A Resolution to PRAY

New Year day people take resolutions. They want to do something consistent throughout that year that can change their life. For example, most New Year’s there will be a crowd in Gyms and in parks for workouts and jogging.

If any of you want to put a resolution for this year, Prayer and Meditation is one of the most advisable resolution that will keep you controlled and stress free.

Prayer is not something that you are going to do physically, like lightning a candle of taking a cross and walking, or rolling yourself somewhere. Prayer is a communication with the Almighty. It is a one on one talk with God who can solve all your problems. So it will be interesting when you talk with God as you talk with your best friend.

There are certain facts you need to know before talking with God. God is holy and we are sinners (1 Peter 1: 16). Sinners are not allowed to talk with God (Romans 3: 23).

For this reason Jesus Christ came to the world and took the punishment for our sins so that we can be sin free and can communicate with God (1 Timothy 3: 16).

Before starting the conversation, you can ask God to forgive your sins (Romans 10: 9). Accept that you are a sinner and ask for pardon. Believe that Christ Jesus paid for your sins and take a decision to live sin free (John 14: 6).

Thank God for forgiving your sins and accepting you as his child (Hebrews 8: 12).

Thank God for sending his beloved son Jesus to get the punishment for your sins for you to be free from sin (Romans 3: 21-26).

Thank God for all the good things that happened in your life. Thank God for the bad things that happened, because once you have a connection with Him, He is going to change that bad things to a joyful good one (Romans 8: 28).

Thank God for loving you and waiting patient to hear from you (Isaiah 30: 18).

Pray for your dear ones, friends, family and ask Him to protect them and bless them with their needs according to His will (Philippians 4: 6).

Pray for yourself, your needs, blessings, protection and your walk with God (Psalms 71).

Believe in faith that God heard your prayers and thanksgiving and thank Him that He is going to answer your prayers (2 Chronicles 7: 14).

Ask everything in Jesus name who is our mediator (John 14: 13).

These are certain points that you can pray yourself quiet to God. Instead of reading some prayers from some book, God loves people praying to Him with their heart directly. A son/daughter will talk with their father directly from their heart, not through reading some books.

May these small prayer points help you to start a communication with God this year, for having peace and joy in your life and to stay holy in all situations of life.

The BOOK – Looking Back

As the book of Deuteronomy opens, we see Israel on the border of the land of Canaan, in a place where eleven days journey, some forty years before, could have brought them. We marvel at Israel’s slowness. We like them, are kept back by unbelief many times and because of that we lose the blessing on time. But God is a faithful teacher. He never lets us pass on to another grade until we are ready.

God never fails us when we put our trust in him, but he will not do many mighty works because of our unbelief. “And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith” – Mathew 13:58.

We can see, in Deuteronomy God is putting before the children of Israel the conditions of their entering and holding the land. We can see all these conditions summed up in one great word – Obedience. The children of Israel entered the Promised Land under the Conditions of Law. In the first four books if Pentateuch, God is choosing Israel. Now he is letting Israel choose him. There will be certain times in our life, when we are in pit and God will take us from that and put us in high, and gives us a chance to choose between world and him, or between lust /power/greed and him. 

Besides Moses, only Joshua and Caleb were left from the generation that had come out of Egypt. The younger generation would have suffered in wilderness, but Moses recites them the law before entering the land. Moses knew his work is done as God chose another leader to lead his people to the land. We should always know that we have our role to play in life. Once our role is over, someone else will take our role. Our role may me small or big. Instead of comparing our roles with others, better to understand ours and work hard and run our race fast to be part of the Kingdom. 

Since it was Moses farewell address to Israel, he recalls the history of Israel and their wanderings. He reminds them to be faithful and urges them to be grateful and obedient. He spoke to the people in the most earnest and eloquent way and appealed them to serve and obey God. You can study leadership from this man. He spent forty years of his life in delivering the people from bondage of Egypt, in guiding them through the many dangers that confronted them. He trained them, gave them forms of government, laws, and religious institutions and molded them into a nation. Each and every one God called is leaders and you should examine your leadership qualities with respect with that of Moses. 

For the people of Israel, it was like an adult graduating and going to enter upon their life’s work. They studied what God wants to tell them throughout this journey. Now they need to implement that faith and possess the land. This is the reason why a believer should study the word of God. You cannot claim that you know the word of God fully. But each and every time you read it and study it, you will become more mature in life and you see the world different than a worldly person sees. You will get separated from the lust and power of the world and you will work hard for the glory of God in serving others and use your talents and develop it for Gods glory.

