Re-Writing God: Selective Faith

"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll".

Revelation 22:18–21

Over the years since Christ and the compilation of the Bible as Gods Holy Word, man has again and again truncated, misinterpreted, twisted or coloured the Word of God, despite a grim warning in that very Word.

In 1807, British Planters and missionaries had a "slave Bible" created to control enslaved Africans in the West Indies, this edition stripped away nearly 90 percent of the Old Testament and 50 percent of the New Testament. The publishers selectively erased whole narratives of divine liberation, equality, and justice, the very essence of our God. Instead, the editors left behind only verses instructing submission, obedience, and duty to earthly masters. They attempted to tame the Living Word into a tool of human oppression.

The Nazis tried to make Bible more Nazi. How? Well, by removing Jewish references and by replacing the Ten Commandments for maxims that emphasized loyalty to the party and its leader. They banned a few words, including “hallelujah," and replaced biblical figures with pagan gods instead. Hitler saw Judaic-Christian beliefs as a threat to his vision, and sought to replace it with his own nationalist pagan agenda.

Chinese premier Xi Jinping thought it would be a good idea to rewrite the Bible because it’s too Westernized. The goal was to make it more in harmony with the communist ideology, as well as to have it include elements of Buddhist and Confucian.

In 2017, comedian Elijah Daniel decided to publish a "hella gay" Bible, which was essentially a satire.

But, removing God’s promises of justice does not erase His power; it only dims the spiritual eyes of those who try to rewrite Him. 

The tragic irony of the Slave Bible is that the missing pieces contained the very core of the Gospel: that God hears the cries of the oppressed, demands wholehearted justice, and promises ultimate redemption.

While most believers today would never physically cut pages out of a Bible, a subtle temptation remains to create a personal "Slave Bible"—selecting verses that validate personal comforts while ignoring those that demand sacrifice, radical love, standing with the broken, or repenting of hidden sins.

So. How do we guard against this distortion / Selective Faith?

Embrace the Whole Counsel of God: Examine your scripture reading habits. Are you only drawn to verses that offer comfort while skipping over passages that challenge your worldview, call for repentance, or demand justice?

Value the Whole Gospel: Remember that the God of grace is also the God of liberation. Truth cannot be sanitized or trimmed to fit cultural norms or political agendas.

Rest in the Final Promise: The closing verses of Revelation remind us of the ultimate hope: "Yes, I am coming soon." No human censorship can alter God's eternal victory.

Arrow Prayer

Lord God, your Word is whole, unbending, and true. Forgive us for the times we have tried to reshape your truth to fit our own desires, comforts, or biases. Amen

Note:

Though Revelation 22:18–19 originally targeted only Revelation, the warning against altering God's commands is repeated throughout the entire Bible. John was echoing a clear scriptural pattern:

• Deuteronomy 4:2 & 12:32 (The Law): "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it..."

• Proverbs 30:5–6 (Wisdom Literature): "Every word of God is pure... Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar."

• Galatians 1:8 (The Epistles): Paul warns that even if an angel preaches a different or modified Gospel, they should be under God's curse.

Monday Reset: The Wrong Ship

“But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.”

Jonah 1:3

Going against the Lord’s wishes, commandments, or direction is a reality we all face. Sometimes we drift out of alignment passively, enticed by shortcuts or easy alternatives. Other times, our detour is entirely deliberate.

The Scripture highlights a telling detail in Jonah’s departure: "he paid the fare thereof".

Jonah’s trip was not an accident; it was an investment. It was a planned, deliberate act of consciously stepping away from God’s command. He funded his own detour, choosing his own logic over God’s instruction.

How often do we do the exact same thing? We recognize what God intends for us, yet we actively choose the opposite because we convince ourselves that we know better. We pay with our time, energy, and peace just to steer our own ship in the wrong direction.

Let's take a quiet moment today to look back and evaluate:

Where in our life have we funded our own detour—choosing our preference over God’s clear direction?

Are there areas right now where our personal plans or logic are clashing with what God is asking of us?

As we start this week, let us commit to replacing self-directed detours with Holy Spirit-guided obedience, using the RAY Principle: 

Recognize: Pause before making key decisions this week and ask the Holy Spirit to clarify God’s intended direction for us.

Align: Consciously choose to follow God's path, even when it directly clashes with our personal preferences, schedule, or logic.

Yield: Yield our desire to control the outcome, trusting that God's plan is far better than any destination you could plan for yourself.

Arrow Prayer

Holy Spirit, give me the discernment to recognize God's path this week and the courage to intentionally walk in it. Help me to surrender my own plans, knowing that God's will is always good, pleasing, and perfect. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Sabbath Prayer: Renewal

"Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be restored; renew our days as of old."

