Ambassadors of Christ

Who is the BRIDE of CHRIST?

The definition of ‘BRIDE’ is a woman who is about to get married or just got married.

Before moving to who let’s see what are the characteristics of a BRIDE as per the BIBLE?

1. Pure and Holy– Traditions require that the bride should be innocent and pure and the same goes for the bride of Christ.    

2 Corinthians 11:2 says For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Matthew 5:8 says Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

To be pure in our heart means to love God alone and no one else. Not being defiled by seeking the idols of the world. Whatever takes away more of your time is an idol to you. So examine yourself where do you spend most of your time.

Ephesians 5:25-27 says Just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.

Jesus has sanctified and cleansed his bride and made it pure and holy by his BLOOD.

2. Righteousness: We are not righteous because of what we do but because Jesus died for us and has given us his righteousness. But how willing are we to walk on that path of righteousness post we are saved, is the question? Are we walking right?

Revelation 19:8 says She has been permitted to dress in fine linen, dazzling white and clean—for the fine linen signifies the righteous acts of the saints [the ethical conduct, personal integrity, moral courage, and godly character of believers].

3. Steadfast: We have to be patient and steadfast on the promises God has given us not wavering in times of difficult circumstances.

James 1:4 says But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

4. Willing to Submit/Surrender: The Holy Spirit is working within us, trying to make us better day by day, but we need to allow, we need to make that choice to surrender, to be used by GOD for the plans and purpose he has for us.

Hebrews 12.9 says Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we submitted and respected them [for training us]; shall we not much more willingly submit to the Father of spirits, and live [by learning from His discipline]?

5. Love: Keeping the 2 commandments of GOD. Love is the basis of it and without LOVE the bride cannot be complete. Love the Lord with all your heart and love one another are the 2 important commandments to be kept and one has to abide by them (1 John3:24, Matthew 22:37-39).

6. Obedience:

Obedience should be out of love and not out of fear. Out of respect and not out of getting something in return.

1 Peter 1:14 says So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then.

We need to be vigilant and wait upon the Lord’s coming to take us home. And Jesus is coming to take his bride that has all the above characteristics.

So now we know the characteristics of the Bride as per the bible. The list goes on, but these are the important ones.

 So who according to the Bible is the Bride of Christ? And everyone without a doubt will say it is ‘The Church’.

So Is it the building that you and I go to the BRIDE? No its not the building but the PEOPLE.

Jesus is building his Church and I do not belong to the church of a certain denomination I go to, but to this Church that Jesus is building. Are you part of this Church? Are you, his bride? Now this is the question, we need to ask ourselves.

So why do I say I am part of this Church that Jesus is building?

Lets see what the bible talks about. Matthew 16:18 As per the NKJV translation says…

“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this Rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it”.

Many understand this verse as Jesus is implying this to Peter that he is the rock and on him he will build his Church which is not what this verse really means and for this lets read the earlier verses.

Matthew 16: 15-17 says 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

This is what was revealed to me when I prayed and I wanted to share the same. I would urge that you too pray to God and the same spirit will reveal this to you. Thank you Jesus, for this revelation.

When Jesus asks his disciples, who do you think I am Peter says you are the Christ, the SON of the living GOD. And Jesus says Blessed are you Peter because flesh and blood i.e. people have not disclosed this to him but GOD himself has revealed this to Peter.

The Holy Spirit living within us testifies about Jesus and reveals Jesus to us, that Jesus is the SON of GOD, our Messiah. So Jesus is not speaking the next verse to Peter alone but to each and everyone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God and that Jesus is our Messiah.

So lets read this verse again Matthew 16:18 as per the New living translation says..

“Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”

Peter-means Rock… means stone. So Jesus meant you are the living stone which I will use to build my church. Peter cannot be the foundation upon which Jesus is building the church, because Jesus is the corner stone/the foundation upon which the Church is being build. The Church is built on the foundation of Truth which is Jesus and he has given us the promise that the powers of hell will not conquer it. We are safe with Jesus. (Matthew 21:42)

So If I believe in Jesus… I become that stone in the Church that Jesus is building. So Peter, the 12 disciples, you, me and everyone who believes in Jesus is that living stone being used to build the Church of Jesus. Isn’t that amazing!

So when we read 1 Peter 2:5, this it confirms what Jesus was trying to say to Peter and to us. Now if we are those living stones then what does it entails for us.

Matthew 16:18 says And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

So giving keys represent giving AUTHORITY. How wonderful is our God to give us AUTHORITY.

So when he has given us the Authority. It means its already done he already finished his work, he already overcame everything for us and we need to take and claim things with Authority.

Romans 4:20-25 says 20Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. 23And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded 24for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

Abraham believed in the promised God gave him that it will be done. He believed that God would set him right. But Jesus because he died for us, he already made us right with God. All we need to do is BELIEVE.

Are we doing that? What are we believing in?

We know he died on the cross to free us, we are free of sin, no longer slaves to sin… But are we believing that?

By his stripes we are healed. Are we believing that?

He bore our shame and curse when he died on that tree. Are we believing that we are free from every bondage and every curse?

How many times have we confessed that Jesus by your blood we are free, free from sin, bondage and curse? We are healed for you took our punishment. How many times do we confess and believe it?

Today the world is going through a crisis but the answer is not the WORLD but JESUS. Are you praying for your neighbour? Have you testified to your neighbour? Do you believe that Jesus has conquered everything? And if you believe he has, then what is stopping you from taking authority and claiming what is rightfully yours. We cannot see Believers being afraid of what will happen next… We need believers to take AUTHORITY AND CLAIM.

This promise that whatever you will bind on earth will be bound in heaven, whatever you let loose on earth will be let loose in heaven. This is not a promise only to Peter, it is a promise to every child of God who believes in Jesus and is a part of the Church he is building.

Pray … Pray for your Loved ones…Pray for your Neighbour…Pray for your Neighbourhood …Pray for your Country. Take Authority because Jesus has given YOU the Authority. You have a purpose and Plan in life because you are chosen, hand-picked just as Moses was, Just as Mary was, Just as Abraham was, Just as David was, Just as Joseph was.

John 15:19 says If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Be glad that you are chosen…

Now If we have authority what do we do with it?

So If your boss is going on a vacation and says you will be in-charge of the company till I return and gives you authority to make decisions what will you do?

Wait for him to return or ensure that you take authority in managing and ensuring the work in the company goes smoothly. There may be decisions to take, important deals to be signed, people to be corrected, people to be trained, meetings to be conducted… Will you wait for your boss to return and take charge or because you now have the authority make the decisions on your own.

Well I am sure that you will take the charge since you are being paid for it too right and will not let go of this opportunity to show your capabilities.

Well Jesus has given you and me the same Authority to ensure that we are the ones who heal people, free people from their bondages, curses, bringing them to the saving grace of Jesus.

Luke 4:18-19 says 18“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, 19TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”

This verse is not only for Jesus but for everyone who believes in Jesus and has the Holy Spirit working in them.

What will you do? wait for him to return or continue to walk on the path he has carved out for you? We all need to wait for the lord’s return as we are his church, his bride. But we need to continue the work he has kept us in charge of and given authority to do. It’s not only to Pastors and Preachers and Evangelist but the authority is given to everyone who believes in Jesus. The holy spirt will help you, will teach you, all you need to do is just surrender to the holy spirt and see how things change around you.

Can you confidently say that you are that LIVING STONE Jesus is using to build his Church?

I am because I know that God is using me because, I am chosen by GOD, he is working through me and I am Praying and Claiming with Authority in the name of Jesus… Are you?  

This is one of the most controversial questions right from the time Jesus preached them.

Do we really need to discuss this?

Yes… we do, because we are doing things more ritualistic rather than it being meaningful to us. Also, if you read further it will throw light on something which you already knew but were struggling to accept it. Stop giving excuses for rituals… Its time that we raise above these rituals and only love, trust, believe and wait upon the Lords coming, staying on the path of righteousness and walking and doing the will of GOD and purpose for which you were born and are chosen for.

John 6:27 says Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

Here Jesus is saying that earthly food perishes away but the food that God has sent gives everlasting life.

John 6: 31 -33 sums up where the people tell Jesus that Moses gave them Manna, the bread from heaven to eat. But Jesus says that the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

It means that Jesus is the Bread of Life…

Also Matthew 4:4 says But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

To live we need to eat and drink. However, here Jesus says that bread does not give life to man but the word that proceeds from God’s mouth.

Also, in John it says in the beginning it was word and the word was with God and the word became flesh (John 1:1,14) …. This is nothing but JESUS… JESUS gives us life and Jesus is the Bread of Life, we need Jesus more than anything else so that we can LIVE… and LIVE LIFE abundantly.

John 6:35 says And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

HUNGER	THIRST
i.e. BREAD	i.e.WINE
i.e BODY OF CHRIST	i.e. BLOOD OF CHRIST
Means COME TO JESUS	Means BELIEVE IN JESUS

John 6:53-58 says; 53So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55“For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57“As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. 58“This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”

Jesus goes further to say in John 6:63; It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

It is the Spirit who gives life. Jesus came to SAVE us not our FLESH but our Spirit. The life that Jesus gives us is, to our Spirit. The promise of eternal life is also for our Spirit. We are free from Sin in Spirit. So, eat his flesh and drink his blood has to be understood in Spirit and not in Flesh.