I pray that God enables you to lead a leadership life of that of Moses in guiding the people around you to victory in life through Christ Jesus. Amen.

The BOOK – On to Canaan

The Ultimate aim for what God rescued Israel from Egypt was to send them to Canaan. After all the wanderings, from Numbers 20 to 36, the scene is they are near to Canaan. Now we find that all the Israelites who left Egypt had died except Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Caleb, Miriam and the Children who were under 20 years of age when the spies entered the land. Now they camped in Kadesh and Miriam, Moses sister died and Aaron, Moses brother also died. 

When they started from Egypt, the promise God gave was for their best. But because of their murmurings and sin, now God gave them the second best. God is kind and he sets before us another way, a second best, or it may even be a third, for his mercy is wonderful. He forgives us seventy times seven. Even if we are not faithful, he is faithful.

Even after almost reaching the Promised Land the chosen people were complaining. In Numbers 20 and 21 we see people grumbling and God sending venomous snakes among the people, which caused them suffering and death. Once they confessed their sin, Moses prayed for them for deliverance, but God did not take away the snakes. God told Moses to make a bronze snake and fasten it to a pole so that all could see it. As soon as they looked they lived (Numbers 21: 6-9).

The Bible reveals us that whole human family has felt the ancient serpent’s sting of sin, which means death. The only way people can live is by looking to the one who took upon himself the likeness of a human and was lifted up on the cross to take the sting of death upon him. 

The bottom line is the world is full of sin and the penalty of sin is death, Spiritual death along with physical death. But if we look on him, Christ, our saviour, we shall live, even after physical death. 

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the son pf man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him” – John 3: 14, 15.

Don’t get Unbalanced

There will be times when you pray desperately for a miracle. That might be for your health, job or for someone else. When you pray desperately to God, definitely you will forget about the world and will be totally in the presence of God as only through the power of the Holy Spirit you can pray desperate prayers. And finally when God answers your prayers, what will be your reaction? Of course, you will thank him, but how will be your life after that? We can check a person; a King called Hezekiah fro

m the Bible and compares his life with our life.

In 2 Kings 20: 1-11 and Isaiah 38:1-8, we see Hezekiah becoming ill to the point of death. Prophet Isaiah came and told him that he is going to die. Hezekiah prayed a desperate prayer and God heard the prayer and gave him 15 more years to live. Wonderful miracle. But then instead of being careful and live a life of holiness, he was overexcited in calling other Kings and showed his ware houses and received their gifts. Instead of doing more for the glory of God, he was involved in getting gifts for the healing from others and forgot God who healed him. Because of this Isaiah came and prophesied that the same people are going to come and conquer all he showed to them. (Isaiah 39)

Same way there are people, after receiving favour from God, will forget about that and go back to what they were or live a life meaningless. “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly” – Proverbs 26:11. Once you get blessing from God, you need to study his word and live in it. Once you do so, you cannot hold back in testifying the miracles and blessings he did in your life. Otherwise, yes you will lose his grace from your life. “My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins” – James 5: 19, 20.

Friends, don’t go back once you are saved. Leave your old life and attain and inherit the new life given by Christ Jesus who died for your sins to make you a righteous person before the Almighty God. Live for Christ and prepare for his second coming. Bring others to Christ.

Don’t quit Prayer

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” – 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18.

When you feel that your prayer is not getting answered, you feel like quitting. Like all the work, when you do it and if you are not getting the desired result, you might get tempted in quitting this also. But the Almighty wants you to pray continually. If you don’t pray continually, but only for some specific needs, once the need is met, you might forget God who gave you that. So he wants you to pray continually.

As this month is a month of prayer and sow, if you are nBut as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded” – 2 Chronicles 15:7.

ot able to find any improvement in your situation, whether it may be with your health, promotion, job, relationship, just cling on to it and pray sincerely. God will make a way. “

If you take the case of Job in Bible, he lost everything and was not able to walk also since he was affected with scabies.  He pleaded to God to take notice of him, but was in vain. Even his friends came and pointed out that he is in the situation because of his sins. But the last level before he was healed and was restored, you find him praying for his friends. He prayed for the ones who came and scolded him as he got this because of his sins, which was not. The time when Job prayed, God looked down and restored him in a double measure. “After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before” – Job 42: 10.

Don’t give up in your prayer. Have faith in Almighty that he has given it, and it’s a matter of time to inherit it for you. You might be in the edge of a miracle. Don’t quit. Go to God in faith and ask him until you get it. Anyway if it is fair according to his riches and glory, he is going to provide you.

