Monday, April 30, 2012

LIGHT FOR THE OPEN EYES!!

Light for the open eyes!

Verse for Today: Monday, April 30, 2012

Psalms 112:4 - Light arises in the darkness for the upright; He is gracious, compassionate and righteous.

The world and its people experience a strange phenomenon of living in a dark environment while they are blind. Most of them do not have any idea about their pathetic situation. They are led by the powers of darkness into destruction. But the child of God is living in the light and is able to enjoy light because their blind eyes were opened by Jesus. With their opened eyes, they are able to see the crucified Jesus and the way He has opened for them to go forward. In this dark world, it is well nigh impossible for God’s children to walk forward without heavenly light. There are times when their situations are darkened by the enemy of their soul through clouds of confusion in the dark dungeons of life. When God shows them the way forward, their enemy will show them seemingly attractive alternatives to detract and confuse them. They are given exciting incentives to choose the wrong way. These wrong ways promise instant gratification of their deep human needs, but will not satisfy their spiritual hunger or thirst. God’s people need to keep away from such attractive incentives and look unto the true light of life which is our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the heavenly light on earth and He alone is able to brighten our pathways. So when there is darkness around us, we need to look unto the Jesus, the eternal light and see our pathways through His light. Thus we will be able to keep away from the pseudo pathways of the world which end up in destruction of our lives. The world system and technology will give us innumerable reasons to make us believe that their ways are better. They will also try to challenge us to believe that the Lord’s ways are old fashioned, unintelligent and not rewarding. Yes, the way of the cross is foolishness to the world. So the world will try to blind us with the glittering things which are made available in its vanity fair to confuse us from choosing and going through the way of God. The only way out is to look at our heavenly road map that is given to us in the Word of God. It is there that we will see the light shed by the Lord to show us the way.

Dear reader, are you a seeker of the perfect will of God today? Are you feeling a bit of darkness around you which prevent you from seeing the way forward? Your ways are sometimes cluttered and darkened by the enemy through manipulation of your situations. Sometimes you experience darkness because you are looking at the world’s pseudo lights called education, possessions, position, prestige and popularity. All of these will plunge you into greater darkness if you choose their ways. But if you look at the Lord Jesus, the living Word, you will be able to see the way clearly. But you must realize that the way of the Lord is the way of the cross which is narrow. You are to deliberately choose the narrow way which will take you to your destination. If you are groping around because you do not know which direction to turn to and what decision to take in your life, follow the Lord Jesus who has gone before you on the way of the cross. You do not need to feel helpless and in despair because your Lord will take you to the right direction and destination. You will have to go by faith and keep your feet on the foot prints of the Lord who has gone before you. You might be tempted to go through the way of Jonah, Baalam, Gehazy, Demas, the rich young ruler, King Saul or even Joseph of Arimathea. Take the bold step to follow the Lord Jesus and be ready and willing to pay the price in following Him. See the light of the Lord in His Word and follow the signals from heaven to reach the destination.

Psalms 112:7 - He will not fear evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

Thought for Today

The Son of righteousness shines on us to show the way on a cloudy and dark day.

For further spiritual help and prayer support, contact: todayintheword@gmail.com

Sunday, April 29, 2012

BALM FOR DEEP WOUNDS!!


Balm for deep wounds!

Verse for Today: Sunday, April 29, 2012

Psalms 109:22 - For I am afflicted and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.

We are confronted often with bitter experiences in life which seem like deep wounds that take a long time to heal. It causes pain, misery and anguish in us. As God’s children, we are surrounded by the enemy of our souls who uses people and circumstances to wound and hurt us deeply. He uses sharp weapons like betrayal, envy, disloyalty, depravity, rejection, isolation, failure and disappointments on various counts. When these wounds get further infected with our own self pity, we are pushed into despondency and despair from which it is very difficult to come out. These psychological blows make us further isolated and lead us to withdraw from others and become spiritual and social recluses. The enemy uses our best friends, kith and kin and the brethren in faith that we love deeply to hurt us so much as to make us feel afflicted. These psychological blows lead us to major and minor physical and emotional sicknesses of various kinds. It takes away our peace and joy in life and pushes us into anguish and desperation. When our souls become desperate for mercy and grace, and when we feel the urgency to get back to a joyful life, we must yearn for the Physician and the Balm that He makes available for us. Our Lord Jesus is the Balm who will turn our anguish and affliction into joy unspeakable through His fellowship and friendship. He will make us learn spiritually profitable lessons from our afflictions and to know how to turn our wounds into victorious experiences for the praise of His name.

Dear friend, are you deeply wounded in your soul today and are you feeling desperate and miserable because of these afflictions? Are you a prey to gossip, envy, slander, lies, baseless controversies, threats and intimidation by the enemy? The enemy always uses our closest associates, coworkers, classmates and dearest people from family circles to try to destroy us. Our solemn intentions are assumed away and we are abused through verbatim. Our motives are unfairly interpreted and even our various facial expressions are wrongly attributed with evil assumptions. Our ministries are devalued and despised. But when these painful experiences confront us, watch out that we will not be plunged into self pity and discouragement. Let us take courage in your Lord who is able to pour love and grace on to your wounds and give us healing. He gives us the spirit of forgiveness and the ability to pray for those who inflict wounds in our heart. The people who wound us are only used as instruments by the enemy of our souls. His intention is to weaken us spiritually, take away our joy in the Lord and push us into self pity rather than praise. These are attacks to take our eyes off Jesus and focus on the problems and the enemies. But you have to deny the enemy this luxury of victory for his tactics and keep looking unto Jesus. Remember how God’s children like Joseph, Moses, Daniel, Jeremiah and Paul lived with such emotional wounds and how they survived and continued with the ministries entrusted with them. So admit your situation of pain and misery because of the emotional wounds and go to the Great Physician and use Him as the panacea for your wounds. Pour His love and grace on to your wounds for amazing and speedy recovery. Crucify your natural temptation to take revenge on the people who hurt wounds and start praying for them. Your Lord will help you to shift your focus away from the enemies and the problems they create to Him. He will comfort you, soothe your wounds and heal you. Ask Him to teach you some new lessons about faith when you are wounded and learn to lean on to Him firmly. Praise Him for your painful situations and ask Him to turn it to experiences of victory and grace. Today you are challenged to praise God for all the deliverance He has given you in the past and all victories that are in store for you in the future.

Psalms 109:21- But You O God, the Lord, deal kindly with me for Your name's sake; because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me.

Thought for Today

Jesus is the panacea for all the wounds in your soul.

For further spiritual help and prayer support, contact: todayintheword@gmail.com

Saturday, April 28, 2012

SONLIGHT THROUGH SMOKE!!

Sonlight through smoke!

Verse for Today: Saturday, April 28, 2012

Psalms 102:3 - For my days have been consumed in smoke, and my bones have been scorched like a hearth.

