Monday Morning Reset: Hope

                                         

"Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short
That it cannot save;
Nor is His ear so dull
That it cannot hear".

A Morning Breath of Hope

​Happy Monday. If you’re feeling that familiar "Monday weight"—the pressure of a new week, the pile of emails, or the lingering shadows of global news—take a deep breath. You are not entering this week as someone merely trying to survive; you are entering it as a person of hope.

​In the Christian context, hope isn't just "wishful thinking" or a sunny disposition. It’s a grounded, stubborn confidence. And for that hope we need to practise "thanksgiving". Try it this week. 

Before you open your calendar or check your phone, open your heart in thanksgiving. Gratitude shifts your perspective and reminds your soul that God is already working behind the scenes.

Gratitude is not reserved for perfect circumstances; it’s most powerful in the ordinary, even the difficult. As you start this day, name three things you’re thankful for. Let thankfulness be your posture before you step into your plans. It will change how you speak, think, and act.

So, begin this week with Thanksgiving.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (KJV)

Prayer Point: Lord, I thank You for life, breath, and purpose. Thank You for being faithful, even when I didn’t notice. Let thanksgiving fill my heart and shape my attitude today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

You don’t need to have everything figured out today.

You just need to take the first step with Him.

(Based on a KJV Devotional)

Sabbath Prayers

But I, by your great love,

can come into your house;

in reverence I bow down

toward your holy temple. Psalm 5:7

Heavenly Father,

We thank you for your faithfulness to us. We often forget and take your gifts for granted. Give us the grace to turn to you for your mercy in our time of need, for help and for your forgiveness for our ongoing unfaithfulness to you.

We pray very specially for Lisa, a cancer survivor herself, and whose daughter now has been detected with Cancer at a young age. We pray for her strength and healing.

We thank you for your grace on Jen and Joan, and we pray for Joans upcoming treatment session on the 5th of February - that you may grant her the strength and your grace to be able to bear it. We pray for Jen and thank you for her Testimony she has shared of your great faithfulness. We pray that she gets to start her special treatment as soon as possible and for the current treatment to continue to be effective. We also pray for Laurika and Haleen - that they may experience your strength and grace.

Today we specially join Lyne in her prayer for her husband Don who has completed chemo and 35 radiation treatments for throat cancer. He is now trying to recover but things are going wrong.

Today we also pray for Paladin, who is in the nursing home, for financial provision. We pray for Joclyn. She had a stroke and is in a coma-that she comes out of it.

We pray for the people in India. specially Senior citizens suffering in the extreme cold and air pollution.

Today let us all pray earnestly for repentance and revival in our nations, that our leaders be granted wisdom and ethics, for calm in our cities, for your Church and your people to be instruments of peace in this time of great uncertainty.

In Jesus’ mighty name,

Amen.

Please join us every week in our Sabbath Prayer for the week. We request your support in adopting prayer points for people mentioned, in your own prayers this week and become vessels of His healing. 

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Jen Tan: Great is thy Faithfulness

In today’s devotional, Jen Tan, a cancer patient in Singapore, shares from John 5:5–6 — a reminder that even in long seasons of weakness, Jesus sees us, knows us, and meets us at the deepest level of our need.

As Jen continues her cancer treatment, she reflects on how God’s faithfulness has carried her through moments that felt hopeless. Instead of an instant miracle, God is doing a deeper work in her — shaping her testimony, refining her purpose, and drawing her closer to His heart.

This devotional post is written from the heart, blending Jen Tan’s personal cancer journey.

______________________________________________

John 5:5-6 "One who was there had been invalid for 38 years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him. “Do you want to get well?”

“In the quietest moments of my cancer journey, these verses have become my anchor. They remind me that no matter how hopeless a situation may seem, or how trapped I feel by my physical limitations, God ministers to our deepest needs. I have come to sense clearly that God has a special work for me to do—not just in spite of my condition, but perhaps even because of it.

The Depth of True Healing

I’ve often reflected on what would happen if God performed an instant physical miracle. I might simply return to my old self—enjoying life on earth, living comfortably, and ignoring God once again. But my journey of healing now involves something much deeper: Continuity. It is about sharing my testimony and living out a faith that creates lasting impact beyond short-term physical gains.

