Seed By the Wayside

                                                     

Matthew 13:19 "When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side".

In the days of old, there was no Bible, no word of God written somewhere. So when God needed to communicate he did so through prophets. They had a calling, were receptive to God's communication through dreams and signs, were blessed with wisdom and knew human nature of those times.

Today, we find all these qualities in Gods word, and hence, just as it was critical to listen to what the prophets said then, it is critical for us to read and understand Gods word now - to gain His wisdom, knowledge and His instruction for our lives.

To do this we need to go beyond just reading the word. We need to read, understand and apply it to our lives.

To read His word is simple - we just need to find and consecrate quiet, unadulterated time to it.

Understanding His word needs some work. In the quoted chapter Jesus Himself asks that question - "have you understood all these things"? That is the importance to be attached to His word. We need to research the background, sometimes check translations, understand the context and references and so on. (For example we may have read Psalms 35 and 91 many times but have to stopped to find out what is a "buckler" and thus how can you ever understand the impact when it says His truth and His helps is like a "shield and buckler"?)

All of this is possible only by dedicating time, patience and is hard work, but above all we need to ask for the wisdom and guidance to understand it from the Holy Spirit. Thus, it may be a good idea to pray for such opening of the eyes and mind by the Holy Spirit before we read.

And then comes the application to our lives. If we have read it and understood it, we will be able to identify, without rationalization or justification, the impact of what we do and ask forgiveness, specifically for those acts of commission or omission we may not even be conscious of, correct them and practice the new way according to His word, so that it gets sowed deep in our hearts and minds.

In the quoted verse, and in the parable, Jesus is talking about exactly this: hearing or reading the word of God and not understanding it can open us up to deceit by Satan. He can misrepresent it (through adulterated doctrine) or minimize the impact of what we have read, through faulty understanding or biases, so that it becomes useless, making us completely vulnerable.

So, if we are in the habit of performing a tick in the box by perfunctory reading, albeit it maybe a daily discipline, understand that it opens us to spiritual danger and becomes a useless exercise. A time wasted. A life without purpose. A shallow understanding. It's better not to read it at all.

So let us not receive "the seed" (Gods word) by "the Wayside" , as a superficial reception, but give His word the honor, understanding, time and Devotion it deserves and demands and ask for the Holy Spirit for give wisdom to understand the word.

Our Prayer Partner: Pastor Rajiv's Mid-Week Message

Today we going to continue our series of messages on prayer based on O.S. Hawkins’ book the prayer code.

How many of you have heard of the term “prayer partnership?”

Prayer partnership is when two people tie up and make a pact to pray together at the same pre-decided time even though they may be located at different places.

Now we may not be practicing prayer partnership in our own lives even though it is a practice that brings considerable blessing but all of us each one of us who are believers in the lord Jesus Christ has a prayer partner.

Surprised? Yes, the holy spirit is our personal prayer partner.

He is with us all the time, he searches our hearts & helps in our weaknesses and, above all intercedes for us according to god’s will.

The Holy Spirit lives in the life of every believer who has called on the name of our lord Jesus Christ.

Hawkins explains that our bodies are the holy spirit’s Holy place and because he is in us, he does on our bodies what our lord Jesus Christ does for us before God the father & makes intercession for us.

The holy spirit is our personal prayer partner.

We can learn more about the holy spirit by asking 4 very pertinent questions.

Firstly a ‘what question’ - what does the holy spirt actually do? " likewise, the spirit also helps in our weaknesses".

The holy spirit helps us to pray. In other words, He lends a hand.

How? By coming alongside, and taking part in our prayers and making our prayers more effective.

Paul reminds us that “for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought”,

Why? Because we are weak, and we do need help especially when it comes to praying. A help which is not available to us through self-help books. It is only available to us from our prayer partner - The Holy spirit.

So that is what the holy spirit does: it helps in our prayer life.

Then we ask a ‘where question’. Where does the holy spirit help us? It helps in our weaknesses.

Hawkins reminds us that many of us are not very healthy when it comes to an effective prayer life.

Jesus saw this in his disciples who could not watch and pray with him for even an hour in the garden of Gethsemane which was the time of his greatest need.

This is why he sent us the holy spirit whom he called the helper so that he could help us where we are weak, and the truth is that we are pretty weak in our prayer life.

Here Hawkins cautions us about the fact that just because we have a helper does not mean that we allow the helper to help us.