Life for a child of God in this world is like a desert and a furnace because of the intense heat from the battles we are engaged in each day. The tensions and challenges are like living in a consuming smoke which blocks our way in front of us. The smoke makes breathing difficult due to lack of oxygen. Such lingering experiences of emotional heat create great distress in our souls and slowly affect our bodies and thus even our bones become weak and shaky. Our situations often lead us to disillusionment and despair when hope diminishes. We are buffeted by the enemy through the manipulation of our situations to take away our enthusiasm for the Lord. We are forced to wonder how long we should wait for help to come from the Lord. When we examine the lives of Job, Jacob, Joseph, Daniel, Nehemiah, Moses, Jeremiah and Paul, we find the depth of agony they went through as they fought the battles of life. The biographies of great saints like William Carey, Adoniram Judson, Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, C.T. Studd, and many other lesser known souls, tell us of such rough experiences of distress during their ministries. But all of them received the grace to go to the presence of the Lord with their petitions and found answers. Some of them found their situations changed, like that of Jacob, Joseph and Daniel, but many others only got abundance of grace to face their situations. We meet such lives of tears, intimidation, injustice and persecution whose stories crowd the columns of Church History. They all cried to the Lord and He answered each of them differently. Some got positive answers quickly, but others got a closer walk with the Lord, but they all walked the edges of His ways. They learnt to keep crying to the Lord and He kept them close to Himself. He blessed them with His holy presence and poured His peace into their hearts and lives. They all learned that it was more important for them to enjoy His grace irrespective of situations and experiences of consuming smoke, shaking bones and filled eyes. They had a place to go and a person to speak to and enjoy fellowship even in the midst of a furnace. They knew that their prayers and cries for help reached the Lord's ears, and that was enough for them, as they lived in the hope of deliverance.

Dear reader, are you crying to the Lord today in distress? Is the heat becoming more and more intense and unbearable? Remember, the Lord allows His choicest servants to go through the furnace to purify them further. So His children need not be afraid of fire. Even when you are in the midst of smoke, your Lord is holding your hands and taking you forward. When you cannot see forward because of the smoke, you can still walk by faith because your Lord is leading you. Your tough experiences are designed by the enemy to defeat you, but your Lord turns it around to build your faith up and make you stronger in trust. Today there is abundance of grace for you as you go through the rough patches in life, to hold on to the Lord for help to keep going. But crowns are waiting for us as we graduate from Jesus’ school of faith. Your experiences are not punishments, but investments in spiritual growth, faith and trust. Let His hands mold you to become a great vessel of honor for His use. What more comfort would you need today than to know that you are in the Lord’s His hands and that His purposes in you are being fulfilled! Ultimately the Lord gets glory through your life which is the best worship you could ever offer to the One who became a sacrifice for you.

Psalms 102:2 - Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress; incline Your ear to me; in the day when I call answer me quickly.

Thought for Today

The Lord sends rays of hope even through the darkest cloud and grey smoke.

For further spiritual help and prayer support, contact: todayintheword@gmail.com 

Friday, April 27, 2012

COMPLEMENTARY SEEKING!!

Complementary seeking!

Verse for Today: Friday, April 27, 2012
Psalms 14:2 – The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.
 
Man is a seeker, but often he goes after the temporal which do not meet his deep inner needs. In essence human life is one of seeking after a series of things and situations which do not give lasting satisfaction and so it makes man move from one desire to another all through his life. This makes human life empty and unfulfilled. All the while, God seeks after man and asks him to seek after God who alone can meet his every need and desire to its full satisfaction. God comes to man with all that will satisfy him in this life and the life after. God meets all the cost involved in giving man things and situations which are eternal because God loves man in spite of man’s imperfections and limitations. In fact, God has paid the price for meeting all the needs of man by giving His only begotten Son as a sacrifice on Calvary’s cross. All who trust in the death of Jesus on the cross will have their soul’s needs paid for. Along with the salvation of his soul, man is also given all that He needs to live a life of satisfaction and fulfillment in this world and beyond. God is seeking man to give him all that He needs, but man has to respond to God’s call. He is keen to know who among the human beings will diligently seek after Him and His way of salvation of their souls. Once they respond to God positively and accept the salvation God offers, their spiritual needs are fully met. Along with it, God guarantees them emotional well-being for which they could trust God. The Spirit of God who dwells in the hearts of those who accept God’s salvation will grant them peace in a chaotic world. They will be given answers to their puzzling questions in life. They will be able to live a life of trust and faith in the Lord and thus cast all their cares upon Him. They will then work for God’s cause as His ambassadors in this world and as they keep going, He will meet their basic needs as human beings to live a contented life here on earth.

Dear friend, have you been a true seeker of eternal things here on earth? Have you found God and His free gift of eternal salvation? Today God is seeking after you to give you His great gift of salvation. It is a matter of going to the One who is seeking after you to meet all your spiritual, emotional and physical needs and that person is God Almighty. He will give you salvation of your soul, eternal life, peace in all situations, joy unspeakable and holy boldness to face all your situations. He will grant you fellowship with Triune God. His angels will guard you in all your situations. He loves you without expecting any thing in return. His love is willing to forgive you of all your past sins and faults. His love is deeper than the deepest ocean and higher than the highest peaks in this universe. All He expects is that you live for Him with a grateful heart. It is supernatural life in a natural environment. It is life in the power of God. Today God is seeking for those human beings who are willing to understand and accept the offer of spiritual blessings that He wants to bestow. He wants to give you Jesus Christ as His greatest gift and along with Jesus, He wants to give you all that you need to live a life that is totally surrendered to Him. If you are a seeker today, know that the God of this universe is seeking after you. He will not rest until He finds you to give you all that you are seeking after.
 
Romans 8:32 – God who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give all things?

Thought for Today
When man responds with his searching heart for God who is seeking after the heart of a repentant man, there is a complementary relationship.

For further spiritual help and prayer support, contact: todayintheword@gmail.com 

Thursday, April 26, 2012

INJUSTICE TURNED TO BLESSINGS!!

Injustice turned to blessings!

Verse for Today: Thursday, April 26, 2012

Psalms 82:3 – Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

We find movements in political and diplomatic circles for justice, equality and fraternity especially aiming at the poor, weak, fatherless, widows, oppressed and destitute. We hear slogans for good governance which tries to guarantee minimum means for the underprivileged. But these efforts and slogans remain ineffective and underachieved because there is no justice in this world. When God’s servants like Asaph find such injustice, they cry unto the Lord to do something about it. The present scenario of oppression and injustice is the result of sin in the world. It is the sinfulness of man that ends up in oppressing the weak and showing injustice to the underprivileged. We have victim of the lack of justice all the time and all around us and some of us are part of the depraved. All God’s children are somehow victims of the oppression of the ungodly against them. The example we have in front of us is the voice of the suffering Savior on the cross to His Father to forgive His oppressors and the persecutors. Both Stephen and Paul followed the example of our Lord to pray for forgiveness for the oppressors. But God uses such unfortunate turn of events like oppression and injustice that you we suffer today to help us grow in patience and become mature in our walk with the Lord. When we suffer injustice, we are instructed to follow the example of Jesus to show love and forgive the oppressors. Perhaps our patience will be misinterpreted by our oppressors as weakness on our part. But our patience and humility when ill-treated is power under control and subjection to Jesus and His Spirit.
 