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” – Hebrews 11:6.

Prayer and Success

Oral Roberts once wrote about success as, if someone bends you and immerse your head into water till your neck for 3 seconds, you won’t bother, but if he holds your head for near to 1 minute, the struggle you take to come up should be given in our prayer life for gaining success.

 As a believer, it’s not perfect as you do your business fairly and wait for success. You sow with prayer and wait on the feet of the Lord to attain wisdom and reap the benefits and more.

“Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundred fold; and the Lord blessed in. the man began to prosper and continued prospering until he became very prosperous” – Genesis 26: 12, 13.

When your work is blessed by Lord, you will be shocked to see how he blesses you. You will reap double or more than what you imagine. As Lord blessed Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Israel, his chosen one, same love and mercy is shown towards you who are chosen by the blood of Christ Jesus. Until he blesses, you cannot go one step ahead in your spiritual and material prosperity. Until he blesses you, you may not able to control the new endeavours as he gives wisdom for you to take right decisions. Until God blesses you, demonic forces will not leave you as they will always try to put confusions into your thought.

Friends, be unto the throne on God, Confess and Accept Christ and ask him to bless you. When you totally submit yourself to him, he will take control of your brain, heart and the Holy Spirit will start guiding you to take decisions and do things. Be committed to God in Prayer and fasting and reap success, a double fold.

Knowing Prayer

I can share you a story with you. Imagine I have a bundle of chart sheet which can be used to do activities in my child’s school and my friend knows I have extra papers always. One day he came late from work and came to know the next day his child has to submit some work with the Chart sheet. Since all the shops were closed, he will first think about me as he knows that I am having it. Now if he calls me in the midnight and I pick up and tells him I am sleeping, if it is urgent, he won’t bother about my sleep as he knows it is not about the sleep, it’s about the one which he wants and which I am having. He won’t bother about anything until he gets it. For me, since I need a peaceful sleep, I will get up and give what he wants; otherwise he will disturb me until he gets the chart.

When you read the Bible Luke 11: 5-13, we see Jesus Christ teaching the disciples how to pray and in what way they should pray. He further teaches them, if you go to a neighbor friend at midnight for 3 loaves of bread as your dear friend came and you don’t have anything to give him, you will knock the door until you get the bread. The friend’s excuse won’t work, and eventually will give you the bread.

The principle is simple. You knew what you want and knew what your friend have. So you go and ask exactly the same thing which he has. Jesus further tells us “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” – Luke 11: 9, 10.

In Mathew 15 we see the faith of a Canaanite woman. Even though Jesus tried to question her since she was not Jew, still she went behind him for her daughter’s healing. And the request was granted.

In a nutshell, prayer is to believe in faith that you are going to get what you are going to ask, when you know what you need, and you understand in faith that the God whom you ask is able to provide it for you more than what you ask. Friends keep faith and knock and knock until you get it, if you know you need it for good and for the glory of God.

Prayer for Sowing

As half of this year have already gone, and still nothing have changed in your life, it’s better to organize the next six months, sow nicely and reap throughout next year. When you see the creation in the Bible, you can find God creating things one by one each day. He did not do everything in a single day and made a mess. He organized everything and did it day by day. Genesis 1. He created the most valuable one, mankind on the last day. Each and everything he created he saw it well.

When we meditate the word of God, we find each thing he does is an organized way. So let us spend the next 6 months in an organized way for sowing.

Prayer is important in any man’s life. Without having a connection with God, you cannot move forward without falling. If you check the prayer life of great men of God, we can find they starts day with prayer of more than 3 hours. George Muller began each day with several hours of prayer, Bishop Lancelot Andrews allotted 5 hours per day to prayer, and Charles Simeon rose at 4.00 am to begin his four hour prayer. The Korean Christian minister Dr. David Yongii Cho who has the record number of members (8Lac) in his church, starts the day with prayer of more than 3 hours. All these ministers’ prayers for the guidance for the ministry they do.

Before sowing anything, it is a must to pray for the blessing and guidance from God. When the work you are about the do is sealed by God, no powers of darkness can touch it and take it away. In the 6 months, this month give more importance to prayer. It does not mean other month any prayer. But prayer should be your premier priority this month, along with your work which you are going to sow.

Prayer should not only for you. Once you start pray genuinely, you will see devil bringing disturbances, depression and all kinds of discouragement in your life. That time, stand up and pray for others. There will be people around you who don’t know about Christ. Just go around their places and pray genuinely for their salvation in your mind. See the change and accept the goodness of God.

As the beginning of sowing, this month – The Month of Prayer