Vagaries of war

*** Image from Mashable

We take War too lightly. We even teach our children war and other violent games on video games, XBoxes and other devices, including phones. Gaming is big industry and war gaming as big and as popular. We have call high level meeting rooms as War Rooms. 

Yet, when it happens in real life, we are shocked. Why? 

On the 8th of October #Israel was attacked once again, after 50 years, to the day, by a terrorist uprising in Gaza. A huge public outcry followed, with one of our readers sharing the Israel PMs speech (available at the link below). 

What does this war mean to us? Will it end in a peace treaty with lots of fake handshaking by world politicians and we soon forget the thousands of innocent people who have and will have, lost their lives, families destroyed, and homes lost, as we, the people of this world are prone to do? Some countries have sworn to destroy Israel. Can they?

Zechariah 12:3–4 God says, “I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. All the nations will gather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves” (NLT)

Meanwhile rape, murder and torture continue by terrorists and armies as they are want to do to prove their superfluous superiority. A news video of a father tearfully saying he was glad his daughter was killed and did not suffer the atrocities some other women and children had to go through. That says it all.

We believe Bible prophecies are coming true before our very eyes. Scattering and gathering of #Israel has been foretold and has happened. What next? Will there be a bloody end to this or a peaceful end? While we can pray for a peaceful end, and for the peace for the murdered souls and their families, what will prevail is God's word and His promises. No country and no person.

So, what do we do as followers of Christ and #Christians?

Firstly, The Bible tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). We want to pray that they arrive at some kind of peace. We want to pray that this horrific #terrorism stops, and that they’re able to get their hostages back. That Gods hand of protection remains over Israel and her people.

Secondly, As Christ's followers we should do what He said to do:

Jesus said, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28 NKJV). 

That’s what we need to be doing, looking for the soon return of Jesus Christ.

Why Pray?

 

*** Pic from Wikipedia

Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. — Lamentations 3:41

Why do we pray? Boyd Packer said -" Prayer is your personal key to heaven.". Here is a deep but beautiful explanation from the KJV devotional.

"The act of prayer teaches us our unworthiness, which is a very salutary lesson for such proud beings as we are. If God gave us Favours without constraining us to pray for them, we should never know how poor we are, but a true prayer is an inventory of wants, a catalogue of necessities, a revelation of hidden poverty. 

While it is an application to divine wealth, it is a confession of human emptiness. The healthiest state of a Christian is to be always empty in self and constantly depending upon the Lord for supplies; to be always poor in self and rich in Jesus; weak as water personally, but mighty through God to do great exploits; and hence the use of prayer, because, while it adores God, it lays the creature where it should be, in the very dust. 

Prayer is in itself, apart from the answer which it brings, a great benefit to the Christian. As the runner gains strength for the race by daily exercise, so for the great race of life we acquire energy by the hallowed labor of prayer. 

Prayer plumes the wings of God’s young eaglets, that they may learn to mount above the clouds. Prayer girds the loins of God’s warriors and sends them forth to combat with their sinews braced and their muscles firm. 

An earnest pleader comes out of his closet, even as the sun arises from the chambers of the east, rejoicing like a strong man to run his race. 

Prayer is that uplifted hand of Moses which routs the Amalekites more than the sword of Joshua; it is the arrow shot from the chamber of the prophet foreboding defeat to the Syrians. 

Prayer girds human weakness with divine strength, turns human folly into heavenly wisdom, and gives to troubled mortals the peace of God. We know not what prayer cannot do! We thank thee, great God, for the mercy-seat, a choice proof of thy marvelous lovingkindness. Help us to use it aright throughout this day!"

The King's Table.

Read Luke 14: 15-24

Those of us who have said "yes" to the invitation, must continue to say that "yes" with the quality of our lives.

It's not always the believers who say yes to Jesus' invitation to the banquet. But those who do accept, must ready themselves (as one would if one was invited to the King's table). One would pick the best clothes we have, make sure they were clean, learn table manners fit for the kings table and practice good behavior.

