times and helps us grow in our faith in His power and strength which overshadows all the powers of darkness around us.

Psalms 91:11 – For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

Thought for Today
God appoints His holy angels to stand guard for each of His children in the dens created by the enemy.

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RAINBOWS IN THE HORIZONS!!

Rainbows in the horizon!

Verse for Today: Friday, October 21, 2011

Ezekiel 37:3 – He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign Lord, You alone know.”

Dry bones are the ultimate in hopelessness. All hope is gone from these dry bones for a long time and they are ignored, forgotten and buried under ashes and soil by people around. They do not give any hope for a revival. This was the condition of God’s people down through the centuries, but we find that they are revived at the appointed times by their creator and redeemer. For their God, no situation is hopeless and beyond revival. He has a purpose in allowing His people to be like dry bones. First, His own people who have lost all hope are brought back to believe that no situation is impossible for Him to bring them back. He puts faith in their hearts to believe against all hope that what is forgotten and rejected by the world can and will come back to be in the limelight. Secondly, it is a great testimony for the unbelieving world that God will not forget His people forever. Their situation today might be because of their sinfulness and disobedience, or because God wants them to be an object lesson for the world to learn about God’s faithfulness to His people. God’s acts of benevolence point towards His compassion to His people and the fulfillment of all His promises to them. The Jewish community and the Roman bureaucracy thought that their craftiness and strategies they could get rid of Jesus of Nazareth, but the Jesus they saw dead on the cross was back in glory within hours. Ahab and Jezebel did not expect Elijah to survive in the famine and they could not imagine that he could travel faster than them. No one in the generation of Noah believed that the ark would become a reality at a time when there was no evidence of a phenomenon called rain. No one thought Peter would escape Herod’s sword or Paul would come of out the Philippian jail. Potiphar and his wife never imagined that Joseph would become their big boss. Yes, our God is the God of the impossible and He works in mysterious ways to revive His people and their cause for their comfort and His glory.

Dear friend, are you like a dry bone living in hopelessness because humanly it is impossible for your situation to turn around to be bright and beautiful? Have you hoped for long and waited endlessly in a seemingly wasteful and vain exercise of unintelligent expectations? Has all the energy to wait any longer drained out of you? Remember, our God never forsakes His children and allows them to be plunged into disillusionment. His promises of a revival of His people will surely and certainly take place. The plight of His children and their situation will see a sea of change. He is the God of miracles who can put the dry bones of your life together and reestablish it with flesh, veins, arteries and life. He can and will modify all that needs to be reset in His own way and at His time. He will surge any sagging spirit as per His plan. He will not forget His people and His promises to them. All they should do is to put their hopes in Him and keep waiting for His time to come. His time is often the point at which all hope is gone forever. Hope in Him has significance only when all other hope is gone. When all our strategies fail and all our tactics go waste, and when we are on the verge of giving up, He comes to tell us that it is never too late for Him to act. When others give up, He starts to act. When all hope is gone, He comes back with brighter hope. All He wants is for us to hope in Him and hand our situations to Him to accomplish His purpose in our lives and situations. Even at the eleventh hour, He can work as in the case of the release of Peter from sword and prison or Joseph from the dungeon. His hands are never too short that it cannot act. Today He expects you and me not to loose our hope but keep trusting in Him to straighten out our hopeless situations according to His design and program. Let us not give up, but give in to trusting in Him.

Psalms 42:5 – Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God.

Thought for Today
God sends rays of hope in the cloudiest of our horizons and creates colourful rainbows.

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HIS COMFORTING TOUCH!!

His comforting touch!

Verse for Today: Thursday, October 20, 2011
Isaiah 66:13 – As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.

