Celebrating Christmas is the best time of the year. The darkest and coldest month of the year is celebrated by lighting up the streets, shops and houses and giving gifts to each other. In all the hustle and bustle of the festivity and buying and wrapping gifts for our loved ones etc can drift us away from the main focus and the centre of it all – “JESUS”.

Few days ago during worship I had this overwhelming thought about how an awesome and all powerful GOD- by whom, for whom and through whom everything was created could leave all HIS Glory and Heavenly home and chose not a palace, not a mansion not even a decent home but a humble manger to be born. The KING of kings and the LORD of lords lying there in a stinky and cold place always breaks my heart. Its goes beyond the meaning of the word ‘humility’, HE chose such a humble couple and such a lowly place to enter into this world.

Some of them criticise about celebrating Christmas. Think about this, without Christmas there is no Easter. Meditating on the humble entry of Christ’s birth, the struggle of Mary and Joseph, the announcement to the forgotten Shepherds and the significance of the gifts of the wise men and above all the very act of the GOD of all creation giving away HIS most precious possession (HIS only SON) is all about Christmas.

Even as a baby JESUS went through poverty, homelessness, death threats and even fleeing the Country. HE understands your every pain, HE not only understands your brokenness but he literally feels it and carries you through. Today you might not be joyful as people around you and might feel the pain of a loss of a loved one, take courage that JESUS is with you and HE is closer to you than you could ever imagine because HE has been there. HE is so real and more real than the air that you breath.

And for those of us who are wrapping our final presents, finishing our cooking, finishing our last minute shopping or even putting up last minute decorations, lets take time to reflect on the greatest and the most priceless gift ever given to us – JESUS!!!

HE is our everything. Through HIM we have peace,hope, joy, good health, forgiveness of our sins, eternal life and best of all our names written in HIS Book of Life and the hope of life after death. May this Christmas fill you and your family with the love, joy and peace of CHRIST!!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

¹¹ For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. ¹² And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, ¹³ while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. ¹⁴ He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds. Titus :2:11- 14 

In the above passage Apostle Paul urges us to turn from our godless ways and sinful pleasures. Its very very important that we live a godly life. 

Today we spend so much of our time and energy in getting a healthy lifestyle by altering our diets and exercising whether be it swimming, running or going to the gym. Though its painful and time consuming we still enjoy doing it bearing in mind the fruit it will bear.If we faithfully try to do it inorder to stay healthy,  how much more should we concentrate on our spiritual lifestyle. Training our mind to godliness in other words exercising spiritually is most important as it has benefits not only for our present but for eternity.

“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” I Tim:4:8

I have come up with the below list from 1 Thessalonians 5 and I Timothy 3 and 4.

Please click on this link to take a printout and put it beside your desk or wherever you can see daily and read through it and try to apply it in your daily life —>Spiritual Exercise

Reminding ourselves daily helps us turn it into a habit and before you know it will become part of you.

Spiritual Exercise:

1. Honour those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work 
2. Live peacefully with each other.
3. Warn those who are lazy
4. Encourage those who are timid
5. Take tender care of those who are weak
6. Be patient with everyone
7. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.
8. Always be joyful.
9.  Never stop praying.
10. Be thankful in all circumstances
11. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit
12. Do not scoff at prophecies
13. Test everything that is said
14. Hold on to what is good
15.  Stay away from every kind of evil
16. You wives must accept the authority of your husbands
17. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit
18. Husbands must give honour to your wives
19. You should be of one mind
20. Sympathize with each other
21. Love each other as brothers and sisters
22. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude
23. Don’t repay evil for evil
24. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you- instead, pay them back with a blessing, that is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing
25. Keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies
26. Turn away from evil and do good
27. Search for peace, and work to maintain it
28. If someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it
29. Keep your conscience clear
30. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins
31. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay
32. Keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you

GOD promises blessing and long lives even as you obey HIS commands. I would like to finish with the below verses.

²³ Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. ²⁴ God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful. 1 Thes:5:23,24

¹¹ So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. ¹² Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ. 2 Thes:1:11,12

Be encouraged and start your spiritual exercise today. The Holy Spirit will guide and help you in every step of the way.

GOD bless!!!

Have a great day!!!

¹⁵ So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. ¹⁶ Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.¹⁷ Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Eph:5:15 -17

I was meditating on this topic for few weeks now and I realised that every single moment of our day we our either controlled by our flesh or we are controlled by the Holy Spirit. Your actions are based on whom you obey. If you are constantly connected to the LORD by reading HIS Word and spending time in prayer, then your immediate obedience would be to the SPIRIT of GOD. If you hardly spend time in prayer or read HIS Word, you will cave in to the flesh. The Bible teaches us to be careful in how we live our lives, to live it wisely and not to live thoughtlessly.