There are many who resist the Holy Spirit, some grieve the Holy Spirit and some quench the Holy Spirit.

You may ask How? By never acknowledging the need for his help and continue to live in unconfessed sin.

Why does the holy spirit help us in our weaknesses? “for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought”.

This word ‘ought’ is a very crucial word in the New Testament and appears over one hundred times.

The Greek word that translates to the word ‘ought’ in a majority of these 100 times means ‘must’.

So it is most important that it is not just that we ought to pray but we must pray.

Hawkins explains the reasons why we do not always know how we ought to pray.

He gives the example of Paul praying three times for the thorn in his flesh to be removed.

The reason that we do not know how to pray as we should is that we cannot see into the future.

We need help, we are weak, we are always confusing our wants with our needs and we do not know what is best for us.

That is why the holy spirit helps us in our weaknesses because we do not know what to pray for as we ought.

And finally a ‘how question’ - how does the holy spirit helps us pray? “But the spirit himself makes intercession”. He pleads on our behalf before God the father.

Hawkins gives the example of the good Samaritan who came upon a badly wounded man on the road. He got involved and interceded on the man’s behalf, took him to an inn, paid his bill and met his needs.

This is how the Holy Spirit works in our prayer lives. We are weak like the wounded man in the story of the good Samaritan. In our weakness we do not know how to pray or what to pray for, but the holy spirit comes alongside us and pleads on our behalf.

A crucial key to understanding how the Spirit helps us is that he knows the mind of God and always prays according to the will of God.

Romans 8: 27 "now he who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the spirit is, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God".

The spirit leads us to the will of God for our lives.

Yes, we can find God’s will through scripture where we know many things for certain because they are plainly stated in god’s word. But there are matters of which we may not be very certain, so this is where the spirit comes in and helps us because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Hawkins points out one very crucial point: He points out that are many who have god’s word but are unaware of the spirit. Others have the spirit but are without god’s word.

We need the Holy Spirit so that we can find God’s will and we need to yield to the Holy Spirit because he intercedes for us according to the will of God.

So, what is the takeaway from this message today?

We are not alone we have an effective prayer partner in the Holy Spirit who knows god’s will for us and helps us pray in God’s will so that God’s will may be fulfilled in us and for us.

Amen!

The Blacksmiths Anvil

I paused last eve beside the blacksmith's door,
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
And looking in I saw upon the Floor,
Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.

“How many anvils have you had?” said I,
“To wear and batter all these hammers so?”
“Just one,” he answered.
Then with twinkling eye: “The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.”

And so, I thought, the anvil of God’s Word
For ages sceptics’ blows have beat upon,
But though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The anvil is unchanged, the hammers gone.

-John Clifford

Thy Will be Done

 

Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. I am sure we repeat this line daily if not more. We repeat it without meaning though. Honestly, do we really do anything, or even want to do anything, to bring about Gods will on Earth? Or the prayer is just words we have memorized and recite. Do we even know Gods will?

Rev Francis Taylor has this to say -

"When we pray the Lord's Prayer, we say "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." In the Psalm 40:6-9, we pray that we delight to do God's will. I wonder if we really mean what we pray, or if we just say the words. First, we need to think about what God's will really is. When we read the Scriptures we see certain themes – justice, peace, and especially, love. These themes run through the Old Testament as well as the New. We are told to take care of the poor, the most vulnerable in our society. We are asked to remember that we were once strangers in the lands we now occupy. We are told to treat others the way we want to be treated, to forgive. These are not easy tasks and sometimes we do not "delight" in doing them. We want justice but not if it interferes with our comfort. We want peace, but our speech is often loaded with violence. We say we want to be forgiven but find it hard to forgive. We don't always welcome the stranger, and we sometimes suspect the poor of being responsible for their situation. When we continue to read this psalm, we read a confession of sorts admitting that we often fail in doing the will of God. We also hear the author asking for God's mercy and faithfulness. We need to look at ourselves with honesty and see how we can work better to bring about God's will on earth as it is in heaven."

Pastor Rajiv's New Year Message

 

What's in a name?

What's in a name? Plenty if we go by the Bible. Name changes, most often given by God, establish a new identity and purpose God wants its user to embody.

In the Bible, names often convey identity, destiny, or divine promise. The practice of changing names marks transformative journeys and reflects new beginnings, new statuses, or new roles designated by God.