Many of the disciples could not understand this and so many of them left, there were few who actually stayed back after this preaching.

I mean If I too were there, then I would not understand with my intellectual ability but If I believed in JESUS and that JESUS is the son of GOD then I would believe anything that JESUS says because that is where my faith is.

Eat his flesh and drink his blood is not in the physical realm but in the spiritual realm because Jesus is the word of GOD and GOD’s word gives Life, and his blood has sealed the new covenant, drinking of it is believing in everything that JESUS is and JESUS has done for us, the sacrifice that JESUS has made for us so we may have eternal life.  

Its believing in JESUS….

But what do we do?? We believe in everything that we are asked to follow by religion through rituals from Generations to come. Because we believe in following rituals and not following Jesus.

Are rituals important. YES… they are important but don’t you think understanding the meaning behind it is more important so you can choose to follow it or not?

If today I kiss the bible while praying 3 times and bow to the bible 3 times. I teach my children the same that I have followed and my generations to come will also do the same. But this is not from GOD. It is a manmade ritual because I felt the BIBLE is holy and I have to kiss it.

So are we following what GOD has told us or what MAN is telling us to do all these years? We have started following MAN and Manmade rituals and JESUS has become just a NAME.

BREAD AND WINE is a ritual that we follow and THIS IS from GOD, but have we really understood the meaning of this or are we doing this only because it is followed from many generations to come and going against it would be a SIN.

We have so many rituals in CHURCHES today and we follow it to be part of the CHURCH, if not then who will be Baptize us? Or get us Married? or Bury us? We are following this to be a part of the Church to show people around us that we are Holy. But is your Heart really Clean and Holy.

We want to please people and not GOD…. That is what Christians are doing… Infact we have mixed the rituals that we have got from the religions around us which we may have been a part of once. Then aren’t we following the rituals of heathens and then saying that because we stay in a geographical region, we also need to follow these because these are our origins. The moment you accept JESUS you are part of the new COVENANT. Follow what JESUS has asked you to do and not what MAN has asked you to follow. Whatever is written in the BIBLE is from GOD and you ought to follow that. If its not in the bible then it is not from GOD to be followed.

Luke 22:19-20 says; 19And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

We all know about covenants. Covenant means agreement.

Definition of Covenant as per Hebrew 9:16 says; 16 For where there is a [last] will and testament involved, the death of the one who made it must be established.

The meaning of covenant and testament is the same-An Agreement

So, what are the different covenants in the bible? There are 5 important covenants in the bible.

But to start with covenant its very important to understand what was GODs PLAN for us all along.

God always wanted MAN to have dominion over the earth to rule over the earth (Gen 1:26-28). Adam was to live with God forever, along with all his descendants. But when SIN came into the world, Death came along with it and MAN became distant to GOD. GOD wanted to have a relationship with MAN and wanted to make known that he is the creator and supreme GOD. He had a plan right from the beginning when Adam sinned of how he will bring MAN to his side again. He established these Covenants to show his LOVE and GRACE for us.

NOAHIC COVENANT-God made a promise to Noah that he will never again bring a flood to destroy the earth (Gen 9:1-7). The sign that reminds us of this promise is the rainbow.

ABRAHAMIC COVENANT-God promised Abraham that he will make him into a great nation and he will be a blessing. The sign that reminds us of this promise is the circumcision of males (Gen 17:4-8).

MOSAIC COVENANT-God promised the Israelites that if they followed the commandments and requirements, they would be a special treasure for GOD among all the people (Ex 19:5-8) and stay prosperous in the land God promised them (Deu 6:3). The sign that reminds us of this is the Sabbath.

DAVIDIC COVENANT-God made a promise to David that he would raise up David’s offspring and establish the throne of his kingdom forever (2Sam7:5-16). The sign was an eternal throne that was fulfilled by JESUS.

NEW COVENANT-God made a promise with Israel that the laws will be in the mind and hearts of the people and all shall know the lord and their sins will be forgiven and shall not be remembered any more(Heb8:7-13). Jesus sealed this covenant with his blood thus reminding us that this is DONE and accomplished. The BREAD AND WINE reminds us of this new covenant and Jesus has asked us to remember what he has done for us whenever we have bread and wine. The New Covenant is GOD’s REDEMPTION PLAN for MANKIND.

JESUS is the ONLY one that gives you REDEMPTION. He is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE (John 14:6).

God wanted to do away with the old covenant and have in place a new covenant. Jesus has fulfilled all the promises that GOD had made in the old covenant hence the Old covenant has become Obsolete and the New Covenant is what Stands now promising us an eternal life. The communion of the bread and wine reminds us every time of this NEW COVENANT. Repent and Come to Jesus and Believe in Jesus will give you eternal life and Following Jesus will ensure that you live on earth in a holy way pleasing GOD and doing his will. The choice is still ours what we need to follow.

Many have communion thinking it is Jesus entering us because that is what may have been taught and we should have it being humble and pious, but It is not Jesus entering us when we consume the bread (Eucharist). But it is remembering that Jesus was bruised and transfigured and tortured for us, he paid the ransom for our freedom by taking all our shame and suffering and torment on himself. He has healed us because he has borne the stripes for every sin that we commit.

He wants us to remember that he shed his blood so that our sins are washed away by that blood and now we are able to stand in the presence of GOD holy and pure, even though we are unworthy and all are sinners and we all fall short of the glory of GOD.

Many of us are just taking the communion without acknowledging the new covenant of GOD with us.

We are children of GOD, joint heirs along with Christ receiving eternal life only because we believe in JESUS. Partaking of the Communion of Bread (Eucharist) and the Wine is acknowledging every time we take it that we believe in you JESUS. We believe that you DIED for us and only because of your blood, we are worthy to stand in the presence of GOD our FATHER and we thirst and hunger for you JESUS. We need you JESUS and we yearn to follow you JESUS and wait patiently for your coming.

When we remember that JESUS did all this for us. How can we live in SIN, how are we worthy to have sin in us and receive the communion which is a gift from GOD?

1 Corinthians 11:26-29 says; 26For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. 27Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

This means whenever we have the Communion, we need to have it in a worthy manner. You need to ask forgiveness before having the communion. You cannot have hatred, enmity and jealousy against anyone and have communion. You are not partaking communion to eat the flesh of Jesus because it is not LITERAL but you have communion because you remember that he died for your sins and because you believe in JESUS that he can forgive SINS and so you are forgiven and can now receive the communion.

But if you have SIN in your heart and you take communion you have not accepted JESUS, you are just a GOAT pretending to be a SHEEP, pretending to be a Christian to please others. You will be judged for this. We all know our deep secrets and we need to confess them to JESUS because even though we are sinners we are worthy to him but we need to acknowledge that and accept JESUS, repent and be willing to turn away from SIN to receive the communion in a worthy manner.

BUT some say there is so much power in the bread (eucharist) that it heals???

NO…. THE BREAD (EUCHARIST) does not heal you.

When you have asked forgiveness and have accepted JESUS …JESUS heals you. JESUS has already healed you. To claim that healing you only need to BELIEVE that ‘JESUS HEALS’

We are commanded to have communion because JESUS said do this in remembrance of me.

JESUS is already living within us. Jesus has said if you follow my commandments, I abide in you and you in me. Then how can we be so blinded saying that the bread (eucharist) is the literal body of Christ. It is a symbol, a sign as we have for all the other covenants.

JESUS does not stay in the BREAD (EUCHARIST) he is a living GOD, he is risen; he is omnipotent and he resides within us as long as we keep his commandments. But do we do that?

We only need shortcuts to follow. We need to understand the importance of COMMUNION of having both the BREAD AND WINE not bread alone but both together.

We are commanded to follow this until he returns as PAUL said we have the communion proclaiming his death until his return(1Corinthians 11:26).

We are not doing that and we fail to understand basic things when you start worshiping idols and Bread (Eucharist) and some miracles and then you are not giving GOD importance… You are stealing the glory of GOD and giving it to a non-living object. All glory and honor and praise belongs to GOD the father. The Communion heals because you are claiming the healing but Glory belongs to JESUS, it belongs to GOD and no one or nothing else. We will be judged for our thoughts and actions. And we need to examine ourselves. You cannot do that for me and I cannot do that for you. 

So, in current times like this where people cannot gather in Churches, the communion is something that is not being taken by people, and the enemy is rejoicing. But Is it that only the Priest and Pastors can minister the communion? Its wrong… The enemy is deceiving you… Jesus has asked everyone to do this. The bible talks about a church is where people assemble (Heb 10:25). In times like this when you assemble in a place where there are 2 or more gathered to praise and worship the Lord you can give thanks and partake the communion together giving glory to GOD and proclaiming his DEATH.