How do we ready ourselves for Jesus' banquet? By the quality of our lives that we lead. And that quality is mentioned again and again in the Bible. Here is a quick recap:

First off is the Fear of the Lord. Possibly the most difficult as well. It's not about being afraid but embracing and respecting His authority by putting Him first. What comes in the way of this is our own pride, selfishness, materialism and love of the world. These are our idols, and when added together, you have the perfect formula for non-fear of God as He becomes a distant dream.

Karina Zolotarev in Just Disciple says this: "God is all-powerful and has authority overall. If one is a child of God, one can rest in the knowledge that He is in control. When we realize and see God as the highest in command over this entire universe, one can know there is no need to fear anything else. But to do this we need to be humble enough to not let pride come in the way, but let God take over".

Next take the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. These qualities should be a daily practice, because it is so easy to fall out. WE SHOULD MAKE IT A PRACTISE TO PRACTISE THESE IN OUR DAY TO DAY AND MINUTE TO MINUTE, LIFE.

Sadly we slip on this up day to day and minute to minute and second to second, The trick is to remember these as a guideline and be conscious of them as a practice. Not easy at all. During a difficult time, how does one stay joyous? How do we practice love for another when that person has hurt us? 

It's because we let that difficulty or that hurt become an idol in our life, dictating our actions. We need to remove those idols and replace them with God. God is bigger than any difficulty. God is bigger than any enmity and hurt. Not easy to do because we need to first kill our inherent pride and let God take control of that difficulty before us or that hurtful situation and patiently let go.

In management, one reads about something called a force field. In anything we do, there are forces pulling and pushing us in different directions. This is as true in our day-to-day life. Self-control, when combined with fear of God and the other fruits of the spirit, help us choose the right path and direction.

Today let us be thankful for being invited to the banquet and pray that we may become worthy to sit at the king's table.

Thus says the Lord

“Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews.” (Esther 8:3)

Shock. Horrified. Anger. Weeping. 

These words are not light nor meant lightly. We are reeling at the sights and stories flooding our screens and phones from Israel.

The attacks on Israel over the weekend by Hamas is the most serious threat to the security of that nation in 50 years. It is no coincidence that the attacks were orchestrated while Israelis enjoyed a public day to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. As families gathered and IDF members relaxed at home, thousands of rockets were fired into Israel and 100s of armed militants crashed through border fences and began killing and kidnapping.

Sneaky, treacherous, intent on cruelty and slaughter - as terrorists are want to do. Their cruelty and horrid torture does not spare man women or child. Even foreigners who have nothing to do with the enmity (Shani Louk from Germany) and many more.  

More than 1000 people are known to be dead and 1000s injured, and the situation is far from over.

What is our response? 

6 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, 
because they carried into exile a whole people
to deliver them up to Edom.

7 So I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza, 
and it shall devour her strongholds.

Amos 1 verse 6-7

There is something every Christian can do today. We can pray. We should pray. There is, after all, Biblical warrant for praying.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

“May those who love you be secure.

May there be peace within your walls

and security within your citadels.”

For the sake of my family and friends,

I will say, “Peace be within you.”

For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,

I will seek your prosperity. (Psalm 122:7-9)

We pray for peace. We pray for justice. And we pray for mercy.

Murray Campbell. 

A Hotline Serving 8 Billion!

                                    

Read 1 Kings 19:11-13

Suppose you had a problem which was so, so, huge only the President or Prime Minster or king or the head of your country could resolve it. So, you approach his office and send a mail and weeks later you get a reply that you have been granted an audience and he will meet you for 15 mins six months later. 

Now you wait eagerly for that date, preparing your application, file, arguments and case details. You hope you will get a favorable decision. This is a real-world scenario!

Now think about the heavenly world. We face a problem today, and right now we get to escalate it to the Heavenly king through a personal hotline and even if His answer may take time, He provides interim relief. How great is that!