Dear reader, are you experiencing injustice and ill-treatment from those around you? Are you being oppressed and deprived by those whom you serve at the workplace? Perhaps you are suppressed by those who are dear to you, like a member of your family. It is likely that they encroach into your privacy and spread lies about you. But rest assured that your Lord knows all about it and that He will give you the strength to withstand the pressures of such injustice. If you are denied justice by your kith and kin, meditate on the life and experience of Joseph and Moses. If your employers are treating you wrongly, meditate on the life of Daniel and the three Hebrew youth. If people in your Fellowship deny justice to you, meditate on the life and experience of Paul. If the people who benefited from you treat you wrongly, meditate on the persecution suffered by our Lord Jesus Christ. If your friends come to accuse and find fault with you, meditate on the life and experience of Job. If people want to shut your mouth because you tell the truth, meditate on the life of Jeremiah. If others are jealous of you, meditate on the experiences of David. When you want to stand for the Lord, you will always have opposition. But even if all your dear ones and associates forsake you, the Lord will not. He will stand with you and walk with you. He will help you to endure the pressures of a hostile environment and learn lessons in life. He will show you how He alone will stand with you when all others forsake you. He will strengthen your faith and help you to trust Him alone when you suffer injustice. But your Lord will reward you for all of the injustice that you encounter. He will help you to smile in the storms which others create for you. His grace is sufficient for you to become stronger through these tough and rough experiences in life so that you will learn to lean on to the Lord and get lost in His love.

Matthew 5:10 – Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Thought for Today

God’s children experience peace in their hearts when they are ill-treated and oppressed by the world.

For further spiritual help and prayer support, contact: todayintheword@gmail.com

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

DEFEATING DISCOURAGEMENT!!

Defeating discouragement!
Verse for Today: Wednesday, April 25, 2012

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

It is only normal to be afraid and discouraged when we see a great and vast army of opponents in front of us. In our eyes we might be like grasshoppers when compared to the formidable enemies who confront us. The child of God always faces the enemies of Satan and his agents like the world and the flesh. They appear in the form of people, systems, organizations, authorities and technology which try to defeat us and make us as their slaves. Once we are defeated, we will be bound by their power and priorities. These enemies are strongly supported by our own flesh with its desires. Satan the great invisible enemy tries to make us afraid of his subtle power in several ways and forms. When we see his power, ferocity, tactics and methods, we often loose our courage and composure and stumble into their nets. But today the Spirit of God wants to tell us that we do not need to be afraid or discouraged by this vast army because we are in the army of God which is led by Jesus Christ the victorious King. He has already defeated these powers of darkness. They will not overpower us as long as we take our stand with the victorious Jesus. So they use the tactics of fear and discouragement to defeat us. They have subtle and cunning ways to capture our hearts, minds and emotions and will work through our feelings to sow the seeds of fear, frustration, discord and detraction. But our God is powerful enough to face all of these enemies and rescue us from their evil schemes and tactics. We are weapons in His hands to fight against the evil manipulations of our enemies. The war has already been won on the cross of Calvary and so now the enemy and his agents are engaged in battles at each corner of our pathway to stumble us. But we are more than conquerors through our victorious Lord. The victory He assures us is a reality that we can experience each day.

Dear friend, is the enemy of your soul with his agents fighting you in your daily life? The enemy is fighting you because you are the son of his arch enemy. He will continue to fight you to celebrate a score against your God through your life. But our Lord is the Lion of Judah and these enemies are only like stray dogs who bark against the fierce lion. But surely these dogs can discourage and scare us to defeat. But the battle we are engaged in is the battle which belongs to the Lord. He has taken over the battle on our behalf and will not allow the enemy to score a victory over us. We do not need to look at the weapons of the enemy and get discouraged, but wear the great armor of God and get encouraged. Instead of looking at the enemy and become fearful, let us look at the author and finisher of our faith and draw strength from Him. If we rest in the Lord and submit all our faculties to Him, He will take us and wage this war against our enemies and lead us victoriously day by day. Let us not look at our circumstances and situations and get discouraged, but let us focus on our Lord and get His strength filled in our hearts. He gives us power through His Word and Spirit to resist the possibilities of getting discouraged and afraid. With Jesus, today is the day of victory. With God on our side, we are more than conquerors. With Him, we get encouraged day by day to fight the enemy and get going. As we are in the battle ground for our Lord, He will make sure to extend His heavenly supply line to meet all our mundane needs. He is on our side in this battle and so let us be on His side and be His committed and faithful soldiers.

Psalms 18:39 – You armed me with strength for battle; You made my adversaries bow at my feet.

Thought for Today
 
We wrestle against all the strategies of the evil forces by drawing strength from the author and finisher of our faith.

For further spiritual help and prayer support, contact: todayintheword@gmail.com

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

ON ROYAL ROAD!!

On Royal Road!

Verse for Today: Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Psalms 95:7 - For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.

Every one is in someone’s grazing field and is led by various organizations, leaders and philosophies. Our thinking is often influenced by others as we keep moving from day to day. But when we are in distress and difficulties, our philosophies and leaders do not help us because they don’t fully understand our situations. But that is not the case with our God. First of all, He is a personal God who has become our Father who maintains a relationship with us. He is our maker and so He knows all our needs. He has purchased us to be His special people. As our owner, He treats us with care and dignity. He keeps company with us in all circumstances and provides for all our needs. He makes us dwell in His pastures where there is enough to meet all our spiritual and emotional needs. He also opens the right doors for us to find enough to meet our basic human needs as well. He leads us just as a shepherd leads the sheep. He knows who can walk fast and who can only walk slowly. He knows who has special needs and carries them on His shoulders. He leads us day by day on His path. He guards us on all sides so that we would be out of all perils of human life. He satisfies all our needs according to His riches in glory. He fills our hearts with good things so that we would not lack any thing that is needed for our daily living. As we walk with Him each day, there is a divine guarantee that all that is good for us will be provided for at the right time. It is unthinkable that we walk with the Lord of all creation and be deprived of our basic needs!