So now whenever you have BREAD AND WINE remember that we drink from the New Covenant and acknowledge what Jesus did on that Cross so you and I can be free from SIN and live a SINLESS life for the GLORY of GOD.

Whenever I have the bread and wine, I proclaim his DEATH UNTIL HIS RETURN… DO YOU?  

YOUR FAITH HAS MADE YOU WELL -Matthew 9:22

The world is filled with SIN and SIN leads to DEATH. And due to SIN many have the spirit of sickness, tormenting them. JESUS freed us from being slaves to SIN. When we believe in Jesus our sins are washed away and so our spirit is free from all SIN, yet why does sickness linger around us? They came to JESUS because they believed that only JESUS could HEAL them. And because of their faith in JESUS they were healed.

If we seek healing we need to have FAITH. To understand FAITH we should know what are the levels of faith and where we stand. When we read this verse its so simple ‘YOUR FAITH HAS HEALED YOU’…But the faith that is required for the healing is so many times ….not understood ?

COMMON FAITH

Romans 12.3 says For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

Each one of us starts with a measure of FAITH that is given by GOD which is common faith, which is also spoken about in Titus 1:4.

We all have a common faith when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we BELIEVE that Jesus died for our sins and has healed us in the process. This is when we accept the truth about Jesus, and from this point onwards our faith has to grow.

HOW DO WE GROW in FAITH?

Romans 10:17 says Faith comes by hearing the word of GOD.

But when I read the bible, I am only reading and not understanding it. I can read 3 chapters or 4 chapters but what have I understood? does my faith increase?…. NO …..

Then what does this verse really mean….. ?

Hearing the word of GOD is repeating his promises to your selves again and again. Meditating on a verse day and night. When we meditate on a verse we understand what the verse means and when we apply that verse in our life, circumstances change and this increases our faith in GOD…

When I read stories of the bible, each character testifies the goodness of GOD in their lives. Their testimonies are true and whatever is written in the scriptures about GOD and his promises and the prophesies are ALL true… because it is from GOD. So now when I read I am not only reading the bible but reading it aloud to myself having no distractions and having complete focus only on the word of GOD and telling myself the words written in the bible repeating it to myself. And there will be a verse or two which I feel just pops out for me and I take that verse and meditate over it.

Because now when I read,  I have taken that verse and meditated on the verse  and now, that word is in me, in my thoughts and I am consumed by that verse and when I apply that verse to my difficult circumstances it is no longer me, but GOD working in that situation for me.

E.g: Deuteronomy 31:8 says And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not p nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” This is such a powerful verse.

When I read this verse, it is something I KNOW about GOD that he will never leave or forsake me. But when I meditate over it day and night… I am only thinking about this verse and nothing else. And suddenly the verse is now within me in my thoughts and God is in me giving me STRENGTH to go on… PEACE to go on…. LOVE to go on….and a solution….

So, when I meditate upon it, I am trying to put the verse in action by believing it and not merely knowing it. And GOD just lifts me up from that circumstances to a higher ground. WOW how true this verse is!!

So now when God lifts me up from that situation. It’s no longer me knowing about GOD, but an encounter with GOD, a process of beginning to know GOD through his word.

When I read and meditate over it again and again and simultaneously the testimonies of what GOD has done for others, it gives me HOPE and this increases my faith to PRAY to GOD and seek GOD ……and when GOD does that for me my faith increases even more. When the smallest of my smallest prayers are answered or my impossible prayers are answered my FAITH increases. My testimony and my encounter with GOD grows my faith and this becomes my testimony.

So now when I am caught up in a weak moment where my FAITH seems to crumble, I recall these testimonies of what GOD has done for me. How GOD has been faithful to me and how GOD loves me and my faith increases. I start to remind GOD all his promises towards me, repeat the verse I once meditated upon, believing that each one will be fulfilled and that increases my faith and keeps me going on. It lifts my spirit instantly and gives me immense strength that GOD will never forsake me.

The more the word goes in my spirit the more the faith increases and the process just goes on.

LITTLE FAITH

Matthew 8:26 says But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

The sad part is many of us Christians have little faith and have not grown past this. We started with a measure of faith that saved us but we have only grown a little. We are afraid when faced with a difficult situation even though we know that GOD can do anything because we find it difficult to believe that GOD CAN DO ANYTHING even when GOD is with us all the time. WHY? The biggest reason for this little faith is FEAR. If we have fear then even when once upon a time we had great faith. It will decrease our faith. Because with GOD there is no fear. When the word of GOD is in you it only encourages you and strengthens you and Gods Perfect Love casts away this FEAR.

We need to read and meditate upon his word day and night so that we do not allow FEAR to enter our thoughts.

WAVERING FAITH

James 1:6-8 says 6But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

There are so many times when we ask GOD so many things through prayer. if it’s something we feel we are asking too much from God and its Impossible. Eventhough we know only GOD can do it and we have read only GOD can do it; we still have a tiny miny doubt. Would GOD really do that for me? It’s so impossible how can he do it then? We fail to understand that we don’t have to make things happen for GOD. GOD makes things happen for us. We don’t have to stress on how things will be done we just need to believe it is DONE in the name of JESUS.

Sometimes we ask God little…. like God heal my common cold or let me have my favorite burger to eat today, and we feel we are asking too little of GOD and so we think …will GOD do that for me? Even when Jesus says ask anything in my name and it will be done. We keep doubting God’s capabilities, when we are asked only to keep faith and believe. We do that … I have done that so many times. I go down that path and then I shake it off my thoughts because those are the thoughts from the enemy, so I cancel them immediately and just have faith that GOD will do that for me. No matter how impossible the things are or how simple the things may seem.

TEMPORARY FAITH

Luke 8:13 says But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.

How many times we heard a message in church and have believed it, but when the circumstances come to apply the same, we tend to lose it and go back to the same way of cribbing and grumbling and asking GOD WHY ME? …when we were supposed to believe in the message and stand firm in our faith and God’s promises in the 1^st place.

We just receive the word and we don’t apply it…… and so the message is lost…  

GREAT FAITH

Faith of the Canaanite woman: Matthew 15:28 says Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Faith of the Centurion Matthew 8:10 says When Jesus heard it, He marvelled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

Why are these 2 faiths called GREAT FAITH in the eyes of JESUS….?

The Canaanite women was very eager to have her daughter healed. Jesus had rejected her twice but even then; she was persistent and pleaded for her daughter to be healed. How many times have we prayed for our healing and then got disappointed and stopped praying because we did not receive our healing or accepted it as Gods will and lived with the sickness? The BIBLE says JESUS is willing for us to be healed. God wants us to be healed.

The Centurion searched for Jesus and came to him for his servant to be healed. He believed Jesus had authority and could heal his servant without the need for Jesus to personally travel to meet and heal his servant. How many times have we sorted healing services to be the ultimate place to get our healing and not in the Supreme GOD who is omnipotent and who listens to our prayers and sees our faith to be healed? Their eyes and hearts were only set on JESUS and no one else. There was no doubt and they showed this characteristic of great FAITH. This is the faith that JESUS wants to see in every believer whether it is for healing or dealing with difficult circumstances. JESUS has already healed us we need to believe and CLAIM THAT HEALING WITHOUT AN OUNCE OF DOUBT.

Mark 11:24 says Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

What was easier for them is their encounter with GOD himself to get that healing. We need to have that faith and expect our healing. Many times, God is willing to heal us. He has already healed us but we are not moving our hand or feet by taking that leap of faith the HEALING IS MINE and the HEALING is DONE.

It’s the same GOD yesterday, today and tomorrow. The path to healing your spirit is through repentance.

2 Chronicles 7:14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

The old testament says Repent for your SINS—- GOD will forgive your SINS and remember them no more —-and heal you spiritually and physically.

1 Peter 2:24 says who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

The new testament says Jesus already bore all our SINS on the cross, and has already paid that price for us as long as we repent, acknowledge and believe that Jesus died for our SINS and has forgiven us ALREADY and so we claim our HEALING. We no longer have to accept sickness and be tormented by the spirit of sickness because JESUS has freed us and the enemy has no hold over us, JESUS has overcome them all. Take authority and rebuke that spirit of sickness in the name of JESUS, believing the TRUTH.

Ephesians 6:12 says For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

We are in a continuous fight with the forces of darkness that are hindering us from receiving our healing or receiving our blessing and only through FAITH and continuous prayer can we fight the enemy by putting on the complete Armor of GOD(Ephesians 6:11-17). Have faith that you are forgiven and the healing is already yours to claim because JESUS did it all.

ACTIVE FAITH

James 2: 20 says 20But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 

So, we should not only be hearers of the WORD but also the doers of the WORD. If we believe in JESUS then we need to follow the 2 commandments so that we can be the hand of GOD and JESUS can live through us. When we see someone in need, we can try to do whatever we can to help, along with prayer. Thus showing our LOVE to our neighbors. Active faith is application of FAITH through works.

We need to put the word in action. When we go and pray for an unbeliever by FAITH who is sick, that GOD will heal him. Then GOD sees our faith and heals the unbeliever. Try it sometime, it really works… Because GOD knows our heart and he is pleased at what he sees.