The comfort given by a mother to her child is unparalleled in this world. It is supreme in its expression of love and compassion. A mother experiences deep concern and even anguish when her child goes through sickness, pain, hunger, discomfort and sleeplessness. She does everything possible to give maximum comfort when the child is in distress. The mother is willing to sacrifice any thing in life to make her child happy and healthy. But God’s comfort is far greater than that of the mother. When mother’s love for the child is natural, the love of God to His children is supernatural as it impacts our lives far beyond any human imagination and comprehension. God comforts His children when they go through rejection, suppression, oppression, discrimination, despising and mockery. God comes to comfort and give us the strength to go through any adverse circumstance with holy boldness. When we cry, our Lord comes to wipe our tears and sooth our emotions. When we go through loneliness, depravity, pain and misery because of the wounds inflicted on us by our kith and kin, He gives us grace to endure it and to pray for them. He gives us the strength to face unexpected challenges in life and puts His arms around us and holds us in His hands just as little children are cuddled by their mothers. He will tell us how dear we are to Him. He will never leave us alone during trying times. He reassures us of His uninterrupted fellowship and companionship when the going gets tough and rough. He listens to our sobs and difficulties and sympathizes with us. His Spirit will give us hope for a brighter tomorrow when all our troubles in this world will be over.

Dear friend, are you going through adverse circumstances in life? If your life is one of depravity, He will lead you to His riches in glory for you to enjoy and draw upon. If you are lonely, He will give you His company and fellowship. If you are grieved about the way you are treated by those near and dear to you, He will fill your heart with comforting songs to sing in your dark hours. If you are mocked and despised, the Lord will give you deeper insights into the honor and dignity He has granted you in His presence. Your sorrow will turn to joy and your burdens will be lifted in His presence. He will unshackle you from all the chains which bind you and give you the release you so badly need in your spirit. If your heart is wounded, He will apply the Balm of Gilead to heal all your emotions. He will take control of your battered boat and paddle it towards the right shore. When you are weary, He will draw you closer to Him and pat on your back just as a mother will comfort her child. He understands your emotional trauma, swinging moods and despairing spirit and will revive your sagging confidence. You will be kept firmly on the Rock of Ages who will be your hope, trust, foundation, anchor and bulwark that never changes with time and place. Today you have the privilege to put all your trust in Him in the quietness of His presence and experience His comfort, encouragement, sympathy and compassion.

2 Corinthians 1:3 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all mercies and God of all comfort who comforts us in all our afflictions….

Thought for Today
Every emotional aberration of a child of God is healed when He comforts us with His gentle touch.

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EXPERIENCING PROMISES!!

Experiencing Promises!

Verse for Today: Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Isaiah 58:11 – The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

In the most unfavourable circumstances, our Lord is nearer to us to lead us forward. He has promised never to forsake us when everything seems to be against us. When we go through darkness and clouds, He will be there to guide us through His Spirit. His Spirit is the spiritual radar that we can follow even when we are in a vast desert or in the middle of the ocean and tossed around by mighty wind and waves. When there is famine and the land doesn’t yield any crops, He will feed us even through the weakest and unlikely means as He fed Elijah through the ravens and widows. We would not need to be anxious as to how and from where our help will come because our help comes in mysterious ways from our Lord. When there is no rain or moisture to water our sun-scorched and recession-hit fields, our Lord will send His springs and dews to water us to make us like a well-watered garden. We may live in tents like Abraham, but our tents do not exhibit our poverty, but the temporary nature of our earthly abode. Jacob was in deep distress thinking that all that was dear to him was lost forever. But even at that time, His Lord was at work to lift him and his family up and to give his beloved son back to him. If our circumstances plunge us into despondency, we need to go back to the God of Bethel and Paniel and submit our case before Him and wait silently in hope and faith. He has promised never to leave us as orphans and He will lead us here on earth according to His dignity and status. He would not suffer His beloved children to live like orphans in this world and would certainly provide for our needs. He works in our circumstances to establish the testimony of our divine parentage and ownership in Him. When such promises are ours from the God of all promises, why should we worry or fret? We need to only claim these promises and live victoriously.

Dear reader, are your circumstances dark and dry during these difficult times? Are you feeling the heat of the scorching sun which has made you weak and bewildered? In such circumstances, you have the privilege to go and dwell in the shadow of the Almighty where the Lord will give you the experience of His cool waters and green pastures. His drops of mercy are far more sufficient than the artificial showers of the world. Each drop of compassion that comes from the Lord is greater than an ocean of empty words of the world. His promises point towards a heavy downpour which is yet to come when we will be in the house of the Lord forever and will enjoy the abundance of His provisions. Dear friend, even when your outer frame is frail, your inner person will be strong if your trust is in the power of your Lord. Then you will be able to fly like an eagle in the higher vistas of spiritual well being. Your waiting for the Lord’s guidance and power will lead you to the right place of blessings and joy. Your joy is not because of some seemingly favourbale situation, but because of your Lord who holds your hands even in the midst of the most unfavourable circumstances. His promise of favours, compassion and guidance will always help us to walk with Him in relentless faith and trust day after day as we travel with Him. Today these promises are our stronghold to keep looking unto Him to walk forward.