Based on your journey, what name would you choose today? Some may define who you have become and some may define who you want to be. 

Here are a few suggestions: 

1.     Abigail: Hebrew — The father’s joy.
2. Alexandra: Greek — Helper; defender of mankind.
3. Alice: English — Noble; kind.
4. Amara: Latin — Strong; attractive; stylish.
5. Amelia: German — Industrious; striving.
6. Anne: Hebrew — Favored grace.
7. Arianna: Greek — Holy.
8. Avery: French — Wise.
9. Charvi: Sanskrit — Beautiful.
10. Gabriella: Hebrew — Devoted to God.
11. Grace: Latin: Goodness; generosity.
12. Hannah: Hebrew — Favor; grace of God.
13. Isabelle: Hebrew — God is my strength; devoted to God.
14. Jocelyn: Latin — Happy; joyful.
15. Kaitlyn: Greek — Pure.
16. Naila: Arabic — Successful.
17. Levi: Hebrew — Joined in harmony.
18. Matthew: Hebrew — Gift from God.
19. Miles: Latin — Soldier.
20. Milo: German — Merciful.
21. Nathan: Hebrew — He gave.
22. Ned: English — Wealthy guardian.
23. Noah: Hebrew — Rest; comfort.
24. Oswald: English — Divine power.
25. Zachary: Hebrew — Remembered by God.
26. Zane: Hebrew — God’s gracious gift.

Saturday Vespers

                                          

Studying Gods word is essential to a Christian, and prayer is essential to be able to study and understand Gods word & put it in practice. Yes, it includes intercession, it includes a call for help, it includes thanks and praise, but prayer is so much more.

Prayer is essential in studying the Bible. Asking the Holy Spirit for understanding and guidance can illuminate passages and reveal deeper truths. Prayer also helps apply the Scriptures to one’s life, aligning actions and decisions with God's will.(Crosswalk)

But most of all, that prayer helps us to dwell in the secret place of the "Most High and abide under the shadow of the Almighty".

So today, we pray for our own daily devotions, where the Holy Spirit opens our minds to understand the message God wants to convey. We also want to pray for:

1. A Pastor in Melbourne who needs continued strength and healing to become fit to continue Gods work. We than God for His blessing till now.

2. We pray for Matt for healing of his tumor and strength for his family.

3. For Beth Laurens son who is suffering from mental illness. For her home and strength and wisdom to prevail.

4. For a senior citizen in India who is suffering from Dementia. May the family find a good elders home where he can be treated with love and dignity.

5. For a senior citizen in India who is suffering from Parkinsons. May she be blessed with Gods peace and strength and the caregiver may be blessed mightily with patience, strength and love.

If you have any specific prayer requests or would like Pastor Rajiv to pray for you, please send us a mail or simply write in the comments box. If you want anonymity that is guaranteed as neither your mail nor your comment request will be published. 

In Case You Missed it....

 

The Tipping Point : Fire in the belly of every believer

The Wind and the Sail : Partnering with God

A Kind Word

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” - Maya Angelou

A compliment, a thoughtful deed, an act of kindness, a blessing and a thank you go a long way in making someone feel seen, heard and valued. Words and actions can create a feeling of being important. We are all created in the image of God and when we recognize that fact, we acknowledge that other people have a worth in Christ. We don't look through people. When someone talks, we pay attention. We don't humiliate, nor do we build ourselves at someone's expense. And if we have done that by mistake or inattentively, we apologize so that the other person feels valued.

It takes a lot of strength, humility and empathy to be genuinely kind, so let us start training today. 

Proverbs 16:24

Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Proverbs 15:1

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Colossians 4:6

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Pascal's Wager

Pascal's wager is a philosophical argument advanced by Blaise Pascal (1623–1662), seventeenth-century French mathematician, philosopher, physicist, and theologian. This argument posits that individuals essentially engage in a life-defining gamble regarding the belief in the existence of God.

So, true to form, we humans have evolved a devilishly clever logic to follow God, based on the premise that we have everything to win and nothing to lose.

If that is the motivation, I am afraid that's a no go because belief and love of God is based on faith and faith is based on experience.

Faith follows no logic. God follows no logic either, because our logic is based on the natural order of things in this world which were anyway created by God. Therefore, God created His won logic. For us, the parting of the red sea followed no logic. The healing of the lepers followed no logic. The resurrection followed no logic. If you are peaceful, that is illogical because how can you find peace in this disturbed world? Yet God gives us His peace.