Finding Purpose in the Journey

Reading the book of John has been eye-opening. It has revealed my purpose and shown me how to use my journey to encourage others in uncertain times.

Sufficient Grace

His faithfulness is something I feel unworthy of, yet I receive it with a grateful and open heart.

Reflection Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your unwavering faithfulness. Help me to co-create a life of purpose with You, using my limitations as a platform for Your glory. May my story uplift not just myself, but my entire community. Amen.

Prayer & Revival: Pastor Rajiv

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land "

Have you seen empty Churches? Empty pews? Where are Gods people? Missing youngsters and children? 

with so much pain and heart break in the world, we definitely need a revival - a return to God, His churches and to Jesus. And God knows it too. 

God has designed revival to begin with his own people who are called by his name a people like you and me who have called on the name of Jesus.

What does God want? Here is where God lays down four demands.

His first call for his people is to humble ourselves. That's a much bandied word and few if any really know or do. So, how?

By recognizing and confessing our need to seek God in all things.

We need humility because we need to constantly guard against spiritual pride because spiritual pride results in self-centredness according to Hawkins.

In order to be truly humble à we need to bring a broken spirit before God. Secondly, we are to pray call out to God earnestly.

You know people prayer is warfare and that is why God is constantly looking for prayer warriors.

If we are to see true revival we need earnest and fervent prayer. Every true revival has been the result of fervent and  earnest prayer.

I remember a time in India, a new Church had been founded and there were but 10 people coming. Every Sunday morning, much before the worship service, the Pastor used to go to the church and pray over the empty seats - asking God to fill them. In a few months the membership grew to over a 100 and today is about 900!

In last Sunday’s message we saw what happened when the early church prayed  and when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the holy spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

For any revival to take place we must be filled with the Holy Spirit who will give us the courage to speak the word of God with boldness.

Thirdly God demands that we seek his face. 

Hawkins holds that if we spent as much time in our prayers seeking god’s face as we do his hand to help us we would be much nearer to our own personal revival.

And finally we must turn from our wicked ways. 

Unconfessed sin is unforgiven sin and this is the greatest obstacle to revival. Just confessing our sins and feeling sorry for them is not enough. We need to forsake them altogether because that is true repentance.

The final step in God’s recipe for revival is God’s delight.

God’s delight is forgiving the sins of his people if they are truly repentant and turn from their wicked ways.

His promise is he will hear from heaven and He will forgive our sin and He will heal our land.

God delights in healing our hearts and healing our homes and lives because it appropriates his sacrifice on the cross and does not render his death in vain.

He is willing He is waiting He is longing for us to call on his name in prayer and seek his face through his word and turn from our wicked ways so that he can fulfill his promise.

You know people prayer and revival go hand in hand.

There can be no revival without fervent and earnest prayer.

Never Rejected!

 

And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren. Genesis 29:31 (KJV)

Leah was the woman no one chose. 

Her father used deception to marry her off. Her husband, Jacob, loved her sister more. And in a world that prized beauty and favor, Leah felt invisible.

But God saw her.

Look at her history - In Genesis 29, Leah names her sons with aching hope—“Now my husband will love me,” she says. Yet it’s not until her fourth son, Judah, that her focus shifts: “This time I will praise the Lord.” In her pain, Leah found purpose. In rejection, she discovered worship.

And God saw her.

Leah kept trying to earn love by seeking “more.” More children, more effort, more hope that maybe this time, someone would truly choose her. She was caught in a cycle many perfectionists know—chasing worth through what we can do.

But God saw her, not for her role but for her heart.

And He honored her. From Leah came the priestly tribe of Levi and the royal line of Judah—from which Jesus Himself would descend. The woman overlooked by man was chosen by God to carry the promise.

Taking a leaf out of Leah's story, remember this: even if others overlook you, God does not. He sees your silent tears. He knows your name. You don’t have to earn His love, not by perfect church attendance, perfect behavior, or perfect ministry. He loves you because you are His!

In fact, Scripture reminds us that God is especially near to the brokenhearted and the weary. Jesus doesn’t turn away from suffering—He steps into it. He walks with you through every scan, every treatment, every sleepless night.