Dear reader, are you aware of the great position that you hold in your relationship with God? Do you realize that God has made available all His resources for you to live like the child of the Great King? Remember, God of this universe owns you as His special child. He looks after you far better than any of the inanimate objects which He has created. When these inanimate objects have static needs for sustenance, you as His child have dynamic needs which change from day to day and hour to hour. He knows it all and comes in with dynamic provisions to meet all your needs. He knows that you are weak and weary as you are on this wilderness journey. He understands how much rest you need on the journey. So He leads you to graze on His green pastures so that you can eat from His satisfying resources and drink from His cool waters which will supply nourishment for your soul. His cool waters take away all the toxic elements from you because of the sinful atmosphere in which you live. He eliminates all the dissatisfiers from you and fills you with that which gives you eternal satisfaction. He also gives you rest under His wings where there is no room for any element of fear or anxiety. His pastures are inexhaustible so that you will not face any competition or jealousy from other sheep. Each of us can draw enough of God’s green pastures. When we are led by the Lord, we do not need to be concerned about the way. All our needs and desires are met on the way as His desires become ours. It is a life without grumbling each step of the way. We are on the royal road and we walk as royals with angels as our heavenly escort. It is a glorious walk which is most satisfying and exciting. It thrills our hearts to walk with the Lord and be a blessing to this world which has nothing to offer to the depraved people around us. Today let us walk with the Lord and enjoy His leading on His way for His purpose with the help of His resources.

Romans 8:32 - He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

Thought for Today

Our walk on the royal mile with the King of Heaven is the most satisfying and thrilling daily experience.

For further spiritual help and prayer support, contact: todayintheword@gmail.com

Monday, April 23, 2012

DELIGHTFUL CONSOLATIONS!!

Delightful consolations!

Verse for Today: Monday, April 23, 2012

Psalms 94:19 - When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.

Anxiety is a negative reflection of our concerns about unknown future. There are various situations in the future which we assume will affect us negatively and these assumptions develop anxiety in us. Anxious thoughts reproduce its own kind in our minds very fast because of various pressures in life. Our mind works overtime to think about all possible negativity which might come our way and we assume how we will be unable to contain these future events from occurring. As pressures of time, competition, desire for success and unwillingness to suffer loss increase, we tend to assume severe negative consequences of these events in our life. We will slowly start believing that the assumed events would come to subdue us and destroy us and our interests. Such illusions take away our peace and start affecting our behaviors to create panic and fear in us. These emotions will then affect our bodies and will deny us the capacity to rest and sleep. These anxious thoughts slowly invade our lives like a destructive army and leave us frantic, depressed and will take away our mental peace. Our sleeping hours are the best time when we allow our minds to germinate these negative thoughts. But when a child of God is haunted by such negative thoughts and emotions, His Lord will not stand and watch the scenario. God has a panacea for curing these anxious thoughts and emotions. He has consolations and encouragement for His anxious children. He wants them to put all their anxieties on Him and relax. He expects them to hand over all their concerns and negative thoughts to Him so that He can handle it for them. When God is allowed to fill our hearts with His consolations, it will give us delights. God will stand between us and our concerns as a buffer. God’s consolations will thus make His children relax and rest in His presence because their Lord will carry their burdens and will act on their concerns. But we must submit our thoughts and minds to Him and leave it there for Him to act on it.

Dear friend, are you developing anxious moments about your unknown future? Are your concerns slowly developing into anxieties and thus increasing tension in you about your future? Are these negative thoughts tossing you around and making you a puppet in their hands to assume unrealistic negative consequences about your concerns? Remember, your Lord is with you and He knows all about your concerns. It is comforting to know that your Lord will not allow any likely consequences to hurt or destroy you and your future. Your future is full of plans He has for you which are part of His overall plans for this world. Your ministries, the use of your spiritual gifts and the way by which you link with other people are all God’s plans to touch others through you. He will not allow any person, thing or event to disrupt His plan for your life. So your concerns need not have the kind of negative consequences you assume. Even if there are negative consequences, your Lord will turn it all into learning experiences for you as you live to serving Him. He will protect you from all untoward occurrences and will safeguard His plans for you. You are reassured today by the Lord that He will not leave you alone to handle events in your future. He will be your partner in handling all events in your future and will use it all for His glory and for your joy. Your heart and life will be filled with His pleasant consolations which will breed and multiply the joy of the Lord in your life.

Psalms 94:14 - The Lord will not abandon His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance.

Thought for Today
 
The Lord fills our hearts with pleasant and delightful consolations during our anxious moments.

For further spiritual help and prayer support, contact: todayintheword@gmail.com

Sunday, April 22, 2012

JOY AMIDST RESENTMENT!!

Joy amidst resentment!

Verse for Today: Sunday, April 22, 2012

Psalms 90:1 - Lord, You have been our dwelling place (place of refuge) in all generations.

There are times in our lives when we do not have any place to go to and any one to talk to. When we are rejected, despised and resented by our dear ones, we feel dejected and isolated. A lot of people slip into depression and self-pity because of rejection. Rejection is often due to misunderstandings, misinterpretations, competition, envy and different behavioral complexes of those who resent others. We are rejected by the world because of gospel and the Savior. Joseph was rejected, resented and hated by his own brothers and it extended to a plot to kill him. Moses was resented by his own sister who was his savior when he was a baby. David was rejected by his own brothers and despised by his wife, father-in-law and the enemy kings around him. But the Lord was with all His children who went through the bitter experience of rejection and resentment. Moses felt that he had a refuge in times of rejection and resentment. He also felt the hand of the Lord on him through the generations because of a great plan God had for him. He acknowledges the ways by which the Lord was his anchor when there were fierce attacks from the enemy. He confesses the Lord’s providence of safety, security, provisions and guidance for all God’s people on all their days. Today God’s children who experience rejection can go to the Lord and find solace in His presence. The Lord is the place of rest and peace for all His rejected children. We can all go to that place of refuge and recharge our spiritual batteries to keep going. We can go to Him and confide in Him when our hearts are burdened and heavy and cast all our burdens on Him.

Dear reader, are you a rejected soul and are you experiencing resentment? Are the people around pretend as if you are not around any more and turn their faces away from you? Do your friends behave like enemies and isolate you in life? When these behaviors of people send great blows to your heart, it is likely that you want to withdraw from the world and become a recluse. But there is hope for you even in the midst of isolation and rejection. You are invited by the Lord Jesus who once was rejected by all His people. He will give you comfort and encouragement. Even when no one else talks to you, He will speak to you in soft and melodious voice. He will enrich you with His peace and love. You have the great opportunity in His presence to share all your burdens with Him. He understands the pain of rejection more than any one else. He gave great fellowship to His dear people like Joseph, David, Daniel, Paul and Peter when they were isolated by the enemies and cast into dungeons. We can meet David In the darkest of nights in a cave, still enjoying fellowship with the Lord and singing sweet songs of deliverance. When the enemy attack His children emotionally through isolation, the Lord is with them to strengthen them. When Paul was in the dungeon awaiting execution and when he found that all his companions deserted him, the Lord gave him a special vision of assurance and confidence. The same Lord is with us today to reassure us of His companionship and fellowship. He will never reject us nor forsake us. When the whole world rejected the woman of Samaria, the Lord spoke to her and gave her water of life to drink. Today He wants to touch us with His love if we go to His presence with our difficulties. When the enemy of our souls tries to send arrows of discouragements to us to drain away our spiritual energy, we have our Lord’s presence to hide and feel secure. We can go to Him to get spiritual and emotional rest. When we sit with the Lord, He will wipe our tears away and remove our loneliness. He will give us His joy which will be our strength in times of distress.

