Self Control

Self-control is one of the important character or fruit a believer in Christ should have. You might always compare yourself with others or you may get excited or get depressed very often. You need self-control to know that you are a child of God and you are dealing with the Job God gave you very carefully.

“Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control” – Proverbs 25:28.

               When you lose your thought that you are under the control of Christ, or you are guided by the Holy Spirit, devil will enter into your soul and take control. So scripture warns about the destruction which might not only occur to you, but to others through your lack of control.

               When evil people comes against you, to provoke you, just understand that you are in this world not to entertain them, but to lead a life which bring glory only to Christ, even though they talks bad on you. The toughest thing is when you live for Christ, and when people provoke you that you are the cause of every problem, don’t lose hope. Even though no one may know you, even though no one will see how you are fighting with the flesh, the God who created you and died for you knows your heart. Just think about that and be in control. There is no point in any argument with any one regarding scriptures or the belief in God. When you lead a holy life, even though you may not see the mighty victory, you will get a mighty peace inside your heart that is being given by the Holy Spirit.

               As you know self-control is a fruit of Holy Spirit and to achieve it perfectly, ask father to fill you with his Spirit in Christ’s name. When the anointing comes into your life, you will be a new person, separated from the evil world, guided by the self-control given by the Holy Spirit.

               There are high things to be done by a believer than to argue or quarrel with worldly people. You need to meditate on the scriptures, go to the needy and preach the good news, pray for the needy and be a witness for Christ. May the Almighty enable you to have the fruit of self-control and be a witness for Jesus Christ.

“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life; You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you.” – 1 Thessalonians 4: 11.

                                                                                                                                 Blogged on June 2013 

Grow your Hair

 In the Bible, Old Testament Judges, we study about Samson. From Judges 13 onwards we can see the life history of this Jewish person who was called by God to be the leader and Judge. When he was a boy itself, God blessed him with the Spirit. Judges 13: 24, 25. But in the next chapter we see his weakness exposed even though he was a man of God. Even though God commanded them not to marry outside Jews, he wanted to marry a Philistine woman. Satan found an opportunity to get into this person and he cashed it in.  

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” – Mathew 26: 41.

Satan will have different ways to conquer you. He might make you to take decision suddenly and destroy you (suicide). But most of the times, he will slowly take one by one step to destroy you. God gave strength to Samson to protect Jews, but he used it for his own pleasure. He went and fought against the Philistines for getting his weak desire. These were the steps devil took to put him under. 

When devil understood Samson can be tamed, it sent Delilah to him for temptation and finally Samson failed in it. The way Satan did it; you can read it in Judges 16. Delilah did not leave Samson without letting him tell his strength. His strength was his hair and once the enemy understood it, they shaved it fully. 

Same thing happens to many one of us. When we walk with God, he gives us his Spirit and guides us to do supernatural things. But even then Satan will try to get into us. Once we open a window for the devil, he will search for our weakness to know our strength. If we give room for him he will find our strength and destroy it to finish us.

Carefully read Judges 16: 21, 22 – “The Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison. But his hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.” 

Yes, Samson’s strength was his hair and once the hair started to grow, Samson understood his strength has come back. Devil can take away our strength and make us weak. But God will give us a second chance to show our strength. The question is how you are going to use the new strength. Here in the life of Samson, he used the strength to kill all the Philistines who came to see his death and in the process he himself got died. 

Our strength may not be physical. But when it is gone, go to your basics. Ask God to change your situation and surrender unto him. Once he gives you the strength back, instead of trying to take revenge on the enemy, use the strength to do things which you are supposed to do. Use it to glorify the Lord. If your strength is music, sing and help someone to sing for the glory of God. If your strength is in doing a specific work, do it and help others to do, and make efforts to bring them to Christ.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” – Colossians 3: 23, 24

Blogged on July 2015

The BOOK – The Commission

When you read the Gospel of Mathew 12, we see much controversy among the leaders concerning Jesus. Then we see a Life’s most important question in Mathew 16:13. “What do you think of Christ?” This is the question we need to ask ourselves. Peter replied to this question, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God”. It grasps Christ as the Messiah, the fulfilment of the prophecies of the Old Hebrew prophets. This confession is great because it exalts Christ as the son of God and lifts him above humanity and crowns him with deity.

Mathew 21 to 28, we see the Triumph of the King. On the morning of Palm Sunday it was understood that Jesus was to enter the city. Jesus for the first time permitted a public recognition and celebration of his rights as Messiah-King. The end was approaching with awful swiftness and he must offer himself as Messiah, even if only to be rejected.

