seeklifepurpose

Want to be successful?

2012-02-22T09:42:00.006+05:30

Proverbs 22: 29

"Do you see those who are skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank. "

1 Samuel 18:14

"In everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him"

Let us set before us these two verses and meditate on them. These beautiful verses teach us more than what we could ever learn from the best of the books on success and personality development, and thus the word of God is so powerful beyond our imagination.

In today's world, being successful is not very easy. The competion is so high and it is obvious why people look for shortcuts for success. We are on the lookout of someone who would make us successful, may be a workshop that could be life changing!. Believe me, people are ready to give what ever it takes to succeed and are ready even to take short cuts.

Well, as Christians and children of God, how are we to look at it and conduct ourselves to be successful?. Do I need favour from men?, Do I need to toil hard, Do I need to do this, that...Oh! the list is endless. But sometimes for very complex questions, the answer is even simple. This applies to this context perfectly.

David was a very successful man, for that matter every God fearing person in the Bible was successful. But let us take David as an example and apply two of his key qualities in our lives.

First, David was skilled at his work. We know he was a shephered and he was so much skilled in rearing sheeps. David was skilled in fighting battles too.We could do a big study on thess qualities of David but let's reserve it for another day. Secondly, David feared and loved God, and hence God was with him in whatever he did.

God was with him when he reared the sheeps as well as when he ruled Israel and hence David was successful. Dear friends, the same unchanging God is still helping those look up to Him for success in their workplaces, business and in whatever they do. But one important thing, God expects to put some efforts to be skilled in our work. God will never help a person who is not willing to put effort. Today,may be you are reading this and you have a deep desire to be successful in whatever field you are and success seems to be far from you, I have a good news for you.

Would you invite Jesus Christ into your heart and commit your life to Him? and the next thing, do an analysis of what skills you lack to be successful and take efforts to improve it. I can assure you, if you do both these things, you will see a change in your life. I can guarantee it as I have seen that change in myself. May be you are hurt, frustrated, always seen failures, there is no body to lift you up or motivate, you feel that you lack wisdom...Why don't you try Jesus today?.

The importance of God in our life

2012-01-26T19:53:00.003+05:30

Have you ever been at the cross roads with the thought "Should I depend on God" or "Should I toil myself to succeed". I have had these thoughts sweeping me many times. There have been times when I thought God would do everything, and there were also times when I thought that only if I sweat it out, I could succeed.

Whenever we keep God aside and start doing things on our own, We would see ourselves busy doing many things, but at the end everything would seem to be a vanity. We would get many ideas, inspiration and confidence when we look at the things of this world. This could go on well for some time, but after that there won't be any substance in that.

I believe it is only when we sense our purpose, we could have meaning in our life and the purpose of our lives are laid out by God. This is the missing link and it could never be found out if we keep God away from us. When God purposes something in our life, we wont have any confusions and contradictory thoughts. We would succeed in everything that we do. On the contrary, without God also people succeed. But there is a difference. If you are doing it yourself, you might venture out in 10 things and succeed in only one. But with God, you might venture into only one thing, but you will be at the top in that. Got the difference?. When God proposes, nobody on this earth can dispose His plan.

The Bible says in Proverbs 19:21 "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails." This is an amazing verse. Read this many times and you will get the answer. For a wordly person, there would be many plans in his heart. He need to work his way for it. But for a child of God, it is only the purpose of God that prevails, no matter what happens.

Dear friend, It is so comforting to hear these things. All that we need to do to know the purpose of our lives is to go to God with a humble heart, confess our sins before Him and ask for His directions in our life. We need to do this each moment in our lives. The rest of the things He will take care in a way that would be beyond our imaginations!.

The power in the word of God

2011-10-29T04:59:00.003+05:30

There can be instances in our life where we have some doubts about the existance of God, and in particular about the authenticity of Christianity. Well, to question anything is the usual behavior of our mind, but getting the right answer saves us from much troubles.

In this world there are many religions, and day by day, a number of philosophies, guidelines to a happy life etc.. are on the rise. If we are not certain and clear of the truth, we will be shaken and taken for a ride in the roller coster called life.

A clear understanding of the word of God, under the guidance of the Holy spirit is the only way through which we can swim through all these deadly waters. The mandatory need for each and every Christian is to have a clear understanding of the word of God and for that, the only way is to invest our time to read it. We may look for short cuts, a verse here and a verse there, and get satisfied. But this never serves the purpose.

"Study" is different from reading. You read through a news paper, but study your subject like science or mathematics. Got the difference?. Most of us just read the Bible and this is never going to help us much in reality. Yes, it might be comforting to read the Bible when you are weak and depressed and it might give a temporary relief. But if you want the everlasting peace as God promises, then the word of God has to become part and parcel of our life.

We should not neglect anything from Bible. Right from Genesis to Revealation, everything was written under the influence of the Holy spirit with a purpose. I believe, we are expected to "study" the entire Bible atleast once in our lifetime and believe me the impact that it would make in our life cannot be measured.

Our life will be free of unnecessary doubts, thoughts and we will never be misled by the fancy philosophies (they might give a temporary ecastsy)if we are deeply rooted in the word of God.

Each and every word in the Bible has the power to change our lives. The Holy Spirit along with the word of God is the only source of transformation of our lives in this world. I bet, nothing else can transform our character and personality.

There are so many things that could be written on this subject, but I would like to close it with these simple thoughts. Spare some time for Bible study every day. I mean every day. Never miss a single day. We can have so many excuses, but if we have self discipline (which too is a gift of the Holy Spirit!) we can overcome all the distractions. Take a character from the Bible and study it, or take a situation, or do some research about the creation of the world. Be it anything, study something...Nothing will go as waste. Like a seed, it will get planted in you and at some point of time in your life, you will rest under the shadow of that tree which was planted in you long ago!.

For our inspiration, here are some scriptures that confirms what we discussed.

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither..." Psalm 1:1-3

How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You." Psalm 119:9-11

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8

This web page has some beautiful verses that explain the qualities of the word of God. I encourage you to have a look

http://www.crossroad.to/HisWord/verses/topics/Word.htm

Eternal life - What it is?

2011-10-24T10:01:00.003+05:30

When we hear the word "Eternal life", What comes to our mind?. Is it something related to an unending life?, Is it a life that will be without pain and agony, tensions and frustrations?, or will it be a life devoid of death?. It is very essential to understand the correct meaning of eternal life.

Let us see what the word of God says about this. John 17:3 "And this is the way to have eternal life--to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth"(NLT).

Does it seem contrary to what we have been thinking?, To understand this, let us go back to Genesis, and recollect the events during the creation. God's primary purpose to create everything was to benefit man, and the purpose for which He created man was to have fellowship with Him. In simple terms, God wanted a companion, and wanted Himself to reveal to that companion, and that companion happened to be Adam and Eve.

But due to the intervention of Satan, Adam and Eve lost the fellowship with God, and God was no more willing to reveal Himself to them. The lost relationship was rebuilt when God sent Jesus Christ to the earth. That is the reason Jesus tells that He alone can provide eternal life.

Remember this always, Eternal life is the pursuit of knowing a magnificent God through His revealation to us. When we are born again through the act of the Holy Spirit by having faith in Jesus Christ, and when we are passionate to know God, God reveals Himself to us in many ways. This, then is eternal life. May God grant us the desire to Know Him.

Our life - The greatest source of gospel

2011-10-22T17:12:00.006+05:30

Are we so passionate about spreading the gospel and not able to do much because of the lack of opportunities?. Some of us might be having thoughts of organizing a meeting, or a musical program, or giving a great speech like one of those great preachers, and yet we are not able to move beyond just dreaming.