You are not forgotten. You are not abandoned. You are not a burden to Him.

God’s love is not based on your health, your strength, or your ability to “stay positive.” It’s based on His unchanging character. And He has promised: “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” That includes you—today, tomorrow, and in every moment of every journey.

Sunday Quotes

 

It is not our business to make the message acceptable, but to make it available. We are not to see that they like it, but that they get it. - Vance Havner

Let me remind you that this is God's universe, and He is doing things His way. You may think you have a better way, but you don't have a universe to rule. - J. Vernon McGee

"When we share Christ, the Truth behind our transformation, we are offering people an opportunity to be transformed." ~ David Jeremiah

"When the Lord's white sheep become dirty gray, all black sheep feel more comfortable." ~ Vance Havner

"If you see a Bible that is falling apart, it probably belongs to someone who isn't!" ~ Vance Havner

"God often hides His blessing in trouble or trial, which makes it all the sweeter when it comes our way." ~ Aiden Wilson Tozer

"The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now." ~ Rick Warren

"God is not just saving individuals and preparing them for heaven; rather, He is creating a people among whom He can live and who in their life together will reproduce God’s life and character." ~ Gordon Fee

"If you're praying, you're not worrying, and if you're worrying, you're not praying!" ~ Ruffin McNeill

"Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking God uses only 'special' people the strong, the intelligent, the beautiful. We don't think He has a place for the rest of us. We are so wrong!" ~ Chuck Smith

"I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess." ~ Martin Luther

"The moment God put a dream in your heart, the moment the promise took root, God not only started it, but He set a completion date." ~ Joel Osteen

"Sometimes God lets you be in a situation that only He can fix so that you can see that He is the One who fixes it. Rest. He's got it." ~ Tony Evans

"Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less." ~ C. S. Lewis

"The nature of Christ's salvation is woefully misrepresented by the present-day evangelist. He announces a Saviour from Hell rather than a Saviour from sin. And that is why so many are fatally deceived, for there are multitudes who wish to escape the Lake of fire who have no desire to be delivered from their carnality and worldliness." ~ Arthur W. Pink

"The universe is wired with the electricity of God, & each of us is a lamp. It doesn't matter the size or shape of the lamp; it only matters that the lamp is plugged in. With every prayer, every thought of forgiveness, every meditation, every act of love, we plug in. The more of us who plug in, to more the darkness of the world will be cast from our midst. Today, let's all increase love's wattage!" ~ Marianne Williamson

"Most of all, God has blessed us by giving us the privilege of knowing Him and walking with Him every day. He did this by sending His Son into the world to die for our sins." ~ Billy Graham

"We need to replace the lies of the enemy with the truth of God; to do so we need to know the truth of God." ~ Christine Caine

"Don't waste another moment crying over what went wrong! If it wasn't a blessing - it was a lesson." ~ Paula White

"Humility is not a character trait to develop, it's the natural by-product of being with Jesus." ~ Louie Giglio

"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." ~ John Wesley

"When to give grace? I'd rather stand before God knowing I loved others too much rather than regretting that I judged too harshly." ~ Lysa TerKeurst

"Always be ready to give a good testimony for the Lord, but remember that the best testimony a Christian can have is a love for others and good work habits." ~ Larry Burkett

"We suffer much agony because we try to get from people what only God can give us, which is a sense of worth and value. Look to God for what you need, not to people." ~ Joyce Meyer

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!

Revive and Renew

Some time back we had related a popular African folk story about how, in the jungle at dawn, all the animals get up and get to work. The gazelle knows it must outrun the fastest leopard or be eaten, and the leopard knows it must outrun the fastest gazelle or go hungry.

Like them, with each day of blessed awakening, a Christian must also revive and persevere. The cares of the day, concerns, sickness, troubles, financial burdens, temptations - all wear us down, and just as the leopard wears down its prey till it succumbs, so does the world and its diverse temptations and troubles, wear down our resistance.

