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Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
The hard thing about this verse is, often times we do not recognize the devil. On the contrary to our imaginations he doesn't come with baring teeth and twisted horns... he is so subtle and cunning that at times it is hard to even recognize it as the devil. We might mistake him for self pity, temptation, depression, tiredness, sickness, sadness, etc.
Remember this: Anything that spoils our joy of salvation is the devil - or from the devil. So right away resist him and he will flee from you.
That brings us to a very important question: How to resist the devil?
* In the same verse we read,
"Submit yourselves, then, to God"
* I Peter 5:8 says,
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour"
* In I Peter 5:9 we read,
"Resist him, standing firm in the faith..."
And when you do recognize him say, "
I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to stay away from me satan... I take victory in the blood of Jesus Christ!" Sure, he will take off!
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He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers Psalm 1:3
We all want this blessing in our lives - that we want to prosper in whatever we do. The conditions behind the blessing seem to be quite simple:
* Do not walk in the counsel of the wicked
* Do not stand in the way of sinners
* Do not sit in the seat of mockers.
* Delight in the law of the Lord
* Meditate His law day and night.
Are we meeting these conditions? Is there an area we need to improve on?
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Psalm 100
Shout for joy to the
Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations
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* You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. Joel 2:26
* Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood Isaiah 54:4
Dignity is an important motivation. When we think our dignity is lost or when we fear disgrace we lose all hope in life. However if our pride is in our Lord, we will not be put to shame.
It may seem like disgrace temporarily but in the long run we can look back and see that it was not really a disgrace and that His grace was sufficient for us. Amen!
Have a blessed weekend!
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Return, return, O Shulammite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. Song of Solomon 6:13
Came across this very interesting verse as I was reading the Bible today. After searching long and hard for an understanding of it, decided to share my own thoughts...
This seems like a conversation between Shulammite and her friends. In the earlier verses of the same chapter we see how beautiful Shulammite is and how much she is loved. I guess that is the reason why her friends are suddenly interested in seeing her again! They want to look upon her to see what it is about her that attracted her Lord.
Let's just pause there for today... Does our Lord find us (our hearts) impressively beautiful? Does His love for us make our friends want to look at us once more - up close?!
Now, if you would like to share in your thoughts please feel free to do so in the comments section below. Thank you!
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Remove sorrow from thy heart - Ecclesiastes 11:10
I was feeling a little low this morning. Guess I was home sick; I was also missing my Grandma who passed away nearly 15 years ago!
I must admit I was a little taken aback to read this verse on my daily calendar
"Remove sorrow from thy heart" Can Holy Spirit be more direct than this?!
I decided to share it with you today as I have a feeling some of you are not very cheerful this holiday season. You might be missing home or a loved one or simply the days long gone by...
Let us remove sorrow from our hearts this morning and be refreshed in the divine love from above that stays constant through thick and thin!
Happy Thanksgiving one and all! Love you much my precious friends! I honestly have a huge burden for each one of you. I truly believe God is talking to each one of us through this blog post.
Shall we all together say a BIG THANK YOU to our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ for this opportunity to come together?!
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"I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you" Haggai 2:23
What is a signet ring? It is a finger ring bearing an engraved signet - an emblem or seal.
Who has a signet ring? The King or a Noble
What is a signet ring used for? It is used to attest the authority of its bearer.
What does the verse above signify for us?
The Lord will make us like His signet ring, or in other words, He will grant us His authority.
What kind of authority?
* authority over the nations Rev 2:26
* authority over evil spirits Mark 6:7
* authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction Mathew 10:1
* authority over all the power of the enemy Luke 10:19
Why? Because he has chosen us
What do we do next? Be a Signet Ring!
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For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. Habakkuk 2:3
Sometimes we get a revelation from the Lord through a word or song or a message. But it may not immediately come true.
If that is your case, the Bible says,
"Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."
We'd recently discussed, "
Does He promises and not fulfill" Please
click here to read it. It stresses the message more in the similar lines...
Hang in there; His promises are Yeah and Amen!
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Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. Habakkuk 3:17-18
What a beautiful testimony! What does it take to share such a testimony?!
I believe, as long as we follow Christ
only for worldly blessings we can not share a similar testimony. When things do not work out, we will easily get unhappy. But when we train our self to trust that this world in only temporary and that we follow Christ for the Spiritual blessings, our testimony will be very similar to that of Prophet Habakkuk.