¹⁷ With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. ¹⁸ Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. ¹⁹ They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

²⁰ But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. ²¹ Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, ²² throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.²³ Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. ²⁴ Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. Eph:4:17-24

Apostle Paul encourages us again and again in all his books to put on the new nature of CHRIST and to live a life pleasing to GOD, to imitate CHRIST and live upto Heavenly standards. Let us ask Holy Spirit to guide us and help us in our day to day lives.

Many times we wonder why we behave the way we do and mostly we get angry on ourselves after we do the wrong thing. But the truth is simple, you behave the way you do based on whom you are controlled by.

¹⁶ So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. ¹⁷ The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. ¹⁸ But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. Gal:5:16-18

In the above passage Paul gives us a list of behaviours that results from obeying the flesh and from obeying the SPIRIT. I have made a list below,

Based on the above list lets analyse and categorise ourselves as to which behaviour determines us.

Who is controlling you, your flesh or the Holy Spirit? Whom are you listening to and obeying? Does your life reflect the fruits of the SPIRIT or the flesh?

Times of testing doesn’t take very long, every single second of our lives we are being tested.

Some of the examples are,

• The time when you get angry, you can either choose to win the argument by shouting and ranting or to keep quite or give a gentle reply.
• The time when you are tempted to tell lies because you are late for something or because you are sick and don’t want to show up at school or work.
• The time when someone is mean to you and you want to be unkind to them.
• The time when someone asks for help and you turn them down.
• The time when you scream at your parents, spouse, children or strangers because of stress at work.
• The time when you want to shut yourself down and not let anyone help you because you don’t trust them.
• The time when you want to be rude to everyone because you are hurting inside.
• The time when you don’t want to settle down an argument and rather want to win it, despite knowing that you will lose the relationship.
• The time when you are alone and no-one is watching you and you give in to pleasures.
• The time when you allow lustful thoughts in your mind thinking that its not going to harm anyone else, little realising that GOD knows your every thought and intentions of your heart.
• The time when you tease someone and say it was a joke when actually you were trying to get even by insulting them.
• The times you feel jealous about someone and gossip about them.
• The times of hatred, bitterness, betraying one another, backbiting, stealing and rage.

One of the things that JESUS already warned people that will happen in last days is that, love will grow cold. 

Sure enough there’s lack of love in the family among each other, among friends and among believers! Everywhere we turn there’s violence and hatred and its even present within the body of CHRIST. Sadly people hate facing each other and try to hurt them in different ways.

Let me encourage you with the below scriptures,

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. Col:3:17

So next time you are tempted to be rude, angry, unkind and unforgiving think twice because you are not an ordinary person, you are a “Representative of LORD JESUS” and its not a simple thing. In all this thankfulness is the key attitude, be grateful every single moment of your life.And finally,

¹² Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.¹³ Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. ¹⁴ Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Have a blessed Spirit led fruitful day!!!

GOD bless!

Lets meditate on few more examples from the Bible who did what GOD wanted rather than doing the right thing.

1. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. ¹⁸ But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” Dan:3:16-18

When the King gave a degree to worship the golden statue, the three friends decided to please GOD rather than the King. Although every other person in the whole Kingdom did what seemed right by obeying the King that is to bow down to the golden statue, only Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego chose not to bow. They knew that obeying and pleasing GOD was more important than listening to a mere human and although they had to pay the highest price of giving up their own lives by burning in the fire, they counted the cost of pleasing GOD more rewarding. In verse 18 they make this profound statement that even if GOD will not rescue them, still they will not worship the idol. The Bible says these three had an excellent Spirit. It has always made me wonder what a unique mindset they had, that they never even bothered about their getting killed.

Today we are confronted with many similar situations in our day to day lives. How many times have we pleased GOD? Have we given in to the need of the hour? Not giving a second thought to whether our actions will please GOD or not?

Do we try to please our boss, teachers, spouse,parents, in laws, friends, children or sometimes even strangers?

Most of the time we get carried away and start following the crowd. Long back I read a story about dead fishes, how they flow with the water current, its only the live fishes that swim against the water current. Today when you are confronted with any kind of challenge which would contradict Godly values, I encourage you to choose to please GOD. Take a bold stand for what GOD wants- where ever you are, stand out in the crowd and think about the live fish which swims against the water current and doesn’t go with the flow.