Psalms 91:4 – (The Lord) will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

Thought for Today

God’s promises are fulfilled in our lives all the time, but they are felt in our lives as we go through various circumstances.

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BURN TO SHINE!!

Burn to shine!

Verse for Today: Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Isaiah 60:1 – “Arise and shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you”.

God’s children are the light of the world. As such their primary responsibility is to shine and give direction to those who are in darkness. Light is to be kept on a stand so that it will spread its brightness to all around for them to see their pathways and travel towards Heaven. They are duty bound to show those in darkness the way forward. As light, they will also be able to prevent others from going the wrong way and help them to choose the right and only way. God commands all His children to rise up and shine and create an impact in the world around them. Thus when the glory of the Lord is seen in them by others around them, these children of darkness will also be able to see the right way to go forward. So God wants to remind His children today that they must rise up and shine for Him. It certainly is a great privilege for them to shine which is not given by God to any other creatures including the angels. To rise and shine means to take a stand for the Lord and be willing to be singled out by the world. But we must realize that shining is not for the sake of the light, but for others. It is not for others to be attracted to the light, but for them to see the way because of the light. So light is only a means and a source of help for others and not an end in itself. When we become the children of God, the glory of God is invested in us. This is how we become the light of the world and be enabled to shine for the sake of the world. So if the light that we received is kept under a bushel, it becomes ineffective and will have no impact in the world. Light is to burn off for others and in the process, it is to give warmth to the cold lives which are around us. When we burn for Jesus, the warmth of the Christian life and the aroma of the new creation in us will brighten up and make the lives around us warm up and become sensitive to the love of God. It will thus produce the refreshing fragrance of God’s life in and through us.

Dear reader, are you burning like a lamp each day for Jesus? Do you have an inner craving and passion to burn for Jesus? Have you become sensitive to the call of the Lord to rise up and shine for Him? If the light in you is kept under cover, it would not be of any use to Jesus and others and will defeat its purpose. As you burn each day for Jesus, you will get yourself expended for the sake of those around you who are living in spiritual darkness. Your life which burns off for Jesus is a life of suffering because burning is a painful process for the object that is on fire. The world around might look at you and mock you because you are being used up and not built up in this world for its recognition and appreciation. But when you burn off for Jesus, you are showing your willingness to walk the Calvary Road after your Lord who endured the mockery and ridicule of this world. It becomes your privilege to follow the Lord in His passion for the lost world. As you burn off, your spiritual life is being built up and your investment in Heaven keeps abounding. When you get yourself rejected and ignored by the world for the sake of the Lord, He will recognize you in the presence of the Father and the angles in Heaven. So let us renew our zeal and commitment to be burned off for Jesus so that others might see spiritual light and enter the spiritual kingdom of our Lord. Let us today become His torches and burn off for Him and allow Him to take glory through our lives rather than burn off all our energies to make ourselves great in this world.

Daniel 12:3 – Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

Thought for Today
The greatest privilege attached to our position as the light of the world is to be on fire and be able to burn off and shine for Jesus.

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PERSUASIVE INVITATION!!

Persuasive Invitation!

Verse for Today: Monday, October 17, 2011

Isaiah 55:1 – Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

God extends a grand invitation to all the thirsty and hungry souls to go to Him to quench their thirst and satisfy their hunger. He offers enough and more of His living water and food for the weary souls. He invites all his listeners irrespective of who they are. He has paid the price to give them the drink and the food and so He bears all the cost. He knows that these thirsty and hungry souls are poor destitute. They are tempted by the enemy of their souls to go to his broken cisterns to drink the lukewarm water which will make them more miserable, and it will cost their whole life. But what God offers is priceless because it is of eternal value. He gives the best that any one could ever have or imagine. Even though these miserable souls are invited to drink and eat freely, they are invited to the banquet house of the Lord and can enjoy these blessings with dignity and decorum. They will be served with love and compassion. They will be treated as guests and not as beggars. God offers His best for man because God knows that this is the only way man could ever meet his needs now and through eternity. God’s invitation is also a loving and compassionate persuasion. He gives it to each person according to the depth of his or her need and capacity to take. Each one can have as much they desire. All who eat and drink from the banquet house of the Lord will realize the glory of the giver more than the gift. His magnanimity and compassion are demonstrated through the gift and the way the needy person is treated. Today God offers His ever satisfying drink and food of His grace, love and mercy to all the weary, broken hearted and burdened people to heal their hearts, emotions and souls and make them spiritually healthy and strong so that they can use it all for His glory.