Whether we have a job or not, whether stock market goes up or down, whether it is too hot or too cold, we will say, "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord" Amen!
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* And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17
* So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God 1 Corinthians 10:31
* Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ Ephesians 5:20
In a few days we are going to celebrate Thanksgiving - a national holiday here in the US, kept aside for giving thanks to God Almighty. Or is it?!
How many of us have "Giving Thanks" in our mind when it comes to Thanksgiving? Are we overwhelmed with the preparations, travel plans, family get together, purchases, completely forgetting the main reason for the holiday?
Let us close our eyes, open our hearts; go through all that happened in our lives since January 1st 2010 to make a list of what we can thank Him for, it could get very long. Even if we were to say one thank you per item on the list, it could be hours before we are done with the list! He is not really asking for a list like that - a sincere thanking heart is all He is looking for.
Let us prepare our hearts first, for once putting away other distractions of the holiday in our back burners... I know it is five days away and a little too early to wish for the holiday. But the preparations can start ahead of time. Let us start early - Happy Thanksgiving!
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These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Revelation 3:8
Just yesterday we learnt how
our King who breaks open the way will go up before us ... Today again as a reiteration of the same message, what the Holy Spirit shares with us is that the door He opens no one can shut.
I am sure it is for strengthening us in the Lord, that we are reminded of the same message a second time! Amen!
Whatever doors are shut before you, God is going to open it for you. He knows you have little faith, yet you have kept His word and have not denied His name. God knows it all - even if it looks like no one else cared.
Let us continue to hold on to His words and not deny His name. The doors are going to be open - very soon... and no one can shut it!
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One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their king will pass through before them, the LORD at their head. Micah 2:13
Let us read the verse once again slightly differently - emphasizing the words in bold,
"One who breaks open the way will go up before me; I will break through the gate and go out. My king will pass through before me, the Lord at my head.
Let's keep praying this verse against all the "closed doors" in our lives. When our King takes the lead before us, He will break open the way for us. Amen!
If you believed, you would see the glory of God! If only we believed...
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* The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1
* The heavens proclaim his righteousness Psalm 50:6
* The heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness too Psalm 89:5
* When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? Psalm 8:3,4
I am a sky gazer. I love looking at the skies. Looks like King David did too. He has beautiful reflections on God Almighty looking at the skies.
If you don't normally care for the skies, please take a moment to gaze it next time you are out. You too will be able to reflect on the Creator.
We will become so insignificant in the vast expanse of the skies. The more insignificant we get, the more significant He gets! It is an awesome experience folks; care to try?!
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* So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty. Zachariah 4:6
* All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands." I Samuel 17:47
* Yet I will show love to the house of Judah; and I will save them--not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but by the LORD their God." Hosea 1:7
Sometimes we tend to depend on our might or power, our skills or education, our strength or confidence. We actually think a little too much of our self as if
we can take care of situations. We tend to forget that our battle can not be won with our merits. We try hard with all our might and only when all else fail we succumb to the Lord.
It is very important to learn the word of God on a regular basis so that we know the solution as soon as we smell the problem. We will right away come to the Lord crying,
"Not by my might Lord, not by my power too, only by you this can be done Lord; My horses won't save, nor my horsemen, please take charge of the situation Lord and bring victory to your name ..."
You will all agree this is a time saver with guaranteed results. Why not try it then!?
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Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” Mark 8:27-29
What will be our answer if we are posed with the same question? Who do you (we) say He is? Do we say John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the prophets or aptly that He is the Christ? Do we just say we are Christians or do we know for a fact that Christ is our Savior?
Do we sing just for namesake or do we mean it? Do we just rush through a chapter from the Bible or do we sit down to meditate and understand what it has to say?
Do we go to the church because it is Sunday and that's what we have been taught to do, or do we go to worship the Lord and share in the fellowship of believers? Do we praise and pray from the bottom of our hearts or is it just superficial?
Who do you say He is?
