This Week With Jesus

  Isiaah 30: 20-21 21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. 21 Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. The Christian life is not a trouble-free life. We serve a Head we cannot see, and we listen to a voice we cannot literally hear. Often we feel as if we're being asked to follow a plan we do not understand.  On top of it all, Jesus told us to expect trouble! Unlike most religions which believe God will remove trouble, we are given strength to withstand and survive the trouble, sort of trained in survival skills for trouble!  God gives us the wisdom and hope to see past difficulty and confusion so that we do not fall into despair. God doesn’t often remove our trouble, but He alway s gives us what we need when trouble comes. He is always present in us through the Holy Spirit, givin

"Judas Iscariot is proof that you can sit in a dynamic church with an amazing pastor & still become a friend of the devil" (Rev Fredy Paul) Surprised?  Judas did not spend a day with Christ, he spent 3 years . And yet. The reason is that we humans have an affinity to the devil and his dance of death. By nature, we are materialistic and selfish, only interested to cater to our material life in this material world. Demi Lovato , a famous singer says in her song Dancing with the Devil - "I was dancing with the devil Out of control Almost made it to heaven It was closer than you know Playing with the enemy Gambling with my soul When you're dancing with the devil It's so hard to say no" I am sure a great many of us identify with that. A dance with the devil is extremely thrilling in the short term and extremely dangerous in the long term.  An anonymous writer, a member of the Alcoholics Anonymous once said - "there is a devil in that bottle. When I open

 

                             The Shema (pronounced Shma) prayer is one of the most famous prayers in the Bible. It was a daily prayer for ancient Israelites and is still recited by Jewish people today. We first find this prayer in the book of Deuteronomy. The prayer goes as under, and the Jewish people will cover their eyes with their right hand while softly reciting it. While this is part of an ancient Jewish tradition, it is as applicable today as it was then, specially keeping in mind the different "Gods" we are tempted to make and follow - money, real estate, food, science and anything which takes our attention and focus away from God and His ways.  We talk about the Shema today, because it concerns the basics of our faith. The basics on which everything else is built. Like the ancient Jewish people, we too need to be reminded of this, morning, noon and night, because it is so easy for us to forget who we are supposed to be.  Did Jesus recite the Shema? yes, in all probab

**Image is used for non commercial purpose Hebrews 12:6-7 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?   Taking and accepting correction is part of learning. In management it is a key necessary trait that employers look for. The reason is that correction is the key to development and growth and ensures success.  More so in Gods kingdom. Many times, what may seem to us to be an evil attack, or "bad luck" may actually be God chastising us . Chastisement is part of Gods discipline. It is correction and without correction our work and our lives can go very wrong indeed.  Correction can sometimes be very harsh, so harsh it can be mind shattering and back breaking. Like the 40 years of Israelis in the desert. Accepting correction and acting upon it defines us as having a positive attitude. That attitude further defines our success at w

A Study from the KJV Devotional  For with God nothing shall be impossible. Luke 1:37 (KJV) As the year started, some of God’s children have achieved their goals and objectives whilst others are yet to achieve their long awaiting dreams. It is not too late to still trust the Holy Spirit for the fulfillment of your goals/dreams. It takes just a day/moment for God to bring to pass that which He has destined for you.  Our dear father Abraham was very wealthy, but his very challenge was getting an heir to fulfill his dream and God’s promise. Finally, his one day came when his wife conceived and brought forth Isaac, the heir of the promise. Moses faced challenges in Egypt when he decided to choose God’s people over the Egyptians. He went into exile but his one day came to pass when he was appointed by God to lead His people out of Egypt into the promise land. The one day of David, Solomon, Sampson, Hannah, Elizabeth, Mary, Peter, etc came to pass as well. Therefore, keep pressing on with you

Bringing to Life Your Dead Situation "They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4Looking up, they *saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. ”_  Mark 16:3-4 It may look like I’m still living in the Passion Week though it has passed us already. I couldn’t help but share as a devotional what came to me when reading the passage above. It’s early Sunday morning and the first streaks of light from the rising sun are beginning to be seen. Three women who dearly loved the man who has died make their way to His tomb. It’s their custom to anoint the body of the dead person with aromatic balm and spices. Their hearts are still heavy that the one they so dearly loved is now gone from them at such a young age. Comparable to the weight of the sorrow on their hearts is also the, “And they had been asking one another, “Who can roll away the heavy stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” Yet as they ap