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* The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? Psalm 118:6
* In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? Psalm 56:11
* In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? Psalm 56:4

I absolutely adore the total confidence in which King David sings about his trust in the Lord. No, these are not just words he wrote to fill up his page; he speaks from the abundance of his heart. The scripture says in Luke 6:45: ...of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Very true of King David otherwise we will not find the consistency in his words across the different psalms.

He is not just sitting idle either. If we look at these verses closely we can see what more he did for his part:

1. The Lord is with him - Or in other words, he is with the Lord
2. In God he trusts - not on his own strength
3. He will not be afraid - of any man
4. In God, whose word he praises. - he reads the word of God and praises based on the word of God.
5. He trusts in the Lord - all over again
6. He will not fear of man - he is determined not to fear men.
7. He understands mortal man is no match for his Immortal Lord. - Amen!

If we follow in his foot steps, we too need not fear any man. We can boldly say:

* The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
* In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
* In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

Happy Saturday everyone! Let us rejoice in His presence all day long!
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* You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you. 2 Chronicles 20:17

* The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes Deuteronomy 1:30

* The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still Exodus 14:14

* You yourselves have seen everything the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the LORD your God who fought for you. Joshua 23:3

There are plenty of Scripture verses stressing the same point repeatedly that our Lord will fight our fights; so it has to be true!

Whatever be our circumstances, whatever be our battle, we can trust that our Lord will fight it for us. Let us by heart these verses and repeat it in our prayers, claiming victory over our battles.

Now, stop fighting it all by yourself and go enjoy the weekend!

Happy Friday!
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No weapon forged against you will prevail. Isaiah 54:17

Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. Psalm 91:3-6

Some of  us might be overwhelmed by the thought of a constant "Spiritual warfare" at hand. The war against our flesh, the war against sin, the war against the fallen world. By war I mean the conflicts, a constant repelling force which makes our faith walk all the more harder.

Today's message comes as a reminder that we can find solace in His presence where we can rest. As we start loving Him more, as we start enjoying His presence, the journey gets better. We will truly cherish His company rather than be afraid of the attacks on the way.

We can be confident that the One with us is mightier than the army with them. How so? Because the Bible tells us so! Amen!

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6
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The Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” Genesis 4:9

Yesterday we learnt about God's question to Adam: Where are you? Adam accepts his mistake though in a round about finger pointing way.

But now Cain has killed his brother Abel and when God asks a question in a similar fashion: Where is your brother Abel we see that Cain has absolutely no remorse. No finger pointing is involved this time around. He is adamant and has a "so what?" attitude. He lies to God saying, "I don't know" and then quickly questions back the Lord as if to cover up his lie, "Am I my brother's keeper?". How sad is that?

It was not an accident that Cain killed Abel. It was premeditated; planned out well in advance; it was a calculated strike. We see that the sin has now advanced from Adam's case, to much more than mere disobedience. Jealousy, hatred, pride, anger, disregard for God are some of the other sins that were bundled into his action. Still no remorse. This clearly shows that Cain is farther away from the Lord than his father Adam was when he committed sin. Now we understand why sin is fatal.

Coming back to the question, where is your/my brother? Do we know where our brothers and sisters are? Do we know of their well being in Christ? Are they in the Lord? If not, what are we doing about it? Are we helping them grow in faith or worst have we "killed" any by our words or deeds?

To answer Cain's question: Yes, we as believers definitely are our brother's keepers!

Where is your brother?
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LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" Genesis 3:9

Let us go back to the Garden of Eden for a minute. It was such a paradise and Adam and Eve had everything they needed, they didn't have to work hard, food was readily available as the earth was yielding its fruits in abundance, the animals were tame & friendly, birds obeyed to their call, they were in their honey moon with the least of care and best of all God was their friend. He stopped by to enjoy a conversation with them every day...

Suddenly everything turns upside down. They have had the forbidden fruit and are running around to hide from God. They are running away from Him as far as possible. They are overcome by guilt, shame, agony so much that they didn't have the strength to face their creator anymore.