The only way we can overcome is to renew and revive every morning with time devoted to conversing with God, reviewing our life, asking our questions to gain understanding so that we do not follow a blind faith but a faith based on understanding, knowledge and experience. Everyday is a new day and every day we learn something new from His word. Everyday we have new experiences which can wear us down or push us up and we need His word to renew us with understanding and wisdom.

Rev Francis Taylor sums this up well when she writes -

"Life is always going to throw hardships at us. Some will shake our faith and there will be those who will say that these hardships mean either that there is no God, or that God has abandoned us. Not true. God is with us in the difficult times. As with the early Christians, we need to stand firm and persevere in our faith, knowing that God will never abandon us. All we need to do is call upon him".

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

 

Delimiting God

Is it possible for mere, fragile, and mortal men to limit the Almighty, Omnipotent, and Supreme God of the universe? Sounds like a foolish question, but the answer is YES! 

We limit God by our lack of faith, disbelief, and by trying to confine his power and abilities to our own understanding and experiences, essentially putting boundaries on a limitless being: this can manifest through fear, pride, self-reliance, and not fully trusting in his promises or guidance.

When we doubt God's ability to act or fulfill his promises, we effectively limit his power in our lives. This doubt may not be explicit, maybe unstated, but there all the same. 

Let us Consider Psalm 78: 

17 BUT THEY SINNED EVEN MORE AGAINST HIM

By rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.

18 And they tested God in their heart

By asking for the food of their fancy....

This is especially tragic if you read it after you read verses 12 to 16!

Why is there doubt & unbelief? Firstly, because in our small minds, we compare Him to Humans, unconsciously.

Trying to understand God's actions through our own limited perspective can lead to restricting his capabilities.

Second, fear takes control of our minds and hearts when we are in extreme situations. Letting fear control our thoughts and actions can prevent us from fully trusting in God's plan.

Pride and self-reliance is another cause. Believing we can handle situations without God's intervention limits our reliance on his power.

Why does all this happen? Simply because of the Ignorance of scripture and our own inexperience of God in our life because we never recognize His hand and His work in our own life nor know about His work in the lives of all the Biblical characters.

Not studying the Bible and understanding God's true nature can lead to misconceptions about his power and character.

Without recognition of God and His ways and what He wants from us, we start prioritizing worldly pursuits over God's will which can restrict our access to his blessings.

The disconnect with God and His word, causes a difference of views as well. We expect Him to fulfil our needs, yet we do not realize that His understanding and knowledge of our needs is very different to ours: we tend to blur the line between our needs, wants and desires. Our unfulfilled desires add fuel to the fire.

Finally, our own nature and mental makeup of testing everything, leads us to test God as well. Throughout the Bible we see that the Israelites testing God. They want to see if God will truly fulfill His promises. They asked for food and God indeed gave them food. They asked for water and God indeed gave them water. In spite of all these, the Israelites were ingrates. It seemed that nothing could convince them of God’s power, faithfulness, and love. Just like us.

Moving on in the Psalm-

40 How often they provoked Him in the wilderness,

And grieved Him in the desert!

41 Yes, again and again they tempted God,

And limited the Holy One of Israel.

In Verse 42 the Psalm tells us, “They remembered NOT His hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.”

There, you see? Whenever we forget about God’s might and powerful ability to help us in our troubles, we limit Him. When we doubt God’s love and mercy toward us, we limit Him. Instead of believing that He can provide all our needs, we tend to solve our problems by our own effort. We forget about the many miracles in the past that God had already done for us, because we do not recognize them.

AND THAT IS THE KEY! 

The day we start recognizing God's hand in our life we will start believing and unlimiting Him in our lives. And to do that we need to know Him (through His word) talk about Him, read about experiences others have had of Him and talk and walk with Him. So today, let us review our whole life till date - whether of 20 years or of 80 years or 100 years. Review each momentous occasion, good or bad, and Gods hand at work each time. 

The Year that Was....

Did you ever feel that 2024 slipped away from you? Like you lost precious time to struggles, disappointments and mistakes? It can be disheartening to look back and see the time which has seemingly been wasted. But take heart for our God is a restorer of time.