DIVINE FAITH

Galatians 2:20 says I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

This is an unshakable FAITH in GOD that he lives through you and you are representing GOD being ambassadors of GOD and being the hand of GOD to people who need GOD. So when they see you they see Christ working through you. Like divine faith we also have divine healing where you are anointed by the Holyspirit and given the gift of healing and you BELIEVE that when you lay hands and pray in the name of Jesus for healing for a believer or an unbeliever. GOD will do that, because this is a gift from GOD.

GREAT FAITH, ACTIVE FAITH and DIVINE FAITH ALL HEALS …..

GOD wants to Heal you…. Are you Willing?

I know the FAITH I HAVE….What level of FAITH do you have?

I always used to feel that I am so privileged to be born a Christian. That I knew about Jesus when I was growing up. That I followed everything I was told to do, following religious activities. But JESUS did not ask to follow a religion. He said Follow me….

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I knew about Jesus… how he was born and how he died. I celebrated Christmas and Easter and so many Christian festivals and days. But the question is was I saved? Will following a Religion Save us or following Jesus save us?… I agree that religion guides us to follow Jesus, but many of us are blindly following the rituals and not understanding what is needed. 

What does being SAVED means?

Jesus is our Saviour and Messiah and when we believe what he has done for us and acknowledge him as our Lord and Saviour our SINS are washed away, we have a new clean slate with no SINS at all, it is as white as Snow because now GOD remembers it no more.When we die, we are punished for our SINS and if we have no sins then we won’t be punished and so we are SAVED, we have eternal life we won’t be punished because Jesus took that punishment for us. But we are not immune to SINS. Because God has given us a choice to either follow him on the right path or SIN again. When we are saved its not because we KNOW about Jesus but because we believe he died for us and we are willing to repent for our SINS and Sin no more. When I say no more it literally means SIN NO MORE. Confession is a means to ask forgiveness from GOD for our SINS daily, but we need to REPENT…. Turn away from doing SIN…

BUT I AM HUMAN…I AM BOUND TO SIN ……ITS HUMAN NATURE TO SIN….

1John 3:9 says Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

If we have Christ in Us…and when we are baptized and are born again… then we cannot SIN…. Is that possible?

When we believe in Jesus the Holyspirit comes to live within us and through the holyspirit we are being sanctified, cleansed and guided. When we are saved, we don’t instantly stop sinning again. But the holy spirit now in us, helps us to refrain from sin as long as we are WILLING to listen to the holyspirit and willing to change.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 says But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

When we repent …it is willing to change and turn AWAY from our SIN and When we are saved…Jesus is willing to forgive us of our SINS.

What NEXT???……SALVATION….

Being SAVED was only the start but SALVATION is an entire process, and the holyspirit helps us to work out our individual SALVATION.

Mark 16:16 says He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

To be saved you have to believe in JESUS.

The dictionary definition of believe……is to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so.

All my childhood I knew about Jesus. I have followed all the religious rituals; I have prayed to GOD and GOD answered my prayers. But was that believing GOD or Knowing about GOD? I know what the bible talks about GOD and Jesus and so do many of us who read the bible. We only know what we have read about GOD in the Bible. The bible says Faith comes by hearing the word of GOD and so I read it again and again and again…NAH……

I was bored reading the BIBLE … I just couldn’t go past Exodus in the Old testament and couldn’t go past John in the New testament … But I knew all the important characters and their stories from the bible. I was bored because I did not understand what was written in ACTS and what it meant and what the Epistles meant. I just knew these were written by Paul and sent to the Churches but I could not grasp anything …

But this was because I was told to read the Bible…. but my heart was not seeking GOD… I had faith in GOD because I was taught that and when I prayed to GOD and GOD answered me it was because he is a good father. But he answered my prayers that is when my faith started to increase in GOD, through my own experiences. He always had my back because he is a faithful father. He loves me and he kept calling onto me and speaking to me. I only had to Listen, but I would only pray to God and tell him what I wanted and that was prayer for me. Knowing about GOD changed to having faith in GOD through experiences and reading stories and wonderful testimonies giving HOPE that if GOD can do this for others, then he will do it for me. I wasn’t a bad person and I knew I am saved because I was taught that. I HAD FAITH in JESUS…….I believed Jesus is my Saviour and Messiah…..But as I was growing up I drifted away, GOD became less important and the WORLD became more and going to Church was only a ritual because I was born a Christian and raised up a Christian. I had to believe in JESUS. But was that believing or just knowing something what my Parents had taught me. I ONCE BELIEVED but while growing up I started questioning the whole idea.

We all have encounters with GOD in our life and we need that moment to define our relationship with GOD. When I pray, I believe GOD will do that for me because that is FAITH … because I was taught that and I believe that.

Jesus only said If you believe in Me you will be SAVED. Not know about me …. believe in me.

So I can say that while growing up there were times when I believed in Jesus and then times when I stopped and then back again believed in Jesus.

When I believe in Jesus my trust and hope is all in Jesus. The time I stopped believing was when I started accepting the WORLD… thinking through the eyes of Science that GOD could not have created the world and all this was just a story or I believed in Evolution, believed that praying to idols was OK as its respecting the GODs of the heathens. Trying to blend in with Society so I could be acceptable by my friends. This is the time where most of us try to explain or find excuses why the bible is not real. We question it logically, become sceptical about everything written in the bible and became an atheist……i.e. believe in a ‘so-called Power’… but not GOD… I too had similar moments in my Life and when I look back, I feel so dumb to believe in something that the world showed me and not believe the REAL GOD.

1 Corinthians 8:1 says Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.

Even though you have the knowledge…. It is of no use because its not real, what is real is the true GOD and believing in JESUS because he is LOVES you and DIED for you to be FREE. We do not need answers for everything, what we need is to trust in GOD.

Now the question is once upon a time if I was SAVED because I believed in JESUS then when I stopped believing will I still be saved?

No…. Because Jesus says He who believes and is baptized will be saved…

This is in the present tense…. BELIEVES ……So every moment I take a breath has to be a belief in JESUS, in his resurrection, acknowledging the Truth that he is the SON of GOD and he died for me. So when I was saved … my sins were washed away by his blood. But when I went back to my old life and stop believing, I let in the SIN come back again. I was a slave to SIN again and was no longer under the blood of Jesus because I stopped believing and when I don’t acknowledge what Jesus did on the CROSS, the sin is still on me and when I die I will be judged for the new sins not the old ones.

1 John 1:9 says If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

But to do that we still need to believe in Jesus….

But then Jesus said I will send a helper and he will not leave you so what happens when you stop believing? When we stop believing the holyspirit within us is quenched but we can rekindle it when we start believing again.

We are saved when we continually believe in JESUS. Have continued faith in him.

This is controversial because many believe that ONCE SAVED IS ALWAYS SAVED ….So How do we reach a point from believing to not believing??

When we have more of the WORLD in us, we incline towards the world and stop believing …it takes time but then we stop believing eventually. And when we have more of WORD in us it increases our FAITH and we start believing. Whether it is reading the Bible or hearing from people about Jesus, about their testimonies… We start to incline towards Jesus.

1 Peter4:16-18 says 16Yet if c let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.17For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”

I was really taken aback when I read this… Judgement starts from the house of GOD and many of us even though we say we believe in JESUS have more of world in us and are moving rapidly towards a point where we will stop believing in Jesus, we will only have a ‘TAG’ calling us ‘Christians’. It goes on to say if the righteous are scarcely saved so chances are even though we believe in JESUS, but we backslide then we may not be saved or may just barely be saved. It was scary and I don’t want to live in fear that I won’t be saved … I want to live with confidence and faith that I AM SAVED because I believe in JESUS and I am standing FIRM on that faith.  

John 15:4-5 says Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.

So Jesus asks us to abide in him and he in us…This happens only if we believe in Jesus and are willing to change for Jesus… Obey the 2 commandments and allow the Holyspirit to cleanse and sanctify us… only then do we have Christ live in us and only then will we produce a fruit. So, if we have the Holyspirit working through us only then will we see the fruit of the holy spirit too …

Galatians 5:22-23 says but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

If you can identify these with yourself or people around you are observing these qualities in you then it’s the holyspirit working in you and if not then GET UP… ITS TIME THAT you LISTEN to the HOLYSPIRIT…

When we believe in JESUS, we become part of Christ’s body and like every part of a body you too have a function and that is your calling. How will you feel if your hand does not know what to do and so it does not perform its function. In the same way we ought to ask GOD what is our calling and purpose and once we know that we need to perform as per that and the Holyspirit will give you gifts to perform according to the function and calling that you have as long as you ask GOD and hear him.

Matthew 24:12-13 says And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

We must continually believe in JESUS and not let our faith be wavered in JESUS. There will be a lot of obstacles that will come in our way questioning our faith, many situations will come that will have us doubt whether GOD is watching us or not…Pestilence will come our way and we will question is GOD really going to heal me… and all this is bound to happen and will bring in fear so we may lose our faith in JESUS and stop believing in JESUS….BUT we should endure it till the end.