So, if my belief in God is based on a principle of covering all bases, I am afraid that is no basis of belief in God.

Unless I have seen the see the value of life with God where is the basis of my belief? To know Him I need to experience Him, or as the Bible says -"Taste Him". 

The Bible comments thus: 

James 2:19

"You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder...."

1 Peter 2:3

"if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord...."

Hebrews 6:4-5

"For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come..."

Source:https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Experience,-Of-God

The Window

How many people across the world live in windowless homes or rooms? I don't think anyone has calculated that simply because we have not yet acknowledged the health risk of living in a windowless room.

One a cold winter day, one of my to do list is to open the window and let the sun and warm breeze warm up the room. The warm breeze and bright sun cheers one up no end.

And then I think of all those people who live in windowless rooms. In those cheerless, unhealthy conditions, how would they feel or survive?

Just like living without a window in the home is unhealthy, living without a spiritual window is also fraught with the danger of becoming spirituality empty and open to becoming a victim in the spiritual war around us, unseen, unheard, but very much there.

Jesus Christ is that window we need. Through Christ we can build a relationship with God the Father. Through Christ we can get the Holy Spirit to help us, protect us and guide us. Thrpugh Christ we can beat the threat of a second death.

Just as the sun streams in through my open window and warms me up, Christ enables us to recieve Gods warmth and let God envelope us in His warm hug.

JOHN 12:32 “AND I, IF I BE LIFTED UP FROM THE EARTH, WILL DRAW ALL MEN UNTO ME.”

Stale Food and Soiled Currency

                                           

"Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible. And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts". Malachi 1 

When we have esteemed visitors over for a visit, we try and offer the best we can. Best crockery and cutlery, the best of foods, the best seat in the house and the best comforts.

When God knocks, in the form of a hungry person, what do we offer? Stale food? When asked by beggars -do we give soiled or unusable currency and keep the crisp notes for ourselves?

It's not what we give. It's how we give. Let's not put terms and conditions to our giving. Recognize the need and give honorably, thereby honoring God for there is God in each human. 

Give more or give less, but give with honor, not in boasting but in humility.

When God comes Knocking

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Reference: Matthew 25: Ver 35-40

If God comes knocking at your door today, what will you do? Seriously. What would someone do?

Would we be excited? Would we be afraid? Would we run around like chickens not knowing what to do?

Or would we turn Him away?

The fact is, God does come knocking at your door, at your car window or in your office. And every so often we turn Him away. The fact is, there is God in everyone. The hungry beggar, the homeless man or woman, the lame and the sick. He comes to our door in many shapes and forms, but we do not recognize Him.

So little is our faith in man that we judge: "oh why should I give? Can he not work?" Or "He will only go and drink it away". Or simply "this is another way of thievery".

Friends, we justify our apathy with judgements.

Yes, everything we think maybe true. They might drink it away or go gamble or whatever. If we gave in love, don't question and judge how it was spent.

Look at it this way: if we gave, we made God smile; and if he or she wasted it, they wasted a blessing. What I did was between my God and me. What they did is between their God and them. Let us look to our own relationship with God and not worry about theirs. Judgement belongs to God.

So next time God comes knocking, open the door.

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When Satan Laughs in Delight

In the 70s there was a very famous song called American Pie. It was a chart buster and remains popular till this day. A line in the song is very thought provoking and it says, "I saw Satan laughing in delight". 

Strange, isn't it? But think about it. What makes Satan delighted. Do you and I delight Satan?

We spend so much time on developing our lives to delight God and trying to follow it, we seldom stop to think what about our life delights Satan. Let's think about it today.

Possibly because we are a material society, we believe what we see, therefore we have a far-off belief in the spiritual wars we face and hence don't take the trouble to know our enemy - Satan. Big mistake because then we severely underestimate the tactics and character of our enemy.

In the ancient Chinese military classic, The Art of War (attributed to Sun Tzu), it is commented, "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."

Let us then prepare for battle and understand what makes Satan happy, because that makes God sad.

Delight no. 1

Blake Labaree says - "If we, being friends of God, can be moved against Him in action, word, or thought, the Devil will have accomplished something that he could never do by his own hand, chiefly, the disgrace of the child of God bringing reproach on God’s name". Most common reason: our pride.

