Saturday Vespers: Christian Responsibility

As the day and this week draws to a close, we thank you for your love and guidance. Thank you for the blessings and challenges, and we look to your guidance, protection and provision for the coming week, in hope and faith. We are humbled by the vastness of Your creation and the diversity of Your people. We lift our hearts in prayer for the entire world, acknowledging Your sovereignty over all nations and peoples.

We pray for peace to reign in every corner of the globe. May conflicts cease, and may understanding and compassion prevail. Touch the hearts of leaders and inspire them to seek peaceful solutions, fostering harmony and cooperation among nations.

We pray for those suffering from injustice, poverty, and oppression. May Your divine hand bring relief to the afflicted and empower them to rise above their circumstances. Grant them strength, hope, and the resources they need to rebuild their lives.

For a lady in Australia who will need to under cancer surgery next month

For the Pastor in India who's wife needs your healing for her stage 4 cancer

For a lady in India who need your healing and relief for her back pain

Ted fuller requests prayer saying:

Please pray in Jesus' name for the postal strike to lift and for them to come to a fair agreement in Jesus' name, Amen

RK requests to "please pray for our sales to continue".

Jason says "Please pray for The Lord to help my elderly Mother heal from a fall and help help pain go away"

Trishey requests prayer for healing for Carla.

We pray for strength for a senior citizen in India suffering from cancer : may he overcome his pain and gain strength.

Someone requests "Please pray for my family that God will have mercy and grant us a miracle that we can be freed from a terrible curse, all of be healed and be able to live our lives in the peace that passes understanding".

Talmid says "Please kindly lift me up to throne of grace for mercy and timely help through the blood of Jesus".

Saturday Vespers

Image contributed by Coral Keogh

As the day and this week draws to a close, we thank you for your love and guidance. Thank you for the blessings and challenges. May we rest peacefully tonight, knowing that You are always with us.

We lift up our hearts in prayer for all humanity.

For Peace: May peace reign in every nation, and may conflict be resolved through dialogue and understanding.

For Justice: May justice prevail, and may the oppressed find relief.

For Healing: May the sick be healed, the wounded be comforted, and the brokenhearted be mended.

For Love: May love abound, and may we learn to love our neighbors as ourselves.

For Hope: May hope ignite the hearts of all, and may despair be replaced with faith.

For a lady in Australia who will need to under cancer surgery next month

For the Pastor in India who's wife needs your healing for her stage 4 cancer

For a lady in India who need your healing and relief for her back pain

For Jerry who was diagnosed with early-stage pancreas cancer. We pray for your healing and guidance as he gets treatment

Smurfs requests prayer that the Lord would provide them with funds they need for a new roof and that they can get the boiler to light up for heat

Maxime prays that God may use her talents

We entrust the world to Your loving care. Guide us, protect us, and lead us toward a brighter future.

Saturday Vespers: Come to the Water

And Jesus said : Come to the water

Stand by My side.

I know you are thirsty You won't be denied

I felt ev'ry tear drop

When in darkness you cried And I strove to remind you

That for those tears I died

Lord Jesus, you have called us and we have found you. You feel our pain, our joy and our challenges and are with us through it all.

we thank you for providing us with parents who brought us to you. We pray for all those who have gone before us to you, parents, father, mother, husband, wife, aunts and uncles and friends, as we remember them not only today but every day. We thank you for our time with them.

Thank You for the gift of this new day. May this Saturday be a day of rest, renewal, and peace. Fill our hearts with gratitude for the blessings in our lives.

We pray for healing for the sick, comfort for the grieving, and hope for the discouraged. For financial health, physical health and healing and emotional strength for those who need it. For a Pastor in India who's wife is suffering from stage IV cancer - we ask for your miracle of healing. For a senior - relief from pain in her back and hips and renewed mobility.