Dear reader, are you a thirsty and hungry soul today? Are you able to hear the invitation of the Lord to go to Him? Yes, He is not only inviting you, but also knocking at the door of your heart with His gifts in His hands. He is beseeching and persuading you to open. You don’t need to go thirsty and hungry any longer. You also need not go after the broken cisterns of wealth, education, technology, prominence, popularity and prestige which will never quench your thirst or satisfy your hunger. As a matter of fact, these will only make you thirstier for these worthless things and to leave you unquenched as days go by. Going after these worthless things is utterly meaningless and useless. Yet they advertise falsely that they will satisfy us. God sent His Son to open a stream and a fountain of living water and heavenly bread on the cross of Calvary for all the thirsty and hungry souls. He offers it free for those who are willing to open their mouths. Jesus Himself is the living water and the bread of Heaven. His word is the pure milk which flows from Heaven and He is the living Word. As we taste Him and His Word, we would have the privilege to continue to drink from Him to fill us with His Word and with His glory. When His glory fills us to overflowing, it will take full control over our thoughts, emotions and desires. Our craving for the lukewarm drinks of this world will give way to more of the glory of the Lord. It will take away our weariness and fill us with His power through His Spirit. Thus we will be able to enjoy Him and His Word, grow into His likeness, live as His witnesses and attract others to come to Him to drink and eat from His banquet hall.

John 7:37 – On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If any one is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.

Thought for Today
Heavenly drink and bread are free of cost to all who desire it, but God paid the greatest price for it through the life of His Only Begotten Son.

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DIVINE GUARANTEE OF PROTECTION!!

Divine guarantee of protection!

Verse for Today: Sunday, October 16, 2011

Isaiah 54:17 – No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.

God protects and preserves His children with the divine guarantee that no weapon used against them will be effective. But the enemy will use multiple weapons against us. He will use people and circumstances to attack and annihilate us. There will be weapons of misrepresentation, gossip, slander, misinterpretation, jealousy, anger, abuse, intimidation, unkind criticism and the like. These are powerful weapons are capable of draining us of our morale and confidence in life. These weapons can frustrate us, depress our emotions and put pressure on us to run away. They are capable of making us give up and give in because they make us psychologically weak and lead us into despair. But we do not need to be afraid of these fierce weapons and run away or quit. The enemy has tried this against several of God’s servants in the past. He tried this against David to keep him out of the throne in Jerusalem. He used this against Nehemiah to prevent him from rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. He tried to terrorize Jeremiah so that he would stop preaching. He wanted to stop Elijah and John the Baptizer from preaching against injustice and abomination and so they both were subjected to these weapons. But the Lord protected them from being demoralized and depressed. They kept going with their missions and accomplished God’s design for them. The same Lord is with us today as we are attacked by the enemy of our souls through people and circumstances to make us stumble and fall. But we can be confident that our Lord will not let the weapons of the enemy become effective against us because He keeps us as the apple of His eyes.

Dear reader, are you afraid of the weapons used by the enemy to intimidate and frustrate you? Is the threat against your testimony and mental peace such that you have lost your composure? Are you contemplating to give up and run away? Remember, your Lord who saved you from the clutches of sin and Satan is with you. He is your protector. He is the Almighty who has the power to deal with any weapon used against you by the enemy. These weapons of discouragement and intimidation were first used against our Lord while He was on the earth. It was used against several of His beloved servants in the past. But the Lord protected them all and continued to use them to accomplish His plans and programs for them. He lifted up their sagging spirits and strengthened their weak countenance. His Spirit empowered them to go through the stiffest opposition and battle by the enemy and made the vilest weapons ineffective, and kept His children unhurt. They were given faith to face their situations. They received courage from the Lord in the fiercest circumstances to keep going when the enemy thought they would not make it. This Lord is with you today to protect you. He will also make sure that the tactics and the weapons of the enemy will not work to dislodge you. Our Lord has the power to break any fierce arrow of the enemy targeted against His beloved children. All we need to do is to look unto the author and perfecter of our faith for strength to keep going. He will build up our trust in Him and increase our faith in Him in all the adverse circumstances and give us grace to go through it with confidence. In Him we are more than conquerors and through Him we are victorious day by day. With Him, we will accomplish the tasks that He has marked out for us. Let us today continue to look at the Lord and march forward as He protects us from the wiles of the enemy.