That's when they hear His voice, "Where are you?" Definitely God knew where they were. Why then He asked?

Wesley's Notes says:
This enquiry after Adam may be looked upon as a gracious pursuit in order to his recovery. If God had not called to him to reduce him, his condition would have been as desperate as that of fallen angels.
Aren't you glad He asked? Our Lord extends the same question to all of us today: "Where are you?" It is important to analyze our selves every now and then to make sure we are on the right track - walking towards Him and not away from Him.

Are we in His bosom enjoying His nearness or are we far away from Him filled with guilt, shame, sorrow and agony?

Have we acknowledged and answered to His call? Where are you?

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"Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you." Isaiah 60:1

"...it is light that makes everything visible ...and Christ will shine on you."" Ephesians 5:14

"the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;" Numbers 6:25

"You are the light of the world. ...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Mathew 5:14-16

I guess these verses are pretty straight forward and self explanatory. For today's coffee let's focus on the word "light". Thinking of light in general terms, what are some of the things that come to our minds? Of course the sun, the moon, the stars, light houses, street lights, lamps, flashlights, fire, decorations, what else?!

Now let's try to imagine ourselves as one of these sources of light. Can we be a sun to the world? How about a moon - reflecting the light from the Son? Could we be the stars brightening the night? A light house directing a boat or ship of life? Street lights illuminating someone's path? A lamp chasing away a child's fear? Flashlights used in a search, how about a bonfire to someone cold and tiered, or pretty decorations in the busy downtown? Do we shine for His glory?

Can we play light for today and practice it for the days to come?! When we attempt it the Lord makes His face shine upon us! It's a promise!

If you recall anyone who was such a source of  light in your lives please share so it may benefit fellow readers.
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“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the  seven spirits of God and the seven stars. 

I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 

Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent

But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. Revelation 3:1-3

Sure a wake up call for some of us; what are we going to do about it?

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* I  am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Revelation 3:11
* Only hold on to what you have until I come. Revelation 2:25

The message for today is: Hold on to what you have!

Hold on to what we have? What do we have? Let's see what the Scripture tells us:

* Hold on to the good. 1 Thessalonians 5:21
* Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23
*Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.  1 Timothy 6:12
* She (wisdom) is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed. Proverbs 3:18
* Let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. Hebrews 4:14
* Stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you. 2 Thessalonians 2:15
* Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. Proverbs 4:13

As born again believers we must therefore hold on to the good, our hope, eternal life, wisdom, our faith, what the Scripture teaches us and the instructions given in the Bible till He comes. That's all is expected of us.

Hold on tight! Don't loosen the grip!


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As God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12

We all like hearing things like we are loved, dearly loved, His own , His chosen people etc. Good! However sometimes we fail to realize what it really means to be His chosen people, His dearly beloved...

The Scripture is very clear on the roles a dearly beloved of the Lord ought to play. There is a dress code if you will for His chosen people. We are expected to wear compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Now, let's pause there and analyze ourselves.

How compassionate are we? When we came across someone in need did we walk past them or stopped to help? Are we kind to one another or rude always? Humble or proud? Gentle or harsh? Patient or hurried? Those who can say for sure you have mastered it all, you are obviously His chosen people, holy & dearly loved!

Others who have some doubt, let us work towards improving in that area. Doesn't mean we are loved any less. We are still His chosen people, holy and dearly loved. Remember He first loved us even while we were sinners? So let us work to fit in to His perception of us.

As God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, let us clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Amen!

God bless you all. Happy Friday!

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Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14(NIV)

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. (KJV)

Barne's Notes on the Bible has the following explanation:
Follow peace with all men - Do not give indulgence to those passions which lead to litigations, strifes, wars. This is the temper of the gospel. We are to make war with sin, but not with people; with bad passions and corrupt desires, but not with our fellow-worms.

And holiness - Instead of yielding to contending passions and to a spirit of war; instead of seeking revenge on your persecutors and foes, make it rather your aim to be holy. Let that be the object of your pursuit; the great purpose of your life. Men might in such cases counsel them to seek revenge; the spirit of religion would counsel them to strive to be holy.