Ben requests prayer for his Mum that the skin cancers she has been diagnosed with yesterday, will be completely and successfully removed on Friday 13th December. Please pray that all cancer cells will be removed and that she will be 100% cancer free after the surgery. Please pray that God will comfort her and take away her worry and fill her with peace as He protects her and His healing hands will be upon her.

Anonymous requests us to pray for healing for her husband, mom and dad.

Trishey and Tanu ask for prayer in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Rajeev P prays For his personal life with Jesus and giving him wisdom and strength through tough times

Sara says "Please join me in prayer for my mom. She has a severe bacterial infection for 8 weeks now (2 months) and she slips into bouts almost of hysteria. There is demonic influence with it because she has demons come to her in the night telling her she is going to die soon. Please pray for my whole family for deliverance from generational strongholds and for my mom to be healed".

Lord Jesus, May Your love and grace surround us all.

Saturday Vespers

Prayer plays a vital role in our relationship with God. When we engage in heartfelt prayer, we open the doors for divine intervention in our lives and in our land. Prayer is not merely reciting words but a posture of speaking and communicating with the Almighty. Through prayer we express our deepest desires, concerns and gratitude to God.

As believers we have the opportunity to bring about incredible transformation through our prayers, in our selves and in others. Today we pray for that transformation for people around us, whether in health, finances or professions.

Today, let us pray for a Pastor in India whose wife is suffering from stage 4 cancer. We pray for a miracle for her healing and relief from the pain, as per your will.

We Pray for a senior in India to get your comfort and healing from her hip and back pain. You have helped her through on one side and we pray for healing on the right as well.

Tanu prays for a financial Breakthrough, & pray for money for provision for her family, kids school fees, for fees to pay for my masters degree.

Mindy prays for protection over her son

We pray for Bob who has been suffering with shoulder and upper arm pain for a very long time

Someone prays and asks if we would please pray for her that God uphold the sanctity of marriage, and God's commandments, during an illness that has caused discord within the family.

CNA requests prayer saying-

Requesting prayer for a teenage family member who believes they are transgender. May they be comfortable and happy as the gender they were born and find inner peace. Also requesting prayers for all young people going through this, as well as their families and friends.

Jason requests- Please pray for The Lord to help my chiropractor get my back feeling better and not make it worse.

bobchar requests prayer saying:

Please pray for my friend Dave who has been diagnosed with bile duct cancer. I pray the Lord will heal him completely

Lord, May we be beacons of hope, spreading love and kindness wherever we go.

Saturday Vespers

Heavenly Father, we come before You today with hearts full of gratitude and concern. We thank You for Your love, mercy, and guidance. We pray for peace to reign throughout the world, that nations may live in harmony and understanding.
Guide the leaders of our nations. Fill them with wisdom, compassion, and a true desire to serve their people. May they seek Your will in all they do and govern with justice and equity.
Inspire us to be agents of peace in our communities. Grant us the courage to stand up for what is right and the compassion to help those in need. May we be beacons of hope, spreading love and kindness wherever we go.
Lord, we pray for an end to suffering and injustice. May Your healing touch bring comfort to the afflicted, and may Your justice prevail.
We Pray for a senior in India to get your comfort and healing from her hip and back pain. Anon says -
Please pray for my husband because he is struggling with mental illness. Pray for a hedge of protection around him and my children. Pray that his is healed and seeks help. Pray that God sends the right people into our lives and that he binds any evil spirits that may be causing this illness. I pray that we see God's mighty hand working quickly.
We pray for a Pastor in India who's wife is suffering from stage 4 cancer. We pray for a miracle for her healing and relief from the pain, as per your will.

We Thank you Lord for showing us the way and providing us with resources to travel your path. 

Saturday Vespers: No word like hopeless

Life can sometimes make you feel hopeless: death, disease, misfortune dog our footsteps. No matter what happens in our life, there is hope. God is there. When we come to God in prayer, we do not come with our own righteousness but with a humble heart, seeking His great mercies. Sometimes, in the midst of our struggles, it may feel like God is not listening or paying attention to our cries, but, if we do as Hannah did, pouring out our soul for the Lord, God will hear our prayers.