Whatever consequence you might face always remember that your reward in Heaven is greater and that is all that matters.

¹¹ “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. ¹² Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way. Math:5:12

2.Little boy who shared his lunch 

⁸ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up,⁹ “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there).¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. Jn:6:8-10

This little boy always fascinates me. His mum packed a lunch for him and he decided to share it with JESUS. Again the right thing would be to eat his lunch himself but he did the GOD thing by sharing it. When he shared with JESUS, HE not only blessed it but multiplied it. Same applies to our talents. GOD has given each and everyone of us some kind of talent. Even to a person who thinks he has no talent, GOD has entrusted him something. All we have to do is give it back to HIM and HE will surely multiply it.

⁶ In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. ⁷ If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. ⁸ If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Rom:12:6

Whatever you do make sure, you don’t bury it but use it for the glory of GOD, for that is what GOD wants you to do!!!

Have a fruitful day doing the GOD thing!!!

GOD bless!

In the previous blog we saw the examples from the Bible who chose to do the right thing and did not do what GOD wanted them to do and ended up losing their lives.

Lets see some more characters in the Bible who chose to do what GOD wanted them to do instead of doing the right thing.

1.Joseph     

³ “I am Joseph!” he said to his brothers. “Is my father still alive?” But his brothers were speechless! They were stunned to realize that Joseph was standing there in front of them. ⁴ “Please, come closer,” he said to them. So they came closer. And he said again, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt. ⁵ But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. ⁶ This famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years, and there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. ⁷ God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors.⁸ So it was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh—the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt.

⁹ “Now hurry back to my father and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me master over all the land of Egypt. So come down to me immediately! Gen:45:3-9

Joseph had every opportunity to get even with his brothers. Infact it would have been the right thing as they were even willing to kill him in the first place and later mercilessly sold him as a slave. Because of them he had to leave his loving dad and all the luxury and became a slave and started working in an young age.Because of them he spent years in prison and experienced injustice most of his life. His anger was justifiable and infact his brothers dint deserve his kindness according to the standards of this world. But what did Joseph do? He forgave his brothers and gave them food and invited them along with their families to come and live in Egypt.

So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?” Gen:41:38

In the above verse we see that a pagan ruler recognised the Spirit of GOD in Joseph in other words he had an excellent spirit.

Today when people hurt us and do us wrong, how many of us forgive them and bless them. Forgiveness is the toughest and sometimes the most difficult thing for a christian. GOD wants us to forgive each other immediately not a day later and not a year later. JESUS forgave instantly as we read in the below verse,

³³ When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. Lk:23:33,34 

I have seen relationships fall apart, families and friendships broken because of unforgiveness. People carry so much of grudge within themselves that the very thought of seeing the other person or talking to them becomes difficult. In my own life I have come across many many people who stop talking to their own parents, husbands, children or friends. Small misunderstandings have ruined so many  lives. People are least bothered about what GOD thinks or what GOD wants. They cave into their own emotions and end up satisfying themselves rather than pleasing GOD.

Today even as you read this article, I would like to encourage you to choose love and forgive others.  Life is too short to carry your hurts, unforgiveness and grudges.

Forgiving others does you more good than the other person.

¹⁴ “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Math:6:14,15

Choose love over hatred and forgiveness over grudge.

2. Ruth

¹⁴ And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi. ¹⁵ “Look,” Naomi said to her, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same.”

¹⁶ But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. ¹⁷ Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” Ruth:1:14-17

Orpah and Ruth are perfect examples of choosing the ‘Right thing’ or ‘GOD Thing’.

Orpah did the right thing while Ruth without a clue of the future chose to do what GOD wanted her to do.  Though she was not a jew she still chose to follow the true GOD. She was not raised a believer but still she saw Godly values in Naomi that attracted her.

We see submissiveness in Ruth and willingness to forsake her own family, people, country and her comfort zone to go to a foreign country. Unknowingly Ruth tapped into GOD’s divine great plan and received tremendous blessings. Infact GOD choose Ruth to be part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ. She is 1 of the 5 women mentioned. Such a great honour and a great legacy left by Ruth through her simple obedience.

Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab).
Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth).
Obed was the father of Jesse. Math:1:5

In our lives today when we obey the still small voice of the Holy Spirit over our own convictions, clattering emotions and over the noisiness of the world and choose to do what HE wants us to do, then without doubt we will be honoured and blessed greatly.