We might be thinking that only by conducting meetings and other gospel events, we can touch people, but that is not the only way. I believe, everyone is not called for that. But, I can tell this for sure. God wants everyone's life to be a message to others. The way we conduct and live before others makes the biggest impact than anything else.

We are the gospel to the world. People followed Jesus not only because of His preachings, but he lived a life that was absolutely in line with His preachings. He was lovable to all. He never had any grudge against anyone, He was always willing to comfort and help others, People could not find any fault in Him. All these and more, He achieved by living an ordinary life as a human being just like you and me.

Whenever Jesus went somewhere, the Bible says that people thronged to see and interact with Him. People from all sorts of culture were there. He did not restrict His associations with any particular group. He was open to all. He treated everyone in the same way.

How are we today?. What about our life in our workplaces and in our home and neighborhood. Are we loved by others and do we love others?. Believe me, each of us can make a great impact on others only through our life. Our life speaks more than a thousand sermons. The next time, when you are annoyed with a coworker, dont use a harsh word, instead act in a dignified manner. The next time the neighbor parks his car in front of your gate, dont shout at him, speak words of kindness instead. This is the way to change others.

Be the change that you want to see in the world. I believe this is possible when we allow the Holy Spirit of God to take control of our life. Let us try to live a life in a beautiful way, pleasing to God and others.

The faultless Samuel

2011-10-17T09:22:00.003+05:30

Samuel was a man who loved God and was loved by God. What a remarkable personality?. He was a king maker, and yet before God he was the most humble man that we see. He depended on God for everything, and it is this quality that gave him that prominent position in Israel. He never took a decision without consulting God. How many of us do that today?. It might be a small decision of buying a household appliance. Do we take a minute to enquire God about that?. Let us analyze.

Samuel was a man of honesty and integrity, two of the greatest virtues that every leader should possess. The entire nation of Israel was a testimony to his awesome qualities. We read about this in Samuel's farewell speech to the people of Israel. 1Samuel 12 :1-5
"1 Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. 2 Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. 3 Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the LORD and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these things, I will make it right.”
4 “You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.”

5 Samuel said to them, “The LORD is witness against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.” “He is witness,” they said.

Oh, what a testimony!. How many of us can boast of such a respect from the people. This is a very good example to us that if we are faithful and honest in whatever responsibility that we are given, we would be exalted by God, and we will win the hearts of all the people with whom we interact. As Christians, we need to be different from others. We need to be a cut above the rest. This is what our God expects. We need to be hardworking, sincere, smart, honest and above all, faultless.

When You Feel Far Away From God

2011-10-16T16:21:00.002+05:30

This article was very useful to me. Hope each of us reading would get encouraged by it.

In a life of faith, looks can be deceiving. by Dianne E. Butts

source :http://nowwhat.cog7.org/Articles/ChristianFaith/General/When_You_Feel_Far_Away_From_God.html
"If you feel far away from God, guess who moved!"

I read the one-liner in a magazine and chuckled. But later I questioned its wisdom.

How many times have I felt so close to God one day, but so far from Him the next? I wondered. I know sin erects barriers between us and God, but sometimes He seems distant even when I have not sinned. Why does God feel far away just when I need Him most -- when I'm in difficult circumstances or when my situation looks hopelessly impossible?

I never intend to move away from God, especially in tough times. Yet sometimes He feels so far away. What has happened?

Defeat after victory
I'm not the only one who has felt this shift.
In a dramatic display of God's power, the prophet Elijah witnessed God's nearness. He challenged the prophets of Baal to climb Mount Carmel for a contest: his God against theirs. After these false prophets spent most of the day pleading for their god to accept their sacrifice, Elijah prayed to the one true God. Immediately "the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil . . ." (1 Kings 18:38). Amazed by God's response, the people put the prophets of Baal to death.

When wicked Queen Jezebel heard what had happened to her prophets, she sent Elijah a message: "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them" (19:2).
As a result, "Elijah was afraid and ran for his life" (v. 3).

Did Elijah feel the Lord had left him in the middle of this difficult situation? After watching God's defeat of Baal's prophets, did Elijah think God would not, or could not, help him?

Faulty feelings
I have fought similar thoughts and feelings as I've slipped into spiritual valleys, often following "mountain top" experiences. But I'm learning not to trust those feelings. Our feelings fluctuate with our circumstances and other factors, and often do not accurately portray our situation. For instance, just because I feel God is far away does not mean He is far away. We know He is the God who has promised "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5) and "Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).

When we base our faith on feelings, our faith fluctuates with every high and low in life. But when we base our faith on what we know of the unchangeable God, our faith remains steady, even in tough times.

Faulty senses
Also, our physical senses -- touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste -- can influence our internal or "gut" feelings. Elijah's successor, Elisha, was helping the king of Israel frustrate the efforts of an invading army. Enraged, the enemy king sent "a strong force" to capture Elisha.

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes so he may see." Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire . . ." (2 Kings 6:15-17).

The servant saw the enemy army surrounding him and Elisha, and he felt their situation was hopeless. But his sight deceived him because he could not see all that surrounded them -- not until God allowed him a glimpse of the vast spiritual army present to protect them.

Martha, whose brother Lazarus had died, learned that her physical sense of smell did not necessarily tell the whole story of her seemingly impossible predicament. When Jesus instructed her to take the stone away from the tomb of her dead brother, she hesitated.
"But, Lord . . . by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. Then . . . Jesus . . . called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out . . . (John 11:39-41, 43, 44).

Spiritual realm
Do our physical perceptions always reflect our entire situation? Can our senses, like our internal feelings, deceive us? If we base our faith only on what our physical senses can perceive, we will fail to take into account the spiritual realm. But there is a spiritual realm, for "God is spirit" (John 4:24).
When we base our faith on spiritual realities, which are not governed by physical laws, our faith will not crumble when circumstances look hopeless or impossible, because we know "nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37).

Knowing God
Faith tough enough to withstand tough times must not be based on what we feel or even what we perceive with our physical senses, but on what we know about God.
David, a young shepherd boy, did this. When he told King Saul he would fight Goliath, Saul tried to discourage him; but David wouldn't listen.
"Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it . . . The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine" (1 Samuel 17:34, 35).

Had David based his faith only on his gut feelings, he might have felt as terrified as Saul and the other Israelites (v. 11). And if he had reacted only to what he saw, the sight of the armor-clad, nine-foot champion (v. 4) might have frightened him away. But David knew the Lord had helped him perform his shepherd duties in the ordinary days of his life when he fought the lion and the bear. He knew God would help him fight Goliath.

Growing faith
How can we know God as David did? We can experience Him on ordinary days by asking Him to help us with decisions and problems. We can study the Bible and the stories of people like Elijah, Elisha, Martha, and David.
As we get to know God better, we begin to base our faith on what we know, not on what we feel or perceive through our physical senses. That kind of faith grows as we grow in our knowledge and understanding of Him. And a growing relationship with God matures into a faith that stands the test of tough times.
After pondering that one-liner in the magazine, I think I'd be inclined to rewrite: "If you feel far away from God, quit relying on what you feel and start relying on what you know!"

Saul - Israel's first king

2011-10-16T15:37:00.003+05:30

In the last post, we saw about the circumstances that forced God to think about appointing a king for the nation of Israel. In this post, let us see how God went about in doing it.

Since the people of Israel were very particular in their request for a King, God finally decided to grant them a king but not before warning them with the consequences that they would face with the earthly king. We read about these in 1 Samuel 8:10-17. But the people were not ready to give up their demands, they were very stubborn.