What is the difference between us and non-believers if we take offense in every single remark or wrong doing,  arguing our case? Can't we just dust off the comment and move forward forgiving them in Jesus' name? It doesn't seem alright; they truly deserve to hear what we got to say - right? Wrong!

Let us make every effort to live in peace as today's Scripture teaches us. Let us make a difference from the rest of the crowd out there!
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For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. Psalm 33:9

I just love this verse so much that I use it in almost all my prayers, be it for me or someone else. The power of His word is so powerful.

If you recall the incident when a centurion comes to Jesus requesting healing for his servant, he said: "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed." Matthew 8:8

In Genesis 1:3 we read, And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. The rest of the creation was also created simply by His spoken words.

Elsewhere in the Scriptures we read: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1

Little Samuel was taught by Eli to respond by saying "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening."

Jesus rebuked satan by saying, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

In  Mark 4:39 we read: He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

Romans 8:34 says, "Christ Jesus, ... is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us."

If we sit down to look for more Scriptures that emphasis the power of His Spoken Words, I am sure we can find many many more. Don't you want Him to speak for you today? I do.

Let's hold on to these verses and pray to our Lord thus: "You spoke, and it came to be; You commanded, and it stood firm. Please speak to me Lord. Please speak for me Lord! Your servant is listening." Amen!
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"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." Psalm:23: 5

I would often think I had no enemies only to realize that not everyone I know of think of my well being all the time. There would be jealousy, hatred & grudges against us from very familiar people. They may not be genuinely happy when things go well for us and may secretly rejoice when things go bad for us, thus becoming an "enemy".  Also, not to forget our real enemy - the roaring lion prowling around looking to devour someone.

I am sure all of you have faced such enemies one time or other in your life. But when you sit back and think about how God led you through those circumstances you can boldly say like King David said: "My God prepared a table for me in front of my enemies. He anointed my head with oil; my cup was full". Yes, I can say that & I am sure you can too. Let's pray:

Dear Father in Heaven, thank you Lord for this beautiful day. Thank you for this wonderful time with you Lord.

Thank you for always preparing a table for us in front of our enemies in the past circumstances Lord. Thank you for always lifting up our heads and anointing us with oil Lord. Thank you that you gave us in abundance that our cups ran over Lord.

We continue to trust that your glory will be revealed in the coming days too Lord. Thank you for your protection and for your anointing Lord. We praise you again for all your mercies Lord. Bless this day Lord. Bless each and every one of us who gather here to spend few minutes with you Lord.

We Love you Jesus! In Jesus' mighty name we pray, Amen!
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* Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. Psalm 55:22
* Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. I Peter 5:7
* I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you. Hosea 14:8
* And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you Matthew: 6:30
* You saw how the LORD your God cared for you all along the way as you traveled through the wilderness, just as a father cares for his child. Deuteronomy 1:31

Today's message is specially for those who constantly worry about this or that. The verses here make it crystal clear that our Lord will sustain us through our tough times as long as we cast our cares on Him. What does it mean to cast our cares on the Lord?

It simply means bringing our burdens to His feet, praying it over from the depth of our hearts, crying it over (if we feel like) at His feet (not to anyone else), and then no longer be burdened by it but rejoice in His love. You might ask how is it even possible not to be burdened by it?

The answer is if you truly believe God will answer your prayers and handle it for you, you will know better to refrain from worrying further. Or in other words if you continue to worry it only means you have not trusted Him to lead you through.

I am casting all my worries right away; hope you will join me too!

Happy Monday all!
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"Let not your heart be troubled..." John 14:1-3

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

These are Jesus's parting words to His disciples, if you will. Soon after this conversation which happened during the Last Supper, He was to be crucified.

In the case of the disciples there was much to trouble them. They were about to part with their beloved, tender friend. They were to be left alone to meet persecutions and trials. They were without wealth, without friends, without honors. And it is not improbable that they felt that his death would demolish all their schemes, for they had not yet fully learned the doctrine that the Messiah must suffer and die. ~Barnes notes on the Bible

We in the current times are in a better position than what the disciples were at; don't you think?