We come before you in awe Lord, acknowledging your greatness and magnificence. We humbly approach you with our prayers, knowing that you are the one who hears and answers. As we navigate through the challenges of this world, as well as our own personal challenges, we ask for your guidance and wisdom. In times of uncertainty may we find solace in knowing you are with us and your purpose for our lives will prevail.

Almighty father, we praise you and thank you for your deliverance and protection of some of the people we have prayed for - the Pastor in Australia who is back in service; for your for your servant in India who went through a time of testing in terms of health and who has come through with an all clear.

We pray for a Pastors wife in India who has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and who desperately needs your prayer support for her recovery according to Gods will and miracles and strength for her and her family to go through this painful and tough times. We pray for Rockys daughter, a nurse who was beaten by a patient. Grant her healing and strength to carry on her mission.

We pray for Melody to get patience to take care of her husband who has dementia. 

Father God, please calm the storm and restore the souls of those suffering from extreme weather on the eastern seaboard of America and beyond.

Finally, we pray for all those who need jobs, healing, and other needs we are not aware of. For those who need to forgive, as well as for those who need to be forgiven. 

We pray for your grace and mercy to overflow in our lives. May your love shine through us, drawing your people closer to you. May your message reach where it needs to reach everyday.

Amen.

God of Small Things: Saturday Vespers

 

In our world of immediate gratification, success is measured by grandiose achievements. Yet, God delights in small, everyday acts and things, as He does in those grandiose achievements. For Him, it's the heart of the matter, not the outcome. So today we pray -

Heavenly Father, help us to see the value and significance of the small tasks we do every day. May we find joy in the ordinary and the mundane, knowing that you are present in every moment. Give us the strength to be faithful in small things trusting that you can use them in your Glory.

We thank you for the recovery of your servant in Australia and those who were sick and needed your intervention.

Today DeeSki asks for Gods help and says -

"Please god do not let her give up on me and this relationship. I am completely lost knowing I could losing her and my children. I’m asking for all of the prayers I can get and for somehow someway god to help me keep this relationship and family together."

David thanks God for His providence.

Esetarosa requests prayer for her "daughter Fu’a for a miracle in her life as she is now at home under Hospice care. We serve a loving God who hears our prayers. Thank you and God Bless!"

We pray for the wellness of the senior citizens in India - one with a severe back problem to give her strength and patience as well as relief from the pain; we also pray for a lady suffering from Parkinsons for relief as well as strength and patience to her caregiver daughter,

We pray for retired Pastor Benjamin in India for support as he and his daughter go through a very challenging time with his home breaking down and no finance to repair. We pray that efforts to organize financial support for them bears fruit.

Please pray for all these and other needs you may know of. In Jesus' mighty name. 

Seeds of Faith

                                                    
Gods blessings are not limited by our circumstances. He can bring abundance and increase in the most unlikely of places. As we faithfully sow seeds of kindness, love, forgiveness and generosity, we can expect a harvest of blessings in due time.

Remember, the harvest may not come immediately, it requires patience, perseverance and unwavering faith. But, rest assured, the Lord will bless us abundantly, according to His perfect timing and plan. Today let us take inspiration from Isaacs story and sow seeds of faith in our own lives, even during adversity, and give thanks and honor to the Lord knowing that every good thing comes from Him.

Psalm 91 is a perfect reminder of Gods protection and provision during every adverse situation that may surround us.

Saturday Vespers

 

As we relax on Saturdays, its time to not only think about ourselves but also all those people who need our prayers and support. We are sharing some prayer needs so that we all can support each other.

For Upper Room readers who have requested prayers-

Kait  requests prayer saying:

Please pray that God relieves the pain in my body after a hard days work. Please pray that God will allow me to fulfill his calling for me for a long time. Thank you God for the many blessings you bestow

RN requests prayer saying:

Please pray my doctor’s appointment goes well tomorrow. Thank you so much.