Lamentations 5:21

Lamentations 5:21 serves as a humble, urgent plea for divine restoration—a recognition that true renewal cannot be earned through human effort but must be granted by God Himself. Today our Sabbath prayer creates space to acknowledge where we have strayed, each one of us, we know and God knows, so let us surrender our shortcomings, and ask the Lord to realign our hearts with His grace as we enter His rest.

Heavenly Father,

On this holy Sabbath day, we quiet our hearts to praise You, Your Son Jesus, and Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for showing us how to live faithfully and how to worship You in spirit and truth.

Yet as we enter this sacred rest, we acknowledge that we have failed miserably. We confess that our desire for the material has too often overcome our spiritual priorities, clouding our vision and pulling our focus away from Your presence.

Forgive us, Lord, we pray. For the sake of Your beloved Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ, we ask for Your mercy, Your forgiveness, and Your unconditional love. Thank You that His grace is sufficient for us, and that He gently guides our steps back to You.

As we rest today, refresh our spirits, realign our desires with Your will, and draw us closer to Your heart.

We also thank you Oh Lord, for the week gone by; for the mercies we experienced daily from your hands and your grace which flows from your throne. We thank you for the healing of Samira and Joan. We continue to pray for your strength and protection to fill both of them as they go for their respective adjunct therapies. We pray for your grace, strength and mercy on Nina, especially this week as she goes for her tests and treatment. We thank you for the healing of Lisa and pray your presence will continue to protect her, guide her and keep her as she now looks after her daughter, also with cancer, as she goes for her chemo after recovering from pneumonia. We continue to pray for Victoria and her mother Alison.  At this time we pray very specially for Jen: That her clinical trials begin and that the treatment may take her into remission. 

We pray to you Oh Lord for your spirit wisdom to guide each one of us in our lives in the coming days and weeks. That we live according to your will. That we learn to hear you and prioritize you. 

In Jesus' holy name,

Amen.

Sin at the Throne of Grace

                                          

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need"

Hebrews 4: 15-16

When we fall short, our immediate human instinct is to run and hide. It is an impulse as old as Eden—Adam and Eve retreating into the trees the moment they realized their nakedness. When we experience failure, guilt and shame tell us to pull back, fix ourselves first, or wait until we feel "good enough" to re-enter God's presence.

Yet, holding back out of dread reveals a misunderstanding of who stands at the center of God's throne.

Hebrews 4:15–16 shatters our tendency to isolate. We do not approach a distant, harsh judge waiting to strike us down. We come before a High Priest—Jesus—who understands our frailties firsthand. He was tempted in every way we are, yet remained without sin. Because He experienced the full weight of human weakness, He responds to our struggles not with anger, but with empathy.

The Contrast of Guilt vs. Conviction

Not all feelings of remorse are created equal. It is vital to recognize which voice you are listening to when failure occurs:

Destructive Shame (Pulls You Away)	Healthy Conviction (Drives You Near)
Focuses on self-worth ("I am unforgivable").	Focuses on God’s holiness ("I need His grace").
Leads to isolation, fear, and hiding.	Leads to open confession and restoration.
Whispers that you must earn your way back.	Trust that Christ has already paid the price.

Hiding in shame relies on self-righteousness—the belief that we must clean ourselves up before God can accept us. But grace was designed precisely for the moments we fail.

Biblical Examples of Return

Scripture consistently demonstrates that God’s response to honest return is immediate restoration:

• The Prodigal Son (Luke 15): Expecting rejection or servitude, the son returned in shame. Instead, the father ran to meet him, embracing him before he could even finish his speech.
  
  
• Peter’s Restoration (John 21): After denying Jesus three times, Peter felt overwhelming failure. Yet Jesus met him by the shore, gently restoring his call and purpose.
  
  
• David’s Prayer (Psalm 51): Rather than hiding after his deep moral failure, David brought his brokenness directly to God, asking for a clean heart and a restored spirit.
  
  

Walking It Out

God already knows your heart, your struggles, and your failures. Hiding does not change His awareness; it only deprives you of His peace. Because of Jesus, the invitation stands open: step out of the shadows and draw near.

1. Be Completely Honest: Lay down the urge to defend or minimize your failure. Confess openly, knowing He is faithful and just to forgive (1 John 1:9).
   
   
2. Trade Shame for Confidence: Remind yourself of Romans 8:1—there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.
   
   
3. Receive Help in Time of Need: God’s throne is not a place of execution; it is a throne of grace where you receive mercy to heal and strength to move forward.