2 Corinthians 10:4- The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

Thought for Today
The Lord and His heavenly hosts are always guarding His children against all the weapons used by the enemy to defeat us.

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GRACE FOR ALL AGES!!

Grace for all ages!

Verse for Today: Saturday, October 15, 2011

Isaiah 46:4 – Even to your old age and grey hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

God’s promises are for all His people of all ages, without regard to their age or seniority. He cares for little children from the time they are formed and cares for them throughout their lives here on earth. But His desire is that He is given the privilege to care for us throughout eternity which depends on man’s willingness to open His heart to Jesus. He treats us according to our needs at various ages and stages of our lives. He has enough grace and compassion for us no matter what our needs are and at what age we are. He shows compassion when we are healthy so that we do not fall a prey to sickness. He shows mercy when we are sick and heal us. He cares for us when we are tired, weak and exhausted. He sustains us when we become elderly with weak joints and muscles and when our eye sight becomes dim and our ears are slow. The most fascinating truth in the Lord’s dealings with us is that even when we are in old age, we are treated as children by the Heavenly Father. When we err, He forgives us. His hand of discipline is on us no matter how old we are, but it is all full of grace as appropriate to each age and mental faculties. It is amazing that our Lord carries us in His hands when we are weak. He cares for us tenderly because He has created and re-created us to be His redeemed people. He also rescues us like a father rescues his children from dangerous situations. He shows us the way forward by walking in front of us because at any age, we would need His guidance and support to go on the right way.

Dear friend, no matter how old you are, there is enough grace for you with your Lord. He deals with you according to your physical and spiritual age and the needs you have at each stage of your life. He understands the emotions of a person at each stage in life and gives you grace to help you at that stage. He also wants to use us no matter how old we are. If you are young, He will use your youthfulness and energy for His glory. If you are a middle aged person, He will use your experience and maturity for His purpose. If you are an elderly person, He will use your seasoned behavior for His glory. At each stage in your life, He wants you to be humble and broken so that He will be able to use you for His cause. He will sustain you here on earth until His purpose for you is accomplished. If you are young and run fast, He will run with you and will help you to slow down. If you are old and slow, He will not rush you into any thing, but will walk with you at your pace. Remember, the Lord was good to David when he was a shepherd boy and also when he was a senior person during the time of the building of the Temple in Jerusalem. He gave Abraham sufficient grace to leave Ur and walk all the way to Canaan, but sustained him until Isaac was married and settled. We can find Enoch walking with the Lord for 300 years. Methuselah found grace from the Lord for 969 years. The same God is with us today no matter how old we are and whether we are male or female. We are all His children through Jesus Christ and He extends His care, love, compassion and grace to us to deal in all the situations that He allows us to go through. Let us therefore be confident and firm in our faith in the Lord today and keep holding on to Him in all our situations.

Psalms 71:17&18a – Since my youth, O God, You have taught me; and to this day I declare Your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God.

Thought for Today
God’s compassion and grace are made available in the right measure to all His children irrespective of their age.

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PARCHED GROUND GETS SOAKED!!

Parched ground gets soaked!

Verse for Today: Friday, October 14, 2011

Isaiah 44:3 – For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendents.