Jlow requests prayer saying:

Prayer for my freedom. God bless those who are not.

For a senior in India suffering from Dementia. We pray for her peace as well as strength for her caregiver.

Please pray for Jim. Pray that he can work thru an issue that happened today. Pray for it to go well.

John requests prayer saying:

Please pray that my dad's hearing will be corrected and that at least one of his ears will start working again properly. Please pray in Jesus' precious name. Thanks.

Jason requests prayer saying:

Please pray for The Lord to Bless my Family and Myself with, PEACE, Good Health and Laughter.

Please pray for Jim. Pray that he can work thru an issue that happened today. Pray for it to go well.

Tressa - I have been depressed as my sister, whom I love, is in the hospital for her kidneys. I will gladly give her one of mine. Satan keeps bothering me with hopeless thoughts. I have listened to praise music, asked for prayers for her & and her s.o. They are so stubborn as to reconciliation., Please lift up J and J. I am so encouraged by prayer of the Body of Christ. Amen.

PLEASE MAIL YOUR PRAYER REQUESTS TO: THISWEEKWITHJESUS@GMAIL.COM

Minus Everything

"The measure of a person may not be in what they have, but what they are able to live without". Pastor David Jacobs.

Humans measure each other only in one scale: how much does one have.

If someone is extremely knowledgeable, they are respected. If some one has a lot of wealth, they are fawned upon. If someone is poor, they are endured at best.

The whole point is How does God view us.

Pastor Jacobs actually creates a new paradigm of measurement, and possibly God uses that measure. What can you live without? There is good sense when in Luke 12: Jesus says

“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

In his message Pastor Jacobs goes on to say-

"In the consumer world that we currently live, we are taught that we should always want more, more, more. We can never possess enough, as evidenced by the wealthiest among us. When is it too much? At what point does all of what a person has achieved, gained, and even created actually take away from their status in God's eyes?"

How we view us, view God and how God views us is what we should ponder today.

If we have nothing but we have God, we have everything. God will help us survive with what we need.

Ask Job.

Living the Word

Man giving his own slippers to a child. (The Kindness Blog)

It’s a paradigm shift…
Let’s look at this from 30,000 feet…
At the end of the day…
Let’s get our heads around this…

The world us full of buzz words and jargon. I guess they make the speaker feel a little wiser and knowledgeable and "in".

Dis you know that Christianity too has a lot of buzzwords ? One of the many is "The Living Word" . Yes we all know what it means but do we really live it? Jesus said many will say Lord Lord... Matthew 7:22.

Yes, Jesus is the living word from God to us. His ressurection proved that.

The problem is unless we don't live the word it's a dead word as far as we are concerned.

He also made it so simple: love and honor God above all else and love people. Do we love people apart from Sundays in church? Do we help our neighbors even if it's inconvenient? If someone Need's medical support, though we may not be doctors, we could arrange for them to meet a doc. Or if someone needs money genuinely, and I don't have it, I could use my friends and family to come together to help.

The point is we should be genuinely interested and concerned enough to do it. Following Jesus takes effort and a commitment to live the word. Let's Live the Word! 

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 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.

God's Case Study

Remember Job? A character of much importance in the Bible. Some people joke and say that he innocently became the subject of a bet between God and Satan. Except that God does not gamble. 

God also does not need to give points, but He did point Job to His truths. Yet, even today, we humans want proof points. Proof of His creation, proof of His presence, proof of His love for us. We sure know about Him, but do we really believe in Him until he shows His presence?

Humanity needs case studies like that of Job to show others of things like faith, Gods love, Divine intervention etc. If you look at it, Job is a typical human and, in the story, God lists out all the proof points you and I need that He exists, and He is God the Creator. He also gives proof points that He is the nurturer and the provider; that he is the protector of His creation and finally that He is the power that keeps the balance in His creation.