So now if I have faith and believe in Jesus. I will want to have a connection with Jesus and Yes Christ is always with me so what connection are we talking about??

So, If I say I love my MOM and I don’t call her or speak to her or Listen to her will my love become less or faith in my MOM become less? The Answer is ‘NO’ if I do not call her and speak to her we will not be well connected because I won’t know what’s happening in her life and she does not know what’s happening in my life. We will grow distant and will not be connected but the LOVE will not change or faith will not change… because I know she is my MOM and I have blind faith that she will always have my back.

So, what happens when we are not connected to GOD? This is more complicated because we have not seen GOD. We have faith and trust in something which we do not see and only when we stay connected to GOD through prayer, through reading his word do we grow in faith. FAITH comes by hearing the word of GOD because when we hear his word it nurtures our spirit and we grow in spirit. We may give so many excuses why we do not have time for PRAYER… and that our faith is strong in GOD. But if we are not connected to GOD and rather than spending time with GOD, we are more occupied by worldly activities then FAITH slowly becomes less. Prayer should be our lifestyle and not a 5-minute talking to GOD where its only us asking GOD all we need. Prayer should be thanking GOD whenever you get a chance even in your busy schedule hence bible says give thanks to GOD all the time. Prayer is praising God whenever you feel the Joy and the presence of GOD near you which is anytime and not a fixed Praise and worship of 10-20 mins. Talking to God should be all the time. Many times, people speak to themselves, try speaking to GOD… tell him how your day was, what you did, were you exhausted or troubled ask him solutions to your problems and see how GOD responds. And above all SEEK GOD with ALL your heart.  

I AM SAVED because I BELIEVE IN JESUS….

What do you Believe?

God’s ways are mysterious and he wants us to seek him, he wants to reveal his mysteries and he is waiting…..Waiting for you and me to ask him to reveal the hidden mysteries.

Every time you read a chapter or verse in the bible, the Holyspirit enables you and gives you a new understanding, you suddenly get references to verses in other books of the bible and when you link these. It amazes you, as it fits so well. When you are low in Spirit and you open the bible. God is speaking to you giving you a verse that lifts your spirit and encourages you. And still we say GOD is not speaking to me. If this is not GODs way of speaking to you then what is?

While praying a Sister of Mine got this revelation and shared it with us. It was so amazing that I really wanted to share this so you could be blessed as you read this.

Romans 9:13 says ‘As it is written, Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.’

Why did God hate Esau? What wrong did Esau do that God hated him?

We know the story in Genesis 25:29-34 where Esau sells his birth-right to Jacob. This is the spirit of gluttony that took over Esau and he became so blinded by it that he sold his birth right for some bread and stew of lentils. The chapter ends saying ‘Thus Esau despised his birth right’.

What is birth right? As Definition says ‘a particular right of possession or privilege a person has from birth, especially as an eldest son.’

God already knew this; he is God beyond time continuum. He knows everything, he gives us a choice and he knows what we will choose, before we have even made that choice. Because of this choice that Esau made, God hated him. The blessing that GOD gave Abraham was passed on to his generations, but Esau took it for granted and gave it away to Jacob without a thought…

And so, Genesis 25:23 says… ‘And the Lord said to her: Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body One people shall be stronger than the other. And the older shall serve the younger’

God knew from the beginning what Esau will choose and so God gave that birthright to JACOB.

Abrahams Blessing Genesis 12:2-3 says…2I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.3I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Matthew chapter begins with the genealogy of Jesus Christ, it clearly says Abraham begot Isaac and Isaac begot Jacob.

Jesus was born from Jacob’s lineage and not Esau’s.

How many times have we taken GOD for granted for all the promises and blessings he has bestowed on us?

Is God unrighteous then or unjust? No that Cannot be…  because he is a JUST GOD…

Romans 9:15-16 says – For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”

Does this mean that God hardens people’s heart on purpose or to use them to glorify his name?

God did harden Pharaoh’s heart but it was already hardened. God wanted to use this to show that only GOD has Power and Dominion over everything.

So then do we have a choice? Pharaoh had a choice but he did not choose it. He was proud and he did not like the Israelites, his heart was already hardened by hatred towards the Israelites and he chose to go against GOD even after seeing plague after plague.

 2 Timothy2:20-21 says ‘But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honour and some for dishonour. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honour, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.’

If we want, we can choose to be a vessel of honour or dishonour. Pharaoh chose to be a vessel of dishonour and so did Esau.  

What are we choosing? We all have a choice. And God knows who will choose what.

We have to be obedient to him like Jesus was. And choose to be a vessel of honour for God’s purpose like Jesus did.                                                     

WHO DID JESUS COME FOR?

Did Jesus come to earth only for the Israelites? Was the Messiah only meant for the Israelites?

Matthew 15:24 says ‘I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ Jesus wanted this to be written telling the Israelites that he was sent for them First.

Matthew 10:5-6 says ‘Jesus sent out these twelve, charging them, Go nowhere among the Gentiles and do not go into any town of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’

Jesus was sent for the Israelites the chosen people of God with who GOD had made a covenant. The ones who would make God known to the world, would be the one to spread the light to the nations. God has chosen ISRAEL to hold that baton.

But Israel rejected Jesus, crucified Jesus and so like the birth right was given to Jacob the Gentiles became the chosen people. The baton was given to the gentiles to make God known to the world.

Praise the Lord for this amazing revelation.

IRAEL rejected JESUS. But GOD has not forgotten his promise with Israel. Israel is still favoured by GOD. We need to stand with ISRAEL always because GOD asks us to do so…

Even though we are faithless he is FAITHFUL.

Wait a minute… Did Jesus really never preach to the Gentiles?…  The bible has it recorded that Jesus always preached in Jewish territory. But we do see miracles in the bible where he healed a Gadarene (Gentile) who was demon possessed and another time healed 10 lepers and only a Samaritan came back to thank him (Luke 17:12-19)

A Canaanite women’s faith was rewarded when her daughter was healed. Also, Jesus did minister to a gentile woman and praised her faith (Matthew 15:24). A Samaritan Women was given the message (John 4:5-42) on the holy spirit and that true worshipers will worship God in Spirit and in truth.

Jesus though only preached in Jewish territory; he could not stop the gentiles that came to him. These instances show that though Jesus was sent for the Israelite’s. Jesus also knew that they will reject him. God already knew this; God already knew the Israelite’s will reject Jesus and GOD had already plans for saving MANKIND. As a result, the blood shed by Jesus would be shed for all and anyone who believes in Jesus will be saved.

On many occasions Jesus has said ‘Anyone’ (Matthew 11:27, ,12:32, 16:24, 23:9 John 6:51,7:17, 7:37, 8:51-52,9:31,10:9,10:28, 12:26, 14:23,15:6)

After Jesus was resurrected, he said to his disciples to go to the nations and make disciples of them.

The deed was done… Israel rejected Jesus. Jesus was crucified for ours sins. Jesus through dying gave us life so we may not perish but have eternal life…..Jesus then, did not only die for Israel but for all of us. The birth right was now given to ALL with a condition to believe in Jesus.

The price was paid ONCE and FOR ALL.

What is our Birthright as Christians?

We are called Christians because we have accepted Jesus as our lord and Saviour…

Because we believe in the TRUTH that he is the SON of GOD….

We have repented for our sins and acknowledge that Jesus has forgiven them…

All our sins, shame, curse and sickness are nailed on that CROSS and Jesus has freed us from it all.

I remember reading a Derek Prince book and found the below so beautiful that I have to quote it here.

Jesus was punished for our sins so that we are forgiven

Jesus was wounded for our transgressions so that we are healed.

Jesus was made SIN with our sinfulness that we might be made righteous with his righteousness.

Jesus endured poverty so that we might share his abundance.

Jesus bore our shame that we might share his glory.

He endured our rejection that we might have acceptance as children of GOD.

Jesus became a curse that we might receive a blessing.

Jesus died our DEATH that we may receive his LIFE…

BUT WHERE IS THIS HAPPENING EXACTLY??…….IT IS AT THE CROSS……

THE CROSS is where this exchange takes PLACE. THE CROSS is where I humble myself in REPENTANCE.THE CROSS is where JESUS says Your SINS are forgiven.THE CROSS is where I accept JESUS as my LORD and SAVIOUR. THE CROSS is where I become the SON/DAUGHTER of GOD.The CROSS is where bondage’s are broken, healing is received, Sins are forgiven.THE CROSS is where I am FREE.

AND JESUS IS CALLING EVERYONE TO THE CROSS. IF THERE WAS NO CROSS THERE WOULD BE NO REDEMPTION. The CROSS talks about the suffering and Victory of JESUS over DEATH.

When you repent and exchange your Sins for the RIGHTEOUSNESS of Jesus, your heart is clean and free of SIN. But at times we do SIN knowingly or unknowingly, we need to repent because repentance is willing to change for Jesus, Willing to give up things for Jesus, Willing to stop Sinning and allowing Jesus to work in you. But if we do sin then, we are asked to confess to Jesus and be forgiven for them and repent. This is a daily activity. I am free only because of the BLOOD of JESUS. I can claim healing only because of the blood of JESUS. I am now the SON/Daughter of GOD only because of JESUS.  