One of the most poignant examples of restoration is found in the book of Joel, where God promises to restore the years that the locusts have eaten: "I will repay you for the years eaten by locusts—the swarming locust, the young locust, the destroying locust, and the devouring locust—My great army that I sent against you" (Joel 2:25). This promise of restoration is not merely material but also spiritual, as God calls His people to repentance and renewal. The locusts symbolize the trials and challenges that have plagued our lives devouring our joy, peace and blessings. But God in His infinite mercy declares that He will make up for the lost time.

Throughout Scripture, God is consistently revealed as the Restorer of the Broken, offering hope and healing to a world marred by sin and suffering. His restorative work is a testament to His love and faithfulness, inviting all to experience the wholeness found in Him.

In contrast, how much time do we do we spend on things that truly matter? Stress, anxieties, anger, sadness... Is this how God intended us to wisely spend our time. 

Responding to Change

Well, it's that time of the year when we all decide to bring in some change in our lives, even though that resolution may fade in a week or two.
So, we thought we should delve into the biblical perspective of change and how to respond to or react to it.
To start with, let's understand change.
Change is a transformation. Change can be internal or external. It can be good or bad. Our reaction to it can be acceptance, rejection, or (as it happens most of the time) silent condonation of it.
How does the bible view change? The Bible is very clear we need internal change. That is because God and His principles never change (even though His methods may). If we need to be more like Him, we need to change. Our old self has to die and be replaced by our new self. This new self then needs to shine so that people around us see the Goodness of our God, encouraging external change in the environment. The Bible gives enough guidelines of what is to change in ourselves and how, before we can hope to see change in our environments.
Mahatma Gandhi also said - Be the change you want to see.
The other change is external change. We know that growth requires change. Many people believe we should also change our morals, ethics, and beliefs to accommodate changes in profession, culture and lifestyles. But sometimes changes in our environment are detrimental to the Christian life, and our relationship with God - aka sin.
Sin brings about a negative change that altered not only Adam and Eve’s behavior and thinking but also their very nature. As a result, their environment changed, along with all of human history. In our sin, we lost our perfect environment and were left to wrest survival from an unforgiving planet (Genesis 3:17–19). Change had come, and it was not a good change.
As Christians our response to change, good or bad, really depends on our desire for changing ourselves, as well as our willingness. At the pool of Bethesda, Jesus found an infirm man who had suffered his condition for a long time. Interestingly, Jesus asked him, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6). A strange question with a logical purpose. Before the Lord introduced the man to lifelong change, He wanted to know: do you really want this, or are you more comfortable with your life of begging and living off the charity of others? Are you ready to change?
So how do we respond to external change?
A. What we tend to do is Rationalize or Bend Gods word to make any change suitable to ourselves. This is not a good idea.
Changeable humans do not have the power or authority to change God’s Word, and only the foolish will try. Being judgmental is a small example.
B. In continuation, we should be rejecting certain changes instead of adapting ourselves to those changes. With Gods help, and the guidance of His word, we can select what we accept, reject or condone. We should embrace change, no matter how hard it is, when it comes from God, and similarly reject it, no matter how hard it is, no matter what sacrifice we may be needed, if it is not. If we resolve not to accept or accept, the Holy Spirit will guide us through and provide the strength and protection we need to see it through. (Philippians 4:6-7)
C. All change starts in the mind. Therefore, our mind needs to know what to measure that change against. For that we need to read and internalize Gods word. Internalizing does not mean memorizing, but understanding the different aspects of the subject and its application. That scale will determine what we value enough to adopt.
D. Respond to Jesus. He was sent to change us, to lead us into a relationship with God as was originally planned. However, if we do not respond to His leading that change will never happen.
In summary, our response to change is a 4-step process:
First we must identify whether that change is in line with Gods principles.
Secondly, we must desire to accept or reject that change, want it and determine to make it.
Thirdly, realize we are not infallible. We need Gods help to cross that chasm.
Lastly be willing to be led. Trust in Him and depend on him.

A New Year Resolution

Our choices decide our relationship with God. Whether we take Him seriously or not. How involved He is in our life and how much we depend on Him.