And He does it day by day, minute by minute, looking after the lives of 8 billion people! 24X7!

We may not meet God in wind, earthquake or fire, but for sure He is with us today and every day in the simple ordinary events of life. And when we call on Him, I know He will always be there to pick up the hotline or open the door, because we need not wait for an appointment to speak to Him; we simply start talking and communicating. 

Remember Philippians 4:6 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Like Paul our belief stands firm in this verse from 2 Thessalonians 3:3 -

But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

The Pinocchio Effect

                                                          

Psalm 101:7

"No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes."

According to Science Daily, whenever someone tells lies, the temperature around their nose and in the orbital muscle in the inner corner of their eye will increase.

Lying is as a second nature to us as is hunger and thirst. We probably inherited it from our ancestors in the Garden of Eden.

But humor aside, lies in itself is not as non-serious as it is made out to be these days.

In the Garden of Eden, the serpent, the embodiment of deceit, spun the first falsehood, causing a rift in the relationship between humanity and the Creator. The effect was immediate and devastating then, as it is today.

Throughout the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation, the importance of truth and the destructiveness of lies are continually emphasized.

In modern culture, we grade lies, small, big, serious etc. But a lie is a lie, isn't it? We teach our children to tell the truth yet demonstrate lies. What is most amazing is that we lie to ourselves! But our nose and our heart know. And above all, God knows.

Revelation 21:8

"But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."

So, one can see where lies is classified. 

What Is Your Storm?

What Is Your Storm?

Adapted from Steve Browns in the God Life devotional.

"What is your storm? Maybe it’s a struggle with cancer, a broken marriage or a painful loss. In Matthew 14, Jesus’ disciples were in a tough storm of their own--scared and unsure.

Before we go on, I want you to notice the reason the disciples were in a storm in the first place. They did what Jesus told them to do. Frankly, that doesn’t seem right to me. We’ve been taught that when we’re faithful, things will go well. That is a lie. Sometimes when you’re faithful, things go wrong.

Your storm is not an accident. God is in control of it. He has a reason for your storm and even though you may not know the reason right now, when it is finished, it will be finished. Whatever your storm, there is a God-given script.

Your storm has a beginning and an end. It is under the total control of God and you really can trust Him.

If you’re facing a real storm right now and if you’re like me, you may believe that you did something wrong. And if you could just do something right, then the storm would end. The truth is your storm may be the result of doing something right.

Peter thought about God’s faithfulness in the past. And because he knew the God of the past, he could trust the God of the present. Has God ever let you down? Write down his times of faithfulness and remember them, like Peter, because you have known the God of the past, you can trust the God of the present and the God of the future."

For the complete devotional click HERE

Another Month, Another Chance!

                            

It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 

Lamentations 3:22-23 KJV

"What a marvelous truth that each day is a God-given chance to start anew! The Lord’s mercies are new every morning! What happened yesterday and the days before are forgotten by Him Who gives us new hope and chances to live according to His will!

As we begin the month today, let's make the most out of it to put our best foot forward and forget about the past! The Apostle Paul says that in order to attain our goals for the future, we must learn to let go of the past and continue to move forward, full of hope in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14)!

As we move forward to experience God, different people will encounter the living God differently, depending on each person’s needs and the purpose of God. Some people feel His great love encompassing their empty souls; some are comforted after carrying heavy burdens in life. Some need to hear (read) words of re-assurance. 

God knows each of our needs and the things we must realize in order for us to fulfill our God-given purpose in life.

Let us Dive deep in the Spirit today!"

(Adapted from the KJV devotional)

The Secret Disciple

               

* Picture credits: The Chosen

Read John Chapter 3 

John 3 is a very familiar chapter to most Christians which talks about a very senior Pharisee named Nicodemus. While John 3 has many teachings for us, one question that does come up is who was Nicodemus? Was he a follower, believer, enemy or what? Being a very senior Pharisee, one does wonder about his interest in Jesus.