So, through Christ Jesus we are able to acknowledge God as our Father and only through Jesus we have the Sonship of God and Only through Jesus we have received the birth right, the inheritance, while we are following the commandments as we live. The Holy Spirit within us testifies of this relationship with GOD and Now we are no longer just a creation but children of GOD.

Galatians 3:29,Ephesians 3:6, Titus 3:7  says that, If you are Christ’s then you are Abraham’s seed. The Gentiles will be fellow heirs and we being justified by His grace become heirs to the hope of Eternal Life.

Only through Jesus we our sons of God and are now also Abrahams seed so we are now entitled to the promise, the blessing God gave to Abraham. So not only do we inherit eternal life in heaven but also the promises and blessings of Abraham on earth only through Jesus Christ.

Our Birthright as Christians is to Inherit all that GOD has promised as heirs through Jesus Christ….

 Romans 8:14-17, Ephesians 1:13-14 says that, The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

The Holyspirit is like a deposit given to us until JESUS comes…  

As Ephesians 1:4 says ‘ Just as he chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoptions as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which he made us accepted in the Beloved.’

God chose us before even the world was made and adopted us as his children through Jesus Christ. Its so amazing to feel this assurance and God’s LOVE for us, to be in his embrace all the time, To feel safe all the time, To be carefree all the time knowing GOD will take care of the rest.

To conclude I will say GOD KNOWS… He knows our choices; He knows who are His.

I choose my birthright in Christ, What do you choose?

There are 2 commandments that Jesus gave to follow diligently.

Matthew 22: 37-40 says 37Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Amazing ….this means the entire Mosaic Law of 10 commandments sits on these 2 commandments only……… How is that Possible???? The Mosaic Law has… You shall not steal, You shall not kill and so on…. These statements don’t even match with the commandments that Jesus gave… does it?… and if yes…. How??

The answer is SIMPLE….its ‘LOVE’

LOVE is the underlying statement or feeling that links these commandments.

I can try doing the 1^st one but how can I love a stranger? No, No… Not possible….

But… These are the only 2 commandments that Jesus has asked to follow. To understand how we can love our neighbour, we need to dissect the characteristic of LOVE.

What is LOVE?

-As per dictionary LOVE is a noun. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend. sexual passion or desire.-

The Bible has an even simple description.

The bible says in 1 John 4:8 “GOD is LOVE”

WOW… If God is Love, then whenever I say I LOVE YOU, it means I am pouring out the same Gods LOVE to you.

1 John 4:8 says He who does not love has not become acquainted with GOD, for GOD is love.

If ever in my Life I have ever experienced LOVE for anyone then that is GOD. GOD is pure LOVE….

Now the question is How much does GOD Love ME? And to what extent?

I have always asked my husband. How much do you love me, and he would say n to the power of infinity or as much as the number of the stars in the sky… And I would fall for these cheesy lines.

When I asked God, How much he loved me. He said refer to the following  verses:

1. John 3:16 says 16For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
2. Isaiah 44: 3 says 3For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and currents on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring. 
3. Romans 5:5 says 5And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
4. 1 Thessalonians 3:12 says 12And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone else, just as our love for you overflows,…

GOD sent his only SON to die for me and for my SINS. God pours out his Love on us to an extent that it overflows and when it overflows. God wants us to share that love or pour out that love to others. When God pours out his Spirit, he is pouring out his LOVE for us that we are not able to sometimes handle it and we are so overwhelmed by that LOVE. That love is poured in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who is already living within us. When we accept JESUS and acknowledge what he has done for us and how he poured out his love to us on that CROSS, the Holy spirit comes to stay in us to guide us and help us love Jesus and follow Jesus. When God pours out his Love on us, we feel so loved and cherished and we sob experiencing Gods Love. The bible says that in the end days God will pour out his Spirit. We need to desire that encounter with God and that Love of God and when we do experience that Love being poured, we will not want anything else because no one loves us like how God does.    

 I have to ask my husband how much he loves me, even when I know he does and even when I see the love in his eyes. I cannot see Gods love but I feel Gods love always, because he has never left me and the extent to which I love God, I will want to obey his commandments. And I will LOVE to obey his commandments. When you spend more time in GODs presence you will be surrounded by GODs love and that connection with God and that love of God is your strength and fortress and because you have Gods love you will want to pour out that love to others. Because anyone other than you, is your neighbor and you are called to love your neighbor. God is seeing your heart. He is always watching you.

Feeling LOVED and CHERISHED and CARED is what everyone wants and when one has that encounter with GOD where GOD pours out his LOVE, we just feel LOVED…and If you want to feel that LOVE….YOU NEED the Holy Spirit.

Now when GOD pours out his LOVE, Since Now it is GOD living in us i.e. the Holy Spirit Living in US. We want to pour out the same love to others and then LOVE your neighbor does not seem to be difficult because you see them as a child of GOD. You will not want to kill or steal or do bad to your neighbor because now you love them, with all their faults and shortcomings like how GOD does.

• When we Love God we OBEY God out of respect,
• We want to do his WILL because we trust him
• We seek him because we know he is REAL and nothing else matters.
• GOD loves each one of us. And because of that LOVE we LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR because it’s the same love being poured out to us.

GODs LOVE makes LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF POSSIBLE…

      How many of us actually want to pour out that love to others or are we just selfish and want it all for ourselves.God has made each of us unique and we should love ourselves, but not be self-obsessed.

SELFISHNESS is a choice. In this SELFIE ERA we only think about I, ME and MYSELF. We think of only SELF praise and Self Glorification. We choose to keep ourselves 1^st. We choose to be prideful and think less of others. We think of Showcasing ‘Ourself’, at workplace or personal life. If we don’t do that, someone else will do it and walk away with the CREDIT/PRAISE/GLORY. We have become so absorbed in the world that we have shut the doors to the LOVE of GOD.

GOD wants to pour out that LOVE but we are content with US loving our self.

Love your neighbor as yourself……I cannot do that……Do you mean If I spent on me for food or clothes, Do I need to spend the same on my neighbor?

There are 2 ways of looking at these.

• We need to do the same towards others how we expect them to do towards us.
• We need to do the same towards others as we do for us.

If we are short of money and if we expect someone to help us then we need to ensure that we are also helping someone in need of money when we have been blessed with Money.

If I am buying a pastry for myself; and when I see someone hungry then I need to buy them a pastry too and not frown on buying a pastry when my heart says I should spend less to help someone.

The story of the GOOD Samaritan is a classic example of who is my neighbor.

Luke 10:30-37 tells the story of the Good Samaritan.

A man was travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho and on the way the thieves mug and wound him stripping him off his clothes leaving him half dead. By chance a priest passes by and when he sees the man lying down half dead, he passes on the other side. The next was a Levite who does the same.Then comes the Samaritan and when he sees this man lying down, he is filled with compassion and he bandages him, pours oil and wine on the wounds and sets him on his own animal and takes him to an inn and takes care of him and when he leaves the next day  he gives 2 denarii to the innkeeper to take care of this man and also assures him that if extra is spent then he will come back and repay.Jesus asks who among the 3 was a neighbor to the man.

The Priest and Levite, though considered being GOOD by the world because they have the knowledge of God, are religious and follow customs and traditions religiously were only stuck to the idea of GOD. The Samaritan on the other hand considered being BAD by the world because he would follow the religion or tradition less and have less knowledge about GOD, but even then since the person was moved with compassion to help the person in NEED, not expecting anything in return for this help and ensuring that till the person is well paid the innkeeper to take care and so is acknowledged as GOOD by JESUS .

GOD only sees your heart and nothing else. The heart is where that love comes from and if you have God in your heart and God’s love in your heart you will help others not expecting anything in return. That’s unconditional love, that one is asked to have as per the bible for your neighbour to do Good, to show Mercy, to show Love and above all to show OUR GODs LOVE. Because it’s only the love of God in you that will move you to have compassion and mercy and love for others. If there is no LOVE of GOD then you can never help your neighbour. Because LOVE is never SELFISH…

James 1:22 says But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

The Bible calls us to Love our Neighbors…

God has blessed you to be a blessing to others. To help your neighbors, to show compassion and mercy to them, to do GOOD. But what do we do when God blesses us. We start mapping our future, we prepare a checklist of worldly things….

A big house, A beautiful Car, Properties, Fixed Deposits, Upgrades, early retirement to enjoy this life….Blah…..Blah.                                                                                                                                               Is it wrong to desire these things? Does God not want us to be happy? The bible says ask and it shall be given to you then why can’t I ask these? If God wants to bless me why Can’t I desire to buy these? What is the blessing for if I cannot buy the luxury items for myself. If God wants to give me a perfect gift then why Can’t it be these?

The answer here is contentment… The contentment will come only if you have God’s love in your heart….