Delight no. 2

Being unforgiving or holding a grudge against our fellow men. Gossiping, backbiting, judging. Common enough?

Delight no. 3

Giving in to Satan's pressures. Very common. We try and take the easy was out without pausing to think if that is the way God would want. Remember, Satan can cause a lot of pressure, so much so that we break and give in and turn away from our goal of delighting God our father or doing His work. This pressure can be at work, financial mountains, personal sickness, anything to break us. We are not the only ones. Remember 1Th 2:18 "Therefore we wanted to come to you--even I, Paul, time and again--but Satan hindered us". If he can hinder Paul, who are we?

To hinder is to impede. To not let it happen by cutting off the way. Satan is all about cutting off our way to the destination God planned for us.

Delight no. 4

Our will and way over Gods will and way. A very common act that most of us do without a second thought. Let's call it "unconscious rebellion". This state is so actively promoted by the devil and his cohort that it spares none. He uses temptation, fear, pride, ego as well as a fond memory of a past sin even though one asked for forgiveness. All this and more and every other weakness of man are in his arsenal.

And in the midst of all of this is our tendency to sin, "idolate", hate, prejudice, and judge.

How can we overcome?

Corrie Ten Boom, a holocaust survivor, who's story we talked about in an earlier post (you Can read it here) has this to say-

"When a Christian shuns fellowship with other Christians, the devil smiles. When he stops studying the Bible, the devil laughs. When he stops praying, the devil shouts for joy.”

These are reasons as well as the antidote to overcome the poison of Satan. Three very vital practices that every child of God can employ: Fellowship. Study of the Word and Prayer.

Today, can we identify areas of our life which delight Satan? Can we become actively conscious of them and use Corrie Ten Booms advice to overcome all those weaknesses which delight the devil.

A very relevant sermon on how we can overcome was given by Pastor Jolly Raj, of the Bethel Methodist Church in India, and we strongly recommend you hear it here.

Why Are We So Angry?

Have you noticed how angry so many people in the world seem to be? They are angry with themselves, with their jobs, with their governments, with other people, with stores, with products with life, with their surroundings, in short nearly everything.

According to the Gallup Global Emotions Report, anger around the world has been rising since 2016, with 23% of respondents now feeling angry on any given day. That's about 2 billion people being angry every day. Wow!

What makes people angry though?

Harvard Health says one of the main reasons is a sense of powerlessness. But a kind of overarching reason maybe the difference between what we expect and what we get in life. This is not to say one can't have dreams to work towards, dreams are goals, not expectations. Problem is the outcome of anger only leads to more trouble and holding it in causes health problems.

So what do we do? Let's see what the Bible says . The Bible showcases expectations not just as the anticipation of an outcome, but primarily as faith and trust in God’s plan, timing, and promise. See the difference? The Bible does not treat expectations as mere anticipatory behavior or wishful thinking. Instead, it ties them intimately to faith and trust in God’s timing and provision. Reading Gods word can bring peace, which is an antidote to the poison of anger.

While we do that, it maybe a good idea to do and remember the following -

1. Review and Change expectations - Review our own expectations to be in line with our own situation and reality.

2. Hope more. expect less. - a key message of the Bible is hope through faith. Job is a perfect example.

3. Build Dependence on God, not man - including yourself. Avoiding the usual and very common advice that God loves you; know that God does not hate you. Always remember that because that's the beginning of trust which is the very basis of dependence.

Psalms 91:4 says, He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. But He can do that only when we want to be covered. Remember, He gave us the power of free choice?

4. Expect the unexpected. That is the beauty of dependence on God. Borrowing from Isiaah, Gods ways and thoughts for us are way higher than our own thoughts and dreams for ourselves, as are our ways. So, when God delivers on hopes, according to His will and purpose, believe that it will be much different and much better than we had ever thought.

While life is what it is, we do have a fallback, and that is Jesus and God. 

Philippians 4:6-7 advises: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus". The Bible also says - "Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken" (Psalm 55:22)

When we let go and cast our burden onto someone else who is stronger and mightier, we find peace, and when we find peace, we also let go of anger and disappointment. 

So, we must hold dearly to the truth and knowledge that we have been given about ..."him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us".