God knows the needs of His people. When their land needs water for farming, He will pour it out in abundance for their sustenance. He will give streams so that people and animals can drink from it and quench their thirst. He blows the mighty wind of His Spirit on people who need to be strengthened and directed in His path. He shows mercy and compassion to His people by providing for them. Their concerns become His concern. When He sees their thirst and hunger, He cannot keep inactive, but to responds to meet their felt needs. He would not allow them to go thirsty and their farms go dry. He wants them to be spiritually powerful and strong people. Our God prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies who wait to see when and how we dry out and wither away. The enemy wants us to be drained of our power and strength so that he can easily defeat us in our daily lives. He has only destructive and negative intentions about us and will not give us a drop of tasty water to quench our thirst because he has only lukewarm water to offer. In fact he wants us to drink the lukewarm water from his broken cisterns which are exhibited wherever we go. But God works for our good and so He wants us to crave for the water of life that He gives. If we drink the water God gives us, we will not be thirsty again because it satisfies our inner craving for God and for matters of eternal spiritual value. It is His desire that our thirst is quenched for us to become spiritually powerful. He gave water to Ishmael, Isaac and David when they were thirsty. He gave streams of water to the Israelites when they were in the desert. He gave spiritual drink to the Samaritan woman to quench her spiritual thirst. He offered this water to all who were weary and burdensome, and approached Him. Their lives become streams of living water because they went to the Living Water.

Dear reader, are you a weary soul, thirsty, hungry, restless and tired? Do you feel exhausted because of the burdens you have been bearing all alone? Remember, you don’t need to carry your burdens alone, but can take it to the Lord who is willing to carry it for you. He is the fountain of living water to quench your thirst forever. He will give you the heavenly manna to feed you to satisfaction. His shoulder is the most comforting resting place for you. He will take your burdens away and make you rest. He will give you peace in all your situations no matter how hard they are to go through. When you are weak and tired, He will strengthen you with His Spirit. He will put hope in your heart and life and take away all your frustrations. When He fills you with His Spirit, your heart will be full of joy, satisfaction, and patience. He gave water to drink for the frustrated prophet Elijah while he was sleeping in distress under a broom tree. He prepared food and drink for the prophet on the banks of the brook called Cherith and in the home of a poor widow. The Lord did not leave hungry the 5,000 who gathered in the desert. When He gives, it is to full satisfaction. He is concerned not in the quantity, but the quality which gives people satisfaction so that they do not need to go elsewhere. Our Lord opened the well of living water on the Cross at Calvary so that all thirsty souls can drink to their brim and help other thirsty souls to drink as well. Today He wants you to go to Him and drink to quench your spiritual thirst. His invitation is open for all who have a need, to go to Him and be filled. When we have such a great offer from the Lord, why should we go thirsty and hungry?

John 6:35 – Then Jesus declared,”I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never go thirsty.

Thought for Today
Only those who are willing to open their mouths wide can have enough of the spiritual drink and food to meet their thirst and hunger.

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VICTORY SONG BY FAITH!!

Victory song by faith!

Verse for Today: Thursday, October 13, 2011

Isaiah 12:2 – Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.

God has given the promise that He will save His people from all trouble including direct attacks of the enemy. It is this promise that has given the reassurance and certainty for His people about the attainment of victory. Such surety takes away all their fears about the present and the future. It helps them to trust in His strength rather than in their own strength. They are able to start enjoying the future victory with songs of celebration. God’s promises are as sure as He lives and they are based on His reputation as the God who keeps His word. His promises are neither to give His people temporary relief nor to distract their attention from their problems for a short while. They are absolutely certain and sure to come true without the shadow of a doubt. So God’s people do not need to wait for completion of the tasks in order to celebrate. They have the freedom and opportunity to claim the promises and believe that it is being accomplished. This is like a student who wrote the test and has the conviction of success even before the result is announced. Such was the faith of Abraham a quarter of a century before he finally saw Isaac being born. Joseph had such a sense of accomplishment for 13 years before the visions come true. This sense of accomplishment prevented them from grumbling or finding fault with the circumstances they were made to go through. David knew all along about the end result of his persecution in the hands of the enemies and believed that one day God’s promises to him would be accomplished. All God’s children have the same privilege to believe in the promises of God and be sure about its fulfillment. Such faith can command all fears to eclipse with its accompanying unbelief and get lost. With such faith and trust in the Lord it would be possible to start praising Him in any circumstance for the future victories that they will see soon.