Christ’s authority was brought into question as he went into the temple and ordered the merchants out, overturning their tables and telling them they had made the house of God a den of thieves. A bitter controversy followed. “Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words” (Mathew 22:15). He bade farewell to Jerusalem until he would come again to sit on David’s throne.

Much of Jesus discourse in Mathew 24 and 25 is devoted to Christ’s second coming. He exhorts us to be ready in the parables of the faithful servant (Mathew 24: 45-51), the ten virgins (Mathew 25:1-13) and of the talents (Mathew 25:14-30).

Although a large number of disciples believed in Jesus and followed him, the opposition of the religious leaders was bitter and they determined to put him to death. On the grounds of blasphemy, and of claiming to be King of the Jews, thus making himself the enemy of the Roman emperor, Jesus was delivered up by Pilate to be crucified. After hanging on that cross, the saviour died, not from physical suffering alone but of a broken heart, for he bore the sins of the whole world. We hear his triumphant cry, “It is finished”. He paid the debt of sin and became the world’s redeemer.

The mode of Messiah’s death had been foreshadowed by various types and symbols in the Old Testament. The brazen serpent in the wilderness signified that he was to be lifted up; the lamb upon the temple alter that his blood must be shed.

Jesus was put in Joseph’s tomb, and on the third day he arose, as he had said. People thought he was dead and his kingdom had failed. By his resurrection, Christ assured his disciples that the king still lived and that one day he will come back to establish his kingdom on earth.

The climax of the book is found in his great commission. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mathew 28:18-20).

Christian faith is no national or racial religion. It knows no bounds of mountain or sea, but it envelops the globe. We are called not to run the world with armies and make people submit under the sword, nor are we called to bribe people and make them submit to get the numbers. A follower of Christ is called to be an example to the people around him and teach them and show them how to live a Christ centred life and pray for their needs so that the Spirit of God will turn them in the path of living water. May God bless you to be a faithful servant of the most high.

Blogged on 2017

Feast of The Presentation of our Lord

Today we think and meditate upon the Feast of Presentation of Our Lord in Jerusalem. According to the Law of Moses, every first male Israelite should be designated as holy to the Lord. So when Jesus was a child itself, His parents brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (Luke 2: 22-40). According to the law, they need to offer a sacrifice and so they did the sacrifice, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. At that time a righteous and a devout man of God Simeon, filled with the Spirit of God took child Jesus and praised God.

Throughout his whole life, he was looking forward to the consolation of Israel and a deliverer and at the right moment Spirit of God showed him Jesus. He praised God for showing him the deliverer of this world. He told Joseph and Mary about the plans of God regarding Jesus. He told them that Jesus is the savior of this world and He is going to deliver the world from sin by offering himself as a sacrifice. Soon after that a servant of God Anna, who also was fasting and praying for the savior praised God for the deliverer.

Yes, Jesus came to deliver everyone. Israelites think he come to deliver them from their enemies. But Jesus came to deliver everyone from their sins. He had the same flesh and blood as everyone. He knew how it is to be rejected, humiliated, bullied, and even getting cheated. But in all, He remained sinless because He was called to be a sacrifice for our sins.

Finally He became a sacrifice for our sins. He died on the cross for the sins we did against God for us to be free from the punishment.

Salvation or deliverance is free and it’s a grace of God. But you need to do only one thing. Repent your sins and accept Jesus Christ’s salvation in your heart. There is no need to climb any hill or carry the cross in shoulders or light a candle. Just be where you are and confess your sins before God in your heart and accept Christ’s salvation. You are free. Once you accept Christ, He tells us not to sin anymore. Yes, try not sinning anymore.

May The Lord reveal you Jesus through His word as He revealed Jesus to Simeon and Anna, and may you freely give the salvation message to the needy, in Jesus name  

The World Hates You

 

If you are a man or woman of God, the people who are around you (Some may be Christians or not), they will make fun of you. The World around you hates you if you are a person of God. People may call you as Spiritual and all.

            Almighty God himself says in Psalms 22: 6-8 about him and his people “But I am a worm, and no man, a reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see me ridicule me, they shoot out the lip, and they shake the head saying. He trusted in Lord, let him rescue him, let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” In Isaiah 53:3 it clearly says about Jesus Christ, how people will behave at him... “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not”.

            When Jesus Christ came to Earth we can see people making fun of him many times. For example in Mathew 9:24 “He said Make room for the girl is not dead, but sleeping, and they ridiculed him”. Before when Christ was crucified we can see in Mathew 27:29 “When they had twisted a crown of throne, they put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And they bowed the knee before him and mocked him saying Hail, King of the Jews”.