Psalms 90:14 - O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Thought for Today
When we are locked up in the dungeons and caves of rejection and resentment, our Lord will be with us to give us His joy and strength.

For further spiritual help and prayer support, contact: todayintheword@gmail.com  

Saturday, April 21, 2012

RULER OF SWELLING SEAS!!

Ruler of swelling seas!

Verse for Today: Saturday, April 21, 2012

Psalms 89:9 - You rule the swelling of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.

It is the nature of sea to swell at unexpected times. When it swells, there is no force on earth which can contain its power. It is much worse when the sea of life swells to unexpected proportions. Scores of lives have been destroyed by its swelling nature. Unexpected turn of events come to sweep away the lives of even innocent people. There is very little that man can do to predict its swelling and to contain it. But our God is powerful enough to contain any swelling of the seas of life. We encounter difficult situations and circumstances in life at unexpected times. These come in the form of ill-health, business failure, job loss, misunderstandings by others, financial difficulties, rejection by dear ones, isolation by others and related emotional disorders. But our Lord is the ruler of the seas of life with its swellings. He knows it in advance as He is the God of all wisdom and knowledge. He knows all our emerging situations from the beginning to the end. And He controls our situations to give us peace and rest. Sometimes He allows us to go through the storms and waves and come out of it unharmed. Apostle Paul had to go through swelling seas a few times, but the Lord made him come out unaffected. There were others like Job, David, Daniel, Joseph and Peter who had to go through the storms of the swelling seas of life, but the Lord was with them in the storms and brought them out victoriously. We have a God who is the ruler of every swelling of the sea of life. The Psalmist comforts himself in his prayer that he is looked after by the Lord who is in control of all his circumstances including the experiences of the swelling seas and the rising waves and storms. Such care from the Lord gives us the courage, strength, peace and confidence to keep going and keep trusting in the might of the Lord to face the realities of every day life.
 
Dear friend, are you in the mouth of a wave at the swelling of the seas of every day life? Are you being tossed around by the emerging billows and storms in life? Are the waves and the storms around you making you fearful and are you loosing confidence? But there is no need for you to be afraid because your Lord who is the ruler of the swelling seas is with you. He has the power to stop the mouth of any powerful wave. In fact, our Lord walked over the waves to demonstrate to us to walk with Him, to avert any fear or anxiety about our circumstances. He wants to show us today that with Him we will have victory over all our adversities and unfavorable circumstances. He shows us through His Word that He will be with us just as He was with Daniel in the lion’s den and the three Hebrew youth in the furnace. He was with Jonah while he was in the belly of the big fish. He dwelt with David in the cave. He was with Joseph in the pit and in the dungeon. He was the companion with Elijah while he was sitting near the brook of Cherith. He was with Moses while he as in the papyrus basket among the reeds along the bank of the river Nile. He waged the war against the Amalakites with Gideon. He was with Mordecai while Haman made gallows for him. He built the walls of Jerusalem alongside of Nehemiah. He was with the disciples in the boat when a storm hit them. He is our God who is with us in all our storms and even while our seas of life swell. He covers us with Himself so that no harm would come our way. Today we can trust Him to rule over all the storms and swells of the sea of our lives.

Psalms 89:17 - For You are Your people's glory and strength, and by Your favour You exalt our horn.

Thought for Today

Don't complain that the powerful waves and storms are approaching us, but rebuke the waves and the storms in the power of our LORD.

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CRY OF THE NEEDY!!

Cry of the needy!

Verse for Today: Friday, April 20, 2012

Psalms 86:1 - Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.

The awareness of our needs will reflect in our approach to meeting those needs. Often we run around to meet some pseudo needs and end up in utter failure to meet our genuine needs. But when we know our intimate needs, we will have to seek a source which is capable and willing to meet those needs. It is important that we seek and identify a rich source which is resourceful enough to be satisfying and fulfilling. Man has realized time and again none of the sources of this world will ever fully satisfy our inner needs. This is because our needs are primarily spiritual and emotional and not limited to some mundane material things. The only person who understands the depth of our spiritual and emotional needs is our heavenly Father who has all it takes to meet these need fully. But it is important that we go to Him by admitting our deep needs. We have to confess to Him that we are truly poor in our spirits and will not find any other fulfilling source than that of the Father in heaven. It comes from the realization that all good things come from the Father in heaven and that His blessings alone will meet our deepest longings. So we need to go to the Father with willingness to admit all our needs in a spirit of humility. We must admit that we are poor in spirit and have deep desire to meet our needs from the Father alone. We must also admit that all that we have ever enjoyed in life has come from the Father alone. We must admit that it has all come to us not because of any of our merit, intelligence, worldly wisdom and smartness, but through His benevolence. King David knew this more than any one else, for he always recognized that he was a poor and forgotten shepherd boy and the Lord has been his provider and sustainer. Even after becoming the King of Israel, he felt that he was poor and in need of the blessings and goodness from the Lord. He recognized and confessed that he had no merit in him. He accepted his emptiness before the Lord and approached Him as a poor man crying for alms from the all-sufficient and merciful Father who gives liberally to the needy and the poor.

Dear reader, are you a needy person today in the emotional, spiritual and physical realms of life? Are you able to see the empty promise of the world which leaves you disappointed and miserable? Are you willing to confess your utter spiritual poverty and depravity before the Father? He has enough resources to meet all your needs at the right time and He will leave you satisfied with what He gives. We must also realize that whatever we have are given to us by the Lord and that we are only custodians of what is entrusted with us. Those who feel that they have all that they need cannot genuinely join David and pray from the bottom of their hearts. We need to admit our emptiness when we look at ourselves through the Word of God. Thus when we see ourselves as poor and needy, we would go to the Lord with a genuine heart and right attitude and ask Him to help us. Then He will open the windows of Heaven and supply all our needs. Today let us confess our utter depravity and approach the Throne of Grace with open hands and hearts and ask our Father to meet our needs and remove our inner poverty. He will answer us and fill us with Himself, and along with that, He will help us with our daily material needs, as we trust Him for all our present and future needs. May that be our challenge and vision for today and all the days of our lives!

Psalms 84:11 - For the Lord God is a sun and a shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

Thought for Today
The young ravens are not embarrassed to admit their needs and cry unto the LORD for their food.

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Thursday, April 19, 2012

COMPANION DURING TROUBLE!!

Companion during trouble!

Verse for Today: Thursday, April 19, 2012

Psalms 86:7 - In the day of my trouble, I shall call upon You; for You will answer me.