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* Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. Isaiah 59:1
* The LORD answered Moses, "Is the LORD's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you." Numbers 11:23
* Was my arm too short to ransom you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you? Isaiah 50:2
* You were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm Deuteronomy 5:15
* The strong right arm of the LORD is raised in triumph. The strong right arm of the LORD has done glorious things! Psalm 118: 16
Sometimes when our help delays, we wonder if the Lord's arm is too short to save us. We start doubting on the rescue power of the Lord. Knowing these verses will help us through such troubling thoughts, reassuring us that His arms are not too short to save us, nor His ears dull to hear us.
Our Lord does not lack the strength to rescue us, after all it is He who brought the Israelites out of Egypt by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm! Let us be reminded that the strong right arm of the Lord is raised in triumph against all our adversaries and that the strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things! Amen!
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* "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Revelation 5:12
* "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29
* "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" Revelation 5:13
* "Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready" Revelation 19:7
As you see the Lamb and Christ are used interchangeably in these scriptures. Since Christ was slain for our sins the description aptly fits Him. Let us focus our attention on the verse:
"... his bride has made herself ready".
Who is this
"bride"? In Ephesians 5:15-16 we read,
"...Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless"
Clearly we - the Church is
"the bride"! Let's sing:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Our wedding with the Lamb is near; as His bride let's make our self ready!
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Let's have an open discussion today at our Coffee with Jesus! What do you make of the following verse?
Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him," declares the LORD. Jeremiah:31:20
Please share in your thoughts so that we can all benefit from the different view point.
God bless and have a blessed day!
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* When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight. Jeremiah 15:16
* I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. Job 23:12
* How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103
* Do not my words do good to him whose ways are upright? Micah 2:7
Few days ago we discussed the importance of
Manna for breakfast. Once again we are reminded of "eating" the word of God - as often as possible.
Just from these verses here we see the different aspects of the word of God. It is like treasure, bread, honey, sweet, joy, heart's delight & good.
Sounds like an all-in-one meal at an unbeatable price - FREE!
Might as well try some. Have a blessed weekend!
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"Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again" Exodus 14:13
When we were first married both of us were without jobs & without insurance for 8 months. After eight months when my husband got a job, we were very afraid of losing it as it was a temporary job. We had a child on the way and were not sure how we would manage it all.
One of those days, during our family meditation time God spoke to us very clearly through this verse
"The Egyptians you see today you will never see again". We took it as our promise and prayed over all our fears one by one - fear of joblessness, fear of not having enough to support a family, fear of not having insurance, fear that we might have to go back to our home country empty handed, fear of losing our rented place, fear of sickness, fear of many things...
All these fears were wiped out clean when we began to hold on to His promise, repeating it in our daily prayers and coming to fully trust it was given by the Lord. I must add God kept His promise and we have never seen
"those Egyptians" ever again in our lives.
I share this testimony to encourage you who might be in a similar situation now - fearing
"your Egyptians". This is what the Lord says,
"Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again"
His promises are Yea and Amen!
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* Each morning everyone gathered as much as he needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. Exodus 16:21
* In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. Psalm 5:3
* In the morning I will sing of your love Psalm 59:16
* His compassions never fail. They are new every morning Lamentations 3:22,23
* I rise before dawn and cry for help Psalm 119:147
Scriptures show the importance of sitting at His feet in the morning and yet that is one area we neglect. When Israelites were fed by Manna, every morning they had to gather as much as they needed. As the sun grew hot, it melted away.
Same is true for our Spiritual Manna - the word of God. We need to gather it every morning as when the day progresses we may altogether skip it. We all know the Lord's prayer, "Give us each day our
daily bread" Let us take an effort to eat it every day, possibly as breakfast for a healthy start.
Manna for breakfast anyone?!
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Recently we were praying for my Aunt's visa to America and we were assured day after day with great promises from the scriptures. However she didn't get through the interview today. As I was contemplating what could have possibly gone wrong with the assurances & promises, I happened to come across this verse in a very unlikely of places - in my closet - where I was looking for some important documents this morning.
This is how it goes:
"God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" Numbers 23:19
I was stunned!! It was a straight forward answer to what was going through in my mind. I immediately asked for forgiveness and looked at things from a different perspective. Sometimes things may not work out the way we are expecting it, but it definitely does not mean His promises have failed. In course of time it will all come clear for our understanding. For now let us accept the limitations and move forward.
One thing to remember is:
"All things happen for good for those who love the Lord." Amen!