We know for a fact our Savior has risen! We have experienced the Great Comforter the Holy Spirit. We have the Scripture that sheds light on fulfilled prophesies; we hear of testimonies of lives changed because of salvation. We have friends and family who are tolerant of our faith.

We are not threatened to be killed for the Gospel of Christ. Above all we have the comforting presence of the Lord Jesus Christ always with us.

Then why are we troubled often?  What bothers you?

Let us take comfort in His love and accept the peace He offers.  Now.

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you. Psalm 55:22

Let's go enjoy the rest of the weekend with this godly peace today's coffee offers. Happy 'Son'day!

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The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. James 3:6-10


I am sure most of us made a conscious effort to make our words be few, yesterday. Once again we are reminded of taming our tongue this morning. This time rather than speaking little, it is speaking the right words that is being insisted upon.

Is our tongue starting fires or quenching fires? Is it full of venom against past, people, self, spouse or is it filled with love and praise for what/whom we have? Do we bless or curse mostly?

Let us give heed to the Scriptures that show us the way. Let us tame our tongue with God's help.

May our words be kind.

Kind words are like honey--sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. Proverbs 16:24


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Let your words be few Ecclesiastes 5:2

The prudent hold their tongues. Proverbs 10:19

Fools multiply words. No one knows what is coming - who can tell someone else what will happen after them? Ecclesiastes 10:14 

A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards. Proverbs 29:11


All of us have opinions of things good and bad. We have a point to make, good & bad. We often share our thoughts without the filtering process, which is the Word of God that gives us the divine wisdom. 

We might think we are being straight forward, but the Bible tells us we are fools if we don't control our tongue. I am guilty of it myself.   

Today's message challenges us to speak less, hold our tongue, nod, listen, cook, clean, do something but don't talk. Enough of entertaining our guests and neighbors and friends and collegues with our constant blabbering. We have shared our opinions time and time again. Now is the time to hold. Pause. Heal. Be.

Let our words be few. Today. Tomorrow. This week. Next week. For a month. For 6  weeks. Until it becomes our very nature. Then we will be prudent.

With God's help we can. Amen! 
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Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison. Deuteronomy 29:18

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:15

The first scripture here is an excerpt from Moses's address to the Israelites at the end of their journey; the second is from Paul's letters to Hebrews.

The idea is the same: Do not develop bitterness yourself; neither do let others induce it in you! Both will lead to falling short of the grace of God. Let us see how we can work on these.

How do we get rid of our bitterness? Ephesians 4:31-32 has the answer. It says, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

How do we safeguard against people who produce bitterness? For one, by praying the Lord's prayer "Lead us not into temptation  but deliver us from evil" (Luke 11:4).

Two: Psalm 1: 1-2, Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockersbut whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.

So, to sum it all up: Forgive, pray, do not associate with the wicked, delight in the Word of God! Shall we try?
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What does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

Past few days we have been discussing the same verse Micah 6:8. Today's focus is on 'Walking humbly with our God'.

We would think it is something to boast about - right? Walking with the Lord? Apparently not! As the verse suggests walking humbly is what is required of us; humbly is the key here.

So, how do we walk humbly with the Lord? I guess this comes with maturity. As we grow more and more in Christ we become less and less significant in our sight.

Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 3:5, "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God."

When the Pharaoh called in Joseph to solve his dream he responded: "I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." Genesis 41:16

Young David when confronting Goliath said, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied..." I Samuel 17:45

Looks like these people knew a thing or two about walking humbly with the Lord. We can learn from their example, can't we?

Happy Wednesday folks. God bless you!

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What does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

What does it mean to love mercy? Better yet, what is mercy?
Looking up the word in the dictionary reveals mercy means pardoning some one's punishment or being compassionate to our offenders. It is also an act of kindness, compassion or favor.

Mercy is one of the strongest qualities of our Lord. Lamentations 3:22 says, "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail." Other translations have it as "His mercies never cease". In Psalm 103:10 we read, "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities."