In 1 Samuel chapter 9, we read an account of how God went about choosing Saul to be the king of Israel. Now, Saul was an ordinary young man, a Benjamite from the smallest tribe of Israel, but the Bible says he was handsome and a head taller than anyone else.

The donkeys belonging to Saul's father Kish were missing, he asked Saul to go in search of them along with a servant. After searching at a few places, Saul decided to give up,and he said to his servant 1 Samuel 9:5 "When they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, “Come, let’s go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.”
Saul was an impatient man. We could see many instances of his impatience as we read through his story, and it was one of the qualities in him that led to his downfall.

The servant told Saul that they could meet Samuel, the man of God and he would be able to give some details about the donkeys. In the meantime, God spoke to Samuel about Saul, 1 Samuel 9:15-17 "15 Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed this to Samuel: 16 “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on my people, for their cry has reached me.” 17 When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the LORD said to him, “This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.”

Now imagine, if the servant was not there, Saul would have lost his opportunity due to his impatience. Saul meets Samuel, and Samuel gives tells him of three things that should happen before he can become a king, we can read all these in 1 Samuel chapter 10. Samuel asks Saul to wait for him for 7 days, but again Saul could not wait due to his impatient nature. Amidst all these, Saul was anointed by Samuel as the first King of Israel.

I would like to close this with a beautiful verse from 1 Samuel chapter 10, verse 6 "The Spirit of the LORD will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person". Yes, when we are filled with the Holy spirit of God, our personalities would change. This then, is the journey of Saul from an ordinary person to becoming the king of Israel, a magical change of life that was orchestrated by God alone. Even today, the same God could work wonders in our lives if we obey and trust Him.

Israel's first request for a King

2011-10-16T07:06:00.002+05:30

Let us look at a different topic today. This is about the consequences that led the people of Israel to ask for a worldy King. We know that the people of Israel were under the direct rule of God. The judges appointed by God were their first point of contact for settling disputes.

In 1 Samuel, we read that Samuel was appointed by God to be their judge. Samuel was a man who loved and revered God. He was a hard working man, and he always thought about the well being of the people of Israel. We read in 1 Samuel Chapter 6,that when Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as leaders, but they were not good. They went after bribes and other illegal ways of earning money.

1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

The children of Godly leaders too fail, what an eyeopener for us!. This is the first reason that the people of Israel wanted a king. They were not ready to trust the children of Samuel. When we lose our trust and integrity, we will be disliked and replaced.

This was the time that Israel as a nation was under severe threat of a war. People thought that only if the have a king, they can be secure. They went and told Samuel about their concern. Samuel was very angry not because they rejected his sons, but they rejected their rule of God. This shows that a leader like Samuel cared more about God than his family.

God told Samuel to breif the people against the dangers of having a king, but the people were not ready to give up. So, God finally decided to give them a king. Sometimes in our life, when we go against the will of God, there would be some warnings. But if we forsake them, We might get what we wanted, but we inherit trouble.

As children of God, we would only be safe if we are under His direct rule. But when we choose the ways of the world, and look at others, we start rejecting His rule and land ourselves in trouble. Today, whatever might be the case, if we are not under God's governance, let us ask Him to come and take His place in our lives. We may think that our assets, job, education etc, might be our security, but in seconds they would vanish.

Only God's protection and rule lasts forever. Let us safely return to the rule of His Kingdom.

In the next post, we will look at how God chose the first King of Israel.

Response and Reaction

2011-10-12T09:03:00.003+05:30

Reaction and response may seem to signify the same thing, but there is a big difference. When something that we don't like happens, How do we handle?. Do we rush to conclusions, lose our composure and start to attack the problem without thinking much, or we remain calm, collect the facts and then respond to the problem?.

When we respond to the problem in a calm and correct manner after gathering all the information, we will always be successful. We will never lose our image and respect. Rememeber, it takes a lot of time to gain respect, but takes a second of foolish act to lose it.

Next time, whenever we are faced with tough and provoking situations, let us atleast take a couple of minutes before we react to the situation. Those two minutes will be very helpful to avoid many unpleasent happenings. May be your boss irritates you, or a coworker or neighbour is of nuisance. Take some time analyze the situation and then handle it. It is also true that only in those moments, God can speak to us. Let us always remember that we need to be smart, and not foolish in our actions.

Hannah - A Character study

2011-10-09T15:55:00.001+05:30

1 Samuel starts with the story of Hannah. Her husband Elkanah had another wife called Peninnah. For some reason, Elkanah loved Hannah more than Peninnah though Hannah was barren and Peninnah had children. This clearly shows that love need not be based on our posessions. I am amazed to think that God too loves us even if we are "useless" and have "nothing".

Verse 5 "But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the LORD had closed her womb."

Why was Hannah barren?. It was because Lord had shut her womb,and it is God who gave her favor in her husband's eyes. Peninnah started teasing Hannah since she was barren. Let us get a feel of that from the verse below.

"Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat"(Verse 7)

If we were in Hannah's place, what we would have done?. Probably we would have given a mouthful back, or used the influence with Elkanah to throw the rival. But Hannah did not do any of these. She was a Godly woman and had such wonderful qualities. She knew that it is better to go to the Lord than to retaliate. All she wanted was a child and she knew that the enemy would shut up once she gets a child.

She went to the presence of God and poured her heart. Do we do this when we are in a need?. We must learn from Hannah here. Nobody could help us in our trying circumstances other than God. Verse 10 says "In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly."

Even while praying, she had to face some taunts. This time from a very old leader of the church, Eli. Mistaking her to be drunk, he shouted at her. Hannah's response here too was a Godly one. Even during her weak phase, she didnt lose her composure. On, what a lesson?.

Once she had poured her heart out to God, her face changed and the downcast look had gone. Those who look upon God will never be let down. God answered Hannah's prayer and she gave birth to Samuel, who would go on to become one of the greatest prophets of God and who anointed King David.

These are the lessons that we learn from Hannah

1. She was pious and simple
2. She was polite
3. She was a woman of faith and prayer
4. She was truthful and loyal to God (as she had vowed, she gave Samuel to the service of the Lord)
5. She was a dutiful woman

Let us learn these things from this wonderful woman.

Kingdom of God

2011-10-09T15:11:00.003+05:30

Matthew 6:33

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

The above verse is a very powerful one than what we think. We just side step this verse very often,and go on with our own priorities. We go after things that are not that important. We are eventually led to believe in a certain format, which slowly sets in, and grips our life.

For some, money is the motivation, for some others fame and luxury may be the motivation. Things like music, sports, travel, work etc...could be the other driving forces of our life. we see today's world filled with the pursuit of these things one way or the other, and hence life becomes very difficult.

But Jesus is too good a person to follow. All He says is that "You seek me", and "I will give you all the other things that you may need". So simple, isnt it?. What are the things that He promises to the one who seeks Him?. Let us look at the verses preceeding this.

Verses 28-31 " 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’" (NIV)

You get the point?, He promises to give everything that we "Need". Need is the key word. God always speaks to the point.

We may have been driven by several things in our life so far, and all our pursuits could have been in vain which could have led us to feel unworthy. But, can we try seeking Him today?. The only purpose you and me exist is to seek Him. If we do this, We can be assured that we are into His safest hands forever.

Would you pray this prayer with me?