            Bible also tells about the people of God who suffered in Hebrew 11:36 “Others had trial of mocking and scouring, yes and of chains and imprisonment”

            So when these kinds of insults comes in our lives there is no need of being sad, because we are the people of God and what ever happens to the people of God, God will take care of them. At the day of Pentecost when the disciples were filled with the sprit of God people said in Acts 2:13 “They are full of new wine”.

            Still now if we haven’t faced these kinds of problems in the future we will face these problems. Since the people of God will face problems, with the help of God they will overcome all the problems.

            A young man had many friends. When he was studying in the school, he was addicted to all kinds of worldly pleasures. But when he came to degree, he stopped and turned to godly ways. But other friends who were with him couldn’t believe that this man changed. When ever they see him they will make fun of him. What happened was that he didn’t care of what happened.

            If we take the example of Jesus calls ministry, many people don’t like this ministry. But they don’t care about that people instead they will pray for that people. So what happens … God is blessing that ministry.

            God speaks about the people who hate Gods people in John 15: 18-27

“ If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you”  So if someone says something against you he says against God. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, therefore the world hates you”

“If they kept my words they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for my name’s sake, because they do not know him who sent me”. “He who hates me hates my father also”. The person who hates you hates GOD. So we should pray for that people. Because that is our duty to make the kingdom of God comes, So that people should be free from their sins. But still God says “But when the helper comes whom I shall send to you from the father, the spirit of truth who proceeds from the father, he will testify of me” and God says we will witness there testimony because we are with him.

            When we face these kinds of situations we must pray for the people who did that so that one day they will also testify God. There is no need for any quarrel with them. Just pray for them and God will take care of the rest.

            May The Lord provide you His Spirit and strength to face these situations boldly and be focused in your vision in Jesus name

Living for Jesus

 

“You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20)

     When problems surround our life, we believe our God has given up. We may even think of leaving every thing and end our precious life. Most of the people even me have been in these situations. I am taking about the people who suffer from pain from their relatives or from some diseases or some loss in Job or wealth or sudden death etc.

    Sadhu Sunder Singh, a great man of God once told – “Leaving a life for Christ is very easy, but to live a life for Christ is very difficult”. Yes if you want to die for Christ, it is very easy job as terrorists are there to help you out. But in this sinful world where trials and temptations are there, living a life for Christ is very difficult. But in that also, our faithful God leaves us his word – “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them” – (Psalm 34:7)

Once a great man told, if you didn’t face any issue the whole day, that means you must be going in a wrong direction. Yes there are problems all around. But as people who trust in God, our comfort is not behind the worldly pleasures, but behind thy word.

Some people when faces with tough situation will go for other options, like seeing an astrologer to see whether their time is going good or not. You see, Astrologers are calculating every thing according to the rotation of Earth and Planets and Moon around the Sun. Their main reason for the calculation depends on the Sun. For them Sun is the center of everything. But my dear brother and sister, the God whom I serve is the creator of this Sun, Moon and all the planets, even the time. In his word, when Joshua prayed to stop the sun and moon for sometimes, God answered his prayer. (Joshua 10:13-14) (2Kings 20: 9-11). NASA computers performing the astronomical calculations have also found that a day is missing (http://www.christiananswers.net/q-aig/aig-a001.html). So I don’t need to go to an astrologer to see whether my time is bad or where the Sun is, but I will go to my God who made time and the universe. He takes care of me and makes a way for me from no way.

Even in this world when Jesus was there, he had to go through lost of trials, temptations and persecutions. But he was not moved by anything; instead he fasted and prayed to God for everything. When you see his disciples, every body had gone through tough pain and trials in their lives. But they stood faith in the highest one, even to their death. When we have any problems we go and see the men of God, servants of God. They will comfort and console us and council us. Have we ever thought of how their life is? To your information, ask any servant of God personally, and they will tell how much problems they are going through in this world.

Devil is the toughest hard worker in this world. So it will try to defeat a man of God through various situations. They might get problems in family, Job or from any one. But the true servants of God, still in the midst they will keep their faith in God and they will continue their glorifying God with more strength from the Holy Ghost whom they ask.

Yes dear friends, problems will come to our life, but their will be a way to come out of it. Just be in the presence of God alone and pray to God in Christ Jesus name who took all our problems in the cross. Cry to God and he will comfort you with his powerful spirit. Just wait and think how you can with his help overcome the situation. Just think what things you are doing against his will. Stop all and pray to him for the help. Surely he is a merciful God and you will get his mighty help from above. As the psalmist says, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my savior and my God” (Psalm 42:11).

