The Power of Prayer: Pastor Rajiv

Lent is often associated with giving things up, but, as we wrote yesterday, the true heart of this season is about taking things in. Specifically, it is about the power of prayer.

Prayer is not a religious chore or a last resort for the desperate; it is the "oxygen of the soul." It is the bridge between our earthly struggles and Heavenly strength. During these forty days, prayer becomes our primary tool for transformation. It is how we align our wandering hearts with the steady heartbeat of God.

Today, Pastor Rajiv explores how a simple "Amen" can unlock a power that changes not just your circumstances, but your very character.

Lent: Fresh Oil for a New Season

“But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.” Psalm 92:10 (KJV)

As we step into Lent, many of us carry the quiet weight of expectations — spiritual goals, personal commitments, responsibilities that don’t pause just because the season has begun. Lent often invites reflection, but it can also reveal how tired we truly are.

Yet Psalm 92:10 gives us a promise that meets us right where we are:

God never asks you to walk into a new season with yesterday’s strength. He offers fresh oil — a fresh anointing, fresh wisdom, fresh empowerment for today.

In Scripture, oil represents the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. It’s not something we strive for or earn. It’s something God pours out.

And that changes everything.

Because Lent is not a season of spiritual performance.

It’s a season of spiritual renewal.

It’s not about proving your devotion.

It’s about receiving His grace.

It's not about sacrificing something in our life. 

It's about adding Jesus to our life. 

Whatever is your objective this lent - remember this: 

God has fresh oil for you.

So as this season begins, pause and ask Him:

“Lord, anoint me with fresh oil.

Not just to get through the day,

but to walk in my calling with joy and excellence.”

His anointing renews what feels worn, restores what feels broken, and equips you for what He has prepared.

This Lent, may you experience not the pressure to do more —

but the invitation to receive more.

More grace.

More strength.

More presence.

More of Him.

Monday Reset: The Sacred Pause

 

Reflect and Reset.

Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. Psalm 26:2 (KJV)

Before you step into a new week, take time to reflect. What did God teach you last week? What do you want to carry forward—and what must you leave behind?
Today, let this be a sacred pause, a time of evaluation and renewal. Invite God to examine your heart and align you afresh with His will. This week brings a new chapter. Reset your soul in His presence.
Father, examine me and renew me. Thank You for all You’ve done last week. Prepare my heart for the future. Let me walk closer with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Sabbath Prayers

                                          

Come near to God and he will come near to you.... James 4:8

As we enter this sacred rest, may the peace of God settle over every weary place in our hearts.

“Lord, as this Sabbath begins, we pause to breathe in Your presence. Still our minds, renew our spirits, and remind us that our identity is rooted not in our striving, but in Your unfailing love. Let this day be a sanctuary—filled with quiet joy, deep gratitude, and the gentle whisper of Your voice.

Refresh us, restore us, and realign us with Your purpose.

Amen.”

“Father, we lift Jan into Your hands today. Surround her with Your healing, Your strength, and Your comfort as she goes for her tests on Monday the 16th. May the tests be productive and qualify her for the clinical trials he doctors reccomend. You know her needs so we leave the healing method in our hands. Let Your peace guard her heart, Your presence steady her steps, and Your grace meet her in every need. May this Sabbath be a covering over her—bringing rest to her body, hope to her spirit, and assurance that she is held by You.

We also want to give you thanks and praise for the continued healing of Joan as she has tested negative. We also give you thanks for Samira who has started the follow up treatment and has been able to overcome the side effects with your help and grace. 

We pray for the restoration of Brandons health and family. For Ben to get a job. We pray for Lisa's daughter, Lindsey's mother, Haleen and Laurika.
We thank you for the seniors with us who have got through a harsh winter and polluted conditions. We pray for Pastor Ben and his family in India.
May this Sabbath bring:
Rest that restores. Peace that settles the soul. Joy that rises from gratitude. Faith that grows deeper. Light that guides every step.
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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The Empathy Pillar: Jen Tan

One of the pillars of Christianity - an important one, is Empathy. Without empathy we continue to judge and as we judge we cannot love as we are commanded to do . Empathy and the command “Thou shalt not judge” are deeply connected—almost two sides of the same Christian posture. When you look closely, empathy is actually what makes obedience to that command possible. In fact, Empathy mirrors the way Jesus approached people. Jesus never excused sin, but He always understood the person. He saw the woman at the well, the tax collector in the tree, the thief on the cross—not as problems to condemn, but as people to redeem.

Empathy doesn’t deny truth; it delivers truth with compassion.

Today, Jen Tan talks about discovery of "empathy" and forgiveness in her own life.