Dear Heavenly father, So far in my life, I have been driven by so many passions. I have worn myself out in pursuit of the things of this world. I have no satisfaction, no peace. I am in desperate need of a changeover in life. I want to seek you from now. Please come into my heart and lead me in your way. Thank you Lord for accepting me. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Never come to a conclusion without knowing the facts

2011-10-08T15:50:00.003+05:30

"As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.” - 1 Samuel 1:12-14

While reading the above verse, We see that Eli accuses Hannah to be drunk without giving much thought. The reality was that Hannah was praying to God as her soul was bitter. What a harsh and unreasonable comment by an elderly leader.

The response of Hannah was amazingly humble, for she was a Godly woman. Let us look at her response, Verse 15-16

“Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”

Sometimes we come to conclusions very fast, without knowing the facts. This is very dangerous. We should always take time to analyze what we are going to say and weigh our words carefully. Once again read through Hannah's reply. Each and every word is measured and exactly to the point. Let us learn this simple trait in our life from this Godly woman who gave birth to one of the greatest prophets, Samuel.

Rules for self discovery

2011-10-08T15:43:00.000+05:30

Rules for Self Discovery

1. What we want most;

2. What we think about most;

3. How we use our money;

4. What we do with our leisure time;

5. The company we enjoy;

6. Who and what we admire;

7. What we laugh at.

~A.W. Tozer

Technology and faith

2011-10-06T17:28:00.003+05:30

This is an excellent address on the problems of evil, suffering and death by Billy Graham in one of the technological conferences.

It is so amazing to know this fact about Baise Pascal.
On November 23rd, 1654, Pascal had a profound religious experience. He wrote in his journal these words: "I submit myself, absolutely, to Jesus Christ my Redeemer."

The entire speech can be accessed from this url http://www.ted.com/talks/billy_graham_on_technology_faith_and_suffering.html

Let God speak to us through this wonderful speech.

overcoming impure thoughts

2011-09-23T09:42:00.002+05:30

back to the blog after a long gap. wanted to post on an important topic.

Thought Life
... Overcoming Impure Thoughts
Written by: Drury, Keith

source www.believersweb.com

"...and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
-- 2 Corinthians 10:5

We live in a sex-saturated society. Advertisers use "sex appeal" to sell perfume, after shave lotion, blue jeans, hosiery, even toothpaste. Most of the TV advertising we see is carefully designed to appeal to our sensual natures. A modern diet cola advertisement is quite as erotic as many "girlie magazines" of a few decades ago. Magazines, books, newspapers, billboards, movies, even office conversations offer stimulation of the sexual parts of our beings. An increasing host of "soft core" TV programs titillate millions of viewers nightly, and what was once considered blatantly "sexy" is now accepted as good taste in clothing.

Is it any wonder that believers living in such a society are troubled by improper sexual thoughts? The temptation to dwell on sexual themes and erotic thoughts is everywhere.

Impure thoughts are not a temptation limited to young men. I once thought this to be so, but experience in counseling many years has taught me otherwise. I have talked with scores of older men who are plagued with this private sin and have suffered for the forty or fifty years since their teen years. Neither is lust the exclusive sin of men. My wife reports from her traveling and speaking schedule that she has counseled with innumerable women, young and old alike, who suffer with habitual sensual fantasies.

If this area of temptation is completely foreign to you, or you are aghast that Christians exist who wrestle with this awful demon, the following excerpts from two letters, may be helpful in describing the depth of this particular fleshly sin:

"I'm desperate for any help you can give me. I am so sick of my obsession with impure thoughts that I've even thought of suicide. I feel so filthy, so dirty, so unworthy after I've given in and dwelled on some memory or daydream about a beautiful woman. My guilt brings me to confess. And I promise God I'll never do it again. But I do. I always do. Sometimes I fight heroically. Sometimes I even beat this monster, but I often fall. Real often.

"Is there help for me? Am I too far gone? Should I simply give up at trying to be a Christian? That's how I feel sometimes. This filthy habit has clung to my life for more than 30 years. I've never told anybody else about it. My pastor, the board, the whole church -- even my wife -- all think I am a perfect model Christian. But I know I am rotten inside. I feel like such a hypocrite! Is there hope for me? If so, I need it soon."

Or, consider this letter my wife received from a delightfully talented woman.

"I had never even thought of how women have impure thoughts until last week at your session. I always figured that guys were the ones who had problems with "dirty thoughts." But maybe I have a problem too. "There's this handsome young man in our church choir who is not only talented, but pays attention to me. My husband is one of those guys who pretty well ignores me -- especially in public. But this guy treats me like a queen. He listens to what I have to say, looks right into my face, and acts like I am an important person. You know what I mean... he just treats me special.

"Anyway, I wonder if this has become a trap for me. I think about him all the time... while I'm working, during church services, even when I'm with my husband. Not that I think of having sex with him or anything like that. I just invent these intensely romantic scenes in my mind, as if they are happening between this fellow and me. It's exciting! But I wonder if it's wrong. Is it O.K. as long as I don't actually fantasize about the actual sex act? I hope you can guide me on this because I've been troubled about it all this week.

"P.S. All this has made a big difference in how I feel about myself lately. I now have something to get up for in the morning again. Even my husband complimented me recently (believe it on not!) on how nicely I've been dressing. Could these thoughts be wrong when they seem to have so many benefits????"

What would you tell this woman? What would you tell that man?

What is "Lust"?

Some spiritual advisors are not worried by these kinds of thoughts. They soothe troubled Christians by saying that sexual fantasies are common, normal and quite innocent. A few even consider impure thoughts as healthy for your marriage.

The Bible is not so soft. It names such thoughts with one word: "lust." God's Word condemns lust as sin. Christians are to get rid of it along with other evil thoughts, words, and actions. Fooling around with lust is like playing with a loaded gun. Given the chance, impure thoughts will ruin your soul. Lust is serious. Jesus shocked His audience by stating that in God's sight, lust is as serious as adultery itself.

So, what is lust? It is dwelling on sexual thoughts which, if you carried them out in real life would be clearly sin. Lust is sexual or sensual fantasies about someone you are not married to. Lust is sinful sexual passion. It is sinful sexual thinking nurtured in your mind and dwelled on for the sake of personal sensual pleasure. Lust is willful...it is purposefully thinking these thoughts.

Lust is not temptation. If you are blessed with high sexual energy, you may be especially tempted in this area. Satan may frequently remind you of some memory, tempting you to dwell on it. Or he may attempt to seduce you to fantasize about a particular person. This is not lust; it is temptation. While it is sometimes difficult for us to determine that fine line between disobedience and temptation, there is a world of difference between an evil thought and the thought of evil. Even our Perfect Example had thoughts of evil while He was not guilty of evil thoughts. He banished these thoughts from His mind with a decisive refusal to surrender, and a quote from God's word. Lust is not temptation. It is surrendering to temptation...dwelling on the impure thoughts Satan has presented to our minds.

Neither is dreaming lustful in itself. Dreams are a mysterious function of our subconscious mind. Have you ever dreamed that you had shot and killed someone? I have. I woke up trembling, and felt as if I had actually committed murder. But I was not guilty of murder, even in God's sight. God does not hold us accountable for the mysterious workings of our subconscious mind. Dreaming is not sin... daydreaming is the problem.

Lust is purposefully dwelling on sinful, sensual thoughts. These are the wild horses of our mind which must be tracked down, captured, and made obedient to Christ.

So What's the Trouble with Impure Thoughts?

1. You will come to justify sin.

The Great Deceiver tells you, "Don't worry about these thoughts, they're harmless, innocent fantasies." He would like you to dismiss them as the ordinary musings of all humanity. This sometimes works. The human mind cannot survive long when our behavior is out of sync with our beliefs. If you believe something is wrong you will want to stop it. However, if you fail at your attempt to stop, you will then try to sanctify the thought, word, or deed. You justify it as appropriate, thus escaping the tension of doing what you know you shouldn't. If you do not beat this thing, eventually you'll simply justify lust as ordinary and inescapable.