David Bowman has this to say -

Every day, we have the choice, every moment in fact, to decide who gets to decide—us or God. This should not be a hard choice. The conclusion should be apparent. Yet somehow, I have rationalized exceptions to the rule, alternate outcomes, even truly fantastical courses of action. The one thing all of my better ideas have in common is that none of them were better ideas. (David Bowman)

As we start the new year, think about how we make choices: our choice or Gods choice. In truth, while sometimes we do decide to follow Gods will, most times it is our own human nature who gets to decid3. But, we can discipline our hearts and minds to desire to be in line with Gods choice. While it is extremely difficult, it will be worthwhile to align this year and the rest of the years we have, to God's will and His decisions.

Unseen Blessings: Thank You Lord

"One day, a very rich father took his son on a trip to the country to show him what it was like to be poor. They stayed for a few days and nights on a farm where a very poor family lived.

After they returned home, the father asked his son how he liked the trip. “It was great, Dad,” the son replied. “Did you see how poor people can be?” the father asked. “Oh yeah,” the son answered.

“So what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father. The son thought for a moment and said, “I saw that we have one dog and they have four. We have a pool that goes halfway across our garden, and they have a creek that never ends. We have fancy lanterns in our garden, and they have the stars at night. Our patio is big and reaches the front yard, but they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land, but they have fields that go as far as you can see. We have servants who work for us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow their own. We have walls around our property to keep us safe, but they have friends to protect them.” The father was silent, then the son added, “It showed me just how poor we really are.”

This story makes you think: We often forget how much we have and focus on what we don’t have. What one person thinks is worthless, another person might treasure. It all depends on how you see things."

Sometimes, it takes the perspective of a child to remind us of what really matters.

That perspective was brought to us on the 25th of this month. As we close 2024 tonight, let us review our lives in the past year (s), from the perspective of the Child Jesus.

Story Source: Good Thinking

Four Years and Counting....

Dear readers,

Today it's four years that the first post on this blog was published. Through this time, we hope that our posts, curated from across the world, have brought some joy, hope, peace or security to someone out there. 

Our mission has been the revival of the fire of faith, which, naturally, can diminish over time, specially when we face hardship and tough times.

In these four years, when we look back, we see Gods hand at work. He has performed countless miracles and granted numerous blessings on our readers. He has been present in all the good times and bad. He has seen us at our best and at our worst. He has always been faithful and his unconditional love brings each of us peace and happiness. Let us boast of His love and His unfailing presence in our lives. We are ever so thankful for Jesus, His son, sent into the world for each one of us.

As we emerge from the joyous celebrations of Christmas, let us carry forward the true essence of this blessed season into the New Year. Christmas is not just a day but a reminder of the eternal hope and love that Christ brings into our lives.

Now, as the decorations come down and the holiday rush subsides, it's the perfect time for a personal and communal revival. Let us reignite our faith with renewed vigor and commitment. So let us not stop the spirit of Jesus from being born in each of us, every day, day by day.

As we head into the New Year of 2025, we remain thankful for each day we have been blessed with and wish each of our readers Gods fullest blessings every day.

Revive Your Spirit!

Revivals have been a part of Christian history for centuries, and they continue to occur today. Once such annual revival concert called "Revive", happens in India, every year in November, at the Bethel Methodist Church in a Place called NOIDA, bringing in the Christmas. Today we bring you a short glimpse of this years' concert. 

 

Make Me a Blessing

We all love ourselves more than other people, but we care more about their opinions than our own. Because of this we tend to do, or not do, things which maybe right in our conscience.

But, doing the right thing is a priority in Christian life, following Jesus' way. He said  “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

Luke 3:11

Isiaah 1 verses 17-20 lay it out clearly as well. 

Pastor David Jacobs, commenting on these verses from Isiaah says -

"It is not easy for the oppressed to stand up for themselves. Think about the downtrodden and unfortunate in history: the slaves in Egypt and the Americas, the Holocaust, or the plight of women in some parts of the world. It is difficult to hear their voices because they have no power. Nobody is listening. It is our duty, according to Isaiah, to listen and find a solution".

What other people think should not matter. When Jesus ate with the tax men, he knew what others were thinking but that did not bother Him. Healing on a Sabbath was considered wrong but that did not stop Him.

Serving people who are in need is an opportunity. An opportunity to be a blessing.