We can either be content with a small house or a huge house, it’s the holy spirit talking to you and you need to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and not give in to desires of flesh. If the Holy spirit says to you, that you are blessed to buy a new house then buy it, if he says give it to XYZ person then do that, If he says donate it to XYZ foundation or charity then do that. But listen to the Holyspirit.

Jeremiah 29:13 says..And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Matthew 6:32-34 says For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

God already knows what we want and what we desire, hence God says seek me and I will give you all these things but rather than seeking God 1^st , we seek the worldly things 1^st. The bible asks to seek the kingdom of GOD first and then all these things will be added to you.

When we face a problem rather than praying to God, we ask help from all the people we know around us and when we face disappointment we then turn our face to God and then trust in God that now only God can get you out of this situation and problem. But what God wants is for you to come to him 1^st rather than going to others and is waiting for you to come to him so he can hear you.

When God blesses us with riches, he also blesses us to be a blessing for others. So now if I am richly blessed by GOD, rather than following what my heart needs, I should ask the holy spirit what I should do with this monetary blessing and the Holyspirit will speak to you and guide you what to do with that money.

For example….

There are 2 brothers and both pray to GOD for financial blessing on their life. The elder brother is financially blessed by God and has decided to use some and secure some of the money in fixed deposit for his future. The younger brother is crying out to the Lord for a financial blessing to pay back his debts and is living with difficulties. The elder brother says to the younger one. I’ll pray for you even though he has money lying in his bank. The Holy Spirit is speaking to the elder brother and asking him to help his brother financially but the brother is arguing saying I need the money for my future and shuns the voice of the holy spirit. Thus the younger brother is not being helped and is still in his sorry situation.

But what if the elder brother heard the Holyspirit speak to him and calls his younger brother and helps him financially not expecting anything in return, but helps out of love. The younger brother is now filled with love and gratitude for the elder brother for helping him in his time of need and praises and glorifies GOD for being good to him. God sees the heart of the elder brother and blesses him even more financially and the elder one too gives thanks and praises to GOD. Only through Gods LOVE can one pour out their love to others by helping others and in the end GOD is to be praised and glorified. So that the one who had abundant shares with the one who did not and they both are now sufficient.

God said do not worry about TOMORROW. I will take care and my grace is sufficient for thee.

If we have and can help, Gods blessing is in that, rather than saying if God blesses me abundantly only then I’ll help others. Start small, you don’t have to live in poverty. God has not asked you to live in poverty and help others. You can show Love by speaking tenderly, spending time, show mercy and compassion. He wants you to show Gods Love… The same love that God has shown you and has showered upon you so that others may GLORIFY in GOD’s LOVE. All you need to do is ask the Holy spirit and let the Holyspirit Lead you.

I Know who my neighbor is, DO YOU?

I WANT to share GODs LOVE with others what is your Choice?

‘Christ became Obedient unto death, Unto death a death upon the cross
Therefore God has raised Him to the heights, Giving Him a name above all names.’

When I hear this song, I always feel delighted that grateful that only Jesus could do that…

To understand why only Jesus could do that, we should know why did Jesus have to die in the 1^st place.

For this we have to go to the 1st book of the bible.

Genesis 2:16-17 says…16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

We all know the story of Adam and Eve and how God created Man in his image. He created Adam from dust by breathing (Gods spirit) into Adam, giving him life and out of Adam’s Rib created Eve and both had the same spirit that gave them life. God gave them dominion over every thing in the garden of Eden and asked them NOT to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge but, they could eat from any other tree in Eden. Adam and Eve walked with God and talked with God in the Spirit. How wonderful the feeling would have been to be with GOD…

Now Genesis 3:6 says…So, when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

When the serpent tempted Eve, Adam was with Eve. Eve was deceived by the serpent into eating the fruit, but Adam saw that when Eve ate the fruit she did not die and then ate the fruit, hence Adam sinned with his eyes open. He disobeyed God’s direct instruction of not to eat from the tree of knowledge.  

When Adam sinned, he was not in the spirit any more, he could not see God anymore, he could only hear his voice.

When God called out to Adam where are you? it was not because God could not see Adam. He is God…He saw Adam and he knew what Adam did… God was asking Adam, where are you in the walk with me? You were with me all this while… we were so connected. What happened? Why did you not believe me? I gave you everything, why did you not trust me?

When Adam disobeyed God, Sin came into the world. God gave this world to Adam and Adam gave it to Satan. Adam and the generations after Adam sinned and became a slave to Sin, Adam died in spirit and could no longer be with God. Death came into being and Man had to die eventually…. But God could not see Man perish. He could not see his beautiful creation go into Satan’s hand, he could not see his precious creation perish away… God knew that when Man will die, he will be judged God will have to punish him according to the Law. He is a JUST God…And he thought of a way to redeem Man.

If we do something wrong, we ought to be punished. And God will punish the one who does wrong. So, God sent his Son Jesus… Jesus is GODs WORD that became flesh, became human and came into this world to pay the price for SIN. So, Jesus was 100% GOD and 100% MAN. Jesus never sinned but when he carried that CROSS, he carried the SIN of the whole world, he was punished for our SINs and also DIED for us on the cross and went to HADES because of the SIN that we had done. But HADES could not contain him (Acts 2:31). Because he was righteous and never ever sinned in his life, he only came to bear our SINs and punishments and paid our PRICE in FULL and so HADES could not contain him and threw him out and GOD raised him up because of his righteousness and raised him over all principalities and Names … Jesus accomplished the work on the CROSS by bearing the sins of the world. He opened the door to heaven. In dying he gave us eternal life. What Adam Lost ….Jesus restored.

WE ALL HAVE SINNED AND WE ALL FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD…(Romans 3:23)

BUT there is GOOD NEWS…. whoever, repents and believes that JESUS is the SON of GOD and JESUS died for us, that person is SAVED. The Holyspirit is deposited in him/her and the person is a changed person now because the Holyspirit is teaching and convicting us all the time. The Holyspirit reveals and testifies about Jesus to us, helps us to love Jesus and to follow Jesus. It’s the persons choice of what to follow…. Live in the Past of SIN and GUILT or be saved and follow JESUS. God has now forgiven the sins of this person and no longer remembers the sin of this person, he does not see this person, he now sees Jesus in this person’s place who is righteous and without SIN.

For us to be SAVED. JESUS had to die. Jesus conquered death because now when we die and go to God on Judgement Day, he sees the righteousness of his son Jesus on us and will say… you have not sinned, you can enter heaven, because my SON has paid a price for you. God sees the blood of Jesus on us. Our redemption is purchased by JESUS. We belong to JESUS. We are no longer slaves to SIN, but are called brothers and sisters of JESUS.

In the Old testament the Lamb was given as a sin offering to GOD for atonement of sin. This Lamb had to be without blemish. Jesus in the New testament is that Lamb without blemish, but where a lamb in the old testament had to be sacrificed every time for atonement of SIN. Jesus did it all… once and for all. The price was paid once and we have to save as many people to not let this sacrifice go in vain. Its like getting a Group Pass where you can have as many people come along as long as you believe the person who gave you this pass that is JESUS…. So simple and easy.

Hence Romans 5:19 says…For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

We are made righteous by the blood of JESUS and only JESUS could do that for us because he LOVED us. Christ became obedient unto death because of his LOVE for US….

Matthew 16:24 says…Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Even here Jesus gives us a choice, ‘if anyone desires’…Of course I desire you Jesus, you died for ME, you love ME and I desire to follow you… The Holyspirit in me helps me to love you more and because of that love I want to follow you Jesus, I have a choice to follow Jesus and I want to follow him because of what he did for me on that cross and I am called to share that good news with the world.

Jesus said…Deny yourself……Oh Oh…. But How??……I have my career, I have properties, a life, family, I have created all this in this world for me to live peacefully and comfortably…. I love you Jesus but how can I leave all this behind me and follow you?

But Jesus only says….’Deny himself and take his cross and follow me’

Deny yourself does not mean leave everything and follow Jesus. It simply means, surrender to Jesus, give up all your passions and desires for Jesus. Allow Jesus to enter your heart and change you, take complete control of you. When the Holyspirit is cleansing you and purifying you and sanctifying you, breaking you, melting you and moulding you, to be like Jesus…This is when people see you, they don’t see you but they see Jesus. When you pray for them and touch them for healing it’s not you, but Jesus touching them and Jesus healing them. Your life will not radiate you anymore but through you Jesus…We are Ambassadors of Christ spreading the glory of GOD to the entire world that through us others may know how awesome our GOD is, that he is the only TRUE LIVING GOD….Jesus Lives….and so do we.

• Your desires and passions are not yours anymore but Gods, to do GOOD towards your brothers and sisters in Christ and towards your neighbors.
• Your plans are not yours but Gods purpose in your life.
• Your path is not yours but Gods calling on your life.

You can either have Jesus in your heart or money, wealth, riches, career and family. Its either this or that.

Deny self simply means total surrender to God and being humble and obedient unto him allowing him to work through your life. Deny whatever your flesh wants and do whatever the spirit wants to do. Jesus was obedient to God and we have to follow the example of Jesus and be obedient to GOD even if it means dying for JESUS when persecution comes.