2. You will live a double life.

If you are truly saved, the Holy Spirit won't abandon His convicting work. Though you tell yourself this sin is O.K. the Holy Spirit will keep telling you otherwise. You will then adopt a new strategy: you partition life like a roll-top desk. You decide to simply ignore this part of your life. You create a pigeonhole for impure thoughts pretending they don't exist.

Churches are full of men and women who live this kind of double life. They tuck their evil thoughts into a sealed desk drawer of their mind. Into this drawer they enter alone. These folk seem quite ordinary when you meet them, work with them, or serve on a committee with them. But they are a Jekyll-Hyde Christian. Though they grow in other areas, appearing to make progress along the highway of holiness, they have a cancerous closet in their mind. These double-minded Christians sneak off to their private closets of their minds. There they dwell on corrupt and sordid thoughts, then cower back full of guilt and despair. This is a wretched way to live.

3. Lustful thirst is unquenchable.

Sexual pursuits outside marriage is like an empty well. It promises satisfaction, leaving you unfulfilled. It is an unsatisfying pursuit. The more you dwell on these thoughts, the less exciting they will be for you. In your quest for fulfillment you will mount a perpetual treadmill of self gratification. The faster you chase satisfaction, the less satisfied you'll be. Like drinking salt water, the more you drink the less satisfied you'll be.

4. You will become obsessed.

Sexual fantasies are addictive. Once you establish the habit, you will begin a relentless cycle of obsession. These thoughts will gradually permeate every recess of your mind. They will dominate you, enslaving you in a bondage of despair. Eventually your entire life will be tarnished by them. You will be "hooked" on the opium of sexual fantasies. You will be obsessed with your quest for satisfaction -- always hungering, never satisfied. You will then be lust's slave.

5. Lust diverts wholesome sexual energy.

The devil didn't invent sex. God did. He termed it "good" along with the rest of creation. The most important sex organ in your body is your mind. God designed your mind with the powerful capacity to direct and focus sexual energy toward another. This remarkable mental ability is God-given and designed to produce the great sexual satisfaction in marriage. This God-given ability should be focused on your mate, not squandered on some fleeting fantasy. When you surrender to impure thoughts, you poke a leak in your own sexual energy, which ultimately produces frustration and unfulfillment.

6. Thoughts lead to action.

On this one concept philosophers and great thinkers throughout history agree: as you think, you shall become. If you think positive, uplifting, wholesome, healthy thoughts, you will eventually become a positive, healthy, uplifting person. If you think gloomy, negative, sickly thoughts, you will turn out to be a negative, sickly person. What we think, we become. As Jesus put it, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."

Your mind is like a fertile field. A field doesn't care what you plant in it -- corn, oats, or wheat. It simply obeys the universal law: what you plant in the field, you'll get back in abundance. If you plant corn, you'll get corn. Wheat, wheat, and so on. Your mind is like this fertile field. Your thoughts are seeds. What you plant, will sprout and grow, eventually producing an abundant crop in real life.

Can you see the ultimate results of impure thinking? "Innocent fantasies" planted in your mind will eventually produce an abundant crop of sinful behavior. What you thought was a benign mental pastime carried on in the privacy of your mind will turn out to be the doorway through which your moral downfall enters. Thoughts lead to actions. Your sensual thought life will not escape this universal law of life. Sooner or later you will act as you think.

Ten Steps Out

How to Completely Overcome Impure Thoughts

If you have been enslaved by impure thoughts, there is good news for you. You can be free. Completely so! If you seriously hunger to be free from the bondage of impure thoughts, God is able to do it. He can!

The following are ten steps you can begin today. They are not some philosophy dreamed up in an ivory tower of theory. Rather, they have been hammered out in the trenches of life by hundreds of men and women who once suffered in defeat, but are now free of this "clinging" sin (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Though they are "steps" in one way, they are not to be considered completely sequential. Though there is a general arrangement of the order, each point must be continually maintained while others are added. Hundreds have followed these steps and found complete victory. You can too!

1. Confess.

All improvement starts with confession. Quit dismissing impure thoughts as inconsequential. Tear down the partition to that private closet in your mind, allowing Christ's light to expose these thoughts of darkness. Call them what God does: lust. Agree with God concerning this sin and begin your journey to a pure mind.

2. Expose lust's "big lie."

Admit to yourself and to God that this way of life does not bring the ultimate satisfaction. Acknowledge that the promises of the Deceiver are out-and-out lies. Lust is not satisfying. It never has been... never will be. Keep reminding yourself that the Devil is a liar from the beginning. Start remembering where all this "daydreaming" could eventually lead...to behavior, moral collapse, the break-up of your home.

3. Starve the sources.

Track down your stimuli and get tough with them! What is it that gets your mind going? Is it the "story section" of a woman's magazine? Is it a particular TV program? Videos? Soap Operas? Music? Is it a certain person who is flirting with you? Is it double-meaning kidding with someone? Is it "girlie magazines?" Do romance novels start your sexual engines? Is it indecent jokes or stories of another's sexual activities? What is the outside source of your temptation?

Your mind is fearfully and wonderfully made. It is incredible. Better than man's best computer, the mind is constantly receiving messages, processing input, and affecting your behavior. When you expose your mind to stimuli, it affects what you think. If your mind is wandering into sexual fantasies, somewhere along the line it has received stimuli which triggered these thoughts. Track down and avoid your besetting stimuli. "Be careful, little eyes, what you see."

If you were a rehabilitated alcoholic, you would have to learn to stay away from alcohol. If God had delivered you from drinking, would you drop into a bar just to check out how well God had delivered you? Would you order a beer and set it before you just to test your resistance? No! You would avoid alcohol in any form whatsoever.

So it is with lust. Lust is a hungry carnivorous monster. It must be fed "flesh" to survive. External stimuli trigger lust. These stimuli continuously nourish and multiply a lustful orientation. Since society is saturated with sexual stimuli, you may be tempted to play along -- simply giving up. But you need not do this. With a little thought you could make a list of the ten most dangerous "triggers" for temptation in this area. Then starve the sources.

4. Win with the Word!

How shall a young man keep his way pure? How will you keep from sinning against God? By hiding God's Word in your heart. A consistent habit of reading, memorizing and meditating on God's Word is incompatible with impure thoughts. One will eventually destroy the other. Which one wins in your life? (Consider Psalm 119:11... better yet, all of Psalm 119.)

A believer who is failing to live above impure thoughts will almost always confess he or she is not practicing a regular habit of systematic devotional Bible reading. The road to thought purity always runs through Scripture. The most important habit you can begin, to aid you in your battle against temptation, is a daily "Time Alone with God." If the devil is tempting you to lustful thoughts, start with these scriptures:

2 Corinthians 10:5
Psalm 119:9-11
James 1:14-15
2 Timothy 2:22
Hebrews 3:1
1 Timothy 4:12
1 Timothy 5:2
Colossians 3:2-7
1 Corinthians 10:13
Galatians 5:24-25
Philippians 4:7
Corinthians 6:18-20
Psalm 13:2
Psalm 19:13-14
Proverbs 2:12-191
Proverbs 5:1-23
Proverbs 6:24-29
Proverbs 7:1-27

5. Practice "Displacement."

"An idle mind is the devil's workshop." If you have ample amounts of unoccupied time, you will be a "sitting duck" for Satan. If you are often alone, you may find Satan coming in like a flood during these times. Perhaps your job is boring and unchallenging, allowing time for your mind to wander -- and wonder. When a mind is unoccupied the devil takes this opportunity to suggest sinful thoughts for you to dwell on. What you do with his "pitches" will determine dour destiny!