So, we need to remember all the time that God does not hate us. He cares for us, whether we know it or not. In the words of Ana Wilis, a cancer survivor, 
"Your problem is not too big for a God that is all powerful! El Shaddai is He. In Hebrew El Shaddai literally means God that is enough, sufficient… and is He not? YES, He is!
He is more than enough to meet ALL my and your needs".

So, Trust, Cast and lie back in peace. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. 

Right Time. Right Place.

"For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” - Esther 4:14

What a profound ultimatum was given to Esther! 

But in  Esther we find a powerful message of courage and divine providence. Esther found herself in a powerful position as a queen. She used her position to save her people from a terrible fate at the urging of her cousin Mordecai, who is quoted above as well. In fact, till this day the Israelites celebrate Purim, to commemorate the defeat of Haman's plot to massacre the Jews as recorded in the book of Esther. 

Like Esther, have you ever felt you were in a certain situation for a reason? That perhaps, like Esther, God has orchestrated events in your life to fulfil a special purpose? It can be easy to feel insignificant and powerless, but God often places us exactly where we need to be for such a time as this. 

We may not face the same dramatic circumstances as Esther but we all encounter moments where our choices can make a difference. It maybe a time when speaking up could bring about justice and healing. it maybe an opportunity to extend grace and forgiveness to someone in need. Whatever the situation, we have the choice to step into our God given role and purpose and make an impact.  

Like Esther, we must have the courage to step out of our comfort zones and trust in God's provision. When faced with fear or uncertainty, let us remember Esthers example and lean on our faith to propel us forward. 

Then think about Noah and his family. They  must have felt pretty isolated. For forty days the rain fell, and the flooding persisted for months beyond that. But the scriptures remind us that God had not forgotten Noah—or even the animals. 

Sometimes when we feel like we’re left out, we are exactly where God needs us to be, so that we may be ready when His plan comes to fruition.

So, embrace the call of God on your life. Be bold and courageous, knowing that you are here for such a time as this.  

The Terror of The Night

Imagine you are being chased by violent robbers who not only want to rob you but do bodily harm. You run here and there, trying to find an escape route but they are relentless. There is a whole bunch of them, brandishing knives and pistols, shouting and screaming about what they will do to you when they catch you. You run and run, hard and fast but they are catching up. You know it's only a matter of a couple of minutes before they catch you. As you run you think of your family, friends. You also think of who or what can help you. You rue the fact that you did not put emergency on fast dial on your phone, because you know when they do catch you, they will take away the phone. Suddenly as you zig zag you see an alley... though it's dark but it does provide you with an escape route. You duck into it hoping to find escape. The robbers are right behind you. As your eyes focus in the dark you see that it's a dead end. A 20 feet fall blocks any thought of escape. You turn to face the robbers. To face possible death. Your heart is beating, fear is making you cringe, paralysed. You think of your family, their images fleet before you. You know it's the end of the road. You tried but failed. You fall, defeated.

Can you feel the fear and defeat? What would you feel and do if you ever came into such a situation?

Back to our story.

As you lie there hopeless and helpless, you see the robbers closing in. As their eyes adjust to the dark, suddenly a door opens behind you; strong hands reach out and pull you in and lock he door again. You see that you are in a room with many people, all smiling and comforting you. They offer you water and make you sit. You start to feel safe.

If this happened to you what would you feel? Do you think this can never ever happen to you?

This story is fictional of course. What is not fictional is that the same situation actually befell the Hebrews as they tried to escape the Pharoah. Before them was the red sea and behind them was Pharoah. While a lot has been written about what happened after their experience, no one really thinks about what they felt prior to the event. What fear and hopelessness they may have felt. They may even have said farewells to each other, knowing surely that some, if not all, would die. They would not know then that God would fight their battle that day. He would use His weapons of the wind and the waves to give the Pharoah a final defeat. What sword can fight of the wind? What shield can protect against a tsunami wave? What human can outrun a tsunami?

Today, our battles are as real as they were for the Hebrews that day. What protects us against known and unknown dangers? Only the Almighty. (Remember the pandemic).

You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
Isaiah 54:17

In Case You MIssed

The Good news is that Sundays will not be blank for us! We will be repeating some meaningful posts on Sunday. So here are our suggestions for today: 

1. Transforming Sadness to Hope - Jesus transforms lives. Can we help? You can read it here 

2. An Accidental Human - For management strategists & practitioners as well as Christian professionals. You can read it here 

Happy Weekend Reading! 