Remember this song we sang in Sunday school? We asked to become a blessing. 

Make Me a Blessing 

Out in the highways and byways of life,

many are weary and sad;

Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife

making the sorrowing glad.

Make me a blessing,

Make me a blessing,

Out of my life

May Jesus shine;

Make me a blessing, O savior, I pray,

Make me a blessing to someone today.

Give as 'twas given to you in your need;

Love as the Master loved you;

Be to the helpless a helper indeed;

Unto your mission be true.

Full Song is available here 

Revival in 4 Steps

In continuation of his post on Revival, Pastor Rajiv today outlines the steps we could take to experience our own revival.

Remember, God has designed revival to begin with his own people who are called by his name, people like you and me who have called on the name of Jesus. 

As a revival process, God’s first call for his people is to humble themselves. 

How? Firstly, by recognizing and confessing our need to seek God in all things – spiritual and material. Our independence to be overcome by Dependence. We need humility to constantly guard against spiritual pride because spiritual pride results in self-centeredness, according to Hawkins. (Note: In Colossians 3:12, the word humility in Greek means “humbleness of mind or lowliness of mind”, and it’s the same word used in Ephesians 4:2, Philippians 2:3, and 1 Peter 5:5. It is in this attitude of the heart that we came before the Lord, admitting that we were wrong; we are sinners, repenting, and asking Him to be our Savior because being so crushed by the turmoil of sin and darkness of the world, we recognize there is no place to turn but to God, in other words with a broken spirit). Therefore, in order to be truly humble we need to bring a broken spirit before God.

Secondly, we are to pray and call out to God earnestly. If we are to see true revival, we need earnest and fervent prayer. In fact, every true revival has been the result of fervent and earnest prayer. We have seen what happened when the early church prayed and when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. Prayer invokes the Holy Spirit and for any revival to take place we must be filled with the Holy Spirit who will give us the courage to speak the word of God with boldness.

Thirdly God demands that we seek his face. Hawkins holds that if we spend as much time in our prayers seeking God’s face as we do to seek His hand to help us, we would be much nearer to our own personal revival. (Note: To seek God's face is to turn from any wicked ways, to look to his presence, strength, and precepts and NOT LOOK BACK.)

And finally, we must turn from our wicked ways. Unconfessed sin is unforgiven sin, and this is the greatest obstacle to revival. Just confessing our sins and feeling sorry for them is not enough. We need to forsake them altogether, (In thought, word and deed) because that is true repentance.

The final step in God’s recipe for revival is God’s delight. God’s delight is forgiving the sins of his people if they are truly repentant and turn from their wicked ways. His promise is that He will hear from Heaven he will forgive our sin and He will heal our land.

God delights in healing our hearts, healing our homes and everything around us because it appropriates his sacrifice on the cross and does not render His death in vain. He is willing; He is waiting, and He is longing for us to call on His name in prayer and seek his face (get to know Him) through his word and turn from our wicked ways so that he can fulfil his promise.

The big point for us to remember here is that that prayer and revival go hand in hand. 

There can be no revival without fervent and earnest prayer.

The Little Foxes

"Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes". Song of Solomon 2:15 

Did you know foxes love grapes (among other fruits). In fact, the term "sour grapes" comes from the story of the fox who tried to eat the grapes on a branch but couldn't reach them so after several failed attempts he gave up muttering - "they would have been sour anyway".

Little foxes are smaller animals that cannot reach the hanging grapes, so they gnaw the vines off at the ground, causing the out of reach fruit to fall with the ruined vine. It is one thing to lose some of one seasons grape, but it is far worse to lose forever a vine that took 12 to 14 years to mature.

Like little foxes, there may be little faults and sins in us that seem little but can destroy the fruit we produce. These could be "little" lies, "little" selfishness, "little" greed, "little" envy, gluttony of food, gluttony of things ... it's a long list to choose from, all get justified to us by being seemingly little. But which build and grow till they destroy.

We are the branches and if the Vine which connects us to our life source is destroyed, we too are destroyed.

It's not only the big ones we need to be sacred of but the small ones as well. What are the little foxes in our life? Can we identify the little foxes which are slowly but surely destroying the Vine of our life?