The Story of Job is an important one for us. Not because it teaches us how to suffer (nobody wants that anyway) and sustain but more importantly how and why to trust in God. It also explains the greatest mystery of life: why do bad things happen to good people.

At different times Jobs story can message different things. But perhaps the most important messaging is in Chapter 38 and 39 where God challenges man. At the end of it we realize we are not the mighty tower of knowledge we thought we are or think we are we are merely ants. We are still debating if there are aliens; or that who we think are aliens are angels; we still try to figure out nature and creation; we still even haven't been able to get the timeline right! Thus, if we know nothing, are powerless by ourselves, who are we to question God?

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

The Lion & The Gazelle

 Lamentations 3:22-23

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness".

There is a traditional story in Africa which goes like this -

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.” That is nature. Each does what they were created to do. 

For us too, every day is a new day, a new promise and a new beginning. Another chance to be what the creator wants us to be. To do what He wants us to do. Another day of hope for the brokenhearted. Another chance to live. Another chance to experience His love.

What should we do with this new day? This new beginning? Will it be the same as yesterday or will it be different?

As we go through life, we pass through three phases: youth, when you read and believe the word of God; middle age when you experience His word and the retired age when you relate it to personal experiences and share it with others as living evidence and in fact become the evidence.

Every day is a chance to build ourselves in whatever phase of life we are in. It is also a choice: to live for us solely or include God and fellow man in our day. To be a crutch for someone, to give someone life, as we build our own. Every day is a chance to evidence "agape" to the world.

Everything in Gods wide creation gives something to someone. What can we give?

A life worth living is of one who gives life to another. 

Just as God gives us hope, become hope for someone. As He gives us provisions, become a provider for someone. Become "love" for some. Become a helping hand or a listening ear to someone who needs. Or simply let someone know you are there.

We need to ask God every morning - "what would you have me do today? Who would you like me to reach out to? What would you like me to say?"

There is no time to waste another morning. When the sun come up tomorrow, let us be running to His will and instruction.

_____________________________________

Imp Notice

Pastor Rajiv invites anyone who may need prayer to simply comment in the box below mentioning what they may like prayer about. You may also write to him confidentially at rshipstone@yahoo.com

The Eagle & The Butterfly

Adversity is part n package of life. Everyone goes through it, in some measure. It is our response to adversity which determines how well we overcome it and get through it. We can learn a lot from nature on various things on how to handle adversity.

Take the eagle for instance. When a storm comes it flies above the storm. It have the strength and can sustain heights. On the other hand, there is the butterfly. It knows it cannot fly above or in the storm, so it quietly rests and waits for the storm to be over. It takes both kinds to make this world, and both know how to survive.

Which brings us to humans. To us. Our God caters to both personalities - those who fly above the storm and those who shelter during it. Isaiah 40:31 is a passage we have read and heard many times. Songs have been written about this verse. Isaiah said, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

That was for the Eagles.

For the butterflies Exodus 33:14 says -

14 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Psalms 91:1 says He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Eagles need to preserve their strength and butterflies need to preserve their beauty. For everyone though, whether eagles or butterflies, the common factor is God. Whoever you are, God will help you sustain yourself through whatever adversity you may face, in whatever way best suits you. Just as the eagle uses the power of the winds in a storm to rise above it, so can we with the power of God. Just as the butterfly rests, we too can rest in Gods security. And at the end of it - you are rewarded with a bright sunshine day and a rainbow, that is when the eagle will get back to hunting and the Butterflys will fly once again, filling our lives with their beauty.

So, get excited about the storms in your life. Challenges bring opportunities. We could see the opportunities, wrapped in our challenges if we weren’t so busy, complaining and trying to avoid them.

When the Walls Start Closing In...