We are all recipients of God's mercy; no denying that. How are we doing with showing mercy to others? In Matthew 18:21 we read about the parable of the unmerciful servant. The question that lingers on is: Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? Matthew 18:33

The same question is directed towards us today. How merciful are we? Do we love mercy? Shouldn’t we have mercy on our fellow men just as our Lord Jesus has had on us?

It may look like we are taken for granted or that they don't deserve it. But that is the point. Being kind to others when they don't deserve it - that is mercy! Here is an encouraging word for you: Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7

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And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

Yesterday we discussed that one of the few things expected of us by our Lord is to act justly. Today we are going to discuss how to do just that - act justly.

First we need to understand what does 'just' mean. In Deuteronomy 32:4 we read: "He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he."

In Leviticus 19:36 we read of an instruction from the Lord: "Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt."

From these verses we can understand that being just means to be faithful, honest and not doing wrong. Now getting back to our original question, how to act justly, let us read on.

1 John 3: 9 says: "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God."

So, ultimately we need to be born of God. What does it mean to be born of God?

It is to realize that we are sinners and to recognize that Christ died for our sins on the cross and that the blood of Jesus Christ washes our sins. Repenting and asking for forgiveness for our sins makes us a whole new person - born of Christ!

When we are born of Christ He enables us to walk justly!

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With what shall I come before the Lord
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:6-8

We at times forget what is ultimately required of us by the Lord. Is it how much we give? No! Is it our being regular to church? No! How about we fast and pray for three days? That will be good idea but not something required of us by the Lord. Well, then what is really expected of us?

Today's passage has the answer: To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God! How do we do that? To find out let's discuss each of these in detail in the coming days:

Act justly
Love mercy &
Walk humbly with the Lord!
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Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  Matthew 5:8

Seeing Jesus face to face is the living hope of every follower of Christ. But the Bible tells us even those who are not looking for Him, will see Him on that day, when He returns in the clouds. We read of this in Revelation 1: 7:

"Look, he is coming with the clouds," and "every eye will see him, even those who pierced him"; and all peoples on earth "will mourn because of him." So shall it be! Amen.

The question then becomes, will we be ready to receive Him?

What does it take to be ready for the return of the King of kings, Lord of lords,our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? The Bible has the answer for us:

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household." Acts 16:31

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Mark 16:16

If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

If you are ready, praise the Lord and keep the oil burning. Those who are not sure, get to know Him now.

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You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9

For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. Deuteronomy 7:6

He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised. Deuteronomy 26:19

Amen! What a special anointing we can sense this morning! To be known as the Lord's chosen people, His royal priesthood, God's treasured possession, is truly special.

These are not mere words, but He means it. If not for that, He wouldn't have ransomed His only Son on the cross to redeem us.

From time to time we experience a certain dullness in our Spirit. We begin to doubt His words. We reason. We look up the context of the Scripture Promises like these and say it was spoken some time in history for certain group of people. We do not believe it is meant for us.

Today's message is to awaken our Spirits. To strengthen us once again that we are indeed the chosen people of God Almighty. He has redeemed us. He has bought us with a price. We are His. His treasured possessions. Amen!

Let us keep that in mind the rest of the day. Let us declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Amen!

Happy Friday. Have a blessed weekend.
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Continue to work out your salvation Philippians 2:12

In order to understand this verse first we need to fully understand what is salvation.

Thinkexist.com has a beautiful explanation which goes, "Salvation is the redemption of man from the bondage of sin and liability to eternal death, and the conferring on him of everlasting happiness."

So, salvation has two parts to it: (a) redemption from sin & (b) everlasting happiness.

If that is the case, the true meaning of today's Scripture is:

(a) Continue to work out your redemption from bondage of sin
(b) Continue to work out your everlasting happiness

How do we go about doing just that? How do we continue to work out our salvation?

The best part about God's commandments to us is that, it never lacks instructions or in other words each command comes with an user manual or key if you will that will enable us to follow it.