We all go through troubles of various kinds in our sojourn whether we are kings or the peasantry. These troubles are part of human life because we live in a sinful environment which is controlled by Satan and his world system. There are unexpected events which topple our plans and programs. We are incapacitated and inconvenienced by our situations, people who are linked with us and the various events which unfold in and around us. In times of trouble, we might resort to earthly means to circumvent it. Our efforts often put us into tighter situations and we will be forced to depend on smarter means to handle these situations. King David had gone through innumerable troubles from all his enemies who were always around him. His troubles came from his own father-in-law, his wife Michal, several of his soldiers, people like Shimei whom he helped, his sons Absalom and Amnon and all the enemy kings around him. During most of his reign, he had trouble, even though he lived in Jerusalem, the city of peace. It was during these times of trouble that he wrote the most melodious of his psalms which became prominent in the hymn book of Israel. These psalms of troubles, pain, misery, tears and exasperation can also be seen as psalms of victory, comfort, strength, encouragement and praise. In his troubles, David called unto the Lord and always found answers of comfort and strength in Him. Some times the comfort was through reprimand and rebuke which led to repentance. Some other times the comfort was the sleep he got and the peace that passed all understanding. Some times, in spite of his prayers for help, he had to go through the shadow of the valley of death and tears, all of which worked for his spiritual growth and greater trust in the Lord.

Dear reader, are you going through troubles of various kinds lately? Are your troubles coming from physical sickness, family, employer, neighborhood, Fellowship, colleagues and friends? Are these troubles increasing by leaps and bounds day after day? These are intense tests of your faith and trust in the Lord. The Lord knows what you are going through and He is near you to give you sufficient grace to handle these troubles with confidence and courage. He will guide you to respond to these difficult situations with the help of His Spirit. He will straighten your pathway so that you will march forward in spite of these troubles. When troubles set it, the Lord wants you to depend on Him completely and cry unto Him. He will answer you at the right time. He is committed to strengthen you to face these troubles. The reassurance from the Lord that He will hear and answer David in all his troubles kept David going throughout his sojourn. There were always answers from the Lord. But some times the answers were 'yes', some other times the answers were 'no' and some times there was long silence from the Lord. But David found comfort in the fact that the Lord heard and sent His answers at the right time, according to His perfect will. This Lord is with us also today and He hears the sounds of our cries, sobs and groaning and will definitely answer according to His eternal wisdom. His answers are for our spiritual good so that we grow in our faith and trust in Him and in His eternal purpose. The Lord of David is alive and is alert to our cries today and will answer us perhaps right now or a little later. Let us be patient with the Lord and wait for His time, purpose and plan for us. He is never late in fulfilling His exciting and perfect agenda for us.

Psalms 46:1 - God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble.

Thought for Today

It is exciting to be with the Lord in the valley of troubles, with songs in the night and waiting for His rays of hope to fall upon us.


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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

GOODBYE TO DESPAIR!!

Goodbye to despair!

Verse for Today: Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Psalms 43:5 - Why are you so despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, the hope of my countenance and my God.

Human beings are susceptible to frustrations. They face setbacks, failures, defeats and losses in life. Many things do not turn out as they desire or expect. There are unknown forces which work to thwart them of their grand plans. Unexpected turn of events plunge them into despair and it sometimes reaches a stage from which they find it difficult to climb up. Sometimes we reap despair because of our over-expectations and unreasonable plans. The people of the world resort to retaliation, fight, or counteraction to see how they can win over lost ground. When all hope is lost, they depend on external help from experts and even substance abuse to escape their scenarios. But when despair knocks at the hearts and lives of God’s people, they can depend on their Lord to help them out of it. We are instructed to live by faith and not by sight on the basis of the will of God. When God’s children encounter failure and loss as a result of disobedience, they must come back to their Lord and confess their failures and disobedience. When the world and the flesh defeat us through unreasonable expectations and daydreams, we must confess it and seek God’s perfect will for our lives. There are times when we encounter defeat because the world, flesh and Satan fight us and manipulate our situations. But in all these situations, we must realize that we have a God in whom we can hope. We can even praise Him for our failures because our failures and losses make us depend more intimately on Him. We must realize that we are given the privilege to put all our hope in God and trust Him to help us out in our defeats and failures. When our circumstances look hopeless and all the sources around disappoint us, there is no shadow of turning with Him. It is utterly meaningless for a child of God to loose heart and feel depressed because we have the privilege to simply trust and hope in our Lord who will deliver us from our depressing situations and failures. It is a time to focus our eyes on the Lord and get encouragement from Him. We can also ask the Lord to keep our hearts and minds from plunging into despair.

Dear reader, are you in despair because of your failures and defeats in life? Are you encountering failures in your business, job situation, ministry and family? If so, a comforting message is coming to you today from the Lord that He knows all about it and wants you to confide in Him rather than feeling frustrated. You are invited to cast all your cares upon Him including your despairing situation no matter what it is or how difficult it is. You might be tempted to cursing your past foolish decisions or actions. Instead of falling into self pity, it is best to cast your guilt about past decisions and actions on the Lord. He will strengthen you to cope with your failures, losses and defeats. He will fill your heart with peace that passes all understanding to trust the Lord to resolve your situations. You are asked to praise God even for all difficult situations because your God can transform your failures into success. He will give you the strength to face your situations courageously and seek to follow His will for your life. He will take care of your failures and defeats and give you victory. So why should you plunge into despair and disturb yourself further? Use your time to praise the Lord and draw from His strength for your future. You can see the Lord in His glory through His Word which will help you to develop a cheerful heart. Your cheerful countenance will be a great testimony to the joy and peace that the Lord gives you in spite of your circumstance. Today your Lord is working behind the scene to transform your failures into victory. So let us say goodbye to despair and live cheerfully as we walk with Jesus today.

Psalms 34:4 – I sought the Lord and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.

Thought for Today

Beware of joy stealers who will try to sow the seeds of despair in our hearts.


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Tuesday, April 17, 2012

FOREKNOWLEDGE OF NEEDS!!

Foreknowledge of needs!

Verse for Today: Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Matthew 6:8 - ….For your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

Fathers are known to be concerned about their children, and children enjoy the care of their fathers. There are many needs in the lives of children that the fathers know and plan ahead. But there are also things that the fathers do not have any clue about. There is no perfect father in the world as all have their failures and weaknesses. But our heavenly Father is quite different from the earthly fathers. He knows us well and knows all about our needs much in advance. He knows the depth of our needs and prepares for us. He arranges the setting, the resources and people who are linked with our needs. He knows the needs perfectly well and makes all things ready for His children to enjoy. He sets our schedules, places and pace so well as to make sure that we are fully satisfied with all that He gives us to accomplish what He wants in our lives. As our loving Father, He has special plans for each of us in this life. He created us and so we belong to Him. His plans for us are for us to serve in His spiritual kingdom. He loved us so much and was willing to sacrifice His only begotten Son for us on the cross of Calvary. As His Eternal Son is given to us to make us His children, and along with Him, the Father has given us all that we need to live in this world to serve Him. So it is our privilege to know what the Father has bestowed upon us and appropriate and appreciate all His gifts to live for His glory.