Refer Luke 7:22

Anxiety and worry are crippling issues for many people. In this age of technology, it is easier than ever before to compare ourselves to one another, which can lead to a lot of thoughts of inadequacy, insecurity and worthlessness. "The two listeners" in their book called God Calling, describe this feeling as below:

How can you be "joyful when days were rain-packed, nights tortured by chronic insomnia, when poverty and almost insupportable worry were our daily portion, when prayer went unanswered and God's face was veiled, and fresh calamities came upon us...... Disheartened, one of us would gladly have ceased the struggle and passed onto a another and happier life". 

In truth many, if not all, some of us go through such times and feelings.  What do we do about it?

Pastor David Jacobs has this to say and suggest- Consider  Philippians 4 verses 6 and 7 - 

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

"What does Paul say in this verse: don't worry about anything! "Be careful for nothing." NOTHING! If only it were that easy...but can it be?

"I would like you to try something the next time you feel anxious or worried: immediately mention it to God when it happens. Notice the feeling, mention it, and see what happens. I think you will be surprised by the results. I often feel most anxious in the morning: I think about the things that I need to do that day, the things I didn't do yesterday, and the things I will think about tomorrow. Basically, I am a nervous and anxious wreck. I have a habit that has helped me greatly with this issue, however: every morning, I wake up and pray.

Immediately. I don't toss and turn in bed, I don't check my phone, I don't make coffee...I go immediately to pray. The effects have been tremendous in terms of dealing with my anxiety.....

The first reason I like to pray in the morning is because it quiets my mind. Suddenly the day ahead of me becomes more clear. I know what things I want to deal with immediately, what things I can put on the back burner, and what things I might not have to deal with at all. Second, although you might think I would be sleepy as a result, I have found that I actually wake up. My mind is fresh and free to wander a bit, and I have a nice conversation to start the day. Third, and I believe this is the most important, I am given an opportunity to thank God for all that I am grateful for. 

This prayer of thanksgiving starts my day on a positive note, and it trickles down into all the things that I do that day." 

A.S.K : Pastor Rajiv's Mid Week Message

Ask, Seek and Knock. 

Matthew &:7 says - "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you".

But how do we know if what we are asking for is the Will of God? Pastor Rajiv discusses this very important aspect of the ASK principle today in his message. 

 

 

Shattered Dreams : Looking Beyond Failure

The Book of Ruth is one of only two books of the Bible to be named after women (the other is Esther). It's a short book and often easily overlooked. Yet it has always inspired us to look beyond failure and loss.
The short Book of Ruth in the Hebrew scripture has three main characters, Ruth, Naomi and Boaz, from whom you can learn many lessons. The story of Ruth covers a period of loss and despair for Naomi, persistence and devotion of Ruth, a time of bestowing grace and favor for Boaz and an ending of joy and blessing for all three.
As a woman in ancient Israel, Ruth's loss of a husband and her sons was equivalent to losing her security and future. All of her dreams were shattered. It is a study on how to respond to shattered dreams as we follow Naomi's development from a bitter, depressed woman returning home with nothing but a foreign daughter-in-law, into a joyful woman with an adopted son at the end of the story, and with the all important mission of establishing the lineage of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ruth was the great grandmother of Jesus).
We all have faced situations of extreme disappointment, and the story of Ruth shows us how to respond to them. Failure isn't about failing it is about learning. It is about transformations.
In essence, when we face our shattered dreams, we need to show resilience and courage like Ruth, not run away from the situation. Ask God for His vision for us, change our focus or profession or outlook, and be willing to work hard (like Ruth) even if it means we go out of our comfort zone to survive.
With a change in focus, we get new opportunities and a new horizon. It's not easy. it's not quick.
Looking beyond our failures also means we don't look back. Though we may see many possibilities - we choose one in consultation with God - in line with His will. We pray for wisdom, for patience for trust and for faith. And we pray for protection.
We all fail at one time or another, whether we admit it or not. But beyond failure there is God.