Displacement is concentrating your mental energies on other things (cf. Philippians 4:8). It is filling up your brain with other thoughts, focusing your mental powers elsewhere. Impure thoughts are crowded out. Search for a mental infatuation with something else: baseball, scripture memorization, an invention you're working on, taking a class at the nearby college, a new floor plan for your "dream house." Anything decent will do. Find something which can occupy your mind, and displace impure thoughts.

6. Redirect your thoughts.

If you are married, you have already discovered that the temptation to impure thoughts does not pass with the wedding ceremony. In some ways it increases. But the married person has one definite counter force against this temptation: When you are tempted to think sexual thoughts, go ahead and think them. What? Yes. Rather than developing a negative obsession about these thoughts, redirect them properly. Where? Toward your mate. Use your sexual thoughts to enhance your own sex life in marriage. Focus your thoughts toward marriage -- toward that relationship where sexual expression is beautiful and God-sanctified. This is the wholesome use of your powerful mental sexual energies.

7. "Drink from your own spring."

If you are single, skip this one. If you are married, work on developing a satisfying sexual relationship at home. A developing sexual relationship takes tenderness, understanding, and patient hard work. Learn to flirt with each other again. Recapture the tremendous sexual power of that meaningful glance. Practice romance. Spend some money. Surprise her! Allure him! Keep the fire hot at home.

8. Turn temptation into spiritual energy.

Do a turnabout on the devil. When he introduces some delectable temptation to you, immediately go to prayer. Not for yourself, but for others. Take your temptation as a signal that Satan would love to have you fall so that he can more easily get at those in your circle of influence. What about your son? Daughter? People in your church? Someone you discipled? Spouse? Congregation? Could they be tempted likewise? Most likely they are. Thus go to prayer for them, that they will be strong in their similar temptation. This is a great trick to play on Satan. His temptation merely sends you to earnest prayer for others. The more he tempts you, the more you pray -- what a clever ploy! What a mighty ministry of intercessory prayer!

9. Become accountable.

You will doubtless never beat this one alone. Find someone of the same sex whom you trust, preferable someone who has fought this battle and won. In a few cases I have know of husband-wife accountability on thought-life, but often an accountability relationship with someone of the same sex is better. Ask him or her to check up on your thought life every time he or she sees you. Make sure they are tough on you, never satisfied with less than 100% purity.

10. Seek deliverance.

This sin is usually too powerful to beat by the first nine steps alone. If you carefully follow each of the above prescriptions you will find great victories and progress in your struggle. You will become an overcomer most of the time. You may say, "I've come a long way," but you are not completely free. You will still yearn for complete freedom. You want more than partial victory. You are not even satisfied with 100% "victory." You want deliverance (Romans 7:24-25a; 8:2-3).

You can have it. God carries deliverance in stock. You can do more than fight the battle -- often winning, sometimes losing -- "one step forward, then two steps backward." You can do more than resist the magnetic pull of the flesh.

True, you will likely not ever be totally delivered from temptation in this area (or at least related areas). But you need not fall. You need not be content with being a "recovering lust-aholic."

You can have deliverance. You'll never completely beat this thing through striving, though strive you must. You'll never defeat this clinging habit through hard work, though work you must. Only the "Strong Man" can bind this evil spirit of the mind. It is only the Son of Man who can drive these thieves from the temple of your heart. God can deliver you. And He will. If you let Him.

Now don't leap too quickly at this opportunity for a shortcut. Don't say to yourself, "Good, I'll seek instant deliverance... it's certainly easier than memorizing these Scriptures." God will see through your shallowness and spiritual laziness. He expects you to work. And as you work, He also works (Philippians 1:6; 2:13). So, as you pursue thought purity, also seek His total deliverance. He can do it. He has done it for many; He can do it for you!

It could happen today, or after many months or even years of seeking. It could happen gradually or it could occur in a single instant. But it can happen. There is not one sin which you can not be free of. God forgives. He also delivers. Let it happen!

Now what about you, my friend?

Do you suffer defeat in your thought life? Has lust plagued you for years? Have you almost given up hope of being free of this beast? Don't give in. Don't give up. Rather, cheer up! Look up! Your hope of deliverance is near. If His gentle Spirit convicts you of this sin, rejoice. For He never convicts without the hope of correction. Your conviction is cause for joy. There is hope. Beginning today. You can be free!

Bible Study
Matthew 5:27-29.
In what way does Jesus here expand the interpretation of the seventh commandment?

2. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5.
What weapons might Paul be speaking of which can demolish "strongholds" and take "captive thoughts."

3. Psalm 119:9-10.
What preventative for sin is prescribed here?

5. 1 Corinthians 10:13.
Is it possible to be in a spot where we are helpless before temptation, unable to have victory?
What is the difference between "resistible temptation" and "escapable temptation?"

6. Colossians 3:5-6.
To what does lust belong?
What are we told to do with lust?

7. Philippians 4:7-8.
Besides guarding our hearts, what else will the "peace of Christ" guard?
What are eight types of thoughts with which we should fill our minds?

8. Colossians 3:1-2.
Where are we to set our hearts and minds?
What can a Christian do to develop a heavenly "mindset?"

9. Personal Reflection.

What is one single thing you could do in response to the truths of this chapter?

An action to take:

A promise to make:

The Good Shephered

2010-11-07T13:55:00.003+05:30

A shephered was leading a flock of sheep. Each and every sheep was obediently following him. Whenever he asked them to take rest, they laid on the pasture and relaxed, when he asked them to walk, they followed his voice. But there was one sheep which wanted to experiment in life. It was not satisfied with what the shephered was doing. It wanted more fun, more glamour, and it wanted to lead a different life than what the shephered wanted it to do.

The result, slowly it stared to wander off from the flock. It went through rugged terrains, and hurt its legs. It landed in a thick dense forest and was made to run for its life by furious wild animals. It tried many other things to be successful in life, and it thought that all the other sheeps in the flock are wasting their life by blindly following the shephered.

One day, after doing all it could in quest of the life which it set before itself, the lost sheep was at the cross roads, it did not know where to go, it was hungry, it was afraid, it was lonely, it was in despair, it did not know the way to reach its shephered. It started to understand the love of its shephered and was on the lookout for him to come and take it.

Are you that lost sheep looking for the good shephered, our Lord Jesus Christ. Are you the one who wandered away from His words and His plan and set out to accompolish something great in life. Are you the one who wanted to be independent in life?, Are you the one who got bored with the word of God?, Are you the one who found it difficult ot sit in the church?, Are you the one whose eyes were blinded by the lust and glamour of this world?, Are you the one who thought that you could live this life by your own intelligence?.

Oh, if it is you, dear friend, dont lose heart. Jesus is very near. He hasn't left you away. He is always willing to have you back. You need to change directions and invite Him to take you back into His strides. You need to give Him the first preference in all the areas of your life, not just when you are in need, but always. You need to seek Him before you start doing any other activity each day. If you are ready to do that, He will take you back, and not only that lead you through the green pastures and you will never be in want.

When you are away from God

2010-10-19T09:52:00.002+05:30

A popular saying is that feeling is deceptive. What we feel may not be real, but the feeling of the presence of God is absoultely real. I am not speaking about an outward or some sort of an emotional experience, but about the inner peace that surpasses everything else.

Have you ever felt being close to God?, and also at times away from God....?. I tell you being far from God's presence is the worst thing that can happen to anyone. It really makes life so devastating. Our entire hope of living would be lost and even the greatest personal achievement would not revive our happiness.

