This Week With Jesus

  Have you made adversity the main chapter or a footnote in your life? Adversity is something every human being goes through at some point in life. A lot of us in the midst of prosperity think that we are self-sufficient. Adversity helps us to realize how much we depend on Him. How we react to and treat adversity is a different matter though. Some people let it weigh them down and some know it's a passing phase and with the promise of divine help they will get through it. Some give up on God, on the other hand for some it is a strengthening of faith and an opportunity for a deeper relationship with God, friends and family. How we react to adversity really defines who we are and our relationship with God. With the power and presence of Jesus in our lives, we are called to endure and thus shine the light of Christ in a dark world. we can choose to make adversity the very center of our life and rave and rant and cry, thereby reducing another's faith, or we can choose to smile our

 

"Surely he will save you, from the fowler’s snare" Have you heard the reference to of the fowler's snare in the Bible? Most would have. The standard operating procedure of a fowler is based on stealth and surprise. Today we will base this post on a post by Martin Kiogara for a deeper explanation and understanding. The fowler in Psalm 91:3 represents Satan, as well as manipulative and exploitative people who use evil tactics to entice us into falling into sin and compromising our faith. This metaphor is apt because Satan is portrayed in scripture as a skilled manipulator (John 8:44) and deceiver (1 Peter 5:8–9), much like a fowler. Like a fowler, manipulative individuals often hide in plain sight, disguising their true intentions and presenting themselves as trustworthy and reliable friends. They exploit our vulnerabilities, fears, and weaknesses for their self-serving purposes. Employing charm and charisma as a facade, they initially gain our trust, only to later explo

Psalms 91:1-3 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. In this post, we will explore what is that secret place of the most High and how we can dwell in it.  To start with, let us understand what is this secret place?  The Secret Place of the Most High God is a place where you can experience the presence of God. Typically, the Temple in Jerusalem was a hiding or secret place in the land of Israel. Today, God has a secret place anyone can enter and dwell there. That secret place is Christ Himself, a dwelling for His people. The privileges of those who dwell in God’s secret place are beyond imagination but listed out in Psalm 91. It still is not inclusive of all but refers to the problems and dangers which were of those times and protection from each one of them.  Today we maybe beset with a different set of problems and dangers, unique to our circumstances, but the truth of Psalm 91 is not diminished or changed or become outdated

It's very easy to imagine the obsolescence of the Biblical books. We tend to refer to them as a standard to follow, not as a truth playing out in our own lives. For example, take the 2nd commandment. We may strictly stay away from idols of God, yet we do not apply it to life today wherein our idols can be money, work, cars, children, partners, homes ... the list is long. Similarly, we have an extremely encouraging Psalm 91 which can give a lot of comfort. Have we tried to see how Psalm 91 applies to our life today, and the truth of it to us personally? If you are reading this, you have survived Covid. Now look at the picture this Psalm paints - Psalms 91:6-7 "Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee". Where are thousands or tens of thousands - Covid claimed 69,80,837 !  Did we not see this, and did we not survive

  *Pic from premier Christianity Have you ever had the feeling of doing or not doing something which you were planning? Of being guided? Being nudged? Do you call it a sixth sense, or gut feel or something else? Or do you think it is God speaking to you?  T oday, to understand this, we will draw from a devotional post from "Pray Daily", the link to which is given below.  But back to the topic. In Acts 9:4, we read about the moment when Saul, later known as Paul, fell to the ground and heard a voice asking him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”. This was the moment that transformed Saul’s life as he realized that the voice of that of Jesus himself. Like Saul, many of us have moments in our lives where we were going down the wrong path or were completely unaware that we needed to change our ways. If we listen to that voice, we stand transformed. If we don't, we may (or may not) get that opportunity again.  Because , just as Jesus spoke to Paul, He speaks to us today

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. Isiaah 11, 1-4 Our lives take different turns each day and our situation may call for one or the other of these gifts of the spirit.  In Francis Taylors words, we don't know God's plan any more than the Israelites did, and there are times when we can even question God's wisdom or His faithfulness. I'm sure that the Israelites kept waiting for relief just as we often do. However, as we wait, we can pray for wisdom to understand our situation and have faith in Gods hand of mercy. For the Israelites it would take several lifetimes for God's promise to be fulfilled. For us, as we may wait for an answer to our own prayers, it can seem like that, but if a promise has been made specifically, be sure it wi