If we continue to read through the same chapter we can find the following instructions on the how-to: 

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe... Philippians 2:14,15

Now that we know the how to, let us put it into practice - to continue to work out our salvation! May God bless you. Have a nice day!

NRIGirl
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Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name be the glory. Psalm 115:1

There appears to be a hurriedness about King David's words here; as if he had the slightest inclination to take some pride but immediately decided against it.

Or it could be that someone went on and on praising the king and he gives all that glory to God Himself. Either way we can understand that his focus was on giving glory to God.

Is that our focus too? When someone praises us for something, do we take it with a "thank you" or do we say, "it's all because of the Lord" thus giving glory to God's name?

When the slightest pride shows up on our accomplishment do we feed on it or rush to eliminate the pride and give glory to God alone?

How often do we say, "Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name be the glory..."?
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The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever. ~ Psalm 23


A very familiar psalm indeed! But for once, let us take the time to actually let these words sink in! Word by word, sentence by sentence, how beautifully Shepherd David has written about Our Good Shephered - the Lord!

 Have a blessed Tuesday. God bless you all!


NRIGirl
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I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore. ~ Psalm 121

As you would agree this is a beautiful Psalm and almost always calms my anxieties. I strongly advise you to memorize it if you haven't already. This way, we can recollect it from memory any number of times during any situation. Trust me, the help won't be too long!


NRIGirl
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* Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Psalms 100:2
* Rejoice before the LORD your God, you, your sons and daughters... Deuteronomy 12:12

It is a beautiful new day, a brand new week - is it not?! As we get ready to go worship the Lord in the congregation of fellow believers, let us remember these verses and the emphasis today is on gladness.

In Isaiah 35:10 we read, "...the ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away."

Aren't we the "ransomed of the Lord"? Are we glad this morning? In spite of everything going on in our lives, we are still breathing - which alone is enough to be singing joyful songs at His presence.

For the rest of the day let us cast away our cares and go before him with joyful singing... shall we?
NRIGirl
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Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Joel 2:13 

In the book of Joel we read of many end time prophesies and here in Chapter 2 a detailed description of an army of locusts. If you have some time today I encourage you to read the full chapter to get a glimpse of the impending danger by an invasion of locusts. It is dreadful to realize that such destruction could be caused by swarms of locusts. It is absolutely horrifying even to read.

The chapter does not end with just the warning; but goes on to explain how we can escape the ordeal. This clearly shows the love of the Lord to protect us from these calamities. In verses 12-13 we read:
“Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.” 

Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity. Joel 2:12-13

You may ask, what does rending our hearts or repenting have to do with escaping the army of locusts. The answer is in verse 32: And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Joel 2:32 Amen!

If we are intune with the Lord, we will be caught up in the sky when Christ returns to gather His Church before such calamities strike the earth. Praise the Lord!

We have been warned. Let us heed to it. It is time to return to the Lord with all our heart! Yes, today!
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Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

Show me, LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. Psalm 39:4

My days are swifter than a runner; they fly away without a glimpse of joy. Job 9:25

My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and they come to an end without hope. Job 7:6

We don't need much proof that our days run faster than ever. We see signs of it everywhere. The mirror gives it away every time we see our reflection in it.

Didn't we just begin the year? Already we are in April and before we know it, it will be year end. Even this past week went by in a blink. The days and weeks and months and years seem to roll one into another seamlessly.
 
Job and King David felt the same from time to time. We see them mentioning it repeatedly in Scriptures. It is interesting how they both focus their attention back to the Lord amidst their panic.

Let us too do the same. As we become more cautious of our fleeting days let us become more appreciative of the Lord's providence and more aware of His favor on us.

His favor would be a full fountain of our future joys. It would be a sufficient balance to our former griefs. Instead of wasting our precious, fleeting days in pursuing fancies, let us seek the forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance in heaven. Let us pray that the work of the Holy Spirit may appear in converting our hearts, and that the beauty of holiness may be seen in our conduct. (Ref: Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary)

God bless you! Have a blessed weekend!