Now don’t ever think of ending your life because of problems as that is not a solution as you are sinning against your God. Your body and soul belongs to him and you are the temple of his spirit. “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s spirit lives in you? If any one destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple” (1 Corinthians 3:16, 17). When you are God’s temple, remember to keep your self clean even in midst of all your problems.

Let his presence fill you and read thy word and lead a life which pleases God instead of a worldly one. Just trust in him and believe that he will make a way from no where. That is our God. Praise be to him only.

Blogged on March 2010

Feeling Anger

 Every body is bound with Anger. Every one of us has the courage to tell to others that we have one more personality in us – that is Anger. By telling this to others we think that we have done something very great. By giving this type of statements to others just think… What will we get? Many may say that we will get respect from others. Is this the way to get respect from others?

            Sometimes we get angry because of others. Sometimes our friends or may be our enemies does something against us. We get angry. We even react with that anger. When anger comes into us we think that we can destroy our enemies. How can we destroy our enemies? Is it through anger? We can’t destroy a person with anger. The only way to take revenge to a person is by forgiveness. What ever he does just forgive him or her. At first he won’t change. But gradually he will change.

            There once lived a boy. He was weak in his studies. But he believed in God. Some of his relatives didn’t like him. As he believed in God even though he was weak in his studies, God gave him blessings. The relatives told bad things about him to the people. So people didn’t talk to him. Any way he came to know about the situation. At first he got very angry. But then he went to God and prayed to him, asked him what to do? Suddenly his anger went down and he didn’t react. His relatives didn’t stop. So everyday he will come in the presence of God and what ever he wants to say he will say to God. After being with God he will forgive every thing his relatives had done to him.

            We may ask one thing. What will we get if we forgive others? Let me tell you, this boy who went to God and forgave, he was blessed. People understood that whatever they heard about him was totally wrong. So they liked him and loved him more than in the past. What happened to his relatives? God stopped blessing them. They couldn’t get any thing in life. But what the boy did was that when all bad things were affecting his relatives he went to God and cried for them. God heard his prayer. God blessed his relatives. What happened to him? He was blessed with double measure.

            Friends, this is a true life story. You can also be blessed like the boy. In the Holy Bible God said these words – “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12: 19-21)

            Even God wants us to be a nice person. He doesn’t want us like a man or woman of anger. He wants us to forgive one other and be helpful. In Scriptures God says – “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4: 31, 32)

            Many people make New Year resolutions. Let us make this year’s resolution as to forgive others, doesn’t matter what ever they do. Let us put Jesus Christ in our heart and do what he did – Forgiving others. As God says in the Holy Bible – “For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.” (Hebrew 10: 30)

Blogged in January 2003

God's Grace

 (1 Peter 5:10) “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you.”

            What is Grace? What do you mean by God’s Grace?

If you read (Psalm 84:11) “For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly”. This verse says all about God’s Grace. He will give something to make us glory. And that gift which he gives is Grace. We all know that we are sinners. So as sinners we cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. So in order to make us enter into his Kingdom God is showing Grace upon us.

            If you look about the life of Jesus Christ in the book of (Luke 2:40) “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him”. We should be like Jesus Christ. Grace of God should also come upon us. So if you want the Grace of God, where can you get it? If you read (1 Corinthian 1:4) “I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ”. So only through Jesus Christ we can get our God’s Grace.

            What are the characteristics of God’s Grace?

1. If you serve God you will get great grace.             (Acts 4:33) “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all”.

2. It should reign us. When Jesus Christ reign in us, grace will reign us. If Jesus Christ wants to reign us we should serve him. (Romans 5:21) “That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord”.

3. It is by the grace of Jesus Christ that he gave his blood for our sins that we are living now. So if you allow Jesus Christ to enter, your sins will be forgiven. (Ephesians 2:8) “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God”.

This verse talks all about it. God wants us to be out of sins. So he gave his grace to us. God’s grace is Jesus Christ. So when you accept this God’s grace you will be out of your sins.

            Many people say like after getting examination results – Because of God’s grace I got good percentage. So everyone accepts God’s grace. We can say – “Because of God’s Grace I will go to the Kingdom of God”.

            After getting the results we say “It is because of God’s grace’. After saying this we will do the same thing that we did earlier. When God gives His grace to us to get out of our sins, he forgives our sins. He gives his grace not to make us sin again. Bible says (Romans 6:1) “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?”. God gave himself as a punishment for our sins. So we can do one thing. From today if you accept Jesus Christ, try not to sin. When you accept Jesus Christ try not to do sins. When you accept Jesus Christ your sins will be forgiven.

 

(Hebrew 4:16) “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need”.

 

First Sermon blogged by this ministry - January 2003.