Dear reader, are you aware of the fact that you are not an orphan? You have a Father in heaven who loves you so much as to give you all that you need here in this life. He knows all your concerns, burdens, cares, difficulties, problems, conflicts, shortages, failures and defeats. He knows why you are going through these issues in your life and has made mends for it all. He wants you to use all your adverse experiences to learn valuable lessons in faith and trust in the Father. So when you feel certain needs, it ought to renew your dependence on your Father. You have to believe that your Father knows it in its magnitude and has already made provisions for you. But you are expected to ask the Father in faith. You have to believe that your Father will provide for all your needs according to His riches in glory. As your Father is the King, you are a prince or princess because you are His child. All His resources are for you to enjoy with a grateful heart. What a wonderful and all-knowing Father we have in Heaven, who knows us and our circumstances so well as to know what our intimate needs are! He knows our needs before the need even appears. He prepares all things well in advance so that when the need is felt, it can be met according to His dignity and yardstick. As we walk with Him and talk with Him along life's narrow ways, He reassures us of His resources to meet all our needs at the right time, and as it pleases Him as the benevolent, compassionate and merciful Father. When we have such a benevolent Father, let us go to Him just as little children go to their fathers to ask to meet our needs. He gives us perfect gifts on the basis of His unfathomable capacity. Today let us draw upon the unlimited and never-exhausting reservoirs of our Heavenly Father and be content with what He gives. Let us praise Him for what He has given us in the past, what He gives us daily and what He has promised to give us in our tomorrows.

Psalms 145:19 - He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and save them.

Thought for Today

It will take us all eternity to begin to understand the status, dignity, greatness and resourcefulness of our Heavenly Father.


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Monday, April 16, 2012

MOVING STRONGHOLD!!

Moving Stronghold!

Verse for Today: Monday, April 16, 2012

Psalms 37:39 – The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; He is their stronghold in time of trouble.

God’s children dwell today in the enemy territory. Their environment is filled with the powers of darkness. They are surrounded by the world system controlled by the enemy of their souls. There are physical, emotional and spiritual traps prepared by the enemy to captivate us and to make us stumble. The enemy’s strategies include humiliation, rejection, loneliness, depression, failure and persecution which he sends to us through the manipulation of our situations. He enjoys troubling us physically, financially and emotionally and will use it all to push us into trusting in our own self and human wisdom. He makes us depend on our own abilities to resolve our problems. He sends trouble in our souls and detracts us from our focus in our spiritual walk. He wants us to curse our circumstances and situations and often our foolish decisions rather than praising God in all situations. The enemy abhors the way we are prone to praise our God and so he will irritate our emotions to feel frustrated instead of seeking the mind of the Lord in all that we go through. Our Lord who is with us as we go through these troubles wants us to learn important spiritual lessons through our bitter experiences. He doesn’t want us to waste these learning opportunities, but to use it as investments for our spiritual growth and development of greater faith and trust in Him. He wants to reassure us today that we should not get boggled down in our painful experiences because our salvation from all our difficult situations comes from the Lord. When we are battered by the enemy, we have the privilege and opportunity to go to the Lord who is our stronghold which cannot be penetrated by the darts of the enemy. His Word encourages us today to depend on Him in all our difficult and painful situations. We are admonished today to wait for the Lord’s time to experience His deliverance in times of trouble.

Dear reader, are you going through troubles of various kinds in your life? Is the enemy putting pressure on you to run away from your situations and escape through the seemingly easier ways of the world? Are you tempted to quit like Elijah or Peter? Is the enemy suffocating you through fire, water, storms or thunder in the form of lion-like bosses, failing health, financial crisis, job loss, bereavement, uncertain future, hatred, gossip, false propaganda and the like? When the Lord is your stronghold, you do not need to be afraid of these weapons used by the enemy to make you stumble. If you hold on to your Lord and renew your trust and dependence on Him, the darts of the enemy will not touch you. When you are tempted to see the fierceness of the weapons of the enemy, focus your attention on the glory of the Lord who is with you. His power encompasses around you to protect you from the attacks of the enemy. Keep your eyes on Jesus and open your ears to His strengthening messages. Hold on to His promises. Prayerfully wait for His deliverance at the right time as in the case of Joseph and Peter. See how He will put out the power of fire around you through His loving embrace. His glory will be your cover of protection in times of trouble. Today He comes to remind you that there is absolutely no need for you to be afraid of your troubled environment because His salvation is on its way to keep you going without deterrence of any sort. You can be rest assured that our Lord is our salvation or deliverance and that through His strength, we can weather away the storms that blow against us. These experiences are the Lord's ways to make us stronger and focused. Remember, gold cannot and need not fear fire. Today let us renew our confidence and trust in such a God who is our refuge and strength.

Psalms 27:14 - Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He (The Lord) shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.

Thought for Today

The Lord is your moving stronghold as you walk with Him.


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Sunday, April 15, 2012

EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONS!!

Expression of emotions!

Verse for Today: Sunday, April 15, 2012

Psalms 77:1 - I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice, and He gave ear unto me.

Crying is an expression of grief, loss, failure, anguish, deep frustration and pain in a person’s life. It comes out of a heavy and sad heart which is sobbing and lamenting because of hurt of various kinds. It is accompanied with tears, gasp and such other outward signs which demonstrate deep agony. Asaph, the temple musician, had such an experience of crying before God because of the deep needs of his heart. His crying was expressed in the sad song that he sang in the presence of God. His heart was heavy with the needs of his life in a very hostile environment. He had no other place to go with his burdens. He was groaning before God and felt that his spirit was experiencing faint within him. He couldn’t sleep because of deep distress. He waited for an answer from the Lord about his difficulties, but the answer was slow to come. Asaph was also burdened about God’s people whom he was serving. He felt shaken all over and was overwhelmed about the problems he encountered. As he expressed his feelings, emotions and frustrations before God, he received the comfort that he was part of God’s sheep whom He is leading in their wilderness experience. He learned that the Lord’s ways are through the seas, thunder, lightening, dark clouds and deep waters. But the comfort God gave to His children was that in all of these rough patches of life, their Lord was with them to lead them victoriously. He also learned that the Lord hears the cries of His children, shows compassion and leads them a day at a time. Under His wings, His children would find comfort and strength. Through it all, the Lord leads His children to strengthen their faith and gives them courage to face their situation and become victorious.