Pastor Rajiv: The Final Warning

...and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Revelations 22:19

The Bible is full of warnings. There are Over 600+ Old Testament Cautions; 64+ Explicit New Testament Warnings; 45 Specific Warnings Spoken by Jesus. And... in the final chapter of the Bible (Revelations Chapter 22), just before Jesus' pronouncement a final, dire warning is given in two parts. 

The first of the two warning phrases is if anyone adds: this means shall give any other meaning to these prophecies or any other application than what god intends.

The other warning phrase is if anyone takes away: in other words shall lessen this meaning or curtail the sense or explain away the spirit and design of these prophecies.

The warning applies directly to the book of Revelation but it is equally applicable to the entire word of God’s divine revelation: the Bible.

And we need to keep one thing in mind any adding or taking away from god’s word leads to disobedience of God and is induced by the devil himself.

Need an example? Remember what did the devil say to Eve in Genesis when he induced her to eat from the forbidden tree of knowledge?

First, he sowed the seeds of doubt in eve’s mind in Genesis 3 verse 1 and he said to the woman, “has God indeed said, ‘you shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

The devil got Eve to disobey God by simply adding and taking away from god’s divine instruction.

Taking away from Scripture isn't always about physically cutting verses out of a Bible. More often, it happens subtly in our daily lives:

Selective Obedience: Embracing the promises of grace while ignoring the calls to repentance and holiness.

Cultural Accommodation: Diluting uncomfortable truths to fit the shifting trends of society.

Self-Reliance: Relying on human logic and personal desire rather than yielding to the full counsel of God.

When we edit God's truth to align with our  preferences, we trade the eternal stability of His kingdom for a fragile, self-made illusion.

Guarding the Truth in Daily Life

Living with absolute reverence for God's Word requires intentionality. Here are key postures to cultivate a heart that honors Scripture in its entirety:

Receive the Whole Counsel: Resist the urge to skip over difficult passages. Allow the full weight of Scripture—both its comforting promises and its challenging convictions—to shape your heart.

Align Life to the Word, Not the Word to Life: When your lifestyle or opinions clash with Scripture, allow God's truth to transform your thinking rather than reshaping His Word to justify your actions.

Protect the Pure Gospel: Speak truth with quiet authenticity and clarity. Avoid watering down the message of Christ to gain approval or maintain peace at the expense of truth.

Arrow Prayer

Lord Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your complete and unchanging Word. Forgive me for the times I have subtly tried to edit Your truth to fit my own comfort or understanding. Give me a heart of reverence for Scripture, the courage to obey even when it is difficult, and the wisdom to walk faithfully in Your fullness. Keep my name secure in the Book of Life as I anchor my soul in You. Amen.

The Framework of Grace

"For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit." 

Ephesians 2:18

Our spiritual and life journey is not a chaotic struggle or a solo effort. It is guided by a divine architecture—a sacred framework crafted by the Trinity to bring us into direct relationship with God.

God the Father sets our purpose, initiates the plan, and serves as our ultimate destination.

God the Son (Jesus) provides the divine pattern, reveals the truth, and opens the way as the path.

God the Holy Spirit provides the inner strength, conviction, and power to walk that path daily.

In short: We walk to the Father, through the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

When we understand this, the pressure shifts off our shoulders. Just like Peter and John in Acts 4, who stood firm under immense pressure simply because they had been in the presence of Jesus, true conviction gives us a quiet, persistent faithfulness. It keeps our inner compass steady when cultural trends shift, bridges the gap between what we say and how we live, and inspires others through quiet authenticity and peace.

Using this framework to live an empowered Christian life can give us unshakeable peace, steady conviction, and a clear direction, grounding our daily walk in the strength of the Trinity rather than our own strive and effort. How? the key is- "Less is More"

Its less about trying harder and more about yielding deeper. There are three ways we can do this to align our life with the Framework of Grace:

1. Surrender Control Daily

Before opening our inbox or tackling our calendar, let's pause. Intentionally invite the Holy Spirit to direct our thoughts, reactions, and choices for the day ahead.

2. Cultivate Grounding Habits

Anchor our soul in God's presence. Use Scripture to align our mind, short conversational prayers to stay attentive throughout the day, and intentional quiet moments to distinguish the subtle voice of the Spirit from daily noise.

3. Act Promptly on Conviction

When you feel a Spirit-led prompt—whether to show grace, speak truthfully, forgive quickly, or turn away from a bad habit—step forward immediately. The Spirit's power is often experienced in the motion of taking the step.

Arrow Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for being my origin, my purpose, and my final destination. Jesus, thank You for being the Truth and opening the path for me to reach the Father. Holy Spirit, fill me today with Your quiet strength and conviction. Help me to stop striving in my own power and instead yield deeper to Yours. Keep my heart steady, my actions aligned with Your truth, and my walk faithful. Amen.