Dear friend, are you a victim of unbelief and the resultant fear stemming from your circumstances? Are the signs and symptoms that you see around make you feel negative and fly away to a distant place to escape the wrath of your situations? Remember, your Lord has said that He will save you from the heat and danger of your circumstances. He has assured and reassured many times that He will be your strength in times of weakness and joy in times of fear. You are challenged by your situations to see how you will start singing songs in the night when all around you is dark and cloudy. But it is possible for you to claim victory over your situations through faith in the unchanging promises of the Lord even if the Sun stops to give light. Your Lord is your sunshine over the dark horizons of your life and will brighten your life situations. Even the faith that you have is a gift given by Him as a promise. If you lack faith, you have the freedom to go to His presence and ask Him to give you more faith and it shall certainly be given to you. He is a benevolent father who is interested and committed to give His children His best. He doesn’t want His children to wallow in their fear of circumstances. He wants us to know that He is the king over all your circumstances with absolute control over them. He will pour out His strength in you so that you will be able to withstand the pressures of all your situations by putting all your faith on Him. Our days are designed by the Lord with prayers, praises, songs of thanksgiving and victory marches as He fights our battles and secures victory for us every step of the way if we claim it by faith. Let today be one such day when we give Him praise for His favours to us through His strength because of the faith that He has imparted into our souls.

Psalms 62:8 – Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.

Thought for Today
Trust in God dispels fear and doubt and enables us to sing songs of praise and victory through the journey.

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ALL ROUND ESCORTS!!

All Round Escorts!

Verse for Today: Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Isaiah 52:12 – But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

There are certain truths in the Bible which are better experienced than understood. An amazing truth which we can experience in our daily lives is that our Lord walks in front of us and at the same time He is our rear guard as we walk along in our sojourn. When He walks in front of us, He leads us in the right path. He also prepares our way forward. He goes before us to remove hindrances from our way. He defeats our enemies who try to create road blocks on our pathway. He helps us to make the right decisions whenever the enemy tries to confuse us to take the detours that he has established near our way. It is a way forward in the footsteps of the Master. At the same time, our Lord walks behind us to protect us from behind. The enemy often comes to us to detract us. Sometimes he runs behind us to threaten us and make us fearful of his attack from behind as in the case of the Israelites soon after they were delivered from Egypt. Sometimes the enemy makes us look back to those worldly things that we left behind, like the wife of Lot or Demas. So our Lord walks behind us as our rear guard. Thus when we have our Lord in front of us and behind us at the same time, we do not need to feel insecure. This journey of ours is the most secure trip we can take. Not only that, He has already marked out our destination. His schedule for us to reach the destination is also fixed by the Lord. Our expenses for the journey are already paid for by Him. All that we need on the way are given on a daily basis which we receive from the Lord for the asking. This journey is like a great procession of a ruler who has a herald in front and an escort team behind. This is the most joyful journey one can take in this life. It is not a running away from any thing. It is not a hasty trip. It is walk with the Lord on a daily basis. It is an enjoyable journey as we lean on to our Beloved in order not to know the weariness of our travel. It is a great privilege to take this trip which ends in our eternal home.

Dear friend, are you a weary traveler today? Do you feel tired of your daily walk? Are there hills and valleys for you to tread? But your Lord has planned this trip through a series of hills and valleys so that you will not have any drudgery in travel. Your different experiences each day add colour to your trip. There are pains and praises in your journey instituted by the Lord so that your dependence on Him will increase day by day. You are given a book to use for the daily walk with all instructions to follow. It is also a hymnbook to enable you to sing along the journey and there are beautiful songs which would fit each experience. There are descriptions about your daily journey which you can read in advance and praise the Lord for the way by which He is going to lead you each day. There are descriptions about your eternal home to keep increasing your hope and faith as you inch forward towards the eternal home. You are also given the company of God’s people to walk along for mutual help, support and encouragement. Sometimes you might be led to travel alone when others are far away from you. These solitudes are special dealings the Lord has between Him and you to teach you special lessons and to tell you special secrets about your personal walk. During those times of seemingly lonely walk, He is in front of you and also your rear guard, so that you can see Him in His glory. There is no cause for any fear or confusion if you walk closely with Him, praising, singing, praying and meditating. It is also your opportunity to be a blessing to your co-sojourners and those who watch you on the wayside.

Psalms 107:7 – He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.

Thought for Today
The Almighty is the all encompassing escort for His children in their pilgrimage to their eternal home.

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