When we are with God, even when everything else falls apart, we would have a hope to cling onto, but at the same time when we are away from God, though our personal and professional life are at a high, we would find a big vaccum in our self and that vaccum is God. Yes, we do really miss Him sometimes and go through a valley of confusions and hopelessness.

But, take heart. God will never leave us nor forsake us. All that we need to do is come into His presence,reaffirm our devotion to Him and give Him the right place in our hearts and allow Him to rule us. He would fill us with unspeakable joy. Yes, He is God and with Him all things are possible.

To quote David from Psalm 51:11 and 12 "11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me". He pleaded like this when he was trapped in one of the worst sins, and was feeling despair. God did restore him with a willing spirit and he wrote the ever green Psalms to praise his loving God.

Anxiety - The silent destroyer

2010-08-29T17:00:00.004+05:30

"If you have nothing to lose in life, Then everything is there to be gained". I wrote this statement when I was thinking about or rather concerned about the outcome of many things in life. A lot of times in our life, we fast forward certain things and try to predict their outcome and in the process, our thoughts go through a vicious cycle of waves.But, in reality, not an inch would have been moved.This is anxiety!. Typically anxiety is characterized by the following things

1.You feel insecure in life.
2.You think always about the future.
3.Two lines of thoughts about a certain event - (a)Had I not done this, Life would be been wonderful.
(b)Having done this(this is the compulsion of anxiety),My life is going to be a mess.

Now let me ask you this question

1.Would you be anxious if you know that tommorow is going to be your last day on this earth and there is no way to avoid it?
I think most of us would not be anxious if we are in such a situation because we know we cannot do anything about it.We would make up our mind to face it, and try to be peaceful.If we can make up our mind for something like this, then why are we not able fight against anxiety, where almost nothing that we think ever come to reality.This is because we try to live our life by ourself. We think that we are in control of our life and hence everything would happen as we think. This is not true. Our life is controlled by our Maker. He is the one who runs the show, and only if we believe this amazing fact, we could find rest. If we realize this and surrender our lives to Him and allow Him to direct our paths, all our anxieties would vanish and we would only live for today and for this moment and leave the rest to God. This is what is called faith, and this is the faith that God honors.

Today we may be tormented by so many anxieties in life.May be the insecurity in job, a fear of a breakup, or about a terrible disease.Just take a moment and think about this, would you be able to prevent anything from happening by your actions?.If so, try to do what you can and leave the unpreventable to God.If somebody is to undergo a complicated bypass surgery tommorow, is there something that he can do about it?,Absolutely nothing. All he can do is to commit everything to God and be peaceful. This is what we need to do exactly to overcome anxiety.

I will close this with a beautiful passage from the Bible

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" - Philippians 4:6,7

Unless the peace of God fills us, we can never overcome anxiety."The beginning of faith is the end of anxiety and the beginning of anxiety is the end of faith".

All about our work

2010-07-04T09:42:00.002+05:30

I want to write today something about our work and work places.Many of us are going through great agony either because of too much pressure of work or for the lack of challenging assignments which drives us into a state of low self esteem.Some of the thoughts that swing across our minds are

1. Can I change my organization?
2. Can I ask for a change in the current organization itself?
3. Can I wait for some more time?

These three questions predominantly run aross our thoughts most of the time.Before, we start analyzing these, I want to refer to a beautiful verse spoken by the wisest and the most intelligent man who has ever lived on earth. He had everything he wanted and enjoyed everything, and King Solomon says in Ecclesiastes chapter 2

"17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? 23 All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.
24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind."

We see it is very clear that the satisfaction is not achieved by any of our efforts, but it is a gift from God. Listen to me very carefully, we cannot find satisfaction by ourselves in any of the things that we do, and it has to be presented to us by God. In verse 26, we find that God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness to the one who pleases Him.

Having said this, let us now go back to our questions. Work is something which is given to us by God. It was one of the curses that Adam took upon when he disobeyed God, and it was something that God permitted. In the Bible we find a lot of things being said about work and this ushers us to take work seriously. Jesus was a hard worker, as he helped Joseph in the early days of his life with carpentery. It is God who gives us the work, and He expects us to do it faithfully, and in turn He rewards us with satisfaction. This is the sequence and if understood in the right way would wipe of so many confusions.

Why does God put us at unfavourable conditions at work sometimes?.Why there is pain and anguish at work?.The reason is all very simple, we are not yet fully prepared to do the work. Either we lack the skills to do it, or we dont have the right attitude towards work and He wants us to change. We see in Joseph's life he was put through so many difficulties before he became a governor. God's training is much different from the world's and it is perfect. He can see through our motives and intentions.If we successfully pass the test, He would exalt us and give the desires of our heart.

Practical things to be done :

1. Examine to find if you are lacking something that is required to do the work in the field that you are currently in.
2. Are you giving the right place to God? Do you think of your work more than God?
3. What is your attitude towards work? Do you consider everything as if done for God?
4. Are you procastinating, lazy, and irresponsible at work?

If you are at fault at any of these, ask for repentance, and commit yourselves to Him, who would transform your personality and grant you the desires of your heart.

If a job change has to be done, He will do it in His time.

The Greatest Resolution

2009-12-31T08:08:00.004+05:30

Life is an amazing journey. It can be euphoric and exciting and at the same time equally frustrating and anguishing. This is what makes life so thrilling and unpredictable. As days and years roll by, we grow from time to time. For some, each year is a stepping stone towards their long cherished goals, and for some others, it is a slippery ground as the quality of life deteriorates and slides towards the lowest point.

As we look closely into these events, all depends on the choices that we make. At every stage of our lives we are destined to make choices and that’s what measures our success, or writes our failure. As this New Year 2010 approaches, let us take a moment to analyze the choices that we made in 2009, and delve into the outcome of those. This is one of the most important things that we need to do at the start of the New Year.

It is true that we need to make resolutions for the New Year, but if we choose not to learn from the previous year’s failures, we cannot make the New Year exciting. We need to take the good things into the New Year and leave the worst one’s behind. We should be determined to make the New Year special for us and for that we need to be mentally prepared and wise enough to make the right decisions.

We all make resolutions on diets, finances, education, entertainment and what not…but we forget one most important thing. The Bible says that “Every perfect gift is from God”. Everything in this world belongs to Him. But the sad thing is that we receive so many things from Him, and forget Him amidst the celebrations and the busy schedule that we have. God stands as a silent and lonely spectator, closely watching over us.

We must also understand that it is God’s amazing grace that makes us to run in this world. It would be a matter of seconds before we come crashing down on life, if God’s grace does not abide in us. Every day we hear news of wars, accidents, serious diseases, job losses, relationship breakdowns and so many other infirmities of life. What shielded us from these things? It is grace.

God gave us the greatest gift of all by sending His son Jesus Christ to the cross, so that we may be happy. But sadly many of us have not still accepted Him as our personal savior. It is one of the most important choices that we should make in our life. It is the one choice that decides where we our eternity. He promises joy and peace in this life as well as eternity.

Why don’t we make this greatest resolution to accept Him this New Year? , maybe we made a resolution to accept Him and spend time with Him last year, but we didn’t do that. It is not late yet, let us renew that and rededicate ourselves to Him. Trust me, it is the most important decision that we would make in our lives, and we will never regret for that.
If you had made that resolution or renewed it, Please pray this prayer.