Reading John Chapter 8 - 21/1/2026

John 8:3-11 … “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “ Go now and leave your life of sins”

Application study Bible: Jesus knows your worst sins, yet he offers you compassion and mercy. Let his mercy give you courage to face your guilt. His love will overcome your shame. Don’t deny it or despair. Be sorry for your sins, seek the Lord, and receive his forgiveness. Jesus stands ready to forgive any sin in your life, but confession and repentance mean a change of heart. With God’s help we can accept Jesus forgiveness and stop our wrongdoing.

"As human being, I have my fair share of sins and guilts. Yet, throughout my life, I also have my fair share of pinpointing others’ faults and complaining about things they have done that do not please me.

As I read this chapter, I asked myself, “Who am I to judge others when Jesus is so merciful and forgiving to everyone?” Ultimately, it is God’s role to judge, not mine. My first response should be to show forgiveness and compassion.

This chapter has challenged me to extend mercy to those who are struggling with sin, just as I am. Instead of criticising or condemning, I want to learn to walk alongside them—to help, encourage, and restore rather than to hurt them.

After being diagnosed, God has continually reassured me that my sins have already been forgiven at the cross. I am called to leave my old life of sin behind and walk in the new life He has given me".

Tempting the Devil

“Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” — Luke 11:4

There is a quiet danger in the Christian life that we often underestimate—not the danger of being tempted, but the danger of inviting temptation. Jesus teaches us to pray against it, yet many of us walk straight toward the very things we ask God to keep us from. What we pray for in the secret place must be matched by the choices we make in the open.

Temptation is not something we are called to explore, test, or flirt with. Scripture never asks us to prove our strength; it asks us to guard our steps. We are not lion hunters. The enemy is described as a roaring lion, but nowhere are we told to go looking for him. Presumption is expensive. Curiosity can be costly. And spiritual pride—“I can handle this”—has toppled many who once thought they stood firm.

Jesus Himself warned His disciples, “Pray that you enter not into temptation.” He spoke as One who had walked through the wilderness, felt the sting of Satan’s whispers, and understood the weight of spiritual warfare. If the sinless Son of God urged His followers to pray this way, how much more should we?

Yet even with our best efforts, temptation will come. Not because God is unkind, but because we live in a world where evil is real and the enemy is relentless. God has one Son without sin, but none without temptation. Sparks fly upward, and temptations rise just as naturally. This is why Jesus pairs the first request with a second: “Deliver us from evil.”

We are not helpless. We are not alone. But we must be watchful.

There are seasons when the enemy presses harder—moments of weariness, loneliness, success, disappointment, or spiritual dryness. Just as cold winds return in their season, so do certain temptations. The wise believer learns to recognize these patterns, or triggers, and prepares accordingly. Prevention is better than cure; it is better to be so spiritually guarded that the enemy hesitates to attack than to fight a battle we could have avoided.

So today, let your prayer be twofold:

Lord, keep me from the paths where temptation waits.

And if temptation must come, deliver me from the evil one.

May God give you discernment to avoid looking for the lion in the thicket!

The Possibility of the Impossible: Pastor Rajiv's Reflections

Read: Exodus 2 Verses 1 to 10.

Most times familiarity breeds a state of mindless recitation leading to zero consciousness. The story of Moses in the Bible has been heard so many times we probably cease to think about it anymore. But pause here to examine the scenario:

Moses is born in a situation where the king has passed a judgment to kill every male Jewish child. He is therefore destined to be put to death. He is floated into the river as a desperate attempt by his mother to save him. She probably thought it was better for the river to take him than the violent death he faced. The river, instead of swallowing him as it should have, floats him to the kings' daughter swimming nearby, and who is attracted to the baby. She protects him and brings him up and finally Moses saves and leads his people, according to Gods will and wish, out of Egypt to a new land.

Can you see the possibilities of the impossible? That Moses should have escaped Pharaoh's diktat: Impossible.

That he was not drowned: next to impossible.

That of all people, Pharaoh's daughter finds him. Incredible.

That the king's daughter goes against her father and protects an adopts him: Impossible.

Yet, out of all these impossible situations, God brought Moses to finally achieve the purpose God had for him. The appearance of Pharaoh’s daughter and her discovery of the baby were not mere coincidences; they were acts of God, part of an amazing plan to save Moses.

It's the same God who is working in our lives today. He chose us before we were born (Isiaah 49:1) so we are not an accident. He has a purpose for us and will make the seemingly impossible, to be possible to achieve that purpose.

We can never be in a worse position than Moses, yet in every adverse situation we find ourselves in, be sure God will use that same situation to turn our life around.

Moses’ story encourages us to think of all the acts of God in our own lives. It invites us to ponder if and how we show appreciation for God’s saving grace upon our lives and the lives of our loved ones. How do we explain God’s love for us and God’s work of salvation through Jesus Christ? The amazing acts of God are limitless in the Bible but more importantly, in our own lives.

So, no matter how impossible it may seem, pray foolishly for God to turn it around, and in our foolishness God will listen. He will act. And He will make the impossible to become possible.