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Are you a
"bush in the wastelands" or a
"tree planted by the water"?
It all depends on who your trust is in...
This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
he will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.
“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.” - (Jeremiah 17:5-9)
I wish to be an evergreen and so I have decided to trust in the Lord. Now how about you?!
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* "Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs" (Psalm 100:2)
* "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28)
* "I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint." (Jeremiah 31:25)
A quick reminder as we get ready to go worship the Lord today! Let's do it with gladness; and let's come before Him with joyful songs.
Some of us may not be in a mood for joyful songs. May be you need to check out the
Cast Away invitation from yesterday. When the burden gets heavy there is only one solace, the foot of the cross.
The weary and burdened find rest at His presence as He refreshes the weary and satisfies the faint.
Wishing everyone a refreshing worship!
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Prayer requests / praise report for the week:
* Trina asks to pray for her friend's son who is recovering from bone marrow transplant
* Cowboyswife requests for our prayers to help her overcome jealousy and selfishness. Let's also pray for the Love of God to bind them together in their marriage.
* Let's praise that Leslie's doctor's appointment went well
* Let's praise that Hephzibah was able to meet her project deadline on time
If any of you have unspoken prayer requests, please bring it all together as we unite in His presence to pray for all the needs.
"Dear Lord, thank you for helping us through this long, hard and cold week Lord! Thank you that your grace was sufficient for us each day Lord. We have now gathered together in your name to pray for our needs Lord. We praise and thank you that you are already healing Trina's friend Lord. And also we pray for Cowboyswife who has realized her problem Lord. The scripture says if we confess our sins, you are faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness Lord. She has confessed it Lord, you have already forgiven her Lord; thank you that you are keeping her marriage bond stronger Lord. We also bring all our unspoken prayer requests to you Lord. You are mighty to save us Lord. Thank you for your abundant love, mercy and grace on each one of us Lord. We ask these in Jesus's name. Amen!"
Enjoy your weekend!
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He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Psalm 147:4
He who... calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land--the LORD is his name. Amos:9:6
The LORD called me before my birth; from within the womb he called me by name. Isaiah 49:1
I have called you by name; you are mine. Isaiah:43:1
I have also called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor Though you have not known Me. Isaiah 45:4
"... The one who calls you is faithful ..." 1 Thessalonians 5: 24
I believe there is nothing as magnificent as a starry night sky or an endless ocean - as these clearly show the magnificence of God Almighty - the maker of heaven and the earth. To know that our Lord calls each star by name, and that He calls the waters of the sea, it is simply amazing!
The same Lord also called you & me by name - even before our birth -which is beyond our imagination. There is absolutely no doubt about it; there are countless scriptures we can read that He has called us by name. I encourage each one of us to claim these as our personal promises and live to fulfill our calling.
Remember, the one who has called us is faithful and will help us through! Amen!
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'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' Matthew 25:23
I am sure we all hope to hear our Master say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!.... Come and share your master's happiness!" someday. The condition seems to be simple - to be faithful with a few things.
What would those few things be? I guess one would be how we spend our time, another would be how we use our resources, it could be our talents, our finances, our dealings, our attitudes, our conversations... simple things really...
In Luke 16:10 we read,
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much."
Let us assess each area in our lives and make a conscious effort to become faithful with the few things; then our Master will surely say,
"Well done!"
On a different note, if any of you are interested in sharing your testimony with the rest of us, please contact me at
nrigirl@hotmail.com I will gladly publish it for a Tuesday or Thursday post... Thank you!
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The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD Proverbs 21:31
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Psalm 20:7
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD. Proverbs:16:33
What all these verses teach us is that, our victory comes from the Lord, not from the chariots or horses or lots as some people believe in. We trust in the name of the Lord our God and the victory belongs to the Lord.
This again ties to the verse,
"Go in the strength you have" - which we discussed last week. I believe this reinforcement of the same topic again and again is only to teach us a thing or two about letting go of our limits, merrits and/or credits and trusting in the Lord 100%
Hard to believe we are closing up on the year 2010... If you haven't seen victory over anything this year so far, let go of your fear,doubt and self confidence. Let the Lord be your confidence. Learn to trust in the Lord, indeed victory belongs to the Lord for his people who trust in Him. Wishing you all a victorious November 2010!