Sometimes every ounce within us, will scream and direct us to follow the crowd by doing what is right but pause and think if that is what GOD wants you to do and do the GOD thing!!!

Think about the immense blessings that you will have and not only you but others and even generations will be blessed with the Godly decisions that you take.

Today I encourage you to do the GOD thing!!!

GOD bless you and have a great day!

I have always thought GOD wants us to do the right thing when it comes to choosing between right or wrong. But never did it occur to me that I am supposed to be doing what GOD says through HIS Word or directly. Doing the right thing is not the same as doing what GOD asks you to do.

Let us see some examples from the Bible,

1. Uzzah

⁶ Then David and all Israel went to Baalah of Judah (also called Kiriath-jearim) to bring back the Ark of God, which bears the name of the Lord who is enthroned between the cherubim. ⁷ They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house. Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the cart. ⁸ David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

⁹ But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon,the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the Ark. ¹⁰ Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and he struck him dead because he had laid his hand on the Ark. So Uzzah died there in the presence of God. I Chr:13:6-10

Reading through the story of Uzzah, really shook me, as I thought he was doing the right thing. Infact anyone who was so close to the Ark would have done the same. But what is GOD’s instructions regarding the Ark. If you read in Numbers, GOD has given clear instructions to Moses as to who should touch/carry the ark. When David moved the Ark he dint follow any of those instructions. The family of Kohathites were supposed to carry the Ark and it was a very sacred duty and no matter what happened nobody was supposed to touch the Ark.

The camp will be ready to move when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the sacred articles. The Kohathites will come and carry these things to the next destination. But they must not touch the sacred objects, or they will die. So these are the things from the Tabernacle that the Kohathites must carry. Num:4:15

So GOD has given clear instructions, that even Kohathites who can carry are not allowed to touch, otherwise they will die. Uzzah tried to do the right thing but that was not what GOD wanted him to do.

2. Young Prophet

At the Lord’s command, a man of God from Judah went to Bethel, arriving there just as Jeroboam was approaching the altar to burn incense. ² Then at the Lord’s command, he shouted, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: A child named Josiah will be born into the dynasty of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests from the pagan shrines who come here to burn incense, and human bones will be burned on you.” ³ That same day the man of God gave a sign to prove his message. He said, “The Lord has promised to give this sign: This altar will split apart, and its ashes will be poured out on the ground.”

⁴ When King Jeroboam heard the man of God speaking against the altar at Bethel, he pointed at him and shouted, “Seize that man!” But instantly the king’s hand became paralyzed in that position, and he couldn’t pull it back. ⁵ At the same time a wide crack appeared in the altar, and the ashes poured out, just as the man of God had predicted in his message from the Lord.

⁶ The king cried out to the man of God, “Please ask the Lord your God to restore my hand again!” So the man of God prayed to the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored and he could move it again.I Kings: 13:1-6

If you read the full story the ending is really pathetic. The young prophet was killed by a lion, because he disobeyed GOD and went to eat with the old Prophet who had lied to him. I never understood this story until recently when GOD spoke to me about this blog. 

In,fact we see in the below passage that the man refuses to eat saying GOD forbade him, but the old Prophet insists and then he eats.

¹⁵ Then he said to the man of God, “Come home with me and eat some food.”

¹⁶ “No, I cannot,” he replied. “I am not allowed to eat or drink anything here in this place. ¹⁷ For the Lord gave me this command: ‘You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.’”

¹⁸ But the old prophet answered, “I am a prophet, too, just as you are. And an angel gave me this command from the Lord: ‘Bring him home with you so he can have something to eat and drink.’” But the old man was lying to him. ¹⁹ So they went back together, and the man of God ate and drank at the prophet’s home. I Kings:13: 15-18

The young man trusted the old prophet and thought he was doing the right thing but he missed on what GOD wanted him to do.

When GOD gives us instructions, then HE will be the one to tell us if there is a change of plan. In the above story, GOD would have told the young Prophet himself whether he could eat or not. This is a valuable lesson to be learnt- “Never rely on other people for knowing GOD’s instructions for your life”. GOD is your FATHER and has given YOU His HOLY SPIRIT who knows the will of GOD and HE says to ask HIM in JESUS Name. You don’t need a mediator to talk to your own Dad. Don’t be mislead. Spend time at HIS feet and reading HIS Word to know what HE wants for your life. Knowing HIS Will in each and every step of your life is more important than anything else you could possibly imagine.

²⁷ And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. ²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Rom:8:27,28

3. Ananias and Sapphira

If you read the story of Ananias and Sapphira from Acts:5:1-11, you will see that their intention was right -Selling their land and giving the money to the poor.

Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. ⁴ The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” Acts : 5:3

The great mistake they did was telling lies about how much they sold and keeping back the money.

Im sure they dint have to sell their land in the 1st place, but to do the right thing and to be generous they sold it and instead of telling Peter the right amount, they lied and it cost their lives.

Today how many of us tell lies thinking it won’t hurt anyone or it can even be a white lie.No matter what GOD says HE hates lies and liars don’t have any part in Heaven.

“But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Rev: 21:8

Ananias and his wife thought they were doing right but instead they did the greatest blunder of their lives, of lying to GOD himself.

Let us learn from these above examples from the Bible, they are written so that we can learn from their mistakes and live a better life pleasing GOD.

4. Judas Ischariot

Like Judas most people in the world and even many Christians think, that when there is no way out from the misery they are facing or the challenges they face. The way to get rid of all their problems is either walk away from GOD or commit suicide.

People think all the problems they face are from GOD and HE loves some people and hates others. That’s the greatest lie devil wants us to believe.

John:3:16 says,

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

HE loves everyone without any condition.

A very contrast character to Judas is Peter. According to the world’s eyes Judas did the right thing, but Peter did the GOD thing. Peter ran to GOD for forgiveness and mercy.

That’s all GOD wants you to do. Run to HIM. He is waiting with arms wide open with no criticism but only love.

The only way out for all your troubles is running to JESUS and not away from HIM.

Today my dear friends I encourage you to do the GOD thing. Seek HIS will and do what HE says and not what is right in the world’s eyes or your own eyes.

Have a blessed GOD filled day!!!

Have you ever given a thought, that someone is constantly watching you, 24/7 – day in and day out? How much better when it is GOD Himself who is watching over you every second of every single day.

The Lord is watching everywhere, keeping his eye on both the evil and the good.Prov:15:3

The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man. Ps:33:13

Take comfort in knowing that you are never alone, and whatever that you are going through is never unnoticed. For there is a GOD in Heaven who is watching you and who cares for you more than you could ever imagine. For some this might be terrifying, that GOD watches us even when we are doing wrong, yes that’s when we come to realise that no matter what you do you cannot hide from HIM.

I love the story of Hagar in the below passage,

¹³ Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.”She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” ¹⁴ So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means “well of the Living One who sees me”). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered. Gen :16:13,14

According to human standards Hagar was unwanted, slave, servant, cast out, lonely, unloved and thrown out of camp. Infact I don’t think anyone even considered her a godly person. She was known only as Sarah’s maid. Yet when she cried out GOD saw her tears and GOD answered her.

It moves my heart to know how tender our GOD is, HE always listens to us no matter how far we run away from HIM. HE is watching over us with everlasting love and always waiting for us to return to HIM. HE watches us to protect us, to preserve us and most importantly because HE cares and loves us so much that HE gave HIS only Son to die for us.

Never once think that you are alone.

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. 2 Chro:16:9

What more do we need in life, when we have the strong support of GOD Himself in our lives.

The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Ps:14:2

The Lord is in His holy temple,
The Lord’s throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold,
His eyelids test the sons of men. Ps:11:4

Have a great day knowing that GOD never sleeps nor slumbers but is busy watching and caring for you!

GOD bless!

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you. Is:43:2

Your current situation may seem like as if you are going through fire, worse than you have ever faced before. You may feel like your dreams, ambitions, hard work, success, relationships are all burned up and turned to ashes. You might be just giving up saying this is too much for me to handle. I cannot trust GOD any more and I am not going to rely on HIS Word.

I would like to encourage you, don’t give up yet!

The GOD we serve is so faithful that according to HIS promise in Isaiah:43:2 , “When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,Nor shall the flame scorch you.”  He says HE is with you no matter what. 

This reminds me of the 3 champions in the Bible- Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who never gave up their faith in GOD even when they were about to be thrown into the fire, they challenged the King.

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” Dan:3:16-18

The zeal they had for GOD even when threatened to be thrown into fire is absolutely mind blowing. How may times do we lose our faith when confronted with trials and failures in life? Do we hold on to GOD knowing HE is with us in the fire or do we panic and easily give up?

Do we stand for JESUS when our faith/religion is put to test or do we easily compromise?

It is good to analyse our lives today, seeing where we actually stand. For some of us, its a matter of faith and trust but for others it can be a time of refining.

GOD Himself says that HE refines us for HIS Glory.