Our Addictions

                                 
Addiction is so prevalent in the world today that it encompasses nearly a quarter of the world. And if we add food addiction that figure would probably be three fourths. Food addiction will probably include you and me.

Addicts of all kinds are looked down on, sometimes with sympathy and sometimes with disgust. Seldom with empathy. Addicts need to be treated not with sympathy or disgust but with kindness and support.

Pastor David Jacobs says -

"No matter where you are from, if you are old enough, you have been exposed to some form of addiction. Whether you have battled addiction yourself as I have or you have seen it grip somebody that you know, the depths of addiction and the hold that it can have on people is terrifying. Knowing all that we do about addiction and the harms that it brings, how are we not more wary of it? How do we not do more to resist its temptations? The enemy is stronger than we imagine, prowling like a lion on helpless prey. This is true if and only if we remove the valuable defenses and ignore the lessons of people before us and of God.

I have struggled mightily with my own addictions. During my darkest times, it was so easy for me to point a finger at something or someone else to blame them for my actions. I was weak, ignoring the roars of the devil, making myself as easy a target as possible. If you are like me, do not give up! We have armor! It is a gift forged by the word of our Heavenly Father, delivered to us by his only son Jesus of Nazareth! It is an armor of the righteous, defending against addiction, evil, and weakness! In the darkest times when we can hear the deafening roar of the devil, we must turn to the teachings of God, and in this our hearts will be fortified".

At the end of the day, addictions can only be battled by the individual, by practicing self control, and self control can be strengthened by God's love and His word. Others can help, support and encourage, but the strength has to come from within. 

God teaches you to resist worldly passions and anything which is not godly, including alcohol addiction, food addiction, drug addiction etc. It also inspires you to maintain self-control and good morals and to build a closer relationship with God.

“It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.”
 

Rejection is an Illusion

Who has the power to reject you? Isn't rejection a judgement? And who in this human world can judge? 

Unfortunately, we all do, belying what Jesus taught or tried to teach. Judging others seems to be second nature to us.

The question is why we do it.

Firstly, we build our own castles by bringing others down. For example, some public speakers comment adversely on their audience to make a point, thereby positioning themselves higher than the audience, so that the audience accepts their views without question.

Secondly, it sometimes helps to fit in the crowd. If 5 people we know don't like someone, we too pretend so that we may fit in and build a bond.

And sometimes it may just be a self defense mechanism, not to get close enough to someone so you don't get hurt, therefore we build a justification for that by a negative judgement.

Lastly, and this is a universal fact, we all have a perception that we are entitled. No. We are not. That's an illusion we have created about ourselves.

So when we reject someone, it's not really valid because the reasons for that rejection are totally one sided, selfish, illusionary and invalid. Similarly, when we stand rejected ( as we will be time and again) we must remember that our rejection too is an illusion built on some perception or threat.

That is exactly what happened to the woman apparently caught in adultery whom the Pharisees wanted to stone to death as per mosaic law. When confronted with their own sin, thier self perception of being keepers of the law broke as well, prompting them to abandon thier judgement.

But judging people is dangerous. It can be habit forming making. It can be disastrous for our professional and personal life. Politicians judge people who don't vote for them; company honchos can make suicidal decisions if they don't understand habits of some customers. The principle of success and successful relationships is to put ourselves in the other person's shoes helping us to understand rather than judge.

But to do that we need to think and that's something we don't do. Like Carl Jung said

“Thinking is difficult, that’s why most people judge.” 

Similarly, if someone has judged us, remember it's not us but they who need to prove something. When some says "oh he/she is an alcoholic and do not deserve to come here' they are actually saying - " I am a better person because I am not an alcoholic and therefore I deserve to be here'. They have made someone's alcoholism, or any other weakness, a steppingstone for themselves. Many times, people have used judgement as an excuse for rejection of any help to someone else and many, many times rejection is the path for self-survival. 

With this background, know that rejection will never change how much God loves each one of us. It will never touch his goodness, his mercy, or his kindness. It will never make God further away from us. He empathizes and it will not change His love. He enters our pain. 

And for the times we are tempted to judge and reject someone, always remember this verse from 
James 2:13- 
"13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment."

But the greatest and most powerful assurance is the promise God has made to each one of us personally - 

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!"

No. I believe I am God's child.