Prayer
Loving heavenly father, I come to you at the start of this New Year just as I am. I cannot change myself. I am so wicked and sinful. Wash me and cleanse me through the blood of Jesus Christ. I want to become a new person and want to experience the joy and peace that you offer. I believe you have accepted me. I give you all glory and honor. In Jesus name I pray. Amen

Be joyful always

2009-12-21T07:04:00.003+05:30

Joy is something that we long to have all the time. Many of us still think of happiness and joy to be the same. But there is a vast difference between the two. Happiness is situational but joy is everlasting. We can experience happiness whenever something of our liking happens. A new car, a new house, something good happens in our family life and so many things like this brings us happiness. But how long does it last?. May be for a day? or a week?. Thats what most of us are used to and that is why there are lot of pain and frustration left in our life and we are always not contempt with what we have.

The fascinating thing about Bible and a life with Christ, is that in contrast to the worldly system, here we find everything to be eternal and everlasting. The world's offering to us are momentary,but with Christ everything is eternal. Be it peace, joy, salvation, everything is unlimited and available freely, because everything is paid for by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ at the cross of Calvary.

Apostle paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16, that "Be joyful always" and in Phillipians 4:4writing from prison, he says "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!".
How could someone be so joyful and think about others when he is in a dark prison cell, where everything seems gloomy and hopeless?.Where lies the secret?.

Well, the secret lies in the fact that Apostle Paul always trusted in the heavenly abode, the Lord Jesus Christ and He was the source of everything for him. This is what made him to praise, sing and shout all the time. Though he was persecuted and beaten, he always rejoiced because Christ was in him.

What about our condition today?. Are we struggling to live with contempt and always dreaming of something that we don't need at all?. Are we not satisfied with the blessings God has given us currently and pursuing after things that are not meant for us and in the process lose all the peace and joy?.

Dear friend, turn back from such a state of mind and make Jesus Christ, the source of all our providence. We will not lack anything when we trust in Him and we will be filled with joy beyond every measure that we can ever think of. Would you make that shift in your mindset today?. God bless you!

Do you want peace?

2009-12-19T11:38:00.004+05:30

"Peace" is a word that has been used so frequently amidst us. There are lot of organisations striving to bring peace into the world in many ways. We all try to bring peace into every aspect of our life. But the hard fact is that inspite of all these efforts, we find the world still longing for peace.

Peace has different meanings and context for each of us. Some of the common thoughts about peace are

1. Peace abides when there are no problems in life
2. Peace can be brought in if we have the wisdom to solve the problems of life.
3. Peace depends on situations and relations.

Friends, if any of us think peace is all about the above listed things, then we haven't understood the real meaning of peace.

Then what is peace?. How can we be peaceful amidst turmoil? How can peace abide in our families?. These are some of the questions that come to our mind. Let us dwell on these things below.

As everything has a source, peace too has a source. That source is not human, it is divine. We can never create peace, unless we are at peace with God. The Bible says in Isaiah 26:3 "God will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in Him". and in Numbers 6:26 we find "The LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace."

The above scriptures clearly reveal us that only God can send peace into this world and He had sent it long time ago when He sent His only son Jesus Christ into this world 2000 years ago. In Isaiah 9:6, we read that Jesus is the Prince of peace, and only He can fill our hearts with peace.Ephesians 2:14 says "For he himself is our peace".

We can never have the eternal peace inside us if we have not found Jesus Christ. We have to turn away from our old sinful ways and seek Him. We read in Isaiah 48:22, that there is no peace for the wicked. If we still have secret sins in our life, we can never have peace.

The first thing we need to do is to be peaceful within ourselves. For this, all our sins need to be forgiven. When we surrender our lives to Jesus, He cleanses us and makes us clean and peaceful. Then we can radiate this peace to our family and in turn to all others who are around, and finally to the whole world. This is what needs to happen if we have to have a peaceful world.

Each and every person need to reconcile with God first. This is the starting point. Without this, there is no beginning in our efforts to establish peace. The peace that God gives will withstand all the trials in the life as we would not be depending on anything earthly for our peace. Jesus said in John 14:27 that "My peace I leave you". That peace is still there, but we need to cling on to it.

It is not too late yet. Would you open your hearts to Jesus this Christmas season?. Probably we would have celebrated so many Christmas's in our life. But let us try to make this Christmas something special for ourselve and those who are around us by reconciling with God and giving that peace to others.

Prayer:

Loving heavenly father, I have come into your presence with a desire for peace. I believe that only you can give me that. I confess all my failures and sins to you. Wash me with the blood of Jesus and make me clean. Make me a new person. Let this Christmas be a turning point in my life. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Sexual immorality

2009-11-08T20:13:00.002+05:30

1 Corinthians 6: 9-11

"9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders
10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

We live in a world which is full of filth and immoralities. Everywhere we turn around we see lawlessness, quarrels, slanders, adultery and all the corrupt things. The Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9 that "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?". Good and bad can never coexist together, as light and darkness cannot!.

Everyone of us were born into this world with sin inside us. No one except our Lord Jesus Christ is exempt from this, even the greatest saints who have lived in this world. Each one of us would have lived according to the pattern of this world filled with filth and garbage before we came to Christ. This was the life to gratify the desires of flesh. The blood of Christ cleansed us from all the sins and made us new creations. This is what we call the experience of salvation and starting a new life with the power of the Holy spirit.

We should not forget the sacrifice that Jesus Christ did on the cross to rise us back from spiritual death. But sadly, many of us, though we claim to be born again, still live a defeated life, as slaves to the passions, lust, fame and other worldly things. Paul is very clear in writing to the Corinthian church that anyone who indulges in wickedness will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

It is very straight, that either we please God and enter heaven or still live pleasing the world and its attractions and end up in hell. The choice is ours to make. No compulsions of any sort, as they are of no use. It is God's desire that not even a single soul should be lost and thats the reason that He is delaying the judgement. But there is a day coming when Jesus will come back and take His children to be with Him forever. We need to make a choice today. It is my prayer that none of you reading this would be caught on the wrong side on the day of the second coming of Christ.

Would you please surrender your life to Christ now?. It is very simple. Make a commitment to Him by asking Him to come into your life. As you pray this prayer, mean each and every word in it. As you complete this prayer earnestly, God would have made you a new person. A glorious life follows you in Christ. God Bless You!

"Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."

The troubled conscience

2009-10-04T12:33:00.003+05:30

God forgives our sins when we repent and believe in the name of Jesus Christ and trust Him. Satan is an accuser and one of his primary goals is to elude the clarity of our conscience and as a prowling lion, waits to devour us. The devil sows seeds of doubts, anxieties, confusions and everything possible to rob us of the peace that God offers us.

All these things are because the devil feels insecure when we cling on to God and decide to give up our own “SELF”. Satan knows that he cannot fight against us when we are with God and so he uses our own selfish desires to separate us from God. Let us never fall prey to this well known trick of satan by which he has brought many down.

We need to drive away the devil in the name of Jesus Christ. The Bible says in James 4:7“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”. As we are reading this article, let us take a moment to analyze whether we resist the devil all the times by submitting ourselves to God, or we depend on our own strength and get defeated all the time.

We are in a spiritual warfare with the enemy. We can never win over him by our own strength. We need spiritual weapons to fight the spiritual battles and only God can provide it to us. The full armor of God is needed for the battle. We need to put all our plans and strategies away and trust in God’s protection and the victory that He has given us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.

Ephesians 6:11-18 says “11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests”

Whenever we are confused and bogged down by the worldly trials, the enemy rejoices. We should not allow this and should always be aware of the wonderful fact that no matter whatever happens, two things are for sure.

1. If we live, God is with us.
2. If we die, We will be with God

The next time when we are confused about forgiveness from sin, let us remember 1 John 1:9“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”.