I have refined you, but not as silver is refined.
Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering. Is:48:10

But why does GOD refine us? See the below verse,

These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. I Pet: 1: 7

Our beautiful hope remains that we are not alone and that JESUS is with us. I would like to conclude with verse 6 from the same chapter.

So be truly glad.There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. I Pet:1:6

We serve a faithful GOD who will never abandon us. Be encouraged that no matter how many times your furnace is hotter than others, the GOD of the Universe is with you and that you will come out victorious without your clothing scorched or the smell of the smoke.

Hallelujah!!!There is a wonderful joy and crown for each one of us!

Have a joyful day!!!

[Verses to Meditate]

¹⁹ Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual.

²⁴Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?”

They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”

²⁵“Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” 

²⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. ²⁷ Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke! Dan:3:19,24-27

Have you ever wondered before asking GOD the question “Where are you in my troubles?” that GOD wants to take you deeper in relationship with him.

I know I have never given that a thought until GOD showed me that HE was holding my hand and taking me deeper into the wide ocean to show the mysteriously beautiful truths about HIM.

Psalmist David had a very similar experience, it seems to be an eyeopener to me because I can very well step into his shoes and feel the somewhat same emotions he went through and the questions that he asked and the turmoil he faced.

Psalm 42

From time to time we all have this question rising  within ourselves, specially when we are facing trials and when we are walking through the fire.

JESUS Himself went through this phase when HE was on the Cross.

     My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
    Why are you so far away when I groan for help? PS:22:1

I am sure many of us are in that place right now, where we are asking GOD – Why me? Why now? Why not? Why? Why? Why?

As I am going through something similar in my life right now, one of the things I find hard is to spend time with GOD. Mainly because I feel HE is not with me and HE is not listening to me. All I can feel is my pain, my failure and my limitations.

Still I make it an effort to sit in HIS Presence and even if I can’t say anything I just sit and cry, knowing that HE is counting all my tears.

    You keep track of all my sorrows.
    You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
    You have recorded each one in your book. Ps:56:8

So today as I was asking GOD to speak to me as I had to write this blog. And I needed to know why is it that we don’t feel HIS Presence specially during the troubled times, why is it so hard to get through?

Im sure the disciples felt the same way when JESUS was sleeping in the boat and they had confronted a huge storm. I have always thought why in the world will they panic knowing that the Creator of the Universe was with them.But now I can perfectly relate to them, when confronted with trials and storms, the trouble always looks bigger than the reality.The reality in our lives is the Truth that JESUS is always with us just as HE promised.

    Give your burdens to the Lord,
    and he will take care of you.
    He will not permit the godly to slip and fall. Ps:55:22

…Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.(NKJV) Math:28:20

Yes HE will never leave us nor forsake us at any time. The truth be said HE is closer than the very breath that we breathe.The Bible says in Genesis:2:7, GOD breathed HIS very breath into our nostrils and that’s how close HE is.

The reality or the truth never changes but circumstances do, our problems get more complex, our storms grow violent, our failures get frequent, our guilt increases, and before we realise we bury ourselves under all this debris.

The Holy Spirit revealed to me why I felt the way I did, its because all my focus was on my problems, my failures, my limitations. I was constantly magnifying my storm without even realising like the disciples that I was all focused on how big the storm was and how I have failed in so many ways and how I had no control over the storm. It was all about the storm that I lost sight of who was with me through it all. I forgot that JESUS the King of all Kings, Lord of all lords, the Creator of the entire Universe who promised to never leave me alone till the end of age was with me. Focusing on my failures rather than HIS power I completely forgot to magnify HIM for who HE is.

You might be going through your own storm or fire or valley. Grief, failure, loss, unanswered prayers, sickness, disappointment, discouragement, depression and so on. Remember Greater is HE that is in you. Start to magnify the GOD who is with you and start focusing on HIM and HIS qualities and how good HE is and HE will work out everything for your good.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Rom:8:28

You will Start noticing a change in your heart, circumstances might be the same but you will become stronger and the once again the joy of the LORD will be your strength.

All that the enemy wants to do is to divert us from doing the right thing and get us off the track from our journey.  Where ever you are right now, just pause and praise HIM and make HIM bigger than any of your problems and you will see the red sea parting and the walls of Jericho falling in your own life.

Complaining, grumbling and ungratefulness was what kept Israelites from entering the Promised Land. So I encourage you to choose wisely to start magnifying and praising GOD above everything else you are facing in life.

Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. I Pet:5:7

GOD bless you and have a praise filled day!!!