Monday Morning Reset: With All My Heart

"Jesus said unto him, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.’"

— Matthew 22:37

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."

— Deuteronomy 6:5

Today, lets talk about the greatest commandment of our Christian life and understand it from Gods perspective. We have quoted this commandment from two sources in the Bible. Deuteronomy and Matthew. 

When you compare the original Hebrew Shema in Deuteronomy 6:5 with Jesus’ statement in Matthew 22:37, a striking detail emerges: Jesus added the word "mind" (dianoia).

The big question is: Why did He do that? The answer is deeper than you think. 

In the ancient Hebrew world, the word for heart—levav (לֵבָב) or lev (לֵב)—did not mean just a generator of feelings. It was the control center of the entire inner self. It represented:

A. The Mind and Intellect: Where a person thinks, reasons, understands, and processes wisdom.

B. The Seat of Will and Choice: The decision-making hub where motivations, intentions, and moral commitments take root.

C. The Emotional Center: The deep internal place of joy, love, pain, and hope.

However, as the Scriptures were translated into Greek and spread across the Greco-Roman world, the Greek word for heart (kardia) became increasingly linked primarily to emotions. To protect the original Hebrew depth of levav—ensuring that our thoughts, intellectual devotion, and rational choices were explicitly included—Jesus added dianoia (mind).

Why was it that important? 

To love God with all your "levav" means to offer Him your entire psyche and inner self—every thought, decision, drive, and emotion. It means resetting Your Inner Control Center. 

As you step into a new week filled with decisions, meetings, and competing demands, God is not just asking for your Sunday emotions or a passing feeling of devotion. He is inviting you to dedicate your entire inner control center to Him.

Loving God with your whole mind and levav this week, includes:

1. Intentional Thinking: Giving God authority over your focus, media consumption, and internal narrative rather than letting anxiety or distraction dominate your thoughts.

2. Aligned Decision-Making: Bringing your choices, business strategies, and daily habits under His guidance, using your intellect to honor Him.

3.Integrated Faith: Refusing to separate your faith from your work or practical life, knowing that every rational thought and deliberate choice is an act of worship.

Reflect on this:  What has been capturing your mental energy and focus over the last few days? How can you yield your "mind" to God this morning?

Is there a decision facing you this week where you need to choose God's principles over personal convenience or culture's trends?

Arrow Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for inviting me to love You not just with my feelings, but with my mind, my choices, and my whole inner self. As I begin this week, I yield my levav—my intellect, my motives, and my decision-making—to You. Forgive me for the times I have relied on my own understanding or allowed worldly distractions to shape my thoughts.

Holy Spirit, guard my mind today. Fill my thoughts with truth, anchor my decisions in Your wisdom, and help me love You with every part of who I am.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Sabbath Prayers: The Truth of the Word

Lord May nothing separate me from you this Sabbath and every day of my life. Let your Holy Spirit teach me how to choose only your way today; not my way, so each step will lead me closer to you. Help me to walk by your word and not my feelings. Protect me from my self - my thoughts, words and actions. And keep me from being distracted by MY wants, MY desires and MY desires. Help me to understand and embrace what comes my way from you as an opportunity rather than an inconvenience. And help me to rest in the truth of your word. I recognize I am not up to or deserving of your attention but what is amazing is that the saviour of the world would desire a few minutes with me this morning.

We thank you Lord for your mercy on Samira for her healing and your ongoing hand of blessing on her as she goes through her therapy. We thank you for delivering Sonali, Joan and Lisa. We pray for Lisa, a cancer survivor herself, and whose daughter was also detected with Cancer, and now contracted pneumonia. We pray for her strength and for her healing so that her chemo which has been paused will soon be continued. 

We pray for Jen and thank you for her Testimony she has shared of your great faithfulness. We pray that she may qualify for the clinical trials. We also pray for Laurika and Haleen - that they may experience your strength and grace. Also, for Victoria for her healing from cancer as well as her mother, Alison.

We pray for Goldy to be delivered from her torment, that she may find peace in you. For her protection and her strength in you. We pray very specially for Dayasagar: That his chemo sessions will have the desired healing and his body is prepared for surgery. 

We pray for Skyla, that her legs be strengthened and that she recovers fully soon. 

We pray for our senior citizens: that your presence will protect them and keep them.  

We place these individuals and intentions into Your faithful hands, trusting in Your goodness and perfect will.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

We request all our readers throughout the world to join us in this prayer for thanksgiving and healing of those in need. It is important for us to support each one mentioned here as well those we know.