Dear reader, are you going through a time of deep anguish in life which makes you helpless like a baby in your peculiar situation? Do you feel emotionally weak and tired because of the heat of your scenario? Are you suffering in loneliness because there is no one to support and strengthen you? Are all your dear ones rejecting and resenting you and withdrawing sympathy and love in your experience of rough waters and fire? Today you are encouraged to go to the presence of your Lord who wants you to experience His deep and unfathomable love. He wants to reassure you that He is holding your hands to lead you forward like a sheep in the company of its loving shepherd. He wants to lead you to His green pastures where you will find graceful grazing and quiet rest. He wants you to know that even when you go through unexplainable difficulties, He is with you and will not allow you to through it all alone. In fact He is leading you through it all to teach you wonderful lessons about total dependence on Him and nothing else. He shows you a step at a time so that you would learn to walk each step by faith and trust Him for the next step forward. There is no retreating with the Lord as He always leads forward. He fills your heart with hope for a brighter tomorrow. In all His ways, He never leaves you alone, but goes with you. Your walk is a learning experience in faith. He meets all your needs as you walk with Him. When your heart is heavy, He will wipe your tears and cheers you up with rays of hope even through the darkest clouds. Today it is your blessed privilege to cry before your Lord who will listen to your sobbing and meet all your physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs according to His vast resources which are prepared and kept ready for you to draw from it each day according to your needs. He wants you to enjoy the freedom to express your anguishes before your Lord with tears and find ways to take another step forward by faith.

Psalms 34:15 – The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cries.

Thought for Today

Your Lord's heart melts when His children express their deep emotions before Him with tears.

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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

HAND-IN-HAND!!

Hand-in-hand!

Verse of the Day: Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Psalms 73:23: Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand.

Our faith in God is a great gift we have received from Him. It is a great privilege to be able to trust the Almighty who created the whole universe. Our God knows all our needs, desires, priorities and problems. He knows what we are going through and has provisions for us to meet all the challenges we face every moment of our lives. It is amazing to know that even when we face difficulties and turmoil in life, our God will not leave us nor forsake us. He will still lead and guide us, sometimes through rough waters and at other times through wind or storm. Even when we go through trials, battles, conflicts, confusions and doubts, our God is with us. So we can confidently say with Asaph that we will not leave Him either. When we have tasted the glory and the greatness of our God, we do not have any other better place or person to go to. In the midst of all our discouragements, He is there to encourage and strengthen us. So we can say with Asaph that we will always be with Him and will not relent. This is because of His surpassing greatness and our knowledge that He will not leave us nor forsake us. The consciousness that the Lord is holding our hands and leading us like a parent leads a little child is most comforting and exhilarating. In essence, we have the Lord in this world and we show our loyalty to Him by holding on to Him all the time. Such a mutually satisfying experience is the most precious privilege we have here on earth.

Dear reader, are you experiencing rejection and despising from the world because you live for Jesus? Do you develop doubts and confusions as you face rough patches in life? Do you ever wonder why you are suffering while less righteous people prosper? But there is no need to compare your spiritual bliss with the temporary prosperity that the people of this world secure. You are not on slippery ground, where as they are on slippery ground. Their prosperity ends with this life whereas your bliss is eternal. If you feel that you are suffering, it is because of that great cause that centers around you life of faith and trust in the Lord. Your difficulties in this life are training ground for you to develop spiritual muscle to exercise faith in your Lord. It is only when you have a problem that you realize how your Lord is with you and helps you to go through it. He teaches you greater faith and trust as you keep holding on to His hands and as you experience His right hand on you. You are right now being trained to develop greater patience, maturity, stability and growth in your life of faith. These experiences are thus investment for the future. So you need to develop the tenacity to learn from Him as you and your Lord walk together. It is during the time you walk hand in hand with the Lord that He reveals the greatness of His glory to you. But it requires patience and willingness to learn which He wants to impart on those who trust Him to walk with Him. Today let us walk with Him and learn from Him about His greatness. Let our walk with Him lead us to be amazed at His splendid majesty and greatness and let us get ourselves lost in the wonder and the awe of His glory! His glory will help us not to loose heart, but to become more confident in Him.

Psalms 73:28 - But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Soverign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all Your deeds.

Thought for Today

There is no greater thrill in life than walking hand in hand with the Lord!


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Monday, April 9, 2012

KNOWLEDGE BREAKS FEAR!!

Knowledge breaks fear!

Verse for Today: Monday, April 09, 2012

Psalms 46:2&3 – Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.

Proper knowledge of the awesomeness of God makes us respond boldly to our fierce situations and circumstances. When we know the strength, power and all sufficiency of God, and decides to trust Him for all our situations, there is no need to fear anything else including tough situations or chaotic circumstances. God is above these situations and bigger than any problem we face. His power is greater than any other power in this world. So if we fear God and live for Him, there is no reason why we should fear any other force on earth. The sons of Korah who wrote this song out of their experience of knowing the awesome God and experiencing His power in their lives found that it was meaningless to fear their fierce circumstances. Their intimate and close relationship with God made them see their circumstances through God. Then they found that every thing else in this world was only a shadow in the light of His glory. As they experienced God’s power in their lives, they realized that they should be confident and live without fear and continue to serve their God in all their situations. Confidence in God helped them to realize how to draw strength and power from God to live courageously and with great confidence. The reality that natural calamities of any magnitude and attacks of any powerful enemy would not harm them put their lives on such a positive disposition to sing to the power of this God.

Dear reader, are you currently faced with tough opposition and insurmountable hindrances in life? Is the world showing you some of the worst scenarios of life to make you fearful and hopeless? Your enemies are formidable and the situations you face are difficult to overcome. But your spiritual enemy is far more powerful than those whom you see around and that he is using people, circumstances and situations to oppose and oppress you. The greatest blow they can send your way is to make your feet tremble with fear so that you would flatter and stumble. Your enemy knows that if your heart is filled with fear, you will fall flat on your face and plunge into defeat. The antidote to such opposition is to get to know your God who is willing to give you His power to strengthen you. Your circumstances might not change dramatically, but when you look at the circumstances through the Lord, you will only see how your Lord would handle your situation according to His power and wisdom. This knowledge will give you greater confidence to put all your trust on Him and relax in the midst of any chaos and confusion that the world will try to create to defeat you. God wants you to know today that the greatest opposition and hindrance are the difficult situations that the enemy will create to block you from going forward. He also wants you to understand that Jesus is your way and He shows you His heavenly light for you to go forward. In all your situations, Jesus is with you and He is holding you by your hand to go forward. So when confusions and oppositions come your way, He is extending His hands for you to hold tightly and take steps of faith. If there is darkness, hindrance and attack on you, it is important that you do look only at the Lord Jesus who is the author and finisher of your faith to take you forward. He is with you today to make available all the grace that you need to hold on to Him and to put all your trust in Him to take you forward. So there is no reason why should you be afraid or anxious. Instead, take God and His Word as your power and guide every step of the way forward and march from victory to victory.

Psalms 48:14 – For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end.

Thought for To Day

When you see the God of glory in His awesome power and strength, you will not fear any other powers which try to shake you up.


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