Jesus says Take your cross and follow me.

My cross has my sins and guilt and shame which I have exchanged with Jesus when I accepted Jesus as my lord and saviour. Jesus carried my cross of SIN when he walked to calvary and I carry Jesus’s cross which is so light because it has nothing for Jesus never sinned. But carrying my cross daily means confessing daily for the sins that I may have done, unknowingly or knowingly and repenting for it and correcting it. So, in doing so, there will be one day when I do not SIN anymore because the Holyspirit has sanctified me by correcting me and I made a choice to follow the voice of the Holyspirit in renewing my mind to have a mind like Christ. Jesus said to follow him because Jesus became flesh, also to set an example of how believers should live.

Jesus was God he did not need baptism of water. But Jesus was baptized to set an example to us that we need to repent and be baptized in water and Holyspirit to see the kingdom of God(John3:3). In Baptism when we are immersed in water symbolises being buried with Christ and when we are lifted up symbolises that we are risen in Christ (Romans 6:4)

When Jesus was tempted in the desert by Satan, he did not give in to temptation rather quoted scriptures thus setting an example that when we are faced with temptations, we need to be steadfast and trust God through the promises that God has given us through the words in the Bible.(Matthew 4:1-11)

Jesus loved to pray to God alone… talk to God alone and thus sets and example that we need to set time alone, getting on our knees to pray to God not in fancy words but talking to GOD from our heart because GOD knows our heart, and he loves to talk to us.

Jesus went around doing good after being baptized with the holy spirit as Isaiah 61:1 says…“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

I take this not only to be for Jesus but we ALL are called to do the same. If Jesus did this with the help of the Holyspirit, then he set an example for us to follow. It’s the same Holyspirit that will empower us to follow Jesus to preach good news of the Gospel to everyone, heal the broken hearted, set the captives free and free people from bondage.

WE ALL ARE CALLED TO FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE THAT JESUS HAS SET BEFORE US…Let the Holyspirit guide you to follow Jesus.

Today if Jesus asks you to follow him. Don’t cling onto worldly things, but set your heart on Jesus and cling only to HIM…As Hebrew 4:7 says… “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.”

I have decided to FOLLOW JESUS what is your choice?

We have so many places in the Bible where GOD is addressed to be GOOD.

One of the classic place is Mark 10:18 which says …So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.

How beautifully David has summed up the goodness of GOD in Psalms 23. It touches me whenever I read it and realize the goodness of GOD in my Life. All those memories of God’s goodness just pass in front of my eyes and I only feel blessed, loved and cherished by GOD.

So what have we entitled in GOD’ s goodness towards us?

James 1:17 says… Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

How good is Our GOD to give us a ‘Perfect Gift’. He only thinks good of us and does well to us.

Jeremiah 29:11 says… For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

How good is Our GOD who promises us hope and future? Faith in our God gives us that Hope and I just want to cling onto that hope.

As Hebrews 11.1 says… Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Also 2 Corinthians 4:18 says… while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

So when we have faith in GOD, we have hope that God will give us a GOOD future with good things which on earth is temporary but God also gives us a promise of eternal life when we believe that Jesus is the SON of God and we are redeemed by his Blood, forgiven of all our Sins. What we hope for now is not only of this world but also of a place in the Kingdom of God.

When GOD has given us these amazing promises what are we as children of GOD giving GOD, aren’t we selfish expecting GOD to give us everything but do nothing in return.

When we pray we ask GOD for so many things because we have faith and through that faith a hope that GOD will give us these things.

But what are we doing for GOD? Have we asked God what he wants from us?

He is GOD… what will he want from us? He gives us everything, what can I possibly give him….?

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says… In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I know that I owe GOD everything and I give God all the honor and glory for it. I thank him daily and acknowledge that only he can give me what I desire and bless me.

But is that enough? What does God really want from us?

To understand what he wants from us. We must understand his Love for US.

I remember when I was a child, I would run and jump into the open arms of my Dad with excitement and love and he would carry me around like a prized possession, not caring about anything else or who is watching me.

As a child, we just want to be loved by our parents. To be showered with their hugs and kisses. To be told by them we are their baby and they love us. Even though I had a sibling to share that love, I knew that I am loved and cared for and will always be loved and cared for no matter what.

Do parents have favorites? Yes, of course, they have favorites… they favor 1 over the other…, but that does not stop them from loving their children. They will never want anything to harm their child and will always think good and love their children.

What makes this favor different then? It’s the connection that they have…. sometimes connected to the firstborn sometimes to the second born, sometimes because of the naughtiness, sometimes because they see a glimpse of themselves in their child. All this causes them to favor one over the other. But LOVE is always the same… It is sometimes expressed and sometimes not but LOVE will always be the same, what they have for their children no matter the number.

God too has favorites ….. His favor is on the one that is connected to him. A connection is very important and he is waiting for us to have that connection to seek him diligently, to know him, to love him.

James 4:5 says….Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

He wants us to seek him, to speak to him, to love him. He is a Jealous God and he desires us to seek him but instead, we desire to seek worldly things. God wants our undivided attention. He wants us to set our hearts on Him and him alone and not on worldly things.

But even then this does not stop HIM, from loving us. He loves each and every one of us and each and every one is a prized possession in his eyes. Even though we do not seek him he yearns for us, and is waiting for us. Even though we are faithless he is faithful towards us and will never leave us…GOD loves us unconditionally and only wants to Give us good things as a father gives good things to his children.

He loved us to such an extent that he sent his only begotten SON to die for us so we may not die but have eternal life.

If that’s not love then what is it?…

Ephesians 2:8 says… For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

So we are first saved by God’s grace and then through our faith in Jesus Christ. Its because God loves us first and he saved us through his grace and so sent us Jesus so we can believe in Jesus and be saved.

Hebrews 11:6 says… But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

• So all we have to do is Thank him at all times.
• Have faith in Him, Acknowledge he is God and is the giver of all good things and seek him.

WOW, this sounds so easy. My life is sorted…..

Wait a minute but I thought we need to also obey God ……..Is that not required?

Romans 1:5 says….Through Him(Christ) we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,

Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.

• Obedience is a choice given by God. We either choose to Obey or Disobey God.
• Obedience comes out of complete surrender to God knowing he is Supreme and Just and comes out of respect and love towards God.
• Obedience is not by force but by your own will to do what is God’s will for you and your life.
• Obedience is allowing God to take control of your life and stop being a rebel and a prideful person rather be humble and accept God.

I have been a rebel all my life. Whatever my Mom says I had to say ‘NO‘ or ‘opposite’ to what she says because it’s MY LIFE and I want to LIVE it on my terms even if It meant to destroy my life with my own hands. The excuse for the rebel is always a generation gap. A false feeling that no one understands you and you are alone. A rebel is always angry for things not going their way and not wanting to accept failure or defeat. This is only PRIDE talking.

Even though I was a rebel, God never left me. He always kept giving me a choice to correct myself. Though I was a rebel at heart, I have been a God-fearing child from childhood, been an active participant in Church activities. I have not lived a bad life because God has always been there for me, correcting me, convicting me, and at times I have accepted and corrected my mistakes because of that conviction.

I have always been praying to God but not waiting upon the lord to hear his voice, because that was religion but now GOD is real to me. His Presence is real to me, His Love is real to me and God speaks to me in so many ways….

I am not a rebel anymore, maybe a little stubborn but I want to obey God and Gods plan and purpose for my Life and I am working towards it…I know that the Holy Spirit within me knows my heart and is correcting me and making me a better person day after day. I am a WORK IN PROGRESS...

GOD’s LOVE is so Wonderful, that we cannot measure it, we cannot compare it, we just need to embrace it and feel his love poured out for us.

When Jesus carried that Cross all the way to Calvary. He saw around him so many people hating him, rejecting him, calling him names. He was bruised, wounded and humiliated…. And in all this he thought about you and me and how much we will ONE DAY love him, how much we would want to spend our time with him, want to listen to his voice, to soak in his presence, to thank him and praise him…

And because of this, he was willing to die for you and me, because it was worth dying for…. He is God beyond the boundaries of time and knows all our choices even before we make them. We are his Creation, his prized possession, carved on the palm of his hand, even the hairs on our head are counted and he knows us even before we were formed in our mothers womb. He cares for us, he won’t let us go into darkness, into the enemies clutches, he found a way to save us and he did it willingly. How great is that LOVE poured out on that Cross and How great is our GOD who only loves us…

Thank you GOD, Thank you Jesus and Thank you Holy Spirit for loving me…

He DIED so that you and I could be FREE. The blood of Jesus freed us from Slavery to Sin, Sickness, Bondage, Debt and so much more…..

Ephesians 1:20-21 says… and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

Jesus has conquered every name that is named-Sickness, Bondage, Curse, Shame, Suffering ans so much more… Jesus is above them all and has conquered them all. We need to just believe and trust in Jesus for our Miracle.

I hope this encourages you and fills your heart with God’s Love…

My Choice is to Obey God what is yours?