Nicodemus did believe in Jesus, but his beliefs were safely hidden away in the night. It was only after Jesus' death that he came into a public demonstration of his faith and belief.

Sometimes one wonders, are we like Nicodemus? Do we practice our faith in safe privacy in the dead of the night? Do we get too carried away with our professional duties, professional friends and other worldly demands and Jesus takes a back seat while our other priorities take the driver's seat?

Sadly, I think it does happen that Jesus becomes a guest in our life, relegated to the night, when no other priorities take importance.

We learn a big lesson from Nicodemus. Like us, he did not deny Jesus. Like us, he believed in Him. Yet he did not acknowledge Him in the light of day. But, one day he did, when he could not hide his faith and belief any longer. 

And that is how Jesus calls us. He does not force us to convert our thought process, but He gently changes us. He knows an instant conversion may not be a lasting one, it's a slow, laborious thought and life change. The only true qualification Nicodemus had was that he was truly seeking God. And that is the qualification we too need. To earnestly seek Jesus. Everything else follows.  

By the time of Jesus's crucifixion, Nicodemus had grown bold enough to publicly reveal what he now believed. His older habits and adherence to the Passover laws took a backset when he tended to Jesus dead body, thereby becoming unclean and unable to participate in the Passover meal, according to the Mosaic law. (Numbers 19:11).

At one point in time Nicodemus realized that his professional position in the Sanhedrin and his position in society did not matter at all. What mattered was Jesus. 

When religion is out of fashion (which it normally is) there are many "Nicodemites" and "Josephs". But though they came by night, Jesus bids them welcome, and encouraging good beginnings, although weak. 

Like Nicodemus, may we all go through that change and seek to become true believers.

The Lie

                                    

1 Timothy 4: v 3-4 

3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

A good lie is usually hidden within the truth. As a citizen of Gods world, it is important to be able to uncover a false narrative. Had Adam and Eve been able to cut through the smooth lies of Satan, man would not be where we are.

We think that if part of what we are told is true, then the rest of it must be as well. Media is a perfect example of how this works whether the lie is hidden in a picture, music or written message. The best example is Satan in the garden of Eden, when he gave a explanation of why God did not want Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit. It was plausible, it was based on an aspect of the truth, so they fell for it. They did not stop to think of the qualities of God: That He did not want them to eat it because He did not want them to experience evil. Because he knew that it would destroy their innocence and purity, introduce shame and guilt, and bring death into their lives. But because A and E did not think it through, nor had a Bible to guide them, they were taken in. 

You will know that the serpent did not force Eve to take the fruit. He simply twisted the truth, beautified sin, and left out the horror, pain, shame, and death that would come with their disobedience. He told a good lie. And that is what we face every day at work, at home and even in our spiritual life  as we can encounter false prophets as well. 

Robert Hampshire in Christianity.com says this- The tree represented the choice between submitting to God’s law or pursuing “moral autonomy.” That is why the serpent said, “You shall be as gods...”

Ironically, God had already made Adam and Eve as close to “gods” as any humans have ever been. He created them “in his image,” positioned them together in complete harmony, breathed into them his own breath, empowered them with dominion over all of creation.

A lie will always have an objective, which one needs to understand. David lied, as is did Rahab and many more. Though their objectives were honorable, they were still lies. Yet the objective of Satan was not honorable as it was the downfall of man. 

This is exactly what we need to be able to ascertain, when the deceiver tells us stories, usually to cover up some sin of omission or commission we may have committed or are tempted to commit. When we are tempted and succumb, our minds are fed with rationalization and justifications. These are stories which act as covers, tightly surrounding the lies so that we lose sight of the wrong we have done or plan to do. This is as true in our personal and professional work and relationships as it is true in our spiritual life. 

So how does one uncover a good lie? Use the Bible as a yardstick for finding the truth. Build a relationship with God and His representative, the Holy Spirit. Walk and Talk with God as did Adam. Go to His word. Adam did not have that advantage. But we do.